The Masochism Tango: Difference between revisions
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In fictional relationships, there's a gray area between a [[Destructive Romance]], a [[Friendly War]] and [[Romanticized Abuse]]. Sometimes [[Ambiguous Situation|the writers make it hard for the audience to figure out if the relationship is even supposed to be a good thing or not]]. Sometimes the writers don't even know the answer themselves, and sometimes this question isn't even meant to have an answer - the characters are there for the audience to laugh at, and that's all there is to it.
Two characters are supposed to be [[Happily Married|deeply in love]]
Basically, there are two ways this trope can be played: either the writers ''really'' don't get that the pairing isn't working out, or the writers are fully aware and it's the ''characters'' who insist that their relationship is just great. In either case, the audience tends to quickly catch on, and you can bet that the [[Shipping|shippers]] are already thinking up [[Fan-Preferred Couple|alternatives]].
This is not the same as an [[Odd Friendship]] or [[Odd Couple]], where everybody knows the relationship is strange and the characters very grudgingly learn to respect each other. In
The partners dancing to this particular beat have already resolved the [[Will They or Won't They?]] issue ([[They Do|they did]], and won't [[She Is Not My Girlfriend|deny they're a couple]]) -- it's just the saneness of their hook-up that's in question. This is often the result of resolved [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]].
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* Yubel in ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh! GX]]'' sees this as the only true expression of love; it cannot distinguish between joy/pleasure and pain/sorrow, and [[Love Martyr|convinces itself]] that every single bit of suffering it causes its obsession Judai - and every bit reciprocated from him in kind - are simply their way of sharing each other's love.
* Shinji and Asuka in ''[[Neon Genesis Evangelion]]''. The two initially fight often but seem to be friends, but as the series progresses the sheer vitriol between them (largely from Asuka's side) rises to uncomfortable levels. Despite this, there are indicators, particularly in the extended version of Episode 22 and The End of Evangelion, that they actually desire each other.
** Then again, NGE being the ultimate [[Deconstruction]] of the [[Shonen]]-[[Mecha]] genre, it [[Alternative Character Interpretation|could all be showing how destructive the entire situation is.]] However, this ''being'' NGE [[Driven to Madness|it could be]] [[Mind Rape|something else]] [[Despair Event Horizon|entirely]]. And no, those [[
* Yoh and Anna from ''[[Shaman King]]''. Though at least Anna shows her love regularly by running at heel to Yoh's help.
* Kogoro Mouri and his ex-wife Eri Kisaki in ''[[Detective Conan]]''.
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** On the other hand, they actually try to do nice things for each other once in a blue moon. (In recent manga issues, Kogoro actually bought Eri a birthday present{{spoiler|—except that he got the day wrong and accidentally gave her the wrong gift box}}). Eri has also been known to make Kogoro dinner (too bad she's a [[Lethal Chef]]), and both her and Kogoro have turned [[Papa Wolf]] and [[Mama Bear]] respectively when the other has been suspected of murder.
* In ''[[Paradise Kiss]]'', Yukari and George get together almost immediately, but their romance is unhinged from the get-go. He is sometimes genuinely sweet and gentlemanly with her, but it's hard to notice amidst all the icy contempt and plain insults he throws at her. To make things worse, it's heavily implied {{spoiler|his conflicted emotions towards her stem for [[Oedipus Rex|her similarity to his mother]]}}. Naturally, {{spoiler|it just couldn't end well for them... yet still ended up better than other examples: they break up out of their own accord and in somewhat amiable terms, George leaves the country to pursue his goals and Yukari decides to live her own life and build her own career. In the [[Distant Finale]], she actually marries her [[Victorious Childhood Friend]] Hiro.}}
* Hiei and {{spoiler|his boss, Mukuro}} from ''[[Yu Yu Hakusho]]''. Here's a quote, "Perhaps that's why I feel you understood me...after all, we're both only capable of expressing ourselves through our violence." This isn't just [[Domestic Abuse]] played for
** His birthday present to her? {{spoiler|Her evil, sexually abusive dad, bonded to a tree that keeps him from ever moving and repairs any of his wounds instantly, so that she can torture him at her leisure.}}
* Kaori + [[Hyperspace Mallet|100 Ton Hammer]] = [[City Hunter|Poor, poor Ryo Saeba.]]
