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This was Kelly’s request in the Top 5 Meme and it ended up being harder than I thought it would. I’m a very character-based girl and as such I tend to be more invested in individuals than couples. It’s rare that I actually care if two exact characters are together. It’s more likely that I hope for two unlikely characters to get together if only because I’m intrigued by how they would play off each other.
However, every once in a while, there will two characters I love separately who have really great chemistry and a history that suggests they not only belong together but will always be in each other’s lives. These are the couples that actually increase my enjoyment of the show. I don’t mind if they aren’t exactly together at any given moment as long as there’s always some kind of underlying “coupley” tension between them. In the end, I decided that those were the couples that belong on this list. Also, to narrow down my original list, I decided only couples who had actually been paired together during the run of a show qualified.
- Amanda King/Lee Stetson (Scarecrow and Mrs. King)
Is it cheating to like a couple you know will be together by the actual title of the show? Maybe but I guess that is why this couple worked. If they hadn’t, the show wouldn’t have lasted very long. This was an easy choice because, other than my #2 couple, they are really the only couple that instantly springs to mind when thinking about pairings that “made” a show for me. It helps that they cover a lot of my top romance kinks: spies, a charming guy who has a bit of a bad boy vibe to him but is actually really sweet and nice, a strong woman who people can’t help but like, a woman who gets the job done even if she can be a bit of ditz and screw things up as often as she gets them right, unlikely pairing, etc. The real question is… did I love those things before this couple or did this couple make me love those things?
- Pacey Witter/Joey Potter (Dawson’s Creek)
This one’s a no-brainer. Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows Joey and Pacey truly are my One True Pairing. I put Lee/Amanda in the #1 slot on this list only because I think they helped shape my opinions about all future TV couples but it’s these two that still make me swoon a little inside just thinking about them. This is partly because Joey is my favorite Dawson’s Creek character (and, quite frankly, probably my favorite female TV character). Except for Dawson (and even that was more because of the actor than the character himself), I liked all of her various relationships on the show. Pacey is easily my second favorite character so having my two favorites sharing time and a storyline was a match made in heaven. And, you know, Josh had an amazing on-screen chemistry with Katie unlike, say, James! If you doubt the strength of their chemistry, just take a look at how many people still wish Josh and Katie would get back together off-screen. That’s not because any of us actually got to see Josh and Katie together, it’s all because of the magic that was Joey and Pacey!
Anyway. Those reasons are all very valid but the real reason I loved these two was that they complimented each other in a way none of their other partners did. Even though the writers kept telling us Dawson and Joey were soul mates, they kept showing us that it was really Pacey and Joey who belonged together. I’m all for the idea of childhood sweethearts and lifelong friends who realize they also love each other. But Dawson never seemed to get Joey. Pacey bought her a fucking wall, people!! Every time Joey had something she wanted, Pacey did everything in his power to make sure she got it. In a lot of ways, I don’t feel like Joey ever gave Pacey as much as he gave her but, since she always loved him unconditionally (which wasn’t always the case with almost everyone else in his life), that doesn’t bother me as much as it might normally.In conclusion, I love these two. Also, I totally teared up multiple times typing that and I’m pretty sure that’s a sign of an unhealthy attachment to a fictional couple that has been off the air (reruns don’t count!) for almost five years.
- Veronica Mars/Logan Echolls (Veronica Mars)
I’m sure this one comes as a shock to all of you! So, Veronica/Logan probably nab this spot because I miss them so much right now. They’ll always be one of my favorite couples, though, because I loved their sparks. They’re probably the two characters who were most adept at hurting each other because they knew each other so well that they knew exactly what button to push. But, for the same reason, they also had some really spectacular and, yes, even epic moments. I know they didn’t technically end up with each other in the finale but is there anyone who doubts that these two will always be tormenting and loving each other?
- Lorelai Gilmore/Luke Danes (Gilmore Girls)
Even one bad season can’t keep these two off my list and, believe me, it almost did. But, in the end, the fact that I actually got annoyed at how the writers handled these seems to suggest they deserve to be here. Well that and I spent several years just waiting for these two to realize their feelings for each other. There were lots of things I loved about Gilmore Girls but waiting for that moment kept me watching season after season. So what’d I love about ‘em? The chemistry between Scott and Lauren for one, the friendship between Lorelai and Luke for another. They knew each other so well, both the good and the bad, and yet neither of them ran screaming in the other direction. I just liked how their friendship grew to be so much more and, as a result, I felt like they really would be in it for the long haul when they finally got together.
