SOILER ALERT!!!

Elena Gilbert- the staple of the Vampire Diaries for the first 6 seasons. What a gal. First off, it must be said that Nina Dobrev does an amazing job portraying not one, not two, but three very different characters throughout the course of the Vampire Diaries- Elena Gilbert, Katherine Pierce, and Amara. It can’t have been easy going from a girl who cares so immensely about her friends to a truly evil force to a damaged lover. So overall- kudos to her!

But let’s talk about the character. Season 1 brings us an Elena Gilbert still scarred by the deaths of her parents, but desperate to move on. With friends like Bonnie Bennet and Caroline Forbes, this seems entirely possible, and a normal life could have been in sight for her. Normal problems like a druggie brother (Jeremy Gilbert), an ex that was still hooked (Matt Donovan), and a parental figure still trying to learn the ropes (Jenna Sommers) could have been her only concern- enter Stefan and Damon Salvatore. She immediately falls for Stefan and his charismatic and mysterious ways, learning eventually to love both brothers.

One of the most complicated and talked about relationships in the entire show is the love triangle between bother Salvatore brothers and Miss Gilbert herself. Time and time again, human Elena chose Stefan, preferring his kind, caring ways and his need to be the best version of himself. She falls for Damon, however, more and more as time goes on, especially after she turns into a vampire. He awakens a side of her that she never knew she always needed. Eventually the two are accepted throughout the cast as they end up making each other better, despite sometimes bringing out the worst in the other.

Elena’s biggest flaw throughout the series is her heart. She constantly wants what is best for everyone else, even at the cost of her own happiness, safety, and even life. Heck, she even dies to save Matt! Isn’t it great to have a character whose biggest flaw is also their biggest strength? With Elena, we see that as she consistently goes above and beyond what we thought was possible, pushing the limits of reality and finding loopholes to save her friends.

Speaking of friends, Caroline and Bonnie are two characters that always seem to be there for Elena no matter what. Even after her episode when she turned off her humanity, they always find a way back, and Elena works to give them everything. She insists that they do what is right for them. Her most memorable moments include the three of them just happy to be alive and around each other, but let’s not forget how Elena is more than happy to wait a few decades to live her life so that Bonnie can be happy.

Well, that rounds out our most beloved heroine, see you next time with the original boyfriend himself, Stefan Salvatore.