It’s Complicated: The Great Caroline/Klaus Debate, The Vampire Diaries 

Something interesting happened after last week’s Vampire Diaries episode. There was an instant reaction to the Klaus/Caroline birthday talk scene. Klaus showed up to save Caroline after her special day. It was the least he could do considering the Original had arranged for Tyler to bite his ex-girlfriend as leverage in his war against Stefan. After “Our Town” aired, Klaus and Caroline trended on Twitter and there was much talk debating the possibilities over the last seven days. After all, Tyler and Caroline aren’t exactly together right now and, well, the show hasn’t come up with any sort of love interest for Klaus yet that we know about. We had the same debate so we decided to write about it and give our takes on that suddenly significant scene.

Kara’s Take

Call it a preemptive strike or whatever you want, but I have no interest in seeing Caroline and Klaus couple up. It seems wrong and strange, especially considering how much I love Caroline and Tyler and how recent their breakup is. Now, let’s be clear: I have no proof that they’re on that path and while I trust the writers/producers completely, I’ve heard that some of the fandom is all about this possible pairing. There are so many reasons I think this couple just won’t work but I am willing to wait and see how things play out. But I know how I want it to go.

Here’s just a few reasons why I just can’t believe Caroline would ever go for Klaus (even though I do love him):

1. Klaus can’t be trusted. All he seems to want right now is his family back. He’s made a temporary family for himself with his hybrids but if Stefan succeeds in driving them out of Mystic Falls he won’t even have them anymore. In order to get his true family back he’s willing to do whatever and use whomever he thinks will help him get what he wants. He’s threatened Stefan directly and when that didn’t work he threatened Jeremy, Elena, and now Caroline. He backed down this time but the longer Stefan keeps Klaus away from his family, the more desperate I think he’ll become.

2. Tyler said he loved her. And while Caroline didn’t say it back I’d like to think she loves him too. Here is a guy who was willing to openly defy his sire to keep Caroline safe. Of course, he didn’t realize his sire bond would overpower his free will until it was too late, but can we really blame him for that? I’m still rooting for Tyler even though I understand why his friends are upset with him.

3. Um, Klaus can’t be trusted. He’s literally stabbed his only family in the back repeatedly. He’s tried to kill Elena and Damon multiple times. He’s incredibly smart and devious. Why would you trust Klaus to do anything that’s not in his best interest? He’s got to be playing an angle by saving Caroline. He’ll use her in some way to get what he wants. Just wait.

Tina’s Take

OK, I’m a little more open to a Klaus and Caroline union. And that’s for one reason only. Did you check out that scene between them in “Our Town?” Before he saved her from Tyler’s nasty hybrid bite, the two had a bit of a talk. It was pretty glorious. I guess Caroline can benefit from Klaus’ years and years (and years) of existence. I actually loved what he told her:

“There’s a whole world out there waiting for you. Great cities and art and music…genuine beauty and you can have all of it. You can have a thousand more birthdays. All you have to do is ask.”

After that scene went down — possibly while Caroline fed from Klaus’ blood — I had a flash of the two of them off seeing the world together. I’ve often felt Caroline was meant for bigger things. She’s certainly not meant to be trapped in Mystic Falls forever. I could totally see her off experiencing everything vampire life has to offer (within reason, of course). Just imagine if Klaus was by her side showing her what she was missing. That’s much better than her fretting over being the filler age of 17 for all eternity.

Yes, I know Klaus can’t be trusted and he treated Caroline like collateral damage. I totally get that. It’s just sometimes the unexpected happens when two characters who don’t usually orbit around each other share a scene together. I’m not ready to fully ship these two but, like I said earlier, I’m open to the possibility. The thing is, I’m not sure how much gold there still is to mine between Caroline and Tyler. I think there’s still more to come. I’m not ready to give up on those two yet. But, maybe, just maybe, the show will start letting Caroline and Klaus interact more so we can really see if the fledgling spark created in “Our Town” turns into something much, much more.

The Vampire Diaries airs Thursdays at 8/7c on the CW.