The Twilight Saga was finally added to Netflix on July 16th, this past Friday. The series had been on streaming services in the past, but it didn’t last long–only spending a little under nine weeks on Hulu from September to October 2020. As of February, Netflix has five times more subscribers than Hulu, so the switch over means that all sides of Twitter are talking about the change.
As of Tuesday, all five of the movies were in Netflix’s top ten list, with only Breaking Dawn Part 1 being left out of the top five. The hashtag #TwilightOnNetflix has been flooded by people reliving what they were like when the series first came out, listing their most and least favorite parts of the films, and discussing the real life effects of the movie.
Naturally, the age-old question of Team Edward or Team Jacob has resurfaced, with one of Netflix’s verified accounts digging up one of Megan Thee Stallion’s tweets from 2011 that could be taken as her being Team Jacob.
So…you’re #TeamJacob? 👀 #TwilightOnNetflix https://t.co/3PpD6nafvY — Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) July 16, 2021
However, fans have come up with more interesting teams of their own. Some Twitter users have mentioned that they always shipped Bella with Edward’s sister, Alice, and provided evidence of Alice possibly having a crush on Bella based on an interaction Edward has with his sister in the first movie after reading her mind. Even more unique though is the number of people who have brought up their younger self’s crush on Bella’s dad, Charlie.
Others are less focused on the positive characteristics of the series and more so on the negatives, highlighting how Bella’s relationships to both Edward and Jacob’s characters were unhealthy throughout the series, not to mention how Jacob imprints on Renesmee when she’s only just been born. Moreover, multiple people are pointing out the racism present in Stephenie Meyer’s portrayal of Jacob and the Quileute Tribe and encouraging people to learn more about the real histories and stories of the tribe.
since twilight is having a resurgence in popularity let’s not forget about it’s racism towards native americans; a 🧵
non-natives please retweet. — sar | cr: the cruel prince (@ginstorias) July 20, 2021
And, with the movie series beginning in 2008 and ending in 2012, there’s plenty of cringe-worthy memories to relive, for better or for worse. Some have taken this opportunity to reminisce on the midnight premieres of the movies they attended, the unique merchandise they purchased, and all of the fanfic they wrote. Others have chosen to use the series and its resurgence to their advantage–for example, the real-life city of Forks, Washington, hosts Twilight tours, an annual Twilight celebration, and uses the saga to boost tourism to the local forests and beaches.
Whether you were a Twilight mega fan or an avid hater of the movies, almost every pre-teen, and teenager from the time had very strong feelings about the series. If you’re looking to relive your younger years, a Netflix binge session could be the perfect way to spend the upcoming weekend.
