Epic Love, Or Something Like It

Dearest Orchid,

I’m an avid romance reader and watcher, so it took me a while to understand why I was struggling with your question. There are plenty of situations I find romantic, and I generally enjoy love, so what gives?

It comes down to this — I am not a moments person; rather, I’m a whole picture gal. The individual gestures without the overall context lose their shine for me. So, to help myself here, I’m gonna reframe it: what are 3 TV/movie scenes that make me swoon, probably because I like the whole storyline?

So, let’s pour that glass of wine, light a candle, and settle in for some fluff.

The Slow Burn

Oh Lawd, does the build-up light my fire. The will they, won’t they. Such suspense, even when you know what’s gotta be coming.

My favorite example of this: North & South, the 2004 mini-series based on the novel by Elizabeth Gaskell.

What do we have here? A clash of cultures and values as the backdrop for an epic slow-burn romance. Our heroine is Margaret Hale, virtuous to a fault. She witnesses John Thornton mistreating one of his workers at the cotton mill. Margaret’s new in town, freshly arrived from the South, and she knows nothing about the Northern ways. But this does not stop her from berating Mr. Thornton. And so, we’re off to a rocky start that leads to many tense encounters. As these two learn more about each other, they begin to understand that first impressions can be very wrong indeed.

One particularly poignant moment: Margaret is leaving, going to London with her aunt, probably forever. Mr. Thornton stares intensely at her departing carriage as the snow swirls around him. He says, “Look back. Look back at me.” He doesn’t break his stare until the carriage is no longer in sight.

Why I love it: These characters are given time: to get to know each other, create a shared history, and build something quite different on the foundation of their first disastrous encounters. The development of each character, as they accept that they were mistaken before, and the other person has more goodness in them than previously thought. And the blossoming of feelings from a seed that was less than friendly. It’s quite beautiful and offers hope for a world so often steeped in wrong assumptions.

This brings me to…

The Enemies to Lovers

Okay, this one’s my fave. Saucy banter? Check. Verbal sparring? Check. Sizzling hot tension? Check, check, check.

My favorite example of this: Veronica Mars, the early 2000s noir drama TV series centered around the eponymous teenage private investigator.

What do we have here? Better question: what don’t we have? A happy ending, actually, that’s all that’s missing. Veronica Mars has a penchant for attracting trouble as helps her father, ex-Sheriff Keith Mars, with his PI cases, while navigating the complexity of growing up in the highly socioeconomically stratified town of Neptune. There’s neverending corruption, brutal murder, and terrible injustice. Veronica encounters all manner of personal tragedy, and she just keeps moving forward, kicking ass and solving crimes.

One particularly poignant moment: Veronica is following a fellow student she believes has plans for carrying out an attack. As she’s staking him out, she receives a call from Logan. Many things tie Veronica and Logan together: he’s Veronica’s ex’s best friend, as well as her dead best friend Lilly’s boyfriend. He’s also been her enemy ever since Veronica’s dad seemingly bungled Lilly’s death investigation. Veronica’s call with Logan is still live, when the suspect she’s been following gets in her car and makes her drive to a secondary location. When they arrive, Logan comes out of nowhere and wallops the guy a few times, until Veronica figures out all is not what it seems.

Why I love it: This scene is a precursor to a deepening relationship between Veronica and Logan, although I constantly think back to this moment. They’re not on friendly terms, but Logan hears that Veronica’s in trouble, and he comes for her. He always uses his fists first, and generally, that’s not my favorite approach. But Logan’s desire to protect Veronica at all costs, at least when she’s in physical danger, reminds me that he has deep-seated feelings for her even when he doesn’t know it and circumstances don’t favor it. For those who’ve seen the series, this line has always stuck with me: “...Our story was epic, you know. You and me. Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined and blood shed. Epic.”

This leads me to…

The Case of Mistaken Identity

Ah yes, add a little spice to the sugar. You thought the hard part was finding your love? Well, shoot, turns out that maybe they’re not who you think, and that makes all the difference.

My favorite example of this: Penelope, a 2006 romantic fantasy film featuring yet another eponymous main character!

What do we have here? Penelope is born into a family cursed for a prior misdeed, and she’s the long-feared consequence: a baby girl with the nose of a pig, which can only be changed if she’s loved by “one of her own kind.” The scandalous nature of Penelope’s appearance results in her mother faking Penelope’s death and keeping her existence a secret. Penelope doesn’t leave her house, ever, and she doesn’t see outsiders, until her mother begins to invite suitors, in an attempt to break the curse. Needless to say, this plan does not go well, with blue bloods freaking out, a dastardly reporter sneaking photos, and a possible love connection breaking before it even has a chance.

One particularly poignant moment: One of the suitors brought in to meet Penelope is Max, and they spend a bit of time getting to know each other. When Penelope reveals herself to him, she thinks he gets freaked out by her appearance, but in reality, he’s preoccupied with the deal he’s made to out Penelope. Max destroys the evidence he’s gathered, instead of handing it over to the reporter, forgoing the monetary compensation he would’ve gotten. He also doesn’t return to see Penelope, even though he genuinely likes her, because Max thinks he can’t help her have the thing she wants most — a normal face.

Why I love it: Talk about putting someone else’s happiness before your own. Because of their conversations, Max knows what Penelope needs from a romantic match. And when he thinks he can’t give her that, he elects to get out of the way so someone else can. He’d rather see her happy with someone else than try to pursue her and ultimately block her from getting what she wants. This selflessness is admirable, if a bit over the top. I genuinely love the internal conflict we see on-screen, as Max struggles with his choices. Ultimately, Max is more accepting of Penelope’s appearance than anyone else she encounters, and he could probably make her life happy, but he won’t stand in the way of what she wants.

So there you have it, some lovely moments that shine most brightly when part of a bigger picture. Maybe you’ve seen some of these, or maybe you’ll take some time and watch them now. If you do, I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. (As of a few months ago, I own North & South on DVD, and I’m always up for rewatching it.)

Love,

Aster

P.S. I’m gonna take this in a whole ‘nother direction, now. What’s something you look back on and have a totally different perspective of, than when it was happening in real-time? What do you think accounts for the difference? Do you prefer one version over the other?

Personally, every time I think back to my earlier romantic relationships, I see all of these red flags littered ev-ry-where, which youthful me was so blind to, it’s almost comical. Most of the shit I liked about some people was actually a giant warning sign. Live and learn, ya know?

[Currently listening to: Hoppípolla by Sigur Rós, from the Penelope soundtrack. Always fills me with wonder and joy.]