Love Triangles
The Agony that Shippers Must Endure

Love triangles are nothing new when you consider the world of fictional romance.  There's often a love triangle thrown into the mix just to draw in the viewers.  One man, two women, one of which is the hero and the other one the "bitch" we're all meant to hate.  And as loyal 'shippers, we naturally do hate the interloper with a passion that's almost fun, because we know she won't last.  It's a law of television that true love should win out in the end.

It used to be, anyway.  But romance seems to be changing.  We're getting more realistic romances that aren't the focus of the show.  On the flip side, we're also getting relationship triangles that can break your heart.  Why?  This will be discussed through the examples below.  Simply put, we're seeing more and more "ensemble" casts where several characters have meaningful relationships with each other.  These are often deep friendships.  And sometimes you have love.

What's most painful to watch is when a central character could love not one, but two of his/her dear friends.  Both relationships are angsty, believable, beautiful, and seem 'meant to be'.  Yet if you subscribe to the Soulmates ethos, you know that only one relationship can win out, breaking the heart of the third person.   It happens in real life, too, but in our Fantasy land that we love to inhabit (the world where you scream at the tv and dream of happily ever after for the characters) It's Not Right that there should be so much pain.

So which are the most painful fictional relationships of recent years?  Which have caused fandoms to split right down the middle as one faction screams for one pairing, another faction loves the other?  And which couples have caused Shippers like myself to tear their hair out because they love both pairings?!

In the Buffyverse...

Spike

An "ultimate bad boy", he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds, including two Slayers.   He hated Buffy with a passion when they first met.

Or did he?  Gradually, it became apparent that Spike had become obsessed with Buffy.  An obsession turning to love. 

Most telling of this love was his willingness to change for her.  He tried to do the right thing, and in the end he was doing the right things for the right reasons.  Whatever the outcome of their relationship, Spike deserves a chance.

Buffy

 Buffy has terrible taste in men.  She also seems to have a thing for vampires.  Angel, her first boyfriend and by all appearances, her soulmate, is a love that can never be thanks to a curse.  There was also Buffy's age to consider - when she broke it off with Angel, she still had a lot of growing up to do.

Then Spike returned.  Outright hatred on Buffy's part was only temporarily suspended under a spell and they were briefly engaged.

Unfortunately, Spike's history and terminal case of foot-in-mouth constantly turned Buffy away...but she was beginning to open her eyes when tragedy struck.

Angel

Why would a 200 year old vampire fall for a 16 year old girl?  And not just a fleeting interest, but true passion and love? 

Gotta be soulmates, especially when you look at what they had to endure to be together.  Their relationship was constantly wrought with pain as they struggled against the forces of darkness.  It was eventually ended for those very reasons.

Now Angel's alone again, but constantly almost-falling for the wrong women.  The almost-Cordelia thing is another addition to the "triangle", and what will Fred bring to the mix? 

The Xenverse...

Ares

The tale of Ares is heartbreaking.  From the evil God of War to someone who had a "thing" for Xena, to making the ultimate sacrifice for her, only to be scorned over and over.  Yet there were times when Xena seemed to care for him.  Something kept him going for centuries, never losing his obsession for her.  There's something that always binds them together.

Warrior and Warlord - the perfect match. 

 But then there's that little "soulmates" thing to contend with....

Xena

To be honest, Xena seems to have a split personality.  There's the fiery warrior who won't take crap from anyone and kicks butt from here to the next millenia.  She's bold, she does what she wants, all the while for the greater good.

And then there's the softer Xena who laughs with Gabrielle, ready to listen and talk and do absolutely anything for her.

Obviously, she loves both Gabrielle and Ares (in a sense).

 Gabrielle

What began as adoration soon turned into friendship and then a deep, abiding love.  Gabrielle brought so much change to Xena's life, and Xena changed her too.  They grew together through a thousand trials, swearing they'd never be separated.

But look at the finale - and Xena's actions.  She left Gabrielle, and the ending is ambiguous at best. 

due South

RayV

The original partner, the one that drew interest to the fandom.  Ray and Fraser demonstrated the deepest levels of friendship, which was fascinating to watch because the two men couldn't have been more different.

It seemed as if nothing could destroy this friendship.  (Except for television politics....)

Fraser

The Mountie who had no friends until he met Ray.  And Ray.  With both he quickly struck up a unique and deep friendship.  It always seemed as if nothing could break up a partnership because Fraser was exceedingly loyal.  (Victoria notwithstanding.) 

Fraser, the relationship- incompetent, certainly seemed to flirt with both Rays in many adorable situations.

 RayK

RayK replaced RayV and to many, essentially destroyed a beautiful relationship.

Yet Ray and Fraser had their own chemistry, and to fans of the original pairing it became painfully obvious that this new couple superceded the previous relationship.    They ended up together and RayV was nothing more than a memory.

Sliders

Wade Welles

Wade and Quinn were meant to be "the relationship" in the pilot and the subsequent first few series.  A drawn out relationship beginning with Wade's obvious crush, and progressing slowly but surely as Quinn began to get a clue.

