Tuesday, January 17, 2012

SOPA Strike

While I don't post every day, I want to lend my support to the strike.

Read more about this important issue here - www.sopastrike.com .

Thanks!

Saturday, January 14, 2012

Our Town - TVD Episode 311 Commentary

First off, this is an abbreviated recap. I’m only focusing on four main scenes although I mention others.


Waking up -

The comparison between Damon’s attitude and Elena’s truly cracks me up. They’re both talking with family - with very different vibes going. Damon’s “singing in the shower” has definitely piqued Stefan’s interest. Lately, he’s been more in daydrinking mode. Here, he’s strutting around with a smile on his face. His non-answer about why he’s in such a good mood must leave Stefan with at least a hint as to what’s happened the night before.

Elena has every right to be frustrated. She’s having to send her one remaining family member out of town, but even though that seems to be what Alaric thinks has her worked up, her pause when Alaric mentions Damon cues us all in to exactly what her issue must be. She’s not going to share, but she seems to almost be expecting Damon to have talked with Alaric at some point. Since he still appears to be in the dark, she hides behind her coffee.

Witch Stuff Happens

Awkward Locker Decorating Moment


More Witchy House Stuff

Awkward Locker Conversations


Bonnie’s comment about “that’s exactly what Elena said” is so going to come back to haunt her. She didn’t clue Jeremy in to the compulsion deliberately, but I think Jeremy found it odd enough that he’s going to realize he was compelled - and arrive back in Mystic Falls in a few more episodes.

Dusty House of Renovations

Stefan wants the hybrids out of town. Wait....he wants revenge on Klaus. Wait...he’s mad that Klaus took his free will away.

I’m just confused about the Stefan storyline. I’m crossing my fingers that the question marks are deliberate by the writers - Stefan’s confused, so we’re supposed to be confused alongside him.

One point for later, this scene points out Klaus’ tendency for making rash decisions. He stakes his siblings when they anger him. He takes away Stefan’s free will. He tends to act first - think later....and Stefan knows that. More on this line of thought coming later.

It’s My Birthday...I’ll be Depressed if I Want To

I’ve gotta be honest, this is the first time I remember a song cue that seemed off to me. The “so it’s over” line seems a little heavy handed at trying to make us feel like this was supposed to be an extremely emotional scene.

Can You Really Throw A Vampire a Surprise Party?


Matt, Elena, and Bonnie have somehow snuck into the sheriff’s house and startles Caroline. (Honestly, that could have ended very badly. Two humans are in the room. If Caroline didn’t seem to be the vampire with the most control out of everyone else on the show, one of those humans would likely be dead in an accident with a startled vampire.)

Can’t We Ever Just Have a Council Meeting?


Alaric, truer words have never been spoken. Damon and Alaric’s interaction is one of the best points in this episode. And yet, Alaric still seems surprised that Damon truly cares about who lives or dies. Damon points out that it’s a short list, but there is one....Elena, Alaric, Caroline (saving her is how he got the wolf bite in the first place), Jeremy, Stefan, Liz....touch any of them, and you’re on Damon’s bad side.

Let’s Have a Birthday Funeral

Bonnie’s right - this is creepy, even for them.

Howdy, I’m a Founder Too

Unless Dr. Fell has been working somewhere else, why on earth hasn’t Alaric met her before?

We’re on Team Klaus

Heck, why is Damon even on the “keep Klaus’s family away from him” wagon? I don’t really understand what they’re doing with this - except that it’s Katherine’s plan (yep, I’m pretty sure that’s why she needed Stefan to get mad at the conclusion of Homecoming) - and her plans are normally pretty good.

Klaus is playing the townspeople like well-tuned violins. He saved Tyler from his curse, don’t you know. Suddenly, the mayor is on Klaus’ side.

Party at the Fell Tomb

Bonnie, so only one person in town gets to boss people around? (And...witches can’t be compelled, don’t you remember that?) Elena didn’t make this decision lightly, and she’s in charge of her brother - if he gets killed because of her, Elena won’t make it through that.

