Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-11464223-20140331010917/@comment-5106672-20140401051600

Swangirl21 wrote: I can't help but blame the writers for bending to the fans' peer pressure and killing off Neal. Honestly, I don't see any peer pressure. It's not like they desperately needed to kill someone and opted for Neal because the fans made a poll. The story they're writing required him to die, it's not the other way 'round, like they wanted a death so they bent the story to fit it.

No one else could die because no one else would go as far as bringing the Dark One back in exchange for their lives, that's it. He didn't know he would die by doing so, but still no one else would resurrect the Dark One in the first place (except Belle, but she's a clever person and wouldn't go down the risky path).