20 Most Iconic Elena Gilbert Moments

3. Taking the Mikaelson ball into her own hands (3.14)

This episode was hands down one of the most iconic of the series, and quite possibly any CW series, and I still think that every single time I watch it. The dresses! The glamour! The Klaroline scenes! All of it was beautiful and it was a rare episode to have almost the entire cast in one room.

But mostly, Elena Gilbert was a freaking queen in this episode and it had me shook.

When Esther and her children invited the town – including Elena, who roughly every family member has tried to kill at one point or another – to a ball at their new home, the invitation was met with apprehension. But Elena was ready to meet with the Original family, and chief among them, mother Esther, the Original Witch.

Damon, who tried to stop her, stood no chance. She was doing it, alone, and this was her call to make. She was done being anyone’s pawn and done listening to anyone’s orders. Sure, she probably could’ve been a little nicer when Damon said he protected her because he loved her (her telling him maybe that’s a problem was, eh, a little harsh) but still, she was a boss queen and it was her strongest episode to date.

Elena Gilbert in a ball gown, playing politics and being ruthless is my aesthetic.