ONTD Original: Best and Worst TV Love Triangles
As I was putting this together, this seemed to be a very over done plot device. I decided to keep it to shows that have already ended, or have more than 4 seasons, because who knows if they fall into the Best or Worst Category (looking at Michael/Jane/Rafael, Matt/Karen/Foggy, Souza/Peggy/Jason).
Pretty sure this is the most over done writing trope used in television. Any time a new show introduces a triangle, ONTD all lose interest, but that doesn't mean some shows haven't done it well. I know that most of y'all will disagree, but isn't that why we're here, to share ideas and attempt to educate each other?
Best
Tim/Lyla/Jason
Friday Night Lights
Click to viewTim and Jason are best friends together living the dream in Dillon, TX. Jason is the quarterback with the cheerleader girlfriend, Jason is the rough around the edges mysterious one. They're all besties. However, when Jason is paralyzed, Tim avoids going to see him at the hospital. Lyla confronts Tim one night and in her hysterics, kisses Tim. Thus starts the triangle of the Dillon Panthers.
Despite my girl Minka's acting, this triangle is so damn good. Jason and Lyla's dreams for the future have just been crushed. When Lyla hits her rock bottom, who else would be there to catch her but Dillon resident Bad Boy Tim Riggins? He finally acts on his feelings, and the drama that ensues is delicious. Tim and Lyla are discovered, and Lyla chooses Jason. The show also deals with the repercussions of Lyla's decision well, she is targeted as the school slut, gets her locker vandalized by schoolmates, while Tim gets off free. Eventually, her and Jason don't work out, his paralysis becomes too much for the couple to handle, and after a bout of cleansing herself with Jesus, Lyla finds her way back to Tim.
Meredith/Derek/Addison
Grey's Anatomy
We all know the iconic monologue, "Pick me, choose me, love me." And that's what makes this triangle one of the greats. Meredith Grey falls for her attending surgeon at Seattle Grace Hospital, not knowing that he's married and fled NYC and his wife to start over. Eventually, his wife, Addison tracks him down and wants to give their marriage another try. For some reason, Derek agrees to this, despite CLEARLY wanting to be with Meredith still.
Blah blah blah, Meredith tries to move on with a hot vet, Derek gets pissy and jealous, Derek's bestie and Addison's former lover, McSteamy comes to win Addison back, and blah blah more shit that I can't remember because it's been ages happens. Derek and Meredith have sex on a hospital bed, she forgets her panties, I think, and eventually the two find their way back to each other.
Noel/Felicity/Ben
Felicity
I mean, this show is completely centered on this triangle, so clearly it has to make it's way on the best list, DESPITE HOW EVERYONE FEELS ABOUT NOEL. Felicity loves Ben, follows Ben across the country to NYU, meets Noel her RA, Noel falls in love with Felicity, Felicity falls for Noel, Felicity finds out Noel has a girlfriend, Noel breaks up with girlfriend to be with Felicity. Fast forward, Noel and Felicity break up, Felicity loses her virginity, Noel gets pissed, Noel wants to try again with Felicity, but not Ben is interested and Felicity gets hella confused.
Blah blah more happens over the shows four seasons, but I still am on season 3 so I can't tell you what. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Rachel/Ross/Emily
Friends
Rachel is trying to woo hottie Joshua, and begs Ross to take her boss' niece out to a show. He reluctantly agrees, but then quickly jumps headfirst into a relationship with Emily. All the while, Rachel is still trying to get Joshua to be her boyfriend. After a series of embarrassing acts of desperation on Rachel's end, Joshua exits the picture. When she's bummed about it, she realizes that Joshua isn't "the one she's sad about." Ross and Emily realize that long distance between London and NYC is the WORST and agree that they should get married, because that seems smart. Emily is insecure about Rachel, blah blah. Rachel decides that she won't go to the wedding, but then she does, and Ross says Rachel's name at the alter and YOU GUYS KNOW THE REST.
Everyone knows "I, Ross, take thee Rachel." They just do, and honestly, this was a really well done story line, yeah it exposes how shitty everyone involved is, but if it didn't happen, we wouldn't have gotten Monica and Chandler. And ONTD seems to really love them despite Monica/Richard being superior.
Duncan/Veronica/Logan
Veronica Mars
Forgive me, I just really wanted to include them. This may not be the best, because let's be real, Veronica deserves better than ALL of her love interests, Pez included. I was still rooting for Leo to win back Veronica's heart.
