Annette Brown/The CW "Three keywords: Familiar. Nostalgic. Empty."
That's that boss Julie Plec had to say about Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Bonnie's (Kat Graham) whereabouts in season six. (Warning, spoilers ahead!)
Tonight's premiere ended with a bombshell reveal. Or should we say bombshell flannel and pancakes while reading the newspaper, because that's exactly what Damon and Bonnie were up to, leaving us speechless and confused. Which is exactly what Plec and Co. wanted.
We chatted with that evil genius, star Nina Dobrev and executive producer Caroline Dries in an attempt to get our Veronica Mars on and figure out, to paraphrase Lost's Charlie, where the hell are Damon and Bonnie?!
OK guys, don't worry about an ongoing mindf—k about where the duo is as Plec assured us, "We will learn the truth about where they are in the second episode. So it's not going to be like, ‘Oh God, please tell me' for 17 episodes."
Of course, Plec wouldn't spill any major details, she did offer up fans a bit of a scavenger hunt for answers. "Anybody who wants to get a little clever trying to figure it out, they should dig a little deep into the episode titles and see if they can find some guesses," she hinted. "Do a little investigative work. It's a fun game to play."
(Some of the upcoming titles? "I'll Remember, "Yellow Ledbetter" and "Welcome to Paradise.")
One thing we do know? Damon and Bonnie actually have no idea what the hell is going on either.
"They don't know what's happening. We don't know what's happening. The audience doesn't know what's happening," Nina Dobrev told us. "So it's supposed to be that mystery and you're supposed to feel frustrated and confused because that's what they are."
And Dries added, "They're discovering it along with the audience." She also said it is not another version of the Other Side. "We just bent over backwards to get rid of it, so that was our challenge, to be like, what will feel fresh and new that won't just feel like exactly what we did last season?"
Finally, apologies to hopeful Delena fans, but a heartbroken Elena was not actually seeing Damon throughout the episode, thanks to those witchy herbs from Luke, with Dries confirming, "It's a figment of her imagination, it's her manifestation of his essence."
The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW.