'Vampire Diaries': Who Should Die Next?
by
Mandi Bierly
Image Credit: The CW
Fans of The CW’s Vampire Diaries know that exec producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec aren’t afraid to say goodbye to recurring characters (R.I.P. Vicki and Anna). So
the rumor that another one may soon bite the dust isn’t that difficult to believe. Who do you think it’ll be? Who do you hope it’ll be? The likelihood of it being Elena, Stefan or Damon is about the same as it was that Booth (David Boreanaz) wouldn’t survive the karaoke shooting on Bones in 2008. (Note to The CW: When the moment comes, don’t even try to pretend in promos that it’s possible one of them won’t live; Fox looked ridiculous.) Since The Vampire Diaries is a repeat tonight, let’s take some time and examine the other options:
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Aunt Jenna: I’m enjoying her slightly more now that she and Alaric are officially “on,” but really, the only thing keeping her alive is the fact that Elena and Jeremy need to live with some adult. Why not give her a great death at the hand of Katherine and bring back Uncle John? The writers could do so much more with him. Plus, her death adds to Alaric’s pain. This is what I hope will happen.
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Caroline: Katherine has already threatened to kill the newly-turned vampire (again) and it would keep up her villain status to follow through, but unlike vamp Vicki, Caroline is a survivor and frequently fun. I don’t see it.
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Matt: We know that Katherine finds him attractive and would enjoy getting close to him by pretending she’s Elena. We also know this show loves its cliffhangers, and it would be a great one to have Katherine luring Matt in and Caroline showing up willing to sacrifice herself to save him. I’d hate to see him go because he brings a different kind of masculine energy to the show — human, decent, studly but sweet. If Caroline were to die, it’d be great to see him realize how much she did love him, but then there wouldn’t really be a reason to have around… unless the grief drove him into Bonnie’s arms. Maybe Matt watches Caroline die first, then follows?
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Liz: Caroline’s mother is perhaps an even more logical choice than Aunt Jenna: Katherine could off her to punish Caroline (or Damon, we now know he considered her a friend), or Liz could sacrifice herself to save Caroline from Katherine, or Caroline could have to kill her own mother to save the people in her life who do accept her for what she’s become. But it doesn’t advance the story as much as Jenna dying and Uncle John returning would.
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Uncle Mason: Another obvious pick seeing as how the Salvatore brothers do want him dead and all, but is it too obvious? Wouldn’t you miss his sleeveless shirts? Then again, depending on whether you see this werewolf story lasting through November Sweeps (which is when I suspect this death will occur) or the full season, the timing could be right for him to go bye-bye. Then Tyler could be so distraught and angry that he kills someone and activates the curse.
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Tyler: Wouldn’t it be funny if we were waiting all season for Tyler to become a werewolf, and instead, he dies in a fight or something and we never see him transform? But the truth is, even though I appreciate his fine Lockwood torso, I’m still not attached enough to him to have his death rattle me, and I don’t know that it would impact any character on the show enough to qualify it as “shocking.”
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Bonnie: Now this would be shocking, both to Elena and to fans who like having a witch on the show. She certainly gets herself in enough dangerous situations, and Katherine’s already nearly had a taste of her, but if we’re ever gonna see the Bonnie-Damon hookup I we dream of, she needs to stick around.
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Alaric: Is he expendable? Yes. But I know that fans — and the writers — enjoy his adventures with Damon. Plus, he has that ring that protects him from a supernatural death and an accidental one would be boring.
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Uncle John: He never should have made it out of the season 1 finale, so they could have him return for Katherine to finish the job she started. Having given his magic ring to nephew Jeremy, maybe he redeems himself by stepping in between Katherine and Elena and giving the Salvatores time to get there to save his daughter Elena. But again, I’d rather he live (and Jenna die).
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Isobel: You know we haven’t seen the last of her. She could be the one to die standing between Katherine and Elena. But man, we better get some answers first about why she really wanted to become a vampire.
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Katherine: We’ve seen her cheat death before, so while I suspect the season finale will find her facing it again, no way she shrivels up. She feels like the kind of Big Bad the writers will always want to have in their back pocket, even if after this season, we don’t see her again until episode 100.
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Jeremy: It would be apropos were he to finally die after he began the season surviving his suicide attempt (to become a vamp) and getting his neck snapped by Damon (fortunately, Jeremy was wearing John’s ring). But killing Jeremy now would seem too cruel a thing to do to Elena (killing her aunt, however = fine!).
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Matt’s mother: Theoretically, she could slink back into town and her old drinking/makeout buddy Tyler could end up accidentally killing her when she changes her mind and chooses not to be a MILF, thus activating the Lockwood family werewolf curse. But it’d feel a bit random. Slightly more believable (but still cheap) would be Tyler’s mother dying an accidental death when her son gets angry over something. If that means Uncle Mason and his pecs would have to stay in town to raise orphan Tyler, I could forgive the kid.
Your turn. What’s your best guess and your wishful thinking?
popwatch.ew.com
So I'm for killing at least one of Elena's biological parents, either Uncle John or Isobel. They could also have a deathbed confession, I love those. 
(because Katherine says she needs another werewolf).
