# Best platonic/unconsummated love affairs **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 14, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683 "2006-06-14T14:41:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/1 "2006-06-14T14:41:42Z")
They aren’t as common as sexual love affairs–at least not in fiction–but they do exist. What are some good examples? In television: Mary Richards & Lou Grant were certainly in love, but never really did anything about it. **Angel** was much better when our favorite vampire with a soul was merely Cordelia’s soul mate, not pining for her. Anybody else got one they care to name? ---
**Author:** ![Menocchio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@Menocchio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Menocchio)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/2 "2006-06-14T14:45:59Z")
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/3 "2006-06-14T14:46:30Z")
Gotta be Mulder and Scully on X-files. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/4 "2006-06-14T14:50:41Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > Gotta be Mulder and Scully on X-files. Didn’t she have his kid? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/5 "2006-06-14T15:05:09Z")
I dunno. I stopped watching after Mulder left … ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/6 "2006-06-14T15:08:52Z")
Cyrano and Roxanne. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/7 "2006-06-14T15:14:17Z")
Ivanava (likely butchered spelling) and Marcus from B5 Janeway & Chakotay from Voyager ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/8 "2006-06-14T15:52:21Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > Ivanava (likely butchered spelling) and Marcus from B5 > > Janeway & Chakotay from Voyager Ivanova. G’Kar and Londo Molari. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/9 "2006-06-14T15:56:33Z")
Gilligan and the Skipper. ---
**Author:** ![Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Stark\_Raven\_Mad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stark_Raven_Mad)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/10 "2006-06-14T15:57:39Z")
Bob Harris/Charlotte, in _Lost in Translation_. Especially if you look up what he whispers to her in the next-to-last scene, on the Tokyo street. ---
**Author:** ![Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b782af/32.png) [@Clockwork\_And\_Candy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clockwork_And_Candy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/11 "2006-06-14T16:01:51Z")
Frodo and Sam from **The Lord of the Rings**. My favourite, though, would be Heathcliff and Catherine in **Wuthering Heights**. Err, well I suppose that’s up to debate. He _did_ dig up her corpse at one point. We don’t know for sure if he didn’t… you know. Yeah. That’s all I can think of. ---
**Author:** ![TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/51bf81/32.png) [@TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TLDRIDKJKLOLFTW)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/12 "2006-06-14T16:09:32Z")
John Steed and Emma Peel in **The Avengers**. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/13 "2006-06-14T16:09:36Z")
Stevens and Miss Kenton in [The Remains of the Day.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107943/) How restrained. How proper. How British. How unbelievably hot for each other. ---
**Author:** ![drm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a88e57/32.png) [@drm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drm)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/14 "2006-06-14T16:10:18Z")
The unconsummated love affair that initially came to mind was Miss Kenton and Stevens from **The Remains of the Day**. Some of the scenes between the two of them just kill me. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/15 "2006-06-14T16:15:06Z")
> [@VCO3](#): > > John Steed and Emma Peel in **The Avengers**. You think that was unconsummated? You poor, naive, bastard. 😃 Dobie Gillis and Zelda Gilroy. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/16 "2006-06-14T16:17:34Z")
> [@Stark Raven Mad](#): > > Bob Harris/Charlotte, in _Lost in Translation_. Especially if you look up what he whispers to her in the next-to-last scene, on the Tokyo street. I’m curious, what have you found? I can only find Sophia saying it’s intentionally ambiguous, and he says whatever you want him to have said. (Please spoiler tag it if you know otherwise!) ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/17 "2006-06-14T16:17:53Z")
> [@Clockwork And Candy](#): > > Frodo and Sam from **The Lord of the Rings**. I’m going to say this one more time: FRODO AND SAM WERE NOT IN LOVE!!! Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Sam was in love with Rosie Cotton. RO-SIE COT-TON. > [@](#): > > My favourite, though, would be Heathcliff and Catherine in **Wuthering Heights**. Err, well I suppose that’s up to debate. He _did_ dig up her corpse at one point. We don’t know for sure if he didn’t… you know. Yeah. > > That’s all I can think of. I’ll agree with you there. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/18 "2006-06-14T16:19:00Z")
Perry Mason and Della Street. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/19 "2006-06-14T16:20:33Z")
> [@Clockwork And Candy](#): > > Frodo and Sam from **The Lord of the Rings**. Damn! I knew someone would beat me to this… ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2006, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683/20 "2006-06-14T16:33:21Z")
> [@Skald the Rhymer](#): > > I’m going to say this one more time: > > FRODO AND SAM WERE NOT IN LOVE!!! > > Not that there’s anything wrong with that. > > Sam was in love with Rosie Cotton. RO-SIE COT-TON. _cough_Beard!_cough_ 😉 I don’t remember if Mal and Inara ever consummated anything on _Firefly_, but that would be one of my nominees. First, though, would be Thomas Mann’s main character in _Death in Venice_. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-platonic-unconsummated-love-affairs/360683.md?page=2)