Warning: SPOILERS for the finale of the series “Legacy” “Just don’t be a stranger, okay?”
After four seasons where she was barely mentioned, the Legacy series finale finally gave Caroline Forbes of The Vampire Diaries the respect and ending she always deserved. The end of the season 4 finale of “Legacy” and the show itself showed that the stories of several characters have come to an end, and completely new chapters have begun for others. Among those who left Salvatore’s school for good were Ethan (Leo Howard), who made his way to the world after being killed in the previous episode; Landon (Aria Shahgasemi), now Limbo’s ferryman; and Alaric (Matthew Davis), who resigned as director and set off on his own.
But in between the goodbyes, there were a few greetings for the returning characters. Joseph Morgan reprised his role as Klaus Mikaelson, who sent an emotional and heartfelt message to Hope (Danielle Rose Russell) from the afterlife. However, somewhat more surprising was the return of Candice King as Caroline Forbes. The finale of the series “Legacy” ended with Caroline taking over the management of the Salvatore School from Alaric as its new headmistress. It was a fitting tribute to her character that was long overdue.
In The Vampire Diaries, Caroline started out as a minor nemesis of Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev), but quickly recovered. Soon she became the audience’s favorite and, perhaps, the link that holds the whole show together, as the most dynamic character with the best storyline. However, despite being the soul of the show, in the finale of The Vampire Diaries, she tragically lost the love of her life, Stefan (Paul Wesley), but tried to move on by opening the Salvatore School with Alaric. It was a bittersweet, but perhaps unfair ending for a character who has been through so much. Unfortunately, the “Legacies” made it even worse. Despite the fact that Caroline is just as important to the legacy of the school, she was hardly mentioned in the series, let alone shown. The Vampire Diaries spin-off, in which Caroline is shunned, became so awkward after a certain point that it turned into a constant joke among longtime viewers. When Caroline finally took her rightful place as headmistress in the Legacy series finale, the DV universe finally offered her the ending she always deserved.
There’s no doubt that Legacy didn’t always do the right thing with its characters. The writers never seemed to know what to do with certain characters like Ethan and Finch (Courtney Bandeco). Others, such as Ryan Clark (Nick Finke) and Raphael (Alex Peyton Smith), were somewhat unceremoniously discharged. Still others were clearly intended for larger roles that quickly ran out of steam, for example, Sebastian from season 2 (Thomas Doherty). And other characters have found that their stories end abruptly and awkwardly after their actors have left, like Josie (Kayleigh Bryant). However, no surviving character was ignored as much as Caroline; the universal excuse for her absence after a while ceased to make any sense. The Legacy series finale went a long way to finally acknowledge her importance to the Vampire Diaries universe and her impact on the Salvatore School.
The creator of the Vampire Diaries universe, Julie Plec, recently confirmed that there will be at least one more Vampire Diaries spin-off in the future. According to her, what this will include is still unclear, since this idea is currently only in the minds of producers. It is unlikely that he will revolve around the Salvatore school again, since Heritage has already taken this position. However, whatever story the spin-off tells, it should include Caroline. Without her, the Vampire Diaries universe is no longer the same.
