Warning: This list contains spoilers for all seasons of The Vampire Diaries.

Summary

• Kevin Williamson's early exit led to The Vampire Diaries losing its co-creator, worrying viewers.
• Alaric's transformation into a villain and Enhanced Original was unnecessary and repetitive.
• Sire bonds and questionable choices in relationships led to controversial storylines.

Despite its objectively successful eight-season run, The Vampire Diaries doubtlessly lost some viewers over the years due to specific unpopular moments and storylines. Following the trials of human Elena Gilbert (Nina Dobrev) after she encounters the vampire brother Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon Salvatore (Ian Somerhalder), the concept of The Vampire Diaries means that it is easily overwhelmed by convoluted supernatural elements at some points. Vampires, werewolves, and witches are standard — but some other supernatural beings were not as well received.

Additionally, The Vampire Diaries is driven by romantic drama and is marketed that way. However, even the most hopeless romantics may question certain storylines and why the characters don't end an unhappy relationship. Other supernatural threats are awkward, repetitive, or redundant; certain magical rules are contradictory or just too strange. However, The Vampire Diaries is a generally enjoyable show of adventure and romance, and its worst moments did not drive away all its viewers.

10 Kevin Williamson's Exit At The End Of Season 2

The departure of The Vampire Diaries' co-creator would naturally raise eyebrows.

Julie Plec and Kevin Williamson are credited as the co-creators of The Vampire Diaries. Williamson was initially uninterested in the show because he thought it was sure to be a rip-off of Twilight (via The Independent). Plec convinced him otherwise, and they helmed the show together for the first two seasons. Williamson left after season 2 and, as a result, Plec became the better-known showrunner of The Vampire Diaries.

It is possible that Williamson was simply never as dedicated to the show as Plec, given that she had to convince him it was worthwhile in the first place. However, the sudden departure of one of the showrunners could easily be viewed as a harbinger of doom; other The Vampire Diaries.

9 Alaric Becomes An Upgraded Original

Alaric becoming the ultimate vampire enemy is classic power creep.

The high school history teacher Alaric Saltzman (Matthew Davis) who becomes Elena and her bother Jeremy's (Steven R. McQueen) guardian is likable as a human character who is just as capable as most of the supernatural Vampire Diaries cast. The Vampire Diaries seems to realize that Alaric better serves the story as a human when they make him human again shortly after his resurrection in season 6. This is one reason that Alaric's transformation into the Enhanced Original in season 3 was a reason to quit the show, resulting in him being a vampire when he comes back.

Esther (Alice Evans) turns Alaric into a vampire stronger than the Originals, charging him with hunting down her children and erasing vampires from the earth. This, coupled with Alaric's malevolent alter-ego created from being saved from death by the Gilbert Ring too many times, makes him the villain at the end of season 3. It is a repetitive power creep storyline where a threat that is essentially the same as a previous one, just worse in an undefined way, is introduced to keep the conflict going.

8 Sire Bonds

All the sire bond storylines are uncomfortable and unnecessary.

Season 4 introduces the concept of sire bonds, where newborn vampires may develop an unusually strong emotional attachment to the vampire who turned them and will do anything they say. The main characters at first think that it happens randomly when Tyler Lockwood (Michael Trevino) begins to demonstrate undeserved loyalty towards Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan). However, in this case, the cause of the sire bond is likely the exceptionality of Tyler and Klaus being hybrids instead of regular vampires. Tyler's affection for Klaus is both annoying and awkward.

The other cause of a sire bond is that the person already had strong feelings as a human for the vampire who turned them, which is what happens with Damon and Elena. The result is that the characters are not sure what happens between the two of them is because of real feelings or the sire bond (although Elena asserts that she slept with Damon only because she's in love with him). The writers then casually throw out the storyline when Elena turns off her emotions and is suddenly free of the bond.

7 Elena, Jeremy, & Matt Kill Kol

Elena and co. killing Kol is implausible and morally objectable.

Season 4 also sees the beginning of the race for the cure for vampirism. After Jeremy becomes a supernatural vampire hunter and the cast discovers that killing an Original will kill the entire line of vampires they have sired, Elena proposes a bold plan to get to the cure. She suggests that Jeremy kills Kol Mikaelson (Nathaniel Buzolic), instantly killing thousands of vampires, which will complete his Hunter's Mark and give them a map to the cure.

Additionally, Elena has no moral qualms about killing off thousands to get to the cure; she goes after Kol because none of her loved ones are a part of his line.

Elena, Jeremy, and Matt Donovan (Zach Roerig) set out to kill Kol, and somehow pull it off. It has been repeatedly pointed out that it undermines the supposed danger of the Originals if a new vampire, a new hunter, and a human can kill him; it isn't even treated as an ultimate final battle to happen in a season finale. Additionally, Elena has no moral qualms about killing off thousands to get to the cure; she goes after Kol because none of her loved ones are a part of his line. So long as they get the cure and her family is safe, she's fine killing him.

6 Elena Cures Katherine

Given how many vampires wanted the cure, this is a waste.

