#this is a parallel to 3x9 isn't it?

[livelovecaliforniadreams]

3x9 | 6x8

[sanctuaryforalluniverses]

I keep seeing takes about how the Roy/Keeley reunion was too sudden, or too manipulative, and how Roy hasn't been working on himself at all. Since you guys clearly haven't been watching the same show I have all season, let me do a quick run through:

3x2 - Roy's WHOLE SPEECH about leaving Chelsea early because he could see the end coming and didn't want to drag everyone down and become an embarrassment was such an obvious metaphor for his relationship with Keeley that Trent points it out to us IN THE EPISODE. His wistful (for Roy at least) thought that maybe he should have just stayed and enjoyed it while he could is equally painfully obvious regret that is even MORE obviously for Keeley ends with "but that's not the kind of man I am." (Not a direct quote, but an accurate paraphrase). As the season continues, we will see that that isn't a line of arrogance. It's a line that highlights the fact that Roy's self esteem is complete shit.

(Before you argue with me, let's go back to his confrontation with Trent earlier in the episode. Would someone with GOOD self-esteem carry a negative review about himself in his wallet for DECADES? Not as some kind of motivation, but as something that genuinely upsets him to this day? Can you picture Sam doing this? Or Dani? Or even Isaac? I absolutely CAN picture Jamie doing this, but frankly that only confirms the picture of a cocky man whose self esteem is secretly garbage.)

Speaking of Jamie. The show has paralleled the two men the ENTIRE TIME, and it's quite possible to say that Roy's growing acceptance of Jamie goes hand-in-hand with a growing acceptance for his inner self. His agreeing to train Jamie in the face of Zava's Zava-ness is a recognition of Jamie's value (and maybe in some distant way his own), and even though he's very brusque about it that's also how Roy's been treating himself all season.

Then we get to 3x6 and Roy's insight about how never learning to ride a bike was probably an insult to his grandfather's memory. Rephrased, it hits Roy that a time he shut down because of strong emotions (in order to protect himself from those emotions) would have hurt a person he loved very much. (This will be important later.)

(Also in this episode -- Rebecca's comment to Roy about "someone who feels they're worthy of her." Rebecca has read him like a book this WHOLE TIME. Their friendship is such an underrated treasure.)

Then we get to 3x9, and Roy's talk with Isaac about how he isn't really angry about this, and how he needs to fix it before it screws up something he DOES care about. Roy's speaking from personal experience here, and what's the big thing Roy has screwed up this season?

Also in that episode, Rebecca yelling at Roy about the press conference. She tells him to pull his head out of his ass, and once again talks about Roy not feeling like he's worth anything and how he needs to accept the fact that he deserves good things. He then proceeds to deliver such a fucking beautiful press conference that it brings a tear to my eye just thinking about it. One he was apparently capable of this whole time. He was just so focused on escape before that he'd never let himself.

And in 3x10. To clarify -- neither the letter or the realization was about getting Keeley back. He said he was a mess, and the nice teacher lady said she hoped the mess didn't cause any damage. In that moment, in part because of everything that had come before, he realized that him trying to keep his mess away from Keeley might have caused her damage instead.

(Should he have figured that out well before now? Of course he should have. But when your self-esteem is garbage you don't see depriving someone of your presence as damaging them. In fact, you might even think of it as making their life easier.)

The letter was apologizing for THAT. And he was planning on just leaving it under her door, since a genuine apology demands no response. In fact, he probably kind of hoped he WOULDN'T be there when she read it, but his terrible handwriting made it impossible. And when he's done yes, he does stay a bit, because who WOULDN'T hope that Keeley Jones would suddenly fall into their arms. But when she doesn't, he goes. And if Keeley hadn't called him back, he would have kept going.

You just have to LOOK.

[kiss-my-freckle]

3x14: Dangerous Liaisons

In this episode, Stefan pulls a page from Damon's playbook and places Elena in danger in the process.

Foewarning: this is a very long post.

Stefan: This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge. Damon: The two aren't mutually exclusive.

