The workings of the sire bond are actually brilliant. There was no way for Damon to win here. He could have driven Elena away, destroying himself in the process, or he could have lt her stay, earning the hatred of everyone else and raising new doubts in his own mind: is she doing this because she wants to, or because I’m making her?
I think we’re going to see Damon spiral down next week, plagued with doubts about his new relationship. He loves Elena (and she loves him), but there’s always going to be a question about what Elena is doing of her own free will and what she’s doing because Damon. I think he’s going to go absolutely crazy over this.
And so is everyone else. Expect the rest of the cast to forget that Elena’s love is genuine and start hounding Damon over taking away Elena’s free will.
Also note: Damon would have taken away Elena’s free will no matter what he did. He could have forced her to leave him, and probably driven her back into Stefan’s arms, but would she really have been choosing Stefan, or would it have been Damon making that choice for her? But as it is, Elena’s love for Damon is real … but her expression of that love is outside her control.
Damn fine drama. Again, these writers know what the fuck they’re doing, and watching them work is a privilege.