This! She does not have what it takes! I wish someone associated with GOT would come in and actually write a good show!

She doesn't have what it takes to pull a Game of Thrones. She gets too attached to characters and to what fans think of them. This is one of the reasons why the show isn't what it once was: the inability to kill off a major character and let them stay dead.
Which would be worse - to live as a monster, or to die as a good man?

This doesn't feel like her- either there's big issues as far as actor availability or Kevin Williamson is back in more ways than just for final season kudos. Tyler's brutal death felt like his influence. While Tyler might have been a death because of availability and budget, the way in which he died matched Kevin Williamson's style more so than hers.
The first rule of truly living, do the thing you're most afraid of -Rebekah Mikaelson

So far, he WAS in two episodes

I sure hope not. Steven was initially listed as being in 1 or 2 of the eps, and that has since been removed (along with Nina from the finale, and a couple other OG's). Maybe he read the outline and bolted