I don't really see the schoolgirl trope with Bennett, to be honest; her most "schoolgirl" phase was when Caroline, not Topher, was seducing her. Topher and Bennett actually have a lot in common, more so than Buffy and Angel. But assuming it's thereBennett/Topher being played as a straight romance is undercut constantly--he punches her out and says, "She was almost perfect." They're both borderline sociopaths, though Topher is already developing an ability to connect to people before Bennett. Bennett dies via Whisky, who was partly Topher's creation, and Boyd, who is protecting Caroline, Bennett's psycho obsession. That the romance is also played as something real doesn't suggest to me that it's shown as healthy; very damaged, disturbed people do have feelings.
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I don't really see the schoolgirl trope with Bennett, to be honest; her most "schoolgirl" phase was when Caroline, not Topher, was seducing her. Topher and Bennett actually have a lot in common, more so than Buffy and Angel. But assuming it's thereBennett/Topher being played as a straight romance is undercut constantly--he punches her out and says, "She was almost perfect." They're both borderline sociopaths, though Topher is already developing an ability to connect to people before Bennett. Bennett dies via Whisky, who was partly Topher's creation, and Boyd, who is protecting Caroline, Bennett's psycho obsession. That the romance is also played as something real doesn't suggest to me that it's shown as healthy; very damaged, disturbed people do have feelings.