#when buffy goes to college it marks her entrance into adulthood. she loses her mother she has to support herself and her sister.

[thevampirediariesdiary]

so what does the season premiere sets up for us?

the dark cloud that has overshadowed Elena from the moment we met her has lightened a little bit. "she's totally going through a blah phase," Caroline told us in season one--and now Elena is the one encouraging Caroline to try to seem normal by doing normal things, fun things. Elena smiles, she jokes, she makes out with her boyfriend. she still has worries, but despite them, she's trying to have a normal college experience. what we're seeing is a kind of return to youth.

Damon, on the other hand, is trying to take care of her younger brother so that she can have that normal experience. he tries to handle things himself so that Elena doesn't have to, he doesn't tell her all the things going wrong. Damon is an adult, and he's trying to act like it, trying to provide the stability Elena needs to be carefree.

all well and good, right? Elena is regaining her lost youth (a good thing) and Damon is reclaiming his identity as responsible older brother (also a good thing). but in the first episode, Damon is already hiding things from Elena. his choosing to be someone she can rely on is going to require he learns to treat her like an equal partner, not just someone to be protected. and it would be a natural continuation of his long arc if he had to learn that she won't be pleased with any and all of his behaviors, even if they're for the purpose of protecting her.

and Elena is more torn between college and adulthood than it might seem at first. despite her insistence that she wants to have this normal experience, wants to go to parties and have roommates and even go to class, as Caroline points out, Elena has been "shacking up" with Damon all summer long. they're co-parenting Jeremy. their relationship doesn't seem like a relationship between teenagers (like her relationship with Stefan did). it's a relationship between adults. this season should be about her choosing to reject the false perpetual adolescence of vampirism and embrace adulthood, because her love for Damon requires that she grow up.