TVD 3x14: We're going down, down, down, together.
Holy hell. I don't even know what to do with this episode. We all knew this was going to be a bit of a ride, because in Mystic Falls formal wear is code for important events. But man, this was a fun episode. In a totally trippy, none of this makes any sense but I'm in love with how miserable everyone is sort of way. THIS FUCKING SHOW IS THE
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IAWTC. The dichotomy the show set up there is extremely dubious. But. I feel like this episode was filtered so much through Elena's POV, and Elena is ALL OVER the good!brother/bad!brother dichotomy? So the way the story presented the situation felt very deliberately dubious to me. Nonetheless, ITA does a WAYYYYYYYY better job of problematising Damon's attitude than it does with Stefan's. Old news.
But it is an interesting parallel - she resents Damon doing whatever he has to do to keep her safe, and yet she'll resort to having his neck snapped just to do what SHE has to do.
AMEN. I feel like THIS, more than anything, is the central conflict in their r/ship. It's not that Damon is the Bad Boyfriend and Elena must get out (ugh to that interpretation); it's that they are basically THE SAME PERSON, and Elena is still unwilling to accept and acknowledge this part of herself, so she treats Damon as Other. THAT fascinates me.
Elena says something expressly to hurt him. It isn't her forcing him to face the truth or trying to get him to behave, this is Elena actively wanting to crush him for one terrible second.
I COMPLETELY AGREE. And I love it. I love her MORE for it, fml. It's so HUMAN, idec. And UGHHHHH YESSSSSS to your whole goddamn analysis of that scene. YOU DO THESE THINGS TO HURT ME. Especially: Elena is hurting because of how much she's hurting Damon just by not being able to love him like he loves her, and it isn't fair, because no one loves like Damon. So Elena is faltering under the weight of it all, and a bit of her genuinely hates him for loving her like that. -- WHY MUST YOU TAKE MY FEELINGS FROM MY PERSON. I would also add that Elena is SCARED. Damon terrifies her on a pure emotional level. (You don't run from things that don't scare you.)
A+ Damon analysis too. Though, I'd say that he very much DOES want to be the hero. He wants to ride in and save the Princess In The Ivory Tower, and achieve that storybook ~triumph. It's an ideal that's deeply ingrained in him, and inevitably conflicts with his IDGAF persona.
This breaks every rule the two of them have together. It's like Fight Club. You do not talk about Damon being in love with Elena.He IS this person now, this emotional, vulnerable person, and everyone can see it… he's standing here with his heart on his sleeve and heartbreak written all over his face, and he has no one to blame but himself.
I CAN'T. LEAVE ME HERE TO DROWN IN MY BLEEDING HEART.
This scene was just a bit less subtext and a lot more…overtext?
Accurate description. Maybe that was the point? Like, WE know that Stefan still cares and that Elena still loves him the mostest, but… the characters themselves need it spelled out for them? Also, I loved the contrast between Elena being able to always see riiiiight through Damon, while Stefan is an enigma to her.
Fool, Damon/Elena is happening. SEASON SEVEN WILL BE OUR TIME, MOTHERFUCKERS. (lmfao we are the worst.)
AHHHHHHHHHHH DAMON AND REBEKAH. MY CREYS. THAT FUCKING FUCKING SCENE (you get me). I was JUST bitching with Marta about how vanilla the sex on this show is, AND THEN THAT. PRAISE THE LORD.
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You are 100% correct, as usual. And it makes me FEEL THINGS. Elena would absolutely be pushing Damon to stop caring and Stefan to start caring again, because that's what makes sense in her world. Yes, she's contradicting herself, and it's unfair, but she's just trying to make everything the way it was. THIS GIRL. LOVE.
they are basically THE SAME PERSON, and Elena is still unwilling to accept and acknowledge this part of herself, so she treats Damon as Other.
GODDAMN THESE TWO. This is why she needs to make everything like it used to be - Stefan (well, good Stefan) is all the parts of herself that she likes, and Damon is all the parts she hates.
I LOVE ELENA SO MUCH FOR HER AWFULNESS. And really, D/E fans should be able to see how amazing this scene is for this ship. If Elena really didn't feel a thing for Damon, she would be endlessly compassionate and sympathetic. But this ruthlessness? That means he's getting to her. He's breaking her down, and she is fighting tooth and nail to stop it. You're right, she IS terrified, and she will do everything she can to stop them from happening. I'm obsessed. I HAVE ALL THE FEELINGS TOO COME WEEP WITH ME.
It's an ideal that's deeply ingrained in him, and inevitably conflicts with his IDGAF persona.
This is the crux of Damon's identity crisis. He does want to be the hero, but he would give anything not to want that, because he knows he can never be. He's always trying to protect himself from pain, but in so doing, he hurts himself more than ever. FUCK THESE FEELINGS.
