Commitment Phobia: Why So Many TV Characters Run from Love 💔🏃

[theemii]

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Some characters are obsessed with the idea of being in love, but then when they actually get it… they can’t seem to stop themselves from running in the opposite direction. Across film and television, so many characters are plagued by commitment issues that keep them from actually being able to settle in and enjoy the relationships they manage to

Comments

[screw_reality]

Some of it is the seeming total inability to make successful relationships compelling, especially on TV series. If it’s not the excitement of the chase or the drama of the relationship failing, writes don’t know what to do with the characters.

[sandstorm]

Yep. There's a reason why most people do not care that Daphne and Niles finally got together and were happily married. They tried with the "he takes her off a pedestal" angle but that can only go so far.

[automaticpeople]

Do most people not care?

The only complaint I’ve seen is that people think Daphne changed after they got together.

[mondlerbing]

I just found his obsession with her to be icky.

[squirrels_oh_no]

Because writers don't know how to write happy couples in a compelling way, and by the time they finally get the characters together, the show goes to shit really fast. Happiness isn't as compelling as tension - will they/won't they (although we know they will). A lot of writing in every form is about exploring a conflict. Happy people don't make for compelling content 90% of the time.

See: Castle. Not helped by the fact the leads openly hated one another. TBH there are soooo many examples.

eta And I want to add that watching couples with relationship drama also makes us feel better about ourselves - we can watch people with messier lives than ourselves and go, "It could be worse!"

[insomniachobs]

Because TV shows require conflict and ongoing tension and it's an easy way to generate it. Not that deep.

[iamkenough]

for the drama

if they get together right away, the writers don't know what to do with them after

[iamkenough]

lmao I commented before I read the previous comments and we all said the same thing

[__onthebound]

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