Enjoying various romantic comedies and dramas is a staple of many Valentine’s Day celebrations. With that being said, there are many noteworthy couples in film and television throughout various genres. The Scout staff has compiled a list of its favorite fictional couples.
Nina and Darius, “Love Jones” – Anaiah Davis
Regardless of what anyone says about “Love Jones,” I will always enjoy watching Nina and Darius’ love story play out on screen. In the late 1990s, the pair meet at a Chicago nightclub and instantly connect. Darius makes his interest in Nina known by reciting a salacious and unforgettable poem titled “A Blues for Nina.”
The charm of their chance encounter fades as they begin a passionate, but tumultuous, relationship. Some may say they’re toxic, but I say they’re young and in love and make human mistakes. My admiration for this couple comes from their willingness to try again and take a chance on love. The epic final scene in which Darius professes his feelings for Nina in the rain warms my heart every time.
Booth and Brennan, “Bones” – Rome Tews
These two have a complicated relationship throughout the show that makes me go from finishing the show to starting it over again. Like every crime show, the content of “Bones” varies but is repetitive overall, putting a focus on the characters and their interactions. Booth and Brennan start off as polar opposites, one a people person and the other a socially inert genius. Throughout their time working together, though, they start to bond and find similarities within themselves and show others their world.
The development is stereotypical perhaps, but it gets good when the two finally get together after six seasons and have a baby in season seven. Brennan then runs away with said baby, but she comes back and they get married in season eight and then are divorced in season 10. Let’s just say this couple creates quite the workplace romance and drama.
Chuck and Larry, “I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry” – Rodrigo Trujillo
A bit of an outlier compared to others in this staff picks, Chuck and Larry are a fictional couple, yet not romantically involved. The 2007 film follows the life of a widowed Larry (Kevin James) who loses his life insurance because of his wife’s death. To preserve his benefits, Larry capitalizes off newly passed gay marriage rights to legally marry his best friend, Chuck.
Given the time period and their occupation as firefighters, the two are quite homophobic. Yet through their fraudulent marriage, they grow to understand the struggle of queer folks in society, ultimately embracing the LGBTQ+ community. From homophobic to homosexual, Chuck and Larry are both influential and controversial queer icons.
Percy and Annabeth, “Percy Jackson” – Jessica Taylor
Ignoring the beautifully executed friends to lovers trope, Percy and Annabeth are just built for each other. Their development into a couple isn’t simple; they go through life-changing challenges together and separately. Individually, they both have truly complex character development that creates a great relationship arc.
Once their relationship is established, they dedicate themselves to each other. Not everything in life works out, and they keep it real. They treat each other as equals. At one point, Annabeth literally judo-flips Percy. They may have their fights and disagreements but they still maintain a healthy, communicative relationship.
Sydney and Carmen, “The Bear” – Madalyn Mirallegro
While technically Sydney and Carmen (Carmy) are not yet dating, many fans predict a perfect slow-burn relationship in their future. Despite not shipping the two of them when the show came out, season two and TikTok edits have convinced me that these two would make the perfect relationship.
A notable moment from the show that had me convinced of the two’s relationship potential is when Carmy has a panic attack and the only thing that can calm him down is thinking of Sydney. If I hadn’t been watching with my parents, I would have screamed from how cute the moment was. But since they aren’t together yet, all I can do is keep hoping that in the third season they will be.
Shawn and Jules, “Psych” – Mason Klemm
Although Shawn’s relationship with Gus could be considered for this list, his fairytale romance with Juliet was drawn out just enough that it didn’t feel too long or too short. Through his constant antics, playfulness and goofiness, Shawn finally gets what he wants from the moment he sees Jules in the diner in episode two. Then, he almost blows it.
Their back-and-forth and tiptoeing around their feelings for each other made for a nice subplot to follow in an otherwise episodic show. You just knew they would end up together despite all the times Jules pushed Shawn and his silliness away. And to think, she wasn’t even a part of the original cast.
Spider-Man and MJ, “Spider-Man” – Davis Kinch
The relationship between MJ and Spider-Man is one that possibly can’t be matched by any other couple within both the DC and Marvel universes. MJ and Peter Parker meet while the two are just average high school students. Little did they know that both would embark on numerous adventures together, be it Peter Parker saving lives or even MJ from danger.
MJ becomes one of the first people to find out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. Rather than letting the public know about it, she kept his secret safe. MJ also supports him through every adventure and mission and stays by his side through all of it. The amount of things the two go through together and come out stronger make them my favorite fictional couple.
