‘The Originals’ Season 5 Spoilers: 7 ‘Vampire Diaries’ References From Episode 12

“The Originals” fans noticed quite a few “Vampire Diaries” Easter eggs in Wednesday’s episode. The return to Mystic Falls not only set up the future for The CW, making it clear that “Legacies” will have plenty of interesting teens to follow, but it also had several nods to the franchise’s early days.

1. Katharine’s Portrait — The little photo of Katharine (Nina Dobrev) that popped up all the time in the early episodes of “Vampire Diaries” sits in a glass case next to Stefan’s (Paul Wesley) diary in at the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted.

2. Matt’s Bench — A park bench says, “Dedicated to Sheriff Matt Donovan,” making it clear that Matty Blue (Zach Roerig) is still in law enforcement. But don’t worry, it’s not dedicated in his memory. The officer is still alive and kicking (and expected to appear in “Legacies”). It was in honor of his “outstanding service.”

3. Elena’s Medical Practice — It’s hard to miss the Elena Salvatore, M.D. sign on a doctor’s office window. It looks like Elena (Nina Dobrev) stayed in her hometown, and, judging by her new name, she married Damon (Ian Somerhalder) after the series finale, which aired in March 2017.

4. “Bonnie?” — This one wasn’t even an Easter egg, but a direct reference that would fly over the heads of non-“TVD” fans. Alaric (Matt Davis) asks if Bonnie (Kat Graham) or one of the teachers could help, but Klaus needs a Gemini witch specifically.

5. Decades Dance — A beloved Mystic Falls High School tradition is the Decades Dance. Viewers saw the ‘20s, ‘50s and ‘80s in different episodes of “The Vampire Diaries.” The car wash fundraiser was held for a ‘90s Decades Dance in this episode. Unlike the “TVD” characters, none of the current Mystic Falls students lived through the decade.

6. Mystic Grill Plaque — While not seen, Hope (Danielle Rose Russell) mentions that the Mystic Grill isn’t the best place to talk about how her father (Joseph Morgan) is a good guy. “If you’re here to tell me that my dad has a heart of gold, this is probably the worst spot considering there’s a plaque inside near the dartboard for some woman he killed in a moonstone ritual,” she says.

Klaus offed plenty of women while he was in Mystic Falls, but the moonstone reference makes it likely that this particular plaque is for Jenna (Sara Canning), Elena’s aunt.

7. Caroline’s Necklace — This has appeared before in Caroline’s (Candice King) guest-starring role on “The Originals,” but nonetheless, it is definitely an Easter egg for “TVD” fans. It looks like she is still wearing her wedding rings around her neck. “Vampire Diaries” fans will remember that Stefan died on their wedding day when he sacrificed himself.

Fans will have to tune in to the series finale of “The Originals” next Wednesday at 9 p.m. EDT on The CW to see if there are any final references to “The Vampire Diaries.”