User blog:Sarcastic Don/Character Appreciation - Week 26: Jasmine

Welcome to Character Appreciation, a blog series that will run for the whole year alongside  Project 10 . Each week we'll take a look at one Total Drama character, what we like and dislike about them, how they've grown, and what we hope to see from them in the future. I'm Sarcastic Don, and we're going to look at The Australian Outback Girl, Jasmine!

Overview
Jasmine debuts in Total Drama Pahkitew Island in a cast of misfits. She becomes friends with Samey while picking berries in Twinning Isn't Everything. After seeing her get mistreated by Amy over and over, she sympathizes and decides to be her friend. This escalates later when she helps Samey eliminate her sister and pretend Amy is still on the island. She also shows signs of weakness in This Is The Pits! where she struggles with her claustrophobia and tries to get above ground. She later develops an admiration for Shawn, her love interest on the island, and finds his gimmick cute. Yet, after he knocks her into the water for the win, she gets angry at him which rebounds in the finale. However, she makes up with him before her elimination. They are one of the few couples to kiss before leaving the island.

Opinions
She's such a breath of fresh air. After gimmick after gimmick we finally get someone who seems normal. She's kind, compassionate, eager to help in challenges, supportive of her friends, loyal (especially after hearing what Shawn wants to do with the money), but also fairly insecure. That's what makes her seem humbled and actually get away with some of her power plays. I loved that she shows her claustrophobia in This Is The Pits!. Even the fiercest competitors have their weak spots.

She could've easily been a Mary-sue character with her Outback skills but she's not. She's tough and courageous. With her added strengths, she recognizes that she intimidates people, though this is not the way she wants to come off. I like that we see her struggle to appear less intimidating. She is incredibly self-aware and knows what her strengths and weaknesses are more than her fellow castmates.

I also appreciate how genuine she is. She has a cute snort to her laugh, is not fake to people, is not afraid to lose her composure (and refuses to talk to Shawn for 5-6 episodes), and tries to be supportive of her teammates. Especially in a cast of misfits, she seems the most realistic. She seems like someone I could be friends with in real life.

I also love her relationship with Shawn. Yes it is bumpy, but she takes us through every part of the way, opening up to the viewers why she likes him despite his faults. While there is a mutual attraction, neither are skilled romantically. They spend several episodes avoiding each other (Jasmine) or figuring out how to apologize (Shawn). Their relationship feels very real because the show doesn't gloss over their arguments. In fact, their trouble spots compose the majority of their relationship. Yet, they're able to mature enough by the end of their time on the island to make-up and be one of the only couples on the show to kiss. They are ultimately supportive of each other (like their ideas for the money) and help each other succeed (in Shawn's ending).

Best Moment:Reassuring Samey in Twinning Isn't Everything Best Season: TDPI Best Episode: This Is The Pits!

Comments
What about you? Despite the title, this blog is open to all opinions! Share your thoughts about Jasmine in the comments and use the userboxes /  /  / too. Don't forget to share your Best Moment, Best Season and Best Episode of Jasmine! Next week, someone will be analyzing and giving their opinions on the Take-No-Prisoners Jock-ette, Jo.