Bonnie Bennett

From Fanlore
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Character
Name: Bonnie Bennett
Occupation: Student
Relationships: Sheila Bennett (grandmother), Abby Bennett (mother), Rudy Hopkins (father)
Fandom: The Vampire Diaries
Other: Played by Kat Graham
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.
For the character from the novels see Bonnie McCullough

Bonnie Bennett is a regular character on The Vampire Diaries TV show.

Canon Overview

Bonnie is a witch descended from a line of witches. Her grandmother, Sheila Bennett, helps her learn to use her powers. After her grandmother dies, Bonnie continues training, using her magic and becomes more and more powerful.

Bonnie has canon romantic relationships with both Jeremy Gilbert and Enzo.

Fandom

Bonnie's magical talents has been a cause for criticism from fans at the beginning of the show's run. They felt that she was used as a Magical Negro and that it was THE defining characteristic of her character.

It also helps you realize that while Bonnie sacrifices so much she was really never treated with the same importance from her friends. The girl was dead for an entire summer and the only one worried was Caroline. They didn't even notice she was gone until they needed a spell, how terrible is that?[1]

the only African American on the show is a girl with caramel skin color. She is a witch on the show, which technically isn’t the stereotypical black character, but it is racially biased when every other African American that makes an appearance on the show is also a witch. Basically they’re all from the same bloodline, The Bennett line, which goes back to the Salem Witch Trials and delves into their beginnings in slavery. Yet in 2013 their all still witches and fans have begun to joke that every black character is obviously a witch.[2]

As the show progressed a lot of fans called Bonnie useless and pointless, because it didn't seem like she had any storyline beside being the magical equivalent of Deus Ex Machina.

Bonnie developing her powers did not thrust her in the spotlight (I'm not going to talk about the producers. *Steams*). Her position did not change. Compared to Elena and Caroline, she's still the one in the background (though I don't think Bonnie views herself as someone in the background of anything). She has the powers, but who is everyone after? Elena. Before her powers, Bonnie would listen to Matt, Caroline, and Elena talk about their issues and try to make them feel better/offer advice. After her powers, Bonnie is the one setting things up so Stefan and Damon can do the exciting part (I just thought of Uhura in the newest Star Trek movie). Before her powers, Bonnie sat by herself and people-watched. After her powers, Bonnie goes off by herself to deal with her issues (I'm not going to talk about the producers. Nope).[3]

Some fans of Bonnie, and indeed fans who disliked Bonnie, pointed to her antagonistic relationship with other characters to explain fandom's love-hate relationship with this character.

The amount of hate she gets is insane. The problem is that the only reason I see for it 90% of the time isn't that they don't like her because of 95% of what she does, they hate her because she's mean to Damon. Which just makes me go ballistic, and I LIKE Damon. And yeah, they could use her better, nothing to say about that, but she's a great character and she doesn't deserve to be dissed because she doesn't like a guy that she has all reasons to hate. Team Bonnie! :D[4]

I did think Bonnie was very annoying in season 1-4. The thing that annoyed me most about her was her ‘bad ass’ attitude she talked the talk but couldn’t walk the walk. The way she threatened Damon and Stefan was just eye roll inducing. I hated how she treated Caroline was she was turned. [...] But towards the end from season 6-8 bonnie grew on me when she matured up a bit.[5]

Fans of Bonnie often examined her motivations in more detail to justify her actions. They see her antagonistic attitude to vampires as evidence of her ability to form her own opinions, and see her as a strong willed and independent character.

Everyone Bonnie knew was on Team Vampire. There was not one person she could speak to about how she felt. She gets punished for thinking differently (she told Elena in Plan B that they haven't spoken since Caroline turned). I think it's an admirable thing that she doesn't feel the need or pressure to jump on the bandwagon.
It's a little annoying to me how people always bash Bonnie for her attitude towards Caroline, but they don't acknowledge that Caroline went on to prove Bonnie's fears valid in the same episode. She compelled Aimee Bradley and sent her into a situation that could have ended badly had it been a guy other than Tyler. Then she almost killed Matt. Bonnie wasn't talking out of her butt. Her fears were legit, and I wish the show would explore her point of view more in these situations.[6]

While fans of Bonnie admit that she has made mistake in canon, they believe her actions are justifiable due to her age, her experiences in canon and her determination to protect her friends from vampires.

Common Pairings

Popular Bonnie pairings include Bonnie/Jeremy, Damon/Bonnie, Bonnie/Kol and Bonnie/Enzo with other pairings being Bonnie/Caroline, Bonnie/Elena, Bonnie/Elijah.

Fanon and Common Tropes in Fanworks

  • Magic - As Bonnie is a witch her use of magic often appears in works. These can include magic gone awry works, where a spell has unintended consequences for Bonnie and her friends.
  • Prison World works can be set during Bonnie's time trapped in the 1994 Prison World or works dealing with the consequences of her time there following her return to Mystic Falls. These works mainly pair Bonnie with Damon or Kai. Following the season 5 cliffhanger, when Bonnie and Damon were presumed dead, there were a number fix-its and works set on the other side.
  • Epistolary Fics or works including Bonnie's letters to Elena are common. In canon, Elena is placed in a sleeping curse and cannot wake until Bonnie is dead. Bonnie writes letters to Elena so her friend can read them when she wakens. In fandom, these letters can summarize Bonnie's long and happy life, and/or show Bonnie's inner turmoil as she deals with new challenges and love interests.
  • Dark Bonnie: A small number of fics build upon Bonnie's capacity for violence and revenge in canon, and place Bonnie in the role of an antagonist or villain. Some of these works show Bonnie learning and practicing Dark Magic. In other cases, Bonnie is forced to ally herself with villainous characters and becomes darker as a result.
  • The Other Side: Some works portray Bonnie as a ghost on the other side, meeting and interacting with other dead supernatural creatures. Some works set during this time pair Bonnie with her canonical love interest Jeremy GIlbert, who can see ghosts. Works set when Bonnie is the anchor, focus on her dealing with the trauma and pain associated with supernatural creatures passing through her, to the Other Side. In some works, Bonnie speaks to the dead before they pass on, while in others, she confides in someone about her role as the Anchor.

Example Fanworks

Fanfic

  • you know I will adore you ('til eternity) by sarcastic_fina, After being sucked up into what they assumed would be oblivion, Damon and Bonnie soon find themselves in an idyllic little town where they're free to find peace. Which is exactly what they have for twelve years, until reality comes calling to bring them home.
  • Dear Elena by Zesty Bod, Dear Elena, Please don't hate me. Please know that I never meant for this happen. I was only supposed to look out for him, to make sure that there was something left for you when you wake up. But I messed up. I did the one thing I didn't want to do. I fell in love with Damon...and I think he might love me, too.
  • Adverse Effect by Farie Insignias, A spell with all the right intentions goes awry. Will Bonnie be able to handle the consequences?

Fanart

Vids

Meta

Archives and Communities

Links and Resources

References

  1. ^ Reddit post 2017, accessed 2 January 2019
  2. ^ Networks Lack Diversity In Their Programming, accessed on December 26, 2014.
  3. ^ A Look At Bonnie Bennett, Pre and Post Powers by angryzen, accessed May 11, 2015
  4. ^ Comment on meta post at janie-tangerine's livejournal, posted 10 September 2011. Accessed 2 January 2019
  5. ^ Reddit post, 2017, accessed 2 January 2019.
  6. ^ Comment on meta post at janie-tangerine's livejournal, posted 10 September 2011. Accessed 2 January 2019
Retrieved from "https://fanlore.org/w/index.php?title=Bonnie_Bennett&oldid=2505225"