The Vampire Diaries

was a brilliant and compelling supernatural series, but there was one storyline that spelled disaster for the show. The Vampire Diaries premiered on The CW in 2009. At the time, vampire stories were becoming increasingly popular, and particularly stories that showed a more seductive and human side to the blood-sucking monsters of mythological horror. And while many of these shows and movies were made, The Vampire Diaries was one of the few to become so prominent as to receive eight seasons and a dedicated fanbase.

But even with such a popular series as TVD, the show had its flaws. Not every character was well-liked, certain central characters went missing for some time, and not every storyline was a hit. Despite all of that, the Salvatore brothers remain two of the most beloved vampires in pop culture, and the show has a dear place in many peoples’ hearts, including my own. And yet, there was one detail that really put the show on the back foot.

The Vampire Diaries Never Fully Recovered From Elena Becoming A Vampire In Season 4

Elena Never Wanted To Be A Vampire

In season 4, one of the biggest changes in the show, which was hinted at for a long time coming, finally came to pᴀss. Elena Gilbert, the young woman from Mystic Falls who was in a committed relationship with Stefan before moving on to date Damon, was turned into a vampire. And from that moment on, the show was never the same again. Elena’s life was forever changed, her relationship with Stefan and Damon had changed, and her relationship with her brother and best friends.

It simply marked a point in the story where it was no longer about a human protagonist and their connection to the supernatural, but she became supernatural herself, and everyone in her life became something different. But beyond the changes in characters, the show had a tonal shift, which made things feel a little bit less exciting. Elena’s humanity was a pivotal piece of the story tapestry, and without it, it felt like something different.

Elena Becoming A Vampire Was Inevitable, But Season 4 Was Too Early

The Show Was Just In The Middle When Elena Entered Her Final State

The thing is, Elena was adamant about not wanting to be a vampire. And if I’m honest, that was one of the details about the show that I loved most. While other shows made the fantasy of becoming a vampire look seductive and magical, TVD allowed Elena to remain aware of the drawbacks of losing her humanity throughout, at least until she gave up her humanity and became a vampire. And if we are all honest, we knew that is where the show was going, but I would have liked the show to hold off a little longer.

The thing is, once Elena was a vampire, her story was pretty much done, and there was no more room for progress and change. And that led to the actress, Nina Dobrev, exiting the show for much of the back half of the series. While we still had the Salvatore brothers, Elena was never fully out of the minds of the characters or the audience. And without her to be the human center of the show, the core of a complex love triangle, and a voice of reason, the show began to veer off.

Why The Vampire Diaries Should Have Saved Elena’s Transformation Until Later

The. Vampire Diaries Had Room Enough To Deliver The Story Much Later

The love triangle may have been a challenging plot to keep going, but in reality, it only began to be explored properly in seasons 2 and 3. This means there was probably room to keep expanding that narrative into season 4 without the need to turn Elena into a Vampire, and then add elements like her being sired by Damon as a way to make things more complex. Had the show successfully pushed back and saved her transformation for later, it could have drastically altered the course of the show, and helped to keep things more engaging as the series moved towards the finale.

Instead, after season 4, the show needed to find a new center, and it struggled. It shifted focus to Damon and Stefan’s mother, to Stefan and Caroline’s relationship, to the introduction of powerful hybrids, and more, but all of this was a sorry replacement for what got fans hooked in the first place. By giving up on the central plot halfway through, The Vampire Diaries was forced to try and scramble for a new direction, and the resulting chaos was messy and less satisfying than what had come before.