[ color her more impressed. ] I'm glad. [ wait, how does that sound? ] I mean, I'm not glad you or anyone else was taken or hurt, but I'm glad you got away. [ (the sentiment rings true, but elena also wouldn't judge helen for killing anybody in that kind of situation, if it had to happen.) elena's been taken more times than she can count. the most conscious example she has right now is when rose and trevor did to hand her over to elijah. she doesn't know how helen felt about her captors, but now rose is her friend, and trevor... she understands why they did what they did, at least.
she's understood every time, klaus and rebekah on senior prank night included, but she hasn't agreed with the reasonings once obviously.