Bonnie Bennett is one of the most beloved characters on The Vampire Diaries. She is Elena's best friend and has some of the best character development, never bending her morals for anyone. Most of her time is spent improving her magic to help keep her friends safe, and her loyalty is unmatched. She's also had it pretty rough compared to the other characters, often drawing the short end of the stick. Even so, some of her actions have been questionable.
Even though most things about Bonnie's character have held up well, there are some things that are cringe-worthy and even painful to look back on. The Vampire Diaries is considered by Seventeen to be one of the greatest teen shows of all time, but there are some aspects of Bonnie's character fans could live without.
She Can Be Judgemental
Although Bonnie has always been loyal and caring, there were times when she was judgemental. It made sense for her to be that way towards those who threatened the safety and well-being of her friends, but sometimes she treated her friends that way, too. Bonnie had a rigid set of standards for herself and often projected that onto others, especially when it came to plans on how to handle their enemies.
Damon even gave her the nickname "Judgy", which he teased her with throughout the first two seasons. Thankfully, that's something she wound up growing out of after the second season, but it's still cringy to look back on.
Getting Back With Jeremy
Despite them breaking up in season 3 after he cheated on her, Bonnie and Jeremy eventually found their way back together in the fourth season. Before closing the veil to the Other Side, Jeremy arrives and the two reconcile, eventually rekindling their relationship. It was a sweet moment and the couple did seem happy again until Liv came into the picture, and his behavior made Bonnie worry about him cheating on her again.
Looking at it now, it seems so out of character for someone like Bonnie to take someone back after they cheated on her. Even if she still loved him, there would likely be too many trust issues for it to work out. They eventually part ways again, but on good terms, so it wasn't all bad, but it's not a choice that aged well.
Keeping Huge News From Her Friends
In the Vampire Diaries season 4, Bonnie uses three different kinds of magic to bring Jeremy back to life after being killed by Katherine, which kills her in the process. Due to his status as a medium, Jeremy is the only one who can see and communicate with her. Bonnie asks him to lie to her friends about her death and tell them she's spending the summer with her mom because she doesn't want them to be upset by the news. She probably would've kept it up until someone eventually found out, if her friends didn't wind up bringing her back because she needed her help.
It's one thing for Bonnie to want to avoid upsetting her friends, but dying is a huge deal, and she should've let Jeremy tell everyone right away, rather than waiting.
Pushing Herself Too Hard
Since coming to terms with her abilities as a witch, Bonnie has pushed herself, often to the point of getting a nosebleed or other physical symptoms. Other characters would step in and caution her against going too far, but she always brushed them off and continued until she accomplished her task. When she began using a more dangerous form of magic called expression in the fourth season, she began losing control of herself and her powers, and it wound up killing her.
Bonnie wanting to learn and grow as a witch is understandable, but she frequently pushed herself too far and didn't listen when others would look out for her.
Trying To Handle Everything On Her Own
While Bonnie has always been a fiercely independent character, she often tried taking on too much responsibility. Along with pushing her powers too far, she also didn't like accepting help from others. Whenever Jeremy tried to help her, she would tell him she was fine and didn't need any help. Obviously, Bonnie is strong on her own, being from one of the powerful lines of witches in the series, but she couldn't always do things on her own.
It's never a bad thing for anyone to get help from others, which is something she struggled with throughout the series, although she became more accepting of it later in the series.
Not Standing Up For Herself
After having a great and empowering season 1, Bonnie began getting bullied by nearly everyone around her, including her friends. Even though her feelings were hurt, she spent several seasons not speaking up for herself. Instead, she would grow frustrated and resentful, until she eventually lashed out. This may have been because every time she tried, she would be gaslit and wind up walking away.
Bonnie did eventually start standing her ground in later seasons of the series, but it's hard to watch her being pushed around and not doing anything about it, especially when she would've never let someone treat her friends that way.
Putting Everyone Else First
One of Bonnie's best traits is her selflessness, which also happens to be her worst. She might stop letting people bully her, but there is no point in the series where she prioritizes herself. Everyone else's feelings are always considered more important than hers, no matter what might be going on in her life at any given time. She is constantly pushing herself aside to make sure everyone else is okay, even when she dies. There likely has never been a more selfless character in The Vampire Diaries than Bonnie.
It isn't until the series finale that she finally puts herself first, which is disappointing, as some of her fans had been waiting for that since the middle of the series.
Sticking By Elena's Side
Some would argue that because Elena is her best friend, Bonnie should stick by her side no matter what. This is exactly what she does, even with all of the things she goes through during the series because of her, whether directly or indirectly. Elena may have been a good friend in the beginning, but as the series progressed, she became a bit self-centered, and despite any anger Bonnie held, she would always forgive her. If things were the other way around, Elena may not have extended the same courtesy.
Friendship can be a lot of work, but it's painful to see the situations Bonnie gets put in. The fact that she always forgives Elena only adds to that frustration.
The Way She's Written
Overall, a lot of the things that have aged poorly about Bonnie's character can be summed up by acknowledging that the writing for her wasn't good. In fact, it got progressively worse as the series continued. Black Girl Nerds reports that fans never got to see Bonnie's home life, her interactions with her family, or anything that didn't have to do with her being Elena's friend. Everything she did was for the benefit of others before it was for her. She hardly got any credit for the things she accomplished, and she spent more time suffering than anything else.
Bonnie is eventually encouraged to leave Mystic Falls behind and live her life on her terms by Enzo, which she does. It's unknown where her character's been since then, but hopefully, she's finally living for herself.