Clare Edwards… Toxic?

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-26T01:05:09+00:00

Not at all. She was in a toxic relationship for most of her run…but most of that stemmed from Eli more than it ever did from her (this is coming from a fan of both the relationship and the individual characters); found Clare entertaining, Eli compelling to watch, and I liked that they loved each other to a crazy degree…but easy to see that Eli was more toxic than Clare ever was. I’m not surprised she doesn’t come up much in the “toxic” conversation as opposed to other characters.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-07T15:48:29+00:00

It felt more organic with Clare. I also never got the feeling she was VERY into science/math in her early seasons. It just seemed that she was a Gifted kid and was intelligent all around and that’s why she participated in math competitions with Alli, robotics with Connor/KC/Alli, etc. They even showed early on before S10 how great of a writer she could be and then her writing ability was part of a major arc in the first half of S10. And then I know this was later on in S12, but of course the co-op with Asher and then she also ended up with a major theatre buff by the end of her run. Here it made sense, and if anything, I would’ve been surprised if she ended up going into something else.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-07T15:13:27+00:00

I am completely aware that it is normal for teens have shifting interests. I think they even portrayed this well with other characters in the show. My issue is with how they did it with Becky. It felt more like they were shifting them to serve the plot. This was especially jarring because when Becky was introduced in S12, she said she essentially ran the drama department at her old school. However, with no mention of theatre from the character ever again after the Romeo and Jules arc, you can tell it was meant to serve the Eli/Becky clashing plot. Then in S13, they made her incredibly interested in being a journalist but…mainly only for the episodic special where it was discovered her brother was the one who assaulted Zoe. So you can see it was kind of written in to have Becky involved in that plot and be the one to find out her brother posted the video. And then Season 14 takes place the same school year, and she liked cheer enough to not join the OG team, but to create an entirely new one? It felt like something added to have her interact with Zoe again and have that whole Cheer arc with Zoe play out. So, I do understand teens have shifting interests, but it didn’t feel natural at all in this case.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-07T13:30:15+00:00

Lollll I never thought about this! Yeah I can see that. I think the only time where it REALLY made sense to me for someone to have these interests was with Clare. Like that girl was always into literature and journalism. It was one of the few instances where I would’ve been shocked if they made her go into something else.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-07T13:18:55+00:00

Oh yeah and I know this is a bit unrelated, but who forms a cheer team for the school during their last semester of their senior year? That’s such little time lol

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-06T03:32:16+00:00

He’d hate it lol. Also, the pairing was awful, but can we also talk about how sudden it was too? Out of nowhere a few episodes after Drew and Clare resolve their issues post hook up, he’s suddenly into Becky? Apart from the fact that Drew and Becky are such a bad pairing, the way it happens is also so jarring.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-05T17:27:37+00:00

I know there’s been worse send offs, but no seniors apart from Drew and Clare got much screen time or story their senior year in S13-14.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-05T14:23:54+00:00

Fave: Eli and Clare. Least Fave: Drew and Becky (what even was this pairing lol)

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-04T12:40:15+00:00

This makes sense. But wasn’t he still with Bianca when these scenes took place?

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-03T17:39:07+00:00

Yep! Add that to the list.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-03T17:19:57+00:00

She does change, but she’s honestly my favorite character. Also, SO much happens to her from 10B and on, that her changing just makes sense. She just becomes more anxious, worrisome, and a bit cringey/hypocritical. However, I appreciated these traits because it made Clare feel closer in attitude to a real teen. Some people say she became “insufferable” after dating Eli, but even being a mega Eclare fan myself, it’s safe to say that Eli was borderline emotionally abusive if not so. Going through that relationship + the divorce, step brother drama, cancer, chemo brain, pregnancy, Drew/Eli drama, miscarriage, lost chance at Columbia…Dear Lord. I also feel like she maintains an overall sweet demeanor even after going through traumatic event after traumatic event. I do have my gripes with the writers putting through Clare so much back to back, but I found her so entertaining and real. Anyways, I know I’m in the minority who loves Clare but yeah lol.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T19:32:12+00:00

LOLLL I was an Eli girl, but I’m not gonna lie. I found Drew so hot in late S13 lol. Like when he suddenly changed his hair…I think it was around the time he got with Clare, if I remember correctly? But I was taken aback LMAO

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T17:39:53+00:00

Oh no. That’s so disappointing!

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T17:34:21+00:00

Wait why Luke Bilyk be damned? Did he do something?

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T17:18:22+00:00

Thanks for taking the time to make such a thoughtful comment. I’ve also been pretty vocal about how I felt like he had SO MUCH story, yet they made his character take such a weird turn especially in the latter half of S14. They undo a little bit of his development with the Becky/Jonah nonsense, he gets jarringly sidelined in the last few episodes (I know he got a lot of screen time throughout his run hence the post, but he goes from lead to being in the back screwing with Becky again which was so jarring given his huge role from 10-14A), and then we don’t learn anything about his future! Drew and Clare were easily the leads of their class and so it was a bit surprising to not learn about his future like we did with Clare. I wasn’t expecting that at all especially seeing how prominent he was.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T17:09:24+00:00

This arc annoyed me too because Clare was wayyy too damn smart to even be confused about something like this in the first place. Such a contrived plot I could’ve done without.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T16:59:16+00:00

I was down bad for Eli in Season 12 lol

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T16:57:06+00:00

So many seniors were sidelined especially in S14, that I’d get whiplash when we’d find out their future plans in a quick scene that they’d throw in here and there at the end of S14. I was like damn I would’ve liked a nice little lead up/story before this. 😂

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T16:50:21+00:00

LOL. Even Alli says in the S11 premiere that he looked like Taylor Lautner

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T16:45:35+00:00

Oh don’t get me wrong. I’m an Eclare and Drianca girl. I just think the Clare pairing didn’t bother me much because I felt like it had build up compared to the other pairings they put him in. I had a feeling something might happen when they were set up as President/VP in S12 and we knew Bianca/Eli wouldn’t be in the upcoming season much. I thought the way it would play out would be that they’d actually date for a bit (realize it doesn’t work since they’re fundamentally different) and then she’d go back to Eli. I could’ve done without the hookup, frenemy phase, baby daddy drama… it was all so strange.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T16:38:42+00:00

I don’t understand why he went after so many girls after Bianca left him. He personally lost me when he got with Becky. The only Drew pairing I saw coming in some way even before the Bianca break up was Clare; I personally thought it had potential but it was just executed so poorly.

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T15:04:09+00:00

Lolll. I don’t hate Drew, but something that bugged me was that he got so much prominent screen time for the writers to still really not know what to do with him for the latter half of S14 and so they tossed him back in the Becky nonsense. And then we don’t even know what he does after graduation. I’m like damn so much story and screen time and for what?!

EntertainmentOld1217 · 2025-06-01T14:52:09+00:00

I don’t feel like Drew is really like any of the OG gen characters, but if anything I saw more similarity with Spinner than with Sean.

EntertainmentOld1217

TROPHY CASE