Irrefutable evidence that Damon was in love with Bonnie, but was oblivious to the fact (part 5)
Exhibit E
Season 8, Episode 10
Extract from the official TVD Transcript
DAMON: Hey.
BONNIE: Hey, stranger.
DAMON: Looks like I'm interrupting a reflective moment.
BONNIE: It's fine. I'm reflecting on the good things for a change.
DAMON: Wish I could say the same thing.
BONNIE: What you did while you were under Sybil's control wasn't your fault, Damon. You didn't have a choice.
DAMON: "Dear Bonnie. I’m a coward. I should be saying this to your face, not writing this letter but I know if I do, you'll talk me out of running away from all my problems. You're gonna make me face the future without Elena and you're gonna help make me the best man I can possibly be, same way she did. And I'm absolutely terrified of failing you both. So I'm leaving, because I'd rather let you down once than let you down for the rest of your life. And I hope it's the happiest life because you, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, a mediocre crossword puzzle player and my best friend. With great love and respect, Damon."
BONNIE: Gotta admit, it's a hell of a letter.
The Video Edivence
The Argument
Ah, the letter… where to even start with this iconic piece of evidence! Let’s begin with the timing. Bonnie goes into Damon’s subconscious, and is the key player in being able to help Damon snap out of his comatose state. Just after Bonnie was in his subconscious, and helps him work through his issues, he finally finds the courage to let her know what he wrote in that letter…. coincidence? I think not!
Now, let’s recap. In the previous exhibit we established that Damon’s decision to desiccate was for Bonnie, and that the only way he was going to manage to pull this off, was by having her think he was doing this for himself; and not telling her about his decision in person, but through a letter. A letter he knew she would be too pissed to read, giving him enough time to go through with his plan. This point is extremely important, Damon knew Bonnie wasn’t going to read the letter (or at least any time soon), he knows her all too well; reason why, it was the perfect medium for him to truly express his feelings and motivation. Another crucial point here, is that Bonnie assumed that Damon said goodbye through a letter, because that way he could imagine her reaction but not actually see it; which is why she says: “but that’s not my reaction, this is…”. He knew he could bare his soul in that letter, and that, when she eventually found it in herself to read it; she would understand why he made that decision. And so, three years later, that moment finally came. Except, she didn’t read the letter, he actually recited it to her, by memory! That alone, says a lot; I mean he freaking memorized it! You only memorize the things that truly matter. Now, on to the letter itself, and we are going to analyze the shit out of each word. Here we go…
Dear Bonnie,
I’m a coward. I should be saying this to your face, not writing this letter, but... I know if I do, you'll talk me out of running away from all my problems.
These first words clearly reflect he is talking to himself first. He recognizes he is a coward, that he couldn’t face Bonnie, and that he is running away from his problems… Except the problems he is talking about is not what you’d expect; giving the context we have already proven to be right, which is that he desiccated for Bonnie, not for Elena. He is acknowledging that he is running away from confronting his problems, which are, whether he sees it or not, the fact that he has fallen in love with his “lover’s” best friend, that he has no idea how to deal with it, how he could ever confront her (and here I refer to both Elena and Bonnie), or himself with that truth. I know, you might think, that’s a bit farfetched; but just bear with me, and I’ll prove it to be true.
You're gonna make me face a future without Elena.
Let’s ask ourselves this question, why is Damon writing as if there is no future with Elena? Again, she’s just in a long-ass nap, so there would be a future with her…. The only way there couldn’t be one, was if he didn’t see one. Aw, the subconscious can be a little sneaky beash sometimes!
And you're gonna help make me the best man that I can possibly be.
I have to take a breath here… Okay, all better now. Can we all agree that these words prove that the woman, Damon acknowledged as the one that can ACTUALLY help him become a better man, is the one and only, Bonnie Bennet!!! I mean, come on, clear as water!!!!!
The same way she did.
Now, this was clearly a forced insert from the writers to make sure the audience knew Elena was the one that made Damon a better man. Maybe this could have fooled someone if they hadn’t already showed us that he in fact wasn’t. Damon did a hell of a lot of awful things when he was with Elena, and also in her name. So, this is obviously untrue, and a clear sabotage of Damon’s handwriting. What we did witness was that the only character development Damon ever got, the only time Damon did things because they were the right thing to do (not just doing right for someone, but doing right because it’s right), came out of his friendship with Bonnie. Sorry writers, we caught you tampering with evidence, so this specific line, is discarded.
And I'm absolutely terrified of failing you both.
We are going to discard the “both”, given the previous argument. Having said that, this is clearly Damon expressing, and admitting, his deepest fear is failing Bonnie! Not only by not being able to protect her, but also by not being the man she deserves.
So I'm leaving. Because I'd rather let you down once...
Extremely telling words; he has let down Elena, numerous times, said so by herself, so why would he say, “let you down once…”? Because he is obviously ONLY talking about Bonnie; this to reinforce the last 2 points; and the fact that the ONLY thing Damon couldn’t bear with, was failing Bonnie. As previously proven, this had NOTHING to do with Elena.
than let you down for the rest of your life.
This conveys just how much Damon values Bonnie; he’d rather leave her than let her down; her happiness and wellbeing are above anything else. It also clearly shows how much he cares about what she thinks of him. And of course, how afraid he is of telling her how he really feels about her; his self-doubt about being a man worthy of her love, because he knows she deserves the world. Which is reinforced by the next lines…
And I hope it's the happiest life.
If this is not indisputable evidence that Damon’s sole concern is BONNIE’S happiness, I don’t know what is! These words prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that the ONLY time Damon has ever truly, selflessly, and sincerely, loved and cared for a woman, it’s this time; and that woman is BONNIE SHEILA BENNETT.
Because you, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, a mediocre crossword puzzle player and my best friend.
I mean, come on, when has your “best friend” ever said something like this to you? And if they have, it’s because they are in love with you! This is clearly NOT PLATONIC! And it shows, yet again, just how much Damon cares for Bonnie. With a nice addition in reference to their cute bickering dynamic, a trademark in their relationship.
With great love and respect,
Damon.
Let’s highlight, “great love and respect”, the only time Damon Salvatore has EVER uttered such words to ANY woman he has been related to. With Bonnie, Damon finally found what loving someone was truly about… It wasn’t about obsession, possession, codependency, or something that had to be “complicated”. In fact, it was as simple as: LOVE + RESPECT = TRUE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!! Sometimes the simplest things are the hardest to understand. These words prove that Damon LOVES and RESPECTS Bonnie.
In sum, through this letter we see a side of Damon he wouldn’t dare show anyone else; except… Bonnie. She, and only she, knows the real Damon Salvatore. As a closing statement: Damn! We gotta admit, that’s A HELL OF A LETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nice addition, the actual letter evidence. This is what the letter really said, but since Damon was still afraid Bonnie might figure him out, he changed a thing or two while reciting it 😉
Dear Bonnie,
I'm a coward. I should be saying this to your face not writing this letter but, I know if I do, you'll talk me out of running away from all my problems. You're gonna make me face a future without Elena, and you're gonna help make me the best man that I can possibly be. And I'm absolutely terrified of failing you. So I'm leaving. Because I'd rather let you down once, than let you down for the rest of your life. And I hope it's the happiest life, because you, Bonnie Bennett, are an amazing woman, mediocre crossword player, and my best friend.
With great love and respect,
Damon.
Till the next hearing! =)
