What's your opinion on Kevin Williamson's latest interview on Delena? It seemed to depress, annoy, anger and strike fear in the hearts of a lot of shippers.

“Just because we’re putting her with Damon doesn’t mean they’re going to end up together. And it doesn’t mean they’re going to get together.”

OK, I can understand why this would upset fans even though it didn't particularly bother me. Fans seem to leap to dramatic conclusions about the future of DE whenever Kevin or Julie make any kind of comments which apparently question or challenge whether DE will ever become romantically involved. Kevin and Julie seem to make a habit of raising doubts about Delena in the press, and that annoys a lot of people who wish they would just say something positive or nice instead. A few weeks ago, Kevin was saying the opposite. He said: "I do want to see Damon and Elena get it on." So what is he really saying?

Kevin and the rest of the producers love playing games with the fanbase, and with us especially. This will undoubtedly irritate you, but there's something else going on that you might not be aware of. Kevin and Julie say contradictory statements about Delena all the time, but they never play games with Stelena fans or say things which challenge their 'epic couple' status, which hardly seems fair to us. However, the fact that they talk about DE often should tell you something about how important they are to the show. Kevin never seems to talk about Stelena, and if I were a Stelena fan, then that would probably worry me. He also never talks about Bamon unless he is specifically asked, which is almost never. Once again, if I were a Bamon shipper, then this would worry me. I think that DE fans feel that they are being unjustly targeted by the producers, but maybe we should look at things differently. Maybe SE/BD shippers are feeling/looking smug right now, or maybe they are secretly annoyed that the producers only ever want to discuss Delena instead of SE.

We need to remember that the producers frequently say misleading things about characters and story arcs which are meant to deceive us. For example, they said one recently about Bonnie being 'front and centre' of Season 3, when all it REALLY means I suspect, is Bonnie being needed for her magic and spell-casting. They have made it perfectly clear that they are willing to say things that appeal to one fanbase or another, and that they may not be accurate in what they SEEM to be saying. I wouldn't be too sure that Kevin is implying that DE don't stand a chance. If he is saying that, then he's implying that SE are going to be endgame. Would Kevin ever tell us who's going to end up with whom before it happens? I think the answer's got to be no. I know that some DE fans don't believe this, but with everything we know about the kind of statements Kevin and Julie make to the press about DE, I would be astonished if he chose to give the game away so early on.
I used to be upset whenever I read interviews in which the producers gave off conflicting or semi-negative vibes about Delena, but now I barely notice. In fact, I more or less expect it from them now. The producers don't mind misleading fans in order to retain the element of surprise, or shock. In order to be successful at this, then they have to gain the upper hand. They can't have fans accurately predicting what will happen. Therefore, it unfortunately stands to reason that Kevin will make it look like a dim and distant prospect for DE to ever get together sometime this century. He's not going to come out and say: 'Yup. I can one hundred percent confirm that Damon and Elena are officially ON this season. They're going to be so hot, they'll make your ice-cream sundae melt,' (although that would be nice.) He's never going to come out with it and confirm they'll be getting together. He has to make it look difficult and maybe even unlikely. Kevin and Julie know that the biggest pulling power their show has is Delena. They never talk about Stelena that much except to gush over how 'epic' their romance is because no-one really cares about them anymore - not even Kevin and Julie. But SE are needed to keep the triangle going, and if it looks like there's a crack in their relationship, then fans will automatically assume that DE are on the way. Even if that's the case, it's the producers job to paper over that crack and keep up the facade for as long as SE are a couple.

“It’s about defining their roles,” says Williamson of the arc. “Are they going to be friends? Lovers? How are they going to define themselves? Because it will be a defining moment for both of them.”

Kevin is actually talking about Damon's struggle to step it up and be the 'good' guy here, and how that will affect his relationship with Elena. I think we all know that DE are never going to be 'just friends', and they certainly won't be just friends for the remainder of the show. What would be the point of that?! He's teasing fans here, as if there's any uncertainty on the horizon for DE. I don't like the fact that the producers tease us so much. And I definitely don't like the way they play games with us to give us the wrong impression, but I can see why they have to do it. Maybe Kevin and Julie only appear nonchalant about Delena to appease other fanbases but I highly doubt that they are actively seeking to anger us. They cannot give us straight and honest answers about the relationships in the show without revealing what's going to happen. So they have to talk their way round it to avoid giving too much away, or else talk a lot of kerfuffle which doesn't make much sense. Does Kevin really believe that the fans will buy it when he says “Just because we’re putting her with Damon doesn’t mean they’re going to end up together." Delena carry the show!! It's a love triangle - or at least, it's supposed to be - and it will never become a real triangle if it's one-sided throughout 6 seasons. Delena are inevitable and undeniable and no matter what anyone says, Kevin and Julie can't put them off forever. At some stage, DE will develop into more - much more - than friends. Delena are hugely important to the show. As a matter of fact, 'The Vampire Diaries' is advertised as a love triangle, and if the writers and producers never had any intention of making it real, then they would not have spent 2 years building the foundations for it to last the length and breadth of the series. I don't care what Kevin or anyone says to make us think otherwise - it's not what they SAY about Delena (or Stelena), it's what they DO that counts. I would be more distressed if Season 3 was going to be mainly about Stelena, or if Season 3 saw Delena limited to small scenes or being cut out altogether. As things sound and look though, we can be confident that DE will feature prominently next season. I would urge any DE fan who is concerned that DE won't happen not to pay attention to interviews Kevin makes. Delena are heading our way, so keep calm, and keep shipping them.