What are some non-canon pairings/couplings in TV shows/movies/whatever that, for whatever reason, are about this close to being a couple, but aren’t?
Maybe it’s the kind of relationship they have (a very, close intimate friendship, for instance) that makes you think “why on earth don’t they just make out already?” Maybe it’s a million little hints that the screenwriters throw out to tease you.
I’m a fairly new fan of this particular pairing, so please forgive me if I’m reaching, but I think Jessie and James from the Pokemon* animated series fits into this category. From what I gather, despite their bumblings and misfortunes, they try their best not to give up on each other or ever let each other down. Even though nothing goes right for them, they will always, always have each other. Sounds like love to me.
Any others?
*I know Jessie and James got married and had at least one child in the manga, but here I’m only speaking of the TV series.
Harley / Ivy. It’s never been outright said in either the comics or cartoons, but at least one of the writers (Paul Dini, I think) have said they fool around, when Harley’s not with Mistah J.
And of course Xena / Gabrielle are the classic one.
I was going to suggest a few more, but the ones I’m thinking of have enough of an age difference that they can be better looked at as a mother-son (Mrs. Cunnigham and Fonzie) or father-daughter (Lou Grant and Mary Richards) relationship.
Frankly, I think the bigger problem is character pairs who everyone wants to be a couple, and then they are a couple, and it spoils the entire chemistry (David and Maddie on Moonlighting.)
A. Buddy was married to Pickles.
B. Sally seemed only to date guys who were beards suggesting she “wasn’t the marrying kind” as they said back then. (Herman, her only long term boyfriend, was considered a “mama’s boy.” Hint, hint.)
A. Pickles only appeared in (IIIRC) two episodes and wasn’t even mentioned as often as Vera on Cheers. Buddy and Sally entertained in Catskills resorts together. Much opportunity for hanky-panky.
B. Sally had lousy taste in men. Everytime she dated a show-bix type, it was doomed to disaster. Everyone knew she would have been happier with Buddy.
You know something? I’m in the minority that says that Xena and Gabrielle were not, in fact, physicallly intimate–at least not on any consistent basis. I think Xena was in love with Gabrielle both physically and emotionally, but while Gabrielle’s feeling were no less passionate, she just didn’t feel an enormous sexual attraction to Xena. You’ll note that while Xena is very jealous of Gabrielle in general, Gabrielle is only jealous of people who seem to take an emotional priority over her in Xena’s mind. When they’re trying to figure out Xena’s miraculous pregnancy, Gabrielle suggests that Xena might have had sex with Hercules and doesn’t seem remotely bothered by the idea.
Xena and Gabby were somewhat one-sided.
(Oh, and Cheetara was totally doing Panthro every time Tygra’s back was turned.)
Pretty much what it says on the tin. In one of the Pokemon manga (there are several - some based on the games, directly, some based on the TV series, no two in the same continuity), Jesse and James were eventually removed as recurring adversaries (IIRC, that was about the time of the third generation games, which replaced Team Rocket with Teams Aqua and Magma), their epilogue involves them marrying and having a baby. (I think it was in Dengeki Pikachu, which is released in English as Electric Tale of Pikachu (and other titles for later volumes).)
It’s pretty definitely a platonic love. There’s at least one time that James imagines being married to Jessie, and the vision is of her sitting on the sofa imperiously ordering him around doing housework… and he recoils in horror.
