EP Explains Enzo's Choice, Caroline's Confession and the Salvatores' Future Threat 

returned for its first post-Elena season on Thursday, introducing a whole mess of trouble — albeit very attractive trouble — for Mystic Falls’ finest.

Vampire Diaries Season 7 Photos: ‘Bamon’ Teams Up, Caroline Suffers

TVLine spoke with executive producer Julie Plec about how the premiere’s twists will shape the rest of the season, but first, a quick recap: Damon, Bonnie and Alaric returned from their European bender — where Damon nearly let Bonnie die in order to get Elena back — to find that their home is now under the control of Lily and her “family” of Heretics. Damon chose a direct approach to the problem, ripping out beloved Heretic Malcolm’s heart, while Alaric chose to celebrate his return by visiting Jo… at the morgue.

Meanwhile, Caroline and Stefan’s attempt to eliminate the Heretics (did somebody order a bomb?) totally backfired, as Lily’s “children” not only survived the blast, but also ate most of Matt’s fellow police academy graduates. And although Caroline came clean to Stefan about how “happy” he makes her, that happiness was tragically short-lived; Enzo chose to side with Lily, kidnapping Ms. Forbes in the process.

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Lastly, a three-year flash-forward revealed that Damon — who apparently decides to hibernate in Brooklyn until Elena wakes up — and Stefan are being hunted by a mysterious crossbow-wielding lunatic. Must be Thursday!

Below, Plec explains the premiere’s biggest twists (WTF, Enzo?!) and teases what the rest of Season 7 holds:

TVLINE | Is the plan to catch up to the three-year jump by the end of the season?

Yes, that’s the plan — probably about three-quarters of the way through the season, actually.

TVLINE | So you must have everything pretty well mapped out.

Oh, yes. The thing about flash-forwards is that you do your best to map everything out at the beginning, because if you screw up, you’re stuck with it forever. We laid out the broad strokes of what we wanted to do and what little surprises we wanted to drop along the way. But we’ve also made some new discoveries in doing that; characters who perhaps weren’t going to live to see three years from now are now alive in their own flash-forwards. [

] It’s good for our actors to know they might survive the time jump.

TVLINE | Let’s talk about that woman coming after Damon and Stefan with the crossbow. Is she someone we know? Someone we’re going to meet?

] I can’t say, but a lot of people have told me their theories and there have been a couple doozies. I think it’s more fun to keep people guessing.

TVLINE | I loved hearing Caroline tell Stefan that he makes her happy. How close are we to getting a label on that relationship?

This year’s going to be a very peculiar year for their relationship. They’re definitely committed to trying to make it work, and if any two people can achieve what they set out to do, I think it’s them. But there are going to be a lot of curveballs thrown their way over the first part of the season that they’re going to have to wrap their heads around and circumvent in order to remain committed and happy.

TVLINE | So it’s mostly external forces getting in the way for them?

Yeah, some pretty bananas external forces, truth be told. Next week, we get the first glimpse of one of them.

TVLINE | Speaking of Caroline, Enzo kidnapping her seems to imply he’s made his choice. Is he officially a bad guy?

I don’t know if he’s officially a bad guy; he’s someone who’s always been on the fringe, looking for a tribe. He’s chosen Lily and her tribe because she’s the one person who’s been consistently warm and caring towards him. As the person who sired him, he feels this loyalty to her that he’s having a hard time shaking.

TVLINE | So we might see him playing both sides for a bit?

He’s definitely made his allegiance clear, but ultimately, he’s going to have to ask himself, “Is my allegiance to this crazy group of people, or is it to Lily? And if it is to Lily, why?” He’ll be faced with some interesting questions about why he cares so much.

TVLINE | The Heretics are clearly pissed about Malcolm. Who should we be most concerned about in terms of them seeking revenge?

I think you need to be a little bit worried about everyone. The question is: Now that Damon has acted out, what will Lily do to punish him? Will she punish him directly? As we’ve seen, Enzo made a move on her behalf to punish Caroline, so I think everybody’s going to have to watch their back as we head into next week.

TVLINE | Elena’s presence was definitely felt in the premiere. As the season goes on, will that let up, or will she always be there in spirit?

She’s always going to be present, emotionally and spiritually, but we won’t spend every episode going down that path about how much Damon misses her, or how different the world is without her. But she will be very much a part of the narrative, the existence of her, specifically as it relates to Damon’s journey and what he has to do to survive the next 22,000 days.

TVLINE | That scene with Alaric at the morgue was chilling. Is he headed to a dark place?

It’s headed to a place that’s equal parts dark and weird and sad and beautiful and hopeful and tragic. [Laughs] Really, any good Vampire Diaries adjective you can throw into the mix applies here.

TVLINE | Lastly, when Candice King first announced her pregnancy, a lot of fans jumped to the conclusion of a Stefan/Caroline baby. Was that ever a thought for you?

