5 fictional couples who would have stood the test of time and 5 who never stood a chance

Admittedly, this is an eclectic collection of fictional couples from television, film, and literature. There is no rhyme or reason to the selection of these 10 pieces to be featured in this editorial, other than the fact that they all come from some of my favorite stories of all time.

My opinions on these are strong, and if you wish to debate them you are probably incorrect. However, if you dare to refute any of the sentiments below, feel free to contact me at apachuta@ursuline.org

May the odds be ever in your favor. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Harry Burns and Sally Albright (When Harry Met Sally) → Endgame

This is not really a “hot-take” considering they were narrating the entire movie, but it is important to acknowledge the reasons that Harry and Sally stayed together all those years. First of all, they were able to tolerate each other on a road trip from Chicago to New York City in 1977. While today, this journey would take about 14 hours, it would have been much slower 44 years ago without a GPS. The trip would have taken especially long considering their journey starts by going the wrong direction through Chicago (a little filming mistake that I always like to point out because they are traveling North along the lake when they should be headed South). I think that the ability to withstand long periods of time in a small confined space is a true testament to the probability of love. As friends in New York years after their original encounter, Harry and Sally are seen “hanging out” repeatedly, despite the fact that Harry originally said that men and women could never be friends. In his defense, he eventually proved himself right. The sexual tension is high throughout the movie, but the final scene makes it clear that this is love and not an infatuation. Harry’s declaration of love is the only evidence you need that these two were in it for the long haul. I think I speak for everyone when I say, “I’ll have what she’s having”

“I love that you get cold when it’s 71 degrees out. I love that it takes you an hour and a half to order a sandwich. I love that you get a little crinkle above your nose when you’re looking at me like I’m nuts. I love that after I spend the day with you, I can still smell your perfume on my clothes. And I love that you are the last person I want to talk to before I go to sleep at night. And it’s not because I’m lonely, and it’s not because it’s New Year’s Eve. I came here tonight because when you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible.”

Aurelia and Jaime (Love Actually) → Together Forever

Learning a new language for each other, having complete conversations without understanding one another, and doing little things to make each other smile: if this is not love, then I do not know what is. At the beginning of the film, Jaime is devastated by the realization that his girlfriend is cheating on him with his brother. It is only through meeting Aurelia that he is able to experience moments of joy in what was otherwise a depressing and introspective time in his life. He took a risk by going to Portugal on Christmas Eve to profess his love to her, and it paid off. Jaime seems like a mediocre and slightly boring author, but with Aurelia, he becomes a hopeless romantic. By the time he proposed, neither Jaime nor Aurelia was fluent in the language of their fiance; However, there is no question that when she said “yes, that would be nice,” she meant it. I have believed that Jaime and Aurelia would stay together since I first watched the film, but my opinion was proven with the 2017 short sequel “Red Nose Day Actually” that was made for charity in Britain. Though the film was never released in the United States, there is a scene where Jaime and Aurelia are driving around a minivan full of their children. I’m glad to know that they got the ending they deserved.

Jane Bennett and Charles Bingley (Pride and Prejudice) → Match Made in Heaven

Jane Austen novels rarely generate uncomplicated love stories, but that is how the relationship of Jane and Charles Bingley could be best described. If you think that Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy are the ideal couple in this novel, then you are wrong. Charles and Jane are made to complement each other. Jane sees the good in everyone and Charles relies heavily on the opinions of those around him. While Charles appears rich, he is a self-made man of new money. He lacks excessive pride, which is the character flaw of his friend Mr. Darcy. Austen creates few obstacles to the love between Jane and Charles, and when there are obstacles, like the judgemental Bingley sisters, their love is strong enough to overcome it. They have the kind of romance that you don’t have to work for. While it is not the focal romance of this famous book, it is the better one- at least for the purposes of staying together for long periods of time.