The cure storyline itself is divisive, and viewed by some as unnecessary drama. Several vampire characters are desperate for the cure when they never wanted to be vampires. Tensions skyrocket when they realize that there is only one dose, and the consensus among most of the main characters is that they should give it to Elena. This leads to another half-season of fights over the cure after Katherine (Dobrev) takes off with it and Rebekah Mikaelson (Claire Holt) is determined to have it for herself.

After all of this, Elena ends up with the cure in her hand — and forcefully gives it to Katherine. She may have chosen not to take the cure because of how it would jeopardize her new relationship with Damon, although their romance survives her taking the cure years later when they get another dose. However, given how many people desperately wanted the cure and to live a human life — including and especially Elena — and how much everyone went through to get it, using it as revenge on Katherine seems like a waste.

5 Too Many Doppelgangers In Addition To Elena & Katherine

The doppelganger storyline is amazing with Katherine — but only Katherine.

Katherine's first episodes are some of the most memorable, as she is one of the best villains in The Vampire Diaries. After teasing her eventual arrival for a season, the introduction of Elena's vicious doppelganger is very satisfying. It is a testament to Dobrev's abilities that she can portray both of them, and the storyline plays with real mythology about evil twins. However, from here, the show's doppelganger lore spins out of control.

An explanation of how the doppelganger line came to be and a brief appearance of another doppelganger the Originals knew can be justified. However, it is generally agreed upon that Stefan's doppelganger Silas is a lackluster and redundant villain. This is in addition to some ludicrous shots of three different characters, all played by Dobrev, when the first woman of this likeness ends up in the modern day. It is easy to see how some viewers might have thought this was the writing starting to crumble and a good time to call it quits.

4 Back And Forth With Elena & Damon's Relationship

The Vampire Diaries love triangle is replaced with constant drama in a single relationship.

Around the time of season 5, Elena and Stefan are seemingly no longer on the table, and the show shifts its focus to whether she and Damon are endgame. This leads to an endless "will they won't they" dynamic that continues through season 6. However, there are a few points in season 5 that might have annoyed viewers out of finishing the show. Much of the season 5 drama between Elena and Damon is due to Elena finding out more unsavory details about Damon's past and Damon continuing to do bad things.

Some viewers might have left the show when they get in a fight where Damon says Elena shouldn't just keep defending him. Others might have left when Katherine possesses Elena's body and breaks up with him, for some misunderstanding conflict. Elena and Damon reiterate that they are bad for each other, which is meaningless when the audience can probably infer that the romance will continue anyway.

3 Nina Dobrev's Exit At The End Of Season 6

The Vampire Diaries' lead actress leaving creates a messy storyline.

Among the biggest plot holes and contrivances of The Vampire Diaries is how Elena is cursed out of the show and brought back far too easily when Dobrev was available to return for a cameo in the finale. The main character leaving the show is another scenario that will inherently have people worried and will drastically change the story. In Elena's case, Dobrev is excused when Kai Parker (Chris Wood) curses Elena and her best friend Bonnie Bennet (Kat Graham) so that Elena will sleep as long as Bonnie is alive.

Elena isn't necessarily the best character in The Vampire Diaries, and the show carried on for two seasons without her.

Some people might have been perturbed by the fact that the main characters don't even try to find a way to wake up Elena without killing Bonnie — at least for another few years. Elena isn't necessarily the best character in The Vampire Diaries, and the show carried on for two seasons without her. However, her exit was still a huge upheaval for the story and the fandom.

2 Caroline & Alaric's Storyline

Caroline and Alaric are the pairing no one wanted.

After Elena's departure, her other best friend Caroline Forbes (Candice King) ends up in an awkward and unpopular storyline with Alaric. Amid the mass slaughter of Alaric and Jo's (Jodi Lyn O'Keefe) wedding, the of the Gemini Coven save the couple's unborn twins by transferring them to Caroline's womb, written in to accommodate King's real-life pregnancy. People might have found this weird enough to give up on the show; however, it is heartwarming to see Caroline become a mom to the twins after they are born.

Less justifiable is how this equates to her being engaged to Alaric. After Stefan disappears and Caroline hangs around to help Alaric with the babies, they seem to get engaged mostly as a formality. Alaric was previously the father figure of the group, being much older than most of the main cast. Even if she is wise beyond her years, Caroline having a relationship with her former teacher is uncomfortable and completely unnecessary to the story. Caroline and Alaric's amicable but platonic dynamic as they raise the twins and found a supernatural boarding school works much better.

1 Cade & The Sirens

The sirens and the devil proved to be controversial Vampire Diaries villains.

The last new villains of the show are the siren sisters Sybil (Nathalie Kelley) and Seline (Kristen Gutoskie) and their master, the world's version of the devil, known as Cade (Wolé Parks). The sirens aren't popular, their storyline comes across as angst fodder because of how it affects the other characters, and they are static characters. However, the last season mostly needs any generic conflict to carry the constant nostalgia and throwbacks to the early days.

With Cade, The Vampire Diaries starts something it doesn't follow through on. The narrative doesn't engage with any real conversation about good and evil, because most of the characters are destined for Hell anyway, as they have all killed someone at some point. It's all about avoiding this fate by destroying hell. At this point, it is mostly too late for viewers to quit The Vampire Diaries, but some might still have lost interest in the show's last days because of this final storyline.

Source: The Independent