As a self-proclaimed fangirl for television relationships. There is a certain frustration that we undergo. A frustration like no other. My fellow teen drama fangirls will feel me on this one… That moment when you feel like your “Ship” is sinking.

Ship:

Short for romantic relationship, popularized in fanfiction circles. To endorse a romantic relationship.

And in those dreadful moments of agony and pain and having to watch our favorite two characters be apart, we in turn look for those little moments. We live for those small glances, or the slightest touch of hands, or arm grazes. Moments when actions speak louder than words, and a simple glance or touch tells everything, tells the audience and these two characters that there’s still something there. Still a spark fizzing. As fangirls we love that crap.

In the spirit of love and loss and heartbreak, and my obsession with TV couples, let’s look at some of these beautifully places little moments between some of my favorite couples.

1.)

Couple: Dr. Robin Scorpio & Dr. Patrick Drake [General Hospital]

Ship Name: Scrubs (but my best friend and I call them Ratrick!)

Back story: In these compilation scenes Robin and Patrick are working at the hospital and Robin has just told Patrick she’s pregnant. The two broke up recently due to the fact that Robin wants to have a child and Patrick does not ever want to have a child. They are madly in love but want different things. Robin had a plan to go at it alone and find a sperm donor and have her own child, and raise it as a single mother. That was her plan. But plans change, and during an emotional night she and Patrick fall into old habits and Robin ends up pregnant. However, knowing his outlook of settling down and family life, Robin doesn’t want to tell Patrick the baby is his and lets him think she went along with her original plan. So in this scene he finds out she’s pregnant and he can’t help put stare at her in a new light.

Scene: Robin catches Patrick staring at her

Robin: “What now?”

Patrick: “I don’t know.”

Why I love it: This scene is so loaded and they barely speak. Just the idea that Patrick knows she’s pregnant and thinks it’s not his, but yet can’t put his finger on why he feels this pull to stare, it means he’s still invested. He even says “I just wonder what would be going through my head, if that child was mine.” In later episodes you get the feeling that he may have in fact had a feeling that maybe just maybe it actually was.

Couple Update: This scene was years ago like circa 2007/08 ish. And since then they have had a baby, gotten married, gone through infidelity, been nearly divorced, Robin “died”, then she came back, then she left again and then they really got divorced and then when both actors were leaving the show, they reunited them, they got remarried and exited as a family. So end result, the scrubs ship is still intact.

2.)

Couple: Detective Dante Falconeri & Lesley Lu Spencer “Lulu” [General Hospital]

Ship Name: Lante

Back story: In this scene Dante catches a glimpse of Lulu in a wedding dress, and you can tell it takes his breath away. The two have just recently broken up do to the fact that Dante continuously keeps crucial details from Lulu. Unfortunately the secret he was keeping wasn’t his to tell and involved Lulu’s brother and a case Dante was working on. His job often puts a weight on his relationship with Lulu and leaves her feeling like she isn’t a priority. She can’t trust him. But in this scene you realize they still do love each other. And even though they out right say the words, the simple fact that Lulu was trying on the wedding gown and the look on Dante’s face when he saw her was enough proof.

Scene: Dante “sees” Lulu in a wedding dress.

Dante: “It’s nice, it’s really nice, maybe it’s just cause it was in front of you.”

Why I love it: I love this scene so much because this is a girl who has had trust issues her whole life, but has fallen so in love and has felt the urge to venture into the idea of marriage with a man who even though they are broken up she still loves and feels pulled to looking at what she would seem like as a bride. The break up causes her anti-marriage talk when Dante stops by. But his thoughts of marriage challenge her sinicism as they both admit they still love each other. And later Lulu is scene looking at the dress again. There’s hope there.

Couple Update: Dante actually proposes a few days later, and Lulu is shocked and confused. She tells him she needs to think about it and when she decides she wants to say yes, Dante ends up getting shot, catapulting us into a long drawn out journey. Lulu wrestles with the fact of being a cop’s wife and the on and on that is Lante continues. Finally they get engaged, they get married, she thinks she’s pregnant, finds out she can’t have kids, have a baby boy through a surrogate (that’s a crazy story all on its own), Dante cheats, they divorce and now they are actually back together and thinking about a second child. *The original Lulu left the show and has been recast. My heart still hearts. End result ship is still intact.

3.)