Drinking the Klaus Kool-aid


Sheriff Forbes doesn’t care whose side she’s on - as long as everyone stays alive. Pretty sure that’s why Klaus needs Caroline to be bitten.

Again, now we’ve discovered another council member that Alaric hasn’t met. Has he been skipping out on his duties as the Gilbert representative?

Nothing to See Here

In another moment of incredible lack of perception by the other residents of Mystic Falls, Stefan attacks a hybrid in the hall and no one notices - except for Damon.

The brothers argue....that’s not new, but the fact that Stefan makes certain Damon knows that all the responsibility for keeping Elena safe falls on him now is.

Stefan leaves, knowing there’s one person in town that’s likely more important to Klaus than his family.

And, since I have enough issues with the bridge scene, I think I’m going to stick this point here - Damon’s right. Stefan’s switch is messed up, but it isn’t off. Stefan knows how unstable Klaus is. Right now, Klaus is extremely ticked off at Stefan - and he’s going to get more upset as Stefan increases the pressure. Stefan needs to remind Klaus that, while Elena at least once was important to Stefan, she’s even more important to Klaus. His later threat to Klaus is as much to remind Klaus how important Elena is to Klaus as it is to threaten the creation of his second family of hybrids.

Conversations by a Coffin

Matt and Elena lament the lives they once had - back when it was simple.

Making out in the Woods

Really, Caroline, last time you were making out with a guy against a tree, it didn’t go so well either. Now Tyler realizes how strong his tie is to Klaus. Even when he thinks he’s going to be able to resist - he can’t.

Let’s Go on a Car Trip

After teasing about Matt being followed by the Fell ghost, something frightening does appear in the night - Stefan.

Stefan has set the whole experience up to freak her out. I’m not saying that she’d willingly go with him, but I think the jumping out at her - knocking Matt to the ground - was all part of the mood Stefan was trying to set to make sure her fear was going to be palpable through the phone.

Stefan answers Elena’s phone. (Why was Damon calling Elena in the first place? Was he just checking in or was he going to warn her that Stefan was unstable even for his current state of mind?)

Damon doesn’t know how far Stefan’s willing to go, and he’s as honestly concerned as I remember seeing him. Stefan is threatening to end Klaus’ ability to create hybrids, and Damon can’t predict where Stefan will stop.

Stop the Car Stefan

Elena’s angry at Stefan...and she doesn’t really understand how far Stefan’s apparently willing to go.

He calls Klaus (and I’m assuming Damon must still be within ear shot of the conversation, otherwise I don’t know how he picks her up later.)

Stefan feeds Elena his blood. Now, even if Stefan never intended to turn Elena, I don’t think there’s anything he could have done to violate Elena more deeply. Yes, Damon’s fed her his blood twice - once when he was still “season one Damon” and a second time to try to keep her alive. But it’s different with Stefan.

He was with her on that hill.

He knows how violently opposed to turning she is. He’s seen the tears at the thought of having that potential for a normal life taken away from her.

The fact that he’d take a risk of her accidentally turning (because...Elena doesn’t have the best track record in town) after his attempt to push Klaus to his breaking point - that shows how far Stefan has gone.

Unless....well, we’ll get back to that in a second.

I have to pause and say how much Nina knocked this scene out of the park.

I wanted someone to come wrap Elena in a hug after this moment.

Gah! How cruel was Stefan here? He fed her his blood...he threatened to kill her...by driving her off the bridge where her parents died.

Is there ANYTHING that could have hit her that deeply?

Stefan wants revenge over Klaus - for what Klaus took from him. But that’s just not adding up. Klaus didn’t take everything, except for Stefan’s self-control he’d worked so hard to refine. After that, all the people Stefan killed...the relationships he’s ruined....that’s all on Stefan.
“Destroying Klaus is all I have left.” Stefan’s words - present tense.

“You had me.” Elena’s words - past tense.

