Love is far from rational. In fact, the heart wants what it wants, and often what it wants doesn’t make a lick of sense. I hope that isn’t the case with one of Sweet Valley’s favorite twins, Elizabeth Wakefield. You see there was Elizabeth’s first love, Todd Wilkins… They were so in love, and so annoying, until he moved across the country, thus ending their relationship. And Elizabeth was single for awhile (10 books) before falling in love with someone else: Jeffrey French. Their relationship proved to be healthier, stronger and better than her relationship with Todd, and Elizabeth did love him, but now Todd has moved back to Sweet Valley and she has to make a choice between the only two boys she has ever loved.
So I want to take this opportunity to sum up each of Elizabeth’s suitors and her relationship with each boy to see definitively who Elizabeth should end up with. And if she doesn’t make the right choice, just how irritated we should be. 😛
Todd Wilkins
Pros: Basketball star, first love, recently rich
Cons: Tendency to be irrational and get jealous for no reason, never believes in what Elizabeth thinks when it involves another pretty girl, plays to double-standards almost all of the time, always talks badly about Elizabeth’s twin sister, and let’s not forget the near-fatal motorcycle accident
Relationship Duration: 24 Books
Relationship Highlights: Todd and Elizabeth got together despite Todd believing in a few rumors about Elizabeth being wild and trashy (it was actually Jessica). They were fine until he bought a motorcycle and gave every girl in town a ride on it, even though Elizabeth couldn’t ride on it. The one time Elizabeth did ride on it, they crashed and Elizabeth was in a coma and then came out of said coma, actually wilder than Jessica. Todd decides to sell his beloved motorcycle for Elizabeth. Afterwards Todd gets jealous a couple of times for no reason. A boy seems to remember Elizabeth flirting with him, but Elizabeth swears she has never seen him before. Instead of remembering Elizabeth has an identical twin sister, Todd acts like a prick. When Elizabeth is kidnapped by a crazy person he is the first person to notice she is missing and after she is rescued she has dinner with another boy, finally giving Todd a legitimate reason to be upset, even if the dinner was completely innocent. Much more of the same happens, they’re happy until Todd acts like a prick and then Elizabeth feels guilty for his prickiness. Then on a summer biking trip Todd is being “too nice” to some bitch named Courtney. And she really is a bitch, especially to Elizabeth. When Elizabeth tries to stand up for herself (for once) Todd puts her down and tells her she is an awful person and they break up. Then Todd learns it’s really Courtney who is awful and he has been duped. They make up, though who knows why Liz took him back when he had a weak-ass apology full of excuses. Then he finds out his family is moving to Vermont and he and Elizabeth spend a book and a half saying goodbye. Todd visits the next Christmas, but has fallen in love with the twins’ former nemesis Suzanne Devlin. Todd and Suzanne start dating, and Elizabeth and Todd decide they’re better as just friends. Both of their feelings have changed. Todd comes back one final time, but Elizabeth is with Jeffrey and Todd isn’t interested anyway. They’re just friends and Elizabeth is happy that the guy she loves (Jeffrey) is secure enough to allow her to still be friends with Todd.
Jeffrey French
Pros: Soccer star, has many similar interests as Elizabeth, on the school paper with Elizabeth, trusts Elizabeth completely, even when he shouldn’t or has no reason to, patient to a fault, secure in their relationship and does not treat Elizabeth like a possession, and has this pesky habit of saving Elizabeth’s life (there have been several occasions including Jessica’s crazy stalker and Sweet Valley’s mad bomber).
Cons: He is not recently rich and he puts up with a lot of things he shouldn’t.