The most important dialogue exchange sits in 1x9. Understand this, you understand what Stefan is doing.

In 3x9, Damon made the plan to put Katherine in Elena's place to protect her, and told her as much after the plan had failed.

Stefan: Elena. Katherine: Not exactly...

Damon: We brought in Katherine so you weren't in danger. 

What Stefan does in this episode, is treat Elena as if she's Katherine. That's what happens when neither Damon or Elena has any idea that Katherine is the reason their plan failed in 3x9. They're blind to the reality of what Stefan is actually doing. It was through re-watch that I realized a lot of what he does sits in 3x9. Have Stefan realize that Damon used Katherine to protect Elena, he'll turn around and use that fact against Damon. Thus, you have Stefan putting Elena in danger. "We brought in Katherine so you weren't in danger." The title speaks for itself. Dangerous liaisons because Elena is not Katherine.

I'll also note their parallel dialogues in 3x9 and 3x10 because they're both Katherine-centered.

Damon: Because when this all goes down, I don't want you having any part of it. Elena: What does that mean?

He means he's gonna have Katherine take her place because he doesn't trust Mikael.

Elena: Damon, if he did it to protect you then... Why would he even do that? What does it even mean? Damon: What does it mean?

It means Katherine talked Stefan into screwing their plan, then she gave him the location of Klaus' coffins. Damon and Elena have no idea she played a role in what Stefan did, and he keeps this little fact to himself because in this episode, he's flipping the script. Just as Damon put Katherine in Elena's place to keep her safe, he's treating Elena as if she's Katherine just to put her in danger.

Love and revenge. Stefan kills these two birds with one stone by pushing Elena into a meeting with Esther, no different than Damon killing these same two birds with one stone by opening the tomb. This plan requires Stefan also prey on Damon's weaknesses. Damon's inability to trust being just one of them. I'm not talking about Elena because she actually has Damon's trust. I'm talking about his inability to trust others, there's a difference. It's because Esther already tried to kill Elena in 3x6 that Damon wouldn't trust her with Elena again.

If interested, my 3x6 full circle post can be found here.

The best way for Elena to satisfy Damon's mistrust sits in 1x21. If he can trust Bonnie with the vampire device that he knows could take his life, then he can trust Esther with Elena even though he knows she already tried to take her life. This conversation doesn't happen for a reason. Another option to satisfy Damon's mistrust sits with Bonnie and Caroline in 3x15. If Caroline can stand outside the door while Elena tries to have a "private" conversation with Bonnie, then both Damon and Finn could've stood outside the door for Elena's "private" conversation with Esther. This doesn't happen for a reason. Best to see how Stefan manipulates because manipulation is all about control, and he's the controlling dick in this episode.

Damon's second weakness is their latest conversations, and Stefan knows it. He led Damon to believe that he doesn't care about Elena's safety. He preys on that weakness in this episode, allowing Damon to make choices in his continued belief that he doesn't care about Elena when that's half the reason he attended the Mikaelson party. It's about love and revenge for him. LOVE and revenge.

In 3x11, Stefan has Damon afraid for her safety. A fear that requires he truly believe Stefan doesn't care about her.

Damon: Have you forgotten about Elena's part in all of this? Or do you not care if she is a human blood bag for the rest of her life? Stefan: Protecting Elena is your problem now. See, I'm not compelled by Klaus to do that anymore.

Stefan: Hello Damon, she's a little busy right now. Damon: Why the hell do you have Elena's phone? Stefan: I'm making my next move. Let me ask you something. What will Klaus do if he can't make anymore hybrids? Damon: Stefan, leave her out of this.

Damon: But if you don't want to believe him, believe me. I know my brother better than anyone, and right now, I don't have a clue how far he is willing to take this. So if he says blink, I suggest you blink.

At the open of this episode, states the same thing for the sake of Damon's continued belief.

Damon: Can we go back in time where the old Stefan cared if Elena lived or died? Stefan: What for? It's your job now.

