Recently, Reddit user u/Dragonball_Z137 asked, “What are some fictional couples everybody loves that are actually toxic?” and people had a lot to say!
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Here are some of the couples they nominated!
1. Jessie and Jane on Breaking Bad
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“She just treated him like a casual, short-term hookup until she realized he had money. Then all of a sudden she started making plans for both of them and saying ‘we’ instead of ‘I’ for everything. I love the actress, so I think the first time I watched, I just kind of overlooked that part.”
“Jessie drew her back into drugs. It was a doomed relationship from the start.”
Here’s an example of Jane manipulating Jesse for money.
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2. Big and Carrie on Sex and the City
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“Total shit show. They are supposed to represent ‘real’ relationships not being perfect but I could never marry a man who continually viewed me as an option.”
“He only wanted to have a good time with her but she fell so hard for him. She was so desperate trying to catch his attention and make him love her, but it was obvious that he didn’t want a serious relationship. Even at the end of the series, I believe that his words ‘Carrie, you’re the one’ were quite forced since he had always wanted to have her in the palm of his hand.”
Let’s not forget when Big refused to show up to his wedding with Carrie!
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3. Also, Miranda and Steve from Sex and the City
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“Steve stepped out of his marriage in the movie; they made it a big deal. Miranda stepped out on her marriage in the revival, and it was just glossed over. It was more about ‘Are you gay now?’ Then IDK, having an AFFAIR.”
Here’s Miranda leaving Steve and expecting the entire world to be happy for her.
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4. Robin and Ted from How I Met Your Mother
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“Holy shit, Ted’s obsession with her being ‘the one’ and it continuing subconsciously throughout the entire show, along with Robin being confused about her relationships, it was painful to watch especially combined with the shit they pulled in the ending? Too much.”
Here’s one of many examples of Ted being obsessed with Robin and thinking that’s true love.
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5. Ethel and Fred on I Love Lucy
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“I get it, the older married couple that hates each other was supposed to be funny back then. But you watch it now and wonder how they even got together in the first place. And apparently, the actors really did dislike each other in real life, so I guess that came through on the show.”
Here’s them being toxic AF!
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6. Ezra and Aria on Pretty Little Liars
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“Ezra was literally her teacher.”
“That really is all that needs to be said. But even if he wasn’t her teacher, he literally entered their relationship via deception in order to use her. Whyyyyy did they keep pitching that terrible pairing as #endgame to impressionable teens?”
Oh, lord. I’ll never get over the whole teacher thing…
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…But I have to agree with u/Morella_xx. Him knowing her identity (and age) from the start and getting close to her to write a book about Ali was somehow worse.
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7. Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey from 50 Shades of Grey
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“Seriously, they are awful and their relationship is a toxic mess. I didn’t make it 100 pages into that book without gagging.”
“And the BDSM community almost as a whole agrees that it’s a horrible horrible representation of BDSM.”
Here’s Christian being creepy and controlling (outside of sex and before Ana had even signed the contract!!) as usual.
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8. Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee in Pam & Tommy (yes, I know they’re not fictional, but we’re talking about the fictionalized portrayal of them in the show)
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“It’s supposed to be based on reality, but the reality is Tommy Lee went to jail for beating Pam Anderson — WHILE SHE WAS HOLDING THEIR INFANT SON. The show really romanticizes their relationship, and considering how it ended, it’s pretty twisted.”
“I’m starting to see people romanticize Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee while watching Pam & Tommy. This makes me so angry and upset. That marriage did not end well and overall Pamela just deserves better, period.”
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9. Bella and Edward in Twilight
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“It’s not healthy for your boyfriend to break into your house and watch you sleep!”
“I know you have to suspend some reality when reading fiction (depending on the genre) to fully delve into the piece, but a century-old man (internally) being insanely attracted to a teenager is weird. Especially as they’re from such different time periods. Plus he’s an old otherworldly being who is supposedly well traveled, cultured, educated, etc. And on top of that, I’m supposed to believe this old, non-human being is a virgin and super concerned with Bella’s soul going to hell if she has sex before marriage??? It was just too much reality for me to suspend, lol.”
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10. Allie and Noah in The Notebook
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“She slapped him, he yelled at her, [they] fought all the time [then] kissed and made up…Weird that people thought they had a healthy and beautiful relationship.”
“After she said no the first time, he threatened suicide to get a date out of her…It seems cute when it’s Ryan Gosling being handsome and charming, but picture the kind of guy who would really do something like that… creepy and manipulative.”
Here’s Noah threatening suicide to get Allie to go out with him.
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11. Ross and Rachel on Friends
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“He was terribly insecure and jealous, while half of the time she barely even seemed to like him, much less love him. She knew he loved her more than she loved him and she took advantage of that fact by treating him like crap much of the time. I didn’t see most of those issues back when the show was still on the air, so I used to root for them as a couple. In hindsight though, they were awful together. He was always hopelessly in love with her, but looking back, I don’t understand what traits he liked about her other than her physical appearance. I don’t know what she saw in him at all, other than the fact that he worshipped her.”
