The Christmas episode of "The Vampire Diaries" was anything but merry as Damon (Ian Somerhalder) and Stefan (Paul Wesley) were both plunged into their own personal versions of hell after Julian stabbed Damon with the sword with the Phoenix stone, and Nora did the same to Stefan.
Executive producer Julie Plec spoke with The Hollywood Reporter to preview what's to come in the second half of season 7, saying that there will be some form of a time lapse when the show returns.
"For Damon, it won't feel like much time at all, but in our actual present day we'll have to wonder how much time has passed since that sword got jammed into his heart," said Plec.
And just like last season when Damon and Bonnie were trapped in 1994 where nothing changed in Mystic Falls, Plec said that Damon will also experience "a similar kind of fun with the trickery of what the stone does to his mind" when the show returns.
While previous seasons may have focused on romantic relationships, season 7B will be about the brothers' relationship. The producer said that the second half of the season is all about the dynamic between the Salvatore brothers and how far they are willing to go to protect each other. It will also show the ways that they have failed each other and have continued to do so.
"It's a really powerful brother storyline that I'm really excited about," said Plec.
Plec revealed that when the show returns for its winter premiere, episode 10 will have a lot of Civil War elements to it and fans will see Damon before he was a vampire.
"It all ties into his childhood and his relationship with his brother and his mother," said Plec.
As for how the sword will affect Stefan, Plec said that it will be difficult for him to say what really happened to him so viewers will have to watch a few more episodes to learn about his experience.
"The Vampire Diaries" returns Friday, Jan. 29, on The CW.