Cory Matthews and Topanga Lawrence (Boy Meets World) → True Love

From the time they were in Kindergarten to their life with two kids in New York City, the love between this iconic 90s TV couple has never faltered. While both characters had their flaws, they were ultimately able to complement each other really well and put each other in their place when the other one was wrong. Maybe I am just a sucker for the love between two outcasts, but that kiss they shared against the lockers in the first season while handcuffed to each other will forever be one of my favorite television moments. Throughout high school, their romance continued, but by senior year their relationship was questionable after Cory spent some time with a pretty girl at the lodge on their senior ski trip. Things were not looking too good. Then, Topanga surprises everyone by choosing to propose to Cory at high school graduation and turning down her acceptance to Yale. Some may call this crazy, but I think that sometimes love should be. Topanga was able to stay with the love of her life at college and still make the most of her career which is proven when we see her as a successful lawyer and business owner in the sequel. Cory and Topanga were willing to make sacrifices for one another. They were not just lovers, but also best friends. For this reason, there is no question that they would still be together today.

Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler (Gone With The Wind) → Soulmates

In spite of Alexandra Ripley’s highly-acclaimed sequels (which Ms.Waldron brought to my attention), I wholeheartedly believe that Scarlett and Rhett were meant to stick together forever. The first and most important reason I have for this is that: it is unlikely that either of them would find another person on the face of the planet that would be willing to tolerate them. As readers, we learn to love the two characters for their hard-headedness and dry humor. They keep things exciting. However, by taking a deeper examination of Rhett and Scarlett, it is clear that they are both stubborn narcissists. Scarlett is unwilling to let go of her love for Ashley, just as Rhett is unwilling to admit his true feelings for Scarlett. These fateful choices are not motivated by logic, but by an inability to let their guards down. A common argument is that Rhett never really loved Scarlett, but time and time again throughout the book, it becomes evident that this is not true. Rhett shows his love through his support of Scarlett. He encourages her to let go of her old-monied past and all of its social customs by giving her money to start her own business. Without Rhett, Scarlett would never have evolved the way that she does in the book. Rhett and Scarlett continuously make each other better. If neither of them will back down, they will continue to argue until they both recognize the other’s opinion without letting the other person know. Their love is not simple, sappy, or romantic- but it illustrates the benefits of real and visible romance. As readers, we are rooting for them. While their future together may have been bumpy, there is no doubt that their story was not finished at the end of the novel.

Rose Bukater and Jack Dawson (Titanic) → Lost Cause

Sorry, not sorry Evelyn Parsonage, but it is time to face the facts. Jack and Rose’s timeless love story was nothing more than a short-lived attempt to defy the boundaries of strict socioeconomic classes. Clearly, her ex-fiance, Cal, was not the man for Rose, but that does not mean that Jack was either. Jack saved her life, but he also got her in a lot of trouble. As a woman in 1912, it was difficult to get out of abusive relationships like she had with Cal. In my opinion, Rose was not in love with Jack. She was in love with the fact that she was free from Cal and able to challenge her mother’s expectations. While Jack may have loved Rose at the moment, he was conspicuously a playboy, who had no problem moving from place to place at the drop of the hat. He chose to move to America on a whim after winning a bet in a bar. He is spontaneous. Rose may have danced with the passengers in 3rd class and drank beer on one occasion, but deep down, she is a spoiled, monied aristocrat who loved nothing more than her societal privilege. Rose and Jack were polar opposites and although in this case, opposites were attracted for a brief moment on a highly romanticized ocean voyage, they never would have lasted if they made it to shore. Do not let the attractiveness of Leonardo DiCaprio blind you from seeing the truth: Jack and Rose were not good together.

