7,832
edits
Will They or Won't They?: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
m (Mass update links) |
HLIAA14YOG (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
| (22 intermediate revisions by 8 users not shown) | |||
Line 1:
{{trope}}
{{quote|''"Pam is very attractive, no question. If I didn't have an award show to host, I could easily see having two or three seasons of will-they-won't-they sexual tension that ultimately goes nowhere."''
|'''[[Conan O'Brien]]''', Emmy 2006 opening skit, after crashing ''[[The Office]]''}}
Two characters, often combative but with obvious [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]] (or UST), resist going into a full blown relationship for a rather long time. Usually the two characters will be presented so that "they will" is the conclusion to root for; only rarely is the question of whether the writers think they should in any real doubt.
Actually ending the dance is a tricky business. It is difficult for shows to recover from the loss of a major source of dramatic tension represented by an unrequited relationship. Many shows [[Jumping the Shark|Jump the Shark]] or suffer [[Shipping Bed Death]] when the two characters finally get together. A common problem is that the show suddenly becomes about the relationship rather than remaining true to its original premise. Sometimes an attempt is made to introduce a new source of dramatic tension, but it is frequently cheesy and lame. To avoid this, many shows choose to answer the question and end the show nearly simultaneously via a [[Last-Minute Hookup]].
Of course, the opposite can also occur. Shows can go out of their way to avoid resolving the relationship, making ever-more-desperate narrative leaps until, by the time they finally let the characters get together, the show has lost its viewership anyway. [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]] is often a victim of this.
Line 14 ⟶ 15:
See also [[Almost Kiss]], [[Relationship Upgrade]], [[Like Brother and Sister]], [[Moment Killer]], [[Everyone Can See It]]. When a series ends without even a [[Maybe Ever After|hint of resolution]] to will-they-or-won't-they, it's [[No Romantic Resolution]]. Contrast [[Friends with Benefits]], where they ''definitely'' do it, but without the emotional baggage.
Compare [[Just Friends]] and [[They Do]].
Also, if it's a major plot point, see [[Just Eat Gilligan]]
Contrast [[Platonic Life Partners]]
{{examples}}▼
▲{{examples}}
== Anime
* Integra ''[[Hellsing]]'' and [[Dracula|Alucard]] had this going on. Whether [[They Do]] or [[Did Not Get the Girl|They Don't]] is left relatively ambiguous, though [[Word of God]] said they were an [[Official Couple]] in the anime.
* The star of ''[[Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple]]'', for the love of ''god''. He and Miu have been at it for almost 400 manga episodes now, and it doesn´t look like it will be solved anytime soon...
Line 27 ⟶ 28:
* (Only the manga) In [[Elemental Gelade]], Coud and Ren have yet to enter into a real couple relationship. Coud wants it badly but is too shy to confess his feelings to her during their journey to Edel Garden, and Ren did not show any strong romance towards Coud.
* Most of the characters in ''[[School Rumble]]''. Nuff said.
* ''[[Maison Ikkoku]]'' is all about the question whether the [[Unlucky Everydude]] and the [[Landlady]] will get
* In the same vein, ''[[Kimagure Orange Road]]'', which took 48 episodes, 8 OVAs, and a movie before ever resolving it. The second movie tried to revive it.
* ''[[Ranma
** Answer: Probably yes, but [[Status Quo Is God|not while we're still watching]].
** Lampshaded in ''[[Ranma ½: The Abridged Chronicles|The Abridged Chronicles]]'':
{{quote|
* ''[[Inuyasha]]''. I think Rumiko Takahashi just loves this trope.
** Subverted in ''the Final Act'' {{spoiler|Kagome marries Inuyasha. Sango marries Miroku.}}
* Most of the plot in ''[[Lovely Complex]]'' revolves around the question whether the [[Huge Schoolgirl]] female lead can get a hold of the shorter guy she's in love with.
* Hagino and Mari in ''[[Blue Drop]]'' get into a complex love/hate-relationship which leads to a lot of drama for most of the series. When they {{spoiler|finally do declare their love for each other, their happiness doesn't last long though.}}
Line 40 ⟶ 41:
* ''[[Mahou Sensei Negima]]'' has several: [[Schoolgirl Lesbians|Setsuna and Konoka]] though the latter got kind of resolved recently, what's with the pactio and all that. Nagi and Eva was regarded as one for some time but it as it turns out it didn't have a chance from the start. Negi and Asuna was regarded as one for a while, but for the most part, since ''[[Negima]]'' [[Unwanted Harem|started as a harem series]], many of Negi's potential love interests could fall under this trope.
** Negi [[Fire-Forged Friends|friend]]/[[Rival]] Kotaro seems to have something like that with his roommate Natsumi; since chapter 262 came around, it seems that Kotaro does indeed have feelings for her (Though they still appear to be mostly brotherly).
