ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How long have you known Elena would end season 3 in transition to become a vampire?
JULIE PLEC: The ending had been in the works for about two years. In the first series of books, that’s what happens to her. When Kevin [Williamson] and I first came on the show, we said, “Well, it can’t happen to her the way it happens in the books,” which is on, like, page 200 of the first book. [Laughs] That felt obviously too soon, and rushed, and we didn’t want to make a show about a teenage girl who instantly becomes a vampire. But we always knew that her journey would take her there eventually, and we just kept riding the wave of when it felt right. You’ve got a girl who just sorta lost her last adult living family member when Aunt Jenna died last year, so when we started this season, what we really wanted to do was begin this relationship with Alaric as her guardian and mentor, and then tear that away from her at the end leaving her and her brother with nobody. It felt like now was the time — when you’re left with no grownup, no adult supervision, no parent, no guardian — for Elena to experience the next evolution of her journey. All the stuff that we did with having her get stronger over the course of the year, training and getting in touch with her physical self, and all the grief and all the emotion that she went through, all the compassion that she has for everybody, it will all play into next year and what kind of person and vampire she will actually be — if she should choose to see the transition through.

Obviously, she will transition.
There will be a discussion to be had about it at the beginning, but the road we’re going down is pretty balls out.

It wasn’t until that moment when ghost Alaric appeared to Jeremy that I was like, wait a minute, they could conceivably kill Elena because Nina Dobrev would still be on the show as Katherine.
We’re pretty notorious for being willing to go there and do radical things that other people wouldn’t necessarily feel good about doing, so there was a sense of fun in that moment. People were gonna be thinking, poor Matt, he’s such a goner, and mourning him in that moment and not even thinking ultimately that Elena was in any kind of jeopardy. So when that happened, it’s just like, Oh s—! Continue Reading at EW

A little look back at Season 3 as it comes to an end tonight. It feels like just yesterday I was making the Season 2 Finale Post wow how time really flies I can’t believe Season 3 ends tonight. Season 3 has personally been my favorite Season out of the 3 to be completely honest. We got to see Elena develop more and become STRONG and Single. The Performances as always have been amazing this season, the writing has been incredible and I can’t wait to see what Season 4 has to offer us fans.

Nina Dobrev as always brought her A Game to the 3rd Season of The Vampire Diaries, I have enjoyed watching her portray Elena and Katherine again and I can’t imagine any other actress in those roles but her. Thank You Nina for putting your all into Elena and Katherine. Not as much Katherine this season as I would of loved, but that’s okay more focus was put on Elena. Keep up the amazing work Nina I can’t wait to see what you bring us as an Actress in Season 4!

So be sure to tune in tonight to see how Vampire Diaries plans to leave us at the edge of our seats for the summer!

View The Departed Episode Stills

The Departed Extended Promo

The Producer’s Preview

The Departed Web Clip

Down Memory Lane Check out Season 1 Finale Post and Season 2 Finale Post *tears* Our Baby is Growing Up.

Way back at the beginning of season three, Nina told us she’d love to see flashbacks to Elena’s life before her parents died and before her life became a way more awesome version of Twilight. So now that the show has actually filmed those flashbacks, what was the experience like?

“I really liked doing that. I liked going into Elena’s world when she was carefree, happy, smiling and not running from vampires trying to save her life every day,” she tells us. “It was nice. It was refreshing. I got to do scenes with Zach Roerig as Matt when they were dating. We got to do some flashbacks with my parents, which was fun. It’s just nice to see that world and meet the family and meet these people that we’ve heard so much about.”

According to Nina, fans can expect  “The Departed”  to combine the crazy cliffhangers from the season one finale with the emotional punch of the season two finale to create one super-intense and sad hybrid finale (our phrase, not Nina’s). “The stakes are really high in this one. Somebody has to die, if not more than one person has to die for the others to survive, so there’s suspense and everyone’s on their toes,” she explains. “At the same time, with the family, seeing all the flashbacks and how everything went down is very emotional and sad. Once someone dies, it’s sad, too. It’s a crazy one.” Continue Reading

If you think you’re going to get Nina Dobrev to tell you who Elena chooses — Stefan (Paul Wesley) or Damon (Ian Somerhalder) — in tonight’s season finale of The Vampire Diaries, think again: She hasn’t even told her mother. “She lives between Canada and Europe, so I don’t get to see my mom very much. Her way to kind of be with me is watching the show and Googling me wherever I am,” Dobrev says, with a laugh. “So on many occasions, she calls and asks for spoilers and I’ll always say, ‘Nope! Nope! I’m not telling you anything.’ She always gets a little bit upset at the time, but then ultimately, she’s happy that I didn’t ruin it for her. It’s like the way I don’t want to know what happens in an episode before I read it. You don’t want to get to the punch line before you hear the joke.” Continue Reading 

CantShakeHim: Any scoop on Damon and Elena, please? There has been nothing on them, so far.
Bad news first? Elena will share a kiss with Stefan in the finale. Sorry to burst your Delena lovin’ bubble! Good news? Nina Dobrev assures us there are “absolutely” moments between Damon and Elena that will make fans happy. Check back with us a little later today for more Vampire Diaries scoop courtesy of Nina!

“Because of the circumstances, one of the Salvatores does leave town,” Nina says. Don’t worry – the guy who hits the road isn’t out of the running. “When Elena does make the decision, she’s alone. She’s not with either brother. She’s taken away from that element of temptation, and away from the pressure, and she’s not forced to make an impulsive decision because they’re both standing in front of her.”
Fans can trust that the decision Elena makes is one that’s well thought-out and solid, based on what she really wants, and not on what she thinks is best for anyone else. “Because she’s by herself, she can make the decision without being swayed by one or the other,” Nina explains. Continue Reading