I can’t get this idea out of my head of how I would have ended the series finale.

So my ideal way to have ended the with what the show gave us in season 8 was for Elena to die. I make it very known that I don’t like Elena but the way to die in the finale would have made her the center of everything which is kinda weird considering that’s one of my main critisms however the ending needs to reflect the show as a whole which is the one thing the TVD writers got right but decided to make a complete mess of it.

So the way I wanted her to die was due to Kai’s spell. Me and a lot of people always found it completely ridiculous since no one lost anything except for maybe Bonnie (however I don’t consider losing Elena much of a loss for her). Basically the spell while Elena was asleep would slowly deteriorate her brain and she would be losing her memories latest to newest which I think is retrograde amnesia but I’m not quite sure. Basically making Damon believe he would ever get her back but she dies Alzheimer’s as soon as she wakes up at the young age of 18 which would be cruel so right up Kai’s alley imo and sufficiently revenge.

Instead of revealing Katherine, Kai would reveal what the spell was actually doing as his last bargaining chip but Bonnie doesn’t use it knowing from past experience how that works out. Thet try to figure out a way to stop it which just accelerates the process which would bring more validity to that “no loopholes” thing that was inconsequential in canon. The rest of the episode would be them spending what little time she has while she still remembers them.

First would be Damon because he’s obviously the first person who’s memories she’d lose first. Then Alaric, and then Stefan. Then whatever order Bonnie, Caroline, Matt, and maybe Tyler (I would definitely have retconned that entire death since it was inconsequential and there was no real way to make it consequential with how much the pushed him into obscurity) since I don’t remember them being that close, in the S6 finale I was quite confused by their scene together. And then end it with Jeremy in a time in head right after their parents died when she was a good sister.

The end of her journey would be her writing in her diary in the exact scene from the pilot except it would be revealed that the reason she started journaling was because she was losing her memories and that the entire show was her recounting her life. She closes the diary fade to black which signifies her death.

For me that was the best way for her to go out because it would have brought back the Elena every claims to miss from season 1-3 without pissing all over her development from season 4-6 because it would be devastating that she was losing all of it. It’s honestly the only way I would have cared about Elena dying and brought meaning back to her character for me especially with the “damsel in distress” quota they had for her. This ending would have best worked for the end of season 6, but could have worked for season 8 as well, a do over.

If that was the end of season 6 it would cut to the rest of the characters lives in how they were moving on and that would be season 7-8.

If that were the end of season 8 right after the fade to black on Elena everything would light up to Bonnie heavily pregnant in a brightly colored nursery. I’m well aware that women’s lives aren’t incomplete because they don’t have a baby, but it always bothered me that the Bennett line was basically wiped out except for Bonnie and to a degree Abby. Which brings me to the next thing that would be revealed which is Tyler walking into the room and it being revealed that they were married. It also bothered me that they completely wiped out the Lockwoods to the point that none of them including Tyler were alive. This would seem kinda random but it made sense to me that they would be the two to leave Mystic Falls and never want to come back, my version just has the reconnecting at some point. Ideally I would want Kai but plot-wise not enough time develop that at that point plus Bonkai isn’t my fluffy pairing for Bonnie, Tonnie is. Monnie is a close second but the fact that Plec almost made them canon vetos the endgame for me.

After that they have a sweet moment and she goes into labor and they rush to the hospital. Tyler would call Matt which would be him as a sherrif just like in canon. Bonnie would call Caroline to tell her which would cut to a scene of her, Alaric, and the twins who would be older (like age 8-12). They would then call Damon who would be at Elena’s grave because its the anniversary of her death and he’d be sober. Basically he would have learned to live with out her without being self-destructive or just destructive in general. He would end up alone and Elena and eventually his brother because I would actually keep him getting the cure just minus idiotic suicide.

Damon would tell her something about what’s he’s been up to and the others and then Stefan would go to him and he would have a few words with her grave before telling Damon about Bonnie and Tyler.

The end scene would be everyone at the visiting Bonnie and Tyler and their new baby hours later because they live far away from Mystic Falls. They would give their baby, which would be a boy because there’s a lot of girls born, it’s own name because they don’t want the ghosts of all the people they’ve lost on this one baby, basically starting anew. The last name would be Bennett Lockwood because like I said their line completely wiped out. A moment of silence for Elena and then basically everyone gathered together to celebrate Bonnie and Tyler’s happiness.

The End. Everyone Live HEA, except Damon which is how it should be.

That’s how I would have salvaged the train wreck that was the finale. It’s not perfect but to me that’s what would have been the most satisfying.