Will Alaric continue to fight the transition he so desperately tried to escape? And if his vampirism fully takes over, will it put all our Mystic Falls heroes at extreme risk? Plec answers these questions and more below. Plus: Find out more about the love triangle, what we’ll learn from the finale’s flashback and how Klaus is about to “reboot” his villainous side.

Alaric becoming a badass is an understatement.

“He’s going to be hardcore, which is equally exciting and devastating because he’s one of our heroes who’s no longer one of our heroes,” Plec said. “[In next week's episode] Alaric goes on a tear and no one is safe. There’s going to be a lot of people at one point or another that you’re not sure are going to make it to Season 4.”

Esther’s really dead, but her exit will reignite Klaus (Joseph Morgan)

Plec says Klaus now realizes his mother will not stop coming after him. “This is a second call to arms for Klaus, who may have gotten distracted by pretty blondes,” she said. “This is a reminder he’s not going to let his guard down — it’s a reboot of the villain.”

If Esther — not the ring — was pushing Alaric to the bad side, does that mean Jeremy’s ring is OK?

Yes and no. “It means that the stakes of death and resuscitation are possibly not as intense for Jeremy as they were for Alaric, but there’s always going to be a concern of consequence for cheating death one too many times,” Plec said.

Was that really Bonnie when she was bitten?

“She was very clearly under some sort of witchy influence,” Plec said. “Bonnie’s issue now is, ‘What the hell? I’ve got vampires telling me what to do, [and] now I have the witches telling me what to do. Where’s my freewill? Where’s my choice?’ That’s going to influence her character moving forward.”

Elena went to the dance with Stefan, but is still so conflicted

The emotional scene between the two only intensified the notion that Elena (Nina Dobrev) cannot risk losing either Stefan (Paul Wesley) or Damon (Ian Somerhalder) from her life right now. “These two men are so important to her and she has lost almost everyone that has ever mattered to her. So how do you choose in a moment like that?” Plec said. “The last two episodes of the season are really going to be about her asking herself that question and really trying to understand how she could possibly let one of them go when she’s already lost so much.”

Tyler (Michael Trevino) will stand up to his hybrid master

Our friendly werewolf is about to get some cojones, Trevino revealed. “In these last two episodes, you see him actually take some action against Klaus and maybe not follow his orders when it comes to Caroline. He’s tired of getting bit–ed around and he acts on it and it gets messy.”

Life wasn’t completely peachy before Elena met the Salvatores

While Plec maintained that the finale flashback won’t reveal a supernatural influence on the Gilbert car wreck (yes, it was really an accident), it will show that Elena’s life has always been complicated. “We get a nice flash of what it was like when [Matt and Elena] were dating and they were themselves [in] a troubled relationship,” Plec said. “So even though she’s remembering a simpler time, her problems were just as complicated.”

The brothers could, for once, get past the love triangle

“There’s a really nice scene in next week’s episode that shows they might just survive this no matter how it plays out when it’s all said and done,” Plec said. “The cliché is that the girl tears them apart, so [we said], ‘How can we have the girl bring them even closer together?’”

A final tease for the final two episodes

We’re pretty sure your heart won’t stop racing until the final moment of the season. “The penultimate episode is very adrenaline-infused and there are big mythology moves that happen,” Plec said. “The finale is more emotional, but by no means the epilogue to the season. If anything it’s half closing the door to one year and blowing the lid off the door to the next.”

At a screening of this week’s gut-wrenching episode “Do Not Go Gentle,” which revolves around Mystic Falls’ 1920s dance, executive producer Julie Plec, along with cast members Steven R. McQueen, Candice Accola, Michael Trevino and Zach Roerig gave a roomful of reporters some insight into the madness.

Here are 12 teases for the final three episodes – and beyond – from the Vampire Diaries scooby doo gang:

1. Brotherly Compromise: In the episode airing next week, there is a sweet moment shared between Damon and Stefan, one that shows that though they may be in love with the same girl, “they might just survive this,” Plec teased. When Ian Somerhalder came into the The Hollywood Reporter offices recently, he revealed just what Plec was alluding to, saying that the Salvatore brothers decide that whoever Elena ultimately chooses will stay, while the other one will leave town.

2. Stefan Revisits His Emotions: There are several key Stefan and Elena scenes in tomorrow night’s episode, though one is broken up by one of Mystic Falls’ favorite “villains.” In any case, it’s a big step for the once-happy couple. “It’s finally him saying [to Elena], ‘It is OK to feel. I heard you all those times when you that. Now let me give that back to you’,” Plec said.

