I think we can all agree that Bela this season was making LOTS of bad decisions and sabotaging herself every chance she got. I’ve seen quite a few people calling her a “villain” though (she was really mean, but I think this might be a bit much) and some others not understanding her decisions.

The cast gave two interviews in November: the video above with In Creative Company and Etalk, https://youtu.be/DILl0aFNdSQ (1:35 - 2:28), where Amrit Kaur talked about Bela’s characterization, specifically hurting people through her insecurities, and how her storyline in Season 2 was informed by the sexual assault and fallout that she underwent in the first season.

Obviously, this in no way excuses her actions, but I think to contextualise Bela’s behaviour, she’s still dealing with some (very recent) unresolved trauma, and issues relating to her self-worth/sexuality, which in turn leads to certain “coping mechanisms” that only end up causing pain, to herself and others. Her panic over Priya and using sex as a tool (again) with that comedian seem to stem from those problems, as well as her desire to transfer and her bullying/lying about the article. Seems like she’s displaying some delayed trauma responses of fight, flight, and perhaps fawn (seeking external validation).

While she did finally acknowledge her wrongdoings at the end of this season, thus ending the cycle of victims becoming perpetrators, she sadly seems to be in the “running away from her messes” phase. Hopefully next season will have her unpacking everything in much-needed therapy and make proper amends to everyone.