‘The Vampire Diaries’: The Real Reason the Writers Destroyed the ‘Other Side’
The Vampire Diaries has long been one of the top supernatural drama shows of all time. The series ran for eight seasons. And even after it went off the air, the universe stayed alive through spinoff shows, novels, and comic books. Over the years, The Vampire Diaries has been at the center of many fan conspiracies and controversies. In a 2015 panel interview, two years before The Vampire Diaries went off the air, executive producer Caroline Dries opened up about why she and the other producers decided to destroy “The Other Side” in the series.
What is ‘The Other Side’ in ‘The Vampire Diaries’?
“The Other Side” has an important place in the mythology of The Vampire Diaries. It is a supernatural dimension where the spirits of the dead reside in a type of limbo. “The Other Side” wasn’t given a name until the third season of the show, when Vicki (Kayla Ewell) reveals to Matt that she has been receiving help from a witch on “The Other Side.”
For several seasons, this mythical dimension remained a vital part of the show. Character debated the construction and purpose of “The Other Side.” In Season 5, “The Other Side” was destroyed due to the doppelgänger blood that was ingested by the many Travelers who killed themselves and then passed through Bonnie as the Anchor, according to Screen Rant. Still, it remained a talking point for the final few seasons of the series.
Caroline Dries admitted that ‘The Other Side’ was destroyed for a very specific reason
Not every fan of the show loved the fact that “The Other Side” was destroyed. But executive producer Caroline Dries said in 2015 that there was a very specific reason why it had to happen. In the Comic-Con panel interview, she explained. “We did that on purpose so death meant something,” Dries said. (She was responding to a question about what would happen to the supernatural creatures contained in “The Other Side.”)
“So now, if they die they die,” Dries noted. It is very possible that the show’s writers wanted to avoid situations where characters would return over and over again, with no real finality or closure. Certainly, many TV shows have fallen into this cycle, especially ones with a supernatural bent.
What else has Caroline Dries revealed about ‘The Other Side’?
The 2015 panel isn’t the only time that Dries has talked about “The Other Side” in The Vampire Diaries. In a 2014 interview with TV Guide, Dries discussed Katherine’s journey to a “darker world.” “What we wanted when we were writing the Katherine storyline this season was to really deliver on her as a character,” she shared. “This show is known for bringing people back to the dead, so death didn’t ever feel final; they could hop over from the other side if we feel desperate. So we wanted to say, ‘No, she’s gone.'”
She also said that they didn’t plan on exploring that darker world in The Vampire Diaries. “I don’t think we’ll explore it so much as in the future, we’ll use something similar happening like that on the other side where it becomes a bit of disarray over there and people get sucked into oblivion,” Dries said.
