Saturday, March 19, 2011

No one writes songs about the easy ones...

Relationships are hardly easy. There's usually some problems, some little wrinkles that need to be smoothed out, annoying habits you find out weeks down the road or past traumas that lurk below the surface. Rarely are you going to agree on everything, rarely is everyone going to be thrilled for you.

There's so much emotion that is wrapped up in one connection. Decisions, future plans, past flames, jealous friends, it's so easy to let things get muddled. There's sexual tension, jealousy, infatuation, anxiety, drama...

Falling in love is a leap and it requires a lot of trust to make sure the other person is there for you. And it seems to me, in these modern days, trust comes few and far between.

Just me?

Oh, well at least I have daddy issues to blame for that one. 

Anyways, in the spirit of relationships--something that I haven't always had the easiest time with, I thought I'd give you a list of my top fictional couples. Yes, they're all television couples  and that's because I think that's where you can really see the ups and downs of relationships. Not everything gets wrapped up in a nice little bow (or otherwise left indie-liciously ambigious) at the end of two and a half hours. Television lets you see characters develop, relationships change, evolve, go through hell and come back. 

And if you're lucky, live happily ever after. 

So these are probably my top five favourites. I may regret this list at some point, but I've been sitting on this idea for awhile and I think I might have nailed it. 

5.

  
This was probably the hardest decision of the five to make. There were too many couples I could have put in this spot: Xander & Anya, Helo & Athena, Sid & Cassie, Tara & Willow, Oz & Willow, Steve & Miranda, Gus & Felicity... 

After some weighing the options, I almost backed out of what I originally had here. But then I start writing about why I loved Sid and Cassie so much and decided that yeah, they have to be here.

Sid and Cassie are here simply because Skins and their writers were so great at portraying a couple of any age, but really fucking good at portraying how hard it can be to be a teen and especially one half of a couple as a teen. There was so much pain in that relationship, so much hurt, confusion, betrayl and I think it summed up a lot of what I felt like when I was growing up and trying to figure out what 'love' was and looking at all the wrong people for it. 

Cassie is the perfect dream girl. She's sweet, brutally honest, a little damaged but really shows Sid that he needs to grow up. Not to say she's perfect in general, she's equally damaged--but she's a lot more aware of it. 

For all their damages, for all the pain, there were real moments of genuine happiness and they really brought the best out of each other. 

(Note: I couldn't embed the video, so please visit here for Sid and Cassie in action)

4.


Jessica and Hoyt from True Blood. 

This is probably the main reason I continue to watch True Blood--well them and Franklin but this isn't a post about my favourite crazy motherfuckers. 

Jessica and Hoyt are sweet without being sappy, are strong but equally shy, are innocent but at the same time jaded. They feel like the only "real" couple in a television show surrounded by the Sookies and Bills (zzzz). Their problems don't feel fake or dishonest, she's someone that his family doesn't approve of and his family is all he knows. It's not rooted in how many dudes are all over her business. 

It would be easy to slip into something campy or cartoon-y, especially on this show, but for all the fuckery that he has down, Ball really hit the nail on the head with Jessica, giving us a well rounded new vampire, scared and alone and trying to find her way in the world--a feeling that most girls her/my age can relate to. Her relationship with Hoyt, just continues to grow and brings out the best things about her and all those uncertanties that get in the way. 

(Note: I couldn't decide on which Jessica & Hoyt video to use so you get both!)





3.




Elena and Damien from Vampire Diaries.

Okay, so they're not really a 'true couple'. A technicality, really. She is after all, dating his brother. However, as much as I actually like Stephen and Elena--and I say that shockingly as he is a "good" vampire ala Angel and they've managed to make him interesting without falling back into boring or too much of a cliche, I ADORE the idea of Elena and Damien. 

This is where the chemistry comes in. The fire. The drama. The longing. Unlike the other couples of this list, they haven't gotten off the ground but they still have a lot of the same issues that these other couples have had. The mistrust, the problems, the longing. 

This may be one of those situations where it's better being teased, mainly because it's hard to really imagine them together--but that's half the fun. The writers for Vampire Diaries have really managed to create this taunt, sexy, tragic relationship and still keep it fun and interesting without dragging it out or ending it completely. There's always hints, a situation here, a saving there. And really, this scene just nails their entire relationship in such a heartbreaking way.

(Note: Another video I couldn't embed. Sigh. Please view here)


2.



Lily and Marshall from How I Met Your Mother. 

Surprisingly these guys aren't the top of my list. I'm as shocked as anyone, however this is the couple that I want my relationships to be modeled after. This is how I want my marriage to look like--or hell, just any long term relationship. 

Lily and Marshall have been together forever. They still 'get' each other, they're never bored. Yes, they're dorky, yes they have weird habits (sharing toothbrushes, calling each other at lunch, telling each other what they had for lunch) but they're adorable and they embrace their dorkiness. It's part of what makes them, them. 

There's a long standing comfort between them, she trusts him completely with her heart and any issues they do have isn't the 'typical' couple problems you'd see on previous sitcoms. There's never any misunderstandings on possible cheating, there's never him just complaining about her nagging. They're adorable, loving, real and I think that anyone who watches this show, really wants their relationship to have some sort of aspect or hint of what these two have. 

They are after all, Mr and Mrs Awesome. 


(Note: I couldn't find any of the clips to really illustrate how awesome Lily and Marshall are so just go watch HIMYM. God. And instead, you get Barney flight suiting up).



1.



Veronica and Logan from Veronica Mars.

This could be because I haven't watched this show in forever and I forgot how much I really do love it. Season One was absolute perfection.

This could also be because Veronica is probably one of my favourite characters on television ever. 

But this could also be because Veronica and Logan's relationship is dynamic, it's smart, unpredictable and the two characters have really risen above a lot of the stereotypical issues that young couples can have. There's never a doubt that they don't "get" each other. They both have their share of family issues and I think the writers were really smart to give us this jackass and then make him human. And then to pair that jackass with a hardass. 

Unlike her first boyfriend, Logan keeps up with Veronica's snark. He dishes it back out at her. He doesn't let her get away with a lot of her crap and while they've been through so much together, they still manage to have this epic LoVe story. 

1 comment:

  1. I cannot even describe to you how much thought/time/effort etc. I've put into analyzing relationships. I am constantly reviewing mine and observing other couples. Couldn't relate more to your first few paragraphs, its like you took the words right out of my diary LOL

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