The fight between Jacob and Edward fans is something that continues to this day. Edward was Bella’s first - and ultimately only - boyfriend. And although there are die-hard fans that love Jacob, he and Bella were never officially together. However, this doesn’t stop fans from loving the pair.
Even so, it is difficult to ignore the fact that some moments between Bella and Jacob are awkward, uncomfortable, and just make viewers cringe. No matter which couple you ship, there are some Twilight Saga scenes involving Bella and Jacob that are difficult to watch.
When Bella Calls Jacob Beautiful
From the moment Edward leaves Bella in the woods in New Moon, she isolates herself from all of her friends. This transpires for a time before she finds kinship with Jacob. He helps her fix old bikes from a junkyard, which is an act that makes Jacob inspiring. And through this friendship, she begins to heal her heart. But even all during this time, Bella maintains that she will be broken forever and can never love again.
This is what makes many of her other actions confusing, especially for Jacob. While practicing with her newly fixed bike, Bella crashes it, hitting her head. “You’re sort of beautiful,” she tells Jacob as he rushes towards her. This is an uncomfortable situation since Bella had already put clear boundaries between her and Jacob. Bella often sends Jacob mixed signals, which get her into trouble later on.
When Jacob Takes Off His Shirt
As a werewolf, Jacob usually prefers to go shirtless. It is more convenient in the event he has to shift. But he's shirtless before he even makes the transition. After Bella crashes her bike, he runs to her side and finds that she is bleeding from an open head wound.
Jacob’s first inclination is to take off his entire shirt to use it as a bandage. Of course, this is not the only scene where Jacob runs around shirtless, but where it should be about Bella and her injury, the scene is distracting because the focus is put back on Jacob and his six-pack.
When Jacob Shows Up To The Movies
New Moon is full of uncomfortable situations. Bella still has to contend with Jacob’s unwanted affections, as well as Mike Newton’s. Mike asks Bella to the movies and Bella immediately makes it clear that this would just be as friends. She invites all of her friends at the lunch table, and Jacob as well.
When the night comes to see the movie, only Jacob and Mike show up. Jacob comes even though he knows that he will be out of place. He and Mike battle for her affection, and this elicits one of Jacob's sassiest quotes when he threatens to put Mike in the hospital. It's even more awkward that Bella has to buy Jacob’s ticket for the R-rated film.
When Bella Resists Holding Jacob's Hand
Jacob is not the only one in Twilight that can’t take a hint. For the movies that he is in, Mike Newton has a desperate unrequited crush on Bella. Despite how many times Bella tries to push him away, he always comes back wanting more. This is especially true when Mike, Jacob, and Bella go to the movies in a strange threesome. Mike ultimately loses this battle when he gets sick with the flu.
While Bella and Jake are waiting in the lobby for him, Jacob tries to nonchalantly hold Bella’s hand. Bella immediately freezes up and pulls away from him. This is an awkward scene that repeats itself between the two. Bella can’t be with Jacob, but she also insists that he remain her friend, which is just one of the things about Bella that makes no sense. Even though she knows his true feelings for her, she doesn't commit in a satisfying way.
When Jacob Kisses Bella Against Her Will
Bella tells Jacob in no uncertain many times that she will always choose Edward. But Jacob is a teenager with hormones who often cannot take a hint and doesn't back down. This culminates in a horrible incident where Jacob forces Bella to kiss him.
Jacob is sure that Bella feels the same way and his werewolf strength makes him stronger than her, which he uses against her. Jacob shows little to no remorse for forcing Bella to do something she doesn’t want to do. This is a particularly cringeworthy scene that is just one of the things in Twilight that has not aged well.
When Jacob Carries Bella To The Campsite
Edward and Jacob become aligned in Eclipse once it is clear that Bella is in danger. Victoria amasses an army of newborn vampires to kill Bella as revenge for James’s death. Because of Bella’s endangerment, Jacob and Edward agree to work together. But that doesn’t stop Jacob from taking cheap shots where he can get them.
Victoria and her army are trying to track Bella to kill her. Jacob solves this by masking Bella's scent with his own werewolf one. He picks up Bella in front of Edward and runs the few miles shirtless with her in his arms. While he may pretend this is for the greater good, it is clear he does this just to be provocative.
When Jacob Threatens To Die In Battle
Jacob vacillates from being sensitive to being easily enraged and his flair for the dramatic, at times, even rivals Edward’s. Before the battle in Eclipse, Jacob hears that Edward and Bella are planning on getting married. He runs away but eventually comes back to talk to Bella about it.
Jacob is still sure that Bella loves him. He threatens that he'll die in battle to shame Bella into confessing her feelings for him. This is a manipulative and toxic move that is one of the worst things that Jacob ever did.
When Jacob Shakes Bella
Jacob eventually agrees to let Bella go so she can marry Edward. Bella and Edward invite Jacob to their wedding and despite his agreement to let them be happy, he overreacts. After the ceremony, Jacob attempts to quell his jealousy and shows up. But Bella’s happiness that her best friend has arrived is short-lived.
Jacob becomes enraged when he learns that Bella and Edward will be consummating their marriage while she is still human. His concern is that Edward will kill Bella in the act. This is hypocritical because as Jacob becomes angrier, he almost hurts Bella himself. He grabs her and shakes her, using his strength against her. Only when his pack reveals himself is he able to stop.
When Jacob Imprints On Bella’s Daughter
With all of Jacob’s insistence that Bella is the only one for him, this is proven false. Jacob does many problematic things, such as manipulating Bella and refusing to let her go. But one of his worst actions is imprinting on her newborn daughter.
Imprinting in Twilight is specific to werewolves and it's how they find their mates. The device is framed to be romantic, but a teenage boy falling in love with a baby is one of the worst crimes ever shown in Twilight.
Bella Accepts Jacob Imprinting On Her Daughter
Bella’s eventual acceptance of Jacob’s relationship with her daughter is glossed over by the end of the series. Bella is initially enraged that Jacob imprinted on Renesmee. But this incredulity fades quickly. Bella depends on Jacob’s protection in all things, including her daughter, and Jacob becomes a defacto babysitter.
This becomes even worse at the end of Breaking Dawn Part II. Alice sees a vision where Edward, Bella, Jacob, and Renesmee are happy together forever. This absolves Jacob of everything he has done wrong in the series.
