People have asked me why it’s okay for Elena to be in love with Stefan and then Damon — both of whom have sordid pasts — and why it’s okay for Caroline to flirt with Klaus, but it’s not okay for Bonnie to make eyes at Kol. First of all, it’s not okay for Elena and Caroline. More than once, I’ve wished that Elena (particularly when she was human) would run away with Matt or just pull a Kelly Taylor, choose herself and get these bloodsucking fiends of out her life. I would be appalled if Caroline hooked up with Klaus, considering all the evil he has wrought. That said, I do enjoy Elena and Stefan, and Elena and Damon. And I’d likely enjoy Caroline and Klaus. I’d think it was horrible and I’d enjoy it. This is a series about vampires and other creatures of the night. Welcome to the horror genre, where characters are supposed to do horrible things. We can both judge them for their poor choices and desperately hope they make even worse ones.

- Cindy McLennan, The Vampire Diaries 4-10 “After School Special” Recap