"Visited" raises the question if Beatrice has always been such a Hate Sink or if she turned out like that as life went on, and if so, why? Richard claims that Beatrice was genuinely sweet and kind when they first met but changed for the worst over the course of their marriage. Johnathan, however, thinks she was simply putting on an act and merely dropped it after getting Richard as a husband. Both interpretations come from admittedly biased sources, so it's unclear who has the more accurate read on Beatrice's behavior.
Beatrice being an Impoverished Patrician who was pushed to marry for money by her parents does paint her actions in a new light. She could honestly think she was doing what was best for the family given what happened to her, and her other flaws just obscure what would otherwise be good intentions. Beatrice could also be bitter that her parents shoved her into a relationship she wasn't looking for, even if Richard genuinely loves her. Remember that both Star and Stella have had issues with how their respective mothers tried to raise them, so this being a familial version of The Chain of Harm wouldn't be surprising.
Beatrice's recently released biography gives credit to both interpretations of her behavior and reveals her feelings about her Arranged Marriage. She was raised from an early age to be a Proper Lady and spoiled with every luxury that money could buy. However, when Beatrice turned 18, her family almost became bankrupt and was on the verge of losing their ancestral estate. Thus, her parents introduced her to many suitors, pressuring her to marry into a wealthy family in order for them to avoid poverty. When she met her future husband Richard, they seemed be a good match. Following a brief courtship, Richard fell in love with and proposed to Beatrice, and their wedding was held not long after. He then paid off her family's debt and restored their wealth. Despite the circumstances, Beatrice did get along with Richard at the start of their relationship and tried to be (at least HER idea of) a good wife. However, the bio makes it clear that Beatrice always thought she was superior to others because of her status in life, and also felt a deep resentment over the lack of control she had in her youth and the fact that she was essentially sold by her parents to the Traville family. That resentment, along with her own domineering personality, flaws, and twisted views, cemented into bitterness over the years, and she began to rule over the Traville estate with an iron fist. While Beatrice may have been a relatively better person when she was younger, she was always awful, mainly because she was raised that way. Since her family was desperate to regain their former wealth and status, Beatrice likely hid her awful personality from Richard until later in life in order to acquire control over his estate.
It's heavily implied that Beatrice's actions partly stem from how her family was almost rendered destitute and she was forced to marry to regain their fortune, which she never wants to happen again. At the same time though, it's made clear that she cares more about herself and her family's image rather than her family itself, and if Beatrice ever had good intentions or kinder personality traits, they were long gone by the time she became a grandmother.
Stella Bevier
Stella's expanded backstory and Hidden Depths in the later stories raise some questions about her relationships.
Did she ever truly love Johnathan or just see him as a rich Trophy Husband to satisfy herself? Stella reflects in "Lost" that while they were happy together in the beginning of their marriage, she's not completely sure why she left Johnathan the way she did, and wonders if she felt neglected in favor of his work or simply grew bored with him. In "Bonding", Johnathan admits Stella was always hard to please and would usually blame him for her own failures, which is not helped by her claiming that she should've listened to her mother about not "marrying a common lawyer" like him and expressing irritation at how he refused to take on certain cases which could've earned them more money. Plus, "Visited" reveals that Stella never defended Johnathan from her mother's abuse over his humble background, though she justifies it by Beatrice having raised her daughter to never question her. The narrative of the fic series settles on both, with Stella being genuinely in love with Johnathan at first but their differences gradually eroded this into something shallower, leading to their marriage falling apart. This adds another element to her rediscovered feelings for Johnathan, with Stella's Character Development perhaps causing her to see her ex-husband in a new light and regret not being more appreciative of him when they were married.
Did Stella ever truly love Jean-Luc Bevier or did she only subconsciously want to please her Rich Bitch mother by marrying a Blue Blood who fits Beatrice's elitist standards? Or both? While Stella claims they bonded over being aristocrats and she was swept up in his charm and sophistication, they don't seem close since in "Boxed", she admits she never knew Jean-Luc loved boxing despite being married to him for years at that point (in contrast to how she still remembers that Johnathan's favorite color is green). Spectra also heavily implies in "Dressed" that Stella is more aware of Jean-Luc's infidelity than she lets on, which is supported in "Costumed" when she argues with him about ogling another woman at a Halloween party (which none of the main cast or their families attend, meaning she doesn't have to try to save face). Stella eventually admits in "Visited" while Calling the Old Woman Out that Beatrice's expectations made her do things "without a second thought" which she now regrets, indicating her domineering mother's influence did play a role in her impulsively running off with Jean-Luc. This suggests her constantly defending her husband despite him being an unfaithful, womanizing jerkass isn't just Stella being in denial, but stems from her fear that leaving him will invoke Beatrice's wrath and/or force her to admit that she ruined her first loving marriage All for Nothing (with the latter reason only growing stronger after finally standing up to her mother).
