Why The Love Triangle Trope Isn't Always Bad

Let’s talk The Love Triangle! Compelling or insufferable? In this video I discuss why the trope is so polarising and why it maybe doesn’t deserve all the hate it gets. Allow me to indulge you in some team Jacob propaganda from Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga, as well as a deep dive into why Yorgos Lanthimos' The Favourite (2018), starring Emma Stone, Olivia Coleman and Rachel Weisz is the best to ever do it.
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⚡️ Twitter: / tahkawa
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Some of the movies or tv shows mentioned:
- Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, Breaking Dawn Part 1, Breaking Dawn Part 2
- The Favourite (2018)
- Romeo + Juliet (1996)
- Tristan and Isolde (2006)
- The Hunger Games
- The Notebook (2004)
- Titanic (1997)
- The Graduate (1967)
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This post contains affiliate links to products that I may receive compensation from at no additional cost to you.
➤ Microphone: Blue Yeti amzn.to/2ZCt72y
➤ Editing: FCPX on Macbook Pro amzn.to/399xbue
➤ Music: Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...

[@ELStalky]

My biggest issue with the trope is that the characters involved in it tend to act like absolute morons, making sure that everyone is miserable for as much or long as possible.

[@kay-leighlewis9322]

ELStalky I hate it so much because it always ends with someone getting hurt. And it’s like, really, you had to continue this whole charade, stringing these guys along so you could live out some teenage fantasy? I hate the trope in movies because no stable and mature person needs to have 2 people fighting for your attention.

[@Cloud_Stratus]

But it's so ~dramatic~. No for real, it's just lazy writing.

[@funkyfranx]

Well said. The way these love triangles are dragged out make the protagonist even more unlikeable for stringing two people along for such a long time. In reality, most peoples' reaction to such a person would be: 'OK, I'll make this easy for you. Bye.'

[@udnn]

I'm uploading twilight stuff, please subscribe to my channel : ) or maybe just give me some likes...

[@notwerkinginthishouse8634]

@@udnn begging will lead you nowhere

[@aravisthetarkheena]

I definitely remember the marketing around the "team peeta, team gale" thing in the Hunger Games - I remember seeing the poster for the first movie (I had only read the first book at the time) and wondering who the hell Liam Hemsworth was playing. Gale was BARELY in the first book and the series as a whole was really not about either of them.

[@waimarieheap5608]

aravisthetarkheena That awkward moment when media keeps trying to overhype and oversaturate the romance aspect of it to overshadow what the story is really about... both IN the story AND in the real world.

[@annabelcrescibene4257]

aravisthetarkheena Exactly, Gale was never an option

[@justcallmeteacup4711]

Right? I knew he was Gale but I was surprised when they seemed to be playing up his presence considering he wasn't that significant in the big picture. Yes, Katniss kissed him like once or twice, but the love triangle was just not really there. I mean, Katniss barely even had feelings for Peeta throughout most of the book series

[@saya1720_]

Exactly. I was also disappointed how much they downplayed Peeta's character. He was a BADASS SMARTASS in the books. He was one of the most interesting characters of the Hunger Games trilogy.

[@aroobamaqsood9985]

Yessss. It was supposed to be off putting, a couple of 16 yr olds forced to portray their love for each other so that they could be given a chance to live.

[@sabrryn]

“And she sits in a chair for 4 months straight” 💀

[@dancingthedream1410]

Well not in the books, she doesn't. She has one week where she is described as "catatonic" and then she pulls herself together as much as she can. She studies hard at school, gets top grades even in subjects she dislikes, cooks and takes care of her father the best she can, and tries as hard as she can to hide her misery from him. When we pick up the story after those four months she is surprised at how much Charlie understood despite her trying so hard to be her best.

[@exosproudmamabear558]

@@dancingthedream1410 At least the author tried.

[@Xehanort10]

In the film she probably really stunk wearing the same clothes for 4 months.

[@sabi_ne]

@@dancingthedream1410 well she doesn't do anything for 4 month... It was just the page with the name of the month written in it. That's what they tried to replicate in the movie where she sits in the chair.

[@dancingthedream1410]

@@sabi_ne It can certainly be interpreted that way, but later in the book Alice and Charlie has a conversation that Bella overhears, where Charlie explains what happened in those four months. It was only that first week she didn' do anything and they talked about hospitalising her. The rest of the time she was "normal" as in she did everything she had done before, she did her homework, got top grades, she went to work, and she cooked for Charlie. But she acted like a zombie, she was without feelings. She was "empty" which is what the empty pages tries to tell us. Even though she also did her best to hide that for Charlie. I know that that conversation is totally excluded from the film, which is why many have the impression that she just satt around, uselessly, for four months.

[@twofish4433]

“At some point, you just have to except that teenage girls are allowed to have Gothic romances with sparkly vampires and buff Native American werewolves”

[@udnn]

I'm uploading twilight stuff, please subscribe to my channel : ) or maybe just give me some likes...

[@fionaxx8645]

*accept

[@imfuckingbest6715]

27u91d 1n73&n37 stop spamming and no one care

[@Xehanort10]

Them liking them's fine. Being completely obsessed with them and insulting people who don't like them isn't.

[@queerlibtardhippie9357]

​@@Xehanort10 Both of these are fine in someone's eyes.

[@phadenswandemil4345]

The "sometimes you look like a badger" dialogue was my favourite line in the film.

[@TropeAnatomy]

Mine too! The entire conversation is so good

[@udnn]

I'm uploading twilight stuff, please subscribe to my channel : )

[@dannimajig]

I never understood the love triangle in Twilight, it was clear in both the books and films that it was always Edward and that Jacob was never an option. Bella literally says to Jacob “don’t make me choose because it’ll always be Edward”, or something along those lines.

[@Vicky-ps1my]

I read Twilight and personal hated Jacob because it felt like he had no redeeming qualities. I skipped new moon because I hated him that much. I think the books are okay, but I prefer one interest with multiple difficult obstacles in the way (like hunger games the book). -Vic Vic

[@emilyb.8219]

​@@Vicky-ps1my Ugh yes, Jacob is so goddamn annoying and rude. I cannot stand him in Eclipse, he's so manipulative and gross.

