Damon and Jeremy - "It's Complicated."

[Doppelgänger]

I think the biggest thing I got out of last night's episode was how very much these two really do care about each other despite what they say about the other. It reminds me of the Dalaric bromance in alot of ways with a big brother/little brother twist to it and I like it, very much! Their relationship starts out pretty rocky with the infamous JNSI. Remember how Damon killed Alaric? This is the same sort if start for these two and it could have easily stayed that way.

Up until last night's episode I never really had a handle on just exactly how much Jeremy did care about Damon but when his own life was on the line he could not kill him. Despite everything they've been through Jeremy looks up to Damon. Remember when he went to the boarding house with his wittled stake to kill Damon and they wound up talking about Damon's father and how he hated vampires? Now Jer's a hunter and his one overriding instinct is to kill vampires, yet he couldn't. He didn't even seem to have any impulse to, unlike toward Elena, his own sister! Poor Jeremy has no men to look up to in his life and I think Damon became his unwitting mentor a long time ago. Jeremy listens to him above anyone else in his life. He looks for approval from Damon, like a little brother does from a big brother. For instance when asked Damon if he saw him beat Matt at the cabin, he wanted to hear an Atta Boy, but Damon doesn't work that way. He gives tough love but that is what Jeremy needs and instinctively even he knows it. Damon has helped Jeremy toughen up and be stronger and more independent. He's helped him be able to defend himself and protect those he loves.

After last night's episode I can see these two becoming closer, having a better understanding of each other and where they stand. They both got to see that the other did not want to kill them. Jeremy had not believed that Damon even cared about him. I think he will feel otherwise now and Damon, despite saying how stupid Jeremy was for not killing him, knows Jeremy cares enough about him not to. So, I'm hoping we have a budding bromance happening here and we get a chance to see it. I'd love to see Damon and him working together more closely in the future. Alaric was a vampire hunter. Jeremy is a vampire hunter. Alaric was Damon's best friend despite being on opposite sides of life and the same could happen here as well.

[Doppelgänger]

They also made a point for us to take note that when Jeremy questioned Damon giving him pointers because Elena wasn't there to impress Damon told him he was trying to keep him alive. It had nothing to do with Elena. In the beginning of their friendship it did, but Damon has a habit of growing attached to the people around him despite himself and this is what happened with Jeremy along the way.

[Ruby2579]

I agree I've always liked the dynamic of jeremy and Damon ever since Damon made the comment about him sticking at widdling or making a stake lol its definitely tough love

[Slash]

I'm hoping this isn't a heavy overdose this episode and then nadda for the next few episodes. I really liked seeing that neither one could come to terms with ending the other and Damon did everything he could to resist the compulsion and give Jeremy the chance to end him (kind of wish Jeremy was the one to snap his neck and then chain him up, possibly going to Klaus for help of all people to get rid of the compulsion).

[Doppelgänger]

Yeah, I'm hoping Damon doesn't wind up being the reason Jeremy dies, is what I am hoping, even by accident. Every time they do something like this, defining a relationship, I wonder. I mean look at what they did with Carol and Tyler in their bench convo. They hadn't hardly talked in forever and they were killing her off and making him responsible for it so they gave them one defining conversation beforehand.

[Sweetluv4DE]

I've always said Damon cared about Jeremy. he has picked on him and given him tough love! He has been a "dick" to him... Jeremy's own words because that is what Damon wants to be with Jeremy. The "dick" who gives him tough love and teaches him. Damon erased Jeremy's memories of Vicki because not only did he do it for Elena but he felt bad. After Elena slapped him he came back to the house and did the job because he knew he was wrong. Then when Jeremy was being mean to Elena he went and threatened him. Tough love! Some might have felt that harsh but Damon would never hurt him. he gave him tough love the only way he knew how. Then when Anna died he went to Jeremy and talked to him. Then the infamous snap neck incident... That was harsh but at that point Damon figured egh it'll piss Elena off and the kid gets to be a vampire. Then it became "you killed me" after that and Jeremy came with the stake and they had their moment there too.

We also saw their bantering at the hotel when Elena kissed Damon in 3x19. Damon cares about the kid. I know there is more in the past but my mind escapes me. Anyway this season especially this past episode showed me the Deremy bromance brewing. That is why i loved it so much. It wasn't about DE it was about Jeremy and Damon's relationship. Jeremy saw Damon's face right away and knew "hey this is not Damon" and ran. he knows who Damon is and he knows Damon wouldn't hurt him so he knew something was wrong.

Then you have Jeremy who refuses to kill Damon and keeps running and Damon begging Jeremy to kill him so that he wouldn't have to kill Jeremy. Damon would rather die than kill Jeremy and he proved that!

I loved this blossoming bromance and I hope they elaborate on it more!

And I also think they made Jeremy say all those "your doing it for Elena' comments so that Damon could prove to him and the audience in fact No I'm doing it for you!

[pixiestyx]

That was Kol's biggest miscalculation - he didn't understand that Damon actually does care about Jeremy.

Damon was right when he said that their relationship was complicated and I think this episode proves it.  Damon fought the compulsion to kill Jeremy; Jeremy fought his now natural instinct to kill Damon.

And if you notice, Jeremy has almost always listened to Damon when he says something.

[Misty]

I also hope we get to see more of this bromance because it is obvious from their past encounters that they do care about each other even though neither will admit it. When Jeremy was saying to Elena that, "He only wanted to protect the hunter's mark" (or something like that, I can't remember the exact words) it crushed me a little. I was screaming in my head, "NOOOO...you can't seriously believe that's all it is!" I loved that neither of them were willing to kill the other though throughout the rest of the episode.

Hopefully Jeremy will see it for what it really is and not blame the need for the hunter's mark for Damon's actions.

[Doppelgänger]

I kind of think Jeremy will understand it. He's remarkably good at understanding Damon like his sister is, much better than most of those clueless ones, even if he doesn't want him for his sister. Jeremy in a way was compelled to kill Elena so he may totally get why Damon had difficulty stopping himself of his own free will. It took hypnosis to stop Jeremy from wanting to kill Elena. If they don't kill Jeremy off, then I'd love to see Team Badass 2 emerge from all this.