8 Love Triangles In Television And Film That Made No Sense
Some love triangles are done well. Others leave us angry, confused, and unsatisfied.
A classic trope in storytelling, especially in romance and drama, are love triangles. They are great for drama, rivalry, and getting an audience invested.
Having fans choose sides between two couples is one of the most efficient ways of evoking passion from them. We want to root for the love we want, we want that love to win.
This trope is fun to watch, read, and write. However, because it is so popular, it has inevitably been done wrong a few times. Some start off strong and lose their effect, some are the opposite, and some are just unnecessary altogether.
I've compiled the worst offenders.
1. Stefan, Elena, and Damon - "The Vampire Diaries"
Arguably one of the most iconic love triangles in recent years, Stefan and Damon are two brothers in love with the same girl. A classic. My problem isn't with the way it was set up, for the most part. It made sense that these two brothers loved Elena-- she's gorgeous, kind, brave, and selfless.
Elena has this in common with Stefan, but not so much with generic bad boy Damon. He offers her adventure, unpredictability, and a dash of borderline abuse. The love triangle up until about halfway through the show was actually written pretty well, but once Damon and Elena finally got together at the end of season 4...it was downhill from there.
Instead of building their own foundation, Damon and Elena's relationship relied on manipulation and tearing down anything that she had with Stefan. There was retcon to great lengths, and a lot of the time Elena's history with Stefan was ignored unless it was being used as an obstacle for Damon and Elena's relationship.
The lack of originality in Damon and Elena's relationship led to the triangle becoming weak, using Stefan only as a prop in their relationship. It ended terribly too, with Elena choosing Damon but not really having a choice because Stefan sacrificed himself for their relationship.
This act of heroism proves once more that Stefan is the better match for Elena, yet she is forced to spend the rest of her life with Damon.
2. Edward, Bella, and Jacob - "Twilight"
This is definitely one of the most memorable love triangles. The impact it had on pop culture was significant-- everyone had an opinion. Team Edward or Team Jacob? The problem is, when you actually look closely, Team Jacob is nonexistent. It is almost completely one-sided.
Bella has some feelings for Jacob, but most come from guilt and confusion and never come close to what she feels for Edward. There is even a scene where Jacob practically forces himself on Bella, thinking he's entitled to her reciprocating those feelings. Sure, she may have led him on a bit while Edward was away, but there is no excusing those actions.
To make matters even stranger, Jacob turned out to not even have real feelings for Bella. In the last book/movie, it is revealed that Jacob has imprinted on Bella's newborn baby, and his feelings for Bella came from her then-unborn child.
Why this sounded like a good idea to anyone, I will never know. It weakens the triangle overall because there was never really a conflict then--Bella's heart always belonged to Edward.
Now, this man who Edward can hardly stand is going to be in their lives forever as he has an unbreakable bond with their newborn daughter. What?
3. Brooke, Lucas, and Peyton - "One Tree Hill"
Similarly to the triangle on The Vampire Diaries, One Tree Hill's main love triangle between Brooke, Lucas, and Peyton made sense at first. Best friends fall for the same guy--a classic. I think both girls even had an interesting dynamic with Lucas in the beginning. Brooke was the girl who on the surface, was just a party girl who found Lucas attractive.
However, the two quickly developed a bond when they began to get to know one another. Lucas fell in love with Brooke, and it was a very interesting story due to the contrast between the character types-- the popular head cheerleader, and the brooding loner who has come into newfound popularity.
Peyton arguably has more in common with Lucas, but this doesn't necessarily make them the better match. My problem with Peyton and Lucas is that she only seemed to want him when he was with someone else. They continuously cheat together while he's supposed to be with Brooke, who is supposed to be Peyton's best friend.
It makes both characters become unsympathetic, and somehow Brooke is to blame when she lashes out? Ultimately, Brooke forgives them both and even attends their wedding.
This just shows how forgiving of a character Brooke is. Lucas and Peyton leaving the show gave Brooke more room to grow, which was more interesting to watch than the love triangle ever was.
4. Stiles, Malia, and Scott - "Teen Wolf"
I'm not even sure if this can count as a love triangle. Stiles and Malia were cute, but they sort of came out of nowhere then ended as abruptly as they began. Then, with Stiles gone in the finale season, Malia and Scott develop feelings for each other seemingly out of nowhere.