[@Vicky-ps1my]

@@emilyb.8219 THANK YOU. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW PEOPLE LIKE HIM

[@funkyfranx]

She only says that in the films, not the books. But yeah, we all knew which way she was going to go, such a time-waster

[@TheRedHaze3]

@@Vicky-ps1my Whoa, what's wrong with Jacob in the first book?

[@dreamer1-7]

I’m happy that people can criticize something like Twilight, a movie targeted towards a young female audience, without going for the throats of said young female audience. Edit: I didn’t realize my comment would get the reactions that it’s been getting so let me explain for a sec: My original comment is written from the perspective of someone who was harshly criticized as a 2009 preteen for liking Twilight because it was “made for girls”. Everyone knows that content targeted towards women/girls is not really taken seriously no matter what the year is. Anyone who tries to deny this must be living under a rock. Idk if anyone is necessarily still making fun of Twilight fans in 2020 I just wanted to show my appreciation for the people who are going back and rethinking their criticisms of the Twilight fans and of Twilight itself. I’m also aware that there are girls and women who may still believe Edward and Jacob are boyfriend goals. I want to be clear that people who exhibit anger issues, revert to stalking, being possessive, or having control over their partner, etc. are NOT the types of partners you should be seeking out in real life regardless of you being a man/woman in your late twenties and thirties or a boy/girl in your preteens. It’s okay to enjoy Twilight, so long as you don’t get sucked into the belief that the relationships in it are healthy or ideal. Twilight is not the first piece of problematic entertainment and it certainly won’t be the last. I hope this clears everything up ✌🏻😊

[@gulce4940]

love your profile picture btw

[@dreamer1-7]

Gülce lol thanks

[@blorbofy]

AGREED! Like some people just do it to attack teenage girls. It's ridiculous

[@dreamer1-7]

@@blorbofy I JUST wrote a paper for school about Twilight and my male boomer professor said "Twilight isn't actually literature" and I feel like he only said that because it's targeted towards teenage girls. Still bothers me tbh.

[@zeera7080]

There's a study about it actually, notice how men and more specifically boys tend to hate on things teenage girls do? It's because they cannot bear to have the attention off of them, even if they never had it in the first place.

[@NoamLevyMusic]

Evangeline Lilly has said she only agreed to The Hobbit if there was no love triangle because she was so sick of being known as Kate on LOST. After she shot The Hobbit she was asked to came back for reshoots and they had added a love triangle to her character! Tauriel and Kate illustrate the worst problems with this trope. The endgame pairing is never hard to guess; the conflict is played for awkward angst not real drama; and the triangle becomes an annoying timesucking irrelevance that drags on for multiple movies/TV seasons. Kate was an interesting & original character for two & a half seasons but LOST ran for six. The writers didn’t develop anything else for her to do and didn’t want to kill her off either.

[@7211_]

Noam Levy and the love triangle was by far the worst part of the movies! everything about it would have been so much better if it just hadn’t been there..

[@MrPtrlix]

Because it was real lol

[@paradoxacres1063]

Eh, to be fair, Legolas was _barely_ attracted to Tauriel throughout the films. So it kinda feels like the "conflict" was Tauriel getting over her internalized *racism* against Dwarves 😂🤷‍♂️

[@KateeAngel]

Tauriel & Kili is ok, it is the Legolas who is out of place in love triangle.

[@arianapetrova90]

I didn’t even notice the love triangle All I remembered from the hobbit was Kili and Tauriel love And single Legolas being hot af

[@EmpressCosplay]

I loved The Favourite so much and it's love triangle was so well executed that it did not even feel like a Love Triangle™ and I only now realised that it is, indeed, a love triangle! 🙈😂

[@lampad4549]

Obviously youve never seen chihayafuru, Oregairu or monogatari not a weeb are we ? Just saying i don't think ive seen a frustrating love triangle in anime.

[@ex.O]

True!

[@wiseowl5216]

mel on The Sasuke, Ino and Sakura one in Naruto was badly executed in my opinion but you’re definitely right about Chihayafuru.

[@loneywood3883]

@@wiseowl5216 how about the Vampire Knight love triangle

[@loneywood3883]

@Mina ki yup, Kaname was her ancestor or something. Lolol! That didn't stop them from having two kids in the manga. Spoiler sorry, also she has a child with Zero when Kaname dies

[@katsala918]

My favorite love triangles are imaginary ones. For example, Miraculous Ladybug has a love square with only two people.

[@Kagomai15]

Frickin love that whole scenario, it's ridiculous and the stakes are simultaneously high and low and it's the best hahaha

[@gulce4940]

My favorite kind of love triangle where it is a square with only two people that matter ( yeah I know I said the same thing but you are damn right)

[@treceslez]

Lmao I actually hate that love triangle because there's literally no point for those two other characters to exist other than to make the main pairing happen. Luka has no personality, he's only purpose is just to be the nice guy and Kagami, well, she's there... to make Marinette get more jealous I guess? But oh well, maybe if they give a personality to those two other characters involved in the coming seasons it won't be that annoying anymore.

[@langelihlendiweni1396]

Katori Files I swear if Disney doesn’t hop on the Luca ship I’m done. Like they always give us the ships we wanted when we no longer want them. Like Teddy and her cheating ex, I was so enfuriated. I really liked Beau

[@fightingmedialounge519]

What about cloe.

[@s.a.8548]

I LOVE unrequited love which sometimes happens in love triangles. That's the only time I can stand by this trope. It's actually more realistic than one person choosing between two hotties that they like equally. Just be polyamorous if that's the case lmao

[@Kagomai15]

When I discovered polyamory was a thing that existed literally every love triangle I ran into from then on frustrated me with that exact solution in mind. Why choose between your potential partners when you can choose both? The drama and awkwardness of three people trying to negotiate their relationships and boundaries together would far exceed the tired drama of pretending you don't already know which one the character is going to choose. And there's so much potential for not-actually-unrequited love tropes to develop in there too! You get your angst and you get the whole triangle! Win-win!

[@lampad4549]

Its really not easy to be polyamorous cause all partners have to love each other equally and not just one loving two of them.

[@s.a.8548]

@@lampad4549 That's why I said "if you love them equally" and ofc the two parties involved will have to agree to it. There's different forms of polyamory and this is one type. All people involved don't have to love and be sexual with each other. You're thinking of a triad or throuple.