* In the ''[[Hellsing]]'' TV series, although not a couple (but [[Word of God|Studio Gonzo]] did hint they have feelings for each other), Alucard and Integra act like this until she almost dies because of his bad judgment in sneaking out to fight his [[Worthy Opponent]]. Afterwards, their dynamic softens considerably. In the manga, their relationship is completely different and more of a [[Bodyguard Crush]] dynamic.
* This is the nature of the relationship of [[Bastard Boyfriend|Iason]] and [[Sex Slave|Riki]] in ''[[Ai no Kusabi]]'' due to [[Opposites Attract]]. Although Iason is usually the one showing affection despite how much he oppresses Riki in order to control him.
* An interpretation of [[Adult Child|Chiaki]] and [[:Category:Yandere
* Zagi and Karim of ''[[Jyu-Oh-Sei]]''. They have both expressed pretty genuine feelings for each other, but you'd never guess from the way he treats her 90% of the time.
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** Possibly lampshaded when Gambit said his actual motivation for dating Rogue was to [[The Atoner|punish himself]] for his (rather small and inconsequential and blameless) role in the Morlock Massacre.
* The relationship between the Joker and his "girlfriend" and gun moll Harley Quinn. It's an interesting study in dependent and abusive relationships, whereby Dr Harleen Quinzel, the Joker's psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum, finds herself falling for the psychopathic supervillain as he mentally manipulates her into taking his side. It's a variation of the [[Stockholm Syndrome]]; here the Joker didn't kidnap Harley, and Harley imagines that she came to love the Joker of her own accord (or if she acknowledges his manipulation playing a part, he clearly did it because he was in love with her).
* Apparently quite standard for the titular protagonist's race on ''[[Buck Godot: Zap Gun for Hire]]'', as seen [http://www.airshipentertainment.com/buckcomic.php?date=20080124 here]. Of course, being [[Heavyworlder
* Matt and Kayleigh from ''[[Dork Tower]]''. They remain an off-again, on-again couple, even though she belittles all of his interests and friends, and he is torn between staying with her and dropping her for Gilly the [[Perky Goth]]. Screaming matches and [[Slap Slap Kiss]] often occur.
* Goldie and Scrooge in ''[[The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck]]''. [[Carl Barks]] wrote 'em that way, [[Don Rosa]] made 'em ''awesome'' at it.
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** ''[[The Boys in the Band]]'', which is inspired by ''Woolf'', features [[Vitriolic Best Buds]] Michael and Harold.
* In ''[[The Land Before Time]]'' saga, many fans have expressed favouritism for [[Toy Ship|a pairing]] between Littlefoot and Cera. You'd think the [[Interspecies Romance|species difference]] would be enough of a put off, but in addition, the two do argue a lot (in three films, resulting in all out fights). However, Cera has been known to be jealous when Littlefoot makes new friends.
* ''Annie Get Your Gun'' has Annie and Frank [[Kiss Kiss Slap|switching]] from [[Sickeningly Sweethearts]] to a
* ''[[The Maids]]'' is entirely devoted to a couple of [[Psycho Lesbian|psycho lesbians]] competing in making the other one feel miserable. Oh, and they both [[Downer Ending|succeed]].
* Very much on display in all adaptations of the Bengali novel ''[[Bollywood|Devdas]]''. Main characters Dev and Paro both love each other, but are not above lashing out at one another in pretty cruel ways. Subverted in the 2009 remake, ''Dev. D'', where {{spoiler|Dev realizes that he never truly loved Paro, but instead idealized and wished to control her. He then manages some [[Character Development]].}} ''Dev. D'' is big on [[Deconstruction]], in general.
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== [[Literature]] ==
* It's actually the societal ''norm'' for romance to be
{{quote|'''[[Overprotective Dad|Bashere]]''': Perrin, I must train you in Saldaean ways. You must yell at your wife like this: DEIRA!!! PUNCH!!! NOW!!!<br />
'''Deira''': Yes, dear.<br />
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'''Bashere''': Oh, you'll be fine. But if you do get anything wrong, I will kill you. }}
** Another example would be a story Thom Merrilin tells Mat. When Tom was young, he encountered a blacksmith's wife whose husband would control who she talked to and beat her up if she so much as looked at other men. Thom gallantly offers to rescue her - and is forced to hastily leave the village when she immediately runs and tells her husband! Thom later finds out that she would control the money, and beat her husband up if he as much as had a single beer at the inn. The moral of the story is to not judge before you have heard both sides.
