THERE'S NO ACCOUNTING FOR CHEMISTRY
budget, logistics and actual non-romantic plotlines aside, the structure behind your basic movie or TV-show het pairing is pretty simple. here's what you do:
- get your source material (book adaptation, movie or episode script, etc) where a romantic relationship is presented. (bonus points if your source is reasonably popular already!)
- cast an actor that fits your choice male character.
- cast an actress that fits your choice female character.
(bonus points if they can actually act worth their paychecks!)
- film their scenes accordingly.
as the creator/director/producer, you've known from the beginning that these two characters were going to be together, so in your opinion the scenes are coming out great and you're sure your audience is totally going to get on board with this 'ship. (yes, you're aware you sound like a silly, over-excited schoolgirl but hey, romance sells and in a tween-dominated market, you're comfortable with it because you're going to make a bajillion bucks anyway).
when your show/movie premieres, it becomes a massive hit and you're so pumped by your success that you never even notice that the girl who plays your choice female character has more on-screen chemistry with the dude that plays her brother (that dude from dexter married his TV sister, remember?) or worse, her sworn enemy (the fundamental version of "opposites attract") than with her intented romantic interest. or that the guy you cast as your lead male character seems to be dripping UST from his every pore whenever he's in the same scene as the girl that's supposed to be nothing more than his very mutually platonic best friend.
unbeknownst to you, by then your movie/show has already become a prime example of a certain trope (bonus points if it gets a picture and witty footnote!), 43 out of 51 pages of your fandom's archive in ff.net are dedicated to this "alt" couple (ensemble cast? what's that? screw the other 26 main characters, this is incest, dude! taboo is the it thing nowadays!), and when you look up your fandom on the web (just for the lulz, of course-- i mean, it's not like you're obsessively keeping tabs or anything), even google tells you this so-called "authorial intent" thing FAILS.
meanwhile, you're too busy participating in press conferences and interviews where you reassert your word-of-god belief that foofie and susie may are absolutely perfect for each other and meant to be from day one to see that half of your loving fanbase is:
- chasing you down with torches and pitchforks in hand,
- thinking up lists of ways they can assassinate you and your big mouth, or-- god forbid--
- writing your own characters way better than you ever could.
curse you, gods of chemistry! >.<
clearly, even casting directors make mistakes.
and in the spirit of this conclusion, here are some of my favorite "supposedly never-intended-by-the-creators but borne out of sheer chemistry" ships.
harry picked up hermione's wand, which he had dropped in the snow, and sat back down in the entrance of the tent.
"thanks for the tea. i'll finish the watch. you get back in the warm."
she hesitated, but recognised the dismissal. she picked up the book and then walked back past him into the tent, but as she did so, she brushed the top of his head lightly with her hand. he closed his eyes at her touch...
ahhh, these two. arguably my biggest ship ever. it kind of has to be, if even ten years later i still find myself sighing over how amazing it could've been. ^^;;; the cool thing is, now with the movies things are getting better, because dan & emma have crazy on-screen chemistry and TPTB are obviously huge closet shippers. xDDDDD so things are good in h/hr-land at the moment, if you ask me. ;)
peter: you saved my life.
claire: guess we're even now.
you know, as they're supposed to be related, i can't really bring myself to ship these two. i mean in the conventional sense of the word "shipping," of course-- i don't, like, read P/C fanfics, or watch videos, or wish they could get together in the show. however, i can easily admit that their chemistry goes far beyond blood-relation in a way that just makes you think... i mean, milo and hayden dated, for god's sake! that should say it all.
alex: justin, what if we don't get the stone in time and we can't save everyone?
justin: don't worry about it. we will.
alex: how do you know that?
justin: because it's you and i... how can we not?
much like with peter & claire, i can't bring myself to actually ship them because the incest just squicks me horribly. however, after the movie... i mean, i don't even watch wizards that much but i LOVED the movie and let me tell you, after THAT, even a blind man could see that they sizzle when they're together. it made ME, at least, a david/selena shipper through and through. now THAT'S what i call chemistry.
warren: you want me to heat that up for you?
layla: (wide-eyed, in an urgent whisper). we're not supposed to use our powers outside of school!
warren: (whispering back). i was just gonna stick it in the microwave.
my newest ship! i saw the movie a couple weeks back and i have to say... seriously, writers? did they not see the sparks? that was one ending that was SCREAMING for a script change. *shakes head*
morgana: (for once showing her true emotions). i don’t want you to fight tomorrow.
arthur: why not?
morgana: (feeling some kind of premonition). i don't know what it is... please-- I'm warning you.
arthur: (smiling). you're worried about me.
morgana: no. it's not me. it's your father. can't you see what you're doing to him?
arthur: (doubtful). my father?
morgana: obviously. he cares about you. (betraying her own emotions). he loves you, arthur. he doesn't want to lose you.
arthur: (recognising). and i feel the same. but... i have to do this.
(a moment, they hold each other's stare. tears are forming in morgana's eyes).
morgana: i understand.
(she turns and goes. arthur bows his head and sighs).
their scenes were so amazing back in merlin series 1. they had the classic bickering thing going on-- but it was more than clear that they really cared for each other very deeply. i mean, just look at the script for the deleted scene: there were feelings! it's even down on paper! but then the writers decided to switch gears on us and they hardly had any interaction in series 2. which is sad. but i'm not giving up hope, arthur & morgana have an amazing potential and hey, it's not over 'til the fat lady sings!
BTW, if you ship these two, please think about participating in our postcard campaign! who knows, we might get TPTB to change their minds on A&M. =)
BONUS!: because it doesn't even have to be just live-action stuff now. (AKA "you can't blame the casting director for this one, st00pid!").
and what fastens attention, in the intercourse of life, like any passage betraying affection between two parties? perhaps we never saw them before and never shall meet them again. but we see them exchange a glance or betray a deep emotion, and we are no longer strangers. we understand them and take the warmest interest in the development of the romance. all mankind love a lover. --ralph waldo emerson.