It’s Complicated: Sacrificial Brothers (Damon and Stefan Salvatore), The Vampire Diaries “All My Children” 

How much do we love Damon and Stefan? Let us count the ways. Lately, Stefan has been the one making some big sacrifices for his brother. First, to save him from that nasty werewolf bite and then to keep Klaus’ hybrids off Damon’s scent. Even though there’s this pesky conflict of both brothers loving the same woman, you get the sense that Stefan would sacrifice whatever he had to for his brother again and again, no questions asked. In “All My Children,” it was Damon’s turn to make the sacrifice. And, boy, was it a doozy. It may cost him Elena. There’s no way she can be happy about this considering she has such the martyr complex. She doesn’t want her friends hurt because of her and that’s exactly what happened. Let’s hit rewind.

Elijah found out what his mother was up to. He cornered Elena and got her to tell him everything. His subsequent action included kidnapping Elena (with a vengeful Rebekah as her “bodyguard”). He then let Damon and Stefan know that if they didn’t stop Esther from channeling the Bennett witches, Rebekah would kill Elena. Abby and Bonnie were integral in Esther’s plan to kill all her Original kids. So, you stop the Bennetts, you prevent Elijah, Klaus, Rebekah, Kol and Finn from dying. Elijah knows the Salvatores will do anything for Elena. Damon and Stefan feel they have no other choice but to bring a halt to the ritual. They must find a way to eliminate the Bennett presence even though Elena won’t be happy. She rather be collateral damage then see anyone she loves get hurt:

Damon: “You know what’d she choose.”
Stefan: “She’d let herself be killed to save a friend.”
Damon: “Yep.”
Stefan: “If we do this, it’ll wreck her.”
Damon: “Oh, She’ll hate us. Thing is she only needs to hate one of us. Only one of us has to do the actual deed.”
Stefan: “Hmm…so who’s it gonna be, brother?”
Damon: “Well, heads, I do it. Tails, you do it.”
Stefan: “That’s an awful lot of effort for someone who pretends not to care about her anymore.”
Damon: “Pot, kettle, brother.”

Yes, they let a quarter decide their fate. Next thing we know, Damon’s the one snapping Abby’s neck thereby turning her into a vampire. If one of the Bennetts is no longer a witch, Esther can’t finish the ritual. Wow. Poor Abby and Bonnie. It sucks to be a parent or a parental figure in Mystic Falls, don’t you think? Bill Forbes? Gone. Now Abby’s a vampire. And, well, Alaric is continually getting hurt these days and we saw the killer cliffhanger at the end of “All My Children.” Who knows what’s about to happen to him…again.

Crisis averted but there was a high price to pay. Abby’s currently in transition with her daughter Bonnie by her side. Elena wants to be there for her best friend, but even though Bonnie understands, she can’t handle Elena being there at all. That’s so not going to sit well with Elena. Will she solely blame Damon? Or will she be angry with both brothers?

Damon broke my heart (again) towards the end of “All My Children” when Stefan confronted his brother about the rigged coin toss:

Stefan: “I lost that coin toss, Damon. Should have been me who turned Abby. Why’d you do it?”
Damon: “‘Cause I’m not blind. I see what’s been going on around here. You’re hanging by a thread, Stefan. Barely over your last Ripper binge and all you want is to be the old Stefan again.”
Stefan: “That part of me is gone for good.”
Damon: “Oh yeah? How long has it been since you’ve had a drop of human blood.”
Stefan: “How’d you know?”
Damon: “Spend 146 years with someone, you start to pick up on their tells. Answer the question. How long has it been since your last drink?”
Stefan: “Since the night I threatened to drive Elena off the Wickery Bridge.”
Damon: “See? You have enough to feel guilty about. Why add to the list? By the way, you’re welcome.”
Stefan: “You know, you’re not fooling anyone either. You still love her, Damon.”
Damon: “I do. I thought I could win her from you fair and square. But she didn’t want me. It’s for the best. I’m better at being the bad guy anyway.”

That “I’m better at being the bad guy anyway” was such a heartbreaking line. Hearing it totally made me tear up. This episode shows that even though there’s so much that could come between Damon and Stefan, they still know each other so well. They still love each other and are willing to put a stake in their happiness so that the other has the chance to be happy. This scene was my personal Moment of Goodness because it was Damon acknowledging what Stefan has done for him in the past. All his sacrifices have not gone unnoticed and this was Damon’s way of paying him back a little bit.

This is by no means an end to Damon and Elena but Damon turning Abby into a vampire has to be a big obstacle for the time being. And we’re still not sure how Elena’s going to act with Stefan either. I must admit taking some pleasure in both Stefan and Damon blowing off Elena at the beginning of the episode. The three share this unhealthy (yet freakin’ sexy) bond that needs to be put on simmer every once in a while. I’m excited to see what’s going to happen next. Too bad we have to wait until March 15th for this fascinating story to continue.

The Vampire Diaries returns with new episodes Thursday March 15 at 8/7c on the CW.