His comment to Elena later in this episode, showing that Stefan made him believe it, so he was worried for her safety in the lion's den with only him to "care" for her.

Damon: Sorry for trying to keep you alive. Clearly Stefan doesn't give a crap anymore. Elena: Now you're mad at me for including Stefan? Damon: No, I'm mad at you because I love you!

Stefan includes Elena to keep it clean. Little does she know, the act is an act for a reason.

Elena: And you care about killing Klaus more than you care about anything, so... What? Am I wrong? Stefan: No, you're not wrong. 

Elena: How do you do that? Act like you don't care, like you don't feel anything?

Stefan needed Damon to believe him. He didn't need Elena to.

Stefan: If I let myself care, all I feel is pain.

Stefan's manipulation technically begins when he and Elena dance. This is when he throws Damon under the bus as he so often does. That's why he's bringing up Damon while they dance. He's pushing her toward the plan.

Stefan: Took you about thirty seconds to put Damon in a mood. Elena: He's just looking out for me.

This next comment is his way of getting Elena to plan with him, for them to work together against Damon. He knows just by saying what he does, she'll ask him to help her meet with Esther. And she does.

Stefan: I think he needs to figure out that you can look out for yourself. Elena: I need to talk to you. Not here.

The very parallel to this sits in 3x9.

Stefan: But you do have a plan, right? Damon: Oh, yeah. We have a plan, right. Just doesn't involve you.

Stefan is the one now kicking Damon out of the plan as they shifted from Mikael to Esther. Shifting from Mikael to Esther, when I say that the blade Katherine took to the gut on Elena's behalf in 3x9 becomes the blade Esther pricks Elena's finger with in this episode, you'll know why Damon feared for Elena's safety, why he didn't trust it and had reason not to. Esther ALREADY tried to kill her in 3x6.

I consider this the very scene and parallel that matters most. For this part, refer to my humanity post which can be found here. I say this because humanity is Damon's greatest weakness, and Stefan not only preys on it, he pushes it for the sake of getting Damon to lash out. Damon's comment to Mikael in 3x9 is everything because it explains Stefan's manipulation.

Damon: You couldn't just break his neck? Mikael: Well that certainly occurred to me.

Stefan didn't JUST snap Damon's neck on Elena's behalf. No... he added to his side of the plan while Elena met with Esther.

He did this behind her back, which is why these two scenes are necessary to explain where Elena went wrong. Any sane person would have to be on crack to trust Elena to defend herself against the Original witch, then somehow defend her way to safety when Esther has 5 Original children and they're all at that party. Elena is not Katherine, she's human ffs. This plan isn't about either of them trusting Elena. It never was.

Damon: Do you trust me? Elena: Yes. Damon: Then you have nothing to worry about.

Elena:  I can do this. When we were together, you used to let me make my own decisions. You trusted me. After all this, at least that hasn't changed.

Elena made the mistake of trusting Stefan because that's what this episode is about. Why she sctually has something to worry about. Treating Elena as if she's a vampire like Katherine, talking her into meeting with Esther, sidelining Damon for the sake of getting her into that meeting alone with the Original witch who already tried to kill her. At the same time, preparing to push Damon to lash out, which would put him in danger all the same. Is there any question as to why this is titled Dangerous Liaisons? And yes, he's doing all of this for love and revenge because one thing has changed. Damon and Elena are getting too close for his comfort, she so much as admitted to Stefan that she kissed Damon, and Stefan wants to stop them now. As I often say, Stefan doesn't always respect Elena's choices. He WILL and DOES disrespect her choice when it comes to Damon, and he does it via manipulation.

If I don't have you believing me yet, I'm not done. Let me put this into a different perspective by showing you Stefan's contradictions.

Stefan: I did it to save you! He was one step ahead of us. If Klaus died, his hybrids would have killed you. Stefan: But you shouldn't have lied to me today. You can't go off and do things like that, Elena. Not while Klaus is still alive.

As collages, they look like this...

