Love it or hate it, you’re probably familiar with The Twilight Saga. The saga consists of five movies released from 2008 to 2012, based on the book series by Stephenie Meyer. Things begin with Twilight, where Bella (Kristen Stewart) moves to Forks, Washington. There, she meets and falls in love with the mysterious Edward (Robert Pattinson), who is a vampire. This puts her at odds with werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner), and though Bella ultimately ends up with Edward, their love triangle is a major plot point throughout the saga.
The movies had – and still have – a massive fan following. Their releases reignited the popularity of vampires, werewolves, and supernatural romances. The romantic love triangle was a particular favorite, with fans declaring themselves “Team Edward” or “Team Jacob.” However, over time – and as the target teen and young adult fan base has grown up – many have come to see that both boys had massive faults and red-flag-worthy behaviors. Here are some of the major red flags that Edward and Jacob exhibit.
Edward: Being in a Technically Underage Relationship With Bella
Summit Entertainment
In Twilight, when Bella is trying to figure out what Edward is, she asks how old he is. After he says that he’s 17, she asks how long he’s been that age. He simply says, “A while.” It’s later revealed that Edward was born in 1901. While Edward is physically 17, it can’t be ignored that mentally and emotionally, he’s over 100 years old, which technically makes it an underage relationship. This is a bit of a gray area, as Edward is still 17 in most senses. However, it’s hard not to think of how much more mature he is compared to Bella, especially considering the experiences he’s been through. This gives them an early imbalance, even before Edward engages in manipulative behaviors.
Jacob: Forcing Bella to Choose Between Him and Edward
Summit Entertainment
Jacob also isn’t perfect, and has many red flags in his relationship with Bella – not even mentioning him imprinting on her newborn baby. Most of his actions center around still loving Bella even after she’s turned him down. He fully believes that he’s better for her, and tells Bella this. This unfairly puts her in between him and Edward, and in between the Cullens and the wolves. This escalates into him frequently forcing her to choose between them, and threatening to remove himself from Bella’s life entirely if she stays with Edward. This is a form of manipulation that gives Jacob the upper hand while disrespecting Bella and trying to get her to choose him.
Edward: Stalking, Manipulation, and Codependency
In the first film, Edward admits that he often goes to Bella’s house to watch her sleep, even before they were a couple. Also, before they’re a couple, Bella is shopping in Port Angeles and gets harassed by a group of men. Edward comes to her rescue, explaining that he followed her there to keep an eye on her. While this is portrayed as being romantic and protective, it would be a scary thing if it happened to someone in reality, and would be considered stalking.
He is also manipulative of Bella. In the first movie, he varies wildly between being kind and ignoring her as he grapples with his feelings. Even when they’re together, he constantly tries to push her away from him by saying he’s too dangerous. In New Moon, he even leaves her because of this reason, saying that they can’t be together while she’s human, and he won’t make her a vampire. Later becoming a vampire is arguably Bella’s choice, but this also plants the idea and makes it more appealing to her. He also disapproves of her friendship with Jacob and the other wolves, and frequently tries to keep her away from them. This manipulation and control, though done with good intentions for Bella’s safety, is considered characteristic of violent relationship behavior, per Psychology Today.
Finally, he forges a deeply codependent relationship with Bella, where they have poor boundaries and are wholly reliant on each other. While this is mutual, Edward shares some blame, especially when he leaves; ScreenRant even considers it the worst thing Edward does in the saga. He knew that Bella had few friends and would struggle without him, yet left anyway, leaving Bella shattered. She becomes deeply depressed, and engages in risk-taking behaviors to make an imaginary Edward appear to her. After her cliff-diving is taken by Edward to be a suicide attempt, he tries to incur the wrath of the Volturi, so they’ll kill him. Their relationship is intense to an unhealthy level, as they both would prefer death to being apart. They also lack the necessary communication that would have prevented the whole thing from happening.
Jacob: Not Talking No as an Answer From Bella
Though Jacob was there for Bella after Edward leaves, she makes it clear that she’s back with Edward after his return. Yet in Eclipse, Jacob professes his love tp her. When she tells him that she doesn’t feel the same way, he refuses to believe her. To be fair, Bella has returned his affections at times and admits she has feelings for him, but not the way she loves Edward. However, Jacob still oversteps. He insists that she loves him, and even threatens to kill himself if she can’t love him. This is a big example of him not accepting her refusals, but in a smaller one, he also forces a kiss on her without her consent. This continues for the entire movie. In one last attempt to change her mind, he tells Bella he’d rather have her be dead than be a vampire with Edward, another extreme example of him not accepting her choices. Not until the end of the movie does Jacob accept Bella’s decision, though the tension between him and Edward remains in the final two films.
Both Edward and Jacob, despite being at the heart of a well-loved romantic triangle, have their clear flaws and unacceptable behaviors. They were both manipulative and disrespectful in their pursuit of Bella. These behaviors are no longer seen as romantic as they once did. Though things worked out for the best, and the movies remain fun for fans, it’s important to note that they don’t present the romantic ideal people once thought they did.
