No matter what couple you were rooting for onThe Vampire Diaries, there’s little question that the hit TV show set up the relationship between Elena and Damon from the start. Making good use of the chemistry between the actors, Nina Dobrev and Ian Somerhalder,The Vampire Diarieslaid the groundwork for their epic romance early on,even though Elena began the series committed to Stefan (Paul Wesley).
Thebest Elena and Damon episodes inThe Vampire Diariesprove that the writers and creators of the series were planning to get Elena and Damon together from the early seasons. While it’s easy to single out the installments when the pair share their first kisses or admit their feelings as integral to their story, there’s a hidden moment in one of Elena’s lines that cements their connection.
As one of thebest supernatural teen drama TV showsof all time,The Vampire Diariesput a lot of stock in the romancesand rivalries onscreen. While the fantasy elements and fighting off the complex villains were fun to watch, it’s not surprising that audiences and critics became the most invested in story arcs like the love story between Elena and Damon.
The Vampire Diaries' Love Triangle Was Integral To the Show
The Vampire Diaries Features One Of The Best Love Triangles On TV
Without the complex emotional entanglements between Elena, Stefan, and Damon onThe Vampire Diaries, the show wouldn’t have been half as compelling. Almost every show within the teen romance genre features a love triangle, butThe Vampire Diariestakes this to the next level byhaving Elena involved not just with two brothers, but two vampire brothers.
She first encounters Stefan, the brooding but stable brother, who has a strong moral compass, falling for him and his tortured soul almost instantly. Things heat up when Damon enters the picture and comes to represent the fire and excitement Elena wants from her life. However, as the seasons progress,The Vampire Diariescontinues to flesh out exactly how the characters entered each other’s lives.
The Vampire Diariesseasons 2 and 3 are the best of the show, as these seasons are when the tensions between Elena and the Salvatore brothers are at an all-time high (viaCollider). Elena bounces between the brothers, but at a certain point,it’s difficult not to start rooting for Damon,as his loyalty to Elena and dark side make him an incredible character.
Damon & Elena’s Relationship Was Teased For a While
Their Flirtation & Attraction Was Clear From The Start
It doesn’t take long inThe Vampire Diariesfor Damon to realize how much he cares about Elena and to make that fact perfectly clear to both her and his brother. ThoughElena tries to fight it and is frequently disappointed by Damon’s reckless, impulsive, and violent actionsin the early seasons, there’s something about him that always draws her back in.
When Stefan is taken away by Klaus (Joseph Morgan) at the end of season 2, this paves the way for more explicit explorations of the friendship that Elena and Damon would build their relationship on.Through his love of Elena, Damon becomes a better man,realizing that if he is ever to deserve her, he can’t be selfish anymore.
Stefan might have been the safe, and arguably smarter, choice, but the passion that Elena feels for Damon can’t be ignored.
WhileStefan and Carlone had a controversial relationship onThe Vampire Diaries, there was no question that a lot of fans were rooting for Elena and Damon to get together from the beginning. Stefan might have been the safe, and arguably smarter, choice, but the passion that Elena feels for Damon can’t be ignored. She feels their connection even when it’s supposedly platonic.
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The Season 3 Finale Actually Confirmed Damon & Elena’s Relationship Was Meant to Be
“The Departed” Proved That Their Love Story Was One For The Ages
InThe Vampire Diariesseason 3, episode 22, “The Departed,” audiences are shown one of the most impactful twists of the show that ended up defining the rest of Elena and Damon’s relationship. For most of the early seasons of the series, it seemed like Elena and Stefan were going to be endgame, with Elena only giving Damon a real shot in season 4.
However, it’s in “The Departed” that their relationship is subtly confirmed. Even though Elena officially chooses Stefan in the episode just before she dies and comes back as a vampire, she tells Damon that maybe they could’ve been together if she had met Damon first. It’s then that we see, through a flashback, thatshe did meet Damon first,but he took the memory away.
As Elena returns as a vampire and all of her compulsion wears off, she and the audience realize that everything she thought about her dynamic with the two brothers has been wrong. The fact that Elena said she would be with Damon if they had met first before she got her memories back was the confirmation that fans had been waiting for inThe Vampire Diariesand foreshadowed their future together.