[@Badenhawk]

What's a good film or book example of polyamory? I can think of the movie Savages with Blake Lively, it was an ok movie but I can see where the polyamory worked.

[@s.a.8548]

@@Badenhawk I've legit never read a book with a hint of polyamory lol but than again I'm not really into purely romance books so maybe it's found in that genre. Idk but I definitely want to read one now.

[@cupcakegurls909]

Don’t forget there’s nothing redeemable about Jake. He basically forced himself onto Bella in a vulnerable place.

[@udnn]

I'm uploading twilight stuff, please subscribe to my channel : ) or maybe just give me some likes...

[@imfuckingbest6715]

27u91d 1n73&n37 no one care stop spamming

[@Xehanort10]

In the later books Meyer apparently turned Jacob into an asshole to make Edward look better.

[@MyssBlewm]

I have never been able to form into words why I struggle with love triangles. Thank you. This also explains to me why I hated getting into discussions about a love triangle between Harry, Hermione and Ron in the HP series. That was never a theme in the books. It always seemed cooked up by fans and the success if Twilight helped encourage the filmmakers to canonize it somewhat. I just never felt a love triangle served any purpose aside from "I like Harry/Ron more and so Hermione should date him".

[@melodyclark1944]

The worst thing is the author saying she should have put Harry and Hermione together.

[@danidkg4071]

exactly like, i get it if people just ship one thing more than the other thing but harry potter isn't about love triangles. not to mention that harry always sees hermione more like a little sister

[@Chan-qk9eh]

Honestly still struggling to get why exactly Ron/hermione loved each other. I mean, they did argue TONS and never seemed to agree. But there is just some feeling of attachment. Besides, Ginny was in the 6th book at the end with more the golden trio before slipping back to the silver trio in deathly hallows bc she wasn’t official golden trio and thus no Horcruxes, yes hogwarts. But still, it’s the least awkward position. Ron and hermione get together but Harry gets to be a Weasley so now he’s officially joined the family (tying the bond, molly always put him as a Weasley but it’s wonderful to be official!) so now they’re all weasleys. And yeah, ginnys close enough to the golden trio for Harry to not be too much of a third wheel. Ron x hermione was the best option practically. Awkwardness minimized,everyone’s related to the greatest family ever and so much closer, and the closest to a happy ever after and the weasleys seriously deserve that, after poor Fred and George, Besides, I really don’t like Ron being the third wheel, he definitely wasn’t the most talented of the three but he was Harry’s best friend and provided so so much support. He literally does not deserve to be left out.

[@availanila]

I also hated how Snape was likened to Draco, i.e. one lost Lily the other Hermione. Draco would have never even liked Hermione!

[@ducklingscap897]

@@Chan-qk9eh Ron was really important and great in the books in the books (the movies completely destroyed his character and kind of also hurt Hermiones and Harrys characters and Ginny was basically dead in the movies) so let's ignore the movie fuck up for a moment. Ever since book 4 they had real tension between them and even from book one you could see there were attracted to each other. They always supported each other and complete each other. Ron is a brilliant strategist with high emotional intelligence, the streetsmart guy while Hermione is extremely bocksmart. They had a myriad of cute moments in the books. Falling asleep holding hands, them always wondering where the other is, the awkward handshake in the chamber of secrets, the "are you a wizard or what?" in book 1 & 7 , Hermione breaking rules for him etc. It was Ron around whom Hermione laughed the most.She liked his funny and laid back character that helped her to unwind while her focused determination for everything pushed him forward.

[@getouthope]

Can we all agree the best love triangle was Hannah, Jake, and Jesse

[@xupetefierro]

I WAS TEAM JESSE THE WHOLE TIME AND I WAS RIGHT AT THE END!!!

[@getouthope]

xupete fierro BITCH SAME

[@mocha-frapppé]

who?

[@getouthope]

awkward June they’re the two boys Hannah had a love triangle with on Hannah Montana

[@catlady4858]

That episode where Jake cheated on her was SO out of nowhere, though.

[@AF-ft6nh]

I was a teenage girl around when The Hunger Games came out and I was so in love with the books and how they handled the love triangle by not focusing the story around it (or by not focusing on it in general). But the whole marketing around THG... Team Peeta or Team Gale, jesus chris, who tf cares? It was quite funny that the series kept highlighting that the media/people just want some drama even if it's fake and that's essentially what happened with THG's marketing pushing the (barely existing) love triangle narrative XD

[@Rikku147]

I wrote this elsewhere but did we read the same book?? Katniss spends a significant amount of time trying to deal with her feelings between Gale and Peta and how those feelings differ, how she's confused about them, and how choosing them also means aligning herself with one aspect or another of the rebellion. I have never, ever been able to understand why Hunger Games fans are in denial at the love triangle was significant to Katniss as a character and therefore to the plot overall.

[@Rikku147]

(Especially because it becomes more overt as the series goes on)

[@alicepace3677]

@@Rikku147 I agree, Peeta and Gale clearly represented different belief systems and in your words aspects of the rebellion. Peeta represented peace and the end of the cycle, whereas Gale was clearly aligned with Coin and represented war and retribution. If Katniss had chosen Gale she would have aligned herself with his, and thus Coin's beliefs. I actually think that Suzanne Collins balances the love triangle and the actual main plotline very well, and it's pretty obvious that the love triangle served a greater, symbolic purpose and wasn't just to simply provide more angst.

[@dianoska]

Does in the first book show real interactions between katniss and Peeta for her to fall for him? Because honestly in the movies it looked kind of forced to me.

[@lilowhitney8614]

@@Rikku147 Because it's not about love at all, let alone being a love triangle. Like Alice said, both Peeta and Gale stand for opposite philosophies so Katniss "choosing" one of them doesn't really say anything about what she feels towards either boy so much as it says stuff about her. All that time she spent conflicted about them is her working out her own worldview and feelings about the war.

[@alrune8]

Love triangles are actually quite simple to solve: if you're the central angle, choose the one you like best. If you're one of the side angles, get out asap.

[@hkr667]

The reason I often hate them is because the woman often outright cheats on her partner, which makes me want her to be alone and miserable for the rest of her life, and 'the bad guy' is often such a douche that it makes me question why she was in a relationship with him in the first place. So regardless of the triangle I immediately stop caring about the woman, so why should I care how the triangle ends?

