15 Things You Would Have Changed About 'The Vampire Diaries'

It's only been a few months since we've said goodbye to our favorite show. The Vampire Diaries stole our hearts for eight seasons and we fell in love with Damon and Stefan Salvatore. It has been one hell of a ride. Since the finale aired, we've had a chance to think. Sure, this story will never be replaced, but what would we change about it? When a series is around for nearly a decade, there are bound to be a few twists and turns we wish we could erase. We grew along with the characters, but we definitely weren't always thrilled with Klaus and Katherine's diabolical antics, or Damon's impulsive decisions. Even Elena made choices we wish that she didn't, and while the show feels perfect in our hearts, it's actually far from that in reality. Here are 15 things you would have changed about The Vampire Diaries, and this will make you wish you could have rewritten the ending!

15 Katherine's Death

Saying goodbye to Katherine was much more difficult than words can really describe. After all, she set everything in motion and there would be no story without her. Fans still remembers the chills they got when they realized it was Katherine in the Gilbert kitchen and not Elena. Since she of course had to leave the show when Nina Dobrev left, and we did get to see her story come full circle in the series finale, her absence since season five left a hole in fans hearts'. No character on the show was more alluring and fascinating than her, especially when we had yet to discover why her and Elena appeared to be absolutely identical. If we could have written the show, it's a safe bet that we wouldn't have killed the infamous Katherine Pierce. We wouldn't have the story of Stefan and Damon Salvatore without her.

14 Nadia's Small Role

We knew from the very beginning of the show that Katherine had to be related to Elena, therefore Katherine must have had a child before she became a vampire. That baby was ripped out of her arms, and while we assumed that child grew up and had a normal life without knowing her mother was one of the wickedest vampires around, we learned that wasn't the case in season five. Nadia Petrova found her mother after five hundred years of searching, and that revelation is big enough that it should have spanned seasons and not mere episodes. We barely scratched the surface on Nadia's life, and she was honestly far from a dynamic character since her main trait was the fact that she was searching for her mother. She could have been an integral role in the show for years to come, but instead, she died much too early and at the very end of Katherine's life.

13 Jo's Demise

Jo was a striking character that brought the Gemini Coven to life in the The Vampire Diaries realm, but we might be sadder about the effect her demise had on Alaric than her actual absence. Besides, Alaric has such tragic dating luck, is it so wrong for us to wish he could have gotten the girl for once? While the coven kept Jo's children alive, it didn't make up for the shock that everyone felt when Kai stabbed her in the middle of her vows when she and Alaric were getting married. It's definitely something we would change about the show. If not for Jo, then we definitely would want to have changed that for poor Alaric, as well as their children. Her death also started the beginning of the bizarre story lines in season seven, so this was definitely a domino effect that we would have done anything to avoid. There is definitely a lot of death on this show, but this is one we could have done without.

12 Elena's Eternal Sleep

While it was a better option than killing Elena, and we know it was for the sake of Nina Dobrev's return for the series finale, this left a bitter taste in every fans' mouth. Fans threatened to boycott the show until Nina returned, and it wasn't until just a few weeks before the show was about to end forever that we discovered she would return for a single episode. We would seriously change the fact that Elena went into an eternal sleep for a couple years, and while that was far better than the sixty or seventy years that it was supposed to be, it still altered the show in an irreparable way. Of course, that would have meant keeping Nina Dobrev around for seasons seven and eight, so our beef is with her and not the writers. Every fan would change the fact that Nina Dobrev left the show, but at least we got to see her have a happy ending when all the loose ends were tied up in the finale.

11 The Original's Departure

The hype around Katherine Pierce was similar to how excited we were in season two when we were introduced to the very first vampires around. That thrill continued through seasons three and four when we got to know Niklaus, Rebekah, Elijah, and Kol. They were epic characters with intense personalities that were constantly throwing curveballs at you. They were complicated, ruthless, and diabolical. They were amazing enough to deserve their own show, and of course, that is exactly what happened. While The Originals is still airing and providing The Vampire Diaries fans with some comfort, it took away some of the best characters from the, well, original show. We seriously wish they would have stayed for the entirety of all eight seasons, because after their departure, it was impossible not to miss them. At least now we can thank them for filling the void in our hearts since we said goodbye to Damon, Elena, and Stefan.

10 Alaric & Caroline's Relationship

The show had more low points in the later seasons, which is definitely to be expected. While we were thrilled that Jo and Alaric's twins didn't have to die when Jo was murdered, it quickly became weird when the coven used Caroline as the surrogate for the fetuses. Considering everything we know about vampires since the show began, that seems like a major loophole in the story. It quickly became difficult to believe, and it stretched the audience's belief in the show way too thin. Plus, the series finale stomped the future visions of Alaric proposing to Caroline and being in love with her. This relationship became incredibly murky and the lines got way too blurred, plus it just felt weird and forced. It was the cherry on top of Alaric's tragic relationships, plus it felt like the opposite of the Caroline Forbes we had gotten to know over the years.

9 The Proposal Scene Getting Cut

In the span of eight seasons, there isn't a lot we would change, but how dare the writers hide this from us?! When the final episode of the show was 18 minutes over the time limit, the writers and producers naturally had to make some cuts, and one of those deleted scenes was Damon proposing to Elena! We do see Elena writing in her diary with a massive ring on her engagement finger, so while it is implied that they got married, that just isn't good enough for the fans that stayed loyal to see Damon and Elena through. While the Stefan and Elena fans probably have no qualms with this, it is something the majority of the fans of the show would change. Hopefully it is something that the producers eventually release so we could see it, maybe when the DVD is released, but the fact that it isn't cemented in the history of the show forever is a difficult pill to swallow.

