| This article is about Jenna Sommers from the TV Series. You may be looking for Judith Maxwell from the novels. |
| “ | You may draw comfort knowing that your aunt is not in the place that I was. She doesn't know the torment of The Other Side. Though made a vampire, she remained pure. She knows peace. | ” |
Jenna Sommers was a main character in the first and second season of The Vampire Diaries. Jenna was the maternal aunt of Elena and Jeremy Gilbert, and became their legal guardian after their parents were killed in a car crash. During the majority of her time in the series, she remained unaware of the supernatural forces in Mystic Falls until she finally learned the truth near the end of the second season. She used to date Logan Fell, who was turned into a vampire by Anna and was then later killed by the vampire hunter Alaric Saltzman. She then began a relationship with Alaric, who also happened to be Elena and Jeremy's history teacher. She also went to high school with Mason Lockwood, who was Tyler Lockwood's uncle. Before she became Elena and Jeremy's guardian, Jenna was a party girl who frequently indulged in alcohol and marijuana, especially back in high school, which Mason revealed when he returned to town for a visit. In Season Two, Katherine Pierce compelled Jenna to spy on Elena and her boyfriend Stefan Salvatore, and when the two didn't heed her warning to break up, she then compelled Jenna to stab herself in the stomach while Elena and Alaric watched as retribution for not taking her seriously. At the hospital, the doctors said that she was lucky to be alive.
Her relationship with Alaric became strained after she discovered that his wife Isobel was still alive, and that he is a vampire hunter. She finally learned the truth about the existence of the supernatural after she was attacked by Niklaus Mikaelson, who was terrorizing Elena and her loved ones in preparation for the sacrifice ritual to break his curse. Shortly after reconciling with Alaric, she was called by Katherine, who tricked by pretending to be Elena in order to lure her out of the house so Klaus could kidnap her and turn her into a vampire for his sacrifice. During the sacrifice, Klaus killed Jenna by staking her in the heart in order to break his curse and finally release his bound werewolf aspect and become a true hybrid.
Jenna was a relative of the Gilbert Family.
History
Early life
Jenna Sommers
Jenna was born in 1980 and lived in Mystic Falls, Virginia until her death. Her elder sister was Miranda Sommers, whose best friend, Kelly Donovan, frequently babysat her and later partied with her when she was in her teenage years. She attended Mystic Falls High School and was best friends with Mason Lockwood. They once smuggled in some alcohol that belonged to Mason's father and drank it under the bleachers of the school. Jenna was a frequent recreational drug user and even described herself as being a "pothead" in high school and college.
Jenna with Logan.
At some point in her youth, Jenna also had a sexual relationship with John Gilbert, the younger brother of Grayson, who eventually became her sister Miranda's husband. Their relationship ended badly, and she ended up hating him for the rest of their lives. Jenna later dated Logan Fell, with whom she initially had a happy relationship; however, dating for quite a while, their relationship ultimately ended badly when Jenna learned that Logan had cheated on her with a woman named Monica. Upon receiving this revelation, Jenna quickly ended their relationship and left town as quickly as she could to go to study psychology at Whitmore College, where she lived until the death of her sister and brother-in-law.
On May 23, 2009, Miranda and Grayson drowned after losing control of their car on the wet road and inadvertently driving off of the Wickery Bridge. Their daughter, Elena, who was also in the car with them, was the only survivor of the accident. Shortly afterward, Jenna received a telephone call from a lawyer informing her that Miranda had requested in her will that Jenna become the guardian of her two children, Elena and Jeremy Gilbert. Though overwhelmed by the prospect, Jenna ultimately agreed to fulfill her sister's wishes and moved back to Mystic Falls, where she lived with her niece and nephew in their family home.
Throughout The Vampire Diaries Series
In Pilot, Jenna was introduced as the legal guardian of Elena (who was adopted) and Jeremy (not adopted) despite her young age. She was depicted as very scatterbrained and clumsy while trying to adapt to her new life.
Jenna and Logan
In The Night of the Comet, Jenna was having trouble coping with her new role as an authority figure to her niece and nephew. She realizes that Jeremy has a problem and she needs to change her parenting tactics after a meeting with Mr. Tanner. She told Jeremy that when she was younger she used to do drugs as well but she had other responsibilities and she needed to change her life.