Wonder why Stefan would screw Damon's plan, why he wouldn't trust Damon (Who IS a vampire) to fend for himself against Klaus' hybrids, but he can trust Elena to fend for herself as a human in a house full of Originals.

Again, wonder why Stefan wouldn't trust Elena going with Bonnie to so much as meet Abby to get help with Esther's coffin, but he'd trust Elena to fend for herself in a house full of Originals. Yes, Alaric has been training her and she is stronger, but she's STILL human ffs lol

Still not convinced, then pay mind to this contradiction. Damon's life is hanging in the balance in both 3x9 and 3x18. In 3x9, Stefan is quick to screw Damon's plan to save him. In 3x18, he wants to stick with the plan because he claims to know what Damon would want. That's how desperate Stefan is. Did he ask what Damon would want in 3x9? NO! He didn't care what Damon wanted. Hell, he didn't even bother asking. AND fans wanna complain about how Damon kissed Elena after lol.

Stefan refuses to stick to one way or the other. He always alternates because it's about him and what he wants, not about Damon and what he wants. He won't risk Damon's life in 3x9, but he will in 3x18. It's what he wants.

For this collage, I should point out the fact that it typically takes more than one person to push Damon to lash out. He NEVER lashes out simply because of Elena. It's shown over and over again how it requires two or more.

When he lashed out in 2x1, it was Katherine first then Elena. That's why he admitted as much in 2x3. "Katherine really pissed me off and I snapped and…" He had Katherine tell him that it was always Stefan, then had her doppelganger tell him that it was always Stefan, so it was as if Katherine ripped his heart out twice.

When he lashed out in 3x4, it was Alaric first then Elena, both telling him how he should behave. That's why he so much as snapped Alaric's neck before feeding on Bill. "You're repeatedly killing my buzz today, Ric."

When he lashes out in this episode, it's Stefan first then Elena. That's why he's spitting Stefan's exact words TO Elena. Had Elena known what Stefan said to Damon while she was in her meeting with Esther, she'd be going off on Stefan instead of Damon, and for one reason… Stefan said on purpose what Elena said by mistake, and he knowingly said this to Damon while acting on Elena's behalf… as if he was speaking FOR her.

Stefan: You're a liability, brother. Damon: I'm trying to keep her alive, Stefan. Stefan: Yeah. Well, your emotions are getting in the way of our plan. Damon: My emotions? How is this even happening right now? Stefan: Maybe because you care too damn much.

Damon: I'm mad at you because I love you! Elena: Well, maybe that's the problem. No. That's not what I - Damon: No, I got it, Elena. I care too much. I'm a liability.

Stefan might as well have told Damon that loving Elena is a problem. In doing so, he lit a stick of dynamite and tossed it at Elena. She's trying to extinguish the fuse burning mad, but she says something she doesn't mean, and the fuse just burns faster and hotter. Damon is hot and hearing this repeat, so he's too upset to truly listen to Elena. Exactly what Stefan wanted. The "good" brother that Elena would want is now acting like the "bad" brother. He's snapping Kol's neck and sleeping with Rebekah, no longer a threat to Stefan's relationship with Elena.

You then get this, and it's full circle 3x6 - 3x14 - 3x15 Damon in his bathroom in 3x15, opposite Delena in 3x6. Elena almost got barbecued again in 3x15. This time, by Rebekah.

Some parallels so you can feel where this is going.

it's through this manipulation, through Stefan's own choices that he made his priorities clear to me. Even though he knows Damon has been acting responsibly since he left town with Klaus, not only in his knowing that Damon has been the one protecting Elena, but in his knowing that Damon was trying to rescue him all the while protecting Elena… Stefan would rather undo these good things about him than lose Elena. He'd rather push Damon to lash out, to get him back to acting as the bad brother than lose Elena. THIS is the very way in which he puts the girl before his brother, so I don't wanna hear fans whine about Damon putting Elena before Stefan because Stefan does the same. That's what he's doing in this episode, and doing because he refuses to let Elena go.

