Is Killing Vicki Good or Bad for 'The Vampire Diaries'?

The Vampire Diaries came back stronger than ever with a fantastic Halloween-themed episode, a huge shocking twist, and 4.2 million viewers, a new best since the season premiere. But the moment stuck in everyone's minds was the sudden and shocking death of Vicki. Only this time, it was for real.

In the last episode, Damon bit Vicki and turned her into a vampire, boosting the character and giving Vicki a major role in the series. It looked like she would become a leading lady, and the whole episode focused on how she adapted to her new afterlife life. But then she turned, biting Jeremy while making out with him and then attacking Elena, forcing Stefan to shove a stake through her heart, ending Vicki's fantastic run.

Is this a good thing for The Vampire Diaries? Vicki was just coming into her own, becoming a very fun character, and then, out of nowhere, they killed her. Let's look at both sides.

PRO:

The Vampire Diaries just established itself as a show with no rules. A series regular can get killed off in episode 7 without any warning. Other shows like Heroes promise to kill characters off, but they keep bringing them back, or the death isn't permanent. The Vampire Diaries is still a new show, but already it's become more daring and original than most of what's on TV.

Her early demise also helps avoid True Blood comparisons. The storyline of a young girl suddenly being turned into a vampire was the same as Bill and Jessica on True Blood, and while The Vampire Diaries handled it a bit differently, it's probably best to avoid too many similarities to other vampire shows.

CON:

Vicki was awesome. After becoming a vampire, she turned into a fascinating and entertaining character who breathed new life into the series. After Damon, she was my favorite character, and now she's gone. Her new vampire storyline was just getting interesting and I feel like there was a lot of unexplored territory with her.

It also means that Kayla Ewell is gone, which is sad because she was starting to prove herself as an actress as well. From her relationship with Jeremy to her violent threats against Elena, Ewell was a promising new talent, and now she'll have to find new work.

VERDICT:

As much as I loved Vampire Vicki, I love surprises even more. Killing her off was actually a great thing because, the more I think about it, the more I love it. The rules have been changed and no one is safe, which is the perfect kind of atmosphere to create on a show about vampires. The only true way to achieve that feeling was to kill off a major and beloved character, and that's just what The Vampire Diaries did.