Elena Gilbert is often known for being dark and gloomy in The Vampire Diaries. Damon, who is thought by many to be the funniest character, even calls her pouty and judgy on occasions when she is particularly stand-offish. There are a lot of ways Elena is the unluckiest character in The Vampire Diaries, which may contribute to her inability to make light of a situation.
During instances in which Elena reveals that she does have a sense of humor, she catches the other characters and viewers off-guard. In fact, there are several times throughout the series that her hilarious one-liners give Damon Salvatore a run for his money.
“No, That Was Just A Happy Accident.”
Elena and Katherine have such opposite, but believable personalities and much of it is largely attributed to Nina Dobrev's acting skills. Their scenes together are always entertaining, even if they're filled with hostility and death threats.
Katherine raised a fair question when she pointed out that Elena had the chance to kill Katherine, but she left her alive after force-feeding her the cure. It is a happy accident that Katherine's salvation is also her greatest punishment, but despite how villainous Katherine is, she's a character fans can't help but root for.
"It Flares Up In The Presence Of Psychopaths."
In terms of insults, it takes a lot to bother Damon, and Elena's quips usually don't phase him. There are even times when he leans into it, which is part of what makes their relationship so entertaining to viewers.
Damon was speaking for the audience when he asked Elena if it got tiring being so righteous. However, she does seem to be more righteous when Damon is around and causing chaos to ensue. While this quote was meant to be a sassy retort, it held plenty of truth.
"Perfect! We'll Just Add It To The Growing List Of How Everything's Falling Apart."
Little did Elena know that this would be a quote applicable to almost every episode of The Vampire Diaries. The fact that it could be used as a response to pretty much any sentence in the series is what makes it particularly hilarious.
It was prompted by the realization that her father was "kicking it with the Founder's Council," but the issue in itself is almost laughable. Uncle John should be at the very bottom of their list of problems, considering everything else they're going to have to face.
“Really? You Think I’m Gonna Let A Blood-Addict Tell Me How To Drink?”
While many viewers believe there are scenes that prove Stefan and Elena were soulmates, there's no doubt that both characters are funnier when they're at odds. When Stefan's humanity was off and Elena had reached her limit with her ex, half of their conversations were made up of sarcastic and passive-aggressive comments.
As "The Ripper," Stefan can only drink animal blood without forming an addiction and going off the rails. Stefan tries to get Elena to slow down her alcohol consumption, but she made a fair point by saying he's not one to talk.
“It’s An Antique, Damon. Like You.”
Elena's quips at Damon are especially funny because they're true. Damon's facial expressions and delivery can make anything seem comedic, but Elena packs a punch by hitting the nail right on the head.
When Damon makes fun of Elena's necklace, her retort fits perfectly. If Damon was an item for sale, he would definitely be in the antique section. Making fun of Damon's age is one of the funniest running jokes on The Vampire Diaries, and, just like Damon, it never grows old.
“You’re Overage. And, Honestly, It’s Kinda Creepy.”
Although Damon's age has been brought up before, it took Elena turning off her humanity for the show to address just how creepy it was. While both Salvatores are almost two centuries old, Damon was frozen at the age of 25. It wasn't as odd for outsiders to see Stefan, who was frozen at 17, with Elena, as it was to see Damon.
Damon and Elena never kept their relationship a secret, despite the fact that she was in high school and he was a 25-year-old man who chaperoned school dances. Damon also dated Caroline when she was 16, and despite how creepy it appeared, her mother, the sheriff, was somehow accepting of it.
“Wage War, Murder People…You Know, Klaus Stuff.”
The characters of The Vampire Diaries became so used to Klaus's murderous tendencies that they eventually stopped being phased by it. They were never approving of his methods, but there were times when his devil-may-care attitude came in handy.
This quote was particularly funny because of how normal Elena made it all sound. By this point in the show, Klaus massacring an entire group of people was just a normal Tuesday afternoon.
“No, Damon. I Didn’t Tell Him I Got High On Blood Like Some Crackhead And Dirty Danced With You.”
No Delena shipper could forget this iconic scene in Season 4, Episode 4, "The Five." A lesson in feeding went a bit too far, and Damon and Elena end up dirty dancing, as Elena put it, and indulging in their vampiric instincts.
If there's one thing about Elena that's always true, it's that she doesn't sugarcoat anything. She has no problem being blunt, no matter how embarrassing or insulting it might be. Getting high on blood and dirty dancing is the only honest way to put what happened between her and Damon.
“I’m Not Blaming You, Damon. I’ve Accepted The Fact That You’re A Self-Serving Psychopath With No Redeeming Qualities.”
Elena isn't the only one who holds this opinion, as many fans believe that there are reasons Damon didn't deserve redemption in The Vampire Diaries. Damon was willing to do whatever it took to get Katherine out of the tomb, even if it meant painting the town red.
Understandably, this didn't go over well with Elena, so her jab at him is well-deserved. Damon's only reply is, "ouch" which indicates he may be more self-aware than he lets on.
“I Hate To Say I Told You So, But…Duh.”
Emotionless Elena was unlike anything viewers had seen before. The actress being able to differentiate Katherine from no-humanity Elena was just another testament to her talent.
She lacked the humanity that Katherine let slip through the cracks, and she didn't have Katherine's same level of sarcasm and wit. However, emotionless Elena did enjoy making sassy comments, and her response to Elijah is something Elena would never dream of saying if her humanity was on.