Board Thread:False Info and Speculative Discussion/@comment-24732895-20140910035928/@comment-24.229.140.201-20140915210836

People can choose to watch or not watch for any reason at all - and that includes choosing not to watch because they find a character poorly written, offensive, or just annoying. That doesn't make them fake fans. Fans of the show aren't required to love it no matter what, or to never criticize it. Arguably, some of the fans care more about the show than the writers do, given the lazy characterization that went on in S4. And yes, Malia was a big problem in S4 and if there's no reason to believe that will change, I can understand people giving up on S5. The fact is, a character with a horribly-written backstory was shoved into the core group too quickly, and between her and the other new characters, a lot of fans felt they didn't get to see the relationships they actually care about on the show. I love Teen Wolf, but I won't pretend to like S4 and I can't stand Malia, because she makes no damned sense. And if S5 is going to center around her and a search for her mother, The Desert Wolf, then I'm not sure I'll be watching, either.

Maybe writers look at things from a different perspective than other fans, IDK. But here's the thing - fans become attached to characters they like. If you're going to take time away from the ones they like by bringing in new characters, then you have to do it carefully. And  you can't do it by telling us we're going to love the character. You have to introduce and write the character in a way that  LETS us love her. That didn't happen with Malia. If she's not a popular character, it's not a reflection on the fans; it's a reflection on the writers and showrunners.