If there was any justice in the pop culture world, Nina Dobrev would hear her name mentioned alongside Claire Danes, Julianne Margulies and the rest of The Emmy nominees for Best Actress in a Drama because her work throughout the fourth season of The Vampire Diaries is more than worthy of acting’s biggest honor.

Not only did Dobrev continue to breathe life into two distinctly different characters, but because Elena Gilbert spent season four in so many different mental states, it’s more like she created two dozen distinctly different characters! Although the one constant in each of these incarnations was her ability to ground heightened drama in a powerfully emotional place.