Sandy Olsson and Danny Zuko (Grease) → Not A Chance

Besides the supposed summer nights they shared, Sandy and Danny’s relationship had very few positive qualities. Even when they were not together, the way Danny described his summer romance to his sexually-driven friends is absolutely infuriating. A singular line from the song “Summer Lovin’” ruins all potential for their romance for me. Every time I watch the movie, when the T-Birds sing “did she put up a fight?” and Danny just smirks, I want to throw my shoe at the TV screen. If that wasn’t bad enough, there are multiple occurrences where Sandy runs away crying from an interation with Danny. It becomes clear that even Rizzo, who spends most of the movie making fun of Sandy, thinks that Danny behaves like a jerk. Fortunately, Rizzo is confident enough to put him in his place. Sandy on the other hand, is not. While Sandy clearly draws the short-end of the stick in this relationship, she has her own set of flaws too. She acts like a naive prude at a Pink Ladies sleepover, but from what Danny says about their summer, that seems to be far from true. After all of the events of the movie, Sandy decides that her best option is to put on a tight outfit and smoke a cigarette to get a dreadful, yet attractive boy, to take her back. If you wish to call this sorry excuse for a romance “true love”, then at least admit that it is incredibly toxic. Sandy and Danny would not have lasted a ten minute car ride once they drove away in the sky, let alone a lifetime. If you are looking for an Olivia Newton John romance movie, perhaps you should watch Xanadu instead.

Edward Lewis and Vivian Ward (Pretty Woman) → Questionable

This is the only opinion in this editorial that I am on the fence about. I want to believe that people are capable of finding love in unexpected places; However, I do not think any healthy relationship could begin with this type of power imbalance. Let me preface this with the fact that I consider all jobs worthy of respect. My opinion regarding the potential of Edward and Vivian has nothing to do with Vivian’s line of work. However, because of her occupation, it puts her in a position where her male counterpart has all the power. She is his paid employee and for the most part she does exactly as he says even if she does not necessarily agree. Surely, what results is more than a contracted labor agreement. There is clear passion between the two, but I don’t think we see enough of their story in the movie to know the potential for their romantic future. The entire plot takes place over the course of less than a week. The scene where Vivian shops on Rodeo Drive will forever be iconic, but just because Edward buys her a wardrobe, does not mean he has her heart. I absolutely adore the final moments where Vivian is able to fulfill the fairytale ending she has always dreamed of; However, in terms of how long their seemingly perfect relationship would have lasted, I’m not sold.

Ross Geller and Rachel Green (Friends) → She Should Have Stayed On The Plane

Despite the opinions of actors David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston in the recent “Friends” anniversary reboot, I do not believe that Ross and Rachel would have spent a lifetime together. Obviously, there was some unresolved passion between the two characters. Their on-and-off-again relationship that spanned ten years gave viewers some of the best, but more importantly the worst, examples of what true love should be. I will forever side with Ross on the fact that they were indeed “on a break”, but between his degrading list of Rachel’s qualities, serious anger issues, and questionable views towards women, Ross often becomes a hard character to root for. Rachel is no better. Their constant back and forth jealousy and being unsupportive of each other’s careers created a toxic relationship during the show, and would have led to a messy future. I only hope that their daughter Emma was able to endure a healthy upbringing while her parents sorted out their hopeless romance after the show’s conclusion.

Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet (Romeo and Juliet) → Timeless Not-Love Story

The reasons for which this tragedy has been wrongfully considered the blue print for love is beyond me. For starters, Romeo’s quest for love proves embarrassingly shallow. At the beginning of the play he mopes around in self-pity for his unrequited for Rosaline, who decided to turn to religious life. It is in his quest for Rosaline that he meets Juliet, but he can not have her either because she is from a family that has a historical feud with Romeo’s. Clearly, Romeo fell for the trope of forbidden love and not Juliet herself. On the other hand, Juliet, who previously had very little experience with love, sought to avoid a marriage to Parris, the suitor her parents had selected for her. She made the choice to find Romeo and cut ties with her Capulet upbringing, despite Romeo’s questionable decision to kill Tybalt. It is clear that Romeo and Juliet lusted for one another, but if they had not died, their honeymoon stage of bliss and romance would have ended very quickly. Likely, they would have remained married, because divorce was not common during this time, but they would have sentenced themselves to a loveless life together. Their death is surely romanticized, but make no mistake, it is not romantic.