Elena’s single word here confirms it. For the first time, Elena signals that her ever-present desire to wait for him is gone.

He had her.

The words she spoke to Damon were true. While she may be confused as to whether or not Stefan’s humanity is resurfacing, she’s left Stefan behind.

“Are you trying to make me hate you?” I’m reminded of the conversation between the brothers that seems so long ago. Damon said he’d even make Elena hate him if that’s what took to keep her safe.

Stefan’s learned a few tricks from his brother.

Stefan thinks he’s too dangerous for Elena. He wants to make certain that any remaining feelings she had for him are gone.

My commentary - while Nina amazed me with the level of emotion she brought to this scene, I really think this was one break up too many. Because that’s what this scene was... Stefan wasn’t trying to kill her. He wasn’t trying to turn her. He was trying to make certain Klaus was reminded of how special and important Elena is, but most of all, he wanted to ensure Elena had no more romantic feelings about him.

I think we may have played that card too many times. Elena’s words in Ghost World were enough for me. Stefan couldn’t break through and feel for her. She said she was done with him...and she meant it.

I expected more reviewer-enthusiasm for this scene, but I think we’ve been here...done this one too many times. Sad. It was a great scene for Nina, but Stefan’s oh-so-barely-there trembling of his voice as he turned away really kind of took the impact out. We were able to see that he really never intended to do it. And it lessened the impact greatly.

I agree with Dianne Sylvan’s recap here - THIS is where we needed the Damon/Elena moment. Not every important scene between the pair needs to happen on the porch. We needed to see Damon’s immediate reaction to finding Elena here - on the bridge, Stefan’s blood still streaming from her face. We were cheated out of what could have been an amazing scene.


Instead....we got....

Not on Your Birthday

Klaus got in the house. He thinks Caroline’s cute.

It’s Right, Just not Now

Unless Wickery Bridge is amazingly close to their house, the timing of this scene feels off. Damon’s just now asking her if she’s going to be ok?

“I’ll survive. I always do.”

No more we....

After his conversation with Alaric at the Founder’s Event, Damon knows he moved too fast for Elena.

(I’m going to ignore the fact that Damon seems to be endorsing Stefan’s plan - there’s nothing right about this section of conversation between the pair of them. Stefan violated Elena’s safety, after Damon promised he’d never let his brother hurt her again. Damon had to be more affected by what just happened than he’s showing. He might not be mad AT her, but he’d be mad.)


“You going to be ok?” I don’t want Damon to become wishy washy, but I love that fact that when he needs to be...he can be gentle. Elena’s on his “short list” of people he cares about.

One thing I hadn’t noticed on first (or second) viewing is the fact that the tears don’t really become evident until she says he can’t kiss her. Her voice shakes. She’s so upset.

And the basis for that is because of shadows of another conversation they’ve had on this porch. She doesn’t want to be Katherine.

She knows how much she’s attracted to Damon, and that’s killing her just as much as everything else that’s going on in town. He’s become the better man just like she asked him to be...and now she can’t give in to her feelings.

It’s Right, Just Not Right Now

Damon waited for over 100 years for who he thought was his true love.

He can wait for Elena now.

You Going to Jump

Matt’s a very important part of Elena’s life. Her only friend who isn’t supernatural in some way. He’s one of her last “real” links to her old life.

She can be honest with Matt, even when she doesn’t realize it.

“The girl who had a normal life and didn’t fall in love with vampires.”

Plural.

Elena knows she’s in love with Damon.

And she doesn’t know what to do with that. She doesn’t want to disappoint her parents. She doesn’t want to disappoint herself.

Matt’s funeral to her old life gives her the chance to move on. The Elena that fell in love with Stefan was part of that old girl...the simple girl who didn’t know about the supernatural.

This is a different Elena now. Hopefully, Matt’s words will give her the strength to move on.

Monday, January 9, 2012

310 Recap

Cracking my knuckles.... Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these. I’m rusty - and pressed for time as always. I’m going to kind of glance over some things, and I’ll likely focus on some areas you might not expect.