* This applies to ''[[Hana Yori Dango]]'' in every adaption, mainly between Tsukushi and Tsukasa and Tsukushi and Rui. This is thanks largely to the huge difference in social class between Tsukushi and almost every possible love interest that shows his
* ''[[El Cazador de la Bruja]]'' appears to be the only series in Bee Train's "girls with guns"-trilogy where the two female leads {{spoiler|wind up with each other in the end}}.
** ''[[Noir (anime)|Noir]]'' also seems to end this way, but Koichi Mashimo tacked on an ending suggesting that wasn't real, which led to [[Internet Backdraft]].
* ''[[Naruto]]'' and Sakura fall into this trope quite nicely. Or ''badly'', depending on your point of view.
** And Hinata always had a Will She Tell Him or Not. {{spoiler|She told him, but he hasn't had a chance to respond.}}
* In ''[[Shakugan no Shana]]'' Yuji and Shana should have probably been making out by the fifth episode. Two seasons later they're still making gooey eyes at each other and wondering how the other one feels.
** Also you got the fact the Yuji and Shana are almost like [[
* ''[[Code Geass]]'' is full of this. The protagonist Lelouch is really popular with the ladies, even without anyone knowing that he's royalty, but he's too busy secretly leading a revolution to actively pursue romance. Nevertheless, he gets plenty of
* The closest to this in ''[[Axis Powers Hetalia]]'' are the relationships between [[Tsundere|England]] and [[Love Freak|America]], and then [[Drill Sergeant Nasty|Germany]] and [[The Ditz|Italy]]. Oh god, ''the [[Ship Tease]]''.
* ''[[Mariasama ga Miteru]]'' is littered with hints that Yumi and Sachiko might get a [[Relationship Upgrade]], which kept many [[Yuri Fanboy|yuri fans]] hooked. {{spoiler|Nothing of the kind ever happens though, [[Bait and Switch Lesbians|despite many opportunities]]}}.
** The basic premise of a girl wooing another girl into becoming her soeur also has something of this.
* ''[[Ah! My Goddess]]'' can be seen as one long Will They Or Won't They between Keiichi and Belldandy, even though it's a foregone conclusion that they will be together in the end. The number of times they've kissed can be counted on one or two hands and the manga is currently on volume 37 (more than a hundred chapters)! If you count in all the animated series, you'd only need to use fingers ''and'' toes to count.
* The sneaky bastards behind ''[[Lyrical Nanoha]]'' took a different approach to this regarding the [[Ship-to-Ship Combat|Nanoha-related ships]] by [[Time Skip|jumping ten years forward]] then cranking the [[Ship Tease]] all the way to the max [[Shrug of God|without saying anything definite]]. Suddenly, the question mutated from "Will They Or Won't They?" to "[[Did They or Didn't They?]]?"
* ''[[Aoi Hana]]'' revolves around the growing relationship between childhood friends Fumi and Akira, although the issue is often obscured by Fumi's romantic entanglements with other girls.
* ''[[Ai Yori Aoshi]]'' starts as if it will follow this trope and then takes a hard right turn into [[Perfectly Arranged Marriage]]. {{spoiler|At [[Last-Minute Hookup|the very end]], finally, [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|they do]].}}
* ''[[Digimon Adventure]]'' had Tai and Sora, who were "very close friends", and were always looking out for each other. The biggest moment of "Taiora" was when Tai actually cried because he might have killed Sora because he's an ass. Then there's the ''movie''. {{spoiler|[[Distant Finale|Then there's the second season ending where she marries his best friend.]]}}
* Sunako and Kyohei from ''[[The Wallflower]]'', to [[Oblivious to Love|ridiculous]] heights. So far, they've risked their lives for/saved each other countless times, {{spoiler|kissed}} twice, confirmed they don't hate each other, gone {{spoiler|out on a date}} and {{spoiler|lived together}} for a period of time. And, yet, what is there for them to say at the end of the day? [[She Is Not My Girlfriend|"We aren't in a relationship."]] Ugh.
* Shiki and Mikiya in ''[[
** Well... they have a daughter in Mirai Fukuin, named Mana. Said daughter has an Oedipus Complex (or Electra, if you prefer), and wants to "beat her mother to get her father back." Personality and appearance-wise, she resembles Arima Miyako, the other Shiki's cousin in Tsukihime. Oh and she uses her mother's surname.
* ''[[Pokémon Special]]'' does this with Ruby and Sapphire. Even after the confession, Ruby ignores the topic, much to Sapphire's anger.
* Pointed out in ''[[School Rumble]] Z'' when Yakumo visited Tenma in the US. When Yakumo still cannot define her relationship with Harima, a very frustrated Tenma threatens to crash the car she's driving.
* The central question in ''[[
* There was a minor case of this with Ed and Winry in ''[[Fullmetal Alchemist (manga)|Fullmetal Alchemist]]'', since there hardly were any other potential [[Love Interest
* In ''[[Scrapped Princess]]'', the viewers keep expecting something to happen between Pacifica and Chris. But it never happens. Pacifica is with Leo, and Chris is with Winia. Nothing happens between Pacifica and Chris- but the UST seems to be there.
