A Quick Analysis of Ingrid and her Subtle Dependency on Vlad
So, I've been thinking about episodes Bad Vlad and Therapy, and what Ingrid's depression implied about her perception of Vlad.
Therapy established that Ingrid never properly processed Will's death. It explored Will's role, essentially, as her saviour--the only person to truly see and love her, fully, for who she was--and how pointless her life had felt since his death. What it didn't explain was why this near-death experience triggered a relapse into grief, but not the previous one.
The implication, of course, is that it's because it was caused by Vlad.
In the first episode of season 3, Ingrid didn't seem overly surprised that Vlad wanted to save her. She rejected the idea that the Count loved her, and that the Count missed her, but never questioned if Vlad did.
Despite her verbal animosity, she showed consistent care for Vlad throughout the first two seasons, despite these actions rarely being reciprocated. Vlad barely even reacted to Will's death, even though he knew what Will meant to his sister. Even though he knew he could have saved him. But that wasn't a surprise, given he only ever seemed concerned for Ingrid when her life was at risk.
That last part is important. As dismissive and, at times, cruel as Vlad could be, he still valued her life.
Until he didn't.
Something broke in Ingrid during the events of Bad Vlad, but I don't think it was when she was trapped in the sun. She didn't blame him for that. He was defending himself, after all. The damage, I think, was done after. It was done as Erin led Ingrid back up into the attic. The killing blow was the way Vlad paused. The way he spoke her name.
He had the face and tone of someone who just noticed the stove was still on.
After getting control of himself back, Vlad's only concern had been freeing their father from the painful-but-ultimately-slow burn of garlic. He didn't even remember that he'd thrown Ingrid out into the sun (which is later shown to kill instantly if UV levels are high enough) until he saw her back inside, and then he barely paused long enough to apologise before rushing off.
He nearly killed her, yet he apologised as if he'd just stepped on her toe. Like it was an act of ingrained politeness, because he's a polite boy, but not something he actually meant.
I think, it was this moment that confirmed Ingrid's deepest, most frightening fear:
No one loved her.
Will was dust. Her mother didn't care that she'd almost been slain. Her father had been angry that she survived the castle fire.
Vlad was the only person she had. The only one left who loved her. The only one who saw absolutely any worth in her life, even if that worth was only in her role as his sister. But his reaction in that moment contradicted everything she believed--everything she had clung to for four years--because it turned out she didn't matter to him, either. He didn't ask about her well-being. The fact he'd almost killed her didn't even seem to register, and if it did, it clearly wasn't that big of a deal. Just a little mistake. Another blip in a generally crazy day. Nowhere near as important as making sure the perpetually-disapointed, emotionally abusive father who just tied him to a chair wasn't in pain.
Whether she realised it or not, Ingrid's entire sense of worth relied on Vlad, because his love was the only proof she had left that she was lovable. But he didn't love her. He mustn't, because he was a good person. He wasn't like the rest of them, and he made damn sure everyone knew it. He wouldn't just shrug off the possible dusting of someone he loved.
This was why so much of her therapy session was about coming to terms with Will's death and reconnecting with how he made her feel. Because Will did love her, and she was reckoning with the prospect that he was the only person who ever had.
I fully pretend that the season 2 finale and everything after it never happened. I hate that everyone in this show is forced to be the thing they wanted the least at the start. if it was just vlad and jonathan being forced to accept their futures, that would have been so much better. Mina becoming a slayer when she thought it was lunacy, mr. van helsing being killed by the creatures he lived to kill, robin losing his interests/personality and his only friend all in a moment and that not being touched on, erinn being turned only to be killed off anyway, etc. all of it was so tragic and pointless and it made vlad's sacrifice less meaningful, less special, and more predictable. like, of course vlad gives up what he loves to live a life he hates- everyone else did the same thing. i kinda wish *that* was what he had been selfish with, or that the show got the end of season two as its tragic ending.
I actually wish the story had been more about jonno and vlad being two sides of the same coin. both trying to escape their crazy lives and just be normal, both forced to accept their destinies. maybe when jonathan finds out that the Counts are the Draculas he doesn't immediately side with his dad. he hated the idea of that life, got along well enough with vlad and wanted his dad to stop harrassing his classmate. maybe the concern of these people disappearing looking suspicious convinces him to play dumb and get in his father's way. maybe he and vlad bond over their desire to be normal. maybe this turns into friendship.
then lets say vlad is still the chosen one and he still has to accept his power. i could see vlad and jonno both ending up in similar situations as to the canon, both eventually taking on leadership roles. perhaps their former friendship and mutual disdain for the situation they've found themselves in leads them to their truce and we get a bittersweet ending where everyone else gets their happy ending- ingrid takes the dracula title, the branaghs end up fine, mr vanhelsing is proud of his son, mina thinks everything is fine, robin doesn't lose his identity, etc.- except for those two. heavy is the head that wears the crown type beat, but less actively annoying than what we got.
i genuinely love the sitcom tone and to an extent, i wish they would have kept it, but, seeing as they chose to change the tone, i just think this would have been a better route
