'The Vampire Diaries' Julie Plec Talks 'Honoring' Fans with the Delena Rain Kiss!
"Promise me this is forever."
And with five little words, two super attractive vampires, and one rain-soaked make-out session — the entire Delena fandom erupted into ecstatic cheers after last Thursday's episode of The Vampire Diaries.
This was a moment that TVD fans have been desperately requesting for years, and we've got the behind-the-scenes scoop from creator Julie Plec about why it was finally time to "honor" the fans with this ultra-romantic Elena (Nina Dobrev) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) moment.
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ETonline caught up with Plec on the set of The Originals in Atlanta on Tuesday, and the showrunner spilled that the desire for a Delena rain kiss actually originated in the series' very first season.
"So this was born out of… when Stefan got kidnapped in season one and Damon and Elena — who heretofore hadn't worked together much — had to go and rescue Stefan from the vampire house, from Fredrick," The executive producer explained to reporters on-set.
"It was raining and they're standing there talking to each other about rescuing Stefan, and that was one of those canon moments where people started really connecting with Damon and Elena as a potential couple." Plec continued, "[They] always called out that moment as like, 'Oh God one day they'll be in the rain, and they'll kiss.'"
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The TVD boss explained that as the years have gone by, the idea of having a Damon and Elena kiss in the rain grew in the writers' room, but they knew that shooting the scene would come with many difficulties. "It's been sort of a frustrating request to fulfill because it's just so awful to shoot," she said.
But all hesitations and reservations were cast aside once the writers knew Damon needed to reference a hugely romantic moment, in hopes of triggering Elena's lost memories of their relationship.
"We were writing the story, and we were thinking, 'Okay, what could that memory be?' Plec recalled. "What was that summer that we skipped between season four and five where they had the summer of their lives?"
A meteor shower, a nearby waterfall and many more swoon-worthy ideas were thrown together in a brainstorm blender, before coming up with the perfect setting. "We were just pitching all of these ideas, and then all of a sudden — I don’t even know who it was, maybe it was me, maybe it was somebody else — [said] 'What if they kissed in the rain?'" she revealed.
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The EP continued, "Then we laughed because we were like, 'Ohh the director is going to get killed by the people who hate Delena!' And the writers will get killed, but the people who love Delena are going to be so happy."
Plec believes that The Notebook was the spark that caused audiences to become so fixated on the idea of a couple kissing in the rain. "There's something about two people coming together in the rain that is the ultimate expression of love in the minds of most audiences, I guess," she shared.
The showrunner was thrilled with the way everything came together and described the final Delena rain kiss scene as both "beautiful and epic," before adding that it was also a way for the writers to pay tribute to such a devoted fandom.
"When you have a group of people who, for five years, have been begging for one little thing, and you find the perfect way to give it to them, that's called honoring your fans," Plec said. "And I believe [in] that so strongly."
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The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
What did you think of Thursday's "epic" Delena rain kiss? Shout out your thoughts in the comments below, or chat with your fellow Vampire Diaries fan @LeanneAguilera on Twitter!