Finale Recaps & Questions: 'The Vampire Diaries'

The CW's hit drama series concludes it's fourth season with it's usual drama but flat suspense.

"Graduation"

It's not that one of television's two hit vampire series (HBO's 'True Blood') has digressed from it's consistent dramatic appeal. This fourth season was Elena Gilbert's first as a vampire, and her transition was often disturbing. In the mass efforts of this season to acquire the cure to vampirism, Elena's brother Jeremy was killed by her doppelgänger, Katherine. Those efforts brought about the first immortal, Silas, succeeding in his plan to release all supernatural beings from the other side, and unsurprisingly resurrecting in the final minutes due to Bonnie's death. This, obviously, was meant to be the big reveal. Silas returns as Stefan's doppelgänger, stakes Stefan, and buries him in the ocean. Surely this presents a problem, since the real Stefan was presumably leaving town. Of course, there's the overarching matter of Elena's decision between the Salvatore brothers (which I'm not as concerned with as I am the overall direction of the story). Elena professes her love in an emotional scene forty minutes in, bringing full closure to the situation. Overall, this finale did provide it's trademark drama. With dead supernaturals roaming around, we saw old faces Alaric, Lexi, and Jeremy Gilbert, officially brought back from the dead by Bonnie in the final segments. We saw our main characters graduate from high school, Rebecca seemingly making a connection with Matt, Elena killing Katherine by using the cure, and alas, a Klaus sighting! Returning one last time to thwart the hybrids looking to avenge their deaths, Klaus' presence made for the best part of the finale. It's for that reason his spin-off 'The Originals' begins this fall, and you hope it's emergence doesn't push TVD onto the back burner, as it were. Nevertheless, 'The Vampire Diaries' will return for it's fifth season this fall, and here are some questions fans should be asking in the meantime:

• With Jeremy alive again and able to interact with Bonnie's ghost, when will her death surface?
• Is Silas going to pose as Stefan in Mystic Falls, and to what end?
• When and how will Stefan be found at the bottom of the ocean in a casket?
• Has Rebecca really found happiness with Matt?
• Klaus declared Tyler's release as a gift to Caroline, how soon will he return and how has his character developed?

Fellow viewers feel free to share your thoughts or any additional questions from #TheVampireDiaries season four finale.