Book to Screen
The ‘Twilight’ Book Scene That Never Made It Into the Films — But Should Have
When it comes to the first Twilight film and its following series of entries, there’s no denying their impact as a pop culture phenomenon. The entire saga is now available on Netflix for your enjoyment. But before the story of teen girl Bella (Kristen Stewart) and her supernatural loves, vampire Edward (Robert Pattinson) and werewolf Jacob (Taylor Lautner) came to the screen, they existed in Stephenie Meyer‘s book universe.
While adaptation isn’t a perfect science, and the films certainly had to cut down on some elements to make the book stories filmable, there is one scene in particular that deserved to make it on screen. For die-hard fans, they may recall a chapter from Twilight titled “Blood Type,” set after Edward saves Bella from being crushed by Tyler’s out-of-control car in the icy parking lot at Forks High School.
In the chapter, Edward decides to stop being distant and cold, as he’d previously treated Bella, and takes on a friendlier approach. This is important to note because that shift in dynamic includes a more humorous tone as Edward reveals his light-hearted side. As the chapter continues, Bella arrives at lunch and searches for Edward at the lunch table he usually shares with his family, only to find him missing.
Screenshot / Summit Entertainment
Later, Bella learns through friend Jessica that Edward was sitting at a different table by himself and that he was looking in her direction. When he waves her over to join him, Bella sits down, and they have the famous discussion about how maybe he’s not the superhero, but rather the bad guy. Intrigued, Bella seems eager to continue the chat in their biology class after lunch, but she’s disappointed to learn he’s skipping.
Not wanting to face consequences, Bella heads off to class only to become immediately faint when students start blood typing themselves. Over-eager Mike Newton offers to take Bella to the nurse’s office, but on their way there, Bella asks to sit for a moment, overcome by her queasiness. From a distance, Edward, who is listening to music in his car, sees Bella slumping onto the ground as Mike stands over her.
This prompts him to interrupt as he cuts in on Mike’s chivalrous act to scoop Bella up into his arms. Edward carries her the rest of the way. The duo’s ensuing dynamic in the nurse’s office is pure gold. Edward manages to sway Bella’s fainting spell in her favor by getting her out of having to attend gym class, and he drives her home, leading to some more fun banter.
As readers, we know why Edward skips class; no one wants a vampire around when blood typing is going on. While Bella is unaware of this at the moment, her remarks and Edward’s reactions throughout this chapter and scene specifically make for one of the funnier scenes in the series overall.
Again, while we love the films, Bella and Edward onscreen are mostly known for their super dramatic passion for one another. If this scene from the book had been included in the films, people would remember how funny Edward and Bella can be. Of course, you can’t make an actor who doesn’t have supernatural strength carry around a costar for several minutes, but perhaps there could have been a workaround?
While we’ll lament the loss of the book scene in the films, hope remains for Netflix’s upcoming Midnight Sun animated series, where physical capabilities aren’t a limitation. Plus, the blood typing scene in Meyer’s novel, which retells Twilight from Edward’s perspective, is just as funny, if not funnier, from his point of view.
But what do you think? Should the blood typing scene be included in adaptations? What book moment do you wish made it into the movies? Let us know in the comments section below.
Twilight, Streaming Now, Netflix