And if you think his manipulation stops there, uhm… no. It continues because Damon was too upset to listen to Elena and Elena truly didn't mean what she said to him. Because neither Damon or Elena know this is a Stefan manipulation, and Stefan himself refuses to fix it that Elena has to be the one that stops Damon from lashing out. His own brother used his humanity against him and for a reason, so yes, the voice of his humanity must fix it. This fix happens in Denver. So I'll say it again... Elena must wonder why it was easy for Stefan to follow their plan in 3x14, but not their plan in 4x12. How he could sideline his own brother in 3x14, but not sideline Rebekah in 4x12. Why they have Stefan sleeping with Rebekah after Damon did. Follow the parallels and take note to Elena's missing puzzle pieces.

Stefan gets what he wants. He pushed Damon to lash out and he lashed out. That's his love for Elena. He's got all the Originals united so he only has to kill one to kill Klaus. That's his revenge against Klaus. Top it off, he's the one taking Elena home. But thats not how I'm ending this post. I'm ending it with more Stefan venting because this is a guy that claims to love Elena. I've decided to sum this up by talking about her best friend. As I said in a previous post, Stefan is banking on Bonnie's comment in 3x10.

Bonnie: You said you wanted to make him suffer. The witches led me here for a reason. I think whatever is inside this coffin is our answer.

A reason Stefan brings her up at the open of this episode.

Stefan: No, Elena is right. Bonnie was led to open that coffin for a reason. I think there is more to this than just some family reunion.

It's because he's killing two birds with one stone that he's pushing Elena into her meeting with Esther. Love and revenge is worth all the risk to him. Trust when I say there's a reason Bonnie isn't anywhere near the Mikaelson party and why Stefan NEVER reaches out to her for advice on the matter. If Bonnie so much as knew that her mother would still be a witch had Stefan and Elena listened to Damon. If Bonnie so much as knew that her mother was only turned by Damon because he was covering for Stefan's mistake…. and all the while protecting Stefan's emotions and his good brother image… she'd be pissed as hell.

A reason Elena's plan with Stefan not only puts a wedge between her and Damon, but a wedge between her and Bonnie. She backed the wrong brother, and trust she knows it. Elena knows she chose Esther over Abby. She knows that had she listened to Damon, Abby would still be a witch. She also knows that had she listened to Damon, they wouldn't be at odds with each other. Elena lost big time, and trust she's feeling it. That's why she's so bothered by Damon's comments in 3x16. They're like salt in her wounds, which he is so good for. "You know if you keep pushing people away, you're gonna end up alone." Elena's comment to Damon works both ways because he's not just in love with her, she's in love with him. Madly in love with Damon, but at odds with him, so she's stuck spending time with the very brother that talked her into self-destructing when he talked her into meeting with Esther. Unlike Stefan, Damon would've fixed it sooner because he knows damn well that Elena wouldn't be cool with Esther killing Elijah after he just got done watching her crack over daggering Rebekah in the back in 3x9. I mean, Stefan must be stupid if he truly believes he can talk Elena into letting Esther follow through with her plan to kill Elijah. Damon isn't that stupid. But Stefan put a wedge between him and Elena, and both pushed him not to care, so he cares not. Abby will become a vampire and Elena will feel the pain, anger, and guilt of her choices. And yes, she'll have to get over him sleeping with Rebekah because she's the one that pushed him away. She's the one that chose to trust Stefan instead of him. That was her mistake.

And if you don't believe me about Stefan's manipulations going sour, that's why he can't kill Klaus. Damon had EVERY right not to trust Esther and it will prove true. Killing Klaus would kill them along with him. Stefan did a great job planning his and Damon's death in this episode.

[kiss-my-freckle]

Do you think the movies "The End of The Affair" and "Dangerous Liasons" influenced the Delena scenes we got in the episodes? Dangerous Liasons seemed to have influenced Elena telling Damon to seduce Rebekah with his charm because of how things with Stefan became and while it wasn't genuine before it turned genuine in 3x14. Many of the episodes have names based on movies, books, or songs.