We had so many thoughts that were kind of hilarious, the first being: How are we going to create good story if Caroline never comes out from behind her enormous handbag? Or, can we get her an Olivia Pope coat? But I think the decision that we made about how to address and/or not address the pregnancy is very interesting. The fans will be intrigued to see how we either disguise it or embrace it, and that’s really all I can say.

God! Steroline was incredibly uncomfortable and awkward (for me)

For me too but that’s how it was last season for me. There’s just no chemistry there. I know it’s bad to say but at least with her being kidnapped we won’t have to watch them together so much. If the rumors I’ve heard are true I think Caroline has her own storyline and problems and hopefully separates them quite a bit. I’m hoping Stefan has some chemistry with Valerie or maybe the lady vamp hunter but who knows. Stefan just needs someone that he has chemistry with like Damon has Bonnie.

Also hear them, But I’m sure that even that story will serve to push SC, They probably will go to Lmz classes together. :/

I’m waiting for Calaric to rise. LOL That’s one rumor that I hope is true. They’ve made me dislike Caroline with this steroforced ship.

That’s the thing – Stefan & Caroline had amazing chemistry, as *friends*, and the show had to go and ruin that with this stupidly forced ‘relationship’. Ugh.

Yes exactly! Why did they ruin their wonderful friendship for this dull (and I thought DE were dull) ship? Not every friendship needs to turn romantic, it’s nothing new to tv it’s been done to death on there. What is wrong with finding them people that they have chemistry with? I agree with the person about Carenzo they have more spark then Steroline could ever have. I’m really hoping for someone new for Stefan too.

It was a really great start to the season and hope it keeps momentum. Between the heretics, finding out what happened to Stefan in three years, Alaric, and Bamon it seems like it’s going to wind up being an interesting season. Agree about SC still no chemistry so as long as they both have their own individual stories and eventually fall apart I’ll be happy. I thought this episode showed once again how Caroline and Enzo have chemistry but don’t know how him betraying her will play out.

Agree! Loved this episode and the Bamon three second speech! Can’t wait for more of them. Who is hunting Stefan and Damon..I’m liking this mystery. Also agree about Carenzo have obvious chemistry while they are pushing sc who don’t have any.

I thought that episode was wonderful!! It’s off to a fresh/exciting start. I’m loving all of the interactions going on and the heretics are great. I feel like they might throw in a twist and have the arrow wielding woman might be Caroline…I don’t know if I’ll like that but I’m interested to see how things turn out.

Steroline was amazing tonight, I love them so much.

Omg, they were so perfect !! I can’t watching the kiss !! <3 The whole episode was amazin – an incredible way to start off the series, and I can honestly I didn't even notice Elena was gone! The show is gonna be so great without her !! :D

Steroline was pretty cute. Didn’t expect them to get together for awhile. Also I’m wondering if Enzo will be Bonnie’s new love interest. Rumour is that she falls for someone soonish and it starts with hate. I think this season has potential if the heretics are interesting enough. Either they’ll be great like the originals or awful like the Travellers and thats likely what will determine whether the show sinks or swims.

The Steroline & Bamon scenes were all PERFECT!! Stefan & Caroline’s kiss gave me all the feels!! The heretics are a lot less annoying than i thought they’d be.. Im intrigued by the setup.. bring it!!

Damon ruined it all when he called Bonnie his best friend (emphasis in friend, not best). If Damon would really lose his mind should anything happen to Bonnie, it should take sooner than 3 seconds for him to figure it out. Thing is: Damon is getting his girlfried back as soon as Bonnie dies, but once Bonnie dies Damon won’t get her back, ever. This is it, all the time Damon has left with Bonnie for eternity and he’s wasting it as if she wouldn’t have any significance in his life.

Damon is still a Vampire and you really shouldnt expect him to act like Human so much. Hes how freakin old now? I fully expected him to dessicate to wait for Elena..

isnt Alaric , Damons best friend ? Certainly isnt Enzo. That past friendship was never really built up enough to feel real and its cetainly not the case anymore. Wow so Lily is annoyed with Damon now? Wow that a shame Hes annoyed, Elijah, Klaus, Rebeccah, Countless Humans, Bonnie , Matt, and so on at some point. He dosnt care who he annoys.

Damon has always been the Wildcard of the brothers. I hope that never changes.

This is what makes them complicated.with his little love for Elena and his genuine love for Bon Bon (Ian stated himself) thats what makes them more beautiful. As we know Damon always speak out what in his mind then regret later. We also knows Damon already realize his soft spot and how different his act towards bonnie grew after stucked together in 1994. So he might actually stating the truth. And Damon can love anyone he want. As this is only the first episode lets pray they dont ruin Bamon and making them worst or kill each other. Coz they deserve to be together.

I forgot whatever happened in the episode after seeing the Stefan Caroline kiss.. Had me in trance.. Will have to rewatch.. Loving them together!!!

I can’t help but wonder if Alaric really is looking for a way to bring Jo back to life.

