Check out a new interview with Julie Plec about The Vampire Diaries season 5, which can be found in the new issue of TV Guide!

SpoilerTV has uploaded the following TV Guide scan, which shows an interview with executive producer Julie Plec:

In the interview, she answers some of the burning questions fans have been pondering over the summer, following the shocking finale of The Vampire Diaries season 4.

Speaking about how Elena will feel about Katherine turning human, Plec says, “Elena will definitely not be excited to see that Katherine is suddenly this fragile bird that needs protecting.”

As to why they chose to make Stefan the doppelganger of Silas, Plec explains that the decision was made partially to give Paul Wesley some new material to work with.

“He’s always looking to have as much fun as possible playing Stefan, so we came up with something fun and extreme,” she says.

And speaking of poor Stefan, Plec also confirms that his stay at Hotel Bottom-of-the-Lake will be as torturous as you can probably imagine.

“He’ll drown, wake up, drown again, wake up again,” Plec says, adding that, “you’ll see what amount of psychological damage it does to him.”

Silas, meanwhile, is still trying to die – although Plec hints that his situation will change somehow. Will the mysterious new cast arrivals perhaps have anything to do with that?

While Silas looks like Stefan, we can also expect his presence to cause trouble in paradise for the new couple Damon and Elena. “With Elena heading off to college and her boyfriend back home, the return of Stefan – who’s not really Stefan! – throws a wrench into things,” Plec teases.

Whatever happens with the ever-more-complicated love triangle (Square? Quadrangle?), Silas is apparently not the season’s main villain, leaving the big question of who that will be!

Meanwhile, “Matt Donovan’s life is forever changed” by his experiences on the road with Rebekah.

Finally, Plec hints that there could be some supernatural romance for the recently returned-to-life Jeremy and his recently deceased girlfriend Bonnie. Bring on season 5!

Of course, Hypable.com recently released a list of our own top 10 burning questions about The Vampire Diaries season 5 – some of which we can hopefully ask at next week’s San Diego Comic-Con!

Vote for your favourite questions to make sure they’re asked.