Things You Only Notice When You Rewatch Twilight
The "Twilight" movies dominated popular culture between 2008 and 2012. Based on Stephenie Meyer's book series of the same name, the saga explores the love story of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), an adorkable human, and Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a mysterious vampire who refrains from drinking human blood. In the first installment, Bella and Edward meet after Bella relocates from Arizona to Forks, Washington. "New Moon" sees their relationship torn apart, with Bella tempted by a new lover, werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). Bella battles her feelings in "Eclipse," before ultimately marrying Edward, giving birth to a half-vampire baby, and finally becoming a vampire herself in "Breaking Dawn: Part 1" and "Part 2."
Bella and Edward's forbidden romance captivated fans across the globe, ranging from younger readers to Twi-Moms. Today, their story is undergoing a renaissance. With all five "Twilight" films available to stream on Netflix, the franchise is seeing a second surge of popularity. Have you revisited Bella's world recently? Rewatching these beloved movies highlights some of the series' best moments — and some of the strangest. These are the details fans only notice when they rewatch the "Twilight" series.
Bella the vegetarian
Bella's dietary habits aren't as obvious as Edward's are in "Twilight," but you might notice something unique about them upon rewatching the film: She doesn't eat meat. All of her snacks at Forks High School are fruits and vegetables. She orders a garden burger while eating with her father, Charlie (Billy Burke). Later, she orders mushroom ravioli after Edward saves her from being assaulted by a gang in Port Angeles.
Bella's diet isn't a big deal, to the point that plenty of viewers never notice it. But it does create a parallel between her and Edward. Edward considers himself a vegetarian of sorts, due to his no-human, animal-only blood policy. Bella is, apparently, an actual vegetarian, opting for a plant-based diet that excludes meat.
While this highlights their shared compassion, it also represents a reason why Edward — and becoming a vampire — isn't good for Bella. If Bella is a vegetarian in the films (she eats meat in the books), then this is another thing she has to sacrifice to join the Cullen clan. The vampire family may joke that they're vegetarians, but their animal-only diet is the opposite of vegetarianism. No more mushroom ravioli for Bella: Post-"Breaking Dawn: Part 1," it's strictly deer and mountain lions on her plate.
Bella pretends to pour ketchup
Bella moves from Arizona to Forks to live with her dad after her mother, Renee (Sarah Clarke), remarries. The awkwardness between Bella and Charlie is palpable in "Twilight." (To be fair to Charlie here, Bella is the queen of awkward situations.) Bella is a stranger to him, having spent the majority of her life with her mother. Still, Charlie tries to spend quality time with Bella, including sharing a meal at his favorite diner.
This scene introduces Waylon (Ned Bellamy), who later falls victim to vampires James (Cam Gigandet), Victoria (Rachelle Lefevre), and Laurent (Edi Gathegi). Waylon tries to jog Bella's memory with a story about playing Santa Claus at a Forks Christmas event. Charlie reminds his friend that Bella "hasn't had a Christmas here since she was four." A friendly waitress ushers Waylon away, leaving Charlie and Bella to their slightly uncomfortable father-daughter dinner date.
Both reach for the ketchup at the same time. Charlie offers Bella the condiment first, and she appears to pour some onto her plate ... except no ketchup actually comes out of the bottle. This continuity error slips by unnoticed on first watch, but is much more noticeable the second time around.
Vampires don't always sparkle in the sun
One of the things that distinguishes the vampires of "Twilight" is their unique, diamond-like skin, which sparkles in the sunshine. In the first film, Edward takes Bella to a mountain top so she can see him in all his glittering glory. The books' emphasize the Cullens' sparkling skin as something dangerous, as it singles them out as inhuman. Whenever Forks receives some rare sunshine, the Cullens are mysteriously absent from school, attending only on days when the sky is overcast.
Vampires are pretty inconsistent when it comes to sparkling in the "Twilight" films, however. When Bella is confronted by Laurent in "New Moon," his skin does not glitter or shine, despite the fact that they're standing in a sunny meadow. Furthermore, Edward himself fails to sparkle several times throughout the series, including his tender moment with Bella in the meadow during "Eclipse," and the pair's honeymoon on Isle Esme in "Breaking Dawn: Part 1."
The series' murky visual filters make the Cullens' lack of sparkle less noticeable, but this changes as the films' progress. Forks looks pretty sunny in the later movies. Did the vampires find a high-coverage foundation for their scintillating skin?
Edward has photographs taped to his bedroom wall
Another small, easy-to-miss detail that stands out during a "Twilight" rewatch are the photographs on Edward's bedroom walls. When Edward brings Bella home to meet his family, the Cullens' greetings vary dramatically: Alice (Ashley Greene) climbs in from a tree and hugs Bella, while Rosalie (Nikki Reed) crushes a glass bowl in anger. To escape his family (who knew vampire families could be equally embarrassing?), Edward takes Bella to his bedroom, where they awkwardly dance while listening to classical music.