Couple: Joey Potter and Pacey Witter [Dawson’s Creek]

Ship Name: Ship names weren’t a thing yet.

Back story: In this scene Pacey has developed an intense crush on Joey, they went from bitter banter, to really good friends. And here Pacey is laying the guilt trip on Joey about not coming to the opening night of the play he’s starring in. She’s been helping him rehearse and learn his lines and she can’t come because she’s got a date with a college guy. Pacey is clearly jealous, and it is a beautiful thing to watch. With his funny, witty, rapid fire dialogue. That “the first thing he’s going to do when he walks through that door is pay you some lame ass compliment about how incredible you look tonight” quote slays me. She’s slightly clueless, but soon enough she’ll catch the hint.

Scene: Jealous Pacey

Pacey: “You do suck for not being there don’t cha.”

Why I love it: I love how he’s so non-chalant and his typical witty, firecracker self but it’s obvious that there’s more and in this time we have seen him develop feelings for her and the audience knows that this is jealousy. Not just a friend needed his friend to support him. I just love love love Pacey. He cracks me up.

Couple Update: Soon after this seen Pacey finally kisses Joey which leads her to question her whole life existence and puts her in a position of choosing between Dawson and Pacey. The love triangle of all love triangles. End result she ends up picking Pacey and setting sail with him on his boat for a whole summer, the couples goes strong for quite some seasons and then they break up shortly after they become intimate. Joey heads off to college and soon ends up exploring a relationship with Dawson after all these years. Pacey and Joey soon find their way back to each other and it seems like things may start up again when they are older, but they don’t quite end up there, until Jen’s death leads them to evaluate their mistakes and as the gang reunites years and years later, Pacey and Joey have a serious conversation about Joey’s need to keep running from her real feelings. In the end of the series shows Joey and Pacey together in her New York apartment as they watch Dawson’s newest TV show’s finale together. End result ship intact and friendships mended.

 4.)

Couple: Ross Geller & Rachel Green

Ship Name: Ship names weren’t a thing yet and even so it gets tough when there’s two R’s!

Back story: In this scene Ross had just become a father (co-parenting with his ex-wife carol and her lesbian lover Susan…crazy…I know, haha) And he and the gang are looking at all these pictures of the baby, as Rachel leans over Ross’ shoulder, pressing against him, Ross can’t help but lean in and drift into Rachel land. And you know he was smelling her hair! It’s the cutest damn thing ever.

Scene: The Ross Look @2:09

Rachel: “Oh god is he just the sweetest thing, you must just want to kiss him all over.”

Ross: “That would be nice.”

Why I love it: The way Ross looks at Rachel for all of seasons 1 & 2 is how every girl dreams of being looked at. And she is mostly clueless. It’s a puppy dog, “I’ve been in love with you for 10 years notice me already” look that just completely melts your heart. And you instinctively start rooting for Ross to get the girl.

Couple Update: Ross and Rachel have more ups and downs than any other couple in the universe. They were rarely ever on the same page at the same time. Rachel for years is in the dark about Ross’ feelings and when she finally finds out, Ross has finally moved on. And it’s Rachel’s turn to pine over “this really great guy she can’t have.” When a drunken Rachel leaves a message on his machine about needing closure, Rachel is forced to confront her feelings and in turn Ross is faced with a choice. Rachel and Ross date on and off for years, they we were on a break storyline sends us into a difficult time as Ross sleeps with another woman during a breakup. Rachel finds out and the two have difficulties remaining friends. Throw in another marriage for Ross, another divorce for Ross and then a quicker drunken Vegas wedding for Ross and Rachel and an annulment too. Eventually Monica and Chandler’s wedding approaches and we find out Rachel is pregnant, through the longest game of Baby Daddy Who Dunnit, we finally find out it’s Ross’ months of baby moments and sweet insinuations go by, but again nothing concrete happens until Ross is faced with losing Rachel for good when she gets a job offer to work in Paris. Cue the airport scene. End result- ship still intact.

5.)

Couple: Nathan Scott & Haley James Scott [One Tree Hill]

Ship Name: Naley

Back story: In this scene Lucas and Lindsay (the soon to be married couple) orchestrate their bachelor and bachelorette parties on the same night at the same place, in order to their estranged maid of honor and best man in the same room to talk. At this point Nathan and Haley are fighting because the psycho Nanny Carrie kissed Nathan and let it happen along with some flirtations. Haley found Carrie in the shower with Nathan (who thought she was Haley) and she freaked out kicking Nathan out, she has asked for a divorce at this point.