* ''[[Spice and Wolf]]'', full stop. There are only two main characters. One of them is both a [[The Tease|tease]] and a [[The Woobie|woobie]]. The other is a [[Nice Guy]] with a hint of [[Deadpan Snarker|snark]]. They spar with words all the time, but it's pretty clear that they deeply care about each other. It still counts, though, because of an important [[Mayfly-December Romance|obstacle]].
* In ''[[Black Lagoon]]'', Revy and Rock. They even share an [[Almost Kiss]] (lighting a cigarette) in Chapter 9 of the manga and the equivalent anime episode.
* ''[[Ghost in the Shell]]'' features this to a painful extent. While the tension is obvious in the movie adaptations, Stand Alone Complex takes it even father. Even the voice actors have been known to make jokes regarding the tension between them. And yet, no real resolution is ever reached, aside from a very faint Maybe Ever After in the end of Solid State Society. {{spoiler|Batou puts him arm around her and she doesn't throw him into the pool}}
* In ''[[Yamanko!]]'', Neneko and Makoto show definite signs of being attracted to each other (especially from Neneko's side), but both of them have [[Cannot Spit It Out|trouble showing their feelings]]. The fact that [[Schoolgirl Lesbians|they are both girls]] might be a big factor in this.
==
* This was a very persistent question for the fans of ''[[Cable and Deadpool]]'' who were wondering if one of the writers would [[Cable and Deadpool/Ho Yay|hook them up]] after they spent a series chatting each other up.
* ''[[Justice Society of America]]'' featured [[Like Brother and Sister]] grouping Atom Smasher and Stargirl, implying they got married in the future. Subsequently, he quit the team and she started dating [[Fan-Preferred Couple]]-style with Billy "Captain Marvel" Batson. When they broke up, she openly moped about Atom Smasher's later [[Face Heel Turn]] and near-death experience to the point where ''that'' seemed like a reasonable coupling once more, but after another near-kiss with Billy, it's been fully revealed that Courtney and Al love each other. Then the team elders put the kibosh on the whole thing because of Al's age.
* In the Archie ''[[Sonic the Hedgehog (comics)|Sonic the Hedgehog]]'' comic, this went on between Sonic and Sally for a long time. Then they started an official relationship, but had a fight, and broke up. Now they're doing it ''again''.
** Fortunately Archie opted to appease fans during this period by adding the AU ''Mobius: Twenty Five Years Later'' storyline as a back-up strip just to keep anyone from ditching the lead title as it went to hell creatively. This gave Sonic and Sally a more positive and progressive piece of character growth regardless of its canonicity. Two follow-up storylines set in this universe have since followed, though it could ease off a little on the constant time-travel plots...
* ''[[X-Men (Comic Book)|X-Men]]'': Rogue and Gambit have been in a constant state of ‘on-and-off’ ever since Gambit first joined the X-Men, to the extent that it's practically a permanent sub-plot. While they both have declared love and devotion for one another on multiple occasions, the relationship never lasts too long before something happens and they end up separating again, only to reconcile at a later stage. This is partially due to the strain on the relationship caused by Rogue’s mutation, meaning the pair can never make physical contact, but also both partners carry some serious emotional baggage which surfaces every so often, sometimes leading to a break-up, whilst other times bringing the pair together
* ''[[Spider-Man]]'': Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy do this straight starting from her 1st appearance. They broke up once, but would've, {{spoiler|if not for the fact that she had an affair with Norman Osborn, had his children, pissed the Goblin right off and died for her trouble, though she was brought back through cloning and dumped Peter when it was strongly implied that he had always been in love with Mary Jane even when he'd been dating Gwen (MJ made her debut BEFORE Gwen in the comics as the "blind date" foil for Betty Brant and Liz Allen), but because of Gwen's emotional problems, coupled with a promise to look after her to the dying George Stacy, he stuck with her out of principle.}}.
** Which seems like an attempt to settle the decades-long feud over whether Peter loves Mary Jane or not.
Line 82 ⟶ 83:
** His skills at avoiding commitment seemed to rub off on the rest of the [[The New Teen Titans]]. Beast Boy and Raven have been going through this a lot lately.
** Cyborg and Sara Simms were originally intended to be a couple, but Marv Wolfman changed his mind. Instead, we were met with one of the longest "will they, won't they" segments in comic book history.
== Films -- Animation ==
* The entire movie of ''[[Anastasia]]'', including [[I Just Want My Beloved to Be Happy]] and almost-kisses.
{{quote|
* ''[[Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo]]'': Robin & Starfire in the end.
== Literature ==
* Jane and Mr. Rochester in ''[[Jane Eyre]].'' Well...at first.
