u/Original_Ad_8139

In my opinion there were different reasons and choices that kinda ruined the show (Will's presence, tentacle's purpose, Emma missing and not talking about her at all, Zane and Rikki's downfall, a distant vibe from the original plot, static dialogues, unnecessary drama, etc.).

Sometimes people blame her personality not fitting with Rikki and Cleo and while it's true the OG trio is unbeatable, she would've matched a lot better with the girls if Emma was there too (I totally see the four mermaids being a strong and tight group).

Bella's character definitely deserved so much more expansion and she had the potential to explore the mermaid lore.

I guess we would've loved her even more if she appeared in S2 or from the beginning. Unfortunately they didn't give her a proper development but I'm glad to say that Bella almost saved the season, since she was the only one bringing a new energy into the story which wasn't necessarily a contrast to the first seasons.

You've read it a billion times, but her energy not being there felt like a void to me.

Emma's personality was so strong and necessary, other than being the core of the show together with Rikki and Cleo.

We reached a point where Charlotte committed the worst things in the show and they're actually normalized, while Cleo and Lewis are downright called the toxic ones for respectively reading a diary and not always being available for dates.

Why can't Cleo be understood since her parents divorced, she had a sister who bothered her all the time, her dad filled her with responsibilities, THE MERMAID secret being more difficult to keep with the new powers, etc.? And why can't be Lewis understood too for living an emotional abuse and trying to spend the time with his friends?

Maybe you're forgetting Charlotte voluntarily CHOSE to insert herself between them and she literally forced a relationship. There's no excuse for her abusive behaviour.

I'm honestly worried about how this generation is evolving.

I've come to the conclusion that these people didn't really watch the show but they're telling a story that never happened to provoke reactions.

They're very beautiful btw, especially compared with men lol

You can tell me whatever you want, but she was the worst kind of person you can meet in any environment: fake, manipulative, envious, cunning, toxic, abusive, entitled, scheming... she crossed the line too many times and honestly the girls and Lewis were too patient with her

Rewatching the show, I feel like Cleo and Emma had very few scenes; most of them were connected to Rikki being with Zane and the girls not agreeing or the drama between Cleo and Lewis. In fact, I loved how writers decided Emma was the one finding the locket and then giving it to Cleo at her party to portray their friendship, bc they could get a lot of space but I'm also glad the trio was the main dynamic and nobody was excluded.

They literally focused everything on Will's figure (but honestly no one cared) when we all wanted to know more about Bella's life before coming in S3. She would've brought more secrets, stories, support to the girls and maybe someone trying to out her in the past... we got nothing about it

At least Rikki finally tried, loved this parallel

What some people don't understand is Charlotte's role in her first part of the season and they exchange fake cordiality with real politeness from Charlotte.

It's very obvious how she had to be "good" towards Lewis bc she had a proper goal since her first episode and she saw how much Cleo was vulnerable, working subtly on her weaknesses (trying to get close to Lewis and complimenting him in front of Cleo on purpose in 02x03, forcing Lewis to have a picnic together and challenging Cleo at the end of 02x06, giving Lewis's hoodie to Cleo in order to make her jealous and drive a deeper wedge in 02x08, inviting herself at Lewis's cerimony in 02x09, tutoring Cleo to get her away from Lewis and manipulating him in the whole 02x10, etc.).

She also displayed such entitlement and arrogance towards JuiceNet workers (Emma and Wilfred) in 02x05, wanting that juice at all costs, while interfering between Lewis and Cleo snitching on them.

That is definitely not good person behavior. Cleo, even if she didn't have to read her diary, wasn't so wrong being suspicious about Charlotte.

I loved when the girls were well-coordinated with each other, especially by matching colors and vibes.