“It was infuriating to watch them end up together in the end, even though literally none of the reasons why they didn’t work out had changed.”
Here’s Ross not trusting Rachel and overall being insecure.
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12. Joker and Harley in basically any Batman/DC show or movie
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“I love both of them to death, but Jesus Christ is the Joker toxic.”
“So many of my teenage cousins post pictures of them on Facebook talking about ‘relationship goals.’ Meanwhile I’m like, ‘HE THREW HER OUT A SKYSCRAPER WINDOW!’”
Here’s Joker pushing Harley out a window.
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13. Chuck and Blair on Gossip Girl
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“I think the appeal of Chuck in a suit and Blair being a b*tch but also quite entertaining appealed on the character levels. Also, the fact that they went through all those trials and tribulations for all the seasons, it sort of felt like, ‘Well, they have to end together, right?’ Except no, they don’t. First episode alone, Chuck tried to sexually assault not one but two girls. He ‘sold’ Blair to his Uncle Jack. He actively treated her badly, let her and their friends think he was dead so he could shack up in France with some oui oui lady, and was just an all around icky guy. He even assaulted her and punched a window when she tried to break up with him (4×20). I 100% believe the finale was just the writers trying to do some fan service because everyone hated Dair so much (which I very much did not) and make everything seem peachy keen. It was NOT!”
Here’s Chuck admitting he manipulated Blair into essentially selling her body to Chuck’s uncle.
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14. Cam and Mitch on Modern Family
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“Cam always seemed to be knocking Mitch down pegs, and it was alright to laugh at Mitch, but when Cam got laughed at he got all upset and emotional.”
“Cam was so manipulative…every time when things didn’t go his way he made a big big scene. I felt sorry for Mitchell, because he was his own person as well.”
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15. Angel and Buffy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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“Buffy and Spike was really unhealthy, but Buffy and Angel was downright creepy.”
“Angel would have been to old to be dating a 16-year-old when he was turned. He *had* to have been late twenties early thirties, and I know ‘blah Victorian times blah blah socially acceptable then’ It was also socially acceptable to dump your poo pot on the street.”
Here’s Angel seeing Buffy for the first time when she was 15.
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Afterwards, he’s teased about how he wants to help her ’cause she’s pretty. A 15-year-old!!!
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16. Romeo and Juliet in the various adaptations of Romeo and Juliet
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“People need to stop using Romeo and Juliet as the stereotypical teen romance. He was 17. She was 13. It lasted three days and six people died.”
“People misinterpret it. It’s not a love story; it’s a tragedy. Now, in our modern vocabulary, a tragedy is a story with a sad ending, but back then, and dating back to ancient Greek theater, a tragedy is a specific story structure. Like how we say mystery, and you automatically know that a crime will be committed by someone, you don’t know who, and the story will follow the main character figuring that out, with the audience.
A tragedy back then was a story structure where someone’s decision, or series of decisions, leads to the awful ending (Hamlet, Oedipus). Romeo and Juliet isn’t a love story, it’s a criticism of teenage impulsivity. The whole point is that every decision they made made the situation worse, leading to the climactic double suicide ending.”
Here’s Romeo taking poison over Juliet’s “death”…then realizing he majorly effed up.
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17. Sam and Freddie on iCarly
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“Sam only ever loved Freddie because she thought he was cute when he fell off his bike and started screaming in pain and blood was coming out of his ear. They also never stopped fighting even when they were dating. I just think that they made a horrible couple and would have been both better off with someone else.”
“And Sam constantly physically abused Freddie.”
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18. Beck and Jade on Victorious
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“Beck always treated Jade as if all she [existed to him as] was just someone who was aggressive and someone he liked to make out with. He was totally chill kissing other girls in front of her, going out with other girls even though he had a girlfriend, and when Jade got all upset about it, he just told her that she was ‘overreacting’ and didn’t even apologize. I get why Jade was always jealous ’cause…Why wouldn’t she be?? Imagine seeing your SO kissing or going out with other people! Wouldn’t you be at least a little upset?”
Here’s them arguing, as they always did.
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19. And finally, Rory and everyone on Gilmore Girls
Saeed Adyani / Netflix / courtesy Everett Collection
“Literally all of Rory’s relationships in Gilmore Girls, I’m pretty sure she cheats on every single one of her relationships and also had an affair with a married guy. They kinda glamorize and glorify cheating in that show and it really turned me off from it.”
Here’s Rory after sleeping with Dean when he was MARRIED.
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And let’s not forget the way she treated Paul.
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What TV, movie, and book couples that people love do you think are toxic or wouldn’t last in the real world? Let us know in the comments below!
Submissions have been edited for length/clarity.