* In ''[[War and Peace]]'', this tends to happen a lot. The [[Love Triangle
* ''[[Harry Potter]]'':
** Ron and Hermione, starting in ''[[
*** In the movie adaptations, hints are dropped about Ron and Hermione's mutual interest as early as ''Chamber of Secrets''.
** Harry and Ginny. {{spoiler|[[They Do]]: as of the "fast forward several years" in the epilogue of ''Deathly Hallows'', Harry and Ginny are married with children.}}
* Harry and Murphy in ''[[The Dresden Files]]''.
* The ''[[Star Wars]]'' [[Expanded Universe]] does this with Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade a bit.
** And it absolutely ''uses it to death'' with Jacen and Tenel Ka.
* In most [[Jane Austen]] novels.
** ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]''. Not just Elizabeth and Darcy but Jane and Bingley making this trope [[Older Than Radio]].
** In ''[[Sense and Sensibility (novel)|Sense and Sensibility]]'' it's Elinor and Edward Ferrars.
** ''[[Emma]]'' - Emma and Mr. Knightley, with a few [[Romantic False Lead
* Percy and Annabeth in ''[[Percy Jackson]] and the Olympians''. It's pretty bad when even the daughter of the god of war thinks that it's about time when you finally get together.
* The [[Ship Tease]] has been amped up in [[Artemis Fowl]]'s sixth book, ''The Time Paradox'', especially when {{spoiler|after saving Artemis from a gorilla attack, Holly kisses him in her relief.}}
* Gaunt and Curth from ''[[Gaunt's Ghosts]]'' are strongly implied to have feelings for each other in ''The Traitor General''. However, since the author never mentions any such relationship again (three books on and counting), this is probably more a case of the author forgetting rather than
* To the point of vast irritation and confusion, [[The Wheel of Time]] series brings us the relationship between Rand Al'Thor and Aviendha the [[Action Girl]], which lasts for an astonishing length of time.
* Early on in the ''[[Honor Harrington]]'' book, ''In Enemy Hands'', Hamish Alexander (the Earl of Whitehaven) suddenly gets interested in Honor, and Honor feels his interest through her empathic treecat. ''Two books later'' we're still getting this:
{{quote|
** {{spoiler|[[They Do]]. Late in the series, they even marry on Grayson (which, conveniently enough, allows bigamy).}}
== Live
* Dragged out to a ridiculous extent on ''[[Friends]]'' with Ross and Rachel.
** How ridiculous, you ask? It took from the first episode of the ten-year show til the ''very last'' episode for them to finally get over the
*** Well, they ended up together in the last moments of the series finale. They got together in season 2, broke up in season 3, and from that it was an on-again-off-again thing.
*** Neatly [[Lampshade Hanging|summed up]] by Ross's sister, Monica.
{{quote|
* ''[[The Mighty Boosh]]'', between Howard Moon and Vince Noir. Their relationship was a source of major speculation, but during it's three season run, it was never really resolved.
* ''[[Cheers]]''. Sam Malone and Diane Chambers, and later Sam and Rebecca Howe.
** After Sam and Diane [[They Do|did it]], the show rapidly went downhill. The show underwent a reboot where Diane went off and a new UST with Rebecca was added.
* ''[[The X-Files]]'': Mulder and Scully.
* ''[[Moonlighting]]'', a popular '80s action/comedy starring Bruce Willis and Cybil Shepherd, tanked immediately after Bruce and Cybil "did it". The lesson was probably not lost on [[The Powers That Be]], with the result that fewer
* Niles and Daphne on ''[[Frasier]]'', which rose, fell, switched back and forth, found new ways to express itself every few episodes, and progressed through Daphne's [[Oblivious to Love|obliviousness]]; both of them being unwilling to even communicate their feelings, much less act on them, because Niles was married to Maris; the ''slow'', lingering death of Niles and Maris's marriage, complete with much backsliding, temporary reconciliations, and emotional and psychological abuse; heartwrenching silent years of [[Unrequited Love]] on Niles' part; and Daphne coming within an inch of marrying her [[Romantic False Lead]]; all before they so much as ''expressed'' their attraction to each other. It took another couple seasons for them to finally stabilize and marry.
* Caroline and Richard on ''[[Caroline in The City]]''. By the time they finally got around to it, no one cared.
Line 129 ⟶ 128:
** Clark and Lois on ''[[Smallville]]''. They will, but perhaps not officially within the show's continuity.
*** {{spoiler|1=No, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWB-uvceV_k they will.]}}
***
* Lieutenant Colonel (eventually) Samantha Carter and General (eventually) Jack O'Neill on ''[[Stargate SG-1]]''. They did, but only in [[Alternate Universe
** [[Word of God]] says that Jack and Sam are romantically involved after the Season 8 episode "Threads".
** To a lesser extent, Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran. Vala flirted with most of the main male characters, but more with Daniel than anyone else. Towards the end of the series we even learn that this has apparently grown from light-hearted teasing to actual affection, but what held the relationship back was that Daniel thought she was just doing it all for a laugh. They did, but again only in a reset timeline.
