‘The Vampire Diaries’ cast teases Alaric twist, Originals’ ‘appetite for destruction,’ and more love triangle action — EW VIDEO

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Vampire Diaries executive producer Julie Plec implored the crowd at PaleyFest on Saturday night to honor the “circle of trust” after they were treated to an advance screening of the March 15 episode, “1912.” So while we’re inclined to honor the request, the cast was nice enough to give a few teases while on the red carpet for the event.

Matt Davis was among the most excited to talk about what’s next, especially considering the way his character’s fate was left hanging in the balance at the end of the last new episode. As you might recall, Alaric (Davis) was near death after being shot by Meredith (Torrey DeVitto). As you might have gathered from Davis’ presence at the panel, we find out it was, in fact, not his time to join the many who have perished in Mystic Falls. But Davis warned EW on the red carpet that Alaric’s troubles are far from over. “What we’re going to learn is when you wear the ring and you die, and you die, and you die, and you die again, there’s a consequence to that,” he said. “What we’re about to show is what those consequences are for Alaric.” (More from our chat in the video below!)

Elsewhere in the episode, Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) are seen circa 1912, piecing together a crime spree similar to the one plaguing Mystic Falls as of late. But the brothers’ interactions are far from limited to the past. The episode also finds Damon helping Stefan through his cold turkey detox from blood — in his own Damon way. And as Stefan continues trying to get back to his humane self, Nina Dobrev said his attempt “catches Elena off guard.” “He’s making an effort — finally,” she says.

For his part, Wesley wouldn’t mind if Stefan continued on his evil streak. “[It’s] fine for a little bit, but let’s hope it doesn’t last too long. I enjoy the dark side. I think it’s dynamic,” he said.

And what of Damon and Elena, who just a few episodes back shared an incredibly buzzy lip-lock but now remain on less-than-pleasant terms? For now, says Somerhalder, they’ve walked away, realizing that it wasn’t the most emotionally healthy situation. But it’s likely far from over for the pair, as he teases with a smirk, “there’s some really cool stuff coming up.”

Inside the panel, a plethora of scooplets and trivia also flowed. Here are the highlights:
+ The promo picture currently making rounds that shows Rebekah torturing Damon is part of a moment that finds Rebekah getting back at Damon after he “does something really crappy” to her, said Plec. “As demented as you think Damon [was] in season 1 or the capabilities of Stefan to be as evil as he was in his past, these Originals have an appetite for destruction and they act on it,” Somerhalder added.
+ Julie Plec does not approve of Alaric/Elena ‘shipping, saying, with a laugh, that it’s “totally unacceptable.”
+ Katherine isn’t likely to appear while Klaus is still lurking around Mystic Falls. “There’s no love story that is more important than Katherine and her own self interest and freedom.”
+ Stefan will continue to try to find a “balance” between his good side and his “terrible darkness.”
+ Dobrev wants to see a “Europe episode.” “Gossip Girl did it!” she said.
+ As of now, there are plans for a flashback in the finale that would show Elena’s life before there were vampires in it. But Plec has yet to pen the finale, so she couldn’t say for certain.

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Related:
EW’s full coverage of PaleyFest 2012