Starting tonight, The Vampire Diaries enters into the final stretch of 2010. Only two episodes remain this year, and both of which will give plenty of time to Tyler and his transformation into a werewolf.

As producer Julie Plec has already teased, this event will lead to the influx of many more werewolves in Mystic Falls. It will also change Tyler forever.

“We’ll learn a lot about the mythology and the rules of the transformation over the next two episodes before we actually see it,” Plec told The Los Angeles Times this week. “You’ll learn that while it gets a little bit easier the more you do it, the first time is not easy.”

Plec says the transition will be "life altering" for Tyler, and also have far-reaching consequences for other characters.

“What happens after that is going to be a big part of what happens in Mystic Falls, and how our other characters get involved in Tyler’s story. A lot of secrets start to come out and it becomes very complicated after he turns.”

What other storylines can fans look forward to? The producer offered the following teases to the newspaper:

The evolution of Damon: “We’ve watched Damon’s journey as he struggled with his role as hero and leading man and the knocks that come along with that and the problems that’s given him. His own personal transformation is a big part of this year and the rest of the season.”

The blood diet of Stefan: "For a while, we’re going to see him very functionally manage this consumption because it’s actually a really smart plan.”

The immortality (?) of Klaus: “As we get into the new year, that’s going to be a big question,” says Plec, adding that the story of the Originals and Klaus' arrival will lead to “lots of interesting developments and intriguing characters.”

The return of... someone: Without naming names, Plec said, yes, we'll see a killed-off character again.

Who might it be? Who would you like it to be? Sounds like a topic to be discussed in our Vampire Diaries forum!

Matt Richenthal is the Editor in Chief of TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter and on Google+.