It’s complicated …

By Harry Ashford-Cox

Relationships come in all shapes and sizes. Perfect or complicated, movie and TV relationships often show us reflections of our own relationships – with partners, family or even friends. Here are five tricky ones.

Romeo and Juliet in Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet definitely love one another and the movie does a great job of showing it. The love between the two is forbidden, but the pair were deeply in love and were willing to do anything to be with each another. They make a plan to get married and run away together, but the wedding is against their families’ wishes. They can rarely be together, either.

Juliet fakes her own death by drinking a phial of liquid that makes her fall into a deep death-like sleep, but Romeo doesn’t get the memo. When Juliet is pronounced dead by her family, he drinks poison that slowly kills him. Just after he takes the fatal sip Juliet wakes up, and is forced to watch her true love die in front of her. She then kisses him farewell and shoots herself so that they can finally be together. And ending that we can safely say isn’t fairy tale, happily ever after.

Raymond and Elizabeth in The Blacklist

Being an FBI agent is not an easy job, but add to that finding out you’re the daughter of a Most Wanted criminal and your life turns on its head. This is the relationship between Elizabeth and Raymond. FBI agent Elizabeth has no clue that Raymond is her father and he uses this to his advantage. In the first episode Raymond hands himself over to the FBI seeking help to eliminate his rivals. Predictably, they refuse, so Raymond tells them about the blacklist, a list of criminals that he can help the FBI find and capture. Because of this Raymond gains immunity.

Raymond’s list helps him to kill two birds with one stone as he and the FBI take down people on the blacklist and he can still run his criminal empire. As the show progresses Elizabeth begins to find out why Raymond has an interest in her. Raymond does not want Elizabeth the find out about their relationship and will do anything to keep it from her because he wants her to remain innocent.

Lucifer and Chloe in Lucifer

You might think someone in your life is the devil. In Lucifer detective Chloe Decker has that person. Lucifer – who is the actual devil – enters Chloe’s life one night after his friend is killed and Chloe questions him. Lucifer finds an interest in Chloe and begins to help her solve crime even though he isn’t a cop. As the devil, Lucifer is used to bringing out people’s deepest desires just by asking them, but it doesn’t work on Chloe. Lucifer and Chloe’s relationship is not your normal relationship, Lucifer can be considered selfish and puts his needs before others which gets on Chloe’s nerves a lot throughout the series.

Although they are not a couple, Lucifer becomes a civilian consultant and he and Chloe now work together. Chloe does not believe that Lucifer is the devil despite Lucifer repeatedly telling her. Lucifer is immortal, and at one point, to prove to Chloe that he is the devil he asks her to shoot him. She shoots him in the leg and he finds that he is vulnerable when he’s with her. Lucifer could easily show Chloe his devil face but he doesn’t want to take away her innocence, and because he thinks if he shows her then she won’t want to be a part of his life any more.

Riggs and Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon

Riggs, the carefree maniac who takes down bad guys with an attitude. Murtaugh, the cop who does it by the book … most of the  time. These two cops form an odd duo when doing cop stuff, but they somehow make it work. Riggs lives in a trailer on the beach, Murtaugh lives in a big house with a family. Riggs as a child was beaten by his father and this all comes into play with how he is as a man now. He is also must see the psychologist to discuss his issues which he is reluctant to do.

When taking down bad guys it is evident throughout the show that Riggs will get his man through any means necessary whether he has to jump of a building or run through oncoming traffic he doesn’t give up. On the other hand Murtaugh likes to stay in his car chasing a perp and often will lose him because of this and that’s where Riggs comes in. It’s a very strange partnership that in the end results in lots of damage but also really good police work.

Homer and Marge in the Simpsons

It’s hard to see why Marge and Homer are a couple. Homer can be a lousy husband most days, spending hours at Moe’s or on the couch in his undies with a beer in one hand and a TV remote in the other. Meanwhile Marge is a full time housewife, working taking care of her family and the house.

Homer is often forgetful and loses a lot of things and this causes Marge to get mad, a lot. But when it comes down to it these two are meant for each other. Marge and Homer are one of the most iconic couples on TV and no matter how bad things get, they will always be together because when it comes down to it you can really tell that they really, really love each other.

In one episode, Marge and Homer were about to go to prom together. They have an argument, and Marge goes to the dance with Arty Ziff instead. Afterwards she’s on her way home and sees Homer walking by himself, and picks him up.

Marge: “Why so glum?”

Homer: “I’ve got a problem. As soon as you stop this car, I’m gonna hug you and kiss you, and then I’ll never be able to let you go.”

Love comes in sometimes imperfect packages.