Let’s talk TVD. I’m a little late to the party, but hey that’s
what hiatus is for. We have all summer to dissect season finales.
I’m watching The Vampire Diaries until the bitter end.
Mostly because of my undying love for Stefan Salvatore, but also because I need
to see the story to the end. After you love these characters to the depth and
breadth I loved them, I need to see every stepping stone until we finally
arrive at the destination. It doesn’t mean the journey is always pleasant. I’ve
been quite vocal over my frustration with the direction of The Vampire Dairies
and the current state of the writing. Update: below average. That being said,
Season 6 was an improvement from Season 4 (rage inducing illogical) and Season
5 (mind numbingly abysmal). Honestly, I
don’t think it can get much worse than S5, so they had nowhere to go but up.
I had mixed feelings about Elena’s big goodbye. Dobrev was out.
The writing was on the wall. Quite frankly, I figured they were going to kill
her. For reelz this time. So color me surprised at the whole “Sleeping
Beauty” plot twist. It’s nice to know TVD can still do that. Makes me
nostalgic.
Something has been bothering me with Nina’s exit. At first
it was painted as the writers knew all along that Season 6 was Nina’s final
season. That this was always the plan. Six years and she’s done. The PR machine
is tricky to stop once it gets rolling, but sometimes Twitter is a blessing.
Yeah, I said it. Julie Plec took to Twitter and basically confirmed what I
suspected.
No, this wasn’t the plan. They didn’t find out until late January
that Nina was officially leaving. They also didn’t officially find out until
Season 7 was confirmed by the network. They threw everything, but the kitchen
sink at Nina to get her to stay. It was a firm no, which left the writers in a
bit of a bind. From what I gathered during Julie’s tweets and subsequent
interviews the goodbye to Elena Gilbert was the plan for the first half of
Season 7. A ramp up of nostalgia during the first half of the year, with a ramp
down in the back half to say goodbye. Not only did they lose an entire season
to tell this story, but they only had a few remaining episodes to tell it. If
you look at the trajectory of Season 6, it makes sense. Elena suddenly loses
her memories of Damon. She becomes reminiscent of “human” Elena
again. Remembers that she actually hates being a vampire. And then….BOOM. An accelerated
reunion between Damon & Elena, culminating in DAMON choosing to take the
cure and live a human life with Elena.
Damon specifically stated in Season 4 that being human was
the last thing he wanted.
The writers went through a great deal of trouble to
make this storyline happen, retconning one of Damon’s more emotional confessions.
Why? For me, it connects back to TVD’s Jump The Shark Moment. The plan in
Season 4 was to cure Damon, not Katherine. Fans quickly guessed it would be
Damon, because we’re smart and pay attention.
The Season 2 scene in which Damon
mourns his humanity is one of his most famous and heartbreaking scenes. Ian Somerhalder knocked it out of the park and it’s my favorite Damon scene. Instead
of sticking with the narrative, following through on a carefully crafted story outlined
years in advance, the writers abandoned it for shock. Shock became more
important than story. The writing has never been the same since. The Vampire
Diaries has never been the same since. That’s why it’s my Jump The Shark moment.
Now, the writers are flip flopping again.
Not because Damon
wants to be human, but because he wants to be with Elena.
When pressed why Elena was ending up with Damon, Julie tweeted back:
That’s not a planned endgame statement. That’s a Wheel of
Fortune answer. Elena spun the wheel and it landed on Damon. Luck of the draw.
Damon was the Salvatore Elena was with when Nina decided to leave, so Damon it
is. Julie has adamantly stated there is an endgame plan to the show, but no
planned romantic endgame. It’s entirely possible there wasn’t. Julie &
Kevin didn’t land on Pacey & Joey until they were writing the final script.
At this point in the show, it really could have gone either way. Stelena and
Delena fandoms alike can mount the evidence for both endgames. I’m not
interested in a tit for tat. Personally? I don’t think either brother was going
to end up with her. I think a Salvatore ending was always the plan, which is
why the show is able to continue without Nina. That being said, I believe there
would have been a “romantic” endgame implied, but I don’t think it was
Delena. I believe it was Stelena. My suspicions were all but confirmed in 6x22 because this Delena ending had a very Stelena feeling to
it.
Stefan was the brother that wished to be human with Elena, not Damon. In fact Julie admitted that Stefan & Elena taking the cure together was their “original” plan when considering storylines for S4.
I think that Elena’s trajectory in S7 would have remained the same- a return to Human Elena both spiritually and physically. I think that trajectory would lead her away from Damon and back to Stefan, but they needed another full season to do it. I
think they simply ran out of time and switched the brothers. Can I prove this? Of
course not. Just thinking my thoughts.