* Subverted in Kafka's short story ''A Little Woman''; the narrator worries about people suspecting him and the titular character of having an affair solely due to her irrational dislike of
* Phèdre nó Delaunay and Joscelin Verreuil embody this trope for the first two books of the ''[[Kushiel's Legacy]]'' series. The former is a masochistic prostitute who frequently sleeps with people as a method of solving problems, and the latter is her celibate combat butler-bodyguard.
* In the [[Narnia]] book ''The Horse And His Boy'', Shasta {{spoiler|aka Prince Cor}} and Aravis spend most of the book arguing. At the end of the story, it's mentioned that they get married so they can argue more efficiently.
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You sold me }}
* Valmont and Merteuil in ''[[Dangerous Liaisons]]'' live to one-up each other with tales of sexual deviance and mindfuckery, yet every time one of them talks about having sex with somebody else, the other one seems to explode with jealousy.
* Margaret Weis' [[The Star of the Guardians]] is all built around
== [[Live Action TV]] ==
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* Xander and Cordelia's romance on ''[[Buffy the Vampire Slayer]].'' Later, Xander began dating Anya, an ex-demon whose idea of a romantic evening (at first) was to brag about all the men she'd tortured and killed over the centuries, though they actually developed a nice rapport later on.
** In contrast, Buffy and Spike were straight [[Destructive Romance]], not [[Played for Laughs]] at all towards the end.
* ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' played this for laughs in a [[Story Arc]] about Klingon
** You can see Worf's dating advice [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zweQgrLjh_s here].
{{quote|"Men do not roar. Women roar. And hurl heavy objects. And claw at you."
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* [[Friends with Benefits|Ricky and Adrian]] in ''[[The Secret Life of the American Teenager]]''. They mostly ethier just argued and or had sex. They never went on dates and Ricky never wanted to be seen in public with her. Their relationship consisted mostly of them cheating on each other and claiming eqach sexual conquest as retailiation. When asked about what she liked about Ricky , beside looks, by her father, Adrian couldn't answer. They mostly seemed to show genuine affection through jealousy towards those they viewed as threats to their relationship. {{spoiler|Their relationship later ended when Adrian had sex with their mutual friend, Ben.}}
* A list of all the times the various ''Degrassi'' series did this would be a Wiki in itself. Some of the more notable cases:
** Joey and Caitlin on ''[[Degrassi High]]'' were supposed to be [[Star-Crossed Lovers]]
** The same thing happened in the fourth season of ''[[Degrassi the Next Generation]],'' which paired J.T. (goofy, irresponsible, and tactless) with Liberty (humorless, workaholic, and a world-class [[Control Freak]]). They insist that they're in love, but all we see is them arguing. (At one point, J.T. brags about their sex life in public, and Liberty pours cold soda down his pants.)
** Emma, the resident idealistic goody-two-shoes on ''[[Degrassi the Next Generation]],'' has had several
* [[Reality Show]] example: in ''[[The Amazing Race]] 9'', Lake & Michelle (mostly Lake) swap insults, rants, and epithets for nearly the entirety of every episode after the first. When finally eliminated from the Race, they declare their love for each other in such a way that you begin to wonder what chunk of their lives was left on the cutting room floor.
** Jonathan & Victoria from ''[[The Amazing Race]] 6'' were possibly an even better (worse?) example.
** And Tara & Wil from Season 2 were the series' [[Ur Example]], with their behavior towards each other making fans wonder [[No Accounting for Taste|how they EVER agreed to marry each other]]. As TWOP recapper Miss Alli commented during a rare moment of Tara laughing at one of Wil's jokes and Wil visibly beaming at his success: "This is so weird. If he likes her this much, then why is he so mean to her?"