[@Di7manya]

Yeah, sometimes the "bad choice" is so cartoonishly evil, that makes you wonder why they are dating. Also a big problem with that trope is when the "bad guy" was nothing but sweet and caring for 90% of the movie just to make 180 degree turn right at the end of the movie as a way to justify the female lead dumping them and/or humilliating them in the process.

[@melodyclark1944]

Like Titanic? We know why Rose was with Cal.

[@olserknam]

@Masticatious That still doesn't mean you sympathize with these people's dumbass choices...

[@just-trying-my-best-everyday]

"A new favourite of mine... The Favourite" I see what you did there *wink wink*

[@mughwortslongshot4545]

The line "Because I will not lie, that is love" gave me some perspectives

[@chance757]

another trope anatomy video! day = made

[@TropeAnatomy]

💙

[@AnimalsAce]

You know a video essay is good when it starts with something that seems totally unrelated. I think it's important - just like in a written essay - to establish a lens and context. I love your channel so much - your videos are phenomenal!

[@TropeAnatomy]

Thank you so much!

[@a.r.e.j.1693]

Great video! Another thing that got many of us tired of love triangles is anime/manga - they suffer big time of the "there's an obvious right choice that will be endgame" problem that you mentioned.

[@LimeyLassen]

Anime has kind of a unique problem in that a lot of shows are adaptations of video games with multiple endings. So there's a main pair but the other ships are also actually canon. The "harem" genre was born from adapting this to TV, and it became so popular that authors started just writing harems into their stories without really questioning it. Kinda fascinating.

[@s.a.8548]

@@LimeyLassen I fricking HATE harems lmao I watched by mistake once because I didn't read the genre and I felt braindead. Can a protagonist be any more dumber?

[@lampad4549]

Many anime from what ive seen have gotten the love triangle right. Oregairu, chihayafuru, monogatari, berserk, alice academy, neon genesis evangelion, berserk. Sure the endgame choice would have been obvious but the way the relationship developed is natural and organic without any inconsistencies or lapse of logic.

[@sharkofjoy]

Yeah when he was talking about things "ruining" love triangles immediately I thought "anime". However, when he was talking about interesting love triangles because your main love interest deserts you and then an emotionally available option starts being a legitimate alternative to your distant, dreamy boyfriend.... I did think "sailor moon" (Mamoru is a dick in the anime!!! Seiya is interested in her hobbies!!! Destiny is stupid!!!)

[@ex.O]

Do you mean harem?

[@heptonaut]

that look on queen anne's face at the very end has stuck with me ever since. incredible. wonderful essay, as always

[@danidkg4071]

i like how even tho the favourite isn't about choosing a "team" and wanting two people to end up together, sarah and anne had a MUCH better relationship. anne is a corrupt person and so is sarah, but they were much better for each other than abigail and anne. especially after ABIGAIL CRUSHED THE RABBIT.

[@mybittersweetme]

What I hate about love triangles is that they’re called “triangles”when they’re clearly just a love “angle.” I want to see a real love TRIANGLE where everyone loves the other and it’s not just two people fighting for a third one.

[@Gongasoso]

"Obsessed, more than anyone could ever be with another human being" It pains and embarrasses me to say that this claim is debatable...

[@s.a.8548]

What do you mean?

[@Gongasoso]

@@s.a.8548 Ask the 11 upvotes...

[@s.a.8548]

@@Gongasoso Lol I just couldn't understand your comment because I'm not a native english speaker and wanted you to elaborate but whatever...

[@Takumi_Did_Nothing_Wrong]

@@s.a.8548 I think they mean that there are people in real life with far more extreme obsessions over someone else than Bella's obsession with Edward.

[@s.a.8548]

@@Takumi_Did_Nothing_Wrong Ohhh ok thank you

[@watcher8582]

"forced to rub the queens legs" ... yeah, or something along those lines.

[@sharkofjoy]

I think in this situation, it's supposed to be more humiliating to be forced to do servants work than it is to have sex with the queen.

[@ex.O]

@@sharkofjoy Harvey Weinstein is it you? how many times need to be explained?! it's not having sex IT'S SEXUAL ABUSE!!!

[@adorabell4253]

The Queen had gout which is not nice. Being forced to run the queen’s legs and change the dressing on her ulcers would not be pleasant.

[@mischa2643]

The way she’s holding onto her head does not say “you’re going to rub my feet because they’re paining me” - there’s some inferring from context to be done there, mes amis.

[@just-trying-my-best-everyday]

I got this to 69 likes, ya know...

[@mayakern5876]

I hate love triangles because the couples I ship never end up together...

[@blorbofy]

One half of my ship always dies. It's so sad ugh

[@LadyAhro]

Second lead syndrome, as its known in many Asian dramas, can really stink. I've only really experienced it in Asian dramas or some mangas/anime but damn, in K-Dramas they make the rude rich guy who makes the girl's life suck the guy who she chooses in the end almost every time. Its not fun.

[@dilinij12]

The only time marketing one team vs another worked, was Team cap vs Team iron man in captain America civil war

[@luckystar9279]

I love twilight but I never get team Jacob thing. He was in love with her. But there wasn't a single moment where I thought she'd choose him. I never really watched the movies. I did watch the first one a few years before I started reading them, but by the time I actually read the books I barely remembered it. I think the teams thing was more about people picking their favorite guy not about who they thought she'd get with. Because it was SO obivous she wasn't getting with Jacob.

[@Ice.muffin]

Perfect comment, thank you. That's exactly how I see things too.

[@AF-ft6nh]

5:59 this might be the best and the most dramatic use of zoom-in in history; pay off is so worth it

[@katherinealvarez9216]

The one time I ended up being okay with a love triangle was the one in Legend of Korra, because the guy has to grow up and be a better friend (and potential romantic partner for someone else) and the two girls figure out that they are suitable for each other.

[@charlottedeclercq2438]

Yeah but it was more like a square with the brother and all.. And the story focused very heavily on it..