My mixed feelings about Elena’s big goodbye was due in large part because I
already said goodbye to Elena Gilbert at the end of Season 4.
When Elena chose Damon, I
knew the Elena I loved was gone. Julie Plec made a statement in early Season 4
that Elena wasn’t Elena anymore. It wasn’t that Elena chose Damon. I knew
eventually it would happen. This is a show about a love triangle. It was that
she chose him after Damon used the sire bond to shut off Elena’s humanity.
The
Vampire Dairies’ entire premise is based on the importance of a person’s
humanity. It is the reason these two vampire brothers love Elena Gilbert. Human
Elena represented the goodness of humanity. Kind, compassionate, warm, loving,
generous, selfless…real. Her humanity connected Damon & Stefan to their
own and they loved her for it. I loved her for it. For Elena to willingly
choose Damon after he willfully destroyed the essence of what makes Elena Elena was unacceptable to me. I didn’t
recognize the character anymore. And no, Julie’s simple explanation that it was
time for Damon to “get the girl” wasn’t enough for me.
However, Elena’s Season 4 choice provided a startling moment
of clarity for me. Human Elena, the Elena Stefan loved, the Elena I loved, was
gone. She really did die on that bridge. The vampire that took over was merely
a shell of the human girl I remembered. Stelena’s goodbye was truly in 4x01.
When Elena was Elena, the human both Salvatore brothers fell in love with, her
choice was Stefan. She used her last moments as a human, her final breath, to
tell Stefan how much she loved him. To tell Stefan that she chose him. To voice
to the world that Stefan Salvatore was the best choice she ever made. Then,
before the effects of vampirism changed her so fundamentally, Elena looked out
on a rooftop, with her love, and watched the sunrise.
After Elena chose Damon while Stefan suffered at the bottom
of the quarry, I mourned. Deeply. I mourned Elena. I mourned Stefan. I mourned
their love story. The Vampire Diaries shattered my heart into a thousand pieces
and my only saving grace during the travesty that was Season 5 was Arrow and
the beautiful love story unfolding between Oliver and Felicity. That being
said, I’ve had two years to adjust to the idea. I said my goodbyes to Elena.
Yes, it was wonderful to see glimmers of her old self in Season 6 and I was
hopeful for her Season 7 storyline. I believed it would have been one of independence
and self discovery, without either brother. Then, in the end, Stefan &
Damon would let her go, but not before Elena made it clear that although she
loved both brothers…Stefan was always her best choice. Wishful thinking of a
Stelena shipper? Of course. Absolutely. Chalk it up to that. When Nina
announced she was leaving I did the math. There simply wasn’t enough time to
ramp down Delena and ramp up Stelena. We needed Season 7 and we weren’t going
to get it. Game over.
Or is it?
Because I said goodbye to Elena two years ago, I wasn’t
particularly emotional about her goodbye episode. Since Nina’s exit was rushed,
I anticipated the episode to feel rushed and it did. The writers relied HEAVILY
on nostalgia, which would have played well for me, except they’ve done it
before. They’ve played that feather scene as a goodbye between Elena & Bonnie
so much that it’s lost the emotional punch for me. Same with the bridge scene
between Elena & Matt. That being said, I do like that Elena took a life lesson
and bestowed it upon each friend. A gift. A remembrance. Elena’s diary request of
Bonnie & Caroline was a bit heavy handed, but I’m willing to overlook it.
I also loved that Elena was sacrificing herself for Bonnie.
It was time. The entire series Bonnie has sacrificed herself for her friends,
but no one more than Elena. Of all the characters on The Vampire Diaries,
Bonnie Bennett is the most selfless. Elena wasn’t the only human to represent
the best of humanity. I loved that Bonnie stood her ground and refused to
sacrifice her life for Elena’s once again. It was Elena’s turn and they both
recognized that. It was the right choice. An earned moment. A full circle
moment.
Which meant it was time to say goodbye to the two great
loves of Elena Gilbert’s life…the Salvatore Brothers.
Stefan’s Goodbye
I wasn’t expecting much to be honest. Elena and Stefan barely
shared any screen time this season. They were on completely separate
trajectories. Stefan to Caroline and Elena to Damon. Also, my Stelena goodbye
was in 4x01. Nothing will ever top that scene for me. So I kept my expectations
low. I wasn’t blown away, but I wasn’t disappointed either. I’ve
rewatched it multiple times and each time I do…I fall in love with it a
little bit more.
They returned Elena and Stefan to the scene of 2x20. It was
poetic. The title of 2x20 was “The Last Day”.
