“The Vampire Diaries” showrunner Julie Plec told The Huffington Post that she and co-creator Kevin Williamson wanted the series finale to be both open-ended and set in stone, and after watching the episode unfurl, they accomplished just that.

The finale, titled “I Was Feeling Epic,” was a heartbreaker, as former characters came back to say their final farewells, including Elena (Nina Dobrev), who was finally able to reunite with her one true love, Damon (Ian Somerhalder), after Bonnie figured out how to reverse the curse linking her life to Elena’s.
But the biggest, most devastating blow came when it was revealed that Stefan (Paul Wesley) made the ultimate sacrifice in order for his brother to have that epic reunion with Elena. He gave up a life with his new wife Caroline (Candice King) to give Damon, Elena, and his loved ones happiness.

“We’ve had people die and come back to life, but there’s no coming back [now],” Wesley told HuffPost ahead of the finale. “This is the final episode, so whoever dies here is dead. I think that’s the difference.”