Eagle-eyed viewers will notice that Edward has photographs taped to the walls and windows of his bedroom. It's unclear who is in the photographs, given, well, everything about Edward's life. Maybe the snaps capture the Cullens? Edward might have photos of Carlisle (Peter Facinelli) and Esme (Elizabeth Reaser), his adopted parents, or even his favorite sister, Alice. Alternatively, the photos could be of his biological mother, who died in 1918 of Spanish flu.
A creepier option? The photos are of Bella. This would be fine if they were casual couple selfies, but considering Edward watches Bella sleep without her knowledge for weeks during "Twilight," it's possible the photos could have been taken while she slept. Not cool, Edward.
Stephanie Meyer's cameo
Many viewers might miss this clever Easter egg during their first watch, but zealous fans of the books are likely to have noticed that the author of the "Twilight" books herself has a cameo in the first film. Stephenie Meyer appears in the diner where Bella and Charlie frequently eat. During their second scene there, Meyer can be seen seated at the counter in a red shirt, writing on her laptop. The waitress addresses her by name: "Here's your veggie plate, Stephenie," she says, as she brings her food over.
In addition to the main four books in the "Twilight" series, Meyer also wrote "The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner," a novella related to the series, and "Midnight Sun," which retells the first "Twilight" novel from Edward's point of view. A cameo in the live-action adaptation of her most famous work is a delightful tribute. "Twilight" isn't the only film in the saga to feature a cameo from the author, in fact: During Bella and Edward's wedding in "Breaking Dawn: Part 1," Meyer appears as one of the guests, alongside screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg and producer Wyck Godfrey.
New Moon is basically Romeo And Juliet
"New Moon" isn't subtle about its references to William Shakespeare's "Romeo And Juliet," but it's still easy to miss the subtlest parallels included until you rewatch the series. First off, Bella's opening monologue is a quote from the play's Friar Lawrence, establishing Bella's unorthodox relationship with Edward as a mirror of Juliet's forbidden romance with Romeo. Jacob plays the role of Paris, a wealthy count and Juliet's original suitor, as arranged by her father.
Bella compares Jacob to Paris in the book as she ponders whether Juliet could have been happy with him instead of Romeo. Ultimately, Bella arrives at the same conclusion as Juliet: She loves Edward, and wants to be with him instead of Jacob.
"New Moon" isn't just an homage to "Romeo And Juliet," however: It's the same darn story. Edward/Romeo believes his lover, Bella/Juliet, has committed suicide. Heartbroken, he goes to the Volturi/drinks poison to kill himself, only to discover Bella/Juliet is alive after all. Luckily for Edward and Bella, their forbidden love story has a much happier ending, as Bella manages to save Edward from revealing his secret, which would force the Volturi to kill him.
Bella doesn't cough up any water after drowning
Throughout "New Moon," Bella becomes more and more reckless. She puts herself in dangerous situations to trigger hallucinations of Edward — not exactly the healthiest behavior, to say the least. Bella's thrill-seeking hobbies include riding motorbikes with dangerous men, building bikes with Jacob, and, most perilously of all, cliff-diving. After seeing Sam Uley (Chaske Spencer) and his followers cliff-dive earlier in the film, Bella gets the idea to try out the extreme sport for herself while Jacob and the werewolves are busy hunting Victoria.
Bella plummets from the cliff successfully, but is quickly dragged under by the ocean's intense current. Victoria pursues her, having jumped into the water to escape the wolves. Luckily, Jacob saves Bella in time, and administers CPR. Bella wakes up, but doesn't cough up any seawater, despite having nearly drowned. This is another continuity error, though it's a forgettable moment in the overall story. Still, it becomes more noticeable during a rewatch.
Jacob is super toxic in Eclipse
Edward's behavior towards Bella is frequently inappropriate — don't watch people sleep, dude — but Jacob is no better. His actions toward Bella grow especially toxic throughout "Eclipse," including kissing her against her will in a creepy attempt to prove she has feelings for him. Jacob refuses to take no for an answer, despite it being obvious to everyone in Forks that Bella only has eyes for Edward. Moreover, Jacob and Bella kiss in "Eclipse" entirely due to Jacob's manipulation. After he storms off upon discovering Bella and Edward's engagement, Bella tries to calm him down, as she's scared of him rushing into the fight against the violent newborns. Jacob plays on this and demands Bella give him a reason to stay safe. She tells him how much he means to her, but he tells her that's "not enough." So she kisses him.
