For several years now, the writers have developed the curious habit of kicking DE fans in the backside every time we get our hopes up. (Think of the ending of 3x19.) This has never been more apparent than now. For weeks, leading up to 4x04 a certain Mr Joshua Butler has sang the praises of DE in the episode, teasing us of seemingly great things, sending our imaginations into over-drive, so that when 4x04 finally arrived, the fandom was wild with expectation. Well, how could we help it? If any lessons can be learned from the anti-climax of 4x04, it's that we should be more discerning of what we read on Twitter. If there is a big episode, the chances are that it will be kept under wraps. 4x04 wasn't the train wreck of an episode that certain fans would have us believe; there are a number of positive things to take away from it in fact, but the problem is, it didn't live up to the hype that Mr Butler had been touting. That's one of the reasons why fans are so disconsolate. He should never have teased/promised fans something that wouldn't come into being, and if you ask me, he's the root cause of so many people's distress right now. If he hadn't advertised 4x04 as being such a huge episode for Delena, while it's likely fans would still be upset, they probably wouldn't be as upset as they currently are.

Fans have long been waiting for the day when their dream of DE being together is finally fulfilled. Some are beginning to think it won't happen. I am not one of them. If DE is never going to be anything but a dream, then the whole love triangle - indeed, the story arc that has seen us through from Season 1 - has been for nothing. The producers are cruel, contemptuous people who see Delena as nothing but an advertising slogan to draw the audience in and make a quick buck. Elena is an unfeeling, cold-hearted hypocrite who can't remember anything except Stefan's name, and behaves as if half her brain has been sucked out of her ear holes, who doesn't deserve one Salvatore being in love with her, much less two. Stefan has somehow been given everything, including the title 'Tragic Hero' but can't be a hero when the situation demands him to be, and yet constantly usurps Damon every time. Damon, the 'bad brother' is really just a mug who is unable to walk away from the girl he loves, in spite of constantly being betrayed, scorned, rejected, slapped, heart broken, manipulated, and used by her. The love triangle is nothing but a gimmick to sell the show. And everything all the cynics said about it were right. Julie Plec always favoured Stelena. The seasons of epic build up Delena received didn't mean anything after all. Delena were never serious contenders for the endgame crown. The writers never cared about Damon or Delena. They used them, then spat them out, so they could crown Stelena the epic, endgame couple, and give them the happy ending they knew they deserved. Fade to black. Roll end credits.
When people's dreams and hopes don't come to fruition, they begin to fear the worst, and wish that they'd never had that hope to begin with. They start swearing at Julie, and saying things like "I'm gonna quit watching. Better to do that than go through all this good-for-nothing pain and misery, right?" "If Elena doesn't feel something now, then she never will. So what's the point?" What fans don't see is that Delena and the show isn't necessarily the problem here. The problem is THEM. The writers haven't delivered DE according to THEIR time scale, so they threaten to give up. When they don't see the writers giving them what they expect and want, then they decide they can't be bothered waiting anymore. Delena has somehow become all about THEM, and THEIR demands, and to me, that's not right. If Delena is their OTP and they are passionate about them being together one day, they would NEVER give up, instead of allowing a bad episode to put them off and poisoning their dreams. It's of course normal and natural to feel discouraged, but it shouldn't put us off shipping Delena entirely. If there's one thing I've learned about DE over the years, it's that we shouldn't get so bogged down in despair and doubt when the writers kick us down. It won't be that way forever, because it can't be. How can the writers put us through the agony of watching Damon continually being side-lined in favour of Stefan, and expect us to be happy when Stelena get their happy ever after when the time comes? It's just not possible! The agony is part of the journey. I don't see why they would bother to do this at all if they didn't want us to want DE to be together in the end. 4x04 wasn't the episode we hoped it would be, but let's move on. Don't lose faith because of it.