ELENA AND WICKERY BRIDGE
Written post 4x06 - Originally posted here.
Wickery Bridge is the place where Elena dies and is reborn. It’s a place of transition for her, where she first clings onto who she used to be and eventually lets old versions of herself go.
The First Crash (Pre-Series/3x22)
Elena and her parents go over Wickery Bridge where Miranda and Greyson die, but Elena is saved by Stefan. For the majority of seasons 1,2 and 3, Elena desperately tries to hold onto who she was before her parents died. She’s depressed and traumatized and feels like their deaths are her fault and that she was supposed to die there with them.
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Stefan’s Threat to Drive Elena off the Bridge (3x11)
Stefan force-feeds Elena his blood and makes her face her biggest fear - going off of Wickery Bridge again (where she was supposed to die) and becoming a vampire. The threat isn’t followed through, but Elena (with Matt) holds a funeral for the girl who was supposed to die with her parents. She hopes that the person she’s become (hardened, falling in love with vampires) doesn’t disappoint her parents or the girl she used to be.
The Second Crash (3x22)
The events of 3x11 come back as Elena and Matt crash off the bridge (again), with vampire blood unknowingly in her system. Elena tells Stefan to save Matt this time, so she can die the way she was supposed to when her parents died. She wakes up in transition, horrified at the fact that she is now a vampire. She clings to decisions she made as a human (being with Stefan), even while growing apart from him through her transition, desperately trying to keep the girl she was as a human alive.
Jumping off of Wickery Bridge (4x06)
In 4x06, Elena is faced with terrifying hallucinations that try to convince her to kill herself, so naturally she comes to the place of her many deaths and near-deaths. As the hallucinations subside and she begins to burn in the sun without her daylight ring, Elena is faced with the trauma of dying on Wickery Bridge once more. This time, however, is different. Because, this time when she jumps off the bridge with Damon, it’s to save her life and get out of the sun. Elena doesn’t die this time off of Wickery Bridge, but part of her is reborn. When she wakes up in her room, safe, dry and with her ring, she seems much more clear-headed. Her later discussion with Stefan about letting go of who she was and accepting her darker vampire self shows me that for once, going over Wickery Bridge allowed Elena to finally let go of her human self and the girl that was supposed to die with her parents. She’s beginning to come to terms with her vampire self by facing the trauma of Wickery Bridge (again) and surviving. Because Elena Gilbert survives, she always does.
Wickery Bridge is the place where Elena dies and is reborn. It’s a place of transition for her, where she first clings onto who she used to be and eventually lets old versions of herself go.
The First Crash (Pre-Series/3x22)
Elena and her parents go over Wickery Bridge where Miranda and Greyson die, but Elena is saved by Stefan. For the majority of seasons 1,2 and 3, Elena desperately tries to hold onto who she was before her parents died. She’s depressed and traumatized and feels like their deaths are her fault and that she was supposed to die there with them.
[Read More]
Stefan’s Threat to Drive Elena off the Bridge (3x11)
Stefan force-feeds Elena his blood and makes her face her biggest fear - going off of Wickery Bridge again (where she was supposed to die) and becoming a vampire. The threat isn’t followed through, but Elena (with Matt) holds a funeral for the girl who was supposed to die with her parents. She hopes that the person she’s become (hardened, falling in love with vampires) doesn’t disappoint her parents or the girl she used to be.
The Second Crash (3x22)
The events of 3x11 come back as Elena and Matt crash off the bridge (again), with vampire blood unknowingly in her system. Elena tells Stefan to save Matt this time, so she can die the way she was supposed to when her parents died. She wakes up in transition, horrified at the fact that she is now a vampire. She clings to decisions she made as a human (being with Stefan), even while growing apart from him through her transition, desperately trying to keep the girl she was as a human alive.
Jumping off of Wickery Bridge (4x06)
In 4x06, Elena is faced with terrifying hallucinations that try to convince her to kill herself, so naturally she comes to the place of her many deaths and near-deaths. As the hallucinations subside and she begins to burn in the sun without her daylight ring, Elena is faced with the trauma of dying on Wickery Bridge once more. This time, however, is different. Because, this time when she jumps off the bridge with Damon, it’s to save her life and get out of the sun. Elena doesn’t die this time off of Wickery Bridge, but part of her is reborn. When she wakes up in her room, safe, dry and with her ring, she seems much more clear-headed. Her later discussion with Stefan about letting go of who she was and accepting her darker vampire self shows me that for once, going over Wickery Bridge allowed Elena to finally let go of her human self and the girl that was supposed to die with her parents. She’s beginning to come to terms with her vampire self by facing the trauma of Wickery Bridge (again) and surviving. Because Elena Gilbert survives, she always does.