Line 136 ⟶ 135:
* Subverted in ''[[News Radio]]'', wherein Dave and Lisa DO immediately before the second episode. (Creator and head writer Paul Simms states in DVD audio commentary that he hates this trope.)
* ''[[JAG]]'', in which Captain Harmon Rabb and Lieutenant Colonel Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie finally hooked up at the end. ''JAG'' can be considered to be the example of the second kind of this trope. Most all of the fandom of the show was incredulous at the pathetic "reason" that they couldn't be together until the last five minutes of the series finale.
*
* ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'' prominently placed two of these: one between Mal and Inara, another between Kaylee and Simon. As of the end of the [[Wrap It Up]], Kaylee and Simon have, while Mal and Inara... actually, nobody's quite sure about them.
* ''[[Numb3rs]]'': Charlie and Amita. They had to stay [[Just Friends]] as long as Charlie was Amita's thesis advisor, but after she graduated and became a fellow professor They Did.
* ''[[The Office]]'' in both versions with Tim and Dawn and Jim and Pam. Jim and Pam eventually did get together and got married early season 6. The show now has the tension with Andy and Erin however the other couples (Dwight/Angela, Michael/Holly, Michale/Jan) have faded into the background.
Line 143 ⟶ 142:
* ''[[Glee]]'' has had Rachel and Finn singing and dancing circles around each other since the Pilot.
* ''[[The West Wing]]'' had Josh and Donna from episode one. The two finally got together in the final season (seven seasons after the show began, and three after Aaron Sorkin left).
* By contrast, Sorkin didn't do such a good job with the same trope on ''[[Studio 60
* Grissom and Sara on [[CSI]], until they finally did.
** Now replaced to a point by Catherine and Vartaan.
* Danny and Lindsay on {{CSINY}), until they eventually did.
* Fred and Wes on ''[[Angel]]''
**
* In ''[[
* ''[[Farscape]]'' had John and Aeryn. Notable as perhaps the only time where officially getting the couple together actually improved the show, as the writers found numerous ways to keep the tension going that wouldn't have worked if they weren't sleeping together. (Also unusual in that they had sex well before they officially got together.) However, Ben Browder had suggested that Aeryn and John have sex ''immediately'', only to spend the rest of the series denying it.
** To a lesser extent (as the relationship is dragged out over much a much shorter period than John/Aeryn), we have D'Argo and Chiana - there are several
* ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', with Cameron in Season 1 and Stacy in Season 2. He also had a "Did They Or Didn't They" with Cuddy.
** The current season is playing with two of these, one between House and Cuddy and one between Foreman and Thirteen.
Line 168 ⟶ 167:
* Subverted in ''[[The Adventures of Brisco County Jr]]'': it looks like Brisco and Dixie are being set up for it, then they immediately jump in the sack. However, it's still more than halfway through the season before Brisco actually confesses that he loves her.
* Arguably, Gene and Alex in ''[[Ashes to Ashes]]''; they're conscious of the mutual attraction, but have both backed out at least once when acting on it seems like a possibility.
* ''[[How I Met Your Mother]]'' did this fairly believably for the first season with Ted and Robin, even though we know from the first episode that they won't, ultimately, end up together. Currently, the
** Barney and Robin's
*** The bride was revealed and {{spoiler|They Will. Now it's only a question of how they get there since he's engaged to someone else.}}
* ''[[Scrubs]]'' wrung every last drop of acceptable
* Spinelli and Maxie on ''[[General Hospital]]'' now have a year and a half of sexual tension that has only been broken twice for all the wrong reasons. The question here isn't really "Will they or won't they?", it's "Will they or won't they as an official couple?" A good portion of the fan base at this time would rather they stayed friends.
* Booth and Brennan on ''[[Bones]]''. {{spoiler|According to [[Word of God]], they will eventually in the season finale.}}
** {{spoiler|Yeah, right. Just like they said for the previous season finale, which turned out to be [[All Just a Dream]] (although, in this case [[A Day
** {{spoiler|They did at the second to last episode of season 6, it wasn't made very clear until the next episode when she announced she was pregnant with his baby... Very well played in this troper's opinion.}}
** [[Bones]] loves this trope. Even more so than Booth and Brennan (who, after all, until {{spoiler|the 100th episode}} are just a severe case of UST), there's Angela and Jack. They started off as friends, moved to UST, went on one date, decided it was too perfect and would end terrbly, changed their minds, got engaged, found out she was [[Accidental Marriage|already married]], stayed together for awhile, broke up, dated other people (in Angela's case mainly) and {{spoiler|almost got engaged again because she thought she was pregnant with another man's child. Turns out she wasn't, but this prompted a [[Love Epiphany]] that lead to a spur-of-the-moment jail cell wedding}}. Finally resolved now and {{spoiler|they seem to be [[Happily Married]]}}.
