The Vampire Diaries Fans Are Still Divided About The Series’ Saddest Death (And So Are We)

When there are vampires in a story, you know someone’s going to die. Over eight seasons, The Vampire Diaries has had all kinds of deaths, both thrilling and devastating, and some completely unexpected and shocking. The show didn’t spare anyone — not even beloved characters — leaving fans constantly on edge wondering who’d be the next victim. Plus, the plot always played with the idea of sacrifice, showing that in the supernatural world, no one’s really safe (even if some characters come back from the dead just to serve as twists, thanks to magic). However, there are two deaths in The Vampire Diaries that have been way too sad to get over even now.

That’s because they involved two characters who definitely didn’t deserve to go that way. But between the two, it’s still tough to say which one hits the audience harder.

Liz Forbes’ Death

Season 6 wasn’t one of the happiest because by this point in the series, Liz Forbes, Caroline’s mother, had already won over the public by siding with the vampires. From the start, she could have been one of the “hard-to-swallow” characters, doing everything she could to go against the creatures. However, she had strong emotional development and gradually changed that. Very few humans are in favor of the vampires in Mystic Falls, but the sheriff had to be for her daughter.

Some say that seeing her die is one of the things that hits the viewer hardest, largely because the motive was something very human in the face of a whole universe where you can die brutally by the hands or bite of a creature. Compared to unexpected deaths, those that require psychological preparation because there is no salvation, it hurts the most. Throughout The Vampire Diaries, we’ve seen Liz struggle with cancer, and when Caroline finds out, she quickly believes that she can cure her mother by giving her vampire blood. However, even if that was salvation, the truth is that the town sheriff already had her fate mapped out.

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The regenerative qualities of vampire blood exacerbate cancer cells instead of curing them. In other words, they accelerate the growth of the disease, making it even more aggressive and uncontrollable. It is in this way that Liz, after becoming a surprisingly close friend and ally of Damon, finds herself with no way out. She is certainly a character who has developed a great deal over the course of the story, and closely following this change in her beliefs is what made the audience gradually grow fond of her. Liz even uses her position to deflect suspicion and provide valuable information in order to protect the vampires from external threats and from the Founders’ Council itself (of which she has always been a member).

It’s in Episode 14, “Stay,” that she loses the battle to the disease, surrounded by all her loved ones. A few moments earlier, Caroline, using her vampiric abilities, shares a dream experience with Liz from when she was still very young. In this way, the sheriff is able to find peace in her final moments. Mother and daughter didn’t have a very peaceful relationship at the start of the series, and with this attitude, death takes on even more meaning, making the farewell even more heartbreaking.

Jenna Sommers’ Death

Sadness, however, can sometimes be painful. Although Liz’s case is moving, the death of Elena and Jeremy’s aunt is tragic. Jenna Sommers becomes a mere victim of Klaus in Season 2, Episode 21 – “The Sun Also Rises.” In a macabre ritual where the Original needs a werewolf, a doppelgänger, and a vampire to become a hybrid, he simply turns the woman into a vampire and then kills her mercilessly. And that’s the crux of how sad her death is; Jenna knew absolutely nothing about the supernatural world of Mystic Falls. She’s just a naive figure serving as a guinea pig and finding out about everything in a very short time before her death.

Even though many characters die in The Vampire Diaries, some thread of hope always remains, and this was the case for many fans watching the episode. However, Klaus is there to show that it’s not always that easy. The whole situation still takes place right in front of Elena, which touches the heart when we remember that the protagonist spent a long time mourning the death of her parents and would now be losing a second mother figure. Besides, the moment when the girl advises her aunt to turn off her emotions so as not to feel afraid, still hurts the audience’s heart to this day.

It’s worth noting that the moment before Klaus drives a stake through Jenna’s chest, you can see her bravery. Even though she’s just an innocent in the middle of all that turmoil, she still faces the situation with determination. Jenna was completely transformed against her will, but she still overcame this to try to fight and save her niece, who was also a helpless victim of Klaus. But if that wasn’t sad enough, it’s at her funeral scene that the audience really feels it, and the truth sinks in.

Death is one of the pillars of The Vampire Diaries, even if getting used to the drama, the romance, and all the fight scenes makes the audience forget that it’s still possible for someone to die for real. It’s practically impossible to choose between Liz and Jenna in this context because both losses go beyond marking the series. Ultimately, it is these deaths, full of impact, that are the essence of what makes the show so unforgettable: a drama that not only defies mortality but also deeply touches the hearts of those who watch it.

The Vampire Diaries is available to stream on Peacock.