The Vampire Diaries -- Julie Plec Feels Sad For Me

Yes, Julie Plec tweeted a Stefan fan saying how she feels sad for people who can't see how complicated Stefan is and how nuanced he is. And I in turn, feel sad for her that she writes Stefan like an over-protective mother hen who thinks her baby boy can do nothing wrong. Maybe if she wrote him in a fair, realistic and unbiased fashion I would see the wonder of the character she loves best.

When Stefan became The Ripper again to save Damon's life that should have been enough motivation and excuse for everything he did after that. Since he's supposed to be addicted to blood his addiction could have driven his behavior and he'd need help to be pulled back into sobriety. I say supposed to be addicted because I never saw any evidence Stefan had this overwhelming addiction to blood. There was a scene in 3.04 where Stefan was casually feeding on someone and he wasn't acting like he had this overwhelming addiction to blood. I don't know if it was the fault of the acting or the writing or both but unless Stefan verbally expressed being addicted to blood, there was no visual signs of it.

Despite all the fans chanting, "Rippah Stefan," and that scene where Stefan supposedly ripped some bodies apart and put them back together, Stefan never became Ripper Stefan. He was just Stefan drinking human blood and doing what Klaus told him to do. Probably the best moment for Bad Stefan was when he made Damon watch as he compelled Andie to jump to her death, and he didn't do that because he'd become the Rippah; he did it so Damon would stop chasing him to protect Damon from Klaus. But that had nothing to do with Stefan being The Rippah. The Rippah is all about Stefan being out of control and Stefan was in total control of himself.

And when Klaus compelled Stefan to turn off his emotions and Stefan was all cold and uncaring that wasn't Stefan being The Ripper, either. It was just Stefan with his emotions turned off. And since Stefan was back on the blood and he now had his emotions turned off he should have been causing murder and mayhem all over town, instead of just staying home and being snarky. It's why I say Ripper Stefan was never in evidence, and it seemed that was the purpose for season 3 to show Stefan as Ripper Stefan and to explore that side of him. It was like they were afraid to show Stefan as the Ripper for fear it would tarnish this golden boy reputation they've established for him. So instead they presented a watered-down Faux Rippah instead.

Julie Plec writes Stefan like he's dressed in his Sunday's best clothes and she doesn't want to dirty them up. You can't write someone as complex without getting a little dirt on them. You can't keep them pristine and then try to claim their complex. Plec had the perfect opportunity to make Stefan complex by doing a real exploration of Stefan as The Ripper. Becoming a vampire magnifies what was already there, so what was already there in Stefan that made him become The Ripper. Damon for all the claims that he's so bad never became a Ripper. Of course, that's the type of exploration Plec will never do of Stefan. It might dirty him up too much. Plec wants to have her cake and eat it, too. She wants to write Stefan as some kind of faux bad boy but make it someone else's fault for his behavior so he's blameless for it.

Even when Stefan did do something bad he got free passed on it. He stole Klaus' coffins putting everyone in the entire town in jeopardy. Of course, since it was Katherine that gave him the idea and manipulated him into doing it, it wasn't really his fault. And not one person called him for putting the entire town in danger. And when he kidnapped Elena, shoved blood down her throat and made her think he was going to murder on the same spot her parents died, he just had to snivel a little afterwards about how he lost her when he left Mystic Falls and all was forgiven.

Of course, that sniveling comment was so totally bogus it wasn't funny. He wouldn't return Elena's texts. Elena chased after him into the woods on the night of a full moon looking for a pack of werewolves to try and find him. She chased him to Chicago where he told her to go away. She kidnapped him and tried to detox him to bring back her Stefan. So how can this dude say with a straight face that he lost Elena when he left town? It was just some fake self-pitying line to free pass him for the horrible thing he just did.

You know just how much Stefan gets a free ride when you picture what would have happened if Damon had done what Stefan did. If he had stolen Klaus' coffins and put the entire town in jeopardy and if he had threatened to drive Elena off the Wickery Bridge, recreating the accident that killed her parents. Damon would have been raked over the coals and spit on by everyone, while no one even said boo to Stefan.

And that my dear Ms. Plec is why Stefan will never be complex and nuanced as you claim he is. It's because you can't tolerate for Stefan to be held accountable for his actions and written in any kind of realistic fashion. And for that, Ms. Plec, I feel sad for you.