‘Vampire Diaries’ Spoilers: What Happened In The Season 7 Finale? Recap Before The Season 8 Premiere On Oct. 21

“The Vampire Diaries” will return Friday, but before fans sink their teeth into a new season, they’ll want to remember where the show left off in Season 7. After all, the Season 8 premiere, which kicks off the final season, is going to pick up after a major cliffhanger.

After Bonnie (Kat Graham) got stuck with Rayna’s (Leslie-Anne Huff) powers, she was compelled to hunt down Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Caroline (Candice King) in Season 7, episode 22. She even stole Matt’s (Zach Roerig) police car to do it. She manages to call Stefan and Caroline and tell them to move faster. Her brain isn’t in control of her body. Luckily, Matt manages to get out of his restraints and grab the wheel. He crashes them into a tree and is pinned by the car. Bonnie leaves him to go after her friends.

Stefan doesn’t just have to worry about Bonnie, though. He stops Damon (Ian Somerhalder) from kidnapping Caroline’s kids too. Damon wants to use the toddler witches to open the Armory so he can kill the final Everlasting to save Bonnie from this curse. Caroline already shut down the idea, but Alaric (Matt Davis) tells Caroline that he’s willing to let them if it allows Caroline to stop being on the run.

After the twins magically lift the seal on the Armory, Enzo (Michael Malarkey) calls Bonnie and tells his love to focus on him. He is leading her on a chase away from the Armory.

The Everlasting turns out to be in the vault, the one that they’ve been warned never to open. Damon decides he is going in by himself. Damon explains that Stefan shouldn’t have to always be watching out for his big brother. He goes in alone, just as Bonnie finds Enzo.

Her boyfriend seems to have accepted his fate. He tells Bonnie that she shouldn’t remember this moment. He only wants her to remember their happy times, and Bonnie tells him “I love you” before trying to kill him. Damon destroys the final Everlasting at the last second, saving his friend from death.

After the Everlasting is destroyed, Ric decides to take the girls home. He tells Caroline that he doesn’t expect her to come back to Texas. He thanks her for changing his life, but he knows she never truly loved him. He tells her to be happy and promises that they’ll remain a family.

After Stefan gets a text from Damon that he is okay, Caroline talks to him. She shares a kiss with Stefan and tells him that she forgives him for everything.

Meanwhile, Matt is still losing blood in the car accident and starts hallucinating Penny (Ana Nogueira). The hallucination tells him that he has never tried to escape this horrible life, but they can’t be together yet. He still has more living to do. Suddenly, a rescue team is seen saving Matt.

Damon calls Bonnie, who forgives him, and he nearly gets out of the vault — but then he hears Elena’s (Nina Dobrev) voice. Bonnie and Enzo try to assure him that Elena is safe in a warehouse, but the voice calls out to him. Elena says that she misses him and needs his help. Enzo and Bonnie go to the Armory, but only Enzo can get in. Enzo goes to the vault where a creepy hand drags him off.

It takes the others a week to unlock the Armory, and by then, Enzo and Damon are long gone. Bonnie lost her magic, so she can’t help in a magical way. Matt isn’t joining the fight this time. He has decided to leave Mystic Falls.

The show flashes forward to three months later. Stefan writes in his journal to tell Elena that they’re working on getting Damon and Enzo back, but she should know that what’s happening isn’t their fault.

Let’s hope Elena can forgive some gruesome crimes. The cliffhanger reveals that Damon and Enzo are in a warehouse filled with bodies hanging upside down. After stringing them up, they slit the victims’ necks.

In Season 8, Damon and Enzo will still be on a killing spree. Stefan will be searching for the rogue vampires with Bonnie. Caroline will still be in a relationship with Stefan, but she’ll be focused on her new family life too. She’ll hire a nanny, Seline (Kristen Gutoskie), but Caroline isn’t great about letting others take control. Meanwhile, Bonnie will be trying to figure out how to live without magic. Find out more about the new season HERE.

“The Vampire Diaries” Season 8 premieres Friday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. EDT on The CW.