In Family Ties, Jenna met an old flame, Logan Fell during the Founder’s Ball, but did not pay much attention to him because she resented him. Finally, she agrees to a date at the insistence of Elena.
In You're Undead to Me, Jenna goes on a date with Logan and was revealed that when she was younger, she dated Logan, but left Mystic Falls after he cheated on her with a girl named Monica. She kicked him out after noticing that he had not changed at all.
In 162 Candles, Elena and Jenna are surprised by a change in Jeremy's behavior.
Jenna and Alaric meet and flirt at the Mystic Grill.
Finally in History Repeating, Jenna was introduced to Alaric Saltzman and also Logan, now a vampire, approached the Gilbert´s house and asked Jenna to invite him in but she resisted. He tried to compel her, but because Jenna had taken vervain, he was unable to do it.
In Unpleasantville, Jenna met Alaric again at the 50's dance and they danced together. While walking home from a party, Alaric tells Jenna that his wife was named Isobel, the same name as Elena's birth mother and later asked her to go on a real date.
Jenna and Alaric at 50's dance
At the end of Children of the Damned, Jenna was confronted by Elena for not telling her that she was adopted.
Jenna started dating Alaric and shared their first kiss in A Few Good Men, and Elena had asked Jenna to look into information about her real birth mother after Elena found out that she was adopted. She brings the information on the apparent last name Isobel was using, Peterson, in the area around Mystic Falls. She found Trudie Peterson, who was Isobel's friend back in 1993, revealing her address in Grove Hill, Virginia and a picture of them both on the Grove Hill High School website.
When John Gilbert returned to town in Under Control, she was very uncomfortable and not very friendly with him, revealing a great dislike for her brother-in-law.
During Miss Mystic Falls, at the Founder's Day Gala, Jenna attended the event with Alaric and was quite surprised to see Elena dancing with Damon in the main dance.
In Founder's Day, she caught who she thought to be Elena kissing Damon, even though it was actually Katherine.
Jenna and Elena at Lockwoods In The Return, Katherine told John that Jenna went to the fire department. Jenna thought she had told Elena (not knowing it was Katherine) and Elena had no clue about it. Jenna went with Elena and Jeremy to the Lockwood house to pay respects for Richard Lockwood's death. In Memory Lane, Jenna hosted a barbecue which Damon, Elena, Alaric and Mason attended. In Plan B, it's been revealed that Katherine used Jenna to spy on Elena. Katherine compelled her into stabbing herself, because Stefan and Elena didn't listen to her and break up, but the stabbing was not fatal. Jenna compelled by Katherine In Masquerade, Matt, Elena and Jeremy are bringing Jenna home from the hospital. As it turns out, Jenna was told that she ran into a knife, even though Katherine had compelled her to stab herself earlier. Jenna, believing this, is embarrassed about it. She lies down on the couch and rests. Elena believes Katherine hurt Jenna because she was still with Stefan and now that they're broken up, they're safe. Later, Jenna and Elena are at home eating pizza. Jenna says she feels like an invalid. When Elena asks her where Jeremy went, she says that he went to the Lockwood party. Elena is surprised. Jenna says she's glad he's having some fun. Elena pretends to go get napkins, but actually goes into the kitchen to talk to Alaric. In The Sacrifice, Elena hears something and wakes up and bumps into Jenna and Alaric in the hall. Jenna was in Alaric's shirt and he was only in his boxers. It can be possibly inferred that they had sex. Jenna and Alaric are caught by Elena In By the Light of the Moon, At the Gilbert house, Elena finds Jenna taking boxes out of the cupboard by the stairs. She closes the door and Elena is shocked to see Elijah standing there. Jenna says he’s doing research on Mystic Falls and offers to help carry the boxes out to his car. Elijah says he can pick them up later and thanks Jenna for inviting him in.  Elijah and Jenna are walking In Daddy Issues, Jenna recently discovered that John Gilbert is Elena's biological father. Damon talks to Alaric, Jenna, John, and Elena. Then, Jenna attempts to set up Damon with her friend Andie Star. In Crying Wolf, John put some suspicion on Alaric, after he told Jenna about Isobel's death. In the Dinner Party, John made Jenna question if Alaric is honest with her, which leads them to break up. In The House Guest, Alaric tells Elena that Jenna has started asking questions about Isobel. He reveals that he can't lie to her while he is with her. Elena admits that it is getting more dangerous for Jenna not to know what's going on but explains that she wanted to leave it until Klaus had been dealt with. Alaric promises