Let’s go...
------------------------
Witchy dream sequence. The only really important thing I got from this scene is that I think the key to putting Klaus in that locked coffin is what’s already inside the coffin. (And I’m predicting the necklace is the key to opening it. Doesn’t Damon have it now? I’m not sure who had it the last time we saw it.)

Elena’s running. I like that they’re staying with the continuity of Elena training. Just because Stefan isn’t compelled any longer, he’s still not on their team - and there are a lot of other bad guys in town. (I just wish Elena were jogging with someone else too - surely Caroline likes to keep in shape.) Of course, if she had a jogging partner, we wouldn’t have the “freaked out and jogging like a scared bunny scene” when the hooded dude appears.

At the grill -

Elena’s “freaked out” trumps Bonnie’s bad dreams. Enough said. I am confused as to why Bonnie asked about Damon - he’s sitting about 10 feet in front of her. Pretty sure she can see him.

I adore Damon and Alaric scenes. Here we can see that Stefan’s actions seem to have impacted Damon more than they have Elena. I like that she’s not doing the mopey thing any longer. She’s given Stefan a chance (in Ghost World). He betrayed them - she’s ready to move on.

Alaric really is acting guardian-ish. John knew what he was doing when he asked Ric to look out for the kids.

In the woods -

Tyler and Jeremy are bonding. Information about how to kill hybrids is discussed.

At the grill 2 -

Damon and Elena are exchanging banter. Elena has every right to be worried about Jeremy - she’s seen this before. It doesn’t end well. Speaking of not ending well and seeing this before...Damon’s day drinking and playing darts. Elena’s worried about Damon too. (I’m pretty sure she should be joining him in the drinking. She’s got a lot on her shoulders right now.)

Elena comments that being day drunk isn’t an attractive look for him, and he seems amused that she’s concerned about his appearance. (Let me go on record to say that Damon’s hair issues this season have been on purpose. As he’s been worried about Stefan, he’s let himself go. Now that his relationship with Elena has shifted post-kiss, he will be making some improvements.)

Klaus arrives and the three have a discussion. My favorite part has to be the fact that Damon keeps trying to keep himself between Klaus and Elena. Klaus seems to notice Damon’s attempts and he finds it amusing as well.

Witch House
-

Bonnie finds Stefan. Stefan needs her help to conceal the coffins.

Gilbert House -

Alaric and Elena seem to be prepping for lunch - right after breakfast. (Seriously, I do not understand the flow of time here.) I’m assuming they’ve been talking and worrying for a few hours since the last scene with Klaus in the Grill.

PLEASE do not let Alaric’s comment here be foreshadowing. Elena’s worried about Jeremy which Alaric says “is proof that she’s still human.”

Alaric tries a version of Jenna’s “we need to talk” meal. Interesting that Alaric and Elena get a little bit better of a response - Jeremy doesn’t leave - he calls Tyler inside. Jeremy, not sure if inviting a sired hybrid into the house was a great call.

Boardinghouse -

Klaus drops by for a drink. He and Damon exchange veiled insults about their relatives. I love how Damon downs the vervain-filled drink. (I keep remembering Stefan’s attempt at drinking vervain-kool-aid last season.)

Gilbert House -

Tyler gives us Hybrid 101.

Boardinghouse -

Klaus and Damon are still drinking. Klaus knows Stefan’s weakness - Damon. Damon’s the most likely person who can get Stefan to give Klaus his family back. He also knows Damon’s weakness - Elena. To get Damon motivated, he gives a little demonstration.

Gilbert House -

Hey, where did Jeremy go? Oh, there he is...standing in the path of the car. Run, Alaric, run! Seriously, I don’t think words can express how much I like Alaric in responsible-parent mode. He didn’t even pause when he ran to knock Jeremy out of the path of the car. He had no idea who was driving. He very easily could have died right here, but he wasn’t going to let Jeremy get hit.

