In case you were wondering, this is us FREAKING OUT because we just realized we're only a couple of hours away from the season finale of "Vampire Diaries" (seriously, why does this show have to go into hiatus at all?).
We already *kind* of know what to expect from tonight's finale (a.k.a. "As I Lay Dying") from last week's episode in which Stefan (Paul Wesley) promised to find a way to save werewolf-bitten Damon (Ian Somerhalder). That being said, this is "TVD" and even when we know what to expect, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT. So we're left doing what we do best...speculating. Luckily, we've got this EXCLUSIVE, behind-the-scenes picture of Paul on set (thanks CW!) to help us piece a couple of things together. We've analyzed and obsessed over this image a thousand times to come up with the five following observations:
1. This Scene Takes Place Before The Chaos: This one's pretty obvious, but seeing as how no one is freaking out or crying (yet), we're guessing the scene on the lawn occurs before all the drama goes down (and how do we know there's drama you ask? Because this is "TVD," duh).
2. Stefan Is Brooding: According to the official description for tonight's episode, Stefan will go to extraordinary lengths to prevent a tragedy from happening. Now, from the still it's clear that Stefan isn't in the best of moods, but judging from the reactions of everyone around him, the impending "tragedy" hasn't occurred yet, so we're guessing his sad face is due to his concern about Damon. In other words, we're headed for more brotherly love (our fave!), and we can't wait.
3. There Will Be Costumes!: Now, two things the synopsis from "As I Lay Dying" tells us is that there will be a Mystic Falls screening of "Gone With the Wind" and Damon will have flashbacks to the 1800s. Naturally, we had assumed that the only time we'd get to see fab period garb was during Damon's flashbacks, but it's clear from this image that present-day Mystic Falls residents will be playing dress-up as well. Just take a closer look, and you'll see a woman in the background in an elaborate blue gown. She's either a girl with weird taste or someone taking part in the "Gone With the Wind" presentation.
4. Caroline Is Having A Picnic (With Someone!): We've already seen the image of Caroline (Candice Accola) enjoying a picnic (guess, she's moving past her breakup?), but from this image we can tell she's sharing it with someone. Caroline has two glasses in front of her! So who's the lucky guy or gal she's breaking bread with? We're guessing Elena (Nina Dobrev) or maybe Bonnie (Kat Graham) because (SPOILER ALERT!) Julie Plec told TV Guide that Matt and Tyler won't be in the finale.
5. Stefan's Wearing Leather: Okay, fine, this doesn't' really provide any added insight, but whatever, he looks hot and we had to point it out.
Anyway, while we spent countless hours analyzing this one photo, there's a pretty good chance that when the episode airs tonight all of our theories will be turned upside down. Why? Because, as we said before making our list, this is "The Vampire Diaries," and that's what the show does. Every time we think we know what's going on, we learn that really, we had no idea. For that reason alone, we can't wait for the twists and turns of tonight's finale. Sure, we'll probably end up throwing our remote at the wall by the end of it, but hey...it's worth it for good television.
What are you expecting from tonight's episode? What theories do you have based on our exclusive still? Tell us in the comments and on Twitter!
** Hollywood Crush Twitter