Fannish5: Top Five Fictional Marriages

[selenak]

Name your 5 favorite fictional marriages.

A meme after my own heart. Fiction that dares to tackle marriages (well, in ways other than killing one partner of in the first ten minutes to start the drama) is sadly still in the minority.

1.) Jed and Abbey Bartlett, The West Wing. It's not that they don't occasionally argue (from anything going from

Comments

[nevacaruso]

I think that a lot of writers - esp. in TV - are afraid that once a couple ties the knot, and "settle down," they become boring and (ha!) free of conflict (which is why some series introduce contrived plot twists to prolong the UST for as long as possible, and I roll my eyes). Thank you for acknowledging that there are some great counterexamples!

Wash and Zoe are just wonderful (damn you, Joss!), and the realistic and touching portrayal of Gwen/Rhys was one of my favorite things about Children of Earth. I don't think that most viewers really expected Rhys to be much more than a symbol of the mundane life that Gwen was leaving behind when she joined TW (I was actually talking about this with a couple of friends last night), but the writers deserve major kudos for both showing the struggle that followed and allowing them to triumph over it. The potato truck scene always makes me smile.

[zahrawithaz]

What a great meme! I can't speak for any of them from first-hand experience except Zoe and Wash (and why didn't we see more of them? such a convincing example of opposites attracting, and married partners balancing each other), but I LOVE the idea of calling out and praising excellent fictional marriages.

The inability of most media writers to realistically depict long-term committed relationships is a great thorn in my side. There are so many good stories that go untold, and I find the endless cycles of getting together and breaking up that sometimes result from the belief that you can't explore character and relationship growth after a marriage predictable and dull.

[night_train_fm]

I'd have to put Helen and Bob from The Incredibles somewhere on my list. Same for Arthur and Molly (Weasley-bashers, taste my hate).

[selenak]

I have Incredibles issues. Not with Helen and Bob (they're fine!), with another aspect of the film. And I do like Arthur and Molly a lot, it's just that I like the folk mentioned above more.:)

[night_train_fm]

Huh. I always figured that was one of Pixar's best films.

[selenak]

Basically what he said. (I.e. enjoyable film, really disturbing ideology subtext; KdS explains why in detail in his post on the film.)

[airie_fairy]

Especial <33333 goes out to Jed/Abbey ("j'accuse, mon petit fromage!" and the ensuing smackdown will never leave my head) and Zoe/Wash (stupid movie). And I haven't seen much Torchwood, but what Gwen/Rhys I've seen has been great.

[stagbeetle]

Great meme. One of the reasons I fell so hard for The Killing, Danish crime drama that was just televised in the UK, was how seriously it took ongoing relationships. Sarah and Bengt, Troels and Rie and especially Theis and Pernille are all brilliant pictures of couples under pressure, how they support and put up with and need each other.

Gwen/Rhys love yay!

[night_train_fm]

Just started watching that myself. Good to know the couples have a future that doesn't consist entirely of angst!

[stagbeetle]

Well, there's plenty of angst! But there is tenderness, too. I hope you enjoy it: I'm waiting impatiently for autumn, when British tv gets the second series.