to respect Elena's decision about whether or not to tell Jenna. Later, Elena, Caroline and Bonnie begin their girls' night when Jenna appears. She agrees to hang out with them as she is still upset about Alaric hiding something from her. Caroline suggests that Alaric might have a good reason for keeping something from her. She reveals that there is a live band at the Mystic Grill and they decide to go. Later, Jenna, Elena, Bonnie and Caroline arrive at the Mystic Grill. Jenna goes to get a drink and Alaric joins her, admitting that he hates that she is upset. Jenna insists that she can handle whatever he is keeping from her, as last year she was a grad student and now she is a parent. She walks off. Outside, Alaric walks Jenna home and tells her that Isobel is dead, although there are some things about her death that he can't reveal. He adds that he loves Jenna, but she just goes inside. The episode ends with Jenna and Elena eating ice cream in the kitchen. Someone rings the doorbell and Jenna goes to answer it. Elena is curious, so follows. When she gets there, she hears someone saying: "Hi, you must be Jenna. I'm Elena's mother." Jenna and Elena In Know Thy Enemy, Isobel said that it is nice to see Elena again and asks Jenna to let her in, but Elena said no. The damage is done, Jenna now knows the truth and closed the door. Jenna was devastated by finding out that Elena knew that Isobel is alive all along, and went upstairs and started to cry. Later, Alaric came (Stefan and Damon told him about Isobel), but soon after Jenna exited the house. Then John told Alaric that "If he was honest with her, nothing of this would have happened."Then Alaric punched him. Elena told him that this is all his fault. In Klaus, Jenna has returned home, but unfortunately Klaus (in Alaric's body) has joined her. "Do you believe in vampires, Jenna?" Klaus says before spewing words about being obsessed with them. Stefan screams at Jenna to leave and gets his vampire face on before he starts beating him. Elena leaves Elijah briefly to comfort her aunt and admit that not only do vampires exist, but basically everyone around her has known but her. Jenna as a vampire In The Last Day, Once Jenna discovers the existence of vampires, she forgives Alaric for lying. Not knowing that Klaus had released Alaric, she aimed a crossbow at him when he arrived at the boarding house until he proved it was himself. Jenna fetched a bag of blood for Stefan after he and Damon got into a fight and was lured out of the house by Katherine. She is in transitioning to become a vampire for Klaus's sacrifice. In The Sun Also Rises, Greta feeds her some of her blood to finish her transformation. After Jules arrives Klaus begins the ritual. Jenna and Elena talk and Jenna reveals she first considered not taking hers and Jeremy's custody but changed her mind at the last minute. Elena says they would have never made it without her. When Klaus gets ready to kill her, Jenna bravely tries to kill Greta first, but fails and Klaus holds her on the ground. She gives a last look to Elena and chooses not to turn off her emotions so she could feel her final moments of life. Klaus then stakes her. At the end of the episode there is a memorial service held for her and John Gilbert in which Elena and Jeremy grieve her death. There, Elena also has the chance to revisit her parents' grave.   Klaus kills Jenna Jenna's death hits everyone she was close to very hard. Elena and Jeremy have to face the pain of losing yet another parent while Alaric lost, once again, the woman he loved. However, it does seem that since Jenna is dead, Alaric will try to take a more active role in Elena and Jeremy's lives, as shown when he told Jeremy that he would be staying at the Gilbert house for the night. |
Jenna with her sister and Elena.
In Ghost World, Anna says that she thinks that some supernatural beings find peace after their death and that they don't go to The Other Side. Since Jenna hasn't appeared as a ghost, it is most likely that she did find peace.
In The Ties That Bind, Elena catches Alaric kissing Meredith Fell at her house. Alaric worries what Elena thinks of him after doing this but Elena tells him that's okay for him to move on from Jenna.
In Do Not Go Gentle, Esther tells Elena that Jenna is not where she was, and that Jenna doesn't know the torments on The Other Side. Even when she turned, she was pure and that she knew peace which is what all of us can hope for.
In The Departed, flashbacks show Jenna visited her sister and brother-and-law the night they died. She is there when Elena wakes up and later on, while she and her sister are preparing the dinner table, Elena calls the house from the bonfire location and asks for someone to come get her. Jenna gives Miranda the phone so she can talk to Elena. When Miranda and Grayson left, it was the last time Jenna saw them alive.