8 Stefan's Sacrifice

No, we're not talking about the end of season five when he died and came back to life in a span of two episodes. We're talking about the series finale, when he makes the ultimate sacrifice so his brother can live the happy life he always deserved. It was super shocking when Stefan became human, but now we understand it was so he could save his brother when the story came to a close. However, it's hard not to wish that a major character didn't have to die. Why couldn't they all live happily ever after? Considering that him and Caroline had just gotten married, it was a blow that nobody saw coming. While we wouldn't change Damon surviving the hell fire, we wish neither of them had to go. It was sweet seeing Damon find peace with his brother after a long life time, but we wish we could have seen both brothers live it together.

7 Losing Alaric

Like so many characters in this show, you never truly lose them forever, but few fans can remember a more emotional moment then when Alaric died in the third season. From his fatherly bond with Elena and Jeremy to the friendship he shared with Damon, he was a character that stole our hearts with his tragic story. We lost him for over two seasons, and no one can forget the tears that we shed when we discovered he had a deadly alter ego and wouldn't make the transition into a vampire. Can anyone remember ever seeing Damon so upset? We shared the pain that all of Alaric's friends felt, which is exactly why we would change this part of the show. Even though we do eventually get him back on the show before the other side collapses, all of the fans wish we didn't have to miss him in seasons four and five.

6 Katherine Being Cured

While this feels like it fits in the same place of contention as her death, it doesn't. When Elena shoved the cure into her doppelgängers mouth, there was a sense of irony, but that was it. Katherine was the last vampire in the world to want the cure, and she lost her wickedness and power when she became a frail human. She was introduced to the show as legend and lore, and for the most deadly character on the show to become the definition of vulnerable, it didn't feel quite right. Katherine should not have become human. If she was going to die, she should have died a vampire. It was hard to see the evilest of them all become so weak, which is why fans would rather the cure be used on anyone else other than her. We wish we could go back in time and sway the writers to change this twist, but we got to see Katherine one last time in the finale, so that makes amends for it.

5 Damon Murdering Lexi

From the first season to the last, none of the show was truly perfect, but it felt like it was most of the time. One of the imperfect moments of the first season was losing Lexi immediately after meeting such a fascinating character. While we get to learn more about the vampire that saved Stefan through flashbacks and the other side, it's hard not to be unhappy with Damon for doing this. Of course this storyline had to happen in order to further the depths of how evil Damon can truly be, but killing Lexi shouldn't have been part of his master plan. Besides, we know Damon isn't entirely evil anyways. Lexi was an unforgettable character that didn't get enough time in the series, but she left her mark on all of the fans. One of the things everyone would totally change is Damon murdering Stefan's best friend. While we learn why Damon did it in season four, it doesn't make it any easier to understand.

4 Klaus & Caroline Never Happening

There were snippets of flirtation and undeniable chemistry between these two characters and that drove fans mad. But other than a destructive moment in the woods in the fifth season, Caroline and Klaus were never truly together. While being alive for one thousand years gave Klaus infinite amounts of patience, which we saw in his letter to Caroline in the series finale, that doesn't mean the fans had any patience for it! Now all we can do is hope that Caroline's character is revived on The Original's, but that feels like nothing more than a dream currently. They have forever, right? There are hundreds of fan fictions written about them, but that isn't concrete enough for fans to be satisfied. If we had a choice to change something about The Vampire Diaries, it might be to make this relationship actually happen. Perhaps if Klaus and the rest of his family hadn't gotten their own spinoff, it would have.

3 Elena Becoming Human Again

It was beyond romantic to see Elena become human and for Damon to pledge to her that he would become human with her. He spelled out everything fans wanted to see; he wanted to be her husband, the father of her children, and to love her until his very last breath. Eventually, seasons later, this is what happens. However, it's hard not to wish that instead of living human lives together and eventually passing on, they could have lived forever. Life was always complicated for them in Mystic Falls, but maybe they could have moved to the other side of the world and lived forever, loving each other for all eternity. Doesn't that sound more romantic then them eventually dying? Sure, fans wanted them to live long and happy human lives together, but if we could rewrite the tale however we please, this might be a better ending.

2 Alaric Compelling Elena

When Damon died in the fifth season finale, it was an understatement to say that fans were crushed and devastated. Many fans chose not to watch after their favorite character appeared to meet his demise. While we should have all known better, because no one that is dead on this show ever stays dead, we wish Elena had have known better too. Everyone knows they were screaming at her not to let Alaric compel away her love for him when she was too grief stricken to handle it. It was sweet to see her fall in love with him all over again throughout season six, and while we know she eventually regained her memories of him when she became human, the entire ordeal could have been avoided. Instead of watching Elena and Damon be totally in love throughout the entire season before she fell into her eternal sleep, we had to watch Damon's heart break.

1 Stefan Becoming A Doppelgänger

Katherine and Elena were cloaked in mystery throughout the first few seasons, leaving everyone in awe as to why they looked absolutely identical. While we discovered it had to do with the spell placed on Klaus to suppress his werewolf side, it didn't hinder any of the fans fascination with the allure of the Petrova doppelgänger… until Silas came along. While it was shocking to see Stefan staring back at his doppelgänger, it robbed fans of enchantment that surrounded Elena and Katherine. Suddenly, they weren't so special. It was interesting to see the storyline of the doppelgängers being fated to love each other unravel, which ultimately ended up being untrue, but it felt like there were doppelgängers everywhere, especially when Amara and Tom were introduced. If we could change one thing about the show, it might be the fact that they managed to lose the wonder that embodied Elena and Katherine when they were the only known doppelgängers. But besides all of this, we love this show, always and forever!