** As for Booth and Brennan, {{spoiler|they finally do, when they sleep together (off-screen) and Brennan gets pregnant.}}
* ''[[Psych]]'''s Juliet and Shawn, before finally getting together at the start of season 5.
Line 185 ⟶ 184:
** The Gussie/Madeline relationship is probably the most on-again off-again engagement in the whole series. In the [[Last-Minute Hookup|last 2 episodes]], despite all the hoops that Bertie spends ''[[British Brevity|four seasons]]'' jumping through to keep them together (18-mile bike ride in the rain, anyone?), Gussie {{spoiler|winds up with Pauline Stoker's sister Emerald, who elopes with him ''the same episode she shows up,''}} and Madeline {{spoiler|marries ''Spode,'' of all people, in the last episode}}. Although, in his defense, {{spoiler|he ''was actually'' in love with her. She just married him for his title}}.
* ''[[Torchwood]]'' initially tried to set this up between Jack and Gwen. Jack and Ianto are an aversion of this trope, as they went from threatening to kill each other to sleeping together in four episodes with very little lead up.
* Particularly irritating in [[Century City]], which started as more Did They Or Didn't They, and proceeded to take the Unresolved Sexual Tension in no particular direction.
* Rigsby and Van Pelt in ''[[The Mentalist]]''. Well, {{spoiler|until They Do in the fifth episode of the second season. Which is good, since he confessed that he loved her and that might have been awkward.}}
** And then {{spoiler|they broke up.}} But the UST has yet to go away, despite {{spoiler|Van Pelt dating someone new.}}
Line 199 ⟶ 198:
** And then there was Paris. Is there a Did They or Didn't They trope?
*** Well, there was only one bed, and both of them lied about taking the couch. This doesn't mean anything.
** And the current season has clearly progressed beyond UST and
* Kevin and Winnie in ''[[The Wonder Years]]'', though in the final episode {{spoiler|Adult Kevin, the series narrator, reveals they didn't}}
* [[Castle]] and Kate Beckett. It's assumed that they eventually will, being the [[Official Couple]] and all. Castle even responds "Not yet" when someone asks if they're together.
** In interviews, the actors themselves cheerfully admit that the two will end up together eventually; [[UST|the fun is in seeing]] ''[[UST|how]]''.
** {{spoiler|As of season 4's finale, "Always", they finally get a [[Relationship Upgrade]]. It remains to be seen how this will play out in the next season.}} The fake Richard Castle website included an article the week before where Castle talks about the perils of having long, dangling, unresolved plot arcs, which he calls, "Ponzi Plots".
** Andrew Marlowe, creator of Castle, has talked about the Moonlighting case in particular when discussing the "Caskett" plot. Like this page, he doesn't believe resolving the UST screwed up the show. He also talks about other, unnamed shows (though fans always discuss "Bones" right about here) where the UST isn't resolved in time and the fans loose interest.
* The Carly/Freddie and Freddie/Sam pairings on ''[[
* Sonny and Chad in ''[[Sonny With a Chance]]'' danced around their obvious attraction to each other, and the Season 1 finale seemed to indicate that movement was happening. Season 2 has brought on this, and alot more [[Ship Tease]]. [[They Do]].
* When {{spoiler|Goren and Eames}} left ''[[Law and Order: Criminal Intent]]'' at the end of season 9, this was left deliberately ambiguous, since they are very much [[Heterosexual Life Partners|life partners]], and for some fans, a [[Last-Minute Hookup]] would have been upsetting, while others are free to imagine a [[Happily Married]] type scenario. They did have a very intimate, very touching [[Anywhere but Their Lips]] kiss before they left, and ''no one'' was unhappy about that.
** They returned for the final season, and again, the finale left the whole issue very open-ended. Given the nature of the final episode, however, with its emphasis on 'everyone wants to believe in true love' and {{spoiler|Goren calling Eames by her first name while she smiles at him}}, the implication seems to be that eventually, they will.
* In the middle seasons of ''[[Law and Order Special Victims Unit]]'', there did seem to be a bit of this between Elliot and Olivia, particularly after {{spoiler|Kathy left Elliot}}; even before she did, there were some moments where Olivia seemed hopelessly in love with him. The later seasons, however, stomp all over this, particularly as on [[Not Quite Dead|Alex Cabot]]'s return, the [[Les Yay]] is stronger than ever. Having avoided a potentially disastrous plot twist, Olivia and Elliot are back to doing what they do best - being [[Platonic Life Partners]] and kicking ass.
* Emma Tutweiller and Marion Moseby in ''[[The Suite Life On Deck]]'', they're the only major adults on the show!
* Jeff and Britta, in ''[[Community]]''. {{spoiler|Invoked, lampshaded, and resolved in the "Modern Warfare" episode}}.
