Alright so today I wanna share this little obsession I fell into last weekend. Started when I was rewatching some old show on TV, you know, just background noise while folding laundry. Kept noticing how the main dude, supposedly this super smart detective, had this whole tragic romance subplot that went… absolutely nowhere. Like, zero chemistry, weird pacing, just felt like cardboard cutouts being shoved together. Got me all annoyed. Why even bother putting it in? So yeah, I kinda went down this rabbit hole trying to figure it out.
The Frustration Phase
First thing I did? Grabbed my laptop, pulled up a bunch of shows and books I remembered having these lame, empty love stories. Made a quick list:
- Super Cop Show: Hot shot lead has a “deep connection” with a witness that literally vanishes after 3 episodes. Poof!
- Sci-Fi Book Series: Two main characters circled each other for 4 books, intense stares and everything, then one got written off with a single line explaining they moved planets. Seriously?
- Popular Fantasy Novel: Chosen one meets soulmate halfway through. Soulmate spends rest of the book knitting sweaters in the background. What the hell?
Seeing them listed like that just made me more irritated. Felt like wasted time as a viewer. But why? Started scribbling notes.
The Trying-To-Make-Sense Part
Okay, figured it wasn’t all just bad writing. Maybe there was a method to the madness? So I started digging into why writers might do this, based on the crap I was seeing.
First Angle: Plot Demands a Distraction
Looked at that Cop Show again. The romance kicked in right when the main villain storyline got super complicated. Coincidence? Probably not. Felt like the writers went, “Whoa, the audience might get lost in all this conspiracy stuff, quick! Throw in some smooching!” A shiny object to keep viewers hooked while the messy plot cooks. Cheap trick, honestly. Like distracting a kid with candy while you clean up a spill. Works, but leaves you feeling a bit gross.
Second Angle: Checkin’ Boxes
Started thinking about that Fantasy novel. It had everything – battles, dragons, magic, political intrigue… and yeah, a “love interest.” Seemed like that slot got filled purely because the author or publisher thought, “Epic fantasy? Needs romance!” Like ticking a box on a genre checklist. Zero passion behind it. Felt obligatory. Like adding parsley to a dish just because the recipe says so, even if it doesn’t fit the flavor.
Third Angle: Scared of the Feels
Then there was this other show I watched halfway through. Big ensemble cast, lots of cool friendships and bromance stuff happening. Then suddenly, two characters who barely spoke started locking eyes intensely across the room. Next episode? Nothing. Not even an awkward conversation. It dawned on me: maybe the writers just didn’t know how to develop a real relationship for those characters? They were great at buddy dynamics but flinched when it came to actual romantic depth. Easier to hint, imply, leave it hollow than risk messing it up with real emotional scenes. Cowardly, but kinda understandable. Like dodging a difficult conversation.
Putting It Together
Sat there with my messy notes and cold coffee. Saw a pattern emerge from the mess. These empty love plots kept happening not just by accident, but often deliberately chosen because they were the easier, safer path.
– Plot Distraction: When the story gets wobbly or dense, romance gets used like duct tape.
– Genre Box-Ticking: Romance gets shoved in because the story ‘should’ have it, not because it actually fits.
– Emotional Hiding: Writers scared of screwing up deep relationships settle for shallow shadows of them.
It’s not always that writers are lazy (though sometimes, yeah, maybe). It’s more that writing good, meaningful romance is bloody hard. It takes time, focus, and real emotional risk. Dropping in a hollow one? That’s often the quick fix, the band-aid, the “good enough for now” solution. Easier to hint, tease, and then abandon than build something solid that might collapse and ruin the whole story.
Made me realize I gotta stop getting super invested in those random sparks and intense gazes. Nine times out of ten, it’s just smoke and mirrors keeping the plot moving or checking a box, not the start of something real.