Although Stiles has clearly moved on at this point, it is never really addressed how he feels about his best friend dating his ex. Even stranger is that Scott never technically broke up with his girlfriend before Malia- Kira, who was also really good friends with Malia.
The fact that neither Stiles nor Kira are talked about when Malia and Scott get together is just odd. I love both characters, and I don't think they were necessarily a bad match, but the triangle between the three characters was done messily.
It was very apparent that these two were only matched up because neither of them had a significant other during the last season.
5. Adam, Eric, and Rahim - "Sex Education"
This is one of those triangles where you knew where it was heading. Adam and Eric were established as love interests in season one, and Rahim was introduced in season 2.
I hoped, I really did, that they would not take the predictable route and have Eric leave supportive, kind, wonderful Rahim for Adam. It isn't that I hate Adam as a character, I think his struggle with internalized homophobia is realistic and important.
I've loved watching his development. However, I don't love the homophobic bully to lover trope. Having Eric leave Rahim who seemed to be good for him, for Adam who...wasn't, was frustrating and predictable. I hope Rahim finds happiness, he deserved better.
6. Ted, Robin, and Barney - "How I Met Your Mother"
This infamous triangle left a large part of its audience angry. I think the triangle was first presented in a very interesting way. The dynamic between Ted and Robin and Barney and Robin are very different, and both were fun to watch at first.
However, I think it became very apparent that Barney and Robin are the more functional couple. Their personalities mesh well, they want the same things in life. Robin and Ted are cute but have very different ideas when it comes to their future.
This is why it did not make sense that they ended up together. Maybe if there was some growth with one of them it could have made sense that they ended up finding their way back to each other, but there really wasn't.
None of the issues they had were resolved, and they were technically each other's second choices. The last season was written to lead up to Robin and Barney's wedding--it was beautiful.
Then, in the last episode, Robin and Barney are divorced in a five-minute scene and by the end, she's back with Ted. Who thought that was okay, I just want to talk to the writer's room.
7. Hanna, Caleb, and Spencer- "Pretty Little Liars"
This love triangle was just unnecessary. In the final season of the show, there was a time jump. A lot of fans found this odd, but I thought it had the potential to be a really interesting direction.
We find out after the time jump that all of the beloved couples have broken up for various reasons. To make matters worse, it was revealed that Spencer, Hanna's best friend, had gotten together with Hanna's ex, Caleb.
There wasn't any reason to include this triangle other than to just add drama. It was obvious Caleb and Hanna would ultimately end up together. This just put an unnecessary strain on Hanna and Spencer's relationship. Not only that, but it was overall unrealistic.
Spencer and Caleb had no previous indication that something romantic could happen between them, their relationship was constructed through flashbacks which made it very hard to connect to. Overall, the triangle was bland, unnecessary, and pointless.
8. Jonathan, Nancy, and Steve - "Stranger Things"
This triangle began pretty simply-- the girl caught between the popular guy and the loner. However, this triangle is so much more than that. The relationship that Steve and Nancy had in season 1 is over discredited, but they had a bond that was real. Steve showed real growth, and Nancy truly cared for him.
They may have been a silly high school romance, but especially now, they've been through experiences that they can never forget. Jonathan, on the other hand, showed regression. His taking pictures of Nancy as she undressed without her knowing is hardly ever addressed, and Jonathan was even made out to be the victim in that situation.
Aside from their siblings, Jonathan and Nancy really don't have much in common. I think their chemistry is decent, but that's about all they have.
They went on to disregard any real feelings Nancy had for Steve by taking back the fact that she ever loved him. This was used to prop up Nancy and Jonathan. Then, when Nancy and Jonathan were officially together they stopped giving Nancy and Steve scenes together at all.
Nancy and Jonathan's relationship is boring when they are together. They were only ever interesting because they weren't together, and once they are their relationship consists of mostly fighting. I think a much more interesting direction would be to have Nancy find her way back to Steve, or let her be single for a while.
I doubt the writers will do this though, as Nancy and Jonathan are for some reason a fan favorite.
Love triangles can be thrilling to watch. It's fun to watch, choose a side, and root for them. They don't always work out in our favor, and some just lack any sense at all.
