My problem with Stydia
Stydia was established from day one through Stiles' crush on Lydia. The dynamic was so interesting that it even helped set up both their characters on the show. In other words, Stydia helped build up Stiles and Lydia characterization through their interactions. This is what a good relationship development on a show does, it builds character not only when paired together but also on their own. This was done very well between Scott and Stiles in the first season. From Sciles we learnt that Scott is not the smartest person but ultimately he's sweet and caring (much like the ever lovable Joey from Friends). Similarly, Stydia punctuated who Stiles and Lydia were. Stiles as the funny, awkward, bumbling, obsessively loyal "Robin" to everyone else's "Batman" and Lydia was self-assured but also insecure, she wanted to feel appreciated but also wanted to stand on her own two high-heeled feet. Stydia is undeniably important to both characters on the show because it created multiple levels to their personality outside of other pairings on the show. Without that dynamic, Stiles would have just been 'the best friend' and Lydia would have been the 'self-absorbed prom queen'. The fact that Stydia is real is undisputed, they have always had that "connection". The question here is 'is Stydia romantic or platonic?'
This is a relationship that could have gone either way. If Stydia was endgame, Jeff Davis should have cashed out on the development a long time ago, way back in Season 3B when Lydia and Stiles were starting to build up a friendship and Lydia could be seen developing feelings for Stiles (the red string, the staring, leaning on each other for support, staying back with him when he passed out). Jeff could even have done it after their first kiss which could have been passed off as Lydia actually wanting to kiss Stiles because she was starting to develop feelings for him. Instead, time went by, nothing happened until Stalia and we could only assume that the kiss was just to calm his panic attack and there was absolutely no romantic feelings behind it after all. The fact that Jeff Davis is now claiming it was always his intention all along cheapens all character development that both characters had after the kiss (and let's be honest, there wasn't much development since Season 3 to begin with).
If Jeff didn't want Stydia to happen then he should have stuck to his guns and kept it that way. The rush to push Stydia in 6A now seems forced and much like fanservice that doesn't even please its fans because they've run out of time to properly develop it (what with Dylan O'Brien leaving). It is almost impossible to develop a romantic onscreen relationship when half of its participants isn't there. Not to mention most of the fanbase isn't there anymore either.
I was 13/14 when Teen Wolf first came out in 2011 and as a straight, white girl who was just discovering my sexuality, I hopped onto the Stydia train along with my group of friends with whom I used to watch the show. Growing up we weren't big on computers so we weren't involved in the online fandom but we had our own little Stydia ship happening. Fast forward a few years and my friends all slowly lost interest in the ship and the show, leaving me as the only one left watching the decimation of this once beloved show which was a huge part of my teenage years.
I'll admit, Stalia completely destroyed any interest I had in the Stydia. I would have been happy if neither of them ever ended up dating anyone as long as they were happy and had strong characterisations. Why give them a relationship for the sake of having a relationship without any real substance? The fact that Jeff is pushing Stydia together now after most of its fanbase is no longer invested just reeks of desperation to keep the few fans who remain. This, to me, is not only an insult to the fans who have stayed in hopes that the show will again become what it once was but also an insult to himself. He is hanging himself and ridiculing all the work he has done in the past by devolving into fanservice and ridiculous plotlines.
It also shows just how incapable Jeff is of actually creating strong, original content that keeps up with the ever-changing fans. As I said, I grew up watching the show, I now have more opinions on the show than I ever had before and am now starting to think for myself. The problem is that the show just refuses to grow with me. I see Jeff throwing new writers and characters at the show in hopes that something will stick. What he should have done is gone back to the characters that made the show successful (Scott, Stiles, Lydia, Derek, Isaac, Deaton, the mamas and papas, etc.) and developed those characters. This show has been on air for six years... it could have been very sentimental to the audience if they got to see the characters grow with them (this is the reason Harry Potter has kept its audience throughout the years). This is also the reason Stiles in the FBI was such a success with the few remaining fans (even though it made no sense at all). It was poorly written and had no business being in the (already screwed up) timeline but for once, we actually got to see some development that we've been itching for instead of the constant stalemate.
