Bonnie Bennett is no longer alive. Where does this leave Mystic Falls' dearly departed witch in season five of The Vampire Diaries?
In an emotional wrap-up to Bonnie's story in the season four finale, Elena's best friend sacrificed her own life in order to resurrect Jeremy (Steven R. McQueen) from the dead.
"The show starts where it left off," actress Kat Graham says on a recent visit to The Hollywood Reporter video lounge, "where the only person that can see her is Jeremy because he can see dead people."
Bonnie's new state will be uncharted territory for the character when The CW drama returns in early October. Not only will she be forced to communicate solely with Jeremy, but her connections to her friends may begin to loosen.
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"She loves her friends and family and she can't connect to them, and it creates an intimacy relying on one person as your connection to the one thing that matters the most to you," Graham says. "It's a really beautiful thing to see. She only has him (Jeremy) at this point."
Now that Bonnie is firmly ingrained in "the other side," Vampire Diaries will finally explore a world that has often only been mentioned. "That's something new for the fans. They'll be able to see that side that hasn't been explored yet," she says.
Graham hopes to delve deeper into Bonnie's relationship with herself. Now that she has only one direct line to Mystic Falls, it's crucial that she takes the time to figure herself out.
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"When you have to be alone because you don't have a choice, it can affect your subconscious," Graham hints, "and it's going to be very interesting to see if that at all affects the character — and if she even comes back from the dead, how she will be when she returns."
Which begs the question: Will Bonnie return to her former state at any point during the season?
"Because I love you guys so much, especially at The Hollywood Reporter, I purposefully don't know because I would just blab to you," Graham says with a smile.
But the actress was game to throw out some theories about how Bonnie could be back among the living — and it may come in the shape of a cauldron and broomstick. Watch the video interview above.
The Vampire Diaries returns Oct. 3 on The CW.
E-mail: Philiana.Ng@THR.com
Twitter: @insidethetube