Veronica and Duncan love each other, but their mothers overlapped sexual partners, and Duncan's mother forced Duncan to break up with Veronica fearing that they were half siblings. Gross and a valid reason. However, Duncan didn't tell shit to Veronica and just fucking ghosted her. RUDE. Logan's mother killed herself, but convinced himself that she was still alive and asked Veronica to help him find her. They got close, and eventually realize that they have feelings for each other, SWOON. But then when Veronica solves Amanda Seyfried's murder, it comes out that Duncan and her aren't related, and Veronica convinces herself that Logan's rage is enough to break up with him and get back together with Duncan. Blah blah, Duncan is revealed to be the father of comatose Meg's baby, and decides to kidnap her and skip out to Mexico to protect their baby from Meg's abusive parents.
Logan and Veronica find their way back to each other once Duncan is never mentioned again, lolz.
This triangle is one of my faves, because of the natural progression Logan and Veronica had, and let's be real, NONE of us saw Veronica and Duncan getting back together in Season 2 coming. Logan's snarky, douchey insults directed towards them made watching his man pain in Season 2 enjoyable.
Pacey/Joey/Dawson
Dawson's Creek
ONTD's favorite show, you all know how this story goes. Just for good measure though. I saw "Smart People" this weekend, and you can see Josh's naked ass, and him in tighty whities for a good solid 15 minutes (the bulge is huge). Buy your tickets now! Show closes March 6th!
Worst
Barney/Robin/Ted
How I Met Your Mother
FOOTAGE NOT FOUND
I hate this triangle more than life itself. I can't even rehash it because it's so stupid. Why would you go through ALL that trouble, of Robin letting Ted down, of Ted letting her go like a balloon, Barney reforming for her, AN ENTIRE SEASON OF THEIR GODDAMN WEDDING WEEKEND, to break them up 4 minutes into the finale.
Robin deserved better than both these pieces of shit.
Stefan/Elena/Damon
The Vampire Diaries
This entire show was built on the fact that Stefan and Elena are soul mates, two dopplegangers destined to find one another in each life. Damon was always lurking in the shadows, in love with Stefan's girls. Well, eventually fans started dominating the writing, and because they were obsessed with Nina and Ian being an in real life couple, Julie Plec decided that it would be cool to just retcon the past however many season when Elena became a vampire and allow Damon to be her true love/soulmate. IT BACKFIRED THOUGH, and Ian and Nina broke up in real life. While this provided ONTD with all the laughs and great posts, it ruined the show. Nina was forced to act with someone she could no longer stand, and Ian became insufferable. Nina was able to get the hell off that show, forcing Elena into a coma that she would wake up from when her bff Bonnie died. Well, I guess Damon just burned up her body so that Elena is gone for good. Further proof that nothing good came from this stupid ass love triangle.
Ross/Rachel/Joey
Friends
I know all the Ross haters out there prefer Rachel/Joey, but it just did not make sense why a woman like Rachel would EVER find anything about Joey attractive after knowing him for as many years as she did. Sorry.
The only good thing that came from this triangle is the episode, "The One Where Ross is Fine." David Schwimmer should have won an Emmy for this episode.
Jake/Olivia/Fitz
Scandal
You hate Fitz, I hate Jake, this triangle is stupid. Olivia IS NEVER GOING TO GET OVER FITZ' BASIC WHITE PRESIDENTIAL ASS, and Jake refuses to take no for an answer. It's boring, Olivia needs to love herself and dump both these ass holes, but for some reason Shonda thinks we want this. I don't. I'd rather them bring back Norm Lewis, because he is a dish.
Jack/Amanda Emily/Daniel
Revenge
To be fair, I did love this triangle initially, but then it got weird, and I hated everything about this show. Emily was in love with Jack in childhood, and Jack was always in love with her. She comes back for revenge, doesn't tell him who she is, and falls for the person she is using as a pawn, Daniel. I think Daniel cheats on Emily, and then the Real Emily comes into town, who's pretending to be Amanda Clark, and Jack falls in love with her, and then Emily gets jealous, and then Amanda dies and then all of a sudden Emily hates Daniel and then more people die and I stopped watching.
Serena/Dan/Blair
Gossip Girl
Ugh. What a WASTE of a good pair. Dair was a breath of fresh air, Penn and Leighton's chemistry was off the CHARTS, but again, the Chair shippers and their OTT stanning influenced the writers and it was ripped from us. Doesn't matter that they ruined all the past seasons stories by making Dan in love with Blair from day one, only to ruin it all again and make it so that Dan was actually in love with Serena.
MESS. Dair 4 Eva!
SOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCESOURCE
Okay, ONTD, please tell me your favorite or most hated love triangles. <3