[@thefischdeo]

Patron number 4 here :D Love triangles tend to bother me only when they are handled like my least favourite tropes (The Misunderstanding and the Liar Reveal) often are, where the conflict could be solved within a minute if the characters just communicated properly with each other. I think my main problem is forced prolonged conflict in general. One of the book series I'm currently reading has actually managed to get me invested into a love triangle. I'm rooting for one particular pairing (or a poly solution), but I can see why the main character would be torn between the two love interests and why they would dislike each other. Feeling that way about a love triangle is unusual for me because in most cases this trope ends with me disliking everyone but the designated third wheel because it feels like they are being strung on maliciously by the other two for 60% of the story. I wouldn't mind more triangles ending with at least one *strong independent person who don't need no partner* as a result instead of moping (or going crazy, which seems to be a weirdly popular plot for some reason). I'll have to watch The Favourite sometime, it sounds up my alley.

[@Roechelrochen]

Now I wonder what book series you are reading atm. I probably don't know it anyway but as I know some where I actually liked it too, I wonder if it might be one of those ^^

[@ceve]

Felt the same way about a webcomic called LUFF

[@crow6558]

if you like books with interesting love triangles that end with a woman not picking either of her suitors, i heavily recommend bitterblue, the third book in the graceling trilogy. the other two books are fantastic too and all deal with nonconventional love, to some degree.

[@aliciadonadio2597]

This video essay was A+ in my book. Really well done.

[@TropeAnatomy]

Thank you so much! 🙏🏽

[@pandalandalopalis6515]

you touched on this in your video, but yeah i think one of the reasons i dont like love triangles is because most of the time it's not "oooo who are they going to choose?? omg both of them are so great i just don't know!! exciting!" it's "one choice is clearly better for the character than the other choice" sometimes that refers to what's obvious (aka, like you said, it's clear that bella will always choose edward in the end, meaning it was very one sided with jacob and not much of an actual love triangle there) but other times my issue with love triangles is that there's clearly one choice that's good and one choice that's problematic *but the story doesn't treat the one choice that's problematic as problematic*. even worse, the subject of the love triangle doesn't see that person as problematic. for example: i watched this south korean drama on netflix called "love alarm". this story had a love triangle in it. basically, the main girl is jojo, and this guy hye yeong has a crush on her, although he respectively keeps his distance because *she has a boyfriend*. now, hye yeong has a best friend named sun oh. sun oh saw that hye yeong had a crush on her, but despite knowing this, and despite jojo having a boyfriend, he started making advances on her anyway. he even kisses her even though she told him no when he asked to kiss her. *the story does not portray this as wrong*. jojo ends up breaking up with her boyfriend and starts dating sun oh. there's a whole bunch of red flags around sun oh but the story does not recognize these red flags. now, i wont get into details but they end up breaking up, and there's a time skip, and four(?) years later, jojo reconnects with hye yeong and he tells her how he feels, though doesn't ever expect anything back from her. i cant remember if they actually start dating or not, maybe?? anyway, it's clear in the story that sun oh still has feelings for jojo despite being in a relationship himself at this point. SO the show has yet to come out with a season two, so you don't know for sure who jojo ends up with as "endgame", but my fear is the show will put her with the first love interest, sun oh, with that "oh she never stopped loving him" kind of thing, even though there were major red flags surrounding him, and hye yeong is the kinder and better choice for her. long story short i hate love triangles who have someone who's clearly good for the protagonist and someone who's clearly bad for the protagonist, but the protagonist chooses the one who's bad for them just because "i love them and even though the other person would be better for me, im just not as in love with them"

[@happyyy1445]

I never thought of the relationships in the Titanic as a love triangle. The rich guy didn't seem to really love Rose. He was just possessive and wanted the "pretty woman", especially because she didn't want him. It was more about power than love.

[@Gongasoso]

Also, I'd say some stories shouldn't end in closure, specially those intended to show human nature in it's dialectic good and evil. If the characters' arch doesn't lead to an undisputedly more virtuous state, leave it bittersweet

[@macarenabonilla4013]

My favorite love triangle doesn’t have a movie/series adaptation. It’s from Cassandra Clare’s The Infernal Devices. You have Will, Jem and Tessa. What I like from that is that you can’t hate the people from this triagle: they are friends, they care for each other. You want to root for one, but if you choose it just feels unfair for the other. And maybe at some moments you think that the decision is obvious, but then something happens or something is discovered and makes it very difficult. Maybe it’s from a very YA book, but it gave me a new perspective for this trope.

[@treceslez]

And I hope it doesn't get an adaptation, we know Cassandra Clare has a curse that says that every adaptation related to shadowhunters shall fail.

[@myname793]

You know where lays the problem with this love-triangle in Twilight? I've read the books loing ago, when I was still a young teen but that one thing stuck to me. If Belle would choose Jacob even once, it would by way out of character for Edward to try to persuade her. From the very beggining he is troubled by himself being a "creature without soul", so he would just let her go. Gladly. That's what he is doing in second book. On the other hand Belle's obsession with him is really troubling. For half of the books she gives Jacob mixed signals even tho she really does not hesitate to choose Edward. It's like an author tried so much to make Edward an "ideal boyfreind" that all the bad characteristics need to be put on Belle. Yea he is a creep and yea he is jelous at times but not enough to fight for her. Jacob on the other hand does love her more normally, but that's why he let himself be used over and over and over again. So the problem is more in the characters than in the plot. Plot is easy and basic romance. Just with vampires.

[@veee8575]

I hadn’t heard of the favorite before this video and this is the first video essay that I’m leaving to go watch the film you’re speaking of. You made it sound really compelling!!! Loved this video

[@yasminfragomeni8]

tbh i was planning on watching The Favorite, but im glad i didnt. THE BUNNY SCENE ;-;

[@r.j.penfold]

Oh God the poor rabbit! That made me so uncomfortable to see.

[@mischa2643]

R.J. Penfold rabbits can smoosh themselves very very small. I had a bun who widened a hole in my entertainment centre (the kind the cords were meant to thread through) with a bit of chewing until it was the size of a dollar coin, then squieeeeeezied herself in behind the entertainment centre and decided “I live here now, mum-thanks though!”

[@r.j.penfold]

@@mischa2643 Yeah but that rabbit screamed and became bloody. I get it's CGI or a prop, but Jesus.

[@mischa2643]

R.J. Penfold all I’ve seen of it was the portion shown in this video, and I’ve seen rabbits squash themselves more, so I wasn’t aware.