Bella doesn't kiss Jacob because she loves him — she kisses him to make sure he doesn't do anything reckless in battle. Jacob tells her moments before, "Maybe I'll get myself killed and make it simple for you." There's little chance this wasn't a deliberate act of manipulation on Jacob's part. Gone is the sweet, supportive best friend from "New Moon" — this Jacob is toxic, and willing to do whatever it takes to be with Bella, even if it means giving her no other options.
Was Edward trying to get Jacob killed?
Jacob isn't the only toxic person around, of course — Edward's behaviour is shady too. Specifically, Edward makes sure that Jacob overhears Bella and Edward discussing their engagement. Bella confronts Edward about this, to which he replies, "He deserves to know."
Does Edward have ulterior motives here? Bella tells him that she doesn't want Jacob to find out before the battle, in case his emotions distract him during the fight against Victoria's newborn vampires. Edward's justification simply doesn't make sense, considering the timing of the situation. Unless, of course, Edward is purposefully trying to distract Jacob moments before the battle, to throw his rival off his game. The vampire might want Jacob to get killed during the fight, taking out his opponent for Bella's affections once and for all.
Edward doesn't disguise his mistrust of Jacob in "Eclipse." He dismantles Bella's truck so she can't visit La Push, then blames Jacob's volatile werewolf temper. The night before the battle, Edward and Jacob have a tense conversation when Bella is forced to huddle with Jacob for warmth. Sure, Edward has a grudging respect for Jacob, but getting the werewolf killed is certainly something he might be capable of — they're definitely not friends. The only thing that might stop him is how much Jacob's death would hurt Bella.
Riley doesn't smell the Volturi
The Volturi show up again in "Eclipse" after making their series debut in "New Moon." Drawn to Seattle by Victoria's army of newborn vampires, Jane (Dakota Fanning) and her companions are content to remain in the shadows and let the Cullens handle the situation. They keep an eye on things, but make no effort to intervene, even when the bloodthirsty newborns risk drawing attention to the existence of vampires.
Riley (Xavier Samuel) almost catches a glimpse of the Volturi halfway through "Eclipse." The evil vampires stand on the roof of a nearby building, where they observe Riley attempting to reign in the rebellious newborns. Jane and company disappear before they are seen. However, a sharp-eyed fan can't help but notice something odd upon rewatch: Wouldn't Riley still have been able to smell them?
The "Twilight" saga repeatedly emphasizes the fact that vampires have superhuman senses, which allow them to follow scent trails better than any bloodhound. Additionally, "Eclipse" tells viewers that newborn vampires are stronger than regular vampires, thanks to the human blood lingering in their bodies. This could mean their senses are stronger as well. If so, there's no logical reason why Riley couldn't smell the other, older vampires standing nearby.
A playful book reference in Breaking Dawn: Part 1
Bella and Edward's honeymoon on Isle Esme is adapted fairly accurately from the book. Edward initially keeps their destination a secret before surprising Bella with the news that the Cullens have their own island. On Isle Esme, the newlywed couple finally give into passion and spend the night together, a culmination of the sexual tension that defines the first three films. But soon enough, Edward has regrets. After seeing the bruises he left on Bella's body, Edward swears another vow of celibacy, so as not to hurt her again.
Thus chastened, Edward engages Bella in a multitude of activities meant to distract her from sex, including hiking, swimming, and chess. Book readers will notice that the chess pieces they play with match the red queen and white pawn on the book cover for "Breaking Dawn." On her website, Stephanie Meyer explains their significance in further detail: "”Breaking Dawn's' cover is a metaphor for Bella's progression throughout the entire saga. She began as the weakest (at least physically, when compared to vampires and werewolves) player on the board: the pawn. She ended as the strongest: the queen."
Alice's vision in Breaking Dawn: Part 2 should be impossible
"Breaking Dawn: Part 2" concludes with a happy ending for the Cullens. The Volturi retreat, leaving Bella and Edward to enjoy their blissful new lives with their daughter, Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy). The film further solidifies the series' happily-ever-after with one of Alice's visions, in which she sees an adult Renesmee (Rachel St. Gelais) with Jacob, coupled up and definitely not creepy at all.
Alice's vision deviates from book canon, in which her visions only include humans and vampires, the two species she knows best. Half-vampires like Renesmee and werewolves like Jacob are unknown quantities, causing blind spots in her visions. Alice shouldn't be able to see anything to do with Jacob and Renesmee at all. It could be argued that Alice's abilities in the films are different than the ones she possesses in the source material. "New Moon" establishes that Alice can't see Jacob in her visions, however, and in "Breaking Dawn: Part 1," she struggles to see if Bella will survive her pregnancy because Renesmee blocks her visions.
This story error stands out prominently during a rewatch. Nevertheless, it ties everything together with a neat bow, concluding the series with closure for every character. Bella, Edward, and Jacob each get a happy ending, something fans can't help but smile at.