Stefan and Elena may not have finished out The Vampire Diaries as a couple, but their romance was the driving force for the start of the series.
Featured image of Stefan and Elena's relationship timeline.
SUMMARY
- Stefan and Elena had a love at first sight kind of romance, with major ups and downs, but their initial attraction led to a strong bond and deep connection.
- Throughout different seasons, Stefan and Elena faced obstacles, including saving each other and dealing with the arrival of the Originals, which tested their relationship but also showed their commitment.
- Despite their breakup and Elena choosing Damon, Stefan and Elena remained important friends in each other's lives and were there for each other in times of need, showing their enduring care and support.
From questions of "When do Elena and Stefan get back together" to "When did Elena and Stefan first date in The Vampire Diaries," there are a lot of important milestones to look back on for the iconic couple. Both Stefan and Damon have good and bad qualities, but their romances with Elena are nothing alike. In fact, the only similarity between the relationships is that both brothers are head over heels in love with her. While she ended up with Damon, Stefan was her first love.
Without Stefan, Elena wouldn't have found herself in the world of vampires that became such a huge part of her life. Without Elena, Stefan might've never found the humanity that was so important to him. It was basically a case of love at first sight between the two rather than the slow burn of iconic moments that led to Damon and Elena's romance. Even long after Stefan and Elena had ended their relationship, they remained important people in each other's lives.
Stefan and Elena might have followed the instant love trope in television, but they're one of the rare couples who pulled it off. The chemistry between Nina Dobrev and Paul Wesley sold it to the audience while the characters endured some major ups and downs. Despite their initial attraction, Stefan struggled with not revealing his vampire self until Elena ultimately figured it out and demanded answers from him. Stefan provided those and the two grew closer.
Just when it seemed like they couldn't bond any further, Elena had to feed Stefan her blood to save him, giving them one more obstacle to overcome. Stefan's vicious desire for blood meant that now Elena had to be one to help save him instead of the other way around. It was pivotal to prove that this wasn't going to be a one-sided relationship where Elena was always the damsel in distress.
Most of The Vampire Diaries season 2 seemed focused on setting up the Damon and Elena romance, which could've meant that Stefan and Elena took a step back. That wasn't the case though as they were mostly a happy couple throughout this set of episodes. Other than having to overcome Katherine's attempts to drive a wedge between them, Stefan and Elena might not have had a happier season together.
Again, their desire to save one another was evident with Stefan trapping himself in the tomb with Katherine to save Jeremy and Elena striking a deal with one of the Originals to then save him. The arrival of those Original Mikaelsons caused a bigger wrench to Stefan and Elena's relationship than Katherine or anyone else could. After Klaus killed Jenna and even Elena herself (she was brought back by her father's sacrifice), Stefan agreed to join him away from Mystic Falls to save Damon, meaning he and Elena were finished.
"The Departed" - Elena officially picks Stefan over Damon but dies before coming back as a vampire.
After months of searching, Elena refused to give up on Stefan despite him spending time with Klaus. There was a chance to save him but Klaus making Stefan turn off his humanity changed everything. Stefan became more focused on exacting revenge on Klaus than fixing his relationship with Elena, which drove her closer to Damon's arms. If Stefan didn't do that, things could've been different for the couple.
The back half of season 3 saw Elena and Stefan make smaller attempts to reconsider, including going to a dance together. Things finally started looking up as the season concluded when Elena had to pick one brother to say goodbye to. She chose Stefan but was then killed. The shocking finale saw Elena wake up as a vampire, which completely shifted the dynamic between herself, Damon, and Stefan.
The Vampire Diaries Season 4 began with Elena waking up to discover that she had vampire blood in her system when she died. Stefan attempted to find a way to help her but Damon figured out a better way to get through to her. Being a vampire caused Elena's feelings for Damon to intensify to the point where she couldn't remain Stefan's girlfriend anymore. She chose Damon, forever altering the lives of everyone involved.
For the most part, the rest of season 4 (and later seasons) see Stefan and Elena as friends while her relationship with Damon is the romantic one. They said some heartbreaking things to each other like Elena picking Damon, Stefan saying he wants to be rid of his memories of her in front of her, and admitting he's no longer in love with her. Despite that, the two always cared for each other and saved one another.
Season 5: Broken Up, But It's Complicated
"True Lies" - The underwater safe containing Stefan is found by Elena and others but he's not in there."Original Sin" - Elena and Katherine both have dreams about Stefan. As doppelgångers, it's believed that Elena and Stefan are destined.
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" - Elena tries to help Stefan regain his memories.
In terms of their relationship, season 5 continued to see the ups and downs for Stefan and Elena. Elena spent months having a great time in her romance with Damon while Stefan was suffering at the bottom of a quarry trapped in a safe. Once he was freed, things didn't get much easier though Elena tried to help him regain his lost memories and they learned they were destined for love as doppelgångers. However, Elena and Damon proved that to be false.
Season 6: Close Friends
Season 6 started a case of the two not really having major milestones anymore. Fans had come to learn that the answer to the question of "do Stefan and Elena get back together" was going to be a resounding no. Elena was happy with Damon, Stefan was starting to have a real romantic connection with Caroline, and Elena and Stefan became closer as friends. In fact, Stefan even helped Damon and Elena find their way back to each other, showing how much he had grown to be okay with their love as long as they were happy.
Season 7: Elena Is In A Supernatural Coma
When Nina Dobrev departed The Vampire Diaries, a spell tied Elena's life to Bonnie's, causing her to fall into a magic-induced coma until Bonnie's death. Stefan pursued a relationship with Caroline, but it was clear that Elena would always be important to him in some way. Stefan and Caroline's romance was extremely different from his romance with Elena, which all really began here. Elena and Stefan couldn't have many moments here with Elena gone.
Season 8: Stefan Dies And Sees Elena In Limbo
Elena is only in the final episode of The Vampire Diaries Season 8, but she's still able to reunite with Stefan during the last few minutes of the series. Stefan makes the ultimate sacrifice by injecting Damon with the cure and killing himself and Katherine to save Mystic Falls. Since Elena was trapped in a place between life and death while she was under a sleeping spell, she ran into Stefan in the school hallway. It was a callback to how the two first met, and they embraced before Stefan moved on and found peace with Lexi. When Elena woke up and lived the life of her dreams with Damon, she wrote that she owed it all to Stefan.
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