After the success of Twilight in 2008, The CW’s The Vampire Diaries became the second-highest-rated teen vampire series on television. Based on the L.J. Smith book series, The Vampire Diaries premiered in 2009 and aired eight seasons. One of the series’s main characters was Damon Salvatore, played by Ian Somerhalder. Damon was the charming, dark, and alluring bad boy of Mystic Falls.
His first line in The Vampire Diaries was, “Hello, brother.” The line would mark Damon’s leave from the series in the emotional final episode. According to the series’s creator, Damon’s original line was drastically different than what was seen on the small-screen.
Fans say goodbye to Damon, Elena, and Stefan in ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 8 finale
The Vampire Diaries fans know how emotional the series’s finale episode, “I Was Feeling Epic,” was, as the main characters’ storylines came to an official close. In the episode, Katherine (Nina Dobrev) wants to destroy Mystic Falls with hellfire. To save the town and the main characters, someone sacrificed themselves for the greater good. Fans wept as Stefan (Paul Wesley) pushed aside Damon and killed Katherine as hellfire destroyed them both. The scene was especially emotional as Stefan just got married to Caroline (Candice King) but lets Damon live so he can have the life Stefan thought he deserved.
Elena (Dobrev) returns from her slumber as everyone learns of Stefan’s death by the end of the episode. In the final scene of TVD, Elena and Damon live out their lives into old age. Elena dies and is welcomed by her deceased loved ones at the Gilbert house. For Damon, he arrives at the Salvatore boarding house, and the door opens to reveal Stefan. Damon says his final line in the series, “Hello, brother,” finally finding his peace.
Damon’s final line was meant to be comical, according to creator Kevin Williamson
Fans can agree that Damon has come a long way since his first line in the series. In season 1, Damon said “Hello, brother,” with an evil smirk and chagrined as he and Stefan were bitter rivals. After eight seasons, Damon and Stefan rebuild their brotherly bond and see new sides of themselves. By “I Was Feeling Epic,” Stefan sees that Damon deserves his shot at a happily ever after and live out his life with Elena. When Damon returns to Stefan in the afterlife, he says “Hello, brother” with adoration and love toward Stefan.
Damon’s final line was drastically different from what Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec originally had in mind. According to Entertainment Weekly, Williamson originally planned for Damon to say, “Oh, I see they have hero hair in heaven.” It followed the idea that Damon was never an emotional character and liked his sarcastic jokes.
But, when Williamson and Plec worked on the final episode, they realized Damon needed a sentimental end. They decided to have Damon’s last line be the very first line from the pilot. With the line, Damon’s story comes full circle. It was the right decision as revisiting the simple line showcased Damon’s drastic character change in the eight seasons.
Fans got to see the Salvatore brothers get their happy reunion
The finale of The Vampire Diaries had some fans convinced it was a perfect way to send off the series. Fans felt revisiting Damon’s first line and his happily ever after is reuniting with Stefan was fitting and emotional. On Reddit, one user commented, “Both…for very different reasons. In the first one, you see the sibling rivalry, which sets the stage for the reconciliation that these two go through. In the second one, you see the love they have for each other once they come to terms with the fact that no one, not even Elena, is more important than their bond.”
For some, the relationship between Stefan and Damon was more impactful than Elena and Damon’s. Somerhalder envisioned a different ending for Damon and Stefan. According to Entertainment Weekly, Somerhalder’s ending involved speedos and drinks on the beach. The finale did not appease all TVD fans, but Somerhalder had the right answer.
“And so it’s invariably difficult to satisfy everyone, and that’s what I find so interesting about the endings of TV shows that people go on and on and on discussing. You’re never going to satisfy an entire populous of people. The interpretation that you leave is what you leave. This is the end of our show,” said Somerhalder. Welsey commented he started tearing while filming the sixth act and felt the ending was powerful.
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