‘The Vampire Diaries’: Getting Rid Of Katherine Was A Necessary Evil

After centuries of causing unthinkable pain all over the world -- from Mystic Falls to the Ukraine and back -- Katherine Pierce is dead. Buried. Gone. And while we'll miss her as she rots away in Hell, her death was a necessary move for the show. I hate to say it, but The Vampire Diaries has been... shaky... this season. It's understandable since they're pretty far along at Season 5, but the same ol' Damon (Ian Somerhalder)/Elena (Nina Dobrev)/Katherine (also Nina Dobrev)/Stefan (Paul Wesley) love quadrangle drama was beginning to feel repetitive. Therefore, getting rid of a quarter of that quadrangle was an excellent idea.

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Reading Time: 3 minutes
March 7, 2014 10:17AM EST
Vampire Diaries Katherine Dies
Image Credit: Courtesy of CW

‘Vampire Diaries’ — Katherine Dies; We Rejoice

Here’s the thing — I love Katherine. Despite the murders and the manipulation and all of that terrible parenting, she’s been a fun character to watch.

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Less fun? Recycled story lines. The lack of a threatening villain after Klaus’ (Joseph Morgan) departure from the show. Having Katherine get the best of our characters every. Single. Time.

On March 6, the Mystic Falls gang finally — finally! — got the best of her, and ended her life in a pretty forgiving fashion given all of the heinous crimes she’s committed over the years. (I mean, dying in Paul’s glorious arms isn’t exactly the worst way to go.) Even better, boss Julie Plec and her wickedly wonderful henchmen made the decision to drag Katherine straight to hell — so we won’t even see her popping in and out of the veil like some other characters who have died and then come back.

Nope, Katherine is gone for good, and with her, hopefully, some of the less-fortunate plot lines that she dominated. Everyone in the freaking universe going after Katherine (and somehow failing — even Klaus!) was beginning to feel completely tired, repetitive, and unrealistic, and while I’m not 100 percent on this whole Dr. Wes serum thing — especially since after last night’s reveal, it appears that the serum will be just another excuse to put Elena and Damon back together — at least her death leaves a gaping villain hole that the show needs to fill.

Will this villain be as terrifying and well-written as Katherine and/or Klaus in their earlier seasons? That is yet to be determined, but getting rid of a character that was dragging the show down — while keeping the fabulous Nina alive and well, of course — was a great move.

Can I Have A Good Bad Guy, Please?

With even Dr. Wes gone at this point, the show has no villain other than science. That leaves space for someone absolutely terrifying to come in and shake things up, and I LITERALLY couldn’t be happier.

The Originals is killing it on Tuesday nights with a group of nasty witches terrorizing the show’s leads on a weekly basis, and we need some of that dramatic urgency back on TVD. I know the Damon/Stefan/Elena triangle will be a part of the show until the end of time, but I miss the days of actually fearing for characters’ lives every week. I miss the heart-racing thrill of a Klaus entering the room, or a Katherine snapping Caroline’s neck. Those were the days, TVD Fam, and with Katherine out of the picture, I’m hopeful that those days will soon be upon us again.

What do you think, fellow TVD fans? Are you happy with the direction in which the show is going? Are you dying for an epic new villain? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

— Shaunna Murphy

More TVD News:

  1. ‘Vampire Diaries’: Katherine Says Her Final Goodbyes
  2. ‘Vampire Diaries’: Stefan & Caroline Unveil Katherine’s Dark Secret
  3. ‘Vampire Diaries’ EP On Katherine’s ‘Sexy’ Deception & Hope For Delena