Why No Stelena??

The Vampire Diaries Season 6 — Why Stefan and Elena Can't Happen

If you’ve seen the promo for Thursday’s episode of The Vampire Diaries, then you know it’s heavy on the Stelena. At one point, Stefan even proposes toElena  — yes, as inmarriage.

We loved us some Epic Stelena in the early TVD seasons and we’re not completely against the idea of them getting back together in some indeterminate point in the future (maybe Season 14?), but right now, we’re just not feeling it.

Here is why Stefan and Elena can’thappen.

We need a break from the love triangle. So far, Season 6 has delivered on its promise to bring something fresh to the table, and we need that trend to continue. Seeing a rehash of the Stelena relationship would just be another swing of the same love triangle pendulum. And we are so over that pendulum. Smash the pendulum.

Elena needs to not be with a Salvatore for awhile. What TVD is doing this season is kind of ingenious. It’s continuing the Delena love story, while still giving us a chance to get to know Elena outside of her relationships to the Salvatore brothers. She isn’t in love with either of them, but only because she loved Damon so much that she had to forget him rather than live without him. Best of both worlds!

Stelena is in friend mode. One thing that TVD does well is laying down the foundation for romantic relationships. Delena took seasons to develop. Steroline, which seems inevitable at this point, has been taking a romantic turn since last season, and is taking it’s time. We’re not completely against Stelena taking another stab at romance (in an interesting way), but TVD would have to make it believable. Right now, it would be out of nowhere.

TVD is committed to the Delena love story. It’s not only that exploring Stelena would be a poor storytelling choice right now, we legitimately don’t think TVD will do it. Executive producer Caroline Dries told HitFix: "I can tease that we definitely keep the love stories alive.” TVD is still telling the love story of Delena. That might change in the future, but for now, we are still in the Delena Era.

Stefan wouldn’t do that to Damon. Elena may not remember that she loves Damon, but Stefan certainly does and, if we know anything about Stefan, it’s that he wallows in guilt and trades in self-deprecation. Even if Elena were interested in a relationship with Stefan, we doubt Stefan would go along with it. Especially when he’s so eager to get out of town.

Delena’s reunion may be right around the corner. We don’t think we’ll have to wait much longer for Damon and Elena’s reunion. Director Joshua Butler was dropping some serious hints that it would take place in Season 6, Episode 8. Sure, with Elena’s little memory problem, everything might not go according to plan, but that doesn’t give much time for a Stelena romance to develop, either.

Catch this episode of The Vampire Diaries on Thursday, October 23 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW.