Third Wheel

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Any instance where at least one other character is hanging around a couple and some form a social tick is getting in the way. He/she can either be

A) a nuisance to the couple and they consistently tell him/her to leave them alone,

B) a character who doesn't want to spend time with the couple but they drag him/her along, or

C) a character who is pulled into being with a couple due to circumstance and no parties necessarily have ill will toward each other, but awkwardness may ensue anyway.

Usually does not translate into a relationship between a couple and a third party who genuinely like to spend time together in a friendly way, since that would imply little to no awkwardness.

Examples of Third Wheel include:


Anime and Manga


Film


Western Animation

  • Timon and Pumbaa of The Lion King certainly become third wheels once Simba and Nala meet up again. It definitely is mostly type C, but Simba kind of politely lets Timon know that the two of them aren't wanted, making it somewhat type A.
  • In "Dan Vs. The Fancy Restaurant" Dan accompanies Chris and Elise on their anniversary dinner.

Dan: Why is having a third wheel a bad thing? Third wheels provide stability, that's just physics.