What Love Victor got right with Felix
I just bingewatched all ten eps of Love Victor in one day, and I couldn’t help but compare it to Teen Wolf.
Mainly how Love Victor did everything right with Felix, that Teen Wolf did wrong with Stiles.
Basically, Felix is what the Teen Wolf writers were going for with Stiles and what fandom loves to pretend that Stiles is, but the writers never managed to pull off.
Aka a nerdy and awkward kid who’s a good friend, slightly insecure, but with a good heart, who stands up and supports his best friend no matter what.
Which is the trope Teen Wolf writers were going for with Stiles.
The problem is, because the writers, Davis especially, used Stiles as their self insert, and power fantasy, Stiles instead ended up being a whiny self absorbed, mean cruel asshole, who is constantly badmouthing and insulting his best friend and treating him like crap. To the point where you have to wonder why anyone would put up with Stiles.
But because he was the fanfave, Stiles was never held accountable. His flaws were never held against him, and his abuse of others was treated as if it were either helpful or funny or both… Leading to the character of Stiles becoming utterly and absolutely intolerable. Especially since he never grew out of his flaws. Using the tragic loss of his mother as an excuse for all his bad behavior. It lead to Stiles acting as if he were entitled to lash out at others, especially his best friend Scott, and both verbally and physically abuse the people around him, whenever Stiles felt upset.
Felix in contrast, doesn’t insult Victor. Even when Victor lashes out at him, and Felix had every right to say something back, he didn’t use the opportunity to do so.
Felix as we find out later on in the season, does have a tragic backstory, and issues of his own, but he never uses those to get out of consequences for his behavior.
When the girl he’s had an unrequited crush on finally starts noticing him and even making out with him, he reacts with overdoing the ‘liking all her pics’ bit, which is understandable. But the show has Pilar, Victor’s sister , point out why that kind of behavior is wrong. And wonder of wonder, Felix actually listens and changes his behavior in response.
When his best friend tells him he’s not comfortable with the idea of having sex with his girlfriend, Felix doesn’t go all bro on him, or act as if Victor is weird, or like there’s anything wrong with him for not being ready. Instead he goes along as an add on, boring the others with his favorite game. Even letting Victor pretend that it was Felix who was missing the signals.
He stands up to his bully, not by lowering himself to the guy’s standards, but by calling him out on what the guy did to him, and what it meant. And because of the way it was delivered, it hit hard enough, that Andrew starts questioning his own behavior.
Over the course of ten episodes, Felix shows respect for Lake, treating her not just decently, but quite well,and we see interactions between them that are hinted at in other scenes with Mia, showing just why Lake starts getting interested in the guy that before she’d ignored.
He has self respect, and breaks up with her when she wants to use him as her dirty secret. But he doesn’t act entitled to her feelings, and makes it clear he wants her to be happy, even if it isn’t with him. All of which makes it clear that he’s a genuinely good guy, rather than a fake nice guy.
When his best friend comes out to him, he doesn’t make it all about himself, he’s just sad for Victor’s sake, that his friend was worried about his reaction, and he makes it about Victor, hugging him, showing him he’s there for him.
Felix is basically what showrunners want to go for, when they create the regular guy best friend. But where they far too often miss the mark with.
And I think that’s why I came out of the show, actually liking Felix, and wanting to see more of him, whereas with Stiles I want him off my screen, whenever he’s on it.
(it admittedly also doesn’t hurt that the show never takes the main story or emotions away from Victor. The story is about Victor, and his issues with his sexuality, self acceptance and his family. But Felix is an important and likeable part of that story, and I would definitely be interested in seeing more of him.)
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