I don't think it's a bad trope by any means, I love a good love triangle. However, writers have to be careful to do it right, because if this is approached in the wrong way, it can responsible for lackluster relationships, retcon, and confusion.
'Teen Wolf' May Have Ended, But These 13 Scenes Still Have Our Hearts
All in our feels or dying of laughter.
Airing in 2011 until 2017, the MTV hit series "Teen Wolf" made teenage girls swoon, and watchers emotional. Based off of the classic 1985 film, it takes us through the thrilling adventures of a newly bitten werewolf, Scott McCall, along with his spastic, sarcastic, human best friend, Stiles, and his pack in the town of Beacon Hills, California.
Not only does the show have shirtless boys, a Romeo and Juliet like romance, and well-developed characters, it also has several supernatural creatures from lore around the world. They have: werewolves (of course), Banshees, Kanimas (a lizard that has paralytic venom in their claws), dark druids, kitsunes [Kit-su- Nay] (Japanese trickster fox), a dark kitsune called a nogitsune, were-jaguars, and even the wild hunt.
The creator, Jeff Davis, really outdid himself when he created this show, and we are so thankful he did. Personally, I don't know how I would go a week without my Stiles fix, because we all know Stiles was the witty and smart comic relief in the show.
"Teen Wolf" wasn't just a stupid teen girl TV show, though, many families and adults watched it as well because it was so thrilling and it drew people in with its emotional scenes, and there are a lot of them.
Fans often found themselves dying in laughter, screaming with joy, or plain out sobbing from the pain they felt. So, here are 13 scenes that had us in are feels or had us laughing.
Some of the videos are low quality, but they are all there was.
WARNING: "TEEN WOLF" IS GORY IN NATURE AND CAN CONTAIN SOME DARK THEMES.
* SPOILER ALERT *
1. Scott gets bit
Imagine this: your spunky best friend hears over his dad's radio - since he's the sheriff - that a body has been found in the woods and he wants you to find it with him. Nothing could go wrong, right? Well, it does when your best friend gets caught by his father and leaves you all alone. Trying to find your dead inhaler, you discover part of the body, you send yourself in a panic and fall, you almost get trampled by a pack of dear and roll down a hill, but worst of all, you get but by a mysterious animal you think was a wolf.
That's exactly what happened to poor Scott in the pilot, but it was the start of the show since he is the main character. I had to start this list with this scene because we wouldn't have a show without him! Also, we were also as terrified as he was at this moment.
3. Scotts howl
Scott is terrible at this wolf thing by this point: he can't control his shift, he sucks at lying to Allison, and he is now trapped at school trying to miserably hide from the monstrous alpha that bit him. It's safe to say his confidence sucks.
So, as the best friend, Stiles has Scott practice his howl. Although his first how sounds like a cat being choked to death - Stiles words - he tried again, this time with a little motivation and facts from Stiles.
This howl is different, it's deep, strong, and it rattles the building! It's a true wolf howl and we all were so proud of him. We also chuckled at Derek's reaction as well.
Side note: this is when Stiles coins Derek's nickname Sourwolf.
4. Stiles' monologue to the counseler
After facing the Kanimas and it's controller, Matt, is viciously drowned by the hunter Gerard so he can control it, Stiles makes a speech about drowning, and it all has us in tears.
Stiles is always upbeat and optimistic, but it felt like his joyous light was dinner slightly when he anxiously spoke to the guidance counselor in this scene. We knew Stiles has anxiety since his mother died but we didn't know how much it affected him until this moment in season two.
5. Derek punches Stiles
And once again Sterek's delivers a comic relief for the antsy fans in season three episode two.
Tensions are already high with Derek's sister Cora and fellow werewolf Boyd being stuck in an old bank vault by a rival pack, but not knowing how to get into the bank vault makes it even worse.
Stiles obviously runs his mouth on a spiel about how to get in, and of course, Derek steps in. Stiles then runs his mouth even more on his doubts about Derek, but Derek quickly shuts him up when he punches Stiles' hand with his werewolf strength at the minimal level.
In a serious situation, this scene brought a little bit of pressure off of the fans and it also gave them a little dash of Sterek- something everybody has come to love.