Let us all pause in awe of the awesomeness that is Alaric - anybody else think he’s seriously lost weight?

Street of Awesomeness -

Jeremy “wakes up” and remembers it was Klaus who’d called him. He and Elena carry a very dead Alaric into the house.

House of Renovation -

Tyler didn’t realize they were going to kill people. Somehow, being sired isn’t as awesome as it once was.

Gilbert house -


Damon asks the million dollar question - where’s Jeremy’s bracelet? Hmm...so that’s why Tyler’s been hanging around. This really is like one big chess game. To influence Elena, Klaus threatens Jeremy.

And Jeremy doesn’t want to be part of the game any longer. He wants to pack up and leave. Problem is, Elena knows trouble would just follow her, no matter where they go. Damon explains what Klaus wants. Elena knows how to provide part of his wish list. Damon says..no. Rebekah’s going to be ticked when she wakes up, and Damon doesn’t want to risk Elena getting hurt.

Elena calls Bonnie who tells them to find Stefan at....

The Witch House -


Still can’t figure out why the witches are so anti-Damon. (I discussed this with my husband at lunch today. His theory’s as good as any I’ve heard. Stefan’s goal is to get even with Klaus. The witches are anti-Klaus. Damon’s goal is to keep Elena breathing. The Original Witch doesn’t like having her alive - hence her instructions to Matt that Elena needed to die to save Tyler along with her attempts to kill Elena through Vickie. Since Damon’s on Team Elena Needs to Keep Breathing....he’s not on the witches’ good side right now. Not sure how to explain the other times they’ve been anti-Damon, but that works ok for me now.)

I have to say that when Stefan tells Elena to go away, that’s as bored as I’ve ever heard him. If he’s acting like he doesn’t have feelings for Elena at this point, he’s doing a VERY good job. Honestly, I don’t think it’s an act. Right now he’s only letting one thing
drive him - his desire for revenge. (Since he’s taken one family from Klaus, I think Stefan could be a very real threat to Elena’s safety since she’s the key to making Klaus’ second family.)

Damon sends Elena home to deal with Jeremy and endures some very real pain getting downstairs to deal with his brother.

Damon’s pretty strong when he’s mad. Not only has Stefan ruined the plan to kill Klaus - he’s just made Elena really upset. I’m amazed at how fast Damon was able to get Stefan out of the house. After staking Stefan, Damon’s finally able to get him to say why he interfered - to save his brother. Problem is, Damon would have gladly traded his life to kill Klaus.

Woods -

Tyler’s still out there. He warns Jeremy that Klaus isn’t done with him.

Gilbert House
-

Alaric’s on two feet, but he’s not doing well. After rolling around and vomiting blood, Elena calls the paramedics. Oops - the cute hybrid has arrived and compels the paramedics to leave. Alaric’s not doing too well... Tony says he’ll save Ric, but only if she lets him in.

Jeremy saves her from having to make the choice. In a moment of supreme ickieness, Jeremy cuts the hybrid’s head off without blinking even though Elena looks like she’s about to be sick all over the porch.

Really, I think this moment greatly influences Elena’s later actions. Jeremy is so blase about killing someone. And, Klaus has further illustrated just how easily she can be manipulated by threatening a family member.

Witchy Woods of Darkness


The brothers have a glare down as Damon presses Stefan to tell him why he saved him. Stefan’s not budging. Finally, Stefan tells Damon there must be another way to get rid of Klaus.

Damon wants in. Stefan agrees, but only if Elena’s left out of it.

Now, I’ve seen comments that question Damon’s actions here. Agreeing to leave Elena out of it....could it come back to haunt him? Maybe... I think Elena and Damon both know, though, that sometimes they have to do things the other won’t agree with. (We’ll come back to this when Elena visits Rebekah.)

Mystic Falls General -

Howdy Torrey!

Um, sorry, Dr. Fell checks on her patient - only to discover he’s checking himself out. She seems a bit suspicious of his rapid recovery. She’s a Fell. This won’t end well.

