At the end of last week's game-changing episode of "The Vampire Diaries," we learned that Alaric (Matt Davis), possessed by the Gilbert ring, was actually the one murdering the Founders in Mystic Falls. One of Alaric's victims happened to be Bill Forbes, Caroline's (Candice Accola) father.
In this week's all-new episode, entitled "Break On Through," Caroline will find out about Alaric's deeds, and actress Candice Accola told HuffPost TV that she definitely has a strong reaction to the shocking news.
"Caroline and Alaric really haven't had that many scenes together, and the scenes that they do have together have always been within a plan, as they both help out in the bigger scheme of things," Accola told HuffPost TV. "We'll finally see them talk one-on-one at this point, and we'll see if that goes well or if it doesn't."
Caroline might not have much time to dwell on Alaric because she'll be preoccupied trying to help Bonnie's (Kat Graham) mom Abbey (Persia White) with the tricky transition from witch to vampire.
"Caroline is going to step into the role of the mothering-mentor that she so excitedly -- and graciously -- has taken on this season, in helping Tyler and now in helping Bonnie's mother. We're going to learn what a witch goes through when they transition into a vampire. She has to realize that she doesn't retain her powers. She's not a witch anymore. There's no hybrid between a witch and a vampire, and it's a hard adjustment for Abby."
For Caroline, this will be her chance to guide Abby through her transition, much like Stefan (Paul Wesley) mentored Caroline through her transition from human to vampire in Season 2. Many fans of "The Vampire Diaries" want to see more screen time between Caroline and Stefan, and they just might get their wish in Season 4. Wesley recently told HuffPost TV that the two will reform their close friendship next season -- a decision that Accola very much appreciates.
"I loved the compatibility between those characters," said Accola. "It's a surprising one, but it also makes perfect sense. I love that Julie [Plec, the show's executive producer] has compared their friendship to what Stefan and Lexi had. Caroline fills that female friend void for him. I know we haven't really seen much of it this season -- and we haven't really seen Caroline help Stefan through his Ripper phase -- but she's also been very preoccupied with helping Tyler with his own demons and transitions."
Speaking of Tyler, the hybrid will finally make his return to Mystic Falls in an upcoming episode. The reunion will definitely please fans of the Tyler/Caroline relationship, teased Accola.
"We will see Caroline and Tyler, in the next few weeks, deal with their relationship," said Accola. "He will make it back to Mystic Falls. He left in order to figure out if he was able to release himself from Klaus' sire bond, and we will see if he was successful or if he wasn't. That will define how they interact with one another, and whether or not he can stay in Mystic Falls."
With Caroline and Tyler seemingly on the verge of reconciling, it looks like fans of Caroline and Klaus (Joseph Morgan) will have to wait to see how their tension resolves. Of course, it's not like Caroline would ever let herself fall for Klaus anyway.
"Everyone always forgets that Klaus is a very bad guy," said Accola. "He is evil. He's creating an evil army. He's not a good catch. Caroline can't go home and be like, 'Mom, I met this really great guy. I know he likes to murder people and is creating a deadly army of hybrids, but he's a real charmer!' I think their relationship is entirely based on manipulation. She wants him to relinquish Tyler. I think that if this were Season 1, Caroline would have fallen head-over-heels, right into the Klaus trap. But she isn't that girl who fell for Damon. She's got her wits about her now."
Over the last two seasons, viewers have seen a definite transformation in Caroline -- and we're not talking about her becoming a vampire.
"Season 1 was just Caroline being a teenager. Season 2 was her growing up, taking accountability of her actions and becoming a young woman, dealing with her vampirism. I feel like Season 3 has been about her finding her humanity again," Accola explained. "She's really focused on her relationship with Tyler. All she wants is to be with her boyfriend. It doesn't get more human that that."
"The Vampire Diaries" airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Check out a few sneak peeks of Thursday night's "Break on Through" below.