6. Stiles saves Scott
Scott has enough on his plate following a battle at the bank that he might have lost Derek in, but staying at a motel on a lacrosse trip that is known for the number of suicides that occur there doesn't help.
Especially when it starts to affect the werewolves there and they all try to kill themselves.
Luckily, Stiles and his super-smart childhood crush Lydia are able to stop all the werewolves from harming themselves before it was too late. Or did they?
Running out into the parking lot, Stiles, Allison, and Lydia are faced with a heartbreaking scene. Scott is standing in a ring of gasoline, doused in gasoline, and holding a lit flare while sobbing.
Scott makes a little speech of how he isn't worth it and it had all of our hearts breaking, but Stiles' reaction made it even worse.
Stiles, with tears in his eyes, starts to talk to Scott, declaring Scott is his brother before stepping into the ring and grasping the flare with him.
Not only did Stiles save Scott, but we go to see the Sciles ( Scott + Stiles ) bond strengthen more than enough. We knew Stiles loved Scott, but the fact he would die for him just had us all a mess.
Besides, we didn't know if they actually went through with it, but then again we wouldn't have a show without Scott. Would we?
7. Scott earns his 'true' alpha status
It's the final battle with the Darach, the dark druids unmasked as Jennifer, and she throws a ring of mountain ash around her. This seemed like the end for Scott because if he couldn't kill her, he couldn't stop the storm outside and Stiles, Allison, and his parents would die.
But, he had to try. He had to fight.
It's been told since the first season that mountain ash is a barrier for werewolves and any other supernatural creatures almost as much as the color of a werewolf's eyes, so when Scott tries again in this moment, nobody was really holding out.
Fans, on the other hand, were on the edge of their seats because they knew Scott. They know that he doesn't give up on his friends and they are right.
We visibly see the mountain ash barrier as Scott struggles to get through and we see him actually succeeding little by little, but most shockingly, we see his eyes shift from the yellow of abbeta to the red if an alpha.
An alpha gains it's status by killing their alpha and stealing the power, but Scott is a very rare and even stronger alpha called a True Alpha; he earned his status by being loyal and kind, the best alpha there is to be and we were all shouting in joy when it did happen.
Plus, he takes it in total stride after he defeats Jennifer.
8. Allison's death
Allison Argent has been Scott's first love and love interest since the first episode, and this is where we get the Romeo and Juliet element. Scott and Allison were doomed from the start because her family are werewolf hunters, and of course Scott is a werewolf.
It didn't stop them once she found out and became a woman you wouldn't want to cross with her bow and arrow, but the pain and burdens of being a werewolf were too much for their relationship to bare.
By the time season three episode twenty-three rolls around, Scott and Allison are very much past a relationship but they are still very much in love. It makes this scene so much harder for fans to bare.
In an intense battle with the Oni ( Japanese demons ) that the nogitsune that is inha inhabiting Stiles' body has set to guard him as he tortures the banshee. Lydia. The scene is full of Void Stiles' cryptic speeches and sword clanging. But the scene ends with a crack of thunder when Allison strike the immortal Oni with a silver arrow and kills one- only to be stabbed by another Oni.
Right after, Lydia banshee screams Allison's name and viewers knew that this was the end for Allison Argent, because Lydia only screams when death is near.
The scene is shocking enough. But Scott catching Allison in his arms and try to take her pain and not being able to because she doesn't hurt makes it sob-worthy.
Fans hearts completely shattered, though, when Allison tells a barely making it Scott that it's okay because she's in the arms of the man's she loves.
And then she's gone.
To this day, we still curse Jeff Davis for this.
9. Void Stiles' rage
It seems like season three has a bunch of scenes, but that's because of this guy, Void stiles a.k.a the nogitsune.
It feeds off pain, chaos, and strife. It's caused the death of Allison and others, plus it made Stiles very sick ( they finally got their Stiles back ). Even though he's done terrible things, fans still love Void Stiles and the rage he has in the scene where they defeat them is something viewers never forget. It corners the real Stiles and Lydia as it egotistically declares it's already won.
That is until they actually do defeat him...trapping him again and burying him. Still, this scene is a Teen Wolf classic that our favorite villain ever in the history of the show made.
