Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Kristin Stewart and the whole brooding, battling gang are back in Breaking Dawn, the fourth installment of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight. It’s been a while since you’ve seen Eclipse, and the other movies, and even longer since you read them. You did read them, right?
Perhaps you’ve forgotten a few details, but want to be able to follow Breaking Dawn when you rush off to see it this weekend. There simply isn’t time to read the series again, and good luck trying to rent any of the movies this close to the new release. We can’t guarantee your ability to speak intelligently with any hardcore fans, but this article should increase your chances of knowing what’s going on and just who this Paul guy.
Twilight so far:
Bella (Stewart), a human, moves to Washington, the state, to live with her father. She is miserable. She encounters Edward (Pattinson), a vampire (we are not going to apologize for, or give notice of any spoilers, these books and movies have been out for years). Edward, at first, adds to Bella’s misery, as he is generally inaccessible, and then later because he reveals himself to be a vampire, and is thus wholly inaccessible.
Bella wants to become a vampire, to be with Edward. Fans, such as myself, will have difficulty reconciling this element of the story, as Bella has a human family that loves her, who she seems wholly willing to abandon. Her parent’s greatest offense appears to be the dissolution of their marriage. Bella’s blithe interest in becoming undead seems disproportionate.
Edward won’t have any part of it. He, and his family are progressive vampires, who have agreed not to kill people, or turn them. In exchange, a local pack of werewolves lets them live in their forest.
Both Edward, and one of the werewolves, Jacob (Lautner) develop an unhealthy love interest in Bella. Bella is nearly killed by a far less progressive vampire. Edward blames himself. Jacob blames Edward (how convenient). Edward leaves town. Bella sinks to a deeper depth of despair, but is free to explore her own feelings for Jacob. Feelings which come to naught as Jacobs brothers are all only semi-progressive werewolves, and Bella can’t get over Edward.
Bella nearly dies again. So nearly that Edward is convinced she has died, and looks to end his own undead life. It’s like a Gothic Romeo and Juliet. Bella and Edward’s sister manage to save Edward from becoming a dead undead, but on the condition that Bella be turned, soon. Again Bella is all for it, Edward is against it, and people who over analyze are left to wonder about Bella’s parents.
Victoria, an apparent girlfriend of the vampire who nearly killed Bella in the beginning, has been, and still is plotting her revenge. She raises an army of undead, bent on killing Bella.
Meanwhile, Bella believes she has ironed out her feelings for Jacob enough to remain his friend, even though she is in love with his personal and ancestral rival, Edward. Even lesser characters than Paul know how poorly this is going to work out, but Bella seems amazed when the boys can’t get along.
Victoria and the undead army are vanquished. Jacob is ultimately relinquished into the friend zone. Despite knowing the outcome from the beginning, millions of Taylor Lautner supporters lament his fate.
As we approach Breaking Dawn, Bella and Edward are set to marry, become intimate, and transform Bella. The happy couple is of course nervous about approaching Bella’s father with the news, what with the whole your-daughter-is-going-to-become-a-vampire part of the deal.
Okay, you are up to speed. Some details regarding the Volturi, and Bella’s graduation, have been glossed over in the interest of space, but you may now attend your Breaking Dawn – Part 1 midnight showing comfortable in the knowledge that you won’t be completely lost.
Enjoy, and read the books.