Imagine a world where all of the TW characters were given time and space to unpack their trauma. Where we saw Scott and Derek actually get to bond over how Peter hurt them both, how Isaac and Stiles could relate to seeing a parent become someone they no longer recognized. Just. Imagine.
the fact derek hale was never allowed to talk about his trauma will forever make sad, frustrated and angry. he is probably one of the most traumatized characters to grace television but he's not allowed to acknowledge any of it.
the other day, on the teen wolf sub reddit (believe i know. it's a sickness that i keep going back) i talked about how it bothered me how it is peter and jennifer that get to talk about paige. in visionary, peter is telling a story. paige isn't really a person to him and we know there is no way what peter tells stiles and cora is the whole truth. for her part, jennifer has mythologized paige's death and almost sanctified derek for committing the virgin sacrifice that allowed the nemeton to have enough power to save her when kali left her for dead. it's partly why she's so obsessed with him. in a twisted way derek saved her so paige is just a means to an end.
meanwhile derek doesn't even get to so much as say her name or confirm the real story when he was the one who had a relationship with paige. he is the one who knew her as a person, loved her and mourned her. .
someone in response to my saying that was like yeah well derek's not just gonna talk about his trauma. he's not that kind of guy.
and i'm like why not? characters suffering is not the only interesting way to tell a story.
if derek's story was to eventually evolve than that could've been part of it. opening up and healing.
imagine how powerful it would've been if derek was able to reach out to scott in the wake of allison's death and be able to tell scott about paige, that he understood all to well what scott was going through. imagine how much character growth that would've been for the both of them. derek finally able to reach out to someone emotionally and for scott to reach back finally able to set aside his issues with derek to see him as a person.
the missed opportunity that was cora hale. we could've learned about talia and laura and pre-fire peter via a couple of conversations between her and derek. there wasn't even a proper reunion between the two. (the fact most of our information about talia hale comes from gerard fucking argent still pisses me off).
malia was also a missed opportunity. derek had what? maybe one real scene with her? malia's character development should've been related to her reconnecting with her father, readjusting to being human and her figuring out what it means to be a hale by blood and what that legacy meant to her. not putting her immediately into a romantic relationship with stiles. derek could've factored into that. specifically regarding loss and guilt.
like derek finding out he had a cousin and malia finding out that just because she doesn't really care for peter doesn't mean there aren't other hales she can possibly have a relationship with.
isaac and stiles being bitchy to each other is fun but it's jealousy based due to scott. i think they could've overcome this eventually. imagine them hating theo together???? beautiful.
scott and isaac. i love them. adore them. but i will forever be pressed about that scene where scott throws isaac into a wall. like, fuck off. it was weirdly out of character for scott. instead of all the stuff about allison they could've talked about their dads. scott weirdly doesn't talk much about rafael and that bothers me because rafael mccall needed to be read for fucking filth (i am a child of an alcoholic so this may be a me thing). like we saw how much stiles hated rafael mccall. it would've been interesting for isaac (who was living with scott and melissa) to in turn be protective of him.
we had a whole episode of kira having a life changing field trip with derek and i wanted more that okay. that was a dynamic we needed more of.
i maintain lydia and derek's relationship would've been like two reality show judges. two beautiful people dealing with a world of plebs. lydia martin making derek hale have a spa day was a missed opportunity.
jordan parrish and derek hale being the personification of "someone is going to die." "of fun!" meme from parks and recs.
derek hale (and everyone else on this show) should've been allowed to unpack some of their trauma suitcases.
the fans wanted found family and the show took us by the hand and said "no. xoxoxoxo"