These couples involve manipulation, settling for the next best thing, and dating someone only for money!
Love is in the air! In the spirit of Saint Valentine’s day, here are some of the worst fictional couples in movies and TV shows. Ah, romance!
The Vampire Diaries: Damon and Elena
What can be worse than dating your ex’s brother?
A relationship with a man who was only interested in you because you looked exactly like his ex!
However, convoluted relationships with exes are the tip of the iceberg in this love story. What could possibly be worse about this couple? Obviously, the fact that Elena, herself, is aware of her terrible mistake by choosing Damon. Yet, she does not seem to care. How romantic! Seriously, Elena, even Damon believes you should stop “bending your morals” and justifying every horrible thing he has ever done!
Star Wars Prequels: Anakin and Padme
Age differences are not always a big deal. However, they certainly are when a romantic interest is only nine years old.
Sure, Padme and Anakin do not start dating until they are adults. However, we get hints of their future as a romantic pair through Anakin’s noticeable crush on Padme. Even without these hints, it is quite obvious that the two are being set up for romance, which would not be much of a big deal. This, though, is a bit odd given the fact that Anakin is a literal child while Padme is 14 years old.
Creepy age difference aside, their relationship is also not a very healthy one. For example, Anakin displays possessive and controlling behaviors. These behaviors culminate into him choking his pregnant wife and believing he has killed her. So, these two are not relationship role models!
Star Wars: Han and Leia
Han and Leia are an iconic rendition of the enemies-to-lovers trope. Everyone loves a trope that makes the audience root for the couple. Well, if the trope is not executed successfully, the audience can be left with an abrupt romance that feels unnatural. In Han’s and Leia’s case, their trope is not developed well enough for it to be believable. Without proper time for the pair to set aside their differences and eventually fall in love, the relationship between these two feels forced.
In addition to the obvious lack of development between these two, Han is a fit candidate for the MeToo movement. Do you recall the kissing scene? Yeah, Leia repeatedly displays signs, both verbal and physical, that she wants nothing to do with Han. Yet, he ignores them anyway. Sure, it can be argued that Leia is “playing hard to get,” but tropes as such only add to some creepy people’s delusions!
The Notebook: Noah and Allison
Does not the perfect relationship begin with a girl cheating on her fiancée and not knowing which man she actually wants? No? What about a man that can not take “no” for an answer?
Well, the love story in The Notebook has all of the above! Admittedly, these two have an iconic kiss in the rain, but romantic moments do not outweigh the many things that are wrong with their relationship.
For one, Allison cheats on her fiancée, who honestly seemed like a nice guy. In addition, she flip-flops back and forth between Noah and her fiancée. She seems unsure about what she actually wants.
When it comes to Noah, he displays worrying behaviors. One example of this behavior is his threat to jump off of a Ferris Wheel if Allison declines to go on a date with him.
Emotional manipulation: the perfect ingredient for a healthy relationship! Remember, kids, no means no.
The Vampire Diaries: Caroline and Stefan
Stefan could not have Elena, so he settled for her best friend! On top of that, Stefan mentioned he would always love Elena. Caroline was interested in Stefan from day one, but she was never Stefan’s first choice; therefore she moved on. In addition, Caroline was interested in Klaus, but she kept her interest a secret. These two were the only single characters on the show, so they settled for each other. Overall, their relationship seemed forced, as both characters could not have the people they truly wanted.
The Kissing Booth (Trilogy): Elle and Noah
First of all, who breaks friendship rules? Elle broke one of the most important rules between her and her best friend, Lee: no dating relatives. So, Lee’s brother, Noah, was off limits!
On top of that, it is surprising Elle and Noah were interested in each other, because they seem like two completely different people.
In the next two movies, Noah is very close to his female friend, and their scenes indicate there is something more between them. However, he is not the only one that is possibly harboring feelings for somebody else, as Elle starts to develop a friendship with a guy named Marco. Clearly, there was something more between Elle and Marco, because they kissed in front of thousands of people at a dance competition. All of this took place while Noah was watching in the crowd. How heartbreaking!
10 Things I hate About You: Kat and Patrick
Who gets paid to have an interest in someone? Well, Patrick was paid! He was also paid off to date Kat, which allowed two guys to date her younger sister! They may have a connection throughout the movie, but Patrick was paid off twice! That iconic singing part that Patrick did when Kat was at soccer practice – only happened because of the monetary exchange. So, did his interest really come from the heart? It is not fair to Kat that Patrick was interested in her, at first, because of money. If Patrick was never paid off, would he have shown interest in Kat? Now, that is the real question.
Spiderman (Tobey Maguire’s trilogy): Peter and MaryjaneThese two are one of the most iconic couples in the comic book world, but that does not make them the best. In the first live-action Spiderman movies, their relationship was not fully developed. In the movies, Maryjane seems to like Peter, because she finds out he is Spiderman. Ouch, he is more than just Spiderman! Before she knew who he was, she would act harshly toward him without mercy. Peter, however, has also hurt Maryjane’s feelings. Let us not forget, he rejected Maryjane at the end of the first movie. In his defense, though, this was to protect her. Besides these issues, he never showed signs of wanting to tell Maryjane the truth. This is probably due to the fact that she only found out because she saw him without his mask in Spiderman 2. This reveal was unplanned! It seems like Spiderman is what holds these two together, and I am not talking about the webs.
Written By: Saraleim Mozqueda Saldana | Editor
Julissa Mercado | Staff Writer
Graphic By: Liza Larrabee
