Fictional relationships have the benefit of existing in fantasy. The characters are not real, so in the nature of escapism, people can dive into these unrealistic relationships in their entirety, rooting for couples they may not wish to be together if they were a real-life pairing. However, the issue with this is when the story itself presents the toxic relationship as being something to hope for. When the story itself is telling the audience that a toxic or problematic relationship is real healthy love, then it is romanticizing severe problems that the audience may start to take seriously and attempt to emulate for themselves.
In some cases, the audience needs to suspend their disbelief, especially when it comes to vampire stories. If the vampire is physically seventeen but has been around for over a century, how old are they really? Should they be looking at human teenagers as legitimate romantic partners? Romances between teachers and students have also been on the list of forbidden romances that television shows want audiences to root for. However, they seem to ignore not only how illegal it is but all the power imbalances and emotional issues, along with the age gap, that make this connection such a problem.
Twilight Franchise - Edward and Bella
Edward and Bella may be one of the best examples of romanticizing a toxic relationshipand encouraging the world to fall for their love story. Edward is a century older than Bella, which, while it is a problem given her being seventeen years old, the age gap is not even the biggest problem. Edward is a vampire, and he uses his powers to sneak into Bella’s bedroom uninvited to watch her sleep.
Not only is he knowingly putting her in danger, but being with him makes her isolated from her other friends. Not that Bella seems to care about other people when Edward is the main thing on her mind. She even puts herself in constant danger after he leaves just to catch a glimpse of him. In the end, they end up happily together without allowing the series to directly confront all the problematic aspects of their romance.
The Vampire Diaries - Elena and Damon
While Elena’s romance with Stefan may not be the healthiest thing either,The Vampire Diariesgoes the extra mile to portray Elena and Damon’s romance as dangerously toxic. At different points in the series, Damon compels and manipulates Caroline, temporarily kills Jeremy after Elena rejects him, and nearly kills Bonnie.
After turning into a vampire, Elena becomes sired to Damon, which adds another layer of trouble to this relationship when the sire bond prevents Elena from truly consenting to being with Damon. Damon relies on Elena to be his only moral compass, whileElena looks passed and defends all of his horrible behavior. They even directly state they are in a toxic relationship, but never put in the work to fix it.
Friends - Ross and Rachel
Sometimes, people should just stay apart. Ross and Rachel are a prime example of this. They did not make much sense when they were originally together, but all their relationship proved was how bad they were for each other. They were stuck in a paradox of a will-they-won’t-they relationship that did not do either of them any good.
If Rachel was able to accept Ross as a friend after all the issues that led to their breakup for the sake of the larger friend group, that was one thing. But to choose Ross over her dream job in Paris only romanticized them as being a far better couple than they ever were.
The Most Toxic Couples in Rom-Coms, Ranked
On the surface, these classic rom-com couples are fun and iconic, but a deeper look shows how toxic their relationships really are.
Once Upon a Time - Emma and Hook
Given all the true love couples inOnce Upon a Time, led by the epitome pairing of Snow White and Prince Charming, it made sense that the series would want to give their daughter Emma an epic romantic love story too. But Hook was the wrong way to go.Once Upon a Timeoffers Hook a not-quite-convincing redemption arc that basically declares him a hero for the sake of moving on with the story.
Hook claims that Emma is his happy ending, but it never seems that he is hers. Besides, it does not make much sense how the Savior could be paired with a murderer who wears the rings of his victims on his fingers. Hook had also been responsible for Charming’s father’s death, and rather than be truthful about it, he was planning on burning his memories to prevent anyone from finding out.
Pretty Little Liars - Aria and Ezra
Unfortunately, the teacher-student element of this romance is not even the biggest part that makes it toxic. Instead, it is thatEzra had been spying on Ariaand lying to her for the entirety of their relationship because he wanted to write a true-crime book about Alison’s disappearance. Ezra manipulates Aria, telling her they should not be together, only to instigate a romantic moment with her later.
Aria manages to forgive him eventually, even after everything he did, just because he put himself in danger for her one time. After everything,Pretty Little Liarsdoes not even allow the audience to understand that their relationship had been wrong from the very start but instead digs its heels in even further, having them be married in the series finale.
Twilight Franchise - Jacob and Renesmee
Considering this relationship is between an adult male and a newborn baby, this is definitely one that never should have happened.Jacob imprints on Renesmeeright after she is born. While they are never shown to be a romantic couple, having the suggestion that it could happen one day is a step too far. Given that Jacob is basically waiting around until Renesmee officially turns of age certainly does not make the situation any better, nor does knowing that Jacob had been in love with Bella.
Sierra Burgess Is a Loser: Sierra and Jamey
Sierra Burgess Is a Loserwanted the relationship between Sierra and Jamey to appear romantic,but it is actually anything else. For one thing, Sierra is catfishing Jamey from the moment she discovers Jamey believes he is talking to Veronica. Then, instead of telling him the truth immediately, she continues playing with him because of her growing feelings for him.
Then, Sierra gets Veronica in on it to help her pull off a video chat session and an in-person date. But, when Sierra kisses Jamey when he believes he is really kissing Veronica, that is when things reach the point of no return. This movie plays dangerously with consent, or an entire lack of it, especially when it relies on constantly lying to Jamey about who he is falling in love with.
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We look at a plethora of teen movies, and how they often get in their own way.
You - Joe Goldberg and Any Love Interest
Joe Goldberg is not a man that anyone should be with. His stalking and murderous habits make him dangerous. Although he may come across as kind to each woman he falls for, they are not aware of the massive research he does on them before and during their relationship.
Joe’s relationship with Loveoffered him the chance to be with someone who was just as dangerous as he is, but that did not make it healthier. Joe’s obsession with whoever his affection is toward is toxic, as are the lengths he is willing to go to protect them or himself. Joe, as an individual, is dangerous, and while the show certainly acknowledges that, there are still elements of the Netflix series that romanticize him when placing him in romantic situations.
Scandal - Olivia and Fitz
Shondaland shows are known for their constant back-and-forth relationships. ButScandal’sOlivia and Fitz could just never be a justified couple. Fitz being married when they met was already a troubling factor, but his willingness to cheat on his wife with Olivia and fight for them to remain having an affair was a huge red flag.
Their will-they-won’t-they romance was supposed to entice audiences to a forbidden couple who needed each other. Instead, any time they were together proved they were a bad couple, and their pining made things uncomfortable.
Any Version of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet’s romance was doomed from the start. Even ignoring the age gap between them, Shakespeare’s play takes place in less than a week. That is not enough time to legitimately fall in love. Even more so, Romeo and Juliet do not even spend the majority of that time together getting to know each other. Instead, they fall in love at first sight. That is not enough time to determine that a person you just met and were attracted to was worth dying for.