That was the last day
Stefan & Elena spent together, happy and in love, before Elena handed herself over to Klaus and Stefan sacrificed
himself to save Damon. Then we embarked on Ripper Stefan in Season 3 and we watched Stelena battle back to
what they once had.
Stefan: It’ll never be the same Elena
Stefan was right though. It was never the same. Just as
they were about to reclaim their love, their happiness, Elena died on Wickery
Bridge…and why? Because she chose Stefan.
Had she chosen Damon, she wouldn’t
have been on the bridge. Stefan would have lost her, but she would have lived. Either
way…Stefan was always going to lose Elena.
Not all love stories are happy and Stefan & Elena’s was beautifully tragic.
So I appreciated that the writers honored The Last Day. Everything
was the way it once was. Down to Elena’s straight hair, her leather jacket and
not being able to keep up. This was Stelena at their best.
Their most pure.
Their most honest.
The truth is, Stefan knows Elena. Down to her bones. Better than anyone. Including Damon.
Elena thanked Stefan for bumping into her. For saving her life. For showing her how to live again.
That’s what Stefan gave to Elena. Happiness. In a time when she couldn’t imagine ever being happy again.
That’s why Elena wished Stefan happiness. She wants Stefan to have everything he gave to her. The scene was bathed in sunlight. That’s what Stefan & Elena’s love was. A light in the dark.
Their love was real.
Something struck me about this “goodbye.” It
wasn’t a goodbye. In fact, both Stefan and Elena refused to say goodbye. Stefan
said “not ever” and Elena, in her final moments on screen with
Stefan, simply said…
Then, they held hands until
distanced forced them apart.
A parallel to their goodbye on The Last Day when Elena told Stefan to close his eyes.
In both instances, he opened them and Elena was gone.
Whenever a cast member, especially a lead, leaves it’s
impossible to know if they’ll ever come back. Sarah Michelle Gellar never came
back to Angel for their finale, leaving the Buffy & Angel love story unfinished.
The gold standard is George Clooney. He never forgot where his career was
launched. He came back to ER to give the Doug & Carol love story the ending
they deserved. Then he returned again in the series finale to reassure the
audience they were happy, in love and raising their girls. George Clooney is
loyal. He never forgot his fan base, so I have no problem handing over $10 for
any movie he’s in. If Nina Dobrev is smart, she’ll take a page from Clooney and
return to The Vampire Diaries to give Stelena the ending they deserve.
The light and the refusal to say goodbye gives me hope. Elena
is sleeping. She’s not dead. She will awake and Stefan will be there. Because
that kind of love never dies. Their love is light in the dark. It is hope eternal.
Damon’s Goodbye
It’s no secret I’m not a Delena fan. That being said, I
wanted Delena fans to get the goodbye they deserved. I truly mean that. My
Stelena goodbye in 4x01 is precious to me and their 6x22 goodbye honored their
love story. Damon & Elena’s love may not be my cup of tea, but it deserved
to be honored.
He’s lying in the street. In the dark. Just like he was the
night they met; when Damon wished for Elena to get everything she wants and
then compelled the memory away.
Elena told Damon not to shut down, to be happy,
to live and then they danced.
Really the Damon & Elena love story began at
the Miss Mystic Falls Pageant
I should have never let them dance. - Anastasia
If they just danced,
it would have been a beautiful moment. Simplistic & honest. Instead, Damon
& Elena embarked on a choreographed dance routine straight out of Dirty
Dancing. Swayze and Grey want their moves back guys. It felt cheesy, over the top and ridiculous.
But that’s just me.
Elena told Damon she believed he’d do the
right thing. That he would save Bonnie and let Elena go. Damon & Elena’s trajectory
is a direct parallel to Stefan & Elena’s trajectory. In 3x22, Elena begged
Stefan to save Matt.
By respecting her free will, Matt survived, but Elena died
& became a vampire. So many fans condemned Stefan in that moment. Even
Damon.
Damon told Elena that he would have saved her and let Matt drown,
because he was that selfish.
But Elena wasn’t. She was selfless. It’s why Damon
wasn’t Elena’s choice when she was human because he fundamentally didn’t
understand her. What’s more Damon couldn’t give up control. He couldn’t allow
Elena to be Elena.
Fast forward three years later and Damon is now faced with
the exact same decision Stefan was faced with.
Only this time, Damon understood
what Elena wanted. He respected her choice.
He saved Bonnie and let Elena go.
What’s
more, Damon & Elena put someone else before their
relationship. For one singular moment their love was selfless.
Damon & Elena didn’t say goodbye either.
