It's official and gory: Caroline is a vampire.

The character officially transitioned from human to blood sucker on the latest episode of The Vampire Diaries, as she feasted on a couple Mystic Falls residents and adjusted to her new universe.

But why did the series go down this path? Producers Kevin Williamson and Julie Plec talked about the decision in an interview with The New York Post.

"One of the things Julie and I both struggled with last year were the supporting characters," Williamson said. "Everyone seemed to zero in on the love triangle and anyone involved with the supernatural world had a lot of story. We struggled to incorporate any human in the dark into the story. We want humans in the show, but we needed an element that would involve the other supporting characters."

So, will Caroline survive the season? Said Plec:

"Caroline could die in any episode – she is doomed. She is absolutely, fundamentally doomed by definition of her own personality and her lot in life. Her mom’s in the council and is the sheriff. She's also a neurotic, jealous busybody who is always putting her foot in her mouth and Damon isn’t going to put up with her – so she’s doomed. The question is, how much fun can we have getting her out of those doomed situations and for how long. Because we really, really believe that this character has a long shelf life."

We're glad to hear it. Among other topics and spoilers the duo dished on:

• The fourth episode will be a flashback.
• Plec describes the season two theme as "revenge."
• "There’s nothing but a lot of pain and doom ahead for Damon," said Williamson.
• Mason Lockwood has many secrets, and the werewolf storyline will play out nice and slowly.

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