to every thing, turn turn turn, there is a season, turn turn turn
So I saw this incredible TVD ensemble fanvid, and it's ending made me think about Wickery Bridge, and how well Season 3 foreshadowed and built it up as the location for the climax of the finale, as well as using it for some really nice character moments and also to drive certain plot elements.
Obviously, Wickery Bridge was mentioned before season 3, we all knew it was where Elena's parents died and Stefan saved her, and readers of the books know of it's significance there, but the bridge itself was never featured until this season, and I think the writers did a nicely subtle and slow build of reminding the audience of it's existence and what it represents to Elena, so that her drowning in the finale in that same location had maximum impact. Because I'm anal and a total nerd, I wanted to make a list of the progression:
3x11:
This is the episode that reintroduces Wickery Bridge in a major way. First, there's the fundraiser event to restore it. At the event, Damon tells Alaric that it's the bridge where Elena & Jeremy's parents died, Alaric and Meredith talk about the bridge as well. When I watched this for the first time my ears pricked right up at at that, first because I love continuity and callbacks, second because I've read the books and knew the significance of it, and third because I was sure if the writers were bringing it up that it was going to pay off big time somehow. And of course, it did, in this same episode, with Stefan almost driving Elena off of it and turning her into a vampire (talk about foreshadowing!). The bridge then becomes not only the site of Elena's parents' death, but of Stefan's arguably biggest betrayal of Elena.
And the episode even ends on the bridge, with Matt and Elena having that awesome conversation, a conversation that's rich with hints as to what was coming in the finale. It blows my mind to rewatch this scene considering the parallels of these same two characters going over it together later on. Even Matt's proclamation of Elena as an amazing friend takes on new meaning, considering what she sacrifices to save his life in 3x22. "Here lies Elena," indeed.
3x12:
Stefan apologizes for almost driving Elena off Wickery Bridge, and the writers make sure he names it specifically.
3x15:
Rebekah and Klaus discover that there's another white oak tree out there that can kill them, which ends up being the wood of the original Wickery Bridge and bridge sign. Damon figures out that Stefan is back on animal blood, and acts the bad guy accordingly so Stefan can start building up his good guy identity again. Stefan confesses to Damon that the Wickery Bridge incident was what motivated him to try to turn himself around. Thus it becomes a turning point for Stefan's character and his relationship with Elena, as well as the reason Stefan gets back on the "good brother" path, which is impetus for Damon taking one for the team when he turns Abby.
3x16:
Rebekah is asking all around town, and then specifically feeling out the Salvatores, to find this white oak tree. Stefan continues his quest for self control, partially because of what he did on Wickery Bridge. Matt and Elena discuss her parents' death.
3x17:
Construction starting on Wickery Bridge is the Mystic Falls event of the week. Carol Lockwood talks to Alaric about the bridge sign he was supposed to restore. Damon figures out that the old Wickery Bridge is made out of white oak, so do Rebekah and Sage, they burn it, but Team Elena now has the bridge sign, made of the same white oak.
3x18:
Our gang makes white oak stakes out of the bridge sign, and operation murder-an-original is a go, which leads us to the bloodlines revelation.
3x19:
More white oak stake shenanigans.
3x20:
Even more white oak stake shenanigans. Now we have the ultimate white oak stake (again, made out of the first Wickery Bridge sign) courtesy of Esther. Alaric and this weapon will now drive the plot until the end of the season.
3x21:
Alaric, armed with Wickery Bridge white oak, wreaks havoc, and once we learn his life is linked with Elena's, everything comes together. Klaus decides to kill her, she gets hurt in the scuffle with Klaus and Tyler, which starts the chain of events that will lead to her being in transition.
3x22:
Elena, unbeknownst to her, is healed with vampire blood. She flashes back to the day her parents died. Elena and Matt discuss her parents' death again, this time specifically referencing the bridge and Stefan saving her. Soon after, Matt kidnaps her, and when they're driving back to Mystic Falls they cross Wickery Bridge, Rebekah appears, and they crash into the water. This time, Elena refuses to be the one saved and then left behind by the dead. Stefan is there like he was for the original crash, and he saves Matt instead of her, which means she's now in transition (the exact outcome he threatened her with in 3x11). Wickery Bridge becomes the site of another huge shift in her life.
I just thought it was neat that the bridge ends up being such a nice little through-line for the back half of the season, both emotionally and plot wise (even if some of the white oak stake plot stuff was a little all over the place). You can tell, especially when you watch 3x11, that the groundwork is being laid extremely deliberately for what's to come, which is some damn thoughtful writing.
For shits and giggles, more 3x11 forshadowing for the finale:
- 3x11 gives us Damon's line to Elena: "It's right, just not right now," which is kind of what the season finale seemed to be saying about the status of the Damon/Elena romance.
- It introduces the Klaus fancies Caroline storyline, which obviously has taken on a whole new dimension with Klaus possessing Tyler in the finale.
- It also introduces the fact that Meredith is UP TO SOMETHING, which ends up being healing patients with vampire blood, a plot element that is set up so that Meredith can heal Elena the same way in the finale.
- Matt tells Elena that he feels like she (along with Caroline, Bonnie, & Tyler) are stuck in their crazy, supernatural lives, an idea that culminates in him wanting to get Elena out of town and away from all of it in the finale.
- This is the episode that starts the re-emphasis of Elena and Matt's friendship, which needed some focus for us to feel all the feelings when Elena chooses his life over hers when they crash.