[@hambone.fakenamington]

@@r.j.penfold the bunny literally hops away, not bloody, not cgi or anything like that. They show what you see here and cut away and then you hear the rabbit scream, Abigail stops and when we see the rabbit again it's shaken but still alive and okay. Not trying to make it a less cruel act but, like, they didn't need a prop or cgi because they didn't actually hurt a bunny, just smoosh it a little (bunnies are pretty smooshable) and use audio to imply it's torment.

[@r.j.penfold]

@@hambone.fakenamington I guess my brain made it worse than it was. But still.

[@gabriellacardosopaiva417]

The Favourite look like more a "power game" than a love triangle, that was very original and intriguing, remind me "Dangerous Liaisons"

[@allis_o2628]

bad love triangles: One girl, two guys fight about her, she doesn't seem to have any preference and the winner will be decided by either a big romantic gesture or if one guy turns out to be a giant douché. Bad love triangle: girl is already dating a guy so wrong for her that when a new good guy walks into her life he becomes her savior. Good love triangles: The favorite, that ends like a tragedy with nobody happy, Legally Blonde where the two girls realize they're way better than the guy and dump his ass, and the few times a love triangle ends in a happy polyamory circle (insert canon pairing here, I can't think of any XD)

[@lora5030]

Siren would be perfect for an example of canon thruple, but they didn't linger in the love triangle territory for long and even in that territory they actually showed how all parts of the triangle were interested in each other so one could argue it wasn't a triangle at all. Sense8 kinda has an example of it but due to the time constraints of the movie-finale it wasn't too clear as it would be if they had a proper full final season.

[@amp-le4699]

There's an implied polyamorous relationship by the end of the Kane Chronicles book series

[@williamrichards8682]

I know I’m late, but the book Iron Widow has a poly relationship.

[@hippolyte90]

Before watching this video I didn't think Titanic, The Favourite or The Notebook had love triangles, which shows how much Twilight and The Hunger Games have shaped my idea of the trope.

[@katsala918]

I mean, the main reason I personally hate Twilight is the themes of pedophilia and rape, not because the vamps sparkle, but whatevs. For the record, I’m not making this up: 1. Jacob is sixteen but looks twenty six and Edward is 108 but looks seventeen, and both are lusted after by middle aged women, most notably the author 2. Jacob falls in love with a newborn baby, but oh, it’s okay, because she actually has adult intelligence. Except when she doesn’t. 3. Another sixteen year old boy falls in love (imprints) on a three year old who does NOT have adult intelligence 4. Bells fantasizes about becoming a vampire so she’ll be stronger than Edward and can force him to have premarital sex 5. Rosalie Hale was a dying gang-rape victim in the 1930s. Carlisle Cullen came across her laying in the street and decided she was too pretty to die, so he turned her into a vampire and brought her home so she could marry his son. This is never viewed as wrong. That isn’t even all of it. Twilight is terrifying.

[@TropeAnatomy]

😳 valid. 90 year old guy watching teenage girl sleep etc, I get it. Most people that hate Twilight though, especially back then, hated it because it was corny. I’m speaking to them

[@fireandsugar2625]

Referring to your first point, I totally agree. It always REALLY disturbed me how middle aged adult women are thirsting over someone who is supposed to be a 16 year old child. If that were men talking that way about a 16 year old girl chaos would ensue. It's just gross. Imprinting as a whole is just gross especially when it happens with a child. The whole point of imprinting is to have stronger children with the person you've imprinted on, apparently. So these guys/girls are looking at these kids knowing one day they'll get to have sex with them... gross.

[@totiny3262]

About point 4, I don't think that's why Bella wanted to become a vampire at all. She does have sex with him after getting married, as a human. Which Edward regrets BTW, and stops in the fear of hurting her. Ofc she'll be frustrated, try to seduce him she doesn't force anything on him. She wanted to be a vampire because she didn't want to be away from him, or die at an old age leaving him alone. She says thing specifically, before getting married. Nothing about wanting to be a vampire has to do with Bella wanting to rape him at all. Look I dislike the twilight movies with a passion, and I'm fully aware of all the toxic traits of Edward and Bella as well. But that point was a huge stretch.

[@katsala918]

I’m actually referring to a specific scene in the Eclipse book. She definitely has other reasons for wanting to be a vamp, but it does come up and it is super creepy

[@mariaah3073]

The only point I disagree with is 4. Yes, Bella is unhealthily determined to have sex with Edward, but I don't see her wish to be turned into a vampire as rapey. She does push herself on him multiple times and that's creepy af, but her wishes to be turned are a separate thing - she ants to be ith him forever, she is insecure about her appearance and being turned would make her "prettier", it would also make living ith him and as family easier since she wouldn't be a prey anymore. Other than that, even though I loved Twilight as a teen and still don't hate it, fuck all the problematic shit that comes with it. Fuck specifically the way they treat Rosalie as a bitter crazy woman that only gets a little humanization when she is needed as a pro-life device in the last book. Her story, her trauma and the fact that she hated being turned into a vampire are glossed over for three fourths of the story as an opposing point to Bella's wishes. Fuck that.

[@coxsara2016]

the best days are the days I get a notification that trope academy uploaded a video

[@oof2998]

Gosh I love The Favourite! I watched it on the way home from vacation and I rooted for Sarah because I saw the genuine love. I felt pity for Abigail, but by the end it was gone. I am glad that she suffers in the end.

[@paulafer485]

the movie Bandits (2001) with Cate Blanchett begins with a love triangle but resolves in a polyamorous relationship. It was such an unexpected twist for me, as i was waiting for a ¨choose me¨ moment. A breath of fresh air where everyone was happy at the end lol

[@anantyopras3365]

This is a really fascinating take on my most favourite trope. Bravo! 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

[@TropeAnatomy]

Thank you !

[@delmerwilson7890]

I love this channel so much. Keep up the good work

[@TropeAnatomy]

Thank you so much!

[@frankiealice4879]

I LOVED this video! The way you analysed everything was utter perfection.

[@muticere]

I will always preach the greatest and most unassailable truth: the Twilight books slap. They are a romp and a breezy fun read. And the movies are exquisitely bad and insanely fun to hate-watch.

[@PhilosophicalBum21]

Howdy! Just wanted to say I'm a big fan of this channel, and I've been following it closely since it's start. I love your unique analysis, interesting subject matter and your very soothing voice. Whenever I see that you made a new video, it always makes my day! Thank you for your hard work. :)

[@TropeAnatomy]

Thank you, means a lot!

