What’s Hailey watching? The Twilight Saga

*SPOILERS*

Bella marches right past Edward and makes her way into the forest. As if they had communicated telepathically, Edward knew he must follow. Once deep under the cover of Douglas-firs and mossy ground cover, Bella stops suddenly. “I know what you are,” murmurs Bella. “Say it… out loud. Say it!” says Edward. “Vampire.”

Twilight is one of those movies that either everyone loves or hates; there is no in between. One of my classmates proclaimed it’s a good movie… if you don’t take it seriously and watch it as a comedy. Whether you agree with this statement or not, some real flaws can be found throughout the Twilight saga. Today, I am not going to give the typical movie review. Instead, I will be analyzing the toxic behaviour found within the relationships in Twilight.

Starting first, with, of course, Edward and Bella. Edward and Bella have a complex relationship, especially since in the first movie, Bella is a human, and Edward is a vampire. Obviously, this would cause some issues, starting with Edward directly telling Bella, “I wanted to kill you. I’ve never wanted human blood in my life so much.” But even temporarily ignoring the fact that Edward is a vampire and the issues that may cause, there are still some underlying toxic traits. The first notable instance occurred when Bella and Edward met in their biology class. They were asked to look into the microscope and identify the different stages of cell division. Bella started and proudly proclaimed the stage of division. Edward then replies with, “Mind if I look? It’s prophase.” Exactly what Bella had just declared. This is their first real interaction with one another, and Edward starts by undermining her ability to identify a simple slide. They end up making a little joke about it, and Bella teases him back, asking if she can double-check. I understand this seems minor, if anything at all. But this was not the only instance that rubbed me the wrong way. The next thing I noticed was Edwards’ generalized attitude toward Bella. He gets aggressive when he’s worried about her and makes decisions for her to protect her. This is an archetype that is commonly romanticized. While this doesn’t really matter because it is a fictional movie, this type of behavior is not acceptable in real life. I understand being worried for your partner’s safety and well-being, but that does not give you an excuse to be hostile and demanding towards them. I understand wanting to keep your partner safe, but that does not mean you get to make all their decisions for them. Relationships are all about open communication. Unfortunately, I do not see that in Bella and Edward’s relationship. In later movies, once Bella is turned into a vampire, I notice some of that behavior starts to dissipate. Bella can take care of herself now. However, that does not justify earlier behaviors.

The next couple is Bella and Jacob. While they were never officially together, they did share some romantic moments. In the second movie, New Moon, Bella is devastated by losing Edward. No, he didn’t die. But he left her. He left to keep her safe because he thought being together was too dangerous for her as a human. Jacob, her childhood best friend, was there for her throughout the movie. They grew closer and closer. As Bella leans on Jacob for support, she is uplifted out of her depressive state. As Jacob does this, he senses himself falling in love with her. Bella starts to develop romantic feelings too, but she is still deeply in love with Edward. Later in the movie, Jacob reveals to Bella that he is a werewolf, a sworn enemy of vampires. This creates complications as Bella is in love with a vampire, but Jacob is still her dear friend. New Moon is a build-up movie to the third movie, Eclipse. Eclipse is where Bella and Jacob’s relationship really gets complicated. Jacob still views himself as Bella’s protector. However, Edward returns and feels as if it is time to step back into that role. Edward and Jacob end up having a real heart-to-heart where they both share how in love they are with Bella. Jacob tells Edward that he knows Bella loves him too, and he just might be the better option for her. Later in the movie, Edward proposes to Bella, and she enthusiastically says yes. One day, Bella and Edward are talking about their engagement, and Jacob overhears. He storms off in an angry huff as Bella chases after him. He tells Bella he might as well fight the vampires and get himself killed. Bella yells at him, warning him not to go, and if there is anything she can do to make him stay. She says he is important to her and she’ll be devastated by his loss. But Jacob says it’s not enough. In one last attempt to make him stay, she says, “Kiss me!” And so he does. I find this to be problematic on both sides. First, Bella just barely got ENGAGED to Edward. She committed to Edward, and moments later, she kissed another man. It felt as if she was leading Jacob on as well.  However, I believed Jacob was in the wrong, too. We know he is in love with Bella, but just because he loves her does not mean she is required to feel the same. It is completely understandable why he was disappointed about Bella and Edward getting engaged; however, it is not healthy to hold that against her and threaten to get himself killed because of it. That is manipulation at its finest. As well as that, I believe Bella only asks Jacob to kiss her in hopes of making him stay. She felt as if it was her only option to save her friend. Their relationship continues to be complicated throughout the movies, but in the end, Jacob is happy for Bella.

I do not bring these issues up to say Twilight is a terrible movie, and all the couples are unhealthy. But instead, I wish to highlight the effect it can have. I understand movies need drama to keep viewers interested and engaged. The issue does not lie within the movies creating toxic relationships, but what viewers take out of them. Twilight’s intended audience is teens and young adults. At this age, people are very impressionable. They see things online or in real life and can take them to heart. My point is, as a young viewer, people can see these relationships and idolize them. If you know anything about Twilight, you’ve probably heard the “Edward vs. Jacob” argument. The truth is, neither of them is great. They both did things to Bella that were not healthy and should not be strived for in real life. It is important to watch Twilight with a grain of salt, recognize the relationships for what they are. It is entertainment media, not the ‘how to get a significant other handbook.’ If you ever find yourself romanticizing the overprotectiveness of Edward or Jacob, take a minute to think about it. It may be fun to watch, but not to live.

While this is still a movie review, I will give it a rating. As my classmate said, watching this movie as a satire piece, I give it an 8/10. However, if I’m taking it seriously, I’d have to say 4/10… sorry, not sorry!