Boarding house -

Elena meets with Klaus. She needs to make a deal - her brother’s safety for Rebekah. After they come to an agreement (and he guarantees that Rebekah won’t hurt Elena), she drops one more bomb on Klaus - Rebekah knows he killed their mom.

Hospital Parking Lot -

Jeremy appears to be waiting to take Alaric back home. (Alaric’s ring isn’t working too well lately. That’s not a good sign. Team Blood and Beer forever.) As they walk through the parking lot, Alaric wants Jeremy to know that he’s available to talk. Jeremy says it won’t help. He just shot a hybrid in the back and chopped off his head without blinking. It’s something he has to get used to?

Yikes.

I think his blase attitude is one of the most frightening parts of the episode. He’s so blank and empty.

Gilbert KITCHEN -


Damon’s been on body duty while Elena’s been cleaning the porch. (Seriously, look at the assortment of bottles behind Elena - the Gilberts are serious about their cleanliness.) She’s washing the cleaver of doom in the sink..and seriously loosing her battle to keep tears at bay.

Damon gets Elena.

Even without looking at her, he can tell she’s definitely not ok. She levels with him about giving Klaus Rebekah back, and Damon mildly freaks out thinking that Rebekah’s going to come after Elena, but he doesn’t question her actions for too long. She did it to keep Jeremy safe, but she knows that even now that’s not a guarantee. Stefan’s “running his own show” and Klaus twists his words.

Jeremy’s mental health is at risk too. He just killed a hybrid without blinking.

And it’s tearing Elena apart.

She turns back to the sink and is breaking down while pretending not to. Damon moves in - showing the incredible closeness they’ve developed these past months. He turns off the water and spins her to face him. Stroking her cheeks with each hand, he assures her that they’ll fix this.

Mansion in Need of Remodeling


Klaus and Rebekah share a moment...before he re-stakes her.

Gilbert House -

Jeremy’s guardians (the dude’s a minor - his guardians are still allowed to make some decisions for him) appear in the doorway. I like how it’s clear that Elena, Alaric, and Damon have talked this next scene out.

They haven’t acted rashly.

Alaric and Elena have tried to talk with Jeremy earlier...and each can see that Jeremy doesn’t want this. After all, he tried to get Elena to leave with him earlier that day. Of course, if she left, danger would follow.

So Damon comes in.

He tells Jeremy that they need to talk. Jeremy’s smart. He knows what a chat with Damon means. His eyes immediately flick to Elena’s and he doesn’t miss the tears...but he doesn’t protest. He rolls his eyes at Elena. He’s aware of what she’s asked Damon to do.

(I can’t make this point strongly enough. When Damon offered to compel Jeremy at the end of Founder’s Day, Jeremy point-blank told Damon no. Jeremy KNOWS what’s about to happen. He says NOTHING. Jeremy is aware that he’s about to be compelled, and he doesn’t ask them not to do it.)

Damon’s spent enough time around Jeremy that he knows Elena’s brother too. He tells him to go spend some time with family friends...he’ll take art classes, drink beer, and date living girls.

Alaric wants Damon to add leaving Mystic Falls with no regrets to the compulsion. After checking with Elena, Damon complies.

Gah - I don’t think I’ve ever seen Elena look more fragile than she does in this scene. She’s sacrificing the last thing she has - she’s sending her brother away, and it’s killing her.

Back at Witchy House

(Was anyone really paying attention to this scene after that heartbreaking scene? No? Well, it might be important, so we’ll go through it quickly.)

One of the caskets is locked. Bonnie thinks it was a spell. The locked one is the one that she saw in the dream. (I’m thinking Original Petrova is in there.) Bonnie says what’s inside that casket is “OUR” answer - she’s aligning herself with Stefan.

THE PORCH -


Elena’s pacing...she does that a lot when something bothers her. She’s questioning what they’ve just done, but Damon reassures her that she’s made the right choice. If Jeremy stays, he’s going to end up dead.

