Well, the sacrificial lamb has always been an element of the Bond films. So, what has changed, really?
Seconded. They fulfil a classic Bond trope, even if it's a disappointingly dated one.
But they do seem to keep throwing away these characters too soon - apart from Solange, whose exit held the proper weight. Strawberry and (especially) Severine were badly underused, basically being episodes in the larger story, and only barely being useful enough to count as plot devices. Think TND did it better...
Exactly. While the "sacrificial lamb" has always been part of the Bond Mythos, there's something regressive about how the Craig Era has embraced it relentlessly. Ever since FYEO, we've had two Bond Girls who are actively part of the story. Obviously TLD was an anomaly. But, Hell, even Lupe survived LTK and I was sure she was a goner. Her living past the end credits was a pleasant surprise.
TND was the only one until Danny C. arrived that re-introduced the "sacrificial lamb" trope. But at least Paris C. was surprisingly compelling and her death actually powered the story. By contrast, the "sacrificial lambs" in the Craig films (excepting Solange) feel quite thankless and, well, innocuous. Severine as essayed wonderfully by Berenice M. and the character had so much potential and Berenice deserve more room to strut her stuff, but apparently Logan and Mendes felt that she should exit stage left as soon as possible in a particularly effed-up re-do of the William Tell legend...
Madeline Swann better be one kick-ass Bond Girl to make up for all her sistahs who got the shaft....