Considering Stella has always resented Beatrice deep down for being a cruel My Beloved Smother to her for her whole life, maybe she married Johnathan partly to get back at her mother and try to be her own person by making her own choices before things between them soured and she met Jean-Luc?
Is Stella actually oblivious to Colette's true nature or just ignores it because her pride won't let her admit she failed SO spectacularly as a parent that she raised a sociopath? Spectra's testimony in "Dressed" implies that Stella is more aware of Colette's awful personality and disregard for her stepmother than she lets on, which lends some credence to the latter theory.
Considering the tension between Colette and Star, and that a major reason for Star's strained relationship with Stella is her mother's favoritism of her stepsister to the point of dismissing Star's many complaints about her bullying, Stella's refusal to acknowledge Colette is an irredeemable bitch even as the latter's growing obsession with Danny is bringing out her true colors could also be her not wanting to face the harsh truth that Colette (and Jean-Luc) never cared about her. This would mean her entire relationship with Colette is a lie and render all the years she spent raising her stepdaughter and her efforts to redeem her pointless, making her neglect of Star in the process even more self-centered.
"Blackmailed" explains that a major reason Stella is so lenient with Colette and insistent she can change is because she was led to believe Colette's biological mother and ex-stepmothers were all callous Gold Diggers who mistreated and abandoned her, and has been manipulated into thinking she's Colette's "favorite stepmother". Thus, Stella constantly tries to give her stepdaughter a break despite her out of control behavior since coming to Amity Park because she wants to be a better mother to Colette in hopes of guiding her onto the right path. For her, this would only be possible if Colette had a legitimate Freudian Excuse for her behavior and isn't just a sociopath.
In light of "Visited":
Is Stella so lax in her parenting because she doesn’t want her kids to be subjected to the same overbearing and stifling upbringing as she was under her demanding and emotionally abusive mother Beatrice?
It could be argued that part of the reason Stella is so opposed to Beatrice’s plan to arrange Star to marry Donovan Loadman, a wealthy suitor of her own choosing, is because she subconsciously doesn’t want her daughter to end up like her: a Trophy Wife stuck in an increasingly loveless marriage with an upper-class creep that doesn’t care about her while having no identity of her own. Stella even reveals while Calling the Old Woman Out that she did so many things she regrets solely to please her mother, implicitly including leaving Johnathan for Jean-Luc.
Colette Bevier
Does Colette have any real feelings for Danny, or is she just obsessed with him for saying "no" to her in favor of Star? It was made clear from the start that Colette was initially only interested in Danny because she wanted to hurt Star by stealing him like she did with her stepsister's previous boyfriends. However, Colette also shows hints that she generally appreciates Danny's mellow Nice Guy personally and that he is different from the other guys she dated in the past. So in her own warped way, does she want a positive, loving relationship with someone but doesn't even know what it is because she's been raised by neglectful Pushover Parents who enable her bad behavior (including a Serial Homewrecker dad who she ended up taking after)? Maybe her controlling behavior towards Danny is because she subconsciously fears that he will abandon her like her mom and stepmoms did?
However, the series emphasizes time and again that Colette mainly considers Danny a "challenge" to overcome and his rejection of her only fuels this because her pride can't handle him or any guy turning her down. Even if Colette does manage to get Danny to date her, she aims to mold him into her version of a perfect boyfriend and future husband to the point of dictating how Danny behaves and who he is friends with, not caring how miserable he will be as long as she has him. This proves that whatever feelings Colette has for Danny take a backseat to her wanting an obedient spouse who will fulfill her every command. Regardless if her feelings for Danny are genuine or not, it doesn’t change the fact that Colette has no respect for him since she stubbornly ignores his wishes to leave him and his loved ones alone or even acknowledge that he completely hates her guts.
Colette is capable of MUCH worse behavior as shown in "Empowered" when she is granted ghost powers, as she quickly develops megalomania by letting them go completely to her already swollen head. Colette is willing to force Danny into a relationship with her by killing his loved ones and even threatens to squash him when he refuses to submit to her demands. This proves she couldn't care less about Danny's feelings or wellbeing so her interest in him isn't just extremely shallow, but murderously possessive.
Colette does acknowledge Danny's positive qualities in "Blackmailed" when she defends him from Donovan Loadman, but her dialogue makes it clear she will take joy in stripping Danny of his virtues in order to force his personality to be identical to hers. Colette does horrible things because she wants to and isn't the least bit repentant about them when Kwan or Danny call her out. Ultimately, ruining people's lives is something she does for fun regardless of what other motives are at play.