It's possible, I don't know. I haven't watched those movies to know, but I might now that you mention it. Damon and Elena both have specific dialogues because neither one have any idea that him using Katherine to protect her will be used against them later on as Stefan does to put a wedge between them in 3x14. That's why neither know of Katherine's role in Stefan's betrayal in 3x9. But everything Stefan does circles back around. Like the photo of John Gilbert in 1x13 that doesn't get discussed until Elena reads his journal in 2x15.

"That's Johnathan Gilbert."

"It's insane, the things he wrote in his journal. That he kept from the founding families. Stuff that nobody knows. Stuff that you never told me."

From Damon avenging Katherine to Stefan avenging Katherine.

"This isn't about love, is it? This is about revenge." "The two aren't mutually exclusive."

"We were angry at the founding families for what they did to Katherine. We wanted revenge."

From the monster to the monster.

"Damon has no regard for human life. He enjoys inflicting pain on others."

"He describes you as a monster." "That's what I was."

From Damon's sex with Rebekah to Stefan's sex with Rebekah. Every single parallel is there for fans to see it.

"You're hurt. You're hurt, and you're acting out. Stefan, this isn't you."

"So is that how it's going to be now? I hurt your feelings and this is how you lash out at me?"

From their love.

"Sure it is. You've just never seen me like this. You don't know what I look like when I'm not in love with you."

"You know, you're not fooling anyone either. You still love her, Damon."

To their care.

"Awful lot of effort for someone who pretends not to care about her any more. "Pot-kettle, brother."

"I know you might not care about me right now, Stefan, but Kol compelled Damon to kill Jeremy."

I feel it's important for Damon and Stefan to fight in front of Elena in 4x12 as they didn't fight in front of her in 3x14. She was meeting with Esther. It's one thing for Elena to say something she didn't mean, and another for her to say something she didn't mean after Stefan just said it... and said it on purpose. Damon has a... tendency to keep things close to the vest. He hid Katherine's survival from Stefan for 145 years, which required he lie to everyone in Stefan's life... like Lexi, who tried to flip his switch using Katherine in 1977. He's extremely intelligent that way. He would've been the one better to con Klaus, to lie about Elena's survival while killing up and down the eastern seaboard lol

[kiss-my-freckle]

3x10: The New Deal

This is long, so scroll to the gifs if you don't feel like reading.

"But it's just me and you. Elena stays out of it."

From Elijah and Elena deals to Klaus and Stefan deals to their very own Salvatore deal. The New Deal is the death of Elena because it's a deal between the two brothers. Stefan's choice to seek revenge rather than deal with his loss of Elena is every bit why she becomes a vampire. Stefan is the first to break the only rule in their deal, and he does it more than once. Revenge against Klaus was supposed to be Stefan's and Damon's alone because THAT was the deal. It's because Stefan breaks their only rule that Elena dies. Damon's side of their Klaus revenge is the end for Stelena. You'll see why in my post for 3x11.

I could do an entire post on this target scene alone because of its symbolism. Damon's 1x4 dialogue... "Well, the vervain keeps me out of her head. Maybe that's not my target." Elena fell for Damon on her birthday, Klaus "broadened" the scope. A lot of this pushes their sire bond as they continue to do cuts with Elena and Tyler. They also have their heart-ripping parallels. To kill a hybrid, they have to cut off their head or rip their heart out. Klaus killed Esther by ripping her heart out. Elena will rip Stefan's heart out as 3x19 is her surrender to the dark.

The opening dream sequence is Klaus and Elena in a one-shot, and the truth of 3x22. The necklace is now Damon's and it's the Elena of it all. Esther is the Original witch, so she's the one who controls the witches on the Other Side. Whatever they grant or deny Bonnie, that's all Esther's doing. She's now using the witches to give Bonnie dreams for the sake of pushing Stefan to resurrect her. "You said you wanted to make him suffer. The witches led me here for a reason. I think whatever is inside this coffin is our answer." THIS is the reason Stefan pushes Elena into her meeting with Esther in 3x14. He's putting his trust in the witch that tried to kill Elena in 3x6, and banking on Bonnie's comment. At the same time, ignoring the one thing Jeremy does not. There's always a consequence. Esther wouldn't bother killing her children if she couldn't kill all vampires. There'd be no point.

