Love Triangles

On love triangles.

A while back, I glutted myself on watching a marathon of back-to-back television episodes. The show isn’t one I would have normally watched and I am quite surprised with my reaction to it. The reason I am so intrigued is because there is such a clear-cut, emotional love triangle going on. I was sucked in from the very first hour because the hero is completely affected by the possibility of losing the love of his life to his nemesis. So, what is this show? It is the BBC adaption of Robin Hood. The triangle is tightly strung between Maid Marian and her duty to marry Guy of Gisborne in order to throw him off of her illegal activities to help Robin. The moment that Guy finagles an engagement from Marian, Robin is standing outside the window listening. When Marian says-yes- Robin’s face is just this picture of agony and defeat. Marian is his woman. His love. And, he can’t stand the idea of another man having her.

I watched this show with a complete affinity for the tortured hero and was totally hooked. At the end of season 1 a tragedy happens. Robin is absolutely gutted and as he kneels over Marian, he tells her he loves her. That’s the stuff of romance novels and it reminded me why I love to write them. But, I digress. Going back to the topic of this post- the love triangle- I started to realize that the Robin-Marian-Guy triangle isn’t the first I fell head-over-heels for. There are several others that call to the sappy romantic within me. I thought I would list a handful of them and see what the common theme is that is so attractive to my romantic muse.

The first that comes to mind is another British hero: King Arthur. What a triangle! I can never choose who I like best. Arthur is a tragic hero full of nobility, skill and good looks. He is powerful and chivalrous. And, he is king. I’d love to “Yes, your majesty,” him simply for a little taste of all that Camelot destiny. But, then, oh my Lancelot. Tortured. Skilled. Oh, so brave. If you watched the Clive Owen version, that sexy knight can wield two swords at the same time. In First Knight, he’d risk his own life for just one kiss of Guinevere. How does a woman choose?

Next is my first love triangle crush. The Phantom of the Opera. However did Miss Christine Daaé end up with Vicompte de Changy? Cause he is hot, rich, and totally in love with her. But, the Phantom….he can croon in my ear whenever he’d like. I can put aside the murdering thing. (Buquet and Piangi deserved it, lol) The fact that Christine makes Eric feel for the first time in his long miserable life just touches my heart and I root for him to win her hand. There is the little forced seduction thing and I for one think it is a little hot to be seduced by a masked man but alas, Raoul has fine horses, a title, estates and in the Gerard Butler movie, is a freaking awesome swordsman. Choices, choices, I think in this instant the Phantom wins my vote.

I feel the need to list a couple honorable mentions. I absolutely adored Kara “Starbuck” Thrace and Lee “Apollo” Adama in the Battlestar Galactica remake. When she ended up married to Anders and Lee married some woman I don’t even want to remember, I was totally peeved. But, that made for a crazy amount of sexual tension neither Kara or Lee managed to get over. Each kiss, every secret moment ended up making me want them back together. Or sweating it out in a hot sex scene. Talk about chemistry, it was totally sparking. I didn’t like the ending. In my mind, they finally hooked up and got their HEA. Also, Jack, Kate and Sawyer from Lost. I never knew who I wanted her to end up with. However, Sawyer was my favorite of the eye candy dudes so, I was gunning for that relationship. When, near the end of the show, Sawyer sees Kate again, the emotion on his face is so strident, utterly stricken, my heart did a little kick. Once again, I was engulfed by my love triangle fascination, this time with Sawyer in the middle of Juliette and Kate. Finally, my sci-fi loving heart has another love triangle to be a shipper over. Stargate Universe has an unusual triangle between oh so soldiery Lt. Scott, pretty aristocratic Chloe and the brainy but sensitive Eli. Now, usually I would go with the soldier. Scott is handsome, devoted, regimental. He can shoot at scary monsters, get his ass kicked and still rescue the fair maiden. But, Eli quotes Star Wars. Eli has a dry sense of humor. Eli makes computers sexy. Too bad the show got the axe. I’d sure like to know which one of those dudes is going to end up with the newly alienized gal.

So, do you have any love triangle recommendations for me? I want to read new stories or watch a show with characters who are seriously conflicted by their circumstances. I especially love it when the hero wants to be with his love but she is kept away by some duty. It tugs at my heart strings to see him so affected by the inability to make her his. And, I adore it when he has to watch her being wooed, touched, kissed or taken away by his rival.

Ah, the love triangle. So, romantic.

Next time, I am going to talk about another trope I adore in romance: Unrequited Love. And first on my list is Mary Margaret and David AKA Snow White and Prince Charming in Once Upon a Time.

Christa