Because things like that always go SO well on these shows. ;-)

Well, he *did* say that; maybe after all he’s been through in life (and death!) poor ‘Ric has secretly gone off his rocker, which would be sad indeed, ’cause I adore him. I loved him & Jo together, and was very annoyed that they killed her off. Also, didn’t he have that gem that Lily is looking for?

Nina Dobrev Sucks!!!! and that’s all I have to say about her and her choice!

Man is it tough being a fan of Bonnie and Laurel. Two characters who claw their way back into badass women who aren’t defined by their men. And exactly because of that they’re consistently ignored for not being a realistic part of a major ship. BTW Bonnie was awesome this ep.

Caroline is even more badass than the 2 of them combined and she doesn’t get any credit because she’s caught up with a guy.

I agree on the latter half. Caroline doesn’t deserve the Elena treatment, and I mean that in the best possible way. I don’t know whats worse – being ignored for being a female not in a ship or being the female trapped in one.

Finally! TVD without that stupid irritational Nina Dobrev, her character was so annoying and selfish, like she killed Kol’s entire sire line because it was more “right” than killing some new vampires ( she killed like hundreds if not thousands of more vampires, just because it made her feel more right about it, basically because she wouldn’t see them all die ) and that’s just ONE of many stupid decisions her characters made over the seasons. Bring Kol back on The Originals please, he was awesome. I’m loving the new storyline for TVD too, and hoping to eventually see some witch/vamp vs Klaus in some way. These new storylines are fascinating and I could seen them going very far.

Sooo…since the entire Mystic Falls PD died except Matt, does that make him Sheriff?

Why would you WANT to be a cop in Mystic Falls? Seriously?. I know the show dosnt care much about the real world effects of any of its storylines but the State Government would surely have noticed the s–t that happens in Mystic Falls and sorted some stuff out.

Okay…Just realized the curly-haired brunette Heretic played Lexie on ‘Falling Skies’ – now I can stop wondering what else I’ve seen her in. Lol.

And finally, does anyone else think of ‘Back To The Future’ every time they show the clock tower near the traffic roundabout?

As premiere episode its kind of good changes with good new plot storyline. We can see a great changes and development of every characters. An as im Bamon fans i can see the resenment you put between them and im totally sob everytime i watch bonnie’s part. She’s a great actress. Wit Damon resenment…also one of her bestfriend Matt blaming her i hope caroline and stefan wont do that- and lily will bring a chaos on mystic falls. Everything are wow- and i hope we can see more Bennett and the Salvatores history. Plus please dont ruin Bamon. And dont ruin Bonnie’s character. This first episode gave me chills. With Bamon team’s back- and i agree Enzo and Caroline really had sparks. But i prefer steroline. And i dont even realize Elena isnt in here on the entire episode. But the show are amazing itself. You’ve got a chance to explore more about Damon without clinging on the unfinished bussiness with Elena also we can see the real Damon Salvatore either his bad or good side. And how he handle his real live with Bonnie by his side.

I cant wait the war between witches and vampires! As we knows vampires isnt friendly with witches. Plus how the families manages their relationship between mother and sons. About alaric want to brings back Jo- its very good plot! And most of fans doesnt agree if the rumours true about Carebear pregnant Jo’s twin..but for me when you play with witches everything can happen like if damon+bonnie= like paul said “they’re even make a babies”. Rite? Plus Heretic is a Vitches- i really want to see if Bonnie can be a Vitches. Thats really really a gud idea!

Overall this new episode is good almost amazing!

I hope Silas isn’t gone forever. His character was entertaining. Haha him and Enzo I could see getting along quite well.

AAA..i dont even really know what’s the feel it left me after watching season 7 epi pilot. so far, Thanks Bamon beautifully wrote, even not much but its there and every second small scene was priceless. and full of emo. That’s Kat and Ian we loves. For Steroline, its kind of awkward.. i love Steroline, just the timing for claiming happy and the romance scene site, like there’s not unfinished word left hanging there. but they’re cute and since we knew they’re already spoke out about their feelings before se 7, its not that awkward. Mama Salvator! yesh- she tried her best to control them, but it kinda impossible when all of them darn wanted a freedom. Care didnt know Bamon’s back yet. i wish to see Care and Bonnie bonding. instead only DEFAN. ALaric off radar. so fr, this 1st episode. not bad.

The Damon and Bonnie scenes were great! Ive always loved their bickering with a side of caring friendship! I don’t know why but for some reason I kept thinking that arrow wielding badass Damon and Stefan were running from was Caroline. Just the way Damon said something like man she still really hates you I don’t know why but i instantly thought Caroline. The only thing giving me an idea it might be someone different is when Stefan was describing how the scar he had opened back up and he knew she was back..that scar looked just like the scar the mute heretic has so the arrow wielder might just be a very unhappy Lily. Hate the whole Caroline getting kidnapped again. Serious writers..every season poor Caroline gets tortured. Find someone else to pick on for a while lol. Enzo..goodness I loved his character when they introduced him but they haven’t given him a good storyline since he was introduced and with this first episode of the season in regards to where his character is? Yawn. Not sure how I feel about this season yet..

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