Since the very beginning of teenage romances, love triangles have always been a thing. At the age where everything in a kid’s life is changing, it’s expected that there will be tumultuous relationships to go along with it. Unreciprocated affection and broken hearts are unfortunate, but not uncommon. However, in the last two decades, especially the last five years, there has been a steep rise in the amount of TV shows and movies that grab at this trope as their claim to fame. Whether the show is set in a summer beach house or the skating rink, it’s a predictable formula. A formula that works every time. So why do people love this cliche plot so much, and why does it need to stop?
Let’s start with the sheer number of works that rely on the love triangle. Earlier in the 21st century, these kinds of plots were still popular, but they were accompanied with other character development. In The Hunger Games, for example, Katniss’s heart is torn between Gale and Peeta but her main focus is staying alive and destroying the Capitol’s grasp. These kinds of dystopian novels were the highlight, and in my opinion, were gripping enough to make the love triangles an acceptable inclusion. The problem results from the adoption of this trope by TV show creators targeting young adults. Some of the titles that I have either watched or heard of in recent years include The Summer I Turned Pretty, My Life With the Walter Boys, Finding Her Edge, XO Kitty, and more. There are simply too many shows that use this as their driving plot point, so let’s dive into my problem with each of these shows.
Before I go in depth, I’ll take a second to admit that I was entertained watching a good amount of these shows as well as others. Even with my critiques of their lackluster plots, they’re still decent options for easy entertainment, even if they come with a heavy helping of secondhand embarrassment. But that doesn’t excuse the poor job that was done in writing their plots.
Take a look at XO Kitty. The show follows Kitty during her time as an exchange student in South Korea, and while she initially moves there to be with her long distance boyfriend, she ends up discovering herself in the process. This show explores a lot of other relationships between supporting characters, but almost every single development has to do with someone having a crush on someone else. There was so much for Kitty to deepen her connection to her culture and to bring back another storyline about her mother’s heritage, but instead they completely overlook that and just throw in a couple lines of broken Korean to make up for it. I watched the entirety of the third season in two days, and I was forced to look away too many times because the interactions of the characters were just so embarrassing.
Another example from the list that I want to talk about is Finding Her Edge. This show, in addition to using the love triangle trope, also uses the popular ice skating setting that has readers and watchers in a chokehold. Admittedly, I liked this show far more than the other ones that I watched, but I was still left relatively disappointed. The secondary characters, in my opinion, are insufferable. The protagonist Adriana’s two sisters both have scenes where they are mean and cruel in ways that add nothing to the plot except aggravation to the viewer. Adriana is also supposed to be focused on winning the World Championships but instead is spending her time betraying two boys by going back and forth between them. My ultimate issue with this show is that there is no character development. Adriana ends up devolving if anything, becoming two-faced and shallow, while her sisters grow to be kinder. I’m aware that the show has been renewed for a second season and the plot is being set up for Adriana’s return to her intended love, but to me, there were so many better ways to go about this.
At the end of the day, none of these love triangles are being done right. In fact, most of them are just love angles, with two boys in love with the same girl who in turn loves both of them. I would be more than ready to watch a real love triangle with a fast-paced, confusing circle of feelings. Unfortunately, none of these measure up. If TV producers insist on making shows centered around relationships, I encourage them to look to other book tropes – enemies to lovers, forbidden love, etc. But my biggest hope is that they will leave behind these love stories and give us something real. I want to see TV shows exploring teenagers with different life stories, and going through paths that aren’t centered around a love interest. Romance is only interesting when it’s not overdone.
Love triangles will always be interesting to people. It’s a cliche, but it will always have the drama and the quick satisfaction that TV viewers crave. But sometimes, it’s worth it to look for something deeper and not settle at the surface.