This is a scene I like. Damon would be the one to notice Jeremy's vervain bracelet missing. Understand why 3x9 and 3x10 are written side-by-side, and I'm not talking episode numbers. Both Damon and Stefan are written in parallel with Jeremy. Their Jeremy parallels work backwards to 2x22 and forward to 4x1 and 4x6.

Stefan leaves town by choice, then comes home by force. Jeremy leaves town by force, then comes home by choice. Their compulsions are written accordingly. Klaus compels Stefan, Damon compels Jeremy. As Elena has Damon compel Jeremy out of town for the sake of protecting him from Klaus, they're showing the truth of Stefan in 2x22. Damon "compelled" Stefan out of town for the sake of protecting Elena from Klaus. The cure for his werewolf bite would be used as an excuse to mask Elena's survival. When Klaus tells Elena that he wasn't the one that came between the two brothers, he's being honest. Elena was the one that came between them because she was the reason Stefan left town with Klaus in the first place. Stefan spending the entire summer fearing for Elena's safety isn't Klaus' fault.

"Jeremy wouldn't just leave you to deal with Klaus on your own."

"Look, I know you're trying to protect me, but I can't let you do it. Come with me, Stefan, please."

Dialogues are important in their parallels. Stefan chose to deal with Klaus on his own, and by choosing to deal with Klaus on his own, he chose for Damon and Elena. So when Elena confronts Stefan in 3x3, it's his last chance to save their relationship because he's not respecting her choice in staying.

3x19 is what it would've looked like for Damon and Elena to go to Chicago to save Stefan from Klaus in 3x3, only they're saving Jeremy from Kol in Denver. Jeremy is a representation of Stefan with his humanity on - the hope Lexi and Elena wanted Stefan to have in 3x7. You'll see Stefan's humanity arc finish in 4x1. I'm basically saying that 3x3 was the moment Stefan sacrificed his relationship with Elena, not the moment he left town with Klaus.

Jeremy is also a representation of 1864 Damon, they're cut back and forth in this episode. They have a cooking in the kitchen/take a beat parallel. You'd have to combine their kitchen scene in 3x4, their workout scene in 3x6, and their kitchen scene in 3x10 to see what I mean.

Different to shoot from a distance with a crossbow. The hybrid is an intimate kill, a violent version of "cooking in the kitchen" for Jeremy. Understand this, and you'll know why Damon and Elena are in the kitchen. It's the violent side of their "cooking in the kitchen" scene in 3x4. Jeremy shouldn't be this comfortable with killing, so he's "taking a beat" to Denver. When you have Damon taking a beat from Elena at the end of 3x4 and returning in 3x5, then you have Jeremy taking a beat from Elena at the end of 3x10 and returning in 3x19... yeah. They then push their Elena/Caroline birthday parallels. 3x11 foreshadows Elena's death and pushes to 4x6.

This is the Salvatore/Jeremy parallel mix. Combined, the reason Damon interrupts Stelena's 20s dance.

I love this scene. Damon is compelling Jeremy, and at the same time, showing Alaric his faults in 3x4. It's Elena's house to invite Damon, best ask Elena why he's there. It's Elena's relationship with Damon, best express his concerns to her. It's Elena's brother.... ask her.

Alaric may be acting as their guardian, and they are fine with him acting as their guardian, but it's ultimately up to Jeremy and Elena what they do with their lives. Alaric is overstepping his boundaries... himself being a guest in Elena's house, and in 3x4, he's actually asking Damon why he's there rather than asking Elena. Had Alaric actually bothered to ask Elena what she wanted rather than went behind her back and pissed off Damon, it's likely Damon would've been there to stop Stefan from ripping into her. A single reality in one scene because Elena is an adult.

This is why Alaric needs his own kids.

"Are you out of your mind? You're just gonna make him angrier."