[@temporalmilieu]

thats why the notebook and sweethome alabama is so good, theres no clear choice, both guys in each movie are great

[@melodyclark1944]

Great but boring.

[@yikes4946]

dude, noah from the notebook is a creep. he threatens to kill himself if Allie won't go out with him on a date, and almost bullies/pressure Allie into dating him.

[@Bianca-ie2bd]

your videos are so well-done and concise, i can def see u getting bigger and bigger on youtube! keep up the good work !

[@TropeAnatomy]

Thank you so much 😊 🙏🏽

[@TheSingingBUn]

The best love triangle: Fruits Basket 2019. Go watch it. If you can't wait for the ending, read the manga.

[@niome13665]

Love triangles are interesting to read when done well, but they're utter hell in real life...

[@meinthecorner5979]

Every story interesting enough to read is utter hell in real life

[@Frosting1000]

Great video essay! i have nothing intelligent to add to the comments. i just wanna say that at 5:14 your dry delivery just kills me and i cackled out loud

[@ThePurpleCosmos]

Starting this video: I hope I like this channel as much as Lessons from the Screenplay and The Take 2 minutes in, I must say I'm glad I found this channel

[@DavidLopez-lj1lp]

outside of films, can we agree that the love triangle of Will, Jem and Tessa from The Infernal Devices book series was one of the best and healthy examples were all parts deeply care for each other instead of being a fight between two oposite parts for the girl? And it got the ending it deserves.

[@elsagreen1476]

You description of Twilight and editing choices are topnotch.

[@ceradaddygibson]

The crushing of the bunny FUCKED ME UP

[@RebekahB5]

You are so good at video essays!!

[@juljul184]

i like how some people, being fed up with this trope just went "you know what? they're all in love its polyamory time"

[@a.radpour7942]

Love your videos! They're so good 😊

[@TropeAnatomy]

thank youu!

[@justcommenting1590]

For the algorithm. Great video.

[@TropeAnatomy]

🥺 thank you!

[@WongInTheFog]

Amazing analogy, really unites all of my thoughts about this idea!

[@megan1785]

"before we get into dunking on twilight" LMAO! but great vid as usual, definitely a subject & trope that has come to the forefront in recent years :D

[@joysymonds8419]

Great video! Thank you for sharing your view!

[@teona819]

Here is a thing. If you enjoy something, whether it is twilight or anything else really and that thing is not damaging to others than no one has a right to ridicule you for it. For some people, things like joining fandoms are coping mechanisms, so let us be kind to each other, there are way more serious issues in this world than twilight.

[@vixxcelacea2778]

My fave love triangle or love heptagon is Ouran High School host club. A goofy little reverse harem anime. It's always clear who she will end up with in the end, but they totally play around with the fun part of harems, with out being too ecchi about it since the female is the main protagonist. It's funny, light hearted, but also has characters, whom while defined by tropes are still more than one note.

[@frankie2319]

Lool mariah 😂 I love your videos, thank you!

[@pedroh.7154]

I actually wasn't expecting the hideous to be so funny. Well done!

[@terriblebutgood]

I have a problem that I discovered The love triangle isn’t usually a actually triangle. Most of the time the two guys/girls only like the main character. But in order for it to be a triangle they also have to like each other. Meaning most love triangles are actually love angles. I might be wrong but you can tell me when a love triangle was a actually love triangle.

[@candycane1744]

I feel that the reason why the love triangle between Edward/Belle/Jacob is because the reader puts themselves in Belle's shoes and In A way they feel that Edward and Jacob are competing for their love. Even though it's obvious who they will choose. The other guy just continues to fight even when there's no chance of him winning. Whereas (in media I've seen) if the roles where reversed, two girls fighting for one guy, it would end in a threesome...

[@shanyaah-ton1471]

This is a really good analysis!

[@emjemm]

brilliant video and commentary!

[@katherinemorelle7115]

I cannot watch that rabbit scene, I just can’t. But, I also acknowledge it’s brilliance in showing just who she was. I honestly believe The Favourite is one of the best films made in the last decade or two.

[@irondragonmaiden]

I think a big issue with love triangles nowadays is that the object of affection is so indecisive that they come across as self-absorbed, stupid, or even manipulative. Katherine Swartzchild of the Vampire Diaries (the books, not the TV series) is an excellent deconstruction of that and shows how actually that wishy washy attitude is selfish and manipulative rather than endearing. (Which makes it very interesting that TV Elena is basically Katherine Swartzchild played like a heroine, hence why a lot of fans hate her, meanwhile TV Katherine has more in common with book Elena, who is a bitchy popular girl who goes after what she wants). It also doesn't help that, even if there is a lot of external conflict, it isn't an external conflict that makes it so love triangles happen like in Tristam et Yseult. It isn't a case of character A being married off to character B, but character C loves A, but now A had D as a paramour because C and A haven't seen each other in years.

[@carolbuzelim]

Most love triangles its kind obvious who will end up together and i'm so done with it The favorite is just wonderful

[@elainewalter8685]

I was never the biggest fan of vampire romances but one thing i can say for the vampire diaries is im happy with how the love triangle ended with Elena not ending up with Stefan,the one she was dating in the beginning, and instead ends up with Damen. Up untill then i had only seen love triangles where the girl chose the guy she first had feelings for and it was refreshing to see something different

[@sandcat2383]

Me throughout the entirety of watching Twilight: Yikes, glad I'm not like that. Also Bella's dad is so oblivious throughout the movies it's so stupid.

[@kitj3301]

one thing that always bothered me was that it’s always clear who they’re going to be with, there’s never any surprise, they just use the trope as a stupid device...love your videos!

[@E.b.9970]

I was thinking of going to watch The Favorite, but just because of the bunny crushing scene I know I can't, it'll distress me too much

[@brishtimajumder723]

I absolutely loved the Favourite I remember watching it the first time and I was so astonished but in so much awe I loved how that slowly build up the characters and create a dilemma in the audience it was so different and I truly enjoyed every bit of that film

[@exosproudmamabear558]

I never understood why Bella reacted so much over Edward. Not like she was married to him a hundred years or she desperately wanted someone to be with her. They never really explained her feelings about this kind of thing. Like if she would've been depressed already because she is extremely lonely or had the traumatic experience of people leaving her something it would be understandable. But normal people do not get into heavy depression for months just because their weekend boyfriend left them.

