It’s Christmastime on Friday’s “The Vampire Diaries,” but since Stefan Salvatore made a deal with Cade, it might not be the merriest one ever in Mystic Falls.
Stefan has just one day left with his fiancée, Caroline, before having to make good on his promise to serve Cade.
“This is the final 24 hours that Caroline and Stefan have together, so that’s what this week is for them,” Candice King, who plays Caroline, told AccessHollywood.com, previewing Friday’s episode. “So, there’s not a lot of time to really talk about it and how they feel about it. It’s more just, they’re in the reality already.”
The two will try to make the time they have together count.
“We’ll definitely get some sweet, tender moments of Caroline and Stefan, which won’t necessarily make everything absolutely better, but it definitely gives you a break in the craziness of this episode,” Candice said.
At some point though, despite the dagger-through-the-heart cliffhanger from last week, Damon Salvatore ends up not just up and about, but knocking on the door with Sybil, the siren, in tow.
Damon’s upright status has something to do with his arrangement with Cade.
“[I]t’s kind of more like an insurance plan that Matt and Alaric didn’t really know about,” Zach Roerig, who plays Matt, told Access.
The holiday gathering will also see places at the dinner table for Matt and his father, Peter Donovan.
Joel Gretsch as Peter and Zach Roerig as Matt in ‘The Vampire Diaries’ Season 8, Episode 7 (The CW)
“Peter’s around for a number of reasons and this particular party, particular hang, I don’t think was all Matt’s doing,” Zach said. “I think that Peter was kind of there and sort of imposed himself into the plans and Matt — even though he’s still feeling a bit estranged and kind of abandoned by his dad at the same time, there’s still that protector in Matt that always stands out. So he wants to make sure his dad’s safe. And, the easiest way for that is to have him with him.”
In last week’s episode, Caroline asked Alaric to take the girls away to keep them safe, but since they are in Friday’s “TVD,” that’s going to be something she’ll be dealing with in a future episode, Candice said.
“Yeah, we’re not going to see that necessarily this week, even though it’s all impeding,” she told Access. “Caroline this week is realizing she’s losing the love of her life, she’s losing her children and her family. As opposed to [accepting] all of that right now, I think she’s just in denial and just loving watching the chaos that ensues in what was supposed to be the perfect day. So that’s where Caroline’s at this week. Definitely in the future she will have a hard time being away from her kids, but there’s a lot that starts happening in Mystic Falls to distract her.”
Future “TVD” episodes should also see much more between Matt and his dad.
“There’s definitely a storyline coming with Matt and his father – something that’s going to be pretty interesting, and I thought was really fun to portray,” Zach explained. “Matt’s never had a father, and … in a way, [he’s] always been like a father — like a young father to this brand of misfits. … I don’t know what I can say about our arc, but it’s pretty cool.”
Before that happens though, Alaric, the girls, Stefan, Damon and Sybil have to get through the holiday together.
“It’s not necessarily an ideal Christmas for Caroline. … What I love is it’s actually a really funny episode for her,” Candice said. “She just pours herself a stiff drink and decides to sit back and be entertained by the chaos that ensues. And so, it’s kind of nice. … She’s not trying to fix everything or save the day, she’s just trying to just make it through at this point.”
“The Vampire Diaries” continues Friday at 8/7c on The CW.
— Jolie Lash