What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Difference between revisions

{{quote|'''[[Deadpan Snarker|Lin]]:''' What's going ''on''?<br />

* The central theme of ''[[A.I.: Artificial Intelligence]]'', in which a robot boy searches for a way [[To Become Human]] to gain the love of his mother who he has been programmed to love by a series of code words spoken by her. Jude Law's character, a robot prostitute, seems to grow fond of some of his clients but seems to be actually prohibited from becoming too attached, because his occupation is to basically be the perennially eager lover.<br /><br />That's the entire point behind the robot boy (David) being created - to see if it was possible to create a robot child that could feel and provide unconditional love. Interestingly, while David is only set to experience this love for one person (in this case, his mother) he still seems quite fond of his "father" and "brother" and enjoys being with them. {{spoiler|At the end of the movie, David's creator seems to think that the fact that David acted against logic (which would dictate that it is impossible for a robot to turn human) to obtain his mother's love is proof that he himself is capable of true, unconditional love.}}

* Data on ''[[Star Trek]]'' exhibits some of this behavior. Kinda funny, given that he's surrounded by people [[Emotional Emotionless Person|who he would die for, and who would quite willingly die for him]] on a daily basis. <br /><br />Subverted somewhat in the episode ''[http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/In_Theory_(episode) In Theory]'': he dates a human woman yet, even though [[Star Trek]] is far from cynical, doesn't learn the answer. The breakup doesn't faze him either.<br /><br />His daughter Lal, however, figures it out...which causes a system overload and leads to her shutting down, telling her father that she loves him. In one of the greatest [[Tear Jerker]] scenes in all [[Star Trek]], Data tells her that he wishes he could feel it too.

* Both averted and played straight in ''[[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined]]''. Sharon (Athena) and Valerii (Boomer) can love, but (corporeal) Number Six does not seem to get it.<br /><br />Somewhat justified as it has been established that different model numbers have different psychological patterns - and the Eight model has been described as being one of the most emotional, while the Sixes seem to be far more sexual in nature - in other words, it may simply be a case of love (Eight) versus lust (Six).<br /><br />On the other hand, it's also established that Caprica Six effectively had to "love" Saul in order to become pregnant, and it is the wavering of her faith that he loves her back that results in their child miscarrying. So even the Six line seems capable of it, though it may be more difficult for them.

* In ''[[Animorphs]]'', the parasitic, mind-controlling Yeerks have no concept of romance -or even gender- in their natural form, since they reproduce by merging with two other Yeerks and then dissolving into hundreds of young, effectively killing the parents. There are at least two examples in the series of Yeerks who had human hosts betraying their superiors after being caught off-guard by their own emotions and falling in love with each other.<br /><br />In another book of the series, Jake and Cassie manage to disable the warlike impulses of the entire [[Tyke Bomb|Howler race]] by infecting their [[Hive Mind|collective memory]] with its first exposure to love.

* ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'' - [[X-23]] was brought up as an assassin, and only her mother and sensei showed her any compassion or kindness during her childhood. And nobody ever told her about boys. As a result, she has no clue what is going on when she finds herself attracted to her teammate [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|Hellion.]]<br /><br />It gets creepier. After running away from her creators, she drifts into prostitution. So she knows all about the mechanics of sex, it's the emotional aspects that she has no experience with. On the other hand, X-23 still shows signs of loving her aunt and cousin when she stays with them, and hugs her cousin when they leave.

* Jonas of ''[[The Giver]]'' grows up in a false Utopian society where the word "love" has become obsolete. When he learns about it through memories received from the Giver and asks his parents if they love him, they admonish him for not using precise language and say that asking "Do you enjoy me?" or "Do you take pride in my accomplishments?" would have been better.<br /><br />What makes it better is that they actually laugh and treat the question as meaningless. Jonas can't help but think that what he felt earlier was anything ''but'' meaningless. He realizes that further questions would also be met with either ignorance or programmed responses. It's also explained that there is no choosing of one's own spouses -- everyone is paired up according to how "compatible" they are. Couples also don't have their own children and aren't even allowed to chose the ones they adopt.

* Happens all the time in [[Opera]], in which a character will sing "Could this be love?" (usually in another language, of course), generally followed by "Yes -- yes, it is!"<br /><br />The eponymous [[Defrosting Ice Queen|Defrosting Ice Princess]] of Puccini's ''Turandot'' is more or less thawed by a kiss from Prince Calaf.

* Ulquiorra in ''[[Bleach]]'', although notably he isn't ''jealous'' of it...he's more annoyed by it. {{spoiler|"You damn humans speak so easily of the heart . . . what is this "heart?" If I tear open your chest, will I see it inside? If I shatter your skull, will I see it ''there''?}}<br /><br /> {{spoiler|As he dies, he finally figures it out: "What is that? Would I see it if I cracked open your chest? If I broke open your skull, what would I see inside? You humans say the word so easily. Just like...Oh. I get it. This is it. This here in my hand. The heart."}}

* The youko ([[Obake|fox spirit]]) Tamamo from ''[[Hell Teacher Nube]]'' couldn't even begin to comprehend how or why Nube was so [[Determinator|determined]] to [[Papa Wolf|protect his students]], much less why such drive gave him power beyond (arguably) more powerful entities. Therefore, he stuck around to see exactly how [[The Power of Love]] worked, and also to annoy Nube as the school's physician. The interesting part is that he became just as attached to Doumori Elementary and its students without him ever realizing it, and gained the same kind of determination and selflessness as Nube.<br /><br />It came to a head when Tamamo exorcised an emotion-parasite [[Obake|yokai]] from a little girl, and, still wishing to explore emotions, attached it to himself. He was overcome with human feelings that overwhelmed even his demonic side.

'''Fox''': "True, but what about... [[Marry for Love|love]]?"<br />