Love Triangles: Annoying? Sure, But We Love Them Anyway: Top 5 TV Love Triangles

LOVE TRIANGLES: ANNOYING? SURE, BUT WE LOVE THEM ANYWAY

Top 5 TV Love Triangles

Brandy Anderson

Love triangles run rampant throughout fiction; some work and some don’t, but there’s no doubt that audiences love them. The annoying thing about love triangles in general is that they often result in two guys fighting over one girl and the girl ends up being objectified as some sort of ultimate “prize”. That’s obnoxious. However, there is something undeniably addictive when it comes to watching two attractive people competing against each other for the love of another attractive person. Silly? Yes. Unrealistic? Usually. But, oh so fun to get caught up in. Out of the infinite amount of tv love triangles out there I’ve narrowed it down to 5 (tricouples?) who really hooked me at one point or another.

5. Derek, Meredith, Finn

Grey’s Anatomy

Okay, I’ll admit that I didn’t even realize this show was still airing. I enjoyed it during the first two and a half seasons before it ‘jumped the shark’ with that that whole “Izzy and George Are Suddenly In Love With Each Other” nonsense. However, that being said, Grey’s Anatomy was delightfully addictive during its early days and a lot of that pull came from all of the Merder, or Derek + Meredith, sexual tension. That tension only mounted when the good looking veterinarian (McVett, oh, hello Chris O’Donnel, it’s been a long time!) stepped in to complicate matters further. Really, it was a love square with Addison added in, but the juiciest angst came from McDreamy’s snippy jealousy over Finn. Now, that was fun to watch.

4. Bash, Mary, Francis

Reign

Oh, Reign, how I love you already! I’m a sucker for historical fiction, I’ll admit, and the fact that this one has Anne Shirley (Megan Follows)  as a multi-layered villain just makes it all the more delicious! Even better than this, believe it or not, is the irresistible draw of Bash vs Francis. I know there are a lot of Frary (Francis + Mary) fans out there, but for me, it’s Mash (Bash + Mary) all the way. First off, Bash is an utterly charming rogue who is the eldest son of the King but he’ll never be king because he is illegitimate. But, gosh darn it, he’s the most handsome bastard ever! In addition to that whole nasty heir issue, tensions mount between half brothers Francis and Bash because of their mutual attraction for Mary, Queen of Scots. Although history tells us that Mary marries future King Francis, the show obviously takes a lot of dramatic liberties with the history so I’m hoping for lots of merry Mash time before the inevitable happens!

3. Pacey, Joey, Dawson

Dawson’s Creek

“I don’t wanna wait for my life to be over, I want to know right now what will it be!” Oh! The collective squealing of Pacey and Joey fans rang around the world at the end of the series finale, but who Joey would end up with (if either of them) remained a big mystery throughout the series. The Joey and Dawson dynamic was set up from the very get-go of the show but it wasn’t long before Pacey’s chemistry with Joey sizzled on screen. What makes this love triangle so compelling is the well set pace (no pun intended) of Joey and Pacey’s burgeoning relationship. It was slow, subtle, and believable (unlike Izzy’s sudden exclamation, “I’m in love with George” – see my earlier Grey’s rant). Pacey didn’t set out to court Joey and Joey certainly wasn’t looking for a “thang” with Pacey; romance just progressed naturally, that’s why we got hooked. Plus, that moment when Pacey whispers, “I remember everything” to Joey… yeah, that was good.

2. Logan, Veronica, ___

Veronica Mars

LoVe! It’s epic, ya know? I hope you all have seen Veronica Mars because, if you haven’t, you are truly missing out. This is one of the greatest shows ever made and a lot of that has to do with the tumultuous “epic” love between Logan and Veronica. Now, you may be asking how this is a love triangle. Well, those crazy dysfunctional kids often seemed to attach themselves to other partners even when they always had that connection to each other. Okay, not always. In the beginning of the show Veronica is all about Duncan and yet, when you watch the series closely, you can see Logan is constantly watching Veronica, mooning after her; sometimes creepily, I’ll admit. And yet, it isn’t long before Logan’s obligatory jackass persona deepens and we as an audience begin to see through his layers just as Veronica does. There are various love interests involved: Duncan, Hannah, Troy, Parker, Piz; but, through it all, Veronica and Logan always find their way back to each other. Now, best of all, we have a movie coming out this March which promises to offer us more love triangle, angsty, LoVe!

1. Jack, Kate, Sawyer

LOST

Jate! Oh, do pardon my outburst. There are so many addictive qualities to LOST that it’s difficult to find a place to even start, but one of the most popular attractions is the Doctor, Fugitive, Con Man dynamic. Sawyer is one of the best written characters in tv history. He’s just so heart wrenchingly broken that you can’t help but love him even when he’s being a complete jerk. Jack is the anti-hero exemplar, a reluctant leader who suddenly finds himself in charge of a frightened community, he’s a bad ass spinal surgeon who isn’t above committing torture to ensure the greater good. To say that Jack and Sawyer have an intense relationship to each other is an understatement. Then we have Kate who is arguably even worse off emotionally than the two men vying for her affection. As if this wasn’t enough angst, the characters are literally fighting to stay alive. This life or death existence just adds to the acute pain which comes with this type of romantic indecision, making the whole Jate vs Skate tension number one on my list.

Images:
Dawson’s Creek. WB.
Gray’s Anatomy. ABC.
LOST. Buena Vista.
Reign. CW.
Steinberg’s Psychological Triangular Love Chart.
Veronica Mars. CW.