I went into this episode being warned that we would be “losing some beloved characters,” but it still didn’t prepare me for what was to come. Where does The Vampire Diaries go from here?

**** Spoilers Below ****

I was very worried as I sat down to watch TVD, but I was still very happy to have the show back. We went back and forth from present to past as we led up to the unbelievable events that resulted in Stefan’s death. 

Can this really be true? Is Stefan really dead? When you die on TVD, it doesn’t always mean you’re dead, but is there anything left of him?

This isn’t the first time Stefan died. Stefan was killed and stuck on the other side as Caroline screamed for help, but this time it was even more heartbreaking.

Damon tried to act out his master plan, still not sure what that was, and while he did, he lost his brother. At the last minute he tried to transfer the scar, but Rayna had already gotten to Stefen and given up trying to help him.

Either she was tired of waiting for Damon to do the right thing, or the allure of the Phoenix Stone is just too much for her. Either way, she put Stefan back into the stone. Which is bad, but they do know how to get him out.

If only Mary Louise and Nora knew Stefan had just been trapped in the stone, but they were blinded by love. Mary Louise was dying, anyways, and Nora was now to be hunted down for the rest of her days, so they couldn’t exactly live out Mary Louise’s last days together. So they chose to die together, right there and then, while destroying the stone.

While they were destroying the stone, Damon was promising his little brother he would save him and be better next time. As I watched, I realized there may not be a next time and Damon had really lost his brother and we had really lost Stefan. It was much more heartbreaking than Caroline screaming out for help, even though that was a brutal scene.

Does that mean Stefan and anyone else in the stone is lost forever? If he’s lost forever what does that mean for TVD? The writers proved the show could go on without Elena, but can it go on without one of the Salvatore brothers?

A quick look at the promo for next week reveals Paul Wesley, even if it isn’t Stefan, which means we should get him back. A huge sigh of relief and I can now wipe my tears knowing we will see him again. The question just remains, when?

It was sad watching Mary Louise and Nora die, but they had a perfect ending to their storyline and I’m sure if you ask longtime fans, they would rather lose them than Stefan.

We have other questions to ponder about while we get over the fact that we thought the writers may have killed Stefan off. What did Stefan do to Matt’s girl to make him so angry? Stefan’s been off seeing the world, so what does Stefan have to do with Matt’s girlfriend’s death?

The other question is why is Enzo so worried about those pills? Has he been giving them to Bonnie? Clearly these pills will be a major factor in the coming episodes.

Were you shocked when the stone was destroyed while possibly killing Stefan forever? Or did you know that wouldn’t be the end of the youngest Salvatore? Are you sad to see Mary Louise and Nora go? Let me know in the comments below.