She's on her way back.

At this evening's Vampire Diaries PaleyFest panel, cast members Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Ian Somerhalder, Candice Accola, Matthew Davis and Kat Graham were joined by Executive Producer Julie Plec. And while the cast kept the packed house entertained with jokes and anecdotes (can you imagine Klaus with a Match.com profile?), it was Plec who dropped the biggest storyline bombshell.

Mother Original will return, and she isn't finished plotting the demise of her children.

There’s still “a whole other chapter to that story," Plec teased. "Esther’s plan to take out her children [will be revisited]."

Other quotable notes and spoilers offered up by Plec:

Will the love triangle come to an end this season? "This season, maybe she has a choice to make. It's going to come to a head. Maybe not the head. But a head, for sure."

Will all characters survive the season? "I don't know."

Will we see more of Elena's parents, as hinted at in a recent casting notice? “We’re talking about having Elena’s life before we had vampires in it and her parents are a part of it.”

Why is Damon being tortured by Rebekah in the photos for "The Murder of One? "Damon does something really crappy to Rebekah [on March 22] and Hell hath no fury..."

While Plec previewed what's to come, and didn't even rule out turning Elena into a vampire at some point, as happens by the end of book one in the novel series, the cast kept fans cracking up with references that included:

• Wesley reacting in utter dismay at the realization that Gossip Girl shot on location in Paris. He thinks TVD should film in Italy.
• Who does Dobrev want to see Elena end up with? Neither brother, perhaps, as she joked about meeting a new, non-murderous man abroad.
• “You’ll see a lot more of Bonnie and Caroline working together" on upcoming episode, Graham said.
• Somerhalder shared the story of how he landed the role of Damon, which included a terrible initial audition for the network and a pep talk from Kevin Williamson, prior to 10 days of feeling like he wanted to "jump off a building" before receiving the good news.
• Among the moves that elicited Ian-related screams from audience members: the mic falling in his lap; Candice suggesting he take his shirt off; the actor lending his jacket to a cold Nina Dobrev.

NOTE: We also screened this Thursday's "1912" and... WOW. Let's just say you really should not miss the ending.

SECOND NOTE: We will be posting video interviews of the cast from the PaleyFest red carpet all week long, starting tomorrow! Return often to hear Davis' name for an Alaric/Damon spinoff, along with Dobrev running through a list of Stelena and Delena pros/cons.

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