Recently, The Vampire Diaries spinoff Legacies aired its first-ever musical episode, but, surprisingly, Bonnie Bennett didn't appear - but there's a reason why. The spinoff was created by Julie Plec and follows a new generation of supernatural creatures who attend the Salvatore School in Mystic Falls. The show features characters who originated in The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, and it continues to expand on the TVD universe. The first musical episode was all about that connection. Season 3, episode 3, "Salvatore: The Musical!" was initially slated to air during season 2, but was pushed back when filming on the show halted last year to the coronavirus pandemic.
The musical was the brainchild of a sprite named Mr. Goodfellow, who recruited Landon Kirby to pen the musical backstory of the Hogwarts-esque institution. Landon's interpretation focuses almost exclusively on the epic love triangle between Damon and Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert, as played by Kaleb Hawkins, Jed, and Josie Saltzman, respectively. "Salvatore: The Musical!" also featured Lizzie Saltzman as Caroline Forbes-Salvatore and Mr. Goodfellow tackling the role of TVD and Originals' Klaus Mikaelson. One glaring omission from Landon's opus was Bonnie Bennett.
Legacies writer Thomas Brandon penned "Salvatore: The Musical!" and according to EW, Brandon relied on Plec and Legacies executive producer Brett Matthews for insight on pivotal moments from the show that aired for eight seasons. Plec stated, "I loved that it was somebody who had just been a watcher of The Vampire Diaries who was writing the musical through his own point of view." Considering how long Bonnie was on The Vampire Diaries, it seems downright strange that she wasn't a part of the musical, when many other original characters were — here's why.
Why Isn't Bonnie In Legacies’ Musical?
Bonnie wasn't a part of Legacies' musical episode because the lead writer of the installment didn't feel that she played a significant enough role in The Vampire Diaries. Apparently, Brandon didn't consider Bonnie an integral part of the show. Many memorable moments and characters didn't make the cut. Bonnie's absence was written off in a particularly dismissive way when Landon stated that she disappeared for extended periods, giving him an excuse to exclude her. However, plotlines like Elena's Vampire Diaries' coma sleeping spell, in which Bonnie played a pivotal role, were acknowledged. Though Landon's comment was cheeky, the slight resonated more deeply because Legacies lacks a central female character who's a POC, which speaks to more significant problems regarding starring roles for Black women and the CW's highly-publicized issues surrounding how the network treats its minority talent.
Many people were outraged by the snub and took to social media to voice their disappointment. The episode reignited frustration about how Bonnie was sidelined throughout The Vampire Diaries. Bonnie was called upon to save her friends, even though it came at a high personal cost. Her grief and feelings of loss were often downplayed compared to Elena's and Caroline's. After Nina Dobrev exited The Vampire Diaries, Bonnie finally got a significant love interest and screen time that didn't entirely revolve around self-sacrifice. When Bonnie finally packed her bags for parts unknown during the series finale, it was the first time she felt obligated to please only herself.
When Did Bonnie First Appear And How Many Episodes Is She In?
Bonnie Bennett first appeared in the pilot episode of The Vampire Diaries. In addition, out of all 171 episodes of TVD, Bonnie was in 136 of them. At first glance, it doesn't make sense as to why Thomas Brandon would deem the character as "not integral" to the show, when she's there from the first season up until her final appearance in The Vampire Diaries season 8, episode 16, "I Was Feeling Epic." She was there through numerous arcs in the series, and the talented witch brought plenty to the table. That being said, it is notable that she was absent for 35 episodes in total. Her lack of appearance was never noticeable, as she usually wasn't gone for long. However, it is a lot of episodes to miss for a main character. Plenty of other actors and actresses left the series, like Nina Dobrev's Elena, but actress Kat Graham stuck it out until the very end, making Thomas Brandon's assertion seem like a snub.
Is Bonnie In Legacies Season 3?
Like the famed couple Damon and Elena Salvatore, Bonnie Bennett is not in Legacies at all. She also didn't appear in the show's predecessor, The Originals. Like the former characters, Bonnie is usually mentioned but never seen. She's talked about numerous times in Legacies seasons 1-3, whenever something particularly witchy comes up. But based on actress Kat Graham's statements and the overall snub she received from both spinoff shows, it doesn't look like she'll be returning to The Vampire Diaries universe at any point in the future.
What Bonnie’s Season 3 Return Would Mean For The Show
Bonnie Bennett returning to Legacies season 3 would be odd at best and jarring at worst. While die-hard viewers of all three series may welcome her appearance, it would be strange to bring the character back now after her absence from The Originals and Legacies. At the end of Bonnie's arc in The Vampire Diaries, she decides to leave Mystic Falls to travel the world and further explore her powers. While Bonnie does feel a certain obligation to stay because of Caroline, after her best friend's wedding, she decides to follow her wanderlust spirit into the unknown. To bring Bonnie back would cheapen her character arc, and render her final decision pointless. So while Bonnie shouldn't have been snubbed for the sake of being "not integral," it's better that she didn't come back. It wouldn't have been true to her character overall.
However, Legacies continues to drag Bonnie back into the fray, and the spinoff makes the same mistake as its predecessor by not giving credit where it's due. When talking about the musical episode to EW, Brandon stated, "So it's the idea that we could use this story to help people see Hope's family in a different way, to help Lizzie understand her mom in a different way, for Josie to understand Aunt Elena in a different way." (Never have the Saltzman twins alluded to their "Aunt Elena.") Yes, Legacies is about a new generation, specifically Caroline's and Klaus' offspring. Still, Bonnie's blood and magic are her legacies, and the show continues to capitalize on the character's popularity, making her an indirect but essential part of many of the spinoff's storylines.