It's been a while since April 2010. That's why this post needs a little update. The love stories of most of the couples on the previous list, epic as they be, had very unhappy, dramatic and premature endings. This time I'm not looking for epic, necessarily. I'm looking for potential happily-ever-afters. I don't know if that tells something about the amazing emotional growth I've done in the past two years, or that my taste has just become boring, but never mind. Just dig in. (I even omitted Jack and Rose. Can you imagine. They were my number one in 2010. I feel like a sorry little traitor for doing this! But epic had to give way to happy endings. That's how my world works in 2012.)
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SPOILER ALERT
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5. Tom & Gerri (Another Year, 2010)
These two shoved Hermione and Ron off of the list! Did someone see that one coming, because I didn't! I saw this little film last year, and a few things about it have lingered on my mind: 1) The bit in the beginning with Imelda Stauton's horrifyingly and impressively depressed character, 2) the pitiful mess that Lesley Manville's Mary turned out to be, and 3) Tom and Gerri, who were healthy and happy and normal among all that depression and anxiety.
If you're looking for a happy ending, don't go knock on Disney's door, pay a visit Tom and Gerry's idyllic little house. Tom and Gerry are so content and normal that it's almost weird. They have normal conversations about everyday things, and neither of them is secretly a CIA agent. You do not often see such elderly couples in movies, perhaps because they don't offer the friction and conflict that usually make a good movie. Still, I found it really refreshing and reassuring that it does not always take a huge amount of drama to make a good movie couple.
If you're looking for a happy ending, don't go knock on Disney's door, pay a visit Tom and Gerry's idyllic little house. Tom and Gerry are so content and normal that it's almost weird. They have normal conversations about everyday things, and neither of them is secretly a CIA agent. You do not often see such elderly couples in movies, perhaps because they don't offer the friction and conflict that usually make a good movie. Still, I found it really refreshing and reassuring that it does not always take a huge amount of drama to make a good movie couple.
"It's going to rain again."
4. Jim & Pam (The Office, 2005-)
I watched all the seven (plus) seasons of The Office earlier this year, and it's such a great series. (After that I was all ten seasons of Friends in a row, and then of course wanted to include Chandler and Monica in the list, but unfortunately there's only room for one couple from a comedy show.) It's laugh-aloud funny, with such a memorable and distinctive scale of characters. Jim and Pam were some of my favourites from the beginning. Who wouldn't love a good old "will-they-won't they"? It is delicious and fun to watch how their friendship gradually develops into a happy relationship, and later into marriage and babies. The whole storyarch is written and acted in a very realistic and moving way.
Some argue that Jim/Pam is incredibly boring now, with no drama bigger than changing diapers, and yes, maybe unrequited, denied or hidden love indeed makes better television. Of course the lingering, secret glances and Jim finding excused to hang around the reception was a lot of fun! However, I still love Jim and Pam, and wish nothing but good for them in their future in The Office. (It's been like six months since I've watched an episode! I seriously need to catch up. Hope Jim and Pam are still together, because a divorce would be slightly awkward for my Happy Ending Edition.)
"I just needed you to know. Once."
Some argue that Jim/Pam is incredibly boring now, with no drama bigger than changing diapers, and yes, maybe unrequited, denied or hidden love indeed makes better television. Of course the lingering, secret glances and Jim finding excused to hang around the reception was a lot of fun! However, I still love Jim and Pam, and wish nothing but good for them in their future in The Office. (It's been like six months since I've watched an episode! I seriously need to catch up. Hope Jim and Pam are still together, because a divorce would be slightly awkward for my Happy Ending Edition.)
"I just needed you to know. Once."
3. Katniss & Peeta (The Hunger Games, 2008-2010)
If you thought I'd be done talking about The Hunger Games - just because I said I would - you were very wrong, unfortunately. But this has to do with the books, instead of the film, so that's a welcome change. This is the only couple in the list who doesn't live in our present world. And since there is a tragic sense to the epic story around them, they could almost be disqualified from my Happy Ending List. But I was forgiving. Mostly, because I really wanted to write about these two. And they did get their ending together, even if it wasn't 100% happy.
There are many interesting aspects to the relationship of Katniss and Peeta.First, they have the most horrible ship name, EVER. First, it is not the regular boy-meets-girl-boy-falls-in-love story. Or actually, from Peeta's point of view it's exactly that. But since Katniss is the one in the center if the story... Girl meets boy, girl has to try and kill boy, then girl has to pretend to fall in love with boy in order to stay alive, girl shoots squirrels, incites a rebellion and saves the world, and then, finally, girl grows to love boy.