Now the temperature on the porch increases about 20 degrees. Elena thanks Damon for being there for her. I love all the parallels this scene has to other episodes. When Damon compelled Jeremy the first time, JP called it his first “hero moment.” When he kissed Katherine (thinking it was Elena), he couldn’t understand how and when she decided he was worthy of being saved. Now, she’s thanking him for being there for her.

Elena wouldn’t have gotten through the last months without him. And she needs him to know that.

Damon needs her to know something. Stefan had a reason for stopping Klaus - if Klaus had died, Damon would have been killed. Neither really seem to understand what that means about Stefan, but it proves he’s not totally gone (he can’t watch his brother die). I love that they made sure Elena knew Stefan saved Damon before this scene progressed.

Damon’s annoyed at Stefan. He didn’t want to feel guilty anymore. And Elena’s been through a lot tonight...she needs him to explain. He doesn’t want to feel guilty for wanting what he wants....her.

“Damon....”

Damon’s half smile kills me. “I get it....brother’s girl and everything.”

She doesn’t say anything, but she stands fixed in place as he walks away. And then he comes to his senses. (Personally, I think that he’s so sure that someone’s going to die soon that he doesn’t want any regrets.) Turning around, he says that if he’s going to feel guilty...he’s going to have a good reason for it.

He comes to Elena and pulls her to him. As she doesn’t resist, something happens. His hands shift and move to her cheeks as he strokes along her jawline with his thumb. She lifts her hands and, instead of pushing his away, she grips his as she seems to deepen the kiss by rising onto her toes. He ends the kiss, but her lips seem to be continuing to search for his. She’s still holding the ghost of his hand in hers as he pulls away - and they both seem mildly shocked at what has happened.

He didn’t seem prepared for her to kiss him back.

She didn’t expect to be swept off her feet.

In an echo of the Southern gentleman he was raised to be, he smiles and tells her goodnight - leaving her standing stunned on the porch.

And...credits roll.

Random Musings

Ok....so somewhere along the way of my recap...I hit a plot bunny. Although, since I’m not writing fanfic, I think you’d call this a recap bunny. Blame the jogging club annoying me and making my train of thought veer off somewhere around the next state, but I couldn’t keep concentrating on the episode - and my mind went to my favorite scene.

Which isn’t what you think.

I still love my hospital scenes...or even just Damon carrying Elena scenes . I started thinking about this week’s episode and what I hope to see coming out of the Stefan and Elena confrontation - and I wondered if there would be any reason for Damon to scoop Elena into his arms - and then I stopped.

Hey, I have a thing for Damon carrying Elena. But so do the writers.

We’ve seen Damon pick her up in Bloodlines, The Sun Also Rises, and The Reckoning. Each time, Damon’s getting Elena out of harm’s way.

How about Stefan?

Crickets.

I couldn’t think of any, so I went to the most reliable source of TVD information I could think of....Twitter. I wanted to know if Stefan has ever carried Elena if he wasn’t making out with her. So I asked for help. I’m followed by quite a few fans of all ships - no dice. Stefan has never been the one to pull Elena from danger - or at least not where she’s been out cold. He tried to trade places with Jenna, but that’s about all I can come up with.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

Stefan has saved Damon at least three times - Founder’s Day, As I Lay Dying, Homecoming.

I thought about that. And then I thought about Blood Brothers (I think). I started thinking about the brothers’ reactions on their awakening as vampires.

Damon wanted to die rather than be separated from Katherine.

Stefan couldn’t face the loss of his brother.

The two brothers are driven by very different kinds of love.

Stefan found his humanity when faced with the potential loss of his brother.

Damon found his as his love for Elena has grown.

I’m not certain if this has any foreshadowing as far as endgame or if my random musings have any validity at all, but I don’t think the writers do anything without a plan. The fact that Stefan has saved Damon time and time again has to mean something - so does the fact that Damon is always the one to be Elena’s true knight in shining armor.