* Lee Adama and Kara Thrace on ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]''
** Saul and Ellen have been dancing theirs for a long time. {{spoiler|[[Artificial Human|Several thousands of years, in fact.]]}}
*** {{spoiler|Although it's hard to tell how much of it is really them and how much of it is the fact that they've had their heads seriously messed with by someone with a seriously messed up head.}}
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* One of the earliest television examples, Fred and Ethel Mertz from ''[[I Love Lucy]]''. To give an idea of how much they bicker and seem to dislike each other, when asked what he knew about rice, Fred remarked, "I had it thrown at me on one of the darkest days of my life." If divorce had been as common in the first half of the 20th century as it is now, they probably would have split up twenty years before the series began.
** [[Reality Subtext]]: Actors William Frawley and Vivian Vance openly despised each other, and flatly turned down a spin-off series starring the two of them.
* Steve and Karen McDonald from ''[[Coronation Street]]'' fit this trope. Despite marrying for a bet, the two quickly realized that they really did love one another after all. However, much to the amusement of fans of the show, their subsequent storylines focused on how Karen completely browbeat her husband. Eventually the couple split after both had affairs (including one scene where Karen had sex with her lover despite knowing that Steve could hear everything), but got back together and then divorced (Karen forced Steve to do this so she could have a proper wedding). Unfortunately their second wedding was ruined by Tracy Barlow, who had slept with Steve (when he was separated from Karen) and had his baby. Despite the fact that Karen chose to re-marry Steve many more arguments followed, but the final straw came when Karen suffered a nervous breakdown following a miscarriage and abducted Steve's daughter by Tracy. Steve decided to put an end to
* While [[Word of God]] says that ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'' and Stacy were meant to be deeply in love, onscreen it was more like this. She's deeply self-righteous about the whole "cutting up his leg without his consent" thing and hasn't seemed to learn her lesson when it comes to her ill husband either, doesn't believe that he has any human feelings whatsoever (even when he shows her and us his adorable, romantic/cheesy side by giving her a prescription for her "heart problem") and seems to act like she wants to kill him in his sleep. For his part, he can't decide whether he wants her to be with him or if he wants her to suffer and at one point, breaks into her therapy file so he can act like the nice guy. He ended it in ''Need To Know'' but it really, really doesn't make him any happier.
* The entire "[[Five-Man Band|crew]]" of ''[[It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia]]''. Although they claim to be best friends, and they will sometimes fight violently over "best friend" status with each other, they spend most of their time yelling and screaming at each other, physically abusing each other, slipping each other dangerous drugs, getting bizarre and often scarily sexual forms of revenge on each other, and literally planning to murder each other.
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* This might not actually count, but for the Echani in Star Wars ''[[Knights of the Old Republic]] 2'' repeated duels constitute both a courtship and foreplay ([[Unfortunate Implications|if the male wins, at least]]).
** That actually isn't gender specific for Echani. It's more like 'whoever wins can take the initiative if they want' (still rather unfortunate if you think about it). But the Handmaiden actually tries to tell the Jedi Exile that what they are doing for combat practise means something else in her culture.
* ''[[Touhou]]'' Fanon and Kaguya/Mokou Shippers often display Kaguya and Mokou in
* [[Umineko no Naku Koro ni]] contains a very creepy example of this: {{spoiler|Lambdadelta}} and {{spoiler|Bernkastel}} fight each other in a game whenever they come across each other {{spoiler|in the ocean of the kakera}}. The penalties for the looser are very severe cases of a [[Fate Worse Than Death]]. And yet they always assure how much they "love" each other. However, as we learn later in the story, this may be justified as theirs means {{spoiler|to escape the boredom that can literally kill them. By fighting each other, they relieve that boredom in order to survive and spend time with each other.}} And in the very end, {{spoiler|they get their [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other|Aww, Look!]] [[Heartwarming Moments|They Really Do Love Each Other]]-moment}}.
== [[Web Animation]] ==
* The flash animation [http://vinnieveritas.com/flash/ccc/eres-veneno/ Eres Veneno ++] by Vinnie Veritas is a serious contender for '''the''' greatest example of
* Church and Tex in ''[[Red vs. Blue]]'' are this.
{{quote|'''Church''': Alright O'Malley, this is it. From now on, if anybody makes my girlfriend cranky and psychotic; it's gonna be me.
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