Jenna was mentioned by Elena and Jeremy in Memorial, whilst remembering their deceased family members and friends.
Jenna was mentioned by Elena in O Come, All Ye Faithful. She said that Jenna used the mistletoe to make out with Logan Fell.
She was mentioned by Elena in Stand By Me, when Elena was about to burn down the Gilbert House, because it was full of memories of the people she loved and that died. In the end she really set the house on fire, destroying all the memories.In 500 Years of Solitude, she appeared to Katherine while she was hallucinating. She asked Katherine if she remembers the time when she compelled her to stab herself. Then Jenna stabbed Katherine in the stomach.
Personality
Human
Jenna Sommers was a caring and naive woman. She was always there for her family.
She was fun-loving and spirited, though her good moods were often enhanced by alcohol or marijuana. She also proclaimed herself to have terrible luck with men.
After her sister died, she did her best to be there for Elena and Jeremy and help them move forward, even if she did not feel herself up to the task. She often made comments about her late sister and how she made everything she did look easy, indicating that the two had a close relationship, even if she did sometimes feel overshadowed by her. She was also known for being fiercely protective of her niece and nephew, Elena and Jeremy, and put a lot of pressure on herself to do well by them; when Jeremy was acting out, abusing drugs, and generally being self-destructive following the death of his parents, Jenna often worried that she didn't have what it would take to help him get better.
Jenna was well-known for speaking her mind and having a fierce temper, which she demonstrated against Alaric and Elena several times in the second season. She was also remarkably strong-willed and capable of adapting very quickly to any given situation, such as when she was forced to go from an irresponsible college student and party girl to a parent to two teenagers in very little time.
Vampire
Jenna only spent less than an hour as a vampire before she was killed, but even despite this fact, she seemed to have psychologically adapted to her transformation quite quickly. For example, it took her only seconds to learn how to hone her enhanced hearing in order to eavesdrop on Klaus' conversation with Stefan. As a human, she showed a lot of bravery throughout her life, especially in defense of her loved ones, and this was a quality that only became further enhanced by vampirism; when it was almost her turn to be sacrificed to break Klaus' hybrid curse, she quickly made the most of her enhanced speed, strength, and agility by lunging for the witch Greta Martin in a surprise blitz attack, willingly sacrificing her life to try to save Elena's. Her strong-willed personality only became more apparent as a vampire as well, which was demonstrated when she refused to turn off her humanity so she could face her death without fear or emotional pain. According to the powerful and ancient witch Esther Mikaelson, Jenna's heart was pure when she died, even as a vampire, and as a result of this fact, Jenna immediately found peace in the afterlife instead of being forced to endure the torment of the Other Side.
Powers and Abilities
Jenna possessed all the standard powers and abilities of an non-original vampire.
Weaknesses
Jenna had the typical weaknesses of an non-Original vampire.
Physical Appearance
Jenna was a beautiful young woman in her mid-to-late 20's with a pale complexion, hazel eyes and medium-length blonde hair. Her height is 5' 6", and she has a slim, slightly athletic physique. Her style of dress is that of a typical American college student, which focuses on comfortable and functional. However, she has been known to dress up when the situation demands it, such as for parent-teacher conferences or community gatherings.
Relationships
- Jenna and Alaric (Dated)
- Elena and Jenna (Niece/Aunt/Friends)
- Elena, Jeremy and Jenna (Former Family/Jenna died)
- Jenna and Elijah (Former Friends)
- Jenna and Logan (Former Boyfriend/Girlfriend)
- Jenna and Andie (Friends)
Name
Jenna is of Arabic origin, and the meaning is "heaven." In the Western world, it is a variation of Jennifer, the Cornish variant of Guinevere which means white (fair, pure).
Esther mentions that Jenna remained pure, even if she was turned into a vampire, avoiding the torment the other side.
Sommers is of both Old English, Germanic and Scandinavian origins, and means "summer."
In the original script, Jenna's surname was Moyer. [1]
Appearances
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Behind the scenes
- The casting call was: 29 years old, Elena and Jeremy’s aunt who took them in after the death of their parents, she is a brainy/sexy grad student who looks good in sweats and is hard at work on her thesis. She’s used to being the fun, cool aunt, and finds the transition to sudden parenting a bit daunting. Instead of packing school lunches, she hands her charges power bars and coffee. Jenna is trying hard and genuinely wants to be a good caretaker...