[@Xehanort10]

Bella's feelings for Edward were obsessive lust that Meyer portrayed as and the character of Bella mistook for love. Looks, sex and the fact that he sparkled in sunlight was all she liked him for. That's lust.

[@island_girl_shan]

It was the vampire allure

[@antonellafernandezcastella9184]

Im not defending Twilight but when Bella is screaming in her dreams is not because Edward left but because she kept having nightmares about being attack by another vampire from the first movie

[@nidianoes8062]

I want to see The favourite now.

[@alenakirillova5197]

10:50 Actually, speaking of Anita Blake, I think polyamory was a very fresh and well-made choice for "resolving" a love triangle. Even though for one of them it turned out to be not a working solution, but still they tried.

[@sambeawesome]

I'm definitely one of those "not into love triangles" people. I just haven't seen a take on it that seemed to do something more than pad timing with bad drama. It almost always feels lazy and purposeless to me. 'The Favourite' looked promising though! Something different--finally, haha. Would be great to see one day someone just toss their hands in the air and say, "Fuck it, polyamory!" XD Thanks for the video! :) *Edit: To be clear, I am polyamorous, I definitely want positive representation, was just trying to pull a funny with my comment x'D

[@s.a.8548]

Same but than a love triangle turned into a poly relationship is kind of...idk...controversial? Because the whole point to having a healthy polyamorous relationship is to be upfront and honest from the beginning. But the one you're suggesting seems very one sided and negative press for irl people in such a relationship. That's just my two cents tho lol

[@sambeawesome]

@@s.a.8548 Oh for sure, if you want to show a real and genuine poly relationship, it's all about honesty and communication. Not that movies tend to show realistic monogamous relationships anyway, haha. But I meant more so as a joke, since I'm tired of everyone defaulting to having to choose. Just throw some multiple loves in there. ;)

[@s.a.8548]

@@sambeawesome Yeah there's just so much misunderstanding and negativity around poly relationships already unlike monogamous relationships so it hurts their imagine a lot harder. I would love a poly relationship done right tho. It would be so cute.

[@sambeawesome]

@@s.a.8548 Oh for sure. I was super hyped when I saw the first poly rep I'd ever seen, and it was trash. Really hurt to see. I 100% support positive representation. :)

[@joshschroeder4582]

I reccomend the guts x casca x griffith triangle, very well written. Guts loves casca, Casca loves Griffith, and Griffith is obsessed with Guts. From Berserk.

[@MadameTamma]

one of my favorite love triangles is "The great Gatspy" SPOILERS... for a book nearly a hundred years old, but still not everyone's read it... You'd think that between the two loves of Daisy's life that she'll obviously choose the adoring and fun loving Gatspy over her cruel, embarrassing, cheating husband Tom, and for a while it's shaping up that way, but when Daisy accidentally kills a woman in a hit and run and Gatspy offers to cover for her because he loves her so much, she responds to that offer by essentially going "Yeah, totally, YOU take the wrap for this, in the mean time I'll go off with Tom. He may be a dick, but he's the safer option. so uh, bye." Except she doesn't say that, she just goes off and does it, leaving Gatspy to think she'll come back until the hopelessness settles in and he dies. Even today, among all the easy to predict love triangles where the girl has to choose between an asshole and a good guy, that have flooded the market, I'd almost say it was a subversion if it weren't for the fact that the book came out before most of them.

[@emilyb.8219]

I've been rewatching the Twilight movies the past few weeks because I've come full circle; from being obsessed with them in middle school, to thinking they're cringey and lame later on, to now unironically enjoying them again while simultaneously groaning and laughing at the more cringey/bad aspects of it. That said, I hated the love triangle when I was 13 and I still hate it at 24. Not sure if that's because Jacob is exceedingly annoying 90% of the time, or just the fact that it's a pointless love triangle.

[@sophieh1362]

A little late to the party but one of my absolute favourite love triangles is that from The Infernal Devices trilogy. I should warn you it is a young adult urban fantasy, and leans heavily into it’s genre so if that deters you I would not recommend picking this series up. Otherwise, I won’t spoil any of it’s events so feel free to keep reading should it spark an interest. Our main character (who would be described as the “centre” of the triangle) meets two boys and grows closer to them over the course of the story, no surprises there. It begins to differ when we discover that these boys are the very best of friends, and rather than their shared love of this girl driving them apart, neither dares to make a move in fear of hurting the other. The main character does not want to either, as she too has grown to love them both equally. It is this complex that not only makes the triangle frustrating (in a good way), but creates the whole appeal. As a reader, you love these characters and, like them, do not want anyone to get hurt. It’s incredibly dramatic, don’t get me wrong, but if you like that sort of thing I would recommend!

[@qilorar]

Loved the favourite, great movie and your analysis about love triangles really hit the mark, it is not that they are boring now, but the witing of them is stale.

[@nerualsivad]

I would love to hear some examples of YA books/stories that have done a love triangle well. Anyone know of some examples?

[@atelophobicgurl6343]

The Infernal Devices! It’s the best ya fantasy with a love triangle.

[@ex.O]

Lord of the rings: Frodo - Sam - Rose It's hard to watch that after all he picks the popular alcoholic party girl.

[@just-trying-my-best-everyday]

@@ex.O Ohhhh, you did not call sweet, giddy and bright Rose an "alcoholic party girl".

[@ex.O]

@@just-trying-my-best-everyday SHE WAS... in the books lmao.

[@just-trying-my-best-everyday]

@@ex.O What the hell, no. She was more a background character, she was barely mentioned until the end, when Sam married her. She was never described as a popular alcoholic party girl.

[@fam6883]

you deserve more subscribers!

[@mmmk6793]

TOOK THE CRUMBS OF A LOVE TRIANGLE AND AMPLIFIED IT TO THE MILLIONTH DEGREE XBDHHD IM ABSOLUTLEY HOLLERING. GREAT VIDEO

[@micaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa]

The story about Tristan & iseult reminds me of shreck 1

[@charleyMD17]

The comment on how love triangles are tedious when the outcome is obvious is spot on. I recently saw a series waste a whole season on a love triangle in which it was never in question which couple would prevail. Needless to say, it annoyed fans and led to a drop in ratings.