Line 216 ⟶ 215:
** As of the end of season two there is the possibility of one with Abed and Annie
** Thus far season 3 seems far more focused on the Jeff and Annie [[UST]] than Britta/Jeff.
* Played with in Series 5 of ''[[Doctor Who]]'' with Amy and Rory; they're already engaged, but the question is
* ''[[Rizzoli and Isles]]'' - you imagine that they won't, because the producers are terrified of alienating a huge pack of their viewers by following through on it, but a girl can hope that all that [[Les Yay]] will go somewhere.
** It's less likely the producers are terrified of alienating people and more likely that they won't do anything like that because it would be a massive deviation from the books the series is based on.
Line 222 ⟶ 221:
* Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker in ''[[Chuck]]'' {{spoiler|throughout the first two seasons}}.
** [[Lampshade Hanging|Lampshaded]] by Chuck {{spoiler|well after [[They Do]] get together}} when he, Sarah and Casey are trying to bluff their way past a security guard:
{{quote|
* Jaye and Eric in ''[[Wonderfalls]]'': a woman who is terribly afraid of intimacy and a man who was so badly traumatized by his wife cheating on him on his honeymoon that wedding paraphernalia makes him faint. Naturally, this combination does not make for the smoothest sailing. {{spoiler|The last episode ''seems'' to indicate that they will}}.
* Alex and Dave in ''[[Happy Endings]]'' despite the fact that they already did, lived together for years, got engaged and [[Runaway Bride|Alex left Dave at the altar]]. There are still plenty of sparks between them but they rightfully fear that they will just repeat the same mistakes that led to the humiliating and public breakup of the original relationship.
* Jerry and Bobbi from ''[[Raising the Bar]]''. Every time they look to get going, they get thwarted by {{spoiler|her divorce, her ex's suicide etc. Finally, they do}}.
* Lampshaded in an episode of ''[[That '70s Show]]'' when, after Eric tells his friends hat he and Donnahad sex for the first time, Hyde happily declares that he'd "Just about had it with all the 'will-they-or-won't-they?' crap!"
* Andy and April on ''[[Parks and Recreation]]'', as well as Leslie and Ben.
* Duncan and Nicole on ''[[The Class (TV series)|The Class]]''.
== Video Games ==
* In ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]'', there is a bit of this between Cloud and [[Mystical Waif|Aerith]] or [[Girl Next Door|Tifa]]. Events in the game and the material that follows makes it clear he does. [[First Girl Wins|With]] [[Victorious Childhood Friend|Tifa]].
** [[Final Fantasy VI|Locke]]: Terra? Or Celes?
* ''[[Metal Gear]] Solid 3'' had this almost all the way through with Naked Snake and EVA. {{spoiler|They end up having sex after the mission. EVA is later artificially impregnated with his clones. However, they never actually develop a relationship.}}
* In [[Broken Sword]], George and Nico seems to have a thing for each other, but never confess to each other and they never even contact each other in between the games timeline. George said in the beginning of the 3rd game that "things between them don't work out".
* "[[Tenchu]]" fans have been at war since the beginning on whether Ayame and Rikimaru are just partners, clan brother and sister, or secret lovers. Though the extra fouton in what certainly LOOKS like Rikimaru's house in Tenchu Z makes this troper believe the latter...
* [[Sonic the Hedgehog]]: Shadow and Rouge.
* Usually with Tales Of games, the canon pairing is right there as the lead male and female. [[Tales of Vesperia]] however, goes to great lengths of implying a will they/won't they relationship between ill tempered sorceress Rita and sheltered Princess Estelle ''as well as'' an Are They/Aren't They one with childhood best friends Yuri and Flynn. The [[Play Station 3]] version only intensifies it.
== Web Comics ==
* Lampshaded in [https://web.archive.org/web/20130203022920/http://girlyyy.com/go/52 this strip] of ''[[Girly]]'', while playing the trope straight (no pun intended).▼
▲* Lampshaded in [http://girlyyy.com/go/52 this strip] of ''[[Girly]]'', while playing the trope straight (no pun intended).
** {{spoiler|They do. BOY do they ever.}}
** {{spoiler|It's also good to know that the majority of the comic is the main couple together with very little romantic problems, most of the stress comes from other weird things happening and other characters getting together.}}
* ''[[Sluggy Freelance]]''. Torg's been pining after Zoe for years. He even hooked up with the Zoe from an alternate dimension. However he [[Cannot Spit It Out|never tells her how he feels]], and if he did Oasis might kill Zoe for stealing Torg's affection. To be fair, alternate dimension Zoe did die, and Torg still blames himself for failing to keep her safe. So he's developed his fear of Oasis killing Zoe into more then just an excuse and well into realistic territory.
** And it is realistic. Oasis's jealousy lead her to kill ''ice-cream'' after Torg said he loved chocolate ice-cream.
** In a recent arc, the question was answered. {{spoiler|When Zoe was confronted by an old enemy, she was forced to come to terms with her relationship with Torg, and Zoe realized not only that Torg loves her, but she loves him back.}}
* In ''[[Something
* ''[[Punch an Pie]]'' plays with this by starting the two leads as a couple, breaking them up, and then leaving it deliberately unclear whether or not they will get back together.