Trivia
- She is based on the novel character Aunt Judith.
- When Jenna turned into a vampire, she completed her transition by feeding on the blood of the witch witch, rather than that of a normal human like most vampires.
- Coincidentally, her boyfriend Alaric would also complete his transition into an Enhanced Original by drinking the blood of the witch Bonnie Bennett.
- The name 'Sommers' is an homage to Buffy Summers, the titular character of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. According to Julie Plec, a letter "was changed to protect the innocent."
- She was the last main character to learn about vampires.
- In the books, Judith does not approve the relationship of Elena and Stefan, and would rather that Elena be with Damon instead. In the series, Jenna agrees with the relationship of Elena and Stefan, but she worries about her niece when she is with Damon. Judith also seems older in the books and is engaged to a man named Robert.
- When she attended Mystic Falls High School, she was classmates with Logan Fell, John Gilbert and Mason Lockwood. Out of this group she seemed to be friends only with Mason. Out of this group John and Jenna are the last to die, each by a supernatural cause.
- Sara Canning (Jenna) is actually only a few months older than Steven R. McQueen (Jeremy) and Nina Dobrev (Elena).
- She is the third main character to become a vampire after Vicki Donovan and Caroline Forbes and before Alaric Saltzman. Ironically she was the last to know about vampires before becoming one.
- Jenna showed more self-control than Vicki and Caroline after being turned into vampires.
- It's possible this is because Jenna is already an adult, while Caroline and Vicki were still teenagers, so Jenna's maturity and sense of willpower could have been made stronger by vampirism as a result. However, this has never been confirmed.
- Jenna showed great strength and determination in her final moment when she attempted to save Elena.
- Jenna was the second main character to die after Vicki and before Alaric, Jeremy and Bonnie.
- She is the second main female character to die. Vicki was the first and Bonnie was the third.
- Jenna is the only main character to be killed who hasn't returned as a ghost in any season.
- She is the only character to be killed, turned into a vampire, and destroyed on the same day by the vampire who sired her.
- Jenna only lived a few minutes as a vampire, the shortest amount of time of any vampire in the series.
- She appeared in 30 episodes as a human before becoming a vampire. This was more than almost any other human, second only to Alaric Saltzman, who appeared in 45 episodes as a human.
- She was used as the second "ingredient" in Klaus's ritual. He kills her by staking her to complete her role.
- Jenna and John were the only guardians of Elena and Jeremy, so their deaths left the children without a guardian.
- However, Alaric ultimately became their legal guardian after Jenna's death, as he believed it was what she would have wanted.
- Jenna and John's funeral was hidden from the people of Mystic Falls so as to not cause more problems regarding the death rate in town.
- Vicki Donovan and Tyler Lockwood are the only main characters who never interacted or met Jenna.
- Jenna Sommers and Isobel Flemming were both lovers of Alaric Saltzman and both were destroyed by Niklaus. They were also both from Klaus' vampire bloodline.
- It is unknown what her job was, though she presumably had one since she was able to financially support her niece and nephew. It was only stated that she was a college student.
- Although Jenna was a main character, she often made minor appearances and occasionally appeared as a secondary character.
- Even though her character was killed off in the previous episode, Sara Canning was credited in the season 2 finale and appeared in The Departed another season finale.
- When Jenna was a child, she was baby sat by Kelly Donovan.
- Jenna is the only confirmed vampire that remained pure, after being destroyed. Esther says that she never met the torment on the other side.
- She's the only main character that never killed someone.
- Jenna and Vicki are the only main female characters to not appear in Season Four.
Episode Absence
- During first two seasons as main character Jenna doesn't appear in several episodes:
Season One
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Season Two
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Tropes
- Jenna was promoted to parent when both Miranda and Grayson died in the car crash, leaving Elena and Jeremy orphans.
- She is Miranda's younger sister, and would rather be a Cool Older Sis to Elena, than her adoptive parent.
- Although she was listed as main character, in many episodes she would only have a small role, and a few lines.
Quotes
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References
Videos
Gallery
 Jenna Sommers has a photo gallery.
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See also
Template:VD Characters