- Felicity Porter/Noel Crane (Felicity)
I struggled with this one. I literally put and removed three or four other couples in this spot before settling on these two. And they won out because I probably wouldn’t have kept watching Felicity if not for the hope of these two ever making their way back to each other. I never liked Ben. Never. At the most, I tolerated him because I did feel like he never asked for the adoration Felicity heaped on him. And, yes, I do know that it wasn’t Ben I didn’t like. It was how fucking bat-shit crazy Felicity was about him that I hated. It’s a testament to Keri Russell that I actually liked Felicity at all because she really was pretty psycho when you take a good look at all the things she did in the name of Ben. Oy. But Noel… he was my ideal man. He was nice. And techy. And sweet. And good-looking. Yes, I am that shallow. And he liked Felicity despite her crazy behavior. You gotta love him for that alone. They were doomed from the beginning but I kept hoping that Felicity would finally realize that her obsession with Noel was based on fantasy and that what she had with Noel was real. Alas, it wasn’t to be. At least they ended as friends and their friendship was one of my favorite parts of the show so I’m ok with that.
Runners-up: The last three were the hardest. Not because I don’t love those couples but because I think I love the rest of the couples on my narrowed-down list about the same. That’s why I made sure to explain why each of them made it onto the list but here’s the rest of the couples that, at any given moment, could have made it instead: David/Maddie (Moonlighting), Sam/Diane (Cheers), Scully/Mulder (The X Files), Willow/Oz (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Rory/Jess (Gilmore Girls), Wesley/Fred (Angel), Zoe/Wash (Firefly), Jim/Pam (The Office), and Ned/Chuck (Pushing Daisies)
Yay, another Felicity/Noel ‘shipper! I loved those two so much and when I realized they were going in the Felicity/Ben direction, I actually stopped watching the show.
(I never liked Ben either. Just…did not get it.)
Your paragraphs about Joey/Pacey made me wish I’d watched more “Dawson’s Creek.” What an awesome tribute to what sounds like an incredible couple.
I’m glad to see my favorite couple in your top five, Rae. Then again, I’m listening to an acoustic version of “On Your Porch” and wishing it had been for them and not the Donut.
You have a think for good UST, I think. Between David/Maddie and Sam/Diane at least.
Man, I love Joey and Pacey. Sigh.
And while I liked Ben for Felicity over Noel, I agree that she was crazy when it came to him. She freaked me out many times, especially early on in the series. Why he didn’t get a restraining order is beyond me. Heh. But I liked Noel has a friend for her better at the end of the day. I admit though, while watching, I went back and forth between Noel and Ben.
Thanks for answering my question!! I liked all your choices, except i never watched or heard of the first couple. But overall i liked it, i love how you added felicity and noel, i liked them too. Pacey/Joey and Veronica/Logan would have probably made my list too.
Eolivet: Oh, yes, Felicity/Noel all the way! I actually know of several people who feel the same but I guess that’s not a show that comes up a lot in discussioins. Be glad you stopped watching… JJ has a bad tendency to veer off into weird territory and Felicity should have prepared me for future shows (*cough*Alias*cough*).
Also, awww, thanks for saying that about my overly gushy Pacey/Joey thoughts! They were kinda awesome but I’m not sure you’d love the show. People love to trash it so I dunno if it holds up… I still love it but I’m too biased to be a good objective observer of the quality of it.
Roz: Haha, well I think they belong there. I like them both on their own but I really did enjoy an episode more if there was some kind of Logan/Veronica undercurrent to it. I agree about “On Your Porch” by the way… You’re probably right about the UST but I think it’s also a think for opposites attracting or bad/playboy and strong female pairings. I mean, I’ve got nothing against lovey-dovey, schmoopy couples or even just those who just have a kind of “quiet” love but, when it comes to my TV viewing, I like my couples to have spark and for each person to give as good as they take.
Me too, Laura, me too. I miss them!!