Fair warning.

"Elena's family suffers, she is motivated to get me what I want."

Season 2 vibes with this scene. The last time Damon took this walk, it was with Jeremy and Bonnie. They basically repeat season 2 through Esther in season 3. You get Elena becoming a vampire as she was going to with Damon force-feeding her his blood, then you get Jeremy dying for the sake of Bonnie's death exchange... as Klaus tried to kill her while he was in Alaric's body.

"Elena, stop talking." This is basically what Stefan says at the 20s dance. He doesn't wanna hear about Denver.

"Not really my problem." They have a slew of "problem" dialogues that continue well into the 4th season. They get hilarious with them as the episodes move along. I'm gonna be blunt… Stefan is the entire reason Klaus tries to kill Jeremy, and he's telling Elena it's not his problem because he's all about his revenge fantasy. Elena's slap across the face has a parallel. If it's not Stefan's problem what he does to Jeremy... then it's not Elena's problem what she does to Damon. And yes, I'm talking about the porch kiss. So you get a scene of Stefan punching Damon in the face to go alongside this slap, and it's Damon he punches because he wouldn't dare slap Elena across the face.

"You go deal with your brother, I'll deal with mine." That's also why I mentioned their "problem" dialogues. Damon becomes a problem for Stefan as he's a problem for Elena lol… "The problem's Damon. When I'm with him, it just consumes me." Fans can say what they want, but Stefan KNEW he was putting Elena's loved ones in grave danger when he took those coffins, did nothing to protect them in the process because he didn't give a single damn. That's how bitter he is over losing Elena, which was his fault to begin with. He should've trusted Damon and Elena enough to fight against Klaus together. Because that's what families do. That's what partners do.

Klaus knows who to threaten when he threatens Elena.

"Ah, you'd be smart to tell Damon to mind his manners tonight. Because if I die, I've already ensured that he'll die along with me! Even in death, my hybrids have their orders. So you kill me, you're killing him too."

"Fortunately, you have no shortage of loved ones. If I don't find my family, the question you should be asking yourself is who's gonna die next. Bonnie? Caroline? Damon?"

"That sounds like a Klaus and Stefan problem." Elena knows what she can get away with in being the solution to Klaus' hybrid problem lol

Stefan's revenge fantasy against Klaus should've ended with Stefan at the warehouse with Klaus' body. After all, it was HIS revenge plan. He's not because they're turning Damon's girlfriend into a vampire. Something Damon wouldn't allow to happen, so he needed to be out of town. When you watch the opening dream sequence and Bonnie's meeting with Stefan in this episode, you know what should be happening in 3x22… and it's all to make Elena a vampire. Damon is Elena's always, so when she calls him in 3x22, refer back to the end of 3x9 lol

"He still has you." These two are favorite Damon scenes of mine. In the one on the right, Elena does this... dip. That's what I call it, a dip. I'm referring to this because she did the same thing at the end of their workout scene in 3x6 lol

Fans are likely to ignore things that I don't. Their "what does that mean" dialogues of 3x9 and 3x10 are a great example. They pull doubles with these scenes.

What Damon and Elena don't know, what Stefan keeps secret and uses later… is the fact that Katherine played her own role with his betrayal. They actually think Stefan did this on his own. They have no idea it's the Katherine of it all, and they're about to kiss on the porch lol

I'll be doing a separate post for the Delena kiss because I have plans for it. Just know that Delena's kiss in 3x10 is every bit 1x22. He's kissing Elena and she's actually kissing him back... and this is happening on the porch. Add Jeremy. Damon spoke to Jeremy before he kissed Katherine in 1x22, and again before he kissed Elena in 3x10. Even Elena speaks to this lol... "I just can't stop thinking about what happened the last time I asked you to compel him."

Once you get to 3x19, you're getting the Datherine of 2x1. So what you get in 3x22... is Stefan kissing and killing Elena lol... "Come on. Kiss me. Or kill me. Which will it be, Damon? We both know that you're only capable of one."

The Katherine/Elena of it all.