The recent series finale of The Vampire Diaries Universe to a conclusion, making fans look back fondly on the shows. The franchise was well known for its epic love stories, featuring several couples that fans loved to root for. But none of them came close to Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert.
Although they only dated for the first few seasons of the show, their time together was enough to convince fans that the two of them were soulmates. Even though they didn't end up together in the end, their relationship remained one of the most fan-favorite ships. Their love was epic and there are so many episodes that make it clearer than ever that the two of them belonged together.
"Pilot" (S1, E1)
It's not possible to reminisce about the relationship between Stefan Salvatore and Elena Gilbert without rewatching "Pilot." The debut episode of The Vampire Diaries marked the beginning of their epic romance, as it features the first time they met in a classic meet-cute scene.
The show began by presenting Elena as the regular girl next door while Stefan entered as the mysterious new stranger in town, which are two character traits that complete the recipe for an iconic pair. This episode makes it evident that from the very beginning, the chemistry between them was undeniable and fans couldn't help but root for them.
"Break On Through" (S3, E17)
When Klaus compelled Stefan to become the ripper, his relationship with Elena was pretty much over as he turned into a completely different person. But Elena didn't give up on him even after all the horrible things Stefan did with his humanity off.
In this episode, Stefan is slowly finding his way back to his old self, but he is struggling to take back control of his bloodlust. But Elena makes sure to let him know that he doesn't have to go through it alone as she would be there for him and the two of them forces for the first time since season 2, proving yet again that they make a great team.
"Blood Brothers" (S1, E20)
Being a vampire in The Vampire Diaries Universe is a difficult lifestyle and Stefan has struggled with it a lot during the show. This episode comes after Stefan lost control of his bloodlust and nearly became the ripper.
To avoid going through that again, he decided to stop feeding altogether so he could desiccate and later tried to walk into the sunlight with the intention of dying. However, Elena managed to pull him out of it and convinced him to keep fighting, proving the bond the two shared.
"You're Undead To me" (S1, E5)
This episode features a detrimental part of their relationship, as Elena finally discovers Stefan's secret of being a vampire. The two of them had previously hit a snag in their relationship because Elena didn't feel like she could trust him as Stefan rarely shared anything about himself before.
So to make up for it, Stefan cooks dinner for her as a romantic gesture and finally opens up about his past. However, he left out some small details, like the fact that he was a vampire. The episode is filled with sweet moments between them, with a dash of suspense as Elena figures out the truth.
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (S5, E4)
This episode takes place well after Stefan and Elena broke up, yet it still became one of their best episodes, which tells a lot about them. As Stefan suffered a traumatic memory loss, Elena tried to take him back through memory lane as they visited the best parts of their relationship. Although Elena was dating Damon at the time, it was clear that she still cared about Stefan as she tried her best to help him get his memories back.
Even without his memories, Stefan could still sense how easy it would be to fall in love with her and the chemistry between them was radiating in every scene.
"Resident Evil" (S5, E18)
In this episode, "Stelena" fans were happy to learn that their favorite duo are literally soulmates. It's revealed that because Stefan and Elena are the doppelgängers of Silas and Amara respectively, they are technically destined to be together as the forces of the universe are inevitably drawing them to each other. On top of that, the two of them start having visions of what their human lives would look like and the episode was filled with the sweetest scenes of domestic bliss.
Fans of the couple considered this revelation a victory as Elena's relationship with Damon was withering under the circumstances which made for some hilarious memes.
"The Departed" (S3, E22)
The franchise is well known for its epic love triangles that successfully divided the fans into factions that were rooting for the opposing couple. And the shipping war in The Vampire Diaries fandom intensified during the finale of Season 3 as Elena was trying to make a choice between Stefan and Damon.
In this episode, Elena is forced to make the choice between the Salvatores and she inevitably chose Stefan as she realized that whatever feelings she felt for Damon they couldn't outshine her love for Stefan. Even though that changed later in the show, fans can't help but think about alternative endings to The Vampire Diaries where Stelena remained endgame to the end.
"The Last Day" (S2, E20)
When Elena was preparing to go through with Klaus's sacrifice, Damon made sure to make this even harder for her as he fed her his blood, which came as no surprise as he was one of the meanest characters in The Vampire Diaries. So she now has to come to with her impending transformation into a vampire.
Luckily Stefan always knew how to make her feel better. They go on a hike to enjoy Elena's last day as a human together and he helped her come to with what was about to happen.
"Memorial" (S4, E2)
Stefan and Elena have been through a lot in the course of their relationship, so it comes as no surprise that "Memorial" is one of their best episodes. After their separation at the end of season 2 and the endless ups and downs that followed, this was the first episode where they were officially back together again.
As Elena completed her transition into a vampire, Stefan began teaching her the ropes of immortality by showing her how to use her new abilities. Although it all went downwards from there on, it's still wonderful to watch him officially welcome her into the world of the supernatural as he was the one to introduce her to it all that time ago.
"Crying Wolf" (S2, E14)
With everything that was going on in Mystic Falls during season 2, no one can blame Stefan and Elena for needing to get away from their problems for a bit. In this episode, the couple decided to take some much-needed time off and have a romantic getaway at the Gilbert lake house.
Domestic scenes are otherwise rare in The Vampire Diaries as the characters never seem to have any time to themselves, but "Crying Wolf" is full of them. The two of them spent the episode reading, cuddling, and cooking for each other and fans couldn't get enough of their cuteness.