Scene: My best friend and I call this the “Super Star” Glare, because of the song that’s playing, haha. @2:16

Haley: “Your hearts were in the right place, you picked the right person to spend the rest of your life with, Luke.”

Lucas: “So did you.”

Why I love it: This eye exchange lasts only about 3 seconds, and yet it is one of my favorite Naley moments. There’s a love there that runs deep, and they are in such a bad place that things could go either way. And yet in that moment Haley is forced to find Nathan’s eyes staring at her. There’s a sadness as you see Nathan look away, ashamed. He knows he has been wrong, and he knows it’s going to have to be up to him to prove himself and fight for Haley. Because at this point her distance is cold and he’s losing her.

Couple Update: Shortly after this scene, Nathan and Haley reunite and start to mend their relationship and after that their relationship does remain pretty solid, they get through Haley’s depression when she loses her mother and they even have another baby, a girl named Lydia after her mom. End result- ship still intact.

6.)

Couple: Hanna Marin & Caleb Rivers [Pretty Little Liars]

Ship Name: Haleb

Back story: This is the scene that sparked the idea for this blog post. Hanna and Caleb were one of Pretty Little Liars stable high school couples. But as we know teen dramas like to break people up when they time jump 5 years. Something about making things seem “realistic,” enough already give the people what they want. We know high school sweethearts don’t always stay together, but let us just pretend they do, would ya? Anyway within this scene, Caleb and Hanna are of course working on some big plan to expose the latest big bad A. And this is the first time Hanna and Caleb have been face to face since Hanna broke off her engagement to what was his name again-Jordan? No one cares. And Caleb broke up with Spencer (yea he dated Hanna’s best friend, classy right?) Cue the ultimate fan girl frustration-when the guy in your ship acts beyond stupid and all you want to do is strangle him. So moving on, in season 6 Haleb had an intense moment where Hanna confessed to still loving Caleb and he was so moved by her confession that he kissed her. So when this scene between them happened I kind of died. Hanna had been hiding the fact that she broke off her engagement, because she knew Caleb and Spencer were having problems since she and Caleb kissed, she felt bad and she didn’t want to hurt Spencer. You believe that HANNA didn’t want to hurt SPENCER. Um Spencer I’m sorry do you know what girl code is? At all. Do you have any idea what that is? You don’t under any circumstance ever date your best friend’s ex. Caleb and Hanna were the real deal, first love, true love, still in love and Spencer knew that and yet she has the balls to call Hanna out and get angry at her. “I asked you, you told me you were ok with it.” Bitch you shouldn’t have even asked, I don’t care. Spencer hunny, you were so wrong. Caleb isn’t yours, he never was, and never will be. And Caleb, homeboy shame on you. Can you tell I’m all #TeamHanna. Anyway, rant over- in this scene Hanna and Caleb are both single and Hanna gestures toward some papers Caleb has been studying and he instinctively checks her left ring finger noticing it’s very very naked. Hanna is forced to then offer the fact that she and Jordan broke up.

Scene: The Naked Ring Finger

Hanna: “I wasn’t talking about him, we’re still friends right?”

Caleb: “Always.”

Why I love it: I love Caleb’s face when he sees Hanna’s naked finger, he stops talking as if the wind has gotten knocked out of him, and then trying to quickly recover, by talking “A” business. While, Hanna mauls over whether or not to let Caleb know the truth, offering up an emotional speech about how having someone in your life and then having to cut them out completely is like losing a part of you. When she admits she’s talking about Caleb, the glance the exchange was 3 seconds away from becoming a kiss. Damn you, Marlene King you’re killing us here! Honestly Hanna is the Alpha is this game their playing, she’s always putting people before herself, always taking care of people and their feelings, and she’s the one showcases her feelings first, even when it’s awkward and difficult. Caleb you need to step up your game if you want to be deserving of Hanna; the PLL Queen. 😀

Couple Update: Remains to be seen. But I have high hopes, those glares and stares aren’t for nothing. Caleb feels it too, I can tell. Hanna, get it girl. #BYESPENCER

*I do not take credit for any videos used.*

-<3-