The Geometry of Romance: Quartets and More

[angua9]

Long, long ago, writers started realizing that if one pair of lovers is fun, two or more pairs can be even more fun. The most common geometric result of this realization is the quartet. It has long been a convention of plays, movies, and musicals to have the lead pair and the supporting pair, the serious pair and the comic pair, the mature pair and

Comments

[hildigunnur]

Yeah, the set-up for the pairings in Fantastical Beasts was pretty clear cut, particularly with Queenie and Jacob and their instant attraction to each other. One wonders if that was something Rowling wanted to extra clear on.

While there isn't a trio in The Hunger Games, there's definitely a love triangle. And in the books more than the movies (granted it's been a while since I read the books and seen the movies), it's a bit like the author is deconstructing or at least speculating on the whole notion of "destined to be together" of pairing characters up. Which be one of the ways that Suzanne Collins wants to make about the horrors of war and how it will affect people.

[angua9]

I've never read The Hunger Games and only seen a bit of the movies, but that sounds like what I've heard. I know there is at least one other romantic pairing--Finnick and Annie--and I wonder if the series is an example of what I've said is rare: an action/adventure movies with a romance quartet. But I don't think Katniss, Peeta, Finnick, and Annie ever actually form an action quartet like Newt, Tina, Jacob, and Queenie.

[hildigunnur]

No, I would never say that Katniss, Peeta, Finnick and Annie form a quartet. Annie isn't part of the action in Catching Fire, the book/movie where Katniss meets Finnick. The purpose of Annie's character, outside of being Finnick's love interest and his main reason to hate the Capitol, is demonstrate how competing in the Hunger Games can leave the survivors with severe PSTD.

And as I said, I felt especially after reading the books (not so much after watching the movies) that Suzanne Collins was making a point that life experiences, shared and not shared, influence how people make attachments and build relationships. If Katniss hadn't lived in Panem and volunteered instead of her sister in the Hunger Games and shared the experience of the Games with Peeta, chances are that she might have fallen in love with Gale as he fell in love with her.

[alphabet26]

Other examples...

Hmm, maybe “The Whole Nine Yards”? Matthew Perry’s character is married, but it’s pretty obvious who the couples are supposed to be, and we like them all. And I guess “The Fast and the Furious” movies-Vin Diesel and Paul Walker are our main guys and both have girlfriends, although they’re not always a main part of the action. It is really hard thinking of action examples, for sure!

[hymnia]

There are tons of action-adventure anime that do quartets or larger geometries, although the only ones I can think of off the top of my head are series rather than stand-alone movies (Naruto*, Bleach, and Inuyasha come to mind; Fullmetal Alchemist, too, depending on what you count as a pairing). (*After reading the trio post, I would re-classify this one as a trio, with similar geometry to the Harry Potter pairings. And yes, the shipping wars were just as fierce.)

The 2.5ish hour film format is probably a limiting factor if you're trying to tell an action-adventure story and have more than one pairing. Much easier to do that when you have a larger scope to work with, as in a multi-episode format or a novel. Perhaps it could only work in a film that, like Fantastic Beasts, is part of a longer story. (Still, it bugs me that I can't think of any other examples...)