Also, I loved the contrast between Elena being able to always see riiiiight through Damon, while Stefan is an enigma to her.
I love the total transparency of this ship so much. And her confusion about Stefan is essential to the functionality of a Stefan/Elena relationship, because if she could understand him like she understands Damon, she would figure out that he's also awful for her. THEY'RE ALL AWFUL.
SEASON SEVEN. I WILL BE HERE WITH CAPSLOCK AND INFLATABLE POOLS TO CATCH MY TEARS.
THAT FUCKING FUCKING SCENE (you get me).
Always. ♥
BRING ON THE MORNING AFTER. P.S. Your comments make my life. Have some emoticons. :))))) :DDDDDDDD :~> (I made this one up, and I can't decide if he's alarming. Whatever.)
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Oh, there's Rebekah! Oh wait, they're siblings. OH WAIT THAT WORKS. This is actually how I think.
PREACH. Though, Klaus/Rebekah remains #1. Actually if I ship Elijah with anyone, it IS Elena, but I'm still not interested in seeing anything more than their clinking glasses.
It's not that he's mean to Damon, because usually that just has me chanting "Make out!" to the two of them on my screen. But when you're mean to Rebekah, go die in a fire. Maybe that's it.
TROLOLOLOL. Fair enough. IDK, Kol won me over when he kept staring at himself in the mirror? I am too easy. :(
Elena would absolutely be pushing Damon to stop caring and Stefan to start caring again, because that's what makes sense in her world.
UGH, YES. It was all so ~simple back in S1, haha. I feel like all of her interactions with the two boys this episode were her subconscious attempts to capture the glory days.
He's breaking her down, and she is fighting tooth and nail to stop it. You're right, she IS terrified, and she will do everything she can to stop them from happening. I'm obsessed. I HAVE ALL THE FEELINGS TOO COME WEEP WITH ME.
THIS, FOR THE LOVE OF DYSFUNCTION. I honestly don't understand fandom sometimes. WHAT'S A LITTLE NECK-SNAPPING IN A DOOMED SHIP? But seriously though. It's hilarious and tiresome to me that people insist on taking everything at such face value. Oh, so Elena treated Damon badly and tried to get Stefan back, CLEARLY THAT MEANS THAT ELENA DGAF ABOUT DAMON AND ELENA/STEFAN ARE MEANT TO BE. Try again, friends. Relationships just don't function by this normative ideal of ~romance. People sometimes hurt the ones they love, and sometimes they do it deliberately (and sometimes they pursue other people for reasons besides ~epic love). Elena pushing Damon away and degrading his feelings proves nothing about her supposed lack of caring for him. IDK IDK, FANDOM THOUGHT THIS EPISODE WAS REALLY BAD FOR D/E AND I THOUGHT IT WAS THE GREATEST? #foreveralone together
He does want to be the hero, but he would give anything not to want that, because he knows he can never be. He's always trying to protect himself from pain, but in so doing, he hurts himself more than ever.
FUCK THESE FEELINGS AND FUCK YOU FOR EXPRESSING THEM. AND FUCK DAMON TOO FOR GOOD MEASURE.
And her confusion about Stefan is essential to the functionality of a Stefan/Elena relationship, because if she could understand him like she understands Damon, she would figure out that he's also awful for her.
Indeed, indeed.
P.S. THE LAST EMOTICON IS MY FAVOURITE, FOOL. And just to show how much I appreciate it, have a shipspam:
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Klaus/Rebekah is ALWAYS #1. I kind of feel like Elijah's too classy for romance? Elijah/properly held champagne glass = OTP.
I feel like all of her interactions with the two boys this episode were her subconscious attempts to capture the glory days.
SO MUCH. I think Elena doesn't mind the actual existence of vampires and monsters in her life nearly so much as she hates how she reacts to them now.
YOUR ENTIRE PARAGRAPH about fandom and D/E. There isn't enough YES in the world (and you totally quoted Spike, don't think that escaped my notice). Not to mention that if Elena and Damon suddenly decided to fuck all their issues and just become a functional couple, that would be the ULTIMATE death knell in their relationship, because we're halfway through season 3. The constant denial of this ship just means it continues to have a shot. Basic television rules. So:
FANDOM THOUGHT THIS EPISODE WAS REALLY BAD FOR D/E AND I THOUGHT IT WAS THE GREATEST? #foreveralone together
YOU ARE ME AND THERE'S NO POINT IN EVEN TALKING ANYMORE (except then who would I invent violent emoticons for?).
OMG THAT GIFSPAN. That is this ship in a nutshell: heartbreaking and miserable, adorable, and lolsy. LOLOLOL THAT LAST GIF. What did I tell you about alcohol being on Damon's Short List?
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