After last week's thought-provoking, tear-inducing meme, time I think for a thought-provoking, tear-inducing meme:
Who's your favourite romantic TV couple?
A lot to choose from here: the Doctor and Rose? Jack and Ianto? Spike and Lynda? Maddie and David? Serena and Dan? Carrie and Big? Vince and Penny? Dempsey and Makepeace? CJ and Danny? Adama and Laura? Steed and Mrs Peel?
So many and I've barely scratched the surface. But who are your favourites?
As always, leave a comment with your answer or a link to your answer on your own blog.
Related entries
- July 23, 2009: Weird old titles: Tucker's Witch
Today's weird old titles are from Tucker's Witch
May 20, 2009 | Reply
It has to be Desmond and Penny from Lost, surely. A romance played out across space and time, where the couple weren't even sharing scenes together for awhile. But it's STILL the best romantic story on Lost, despite the fact the Kack/Kate/Sawyer/Juliet "love-square" is more central to things. A testament to actors Henry Ian Cusick and Sonya Walger for doing SO much with the material.
May 20, 2009 | Reply
With this meme comes the uncomfortable realisation that I can't really recall to many romantic couples from TV easily. I've had to go stare at my DVD collection to try and remember any of them.
And that's where I hit a realisation that I don't watch too many shows with a heavy romantic element to them, they're either comedy shows with a married couple or ones with doomed relationships in them. I'm now concerned.
But I did find my favourite pair. Jim and Pam from The Office (USA)
May 20, 2009 | Reply
Joel and Maggie on Northern Exposure. The best will-they-won't-they romance since Beatrice and Benedick.
May 20, 2009 | Reply
@Dan: Ooh, I do loves a bit of Desmond and Penny, although Juliet/Sawyer definitely appeals.
@Rev: I know what you mean. Most romances on TV are doomed and there are few explicitly romantic shows on TV (May to December, As Time Goes By being two of them). And those that are supposed to be romantic are generally wretched (eg Cupid, Valentine). Sigh. Heartbreaking, isn't it?
However, I think I've decided mine, after much contemplation: Grissom and Sara on CSI - a nine season romance with a happy ending.
BTW, no cheating anyone else and suggesting Elizabeth and Mr Darcy - no book adaptations!
May 20, 2009 | Reply
The comments I posted earlier seem to have mysteriously vanished, so apologies if this comes out twice.
My favourite TV couple would have to be Mac and Caroline in Green Wing, because their relationship was teased out so exquisitely over the series. I loved the things they didn't say, and all the missed opportunities, and the fact that when they finally got it together Mac had a terminal illness.
I think in the main I prefer the sexual tension to be kept going till the very end of the series - Ross and Rachel in Friends worked brilliantly till they got together, but by the time it finished I was thoroughly hacked off with being so manipulated. (For that reason while I would love to see Gene get in on with Alex,in Ashes to Ashes, I simultaneously don't).
I'm wondering Rob if the reason there isn't much
romance on TV is because it is so difficult to maintain interest once the couple has got together. We all know real life means that it's not all roses round the door, so we lose the escapist factor once the two starcrossed lovers become Mr and Mrs. I think there are very few genuinely satisfying romantic conclusions as well.
One I really loved (look it's inspired by P&P, it ISN'T P&P, so I hope it counts!) was Amanda getting together with Darcy at the end of Lost in Austen. I really was saying YAY!! and feeling the love. Dawn and Tim getting together at the end of The Office had a similar effect, but I can't think of many others. Can anyone else?
I am a real sucker for romances where the couple are kept apart by time/parallel universes/other circs (cf comment about Kyle and Sarah Connor in Terminator on last week's meme), which is why I loved the Rose trapped in the parallel universe story. Knowing she and the Doctor could never be together again gave it pathos. It was infuriating to have that turned upside down.
Incidentally, while I do love P&P, my ultimate romantic fiction is Jane Eyre. Always found that Mr Rochester rather dashing meself.
May 20, 2009 | Reply
Database has no record of previous comments and I never got the usual email to tell me there was a new comment. Not to ask a dumb question, but are you sure you pressed submit?
"I'm wondering Rob if the reason there isn't much romance on TV is because it is so difficult to maintain interest once the couple has got together. We all know real life means that it's not all roses round the door, so we lose the escapist factor once the two starcrossed lovers become Mr and Mrs"
See, a lot of people use the "Moonlighting defence" that romance fizzles out once the two lovers finally get it together. The first counter-example to that is As Time Goes By, where the romance has already happened and the show is about the romance being rekindled. And then there's Hart to Hart, of course, The Avengers (Steed and Mrs Peel) was a romantic show in many ways about a couple who had already had the romance and were just good friends.
I think the "Moonlighting defence" only works in a situation where the two potential lovers are combative beforehand: do they stay combative or do they make peace? If the former, is that fun to watch any more; if the latter, how do we keep people's interest? But Spike and Lynda managed it, so hey ho...
May 20, 2009 | Reply
Rob not dumb at all considering I got Damian Green and Lewis mixed up the other day (-: I think actually it might have been my computer playing silly buggers, because I also posted a comment on my blog and it didn't turn up. Oh to be married to a techie...
Ah yes, good point about As Time Goes By/Hart to Hart. I think this is an area that is underexplored in TV and fiction (so I write about it she says (-
I think it is fascinating to see what happens after the happy ever after, and how the romance can be kept alive, but it's difficult not to make that boring, so I suppose that's why people shy clear of it. Incidentally, I know that the new Reggie Perrin isn't as good as the original, but I do think the pathos of his relationship with his wife is captured quite well.
May 20, 2009 | Reply
I had a think about it and actually managed to come up with a second good romantic couple. From another American sitcom no less - they're from How I Met Your Mother and it's Lily and Marshall (Alyson H and Jason Segel). They work together very well and I can't really envision the series with them seperated.
May 20, 2009 | Reply
Hmmm...
John and Aeryn in Farscape. Brilliant especially when they are together.
Buffy and Angel.
Beecher and Keller in Oz (so destructive... so maybe they don't count as romantic?).
Dexter and Rita.
Monica and Chandler in Friends.
Veronica (Mars) and Logan.
Phoebe and Cole in Charmed.
Dan and Katie in Journeyman.
Odd thing about Adama and Roslin in BSG is that I really didn't want them together at all... but then they were and it was perfect.
May 20, 2009 | Reply
Kaylee and Simon, every time...
May 21, 2009 | Reply
Josh and Donna, Chuck and Blair.
Hmmm... both emotionally crippled men who get over themselves for awesome women (who maybe gave them the benefit of the doubt for just a tad too long)
May 26, 2009 | Reply
OOOh, couples. Well, JH got ahead of me for Mac and Caroline (awh!) and I do have a soft spot for the separated Doctor and Rose (sigh: Rusty picking at sores). So lots of agreement with other examples such as Donna and Josh ("I wouldn't stop for red lights") and Grissom and Sara.
I'm not quite fully functioning, but I've a soft spot as well for 'Montana' and Danny from CSI:NY.