Top 10 Stiles & Lydia Moments on Teen Wolf

By the end of "Teen Wolf's" run, Stiles and Lydia feel truly meant to be; however, for the best part of five seasons, the jury was still out on whether these two would get there. At the beginning of Season 6, Stiles is taken by the Wild Hunt and erased from everyone's memories. Or at least that should have been the case, but against all odds, Lydia felt that somebody important – someone she loved – was missing. This moment was huge because, while Stiles had a crush on Lydia for seemingly ever, the Banshee had yet to definitively reciprocate those feelings.

At the tender age of just about 9 years old, Stiles formed a crush on Lydia, and those emotions would slowly grow for the better part of a decade. Despite Lydia showing little to no interest in Stiles, they end up going to the Winter Formal together, where "Teen Wolf" delivers arguably the couple's first significant moment. The scene comes across as a personal win for Stiles, as he finally seems to be earning Lydia's acknowledgment. At the time, Lydia was essentially masquerading as a cold and standoffish ditz, but this is just a facade that, despite fooling most people, Stiles sees right through - and he tells her as much.

Even though Stiles and Lydia would grow progressively closer throughout “Teen Wolf’s” early years, both characters were romantically involved with other people and seemed to accept just being friends. However, in Season 5, a near-fatal encounter for Lydia causes Stiles’ dormant emotions to come bursting forth in the form of a full-blown passionate breakdown after the Banshee seems to pass away. This scene is driven solely by his unfiltered emotion – Stiles’ reaction to Lydia’s apparent death is heartbreaking to watch, even if the moment ends up taking a turn for the positive.

#7: Red String & Stiles Believes in Lydia “Galvanize”

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Smack in the middle of an investigation is probably not the best time for a cute moment, but Stiles and Lydia can find the precious in any situation. When Lydia’s Banshee-sense can’t pinpoint the location of a potential bomb left by an escaped convict, the teenager begins to doubt her own abilities; Stiles, on the other hand, has full confidence in Lydia's danger detector. Why? Lydia hasn’t been wrong yet and Stiles is willing to bet that that won’t change. This Season 3 moment really shows how far the pair had come since Lydia gave Stiles the cold shoulder in the pilot.

Many of this couple's earliest interactions amount to Stiles muttering something humorous but usually awkward while the confused Lydia tries to decide whether to be charmed or annoyed. After a string of supernatural-themed hallucinations cause Lydia to have an emotional breakdown, however, Stiles is there to offer a shoulder to cry on while throwing in an unintentionally inopportune compliment. Sadly, the fact that a shape-shifter was on the loose meant Stiles had no choice but to leave Lydia hanging. This Season 2 scene nonetheless shows the future couple connecting on a then-rare personal level, even if it was only for a brief second.

For better or worse, there’s no forgetting a couple’s first kiss, and this one is even less straightforward than most. With the two still a handful of seasons away from becoming an official couple and the kiss being prompted by – of all things – a panic attack, the circumstance surrounding Stiles and Lydia’s smooch could not have been any less romantic. Even if Lydia’s kiss was meant to primarily calm Stiles down, this moment still marked the first proper hint that these two could eventually share a future. While far from a passive character, in the first couple of seasons, Lydia was always the one reacting to Stiles' obvious romantic interest, and not the other way around. That is… until this scene happened.

Now, regardless of whether someone is a werewolf or a kitsune, storming the Eichen House without much in the way of back-up is a surefire way to wind up in the hospital. Yet, Stiles – a human with exactly no superpowers – did just that when Lydia was captured by Dr. Valack. Stiles is not particularly impulsive, but any sense of self-preservation flies out of the window when Lydia's life is on the line, even if the Banshee herself poses a danger to the would-be rescuer. Lydia’s not a character who generally needs saving, but when she does, Stiles steps up in a major way.

Putting aside what happens later down the line, in the first two seasons, Lydia and Stiles have a strained friendship, mainly because an unreciprocated crush tends to breed frustration. In Season 2's finale, when Lydia plans to risk everything to save her boyfriend Jackson, Stiles’ emotions get the better of him in a speech that is quite poignant. Stiles actor Dylan O'Brien sells this moment like it’s nobody's business, while Lydia's uncomfortable reaction perfectly highlights that this relationship has a long way to go before she and Stiles wind up on the same page.

Season 6 starts with a real kick to the heart for Stiles, who stumbles upon supernatural cowboys capable of expunging someone from existence. The season's premiere sees Stiles gradually forgotten by everyone, with Lydia resisting the Ghost Riders' influence the longest. With the prospect of being erased seeming very real, Stiles holds nothing back in what could be his last moment with Lydia. While "Teen Wolf" throws Stydia shippers a few bones in the first five seasons, this scene is when Stiles and Lydia truly become each other's endgame, even if the payoff would take awhile to arrive. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Stiles Supports Lydia While She Gets Treated “Apotheosis” Lydia Cannot Watch Stiles Die “The Divine Move” Lydia, Stiles, & the Bear Trap “More Bad Than Good” Lydia Risks Herself to Save Stiles “Motel California" Stiles Comforts Lydia After Aiden’s Passing “The Divine Move”

It took six seasons and 90 episodes, but here it is – the moment Stiles and Lydia stopped being a fantasy and became a reality. Stiles – who had been gone for 3 agonizing in-universe months – finally manages to escape the Ghost Riders, leading to a long-awaited reunion with Lydia and everyone else. After saving each other's lives multiple times and "Teen Wolf" dedicating the best part of Season 6's first half to establishing that Stiles' crush on Lydia is no longer one sided, this kiss was more than earned and, frankly, came as a relief!