That is, until "Captain Cleavage" arrived on the scene....

Quinn Mallory

The genius who started it all, best friends with the "girl next door" as they embarked upon an amazing adventure together.

Often too wrapped up in his own work or the world around him to "get a clue", Quinn admitted that he loved Wade.

He admitted the same thing about Maggie later on.  Sure, Quinn, ditch the perfect soulmate for someone more exciting....

Maggie Beckett

For many fans, it was instant hatred when Maggie appeared on the screen and began to edge Wade out.  Her relationship with Quinn seemed trite and convenient, a way of drawing in more fans.

Yet with Wade out of the picture (dead, mind you!) they grew closer and had some truly touching moments.  Not to mention an entire life together with wedding and all.

More Buffy...

Oz

He was her "first love", first everything.  The first one to look at Willow with a hint of interest.  The first one to love her.

Oz was in a class of his own, and he and Willow had an adorable relationship.  Yet due to his inner nature, he left and Willow's heart was broken.  There was always a chance for them to be reunited in love, until Willow met someone else.

Willow

The shy girl with a hopeless crush on her best friend for years and years, it seemed that Willow would forever be alone.  Yet she found love with two very different people and is able to form deep and abiding commitments.

Poor Willow was torn between Oz and Tara in a heartbreaking episode when she realised that the love she once had was no longer as strong as her new one.

Tara

Tara subtly worked her way into Willow's life in a friendship that was both beautiful and touching to watch.  There was an element of "soulmates" there and Willow's devotion to Tara has been shown more than once.

While Tara is still somewhat of a mystery, it's obvious that she loves Willow more than anyone else.

The X-Files

Krycek

The relationship between Krycek and Mulder was always tentative, based on pain, anger and betrayal.  Krycek was bad through and through yet he seemed to have a soft spot for Mulder.  Why else did he keep returning for more abuse?  Why did he save him from death more than once?  And why did he kiss him?

Mulder

It took 8 years for Mulder to act upon being in love with Scully.  Why?  He's a man who seems to be relationship-challenged.

With Krycek, it was always an intense relationship with more hurt than anything else.  So why didn't Mulder end it early on?  Why didn't he kill Krycek when he had all those chances?

In the end, though, he stood by while Krycek was murdered and later returned to Scully's arms.

Scully

Scully was even worse at handling relationships than Mulder.  She kept pushing his tentative advances away...

...until something happened, offscreen, and she finally accepted that she did love Mulder after all.

They had a child together.  (It's got to be his!)  They finally kissed in a beautiful, beautiful moment.

Babylon 5

Lenier

He loved Delenn for years, the devoted aide, willing to do anything for her.  Lenier always knew that she was "meant for another" but that didn't stop the yearnings of his heart.

The showdown came when he refused to save John from death, and his own shame drove him away from the woman he loved forever.

Delenn

Delenn never seemed to need love although love was all around her.  Lenier, Sinclair, and then Sheridan all loved this woman in their own fashion, and it was finally John who broke through her barriers.

Delenn was so focussed on the universe as a whole and it was touching to see her have room for love as well.  Yet it was so painful to see her with Lenier, knowing it could never be.

Sheridan

The hero of the galaxy deserves the "princess", doesn't he?  It's a cliche that annoys but in this case, it's wonderfully applied. 

He fell for Delenn slowly, sweetly while a battle raged around them, seemingly oblivious of the Lenier connection until it was almost too late.

Yet for John and Delenn, true love won out for twenty brief years.

Beauty and the Beast

Catherine

She was Vincent's everything, and gradually, she allowed herself to love the beast.  It was a fairytale romance, ended so cruelly by death.

Vincent

Heartbroken Vincent was never the same after he lost Catherine.  Yet Diana, a new friend, appeared on the scene and suddenly it seemed as if he could trust again....

Diana

She had friends, but was lonely, looking for something more, and was drawn into Vincent's world as he was at his most vulnerable.

They formed a bond, with potential for romance.

Farscape

John Crichton

What do you do when you're split in two?

Aeryn Sun

She kicks butt and has no concept of how to deal with a human-like relationship. 

John Crichton

Which John should Aeryn choose, if either at all?

Smallville

Lex Luthor

From the moment he met Clark, there was something special between them.  A chemistry and a relationship so unique and ambiguous, instant friendship marred only by the fact that they both have secrets.

They're trying to be normal.  Clark has captured Lex's interest like nothing else and it's a fascinating dynamic to watch.  

Clark Kent

Poor, confused Clark.  Not only does he have his alien powers to contend with but he's surrounded with the trials of being a teenager. 

He's good at heart, and wants to do what's right.  He's a great friend but consistently lies, most heartbreakingly of all, to Lex, the only one who understands what it's like to be an outsider.

Lana Lang

She's the (expressionless) fairy-princess that Clark dreamed of for years, and finally, they both made tentative overtures towards friendship and a relationship.

Why will she win?  Because she's the girl.  Hmph.