Why is there so much hate on season 7?

because everyone wants this series to end already
"Touchdoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooown Auburn"

It's awful

It was badly written and inconsistent and too many characters were OOC. Bonnie was not fun to watch as Damon's girl friday who got literally bloodied every episode. After 7 seasons (or 2 if you count Beremy, which most people don't), Bonnie finally got a love story that was condensed into one episode shown in flashback that flew in the face of Plec's response to every suggestion that had been made before for a love interest - Klaus, Kol, Kai, heck even in Damon. Her fans had always been told that she was too good to date a dangerous man/vampire. Turns out that Bonnie wasn't too good, she wasn't good enough. The moment Plec could find a character useless enough to pair her with, she did.

The villains that the previous season and first episode built up and blew up were easily dispatched and turned out as the usual rote of 'misunderstood' anti-heroes that the show always turns villains into. Lily Salvatore died before we even got a landing on her personality or her relationship with her sons. The Armory and Rayna Cruz and the Phoenix Stone were a hodgepotch of plot and story that made very little narrative sense from one episode to another. Caroline was given a disgusting storyline about being made to bear Alaric's children without the show examining the consent issues implied there. Steroline was badly botched, the 'normal' romance turned into an incoherent melodrama fest that left its fans satisfied and pissed off rival ships.

Then, of course, we had to deal with Elena-in-a-box being used as a literal woman-in-the-fridge and vehicle for Damon's manpain. One of the most horrifying scenes is the one where he thinks he's murdered her, he goes on to have sex with another woman, then it's played for laughs when Bonnie 'catches' him the next day - the same Bonnie, btw, that he had just tried to kill a few days back. The season also suffered from the usual malaise that has affected this show since s3. Too. Much. Damon.

So yeah, that's your answer in a nutshell.

Once they quit flashing back / forward, and just had a linear plotline, it was much easier for me to follow and far more enjoyable, but until that happened, I wasn't on board. I'd say the last 5 episodes saved the season for me.

I liked last season, mainly b/c Elena wasnt on it, since about S3 or 4, I have not liked her.

Yeah I don't get the hate for S7 either. Yeah its not as good as the earlier seasons but it was much much better than seasons 5 and 6. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. I didn't think the show be as strong without Elena but they made it work. I enjoyed the arcs with lily(who is hot as *beep*) and Julian. I also loved the flashbacks especially the Damon episode when he is in the stone. It was easily the best season since S4 in my opinion.

Let's see

-They killed of a GREAT villain way too soon and much too abruptly: Kai. He was half the reason s6 was so enticing and instead of using that potential and maybe going half of season 7 by trying defeat Kai with his new invincibility, they kill him off in the finale.

-Bonnie/Enzo. Who saw this coming? No one I know. Totally random and haphazardly strewn together. At least they have the chemistry, I guess. But Bonnie has chemistry with everyone.

-Caroline pregnant with ALARIC's twins. Maybe the grossest plot ever. The man was her teacher, her mentor, a parent-like figure to the group (when he was with Elena's Aunt).

-Caroline actually engaged to Alaric, jesus. But them not even being sexually involved? That was just weird. What were they, saving themselves for marriage?

-The very unromantic, inconsistent, and anticlimactic way they dealt with Steroline. It completely ruined their chemistry and made them a chore to watch.

-Bringing in the oh-so-powerful heretics and then offing them one by one in an
unmemorable way.

-Giving Enzo a "backstory" (his family) only as a plot device to make the armory meaningful, which it wasn't and didn't make Enzo any more appealing.

-Matt. Why is he still on this show? Who gave a f0ck about his girlfriend or random (misguided) vendetta against Stefan? That was so awful, and he switched alliances after like, one speech so once again, Matt the useless.

-Lily. It's saddening that the Salvatores were given a major family member after 7 seasons only to have her be pretty undeveloped and ultimately end up as a plot device to show us how reckless Damon is.

-The filler that was the Valerie/Stefan relationship. They retconned his first love, fine, but then why throw away Valerie in the last few episodes for Caroline who was barely shown to feel the same way for Stefan in the season.

-Damon acting like he's only doing good things for Elena's sake made me hate Damon even more. Also him giving no consideration to Stefan's feelings and basically only agreeing to sacrifice himself because of an ulterior motive: Elena.

-Again, Steroline. Lol. This really ruined a LOT for me.

A rose is just a rose.

Once the herotics were gone it improved greatly.