Elena told Damon he was the love of her life, but I was left with a nagging thought. The reality
was, when Elena became a vampire Stefan lost her. Now, as human, Damon is
losing her. Is it because Elena is no longer in love with him? No.
Circumstances forced them apart. But that’s how the end of Stelena began. For
Stefan & Elena it was a bridge. For Damon & Elena it was a spell. It
took time for Elena’s vampirism & the sire bond to become an insurmountable
wedge between Stefan & Elena. Elena just turned human and now circumstances
are forcing her & Damon apart. Only now, Damon can’t take the cure. If he
does, Elena will age 60 years and she’ll die. So when Elena wakes, Damon will
remain a vampire and she’ll be human. I wonder if Elena’s humanity will once
again become the insurmountable wedge it once was to Damon & Elena.
Stefan’s Speeches To
Caroline
I like Stefan & Caroline. I’ve enjoyed their love story.
I’m often criticized for it. How can I possible like Stefan & Caroline if I
ship Stefan & Elena? Well, that’s an easy answer for me. Stefan and Elena
are my OTP. I only ship Stefan & Caroline. In all my years of television
viewing there are only three couples that have reached OTP level for me. Buffy
& Angel. Stefan & Elena. Oliver & Felicity. These are the couples
that define what love means to me. They are the very definition of selfless
love. They speak to me on an emotional & spiritual level. My depth of love
for them knows no bounds. My loyalty is forever theirs. I shall love these
couples, and their stories, until I die. But that doesn’t preclude me from
enjoying other love stories. That’s what shipping means to me. I like Caroline
& Stefan. I am eternally devoted to Stefan & Elena. No couple, not
Steroline, Delena, Klaroline, Bamon, Forwood, Stebekah, Steferine, Datherine,
Beremy can ever touch Stefan & Elena’s love story. Stefan & Elena ARE
The Vampire Diaries.
The Vampire Diaries examines love on several fronts. What is
a soulmate? Can you have more than one? Can a person love multiple times in
life? What is true love? And probably most importantly, even if love doesn’t
last…does that mean it is worthless? Or can we gleam some lesson from it? Can
it still matter to us? Can we still love someone even when we are not with
them?
There are many in the Stelena fandom that say Stefan &
Elena’s love story was destroyed these past seasons. I’m not one of them. What
happened between Damon & Elena didn’t destroy what Stefan & Elena had.
Nor did Elena & Stefan’s evolving feelings for one another erase their love
story. It simply was a piece of it. Another stepping stone in the journey. Just
because love doesn’t last doesn’t mean it wasn’t real. As I always say, not all
love stories end happily. It doesn’t make them any less EPIC. Rather my source
of frustration was what happened to Elena’s character. She was molded into
something unrecognizable to enable the other half of the love triangle. A
decision I don’t believe was necessary. There was a way to have Damon &
Elena be together without fundamentally changing Elena. The writers simply
chose not to tell that story.
Stefan Salvatore believed with every fiber of his being that
Elena Gilbert was his soulmate. That she was the one. Elena was his choice. And Stefan was hers. Then
Elena died and she changed. We cannot ignore the reality of that. Vampire Elena
bore only a physical resemblance to Human Elena. Vampire Elena was suited for
Damon, not Stefan. Elena moved on. She fell in love with someone else.
So where does that leave Stefan? Some believe he’s meant to
love Elena for the rest of his life and be alone. Only that would honor their love
story. Some believe Stefan has the right to move on. There is no wrong answer.
If your spouse dies and you wish to remain unmarried, living for their memory -
that’s valid. If your spouse dies and you choose to remarry - that’s valid.
There is no right or wrong. There’s only your choice. I believe Elena was
brought into Stefan’s life for the same reason he was brought into hers. To
teach one another how to live again. That’s a lesson that’s difficult to
unlearn. Stefan Salvatore has an infinite capacity to love. It’s what I love
most about him. If he remained devoted to Elena for the rest of eternity that
would honor his love story with her. But finding love again doesn’t dishonor
their love story either. There’s no wrong answer. There’s only Stefan’s choice
and Stefan’s choice was to move on and to find love again with Caroline Forbes.
Stefan: I don’t think Elena
necessarily came into my life to be my soul mate. I mean she was. We loved each
other, but she was also the only person I’ve ever met who actually believed my
brother was worth loving. She reminded me that I use to believe that about him
too. Her faith in him it brought Damon and me back together. And yeah, I loved
her. More than I ever thought I could love someone else. But I think in the end
I needed him more than I needed her.
I think many people are misunderstanding what Stefan said.