10. Scott bites Liam
Scott really can't seem to get a break. He's finally an alpha, he beat the nogitsune, and he came to an understanding with the second most dangerous group of hunters at the beginning of season four.
A killer just had to go after a young boy named Liam, creating a life or death situation that Scott has to make a choice in, and of course, his choice will break the understanding with the hunters: He bites and turns innocent Liam.
As only an alpha could turn someone, this marks the first and only person Scott has turned. It worries him because he is still getting the hang of being alpha and now he was supposed to train his new beta, how could he?
The scene was jaw-dropping as is, but viewers also started to worry for Scott as the understanding came to mind. She had said that they would come for him when he bit his first person, well less than two weeks later he bit someone.
It was the beginning of a beautiful friendship and the start of our love for Liam.
11. Stiles gets taken by the hunt
As the story goes, the wild hunt ride in on a storm to take those who see them- erasing them from existence. Unfortunately, Stiles ends up being the one to see the ghost riders so he is now the target.
In the premiere of season six, Jeff Davis sent Stydia ( Stiles + Lydia ) fans and viewers for a whirl as they climb into the Jeep in a panic because the ghost riders were coming for Stiles.
Jeff Davis has toyed with our hearts for the previous five seasons with subtle moments of Stydia, and our hearts wanted more. We got more, and it broke our hearts and had us crying.
In Stiles' trusty Jeep, Stiles hold Lydia's hand and starts to ask her to remember him. He tells her to remember that she the first girl he's danced with, his first crush, his first kiss even. All of it is child's play to the last thing he says. " Remember I love you."
Then he's ripped out of the Jeep by a ghost Rider, leaving a very shaken and already forgetting Lydia behind.
Viewers were devastated that Stydia was torn away once more, but they knew Lydia would save him no matter what. Not just because she was a banshee. But because she shared a bond with Stiles that no one else did.
The scene still hurt, though.
12. Lydia saves Stiles
As I said, Lydia would save him. In mid-season finale, Lydia finally remembers as she calls out for Stiles in tears. She remembers that she loves him and hadn't said it back, causing her to create a tether to the virtual reality Stiles went in when he was taken.
It wasn't a happily ever after, at first. When Stiles didn't appear in front of Lydia, she thought it didn't work. She just didn't realize that Stiles wouldn't appear in front of her but where he disappeared from in the first place, the Jeep.
The two don't reunite until later on in the episode when Stiles is in the exact same position he once was before: in the locker room with a gun pointed between his eyes. Closing his eyes to accept his fate, he readies himself to die, but Lydia stands in the doorway and manipulates her scream to knock out the ghost Rider.
She runs in saying, "I didn't say it back." Stiles walks towards her with relief and he utters that one line, "You don't have to," and they share a passionate kiss that had viewers falling or jumping off their couch and squealing in joy.
It marked the moment that Stiles got the girl of his dreams and Lydia finally accepting him.
Stydia fans were finally happy with Jeff Davis.
13. Scott's final battle and the return of Void Stiles
It's the series finale and everything is riding on this moment with Scott. The whole town has turned on the supernatural of Beacon Hills, and stopping this creature, the Annuk-Ite [ ah-nuhk-ee-teh ], brings an end to all of it.
The Annuk-Ite is a creature that literally turns into your fear, but if you look at it, you turn to stone.
How's Scott going to face it?
He'd been working on it up until this point, and it was finally time. Even though it's a huge, intense scene, viewers couldn't sit still with excitement and anticipation as Scott's fears turned out to be almost all the creatures he's ever faced- including the nogitsune.
When we heard the eerie voice of Void Stiles, all of the viewers were out of their seat and cheering. They cheered even more with every glimpse of every creature. Void Stiles was just the major point.
It was a farewell to Scott's adventures and a well-deserved farewell to the character that was phenomenally put in the show.
These scenes, whether they made us laugh, cheer, or cry aren't even half of the memories "Teen Wolf" gave us, but it is the ones we remember the most. We all have our favorites, but no one can deny the epicness of these scenes- including Void Stiles. Because we all thought he was really hot. Cudos to Dylan O'Brien for pulling that amazing acting job off as well.
And especially thank you to Jeff Davis, for the torture and laughter alike. You really did a good job of making us feel.
And for those who don't watch it, maybe it's time to sink your claws into something new.