3. Caroline’s Multiple Suitors: If Caroline was in her current predicament (with Klaus and Tyler vying for her affections) in season one, she may have dealt with things far differently than she has. At the moment, Caroline – as it’s seen in Thursday’s episode – sticks with her gut and fends off Klaus’ advances at the dance, which ends up pissing off Tyler. “She is fighting like hell to have a normal relationship with her boyfriend in high school,” Accola said. Trevino added that Tyler just “might take some action” when it comes to Klaus in next week’s episode.

4. Simpler Times: The finale will feature a glimpse into Elena’s life in simpler times, when vampires weren’t in the picture. But there will be a small nugget revealed. “It’s a small little runner that goes throughout the episode as Elena is looking back at a part of her life when things were more simple, at least from a supernatural level,” Plec said, who was adamant in saying that the incident that killed her parents was “an accident.” “We actually will get a little flash of something else during that happened during that time that we didn’t really consider and it’s more an emotional thing than it is a suspense thing.”

5. On the Up and Up: Though Jeremy started the series on the wrong foot (drug issues and all), according to Plec, now that he’s back in Mystic Falls, “Jeremy is on the up.” So if there was any doubt or reason to believe he had ulterior motives with any developments (especially in regards to the Delena kiss), put them on the back burner – for now.

6. Damon’s New Drinking Buddy: Dr. Meredith Fell (Torrey DeVitto) could be sticking around past the third season, Plec said, even entertaining the fact that Meredith could become one of Damon’s new drinking buddies. Or perhaps more?

7. Rebekah’s New Ally?: When posed the question of whether Rebekah will find someone who will stick by her side, Plec was coy, bringing up the May 10 season finale as a possible indicator of more to come on that end.

8. Series Endgame Set: Plec revealed that she and executive producer Kevin Williamson set the series’ ending while writing the seventh episode of season two in an Atlanta mall. “We were tired and stressed and talked about the last character moments of the show and both started crying in the middle of the mall and just felt like that was right,” she recalled. Ideas as to what the lasting image could be?

9. Shift in the Gilbert Household: After “Do Not Go Gentle” plays out, there may be a change in the Gilbert house – and it’s a doozy. We won’t reveal just how said change happens, but someone else may have to step up in a very big way.

10. Safe for Now: With Jeremy back home, will the ring have the same impact on him as it does on Alaric? Maybe, but maybe not. “It definitely means that the stakes of death and resuscitation are possibly not as intense for Jeremy as they were for Alaric,” Plec said. “It might not come in the form of Jekyll and Hyde alter-ego.” The rings will “be in play for awhile,” she also hinted.

11. Heading Off to College?: Season four will “take us through the rest of their final year in high school,” Plec says. “They’re making decisions about their future … Do I stay or do I go?” Will there be a Mystic University that pops up? “No, there will not be a Mystic U, although how great,” Plec said. “Grams taught at a nearby university and Jenna was getting her masters degree so there’s something out there that we’ll be introducing and seeing in season four.”

12. Matt and Elena, Not so Perfect: The finale episode spotlights the imperfect relationship Matt and Elena shared. “We get a nice little flash of when they were dating, that they were themselves a troubled relationship,” Plec said. “Even though she’s remembering a simpler time, her problems were just as complicated.”

E!Online chatted with Paul Wesley about what’s ahead for Stefan and Elena, including a “heartbreaking” conversation, and the return of Stefan from seasons past. Plus, will Stefan be getting a new love interest in the love triangle swings in Damon’s (Ian Somerhalder) favor?

In last night’s episode, viewers saw Stefan begin his battle with moderation, with Damon leading the human blood drinking-train. “[Damon] tries to become that sort of mentor in a way in getting Stefan off the path of extremity and teaching him moderation,” Wesley teases. “It all kind of comes to a head and it doesn’t work out too well.”

Though Stefan will not have an easy time with it, Wesley says the process will lead him back to Elena. “The more he deals with moderation, the closer he grows to Elena. He was so involved in his own darkness, he didn’t have any time for romance. As the episodes progress, the audience is going to see Stefan maybe becoming more like he was season one and two, sort of the romantic lead hero.”

Still, Wesley stresses that Stefan will always have that dark side ready to consume him at any moment. “What’s really important is to make sure that Stefan always has a flaw and that he always has that potential darkness because I think the minute we make Stefan the same Stefan as season one, it becomes a little predictable."