He never said Elena wasn’t his soulmate. In fact, he said the direct opposite
of that. He said that Elena WAS his soulmate. They loved each other. They were
soulmates. He loved her more than he ever thought he could love somebody else.
Stefan was simply saying that being his soulmate wasn’t Elena’s ONLY purpose in
his life. She served another purpose. As much as their love for this woman tore
these two brothers apart, it was one of the only things they could agree on. The
Damon Salvatore on Season 1 is not the Damon Salvatore of Season 6. Loving
Elena did change him. Did they betray Stefan? Of course they did.
To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It’s-it’s… it’s
not done because people deserve it. It’s done because they need it. - Giles,
Buffy The Vampire Slayer
Forgiveness is an act of grace. Stefan forgave Elena. He
forgave Damon. Just as they both forgave Stefan for the times he failed them.
And yes, Stefan Salvatore has failed Elena and Damon. This trio has failed each
other. This trio has saved each other. This trio has loved each other. It was
messy and complicated and real. That’s life folks. Love stories aren’t always
clean & simple. It’s not always from A to B to C. Sometimes life takes a
detour and you simply have to go along for the ride.
Stefan’s speech to Caroline connected directly to The Last
Day. Stefan sacrificed his relationship with Elena to save Damon. Stefan put
his love for his brother above his love for his soulmate. Yes, Elena chose
Stefan in 3x22 but they were never the same because life intervened. Do I wish
Damon was a better man and didn’t pursue Elena in Season 3? Yes. Do I wish he
did the right thing by the sire bond? Yes. Damon acted selfishly. That’s the
character. And yet, in the Season 6 finale, he walked in Stefan’s shoes. Damon
acted selflessly. He respected Elena’s free will. He gave up his soulmate…to
save someone else.
And what remains? Two brothers. By loving this same woman,
these two brothers garnered understanding about the other I don’t think they
would have achieved otherwise. Stefan learned Damon wasn’t a lost cause. Damon
learned what it means to be selfless. Stefan sacrificed himself for Damon in
Season 2. Damon sacrificed himself for Stefan in Season 5, which by the way, Damon & Elena never
truly recovered from either. Elena erased her memories. Their reunion, like
Stelena’s in Season 4, was just as short lived before life intervened. Within
the parallels lies a balance. In the balance lies the answer. The real love
story of The Vampire Diaries was always the Salvatore Brothers. This was always
the planned endgame my friends. Stefan is just saying it outloud.
Stefan: Yesterday you told me that you made a list of all the ways that loving me has ruined your life, and I get it. I haven’t made it easy on you, but I made a list too. Of all the ways that loving you has changed mine. You were by my side when I needed a friend. You made me laugh, you made me dance. You told me that I would find love again, and I understand if you need time to heal and to live your life without me. I understand if I have to wait for you. And I will. I’ll wait
Then in the final scene, Stefan declares all the ways loving
Caroline has changed his life. Caroline was his friend, she made him laugh
& dance and told Stefan he would find love again. Stefan wasn’t saying he
didn’t have all those things with Elena. Of course Elena was his friend. Of
course Elena made him laugh. Of course Elena made him dance. Elena loved Stefan
and he loved her. But the point was, after losing Elena, Stefan never believed he’d have those
things again. That’s what Caroline gave to Stefan. Happiness. In a time when he
couldn’t imagine ever being happy again. Sound familiar?
I didn’t hear anything that was a betrayal to Stefan &
Elena. All I heard was Stefan remembering everything he learned from loving
Elena and being loved by her. Then he made a choice. To love again.
Now it is Damon that is left without Elena. Will Damon
remain faithful to Elena for the next 60 years, waiting for her to wake? Or will he
find love again? Perhaps maybe in the most unexpected of places. Perhaps with a
friend. Like his brother did.
Damon will need to choose like Stefan did. And
no matter what his choice, it will honor his love for Elena. There is no wrong
or right.
Does that mean Delena & Steroline are endgame? Or is it
Bamon & Stelena? Or Bamon & Steroline? I don’t know. Regardless of my speculation, I honestly do not believe that was the focus
of Elena’s goodbye or the Season 6 finale of The Vampire Diaries. It’s not
about endgame right now. How do I know this? Because the writers left every
permutation of couple still open as an option. I think sometimes we get so
caught up in the end result of a story, we forget to simply enjoy the story.
It’s not about the ending. It’s about living.
What I do know for certain is this. Elena’s goodbyes to both
Salvatores was symbolically representative of her relationships with these two
men. Elena danced with Damon in the night.
Elena walked with Stefan in the
day.
And two brothers remain.
For me, that tells the whole story.