The Vampire Diaries

The Vampire Diaries took doppelgangers to a new level in the Season 4 finale when Silas finally revealed his true face, showing Stefan (Paul Wesley) that he is, in fact, a doppelganger before tossing him into a lake inside a safe.



What will happen to Mystic Falls with a new big bad running around? Executive producers Julie Plec and Caroline Dries were joined by the cast on Saturday during Comic-Con to give fans the lowdown on the new season.



Teaser trailer: A sneak-peek video shows Silas as Stefan addressing the Mystic Falls town square to test the limits of his powers and how many people he can influence. Before the video cuts to black, Bonnie (Kat Graham) is spotted screaming in the middle of the crowd. But can anyone hear the dead witch?



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Delena: Despite the old TV adage that happy couples does not make for good drama, Plec said Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Elena (Nina Dobrev) will actually find some happiness this season. Still, Somerhalder is wary of how long that will last, especially with Silas terrorizing the town. "It is Mystic Falls, and you can't be that happy for that long," he said.



TVD, the college years: Elena and Caroline (Candice Accola) will be heading off to college this year. So what are those characters most excited about? "Parties," Accola said. "Caroline is really excited to go to college... She's pretty determined to get Tyler [Michael Trevino] to college so they can finally be together since Klaus [Joseph Morgan] is gone... They could be making some new friends in college. There are men in college. Some of them might be attractive."



Struggling with humanity: Now that Katherine is human thanks to the cure being shoved down her throat, she'll be struggling with how to adapt. "It's not going to be good for her," Dobrev said. "She's been hiding behind this façade and using vampirism to get what she wants. Now that she doesn't have that advantage, she's going to be lost and weak and insecure." She'll face even the smallest problems of humanity, like the common cold. "It's going to take a lot of getting used to," Dobrev said. "She can't compel herself free clothes anymore, so what will she wear?"



Getting older: Episode 11 will mark the series' 100th episode, but Plec could not reveal a word about the momentous occasion. However, Somerhalder baited fans by joking, "It'll be a nude musical."



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The spin-off: Even though Klaus has left for the spin-off The Originals, Plec says there's every chance Caroline could make her way to the new show to catch up with him.



Bonnie's future: Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) will feel the weight of Bonnie sacrificing herself for him, but she might be in denial herself. "Bonnie is not going to have realized that she sacrificed her own life and the grief attached to that," Plec said. "Seeing her come to terms with the loss of her own life will be her journey as well." Elena will have to help Jeremy with his cover story on how he's come back to life, while Damon will look after Jeremy when Elena goes off to college. But how long can Bonnie keep her friends in the dark? "We'll see how long she can keep the secret, if at all," Graham said. Additionally, since Bonnie is dead, we'll get to see what the other side looks like this season.



The new big bad: Though Silas will be wreaking havoc in Mystic Falls, Plec cautions that he may not be the only villain this season. "The big bad rarely launches the season. The big bad sometimes gets effed with by a bigger bad," Plec said. "We'll catch a glimpse to what happened to get Silas where he is and why he is the way he is."



The Vampire Diaries returns Thursday, Oct. 10 at 8/7c on The CW.



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