Haha, I used to think the same thing. She was kind of pscyho stalker at points. I can understand following a guy to the same college… especially when it’s still a great college. But some of the other stuff, yikes! I think part of what bugged me about the idea of Felicity and Ben was that she didn’t really like the real Ben at first. It was the Ben she had built in her mind that she obsessed over and I was never sure she was capable of letting that go and accepting Beb for who he was. I think she did by the end of the show but it was always something in the back of my head. I guess I could never let go of the crazy things she did.
You’re welcome, Kelly! Thanks for suggesting it. It was fun and really made me think. Definitely not as quick and easy as I first thought it’d be!
I should make everyone else answer the same question because now I’m curious who all of you guys would pick.
NOEL all the way, baby. Scott Foley/Noel was the REASON I watched Felicity. I would be sitting there begging her to please pay more attention to the precious guy who adored her despite everything. Waaaaaaaaaahhhhhh
Sigh.
[...] Pacey and Joey sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Find out the other four TV couples that make Rae weak in the knees. (RTVW) [...]
Rae, you share my love for Scarecrow and Mrs. King! I thought I was the only one in the universe that ever watched that show! I was right on with your list until the Felicity/Noel hookup. I was a Ben gal. Sorry.
But where are Clark Kent and Lois Lane from “Lois and Clark?” Terri Hatcher and Dean Cain rocked!
“[Luke and Lorelai] knew each other so well, both the good and the bad, and yet neither of them ran screaming in the other direction.”
What?! What about when they TOTALLY DID? Like, toward the end, when they broke up like whiny little babies, and then they just sort of implied that maybe they’d get back together or just be friends again? Boo!
Jennifer, you make a good point about Clark and Lois! I can’t believe I forgot to include them… although I think they still would only have made my runners-up list. Mostly because I didn’t get enough of them to have them rank above the others in my Top 5.
Oakling: See my comment about the last season almost knocking them off the list. I rarely agree with cries “so-so is acting OUT OF CHARACTER!” but Luke and Lore in the last half of S6 through a large part of S7… I would. And despite what happened, I’m not sure I’d call it running screaming from each other based on what they know about each other. It was more like Luke was feeling pressured and Lore was hurt. But, looking at all the seasons overall, I still think they showed that they weren’t afraid of the real Lore and real Luke.
I think the implication is pretty clear that they were getting back together. They say they love each other and kiss. I know we didn’t get a lot of time with them that way which kinda sucks but I think their reunion is less ambigious as couples on other show finales. I’d like to have a little more time with them back together but I’m satisified that they at least ended up that way. (Plus, I preferred the show pay more attention to Lore/Rory in the end since I felt they were the focus of the show not Luke/Lore.)
[...] Pacey and Joey sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Find out the other four TV couples that make Rae weak in the knees. (RTVW) [...]
I agree with all these so much (except no 1 as I have no idea what it is). I am still watching season 3 and 4 of Dawson’s Creek, simply because of P and J. If I could skip through all the other bits and just watch those two I would. (I don’t own the DVDs as yet). They are the perfect couple and Pacey Witter is probably one of the main reasons I am still single, because where the hell is my wall people? Where is my trip on True Love. Dawson just doesn’t even come close and if they’d ended it with those two together I think I would have done something extreme in protest.
And the Felicity thing…I never cared for Ben either, for all those reasons you put. Felicity is psycho in that first season when it comes to Ben, and Noel is so great. Damn the writers for not seeing it.
I hear ya, Dianne!
Carrie: Well, if they ever release the show on DVD others might know what it is!! Heh.
It’s old enough that most don’t know… and if I hadn’t had a mother who was into those shows, I wouldn’t either.
HAHA. Oh, you said it exactly. WHERE THE HELL IS MY WALL?! Pacey set some pretty high standards for any guy to follow.
I can’t believe I missed this. I could not agree more with your couples. In fact, my list is identical except I’d take out the Felicity group and put Beauty and the Beast Catherine and Vincent there.
I feel EXACTLY like you do about these couples especially Scarecrow and Mrs. King a show I love with a fiery, fiery passion. And just when is this going on DVD?
[...] Pacey and Joey sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Find out the other four TV couples that make Rae weak in the knees. (RTVW) [...]
[...] Pacey and Joey sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Find out the other four TV couples that make Rae weak in the knees. (RTVW) [...]
So few people in this world appreciate Felicity and Noel, I’m glad I’m not the only one.