* ''[[Questionable Content]]'' was entirely built on the UST between [[Tsundere|Faye]] and [[Unlucky Everydude|Marten]] for the first 500 comics until [[Nothing Is the Same Anymore|the talk]], which killed whatever might have happened between them. However, the strip managed successfully to continue from that point and become arguably something different entirely, and nowadays Marten, Faye and a lot of the old gang have gone [[Out of Focus]] in favor of [[Moe Moe|Hannelore and Marigold]].
* In ''[[The
* ''[[Red String]]'': If recent events say anything, Eiji and Reika will be dancing around the issue until eternity.
** Update: {{spoiler|[[They Do]]. And there was much rejoicing.}}
Line 260 ⟶ 257:
** {{spoiler|1=[http://pennyandaggie.com/index.php?p=1213 And now we can take it as confirmed] }}.
* In ''[[Keychain of Creation]]'', this is a major background element to Misho and Marena's relationship. Misho is of the "won't" mindset, while Marena... let's just say she's [http://keychain.patternspider.net/comics/koc0302.png not entirely in agreement].
* {{spoiler|Dr. Kinesis}} and {{spoiler|Alice}} in [https://web.archive.org/web/20191021162347/http://evilplan.thewebcomic.com/ Evil Plan]. It's not for lack of trying, though. {{spoiler|Alice is clearly attempting to make moves, but seducing a sexually-repressed mad scientist is about as tough as it sounds.}}
* [[No Pink Ponies|Jess]] and... unnamed guy ([[Fanon]] states his name is Cute Comic Guy or CCG for short)) in [http://nopinkponies.keenspot.com/d/20060207.html No Pink Ponies]. {{spoiler|They do}}
* In an early ''[[Leftover Soup]]'' strip, [http://www.leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=12 Ellen makes it absolutely clear that she and Jamie won't.] Naturally, [http://www.leftoversoup.com/archive.php?num=25 this doesn't even stop her best friend from betting it will.]
Line 266 ⟶ 263:
* Yun-lee and Dong-whi in ''[[Nineteen, Twenty-One|Nineteen Twenty One]]''. Dong-whi does openly like her but after that and some slight jealousy it doesn't come up until it's resolved at the end.
* Kat and Art in [[Sequential Art (webcomic)|Sequential Art]] have been shown here and there throughout the series to have mutual interest in each other, but both seem unaware of this and too hesitant to do anything about it. Every time it gets brought up it feels like it's about to go somewhere, then doesn't.
== Web Original ==
* Sasha Hunter and Daichi Hashimoto from [[Greek Ninja]].
== Western Animation ==
* Starfire and Robin of the ''[[Teen Titans (animation)|Teen Titans]]'', from the day they first met (and [[Love At First Punch|beat each other up]]), for the entire series.
** Many fans wondered this about [[Relationship Writing Fumble|Beast Boy and Raven]], too. [[Ship Sinking|They didn't, after all]]. Still, the comics [[Official Couple|paired them up]].
* In ''[[
* ''[[Futurama]]'': Fry and Leela. They have (technically) married twice, but both marriages were very brief, albeit for non-personal reasons. One involves {{spoiler|time going at accelerated speeds, due to one of Farnsworth's "brilliant" ideas}} the other {{spoiler|an aged version of Fry under an alternate persona who dumps Leela at the alter after realizing it will cause a time travel paradox.}}
** They are also happily married in an alternate universe, which still doesn't convince Leela that Fry could be a good husband.
Line 289 ⟶ 284:
*** At the beginning of season four, we had the "I dump you but we're still friends and it's not dumping because we were just friends all along" scene (yes, this sums up how exaggerated this trope was) ''just after the [[Death of the Hypotenuse|only really dangerous rival was turned into a Big Bad's minion'']].
** It's even more [[Oblivious to Love|ridiculous]] when you consider that ''[[Everyone Can See It|everyone but them]]'' considers the two a couple despite their constant [[Just Friends|denials]].
* Batman and Catwoman in ''[[Batman: The
* Sam Manson and Danny Fenton/Phantom from ''[[Danny Phantom]]'' have this throughout the entire series starting in the first few episodes. Continuous hints and leads point to this, but nothing comes from it until
* Katara and Aang from ''[[Avatar: The Last Airbender]]''. Many shippers were waiting from the first episode to see them get together (or rooting for Zuko to take Aang's place) and finally discovered that they {{spoiler|did get together in the last episode, and have a child in the future who will be present in the spin-off series ''[[The Legend of Korra]]''.}}
* [[Scooby-Doo!
**
* Ant-Man and Wasp in ''[[The Avengers: Earth's
{{reflist}}
Line 300 ⟶ 295:
[[Category:Love Tropes]]
[[Category:Rule of Drama]]
[[Category:Romance Novel Tropes]]
[[Category:
[[Category:
| |||