They Do: Difference between revisions

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{{quote| -- '''[[William Shakespeare]]''', ''[[Much Ado About Nothing]]''}}

[[Will They or Won't They]] Well, [[They Do]].

[[Will They or Won't They?]] Well, [[They Do]].

The conclusion of a [[Romance Arc]] with a [[Happy Ending]]. The point where we are finally done with [[Second Act Breakup|breakups]], [[Third Act Misunderstanding|misunderstandings]] and second thoughts. If the story is done with them, they live [[Happily Ever After]]. If it isn't, when the rest of it happens to them they'll have each other. Give them enough time, and they'll likely be [[Happily Married]] by then.

The conclusion of a [[Romance Arc]] with a [[Happy Ending]]. The point where we are finally done with [[Second Act Breakup|breakups]], [[Third-Act Misunderstanding|misunderstandings]] and second thoughts. If the story is done with them, they live [[Happily Ever After]]. If it isn't, when the rest of it happens to them they'll have each other. Give them enough time, and they'll likely be [[Happily Married]] by then.

Unless the story decides to start up a ''whole new'' string of complications from scratch somewhere in the far future, they finally get to catch a break. And chances are they [[Earn Your Happy Ending|had to go through a lot to earn it]].

If there has been an engaging "will it work?" plot up to this point, a [[They Do]] can induce a variation of [[Shipping Bed Death]] (or, of course, it can induce the standard brand if it doubles as a [[Relationship Upgrade]])- in which case, cue a [[~~Authors~~ Saving Throw|last second split up]], one party getting run over [[Put On a Bus|by a bus]] or some other malarkey. Writers may try to avert this by segueing into a new kind of story- [[Changing of the Guard|shifting the focus]] to a [[Beta Couple|newer couple]] to keep the old romance plots open, or using the stable relationship to open up fresh new avenues for comedy, drama and adventure.

If there has been an engaging "will it work?" plot up to this point, a [[They Do]] can induce a variation of [[Shipping Bed Death]] (or, of course, it can induce the standard brand if it doubles as a [[Relationship Upgrade]])- in which case, cue a [[Author's Saving Throw|last second split up]], one party getting run over [[Put On a Bus|by a bus]] or some other malarkey. Writers may try to avert this by segueing into a new kind of story- [[Changing of the Guard|shifting the focus]] to a [[Beta Couple|newer couple]] to keep the old romance plots open, or using the stable relationship to open up fresh new avenues for comedy, drama and adventure.

Contrast with [[Maybe Ever After]], which is when a romance arc ends without clearly confirming whether or not [[They Do]].

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'''Spoilers ahoy'''.

== Anime & Manga ==

* ''[[Da Capo]]'' plays it straight with {{spoiler|Junichi [[Brother Sister Incest|hooking up]] with Nemu, [[Not Blood Siblings|his stepsister]], and all the troubles they had to face afterwards made the series' quality improve ''by orders of magnitude''. Special mention to the [[Tear Jerker|extremely sad]] endings [[Die for Our Ship|Miharu, Yoriko]], Kotori and Sakura received. Especially Sakura.}} In Da Capo If, {{spoiler|Nemu is dead and Junichi is with Kotori.}}

* ''[[Da Capo]]'' plays it straight with {{spoiler|Junichi [[Brother-Sister Incest|hooking up]] with Nemu, [[Not Blood Siblings|his stepsister]], and all the troubles they had to face afterwards made the series' quality improve ''by orders of magnitude''. Special mention to the [[Tear Jerker|extremely sad]] endings [[Die for Our Ship|Miharu, Yoriko]], Kotori and Sakura received. Especially Sakura.}} In Da Capo If, {{spoiler|Nemu is dead and Junichi is with Kotori.}}

* An atypical example in ''[[Da Capo II]]'', where Koko and Yoshiyuki hook up ''in the very first episode'' (Is it possible to ''not'' get [[Strangled By the Red String]] when you do that?). {{spoiler|They break up late into the first season, making this the "new set of complications" [[Downer Ending]] variant.}}

* The [[Official Couple]] of ''[[Kare Kano]]'' is a fantastic instance of this trope; most of the interesting conflict starts ''after'' they become boyfriend and girlfriend in the manga version. In the anime it's the other way around, due to the amazingly bad [[Gecko Ending|last handful of episodes]] after the author threw a fit over the anime's comic elements and the director quit.

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* {{spoiler|Adama and Roslin}} in ''[[Battlestar Galactica]]''. {{spoiler|Though she died in the finale, his actions afterwards (eg: the ring) would suggest that this still applies.}}

** The Agathons' marriage (Karl "Helo" Agathon and Sharon "Athena" Valeri) seems to be going OK too, despite him killing her! (It was at her request and, being a cylon, she got better).

* Tim and Dawn at the end of UK [[The Office]]. Their counterparts Jim and Pam on the US version similarly get the conclusion to their ongoing [[Will They or Won't They|Will They Or Won't They]] at the first episode of season 4 (though you can already tell that's where they're headed at the end of season 3).

* Tim and Dawn at the end of UK [[The Office]]. Their counterparts Jim and Pam on the US version similarly get the conclusion to their ongoing [[Will They or Won't They?|Will They Or Won't They]] at the first episode of season 4 (though you can already tell that's where they're headed at the end of season 3).

* John and Aeryn in ''[[Farscape (TV)|Farscape]]'' finally get together for good in the second half of season 4, and get married in ''The Peacekeeper Wars''.

** They were also together for much of Season 3, which went pretty well, except {{spoiler|John had been made into two separate, equal copies, and the one she was with performed a [[Heroic Sacrifice]]. When she was reunited with the surviving John, she didn't want to look him in the eye at first.}}

** And [[Battle Couple|they are]] '''[[Back to Back Badasses|awesome!]]''' It is interesting to note, though, that their relationship is [[Fire Forged Friends|slowly and steadily built despite]] [[In ~~Harms~~ Way|having two opposing empires hunting their asses]], and Moya being a station interchange for [[Dysfunction Junction]]. With all the [[Mind Rape|psychological problems]] and [[Break the Cutie|recurrent attempts by their foes to break them]], they really do [[Earn Your Happy Ending|earn their happy ending]] and it ''works''.

** And [[Battle Couple|they are]] '''[[Back-to-Back Badasses|awesome!]]''' It is interesting to note, though, that their relationship is [[Fire-Forged Friends|slowly and steadily built despite]] [[In Harm's Way|having two opposing empires hunting their asses]], and Moya being a station interchange for [[Dysfunction Junction]]. With all the [[Mind Rape|psychological problems]] and [[Break the Cutie|recurrent attempts by their foes to break them]], they really do [[Earn Your Happy Ending|earn their happy ending]] and it ''works''.

* The point where Fran and Max get married in ''[[The Nanny]]''.

* Sonny and Chad finally got together partway through season 2 of ''[[Sonny With a Chance]]''. They've only been together a couple episodes but the show seems to have pulled it off successfully.

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[[Category:Romance Novel Tropes]]

[[Category:They Do]]

[[Category:Trope]]

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