"The Vampire Diaries" recently aired its most surprising episode of the season, which included a lot of plot twists and even a glimpse of the future. It saw one vampire pregnant and the Salvatore brothers plotting against their own mother. The seventh season of the hit CW show has been well received by critics, and some fans are even starting to agree that it looks like the series is doing well even without Nina Dobrev.

Dobrev left the show earlier this year as she announced that she was playing Elena Gilbert for the last time. Instead of killing off the beloved character, Julie Plec and her team of writers decided to have Elena placed under a spell, which put her in an enchanted sleep, and the spell will be unbroken unless her friend, Bonnie, dies. Fans bemoaned this sudden development as the love story between Elena and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) had been one of the cornerstones of the series since its early days.

Speaking with Variety, Somerhalder recently admitted that he also thought that the season 6 finale plot twist, which dictated Elena's fate, was going to be "a huge departure" for the show.

"I personally think everyone thought it was going to be a huge departure after Elena was gone," said Somerhalder. "And I was one of those people. I thought it was going to be a huge departure for the typical formula of our show."

It was previously rumored that Dobrev left the show because she didn't want to work with Somerhalder anymore. The two dated for two years before breaking up in 2013. Somerhalder is now married to Nikki Reed, while Dobrev is dating "Whiplash" actor Austin Stowell.

In an interview with E! News last May, Dobrev denied these rumors, adding that she still has a lot of love and respect for the actor.

"I love him and the friendship is strong and I think he's great and I care about him," said Dobrev. "Yes, we're professional and that's fine. We were friends long before we dated and we still are now."