The Vampire Diaries – Is Elena the only strong character?

“You brood too much.” – Damon to Stefan

You said it, Damon — although I may have changed “brood” to “whine.” Before you go coloring me all unsympathetic and cold-hearted, realize that I like the way the whole Stefan-is-a-whiny-bitch storyline turned out. I just find it hard to believe that in 146 years, Stefan of the Pure Heart couldn’t figure out how to forgive himself.

So he ate his dad (really, since the dad killed his own sons, no loss there), sacrificed a young virgin for his brother’s damnation and has striven for redemption from that moment on. Great, but there’s a fine line between broody (sexy) and whiny (not). Elena is a better woman than I, because all that self-pity would have sent me running for the hills.

I’d really like to see a stronger Stefan. I know that every day for 146 years (53,290 days, more or less) he’s fought the temptation of human blood, knowing it would make the guilt go away, so I give him some credit for that. Heck, I certainly have no idea what it’s like walking a century in his shoes. I’d like to think that I’d believe in myself a little bit more if I’d been doing good for a century and a half and made one mistake a long time ago. And, I’d like to think that I’d also be able to pull myself back from a slump because I believe in myself, not because my love of the moment talked me into it.

Damon … oh, Damon. For a moment, I thought it was noble that he didn’t want to turn, then I realized he was just as pathetic as Stefan. The only reason? Sour grapes because he couldn’t be with Katherine whom he thought was dead. So instead of trying to be a better person, he decided to hate Stefan for eternity, not because he forced him to turn, but because Katherine turned Stefan too, when it was only supposed to be Damon. Will those Salvatore brothers ever stop whining?

It’s a good thing we have Elena, believing not only in herself but also in Stefan’s pure heart. She was awesome, pure trust and love, showing no fear of Stefan. Even better, she forgave herself for bringing her parents out on the night of their death. This is what I’m talking about Stefan … move on and forgive. As if Elena wasn’t cool enough already, she told Uncle John what’s what:

“What do you think your mother would say if she knew you were dating a vampire?” – Uncle John
“Which mother?” – Elena

What do you think — would you like to see Stefan and Damon be a little more self-actualized?

Other things:

• Anna and Jeremy, sitting in a tree … where oh where is Aunt Jenny? I’m going to have an open door policy when my son gets to be that age … literally.
• Loved Alaric and Damon bonding over their unhealthy attachments to their past loves.
• Julie Plec wasn’t kidding about more deaths when I interviewed her … Pearl’s demise was quite a shock! Oh Uncle John, you are the new heartless bastard of the show … make room, 3D Damon.

Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Apr 29, 2010 @ 22:10 EST5EDT