Post #2: Possible Changes

There are so many things wrong with Bonnie Bennett's storyline and character design that it is practically entirely unbelievable that the writers did not implement some sort of change throughout The Vampire Diaries' eight seasons. Bonnie's cyclical suffering becomes the catalyst to move the show along, but considering the incredible amount of drama in the show, there is no reason why she must bear all of this weight when it could easily be displaced elsewhere. 

To provide context for those who may not have watched The Vampire Diaries before, Bonnie Bennett is the best friend of Elena Gilbert and Caroline Forbes, all three of them cheerleaders at Mystic Falls High School in the small, quiet town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. Their story opens on the first day of junior year, where Elena is returning to her social life after losing her parents in a tragic accident over the summer. On this first day of school, Elena meets the beautiful Stefan Salvatore, who she will later find out is a vampire with another beautiful vampire older brother. A love triangle and centuries-old drama ensues, with Bonnie at the center of solving it all after she discovers that she is a powerful witch with the help of her grandmother. Bonnie is not as central to causing or impacting the growth of the main drama as she is to fixing it with her magic, and as aforementioned in my previous post, her happiness, struggles, and overall well-being are pushed aside without a care by the others, as she is truly just a tool for them to reach their happiness.

From left to right: Damon, Elena, and Stefan.

One major change that would help to resolve much of Bonnie's struggles throughout The Vampire Diaries would be making her the main character, or at least as much of a main character as Elena is. Bonnie is an arguably more interesting person, being a witch while Elena is simply mortal, and there is not doubt in my mind that a focus on her and her inner thoughts would be anything but entertaining and, for lack of a better word, enchanting. 

One more possible change that would help to free the show of the harmful "positive" stereotype it participates in would be to simply give Bonnie a fulfilled shot at happiness. Instead of killing off her family members and love interests, she should have something go completely right. Just because she is a strong person doesn't mean she deserves, or wants, to be alone.