- And it's the first episode to feature a mystery murder, the storyline that leads to Alaric acting as the main antagonist in the finale.
Very cool.
Obviously, Wickery Bridge was mentioned before season 3, we all knew it was where Elena's parents died and Stefan saved her, and readers of the books know of it's significance there, but the bridge itself was never featured until this season, and I think the writers did a nicely subtle and slow build of reminding the audience of it's existence and what it represents to Elena, so that her drowning in the finale in that same location had maximum impact. Because I'm anal and a total nerd, I wanted to make a list of the progression:
3x11:
This is the episode that reintroduces Wickery Bridge in a major way. First, there's the fundraiser event to restore it. At the event, Damon tells Alaric that it's the bridge where Elena & Jeremy's parents died, Alaric and Meredith talk about the bridge as well. When I watched this for the first time my ears pricked right up at at that, first because I love continuity and callbacks, second because I've read the books and knew the significance of it, and third because I was sure if the writers were bringing it up that it was going to pay off big time somehow. And of course, it did, in this same episode, with Stefan almost driving Elena off of it and turning her into a vampire (talk about foreshadowing!). The bridge then becomes not only the site of Elena's parents' death, but of Stefan's arguably biggest betrayal of Elena.
And the episode even ends on the bridge, with Matt and Elena having that awesome conversation, a conversation that's rich with hints as to what was coming in the finale. It blows my mind to rewatch this scene considering the parallels of these same two characters going over it together later on. Even Matt's proclamation of Elena as an amazing friend takes on new meaning, considering what she sacrifices to save his life in 3x22. "Here lies Elena," indeed.
3x12:
Stefan apologizes for almost driving Elena off Wickery Bridge, and the writers make sure he names it specifically.
3x15:
Rebekah and Klaus discover that there's another white oak tree out there that can kill them, which ends up being the wood of the original Wickery Bridge and bridge sign. Damon figures out that Stefan is back on animal blood, and acts the bad guy accordingly so Stefan can start building up his good guy identity again. Stefan confesses to Damon that the Wickery Bridge incident was what motivated him to try to turn himself around. Thus it becomes a turning point for Stefan's character and his relationship with Elena, as well as the reason Stefan gets back on the "good brother" path, which is impetus for Damon taking one for the team when he turns Abby.
3x16:
Rebekah is asking all around town, and then specifically feeling out the Salvatores, to find this white oak tree. Stefan continues his quest for self control, partially because of what he did on Wickery Bridge. Matt and Elena discuss her parents' death.
3x17:
Construction starting on Wickery Bridge is the Mystic Falls event of the week. Carol Lockwood talks to Alaric about the bridge sign he was supposed to restore. Damon figures out that the old Wickery Bridge is made out of white oak, so do Rebekah and Sage, they burn it, but Team Elena now has the bridge sign, made of the same white oak.
3x18:
Our gang makes white oak stakes out of the bridge sign, and operation murder-an-original is a go, which leads us to the bloodlines revelation.
3x19:
More white oak stake shenanigans.
3x20:
Even more white oak stake shenanigans. Now we have the ultimate white oak stake (again, made out of the first Wickery Bridge sign) courtesy of Esther. Alaric and this weapon will now drive the plot until the end of the season.
3x21:
Alaric, armed with Wickery Bridge white oak, wreaks havoc, and once we learn his life is linked with Elena's, everything comes together. Klaus decides to kill her, she gets hurt in the scuffle with Klaus and Tyler, which starts the chain of events that will lead to her being in transition.
3x22:
Elena, unbeknownst to her, is healed with vampire blood. She flashes back to the day her parents died. Elena and Matt discuss her parents' death again, this time specifically referencing the bridge and Stefan saving her. Soon after, Matt kidnaps her, and when they're driving back to Mystic Falls they cross Wickery Bridge, Rebekah appears, and they crash into the water. This time, Elena refuses to be the one saved and then left behind by the dead. Stefan is there like he was for the original crash, and he saves Matt instead of her, which means she's now in transition (the exact outcome he threatened her with in 3x11). Wickery Bridge becomes the site of another huge shift in her life.
I just thought it was neat that the bridge ends up being such a nice little through-line for the back half of the season, both emotionally and plot wise (even if some of the white oak stake plot stuff was a little all over the place). You can tell, especially when you watch 3x11, that the groundwork is being laid extremely deliberately for what's to come, which is some damn thoughtful writing.
For shits and giggles, more 3x11 forshadowing for the finale:
- 3x11 gives us Damon's line to Elena: "It's right, just not right now," which is kind of what the season finale seemed to be saying about the status of the Damon/Elena romance.
- It introduces the Klaus fancies Caroline storyline, which obviously has taken on a whole new dimension with Klaus possessing Tyler in the finale.
- It also introduces the fact that Meredith is UP TO SOMETHING, which ends up being healing patients with vampire blood, a plot element that is set up so that Meredith can heal Elena the same way in the finale.
- Matt tells Elena that he feels like she (along with Caroline, Bonnie, & Tyler) are stuck in their crazy, supernatural lives, an idea that culminates in him wanting to get Elena out of town and away from all of it in the finale.
- This is the episode that starts the re-emphasis of Elena and Matt's friendship, which needed some focus for us to feel all the feelings when Elena chooses his life over hers when they crash.
- And it's the first episode to feature a mystery murder, the storyline that leads to Alaric acting as the main antagonist in the finale.
Very cool.