User blog comment:The Oblivious Prattler/The Winx's Love Lives/@comment-25405775-20170328172201

I'd like to preface this by saying that while I don't disagree with you, magical girl shows, or at least the ones that I'm familiar with, usually stick the magical girl protagonists with one designated love interest each with permanent glue until the show ends. Rarely do I see a magical girl changing love interests throughout the story. The only exception I can think of off the top of my head right now was Cornelia Hale's doomed relationship with Caleb from W.I.T.C.H., and to this day I still don't understand why the writers set them up to be this epic, tragic love in the first arc only to toss everything into the garbage after the second arc. Forget Aisha/Nabu, that was the real shocker of my childhood. But I'm too upset about it, because what followed that breakup was one of the most positive and uplifting story arcs about healing after loss and finding love and happiness again.

So I guess my point is, while magical girl shows don't like to spice up the girls' love lives because Status Quo Is God, they should do so more often. I don't mean break everyone up for the sake of drama all the time, but when a relationship doesn't work anymore (like in the case of Musa/Riven), or ends tragically (like in the case of Aisha/Nabu) they shouldn't be afraid of ending it and teaching girls positive lessons: That it's okay a relationship doesn't work out, sometimes loving a person just isn't enough. That yes, the death of a loved one is tragic and you're allowed to mourn and grieve, but it will get better one day and you will get through this.

Yikes, I rambled. Hope you get what I meant.

Going back to Flora/Helia... It pains me to say this, but their season 7 drama was so forced. Ever since season 5, the writers have felt a compulsive need to insert some convoluted drama in their relationship, and those always end up making Flora/Helia look worse than they already do. I tolerated them up until season 7, when the drama had to hinge on both Flora and Helia acting OOC for it to happen. The whole jealousy subplot in season 5 was stupid, but still somewhat in character. The arguing over plant care thing in season 6 was downright petty and was them basically making a mountain out of a molehill, but still acceptable. But Flora getting mad at Helia at every turn because he apparently doesn't respect nature enough for her liking? That's just... I'm running out of adjectives to describe just how utterly pointless that was.

The whole arguing over Amarok thing I can get behind, though. Yes, Amarok is a wild animal, but let's be honest, the show treats him as a domesticated dog. And dogs need to be disciplined. I guess the whole thing was just Flora trying to be more assertive than usual, since her good girl persona isn't going to make any dog respect her as the pack leader. On the other hand, Helia is easygoing, carefree and artistic, so he believes in "animals being animals", and that's where their disagreement comes in. I do find their conflict over raising Amarok believable, but not that brief stint in episode 4 when Flora got mad at Helia twice, once for swatting at the creatures, and again because she thought he woke that giant turtle up.

Wow, this was long. I'm sorry.