Relationship Duration: 34 Books
Relationship Highlights: When Jeffrey moves to Sweet Valley Elizabeth tries to set him up with her best friend Enid, but he isn’t interested, instead Jeffrey is interested in Liz. Elizabeth is crazy insecure and most guys would go running, but Jeffrey puts up with it. Then Todd comes back to Sweet Valley and Jeffrey is uncomfortable, but mostly because Elizabeth kept it a secret and he found out from someone else. But Jeffrey doesn’t tell Elizabeth she can’t see Todd, and by the end of the book he and Todd are friendly, and Jeffrey doesn’t even care if Elizabeth and Todd dance together as “just friends.” Elizabeth also realizes her love for Jeffrey is stronger than whatever feelings she still has for Todd. Elizabeth and Jeffrey are in their honeymoon stage for the next several books – in fact they rarely seem to take a break from that stage. Elizabeth supports Jeffrey as he helps a friend through some anger management problems. Then Elizabeth decides she might want to go away to a boarding school in Switzerland. Jeffrey doesn’t want Liz to leave, and is afraid of what a year away will mean for them, but he fully supports her and gets together with her best friend Enid Rollins, to make a special scrapbook for Elizabeth in case she ever gets homesick. Elizabeth is awarded the scholarship she realizes she could never leave her family, friends or Jeffrey behind and she stays. Then Jeffrey is there for Elizabeth when her good friend Regina Morrow, dies tragically. Jeffrey helps Elizabeth make a documentary of Sweet Valley for a contest since he is an expert with a camera. Elizabeth falls for this other boy, Eric, during the summer while Jeffrey is away working at a summer camp. But Eric ends up being in the witness protection program and has to leave when the mob finds him. Eric and Elizabeth have an emotional goodbye, and Elizabeth realizes it is entirely possible to be in love with two boys at once and it sucks. Slam books take over Sweet Valley High and Lila Fowler starts a rumor that Elizabeth Wakefield is going to end up with A.J. Morgan while Jeffrey is going to end up with Olivia Davidson, because Lila wants to get with Jeffrey. Jeffrey has been spending a lot of time with Olivia in order to help her with a school literary magazine she started and Elizabeth gets all insecure, dumps Jeffrey and goes after A.J. until Olivia and Jessica prove it was Lila behind the whole thing. Elizabeth apologies and gets Lila back by embarrassing her in said slam books. Jeffrey’s friend is in over his head with a loan shark and Jeffrey has to fix a soccer game or his friend is going to be killed. Jeffrey knows his friend’s life matters more, but feels awful. Elizabeth noses her way into the situation, gets kidnapped along with Jeffrey’s friend, but they get away and turn the loan shark in and Jeffrey is off the hook. He’s elated. Jessica cheats on her boyfriend and the guy ends up being a psycho. He mistakes Elizabeth for Jessica, not knowing she has a twin, and hits her on the head and then stuffs her in his trunk. Jessica stops him from taking off long enough for Jeffrey to take out the psycho and rescue Elizabeth. Jessica is lost at sea and missing, and Jeffrey is reassuring and supportive of Elizabeth, making her feel better about her guilt and making be more optimistic that Jessica will be found safe, and she is. Then their friend Olivia Davidson, is down on herself for being single and wants a boyfriend and keeps commenting on how Elizabeth is so lucky to have Jeffrey (she is) and how they are the perfect couple (they are, but Jeffrey could do better). Finally, it is summer again and there is a paranoid schizophrenic bomb-making genius on the loose. Lila and Jessica trick Liz into believing that Bruce Patman is terminally ill and she feels sorry for him and tries to make him feel better about life, which looks kind of bad. This is another of Lila’s schemes to get Jeffrey for herself. Jeffrey gets back a week early from his job at the summer camp, and surprises Elizabeth but sees Bruce hanging all over her. Elizabeth asks him to trust her, even though she can’t give him any reason why Bruce is a third wheel and all over Elizabeth when they normally dislike each other. Bruce brags to Jeffrey about having a date with Elizabeth when they already have plans, and when Elizabeth bails he is upset enough to calmly confront them. When he does, Elizabeth realizes she has been tricked and runs away and into the arms of that crazy bomb maker who mistakes her for this other chick who wronged him years ago. She is captured, and then so are Bruce and Jeffrey. But later the mad bomber gets distracted and Jeffrey tackles him and saves Elizabeth’s life again.
And now you’re brought up to speed.
I think it’s obvious who the better match for Elizabeth is. (It is also clear that Sweet Valley High is the craziest place ever.) Jeffrey has been with Elizabeth the longest. He calls her on her crap, supports her unconditionally and trusts her completely (even if he shouldn’t). They share a lot of interests and activities and she has already chosen him over Todd before. Todd on the other hand treats Elizabeth like a possession, and doesn’t trust her at all. He is always eyeing other girls, but doesn’t like Elizabeth talking with anyone who has a penis. He has also put her life in jeopardy whereas Jeffrey has the habit of being Elizabeth’s hero.
It’s a no-brainer, right?
Let’s just hope that Elizabeth thinks so too. I’m seriously worried because Todd was her first love, and well… you never forget your first. 😛
What do you think: should Elizabeth end up with Todd or Jeffrey? Click below on your choice (I know Todd may have some loyal followers…) and be sure to check back tomorrow when Elizabeth’s big decision will be revealed…
-DMW
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