With The CW's "The Vampire Diaries" airing its final season, fans are expecting to see Nina Dobrev's return as either Elena Gilbert or the vampire Katherine.

However, with the show reaching the halfway mark of season 8, there is still no sign of Dobrev, who left the show in the finale of season 6 after her character Elena had to stay asleep while Bonnie (Kat Graham) is alive. If Bonnie dies, Elena wakes up. But if Bonnie interferes, they both die.

It's quite a pickle to bring Elena back, but even more difficult are negotiations to bring NIna Dobrev back to the show.

In an interview with showrunner Julie Plec, she said that Nina has committed to return but there are issues of schedule coordination. With the eighth season being the show's last, the actress' participation is crucial to provide a fitting closure for fans of the show.

"She's said she would [come back] and I need her to. So genuinely it turns into a matter of coordinations and in the event that we get to be a casualty to coordinations, then that would demolish. I'm trusting that is not, in any case, going to be an issue," Plec said.

Meanwhile, the danger in Mystic Falls grows as Damon (Ian Somerhalder) remains under the control of Sybil (Nathalie Kelley). Damon threatens the lives of everyone, even his own brother Stefan (Paul Wesley).

"When her children become the focus of the Siren's latest plan, Caroline (Candice King) takes drastic measures to ensure nothing gets in the way of keeping her family safe. In a race against the clock, Stefan pledges to do everything he can to save the twins, while tensions between Alaric (Matt Davis) and Caroline boil over, leading them to face some harsh realities about the future of their family. Meanwhile, when Enzo (Michael Malarkey) finds himself unable to fight off Sybil's latest move, Stefan dives into his subconscious and along the way, sets off a chain of events that leaves him faced with a life-changing decision," reads the synopsis on CarterMatt.

The sixth episode — entitled "Detoured on Some Random Backwoods Path to Hell" — airs on Friday, Dec. 2, at 8 p.m. EST on The CW.