That said, fans have to accept that Jeff is not obligated to make a ship canon just because a fanbase wants it to happen. He is the creator after all, he has the right to decide which artistic direction his show should take. However, the same can be said for the fans... if the show no longer caters to our interests, we are not obligated to keep watching. This in no way makes you a 'bad fan' (a term I hear the Stydia shippers using more and more lately) nor does it make your past eperience with the show any less valid. It simply is what it is... and that leads me onto the next thing that bothers me about this show, Tyler Posey.
Although I was a Stydia fan in the beginning and I never picked up any other ship, Tyler Posey's comment on "watching the show for the wrong reason" really rubs me the wrong way. There is absolutely no right or wrong reason to watch a show. The audience can watch the show for any reason they choose. They don't even have to like a show to be invested in it. Sure, most people watch a show because they enjoy the plot but you can go in the extreme opposite and be invested in the show because of how bad it is. A show can be so bad that is keeps you entertained (God knows that's the only reason to watch Jaws 4). The fact that Posey thinks he can dictate the reason we should watch 'his' show is not only immature but also extremely misguided. It is not his place to tell a fan that they can't watch the show because they want to see Stiles or Derek (or a romantic Sterek). Heck, it's also none of his concern is a person is watching the show for a guest star or a recurring character like Danny or Coach or even Deucalion. Any reason to watch a show is valid if it makes you want to watch it. Don't get me started on the "twisted, weird and bizarre" comment because that is plain insulting to the show's dedicated fans. Oddly, he never stopped to think that maybe he should be encouraging any reason to watch the show. It doesn't matter how small or inconsequential it seems to him as long as they are watching 'his' show. He is the main character of this show and he has staked his professional reputation on it. Surely it is more important that 'his' show is successful even if it turns out to be a collaborative effort.
This brings me to the other actors in this ship... Holland Roden and Dylan O'Brien. To be honest, the actors just don't seem invested in the relationship. Like I said earlier, I never used to pay attention to fandom and behind the scenes interviews. It was not until the show really started to decline in quality (ahem, Season 4) that I started wondering "what the hell is going on?" and decided to look it up. From looking at cast interviews, I have come to the conclusion that Holland Roden's perspective has always been 'I don't care about about Stydia, but I'll do it if I have to'. On the other hand, it is Dylan O'Brien's attitude throughout the years that has had a massive change. At first, he was very interested, his attitude towards the romance was 'yes, give Stiles a romantic interest. I would love to act on the romance'. In one interview he said, "it will happen one day". Then along came Stalia and it seemed like he was ready to move on to other potential directions that his character could go and his attitude towards Stydia changed into 'it could be fun if it happens but I'm also willing to explore any other relationship'. Fast forward another year and he came off as 'I don't care about this anymore. It's time to move on from not only Stydia but also the show'.
Normally, I don't care about whatever is going on behind the scenes, and I don't care about how an actor feels about their character as long as they portray it well (Harrison Ford can hate Han Solo as much as he wants, he portrayed that character too well for me to do so). The difference here is that Stydia was very poorly executed by both cast members. Holland and Dylan are both very good actors and have both given a solid performance throughout the past seasons (despite the horrible scripts as the seasons progressed). Despite their acting ability, neither of them were able to sell the relationship at all.
This begs to question, if even the actors could tell that the relationship had lost momentum, why couldn't Jeff Davis (the creator/ writer/ producer/ god of all things good and evil on heaven and earth? I don't even know what he is anymore) realise that this story arc had missed its opportunity and is no longer feasible? Who thought that the best way to develop one of the most demanded ships on the show was to have them kiss, look at each other then never do anything about it ever again? In what universe could this have possibly ended in any other way besides disappointment?