Another fascinating thing aboutPeeniss Katniss and Peeta is their reversed gender roles. Katniss hunts, Peeta bakes and paints. Peeta is always open about his feelings and wishes for a proper relationship, while Katniss doesn't feel comfortable showing her emotions and thinks romantic relationships are merely in the way. It's definitely a refereshing angle when it comes to young adult literature, or any other form of romantic narratives.
The love of Katniss and Peeta sure took a long time to bloom, and we never really got to enjoy reading about their life together, but I'm just happy that Katniss finally realized what the rest of us had known from page one (or whatever the page is where he is first introduced): it is just impossible not to love Peeta!
There are many interesting aspects to the relationship of Katniss and Peeta.
Another fascinating thing about
The love of Katniss and Peeta sure took a long time to bloom, and we never really got to enjoy reading about their life together, but I'm just happy that Katniss finally realized what the rest of us had known from page one (or whatever the page is where he is first introduced): it is just impossible not to love Peeta!
"You love me. Real or not real?"
2. Kurt & Blaine (Glee, 2010-)
Klaine. Klaine, Klaine, Klaine. I don't know where I got any joy in my life before there was Klaine.
These two amazing young actors portray these beautifully and carefully written characters with such wonderful sincerity, emotion and subtlety. As far as storyarchs go, this couple has definitely had the best, most coherent and believable one in the history of Glee. (And you know, they're not always very big on coherent storyarches...) Plus they're hot.
As TV characters, Kurt and Blaine push boundaries. They are a homosexual couple, portrayed alongside heterosexual couples, and although Fox doesn't let them kiss quite as much as
Since I once again took my time with writing this post, there has been some development, as Klaine famously (in my world, at least; I don't know how well it was covered in National news) hit the roughest path of their relationship so far. I'd very much like to see their Facebook profiles, because I don't know what their status is at the moment. Sure, a tiny little detail like a break-up wouldn't change the fact that I adore Kurt and Blaine from the bottom of my fangirl heart. And they'll always end up together, anyway. You know it.
"I'll never say goodbye to you."
1. Celine & Jesse (Before Sunrise, 1995; Before Sunset, 2004; Before Midnight, 2013!!!!)
"I like to feel his eyes on me when I look away."
They were my number three in 2010, and now they have climbed all the way to the top. There is one adjective that I keep repeating every time I bring up these movies and this couple, and I'm sorry but I'm just going to repeat it a little bit again. Jesse and Celine are so REAL! Both characters as individuals feel real, the storylines of both films feel real, the conversations they have feel real, the connection they share feels real... Everything about them and their story feels real. They are like a wonderful little piece of real, actual life.
And it's not just that they are real. (Because I think they are very real. I don't know if I mentioned that already?) In their case you can talk about soulmates, because their connection is so unique, so special, how they understand each other and feel around each other, how they can't let the memory of each other go during the nine years between their first two meetings. I don't know, I guess that's what they call soulmates.
So, Jesse and Celine, my number one favorite fictional couple. And of course this is a bit ironic, because Jesse and Celine actually never were a couple... Yet! I was so endlessly happy when they announced Before Midnight, to be released next year! Another nine years has passed, and I can only imagine what will be going down in Greece. Maybe they actually are a couple now? In Ethan Hawke's words it's going to be 'ferocious', so I guess the atmosphere will be slightly different compared to the romantic Sunrise and the nostalgic Sunset. Still, no doubt, it will be just as real.
"I like to feel his eyes on me when I look away."
They were my number three in 2010, and now they have climbed all the way to the top. There is one adjective that I keep repeating every time I bring up these movies and this couple, and I'm sorry but I'm just going to repeat it a little bit again. Jesse and Celine are so REAL! Both characters as individuals feel real, the storylines of both films feel real, the conversations they have feel real, the connection they share feels real... Everything about them and their story feels real. They are like a wonderful little piece of real, actual life.
And it's not just that they are real. (Because I think they are very real. I don't know if I mentioned that already?) In their case you can talk about soulmates, because their connection is so unique, so special, how they understand each other and feel around each other, how they can't let the memory of each other go during the nine years between their first two meetings. I don't know, I guess that's what they call soulmates.
So, Jesse and Celine, my number one favorite fictional couple. And of course this is a bit ironic, because Jesse and Celine actually never were a couple... Yet! I was so endlessly happy when they announced Before Midnight, to be released next year! Another nine years has passed, and I can only imagine what will be going down in Greece. Maybe they actually are a couple now? In Ethan Hawke's words it's going to be 'ferocious', so I guess the atmosphere will be slightly different compared to the romantic Sunrise and the nostalgic Sunset. Still, no doubt, it will be just as real.
"Baby, you're gonna miss that plane."
"I know."
