# Your Favorite Dysfunctional Movie/TV Relationship **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 5, 2015, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667 "2015-11-05T00:28:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/1 "2015-11-05T00:28:40Z")
[![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1wFqATIAnF0/hqdefault.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEmCOADEOgC8quKqQMa8AEB-AH-BIAC4AOKAgwIABABGEwgVihlMA8=&rs=AOn4CLB6y5N94nCHQ1IBmB3dSNZJgzkrFA "L&O CI Bobby Goren & Nicole Wallace (Bring me to life)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wFqATIAnF0) My favorite was Nicole Wallace/Bobby Goren from Law and Order Criminal Intent....Nicole Wallace is so deliciously evil. Her English accent and the way she weilds it just adds to the venom. My second favorite is Tony Soprano and his Mom…Livia… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed5BfnNXqqA ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/2 "2015-11-05T00:40:07Z")
Skye/Daisy and Cal/Mr. Hyde on Agents of SHIELD. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/3 "2015-11-05T00:40:40Z")
Wasn’t she Aussie? That’s my fave, too. Hello, Bubby! ---
**Author:** ![SaharaTea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@SaharaTea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SaharaTea)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/4 "2015-11-05T00:56:03Z")
I enjoyed watching the Draper family’s dysfunction on _Mad Men_. Don was a shitty husband and father, yet he and Betty had a bond that was never completely broken. I loved how he called her “Birdie” until the very end. And some of my favorite moments were between Don and Sally. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/5 "2015-11-05T04:01:26Z")
I forgot another obvious choice: The Bundys from Married with Children. So much fun viscious snark covered up the fact that they loved one another. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/6 "2015-11-05T04:17:52Z")
In _Boardwalk Empire_ Jimmy and Gillian Darmody’s relationship was hard to beat for pure pathology. For that matter, Gillian’s relationships with just about every other character she had anything to do with were also fucked up, especially Nucky and the Commodore. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/7 "2015-11-05T09:58:42Z")
Moonlighting? ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/8 "2015-11-05T10:11:40Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > Moonlighting? Thats a great choice…on and off set. Wish the producers had held off on the consummation, it killed the show. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/9 "2015-11-05T10:14:15Z")
> [@AncientHumanoid](#): > > Wasn’t she Aussie? That’s my fave, too. > > Hello, Bubby! She was supposed to be Aussie but her accent always struck me as south of England. And the way she said “Bobby” was mad sexy. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/10 "2015-11-05T12:59:21Z")
Freddie and Stuart in Vicious. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/11 "2015-11-05T14:00:50Z")
Homer and Marge Simpson specifically, but Homer and _everyone_ in general. He just wasn’t capable of a normal relationship with anyone. Come to think of it, EVERYONE on _The Simpsons_ was in a dysfunctional relationship with every single person they knew. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/12 "2015-11-05T17:09:13Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Homer and Marge Simpson specifically, but Homer and _everyone_ in general. He just wasn’t capable of a normal relationship with anyone. > > Come to think of it, EVERYONE on _The Simpsons_ was in a dysfunctional relationship with every single person they knew. 😛 Thus its hyper-reality. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/13 "2015-11-05T17:12:01Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Homer and Marge Simpson specifically, but Homer and _everyone_ in general. He just wasn’t capable of a normal relationship with anyone. > > Come to think of it, EVERYONE on _The Simpsons_ was in a dysfunctional relationship with every single person they knew. 😛 Flanders had a good relationship with his wife until she died. Then the problems began. ETA: My submission would be Mitch and Cam on Modern Family. That is not a healthy relationship. ---
**Author:** ![HyacinthBucket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hyacinthbucket/32/3063_2.png) [@HyacinthBucket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HyacinthBucket)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/14 "2015-11-05T19:22:53Z")
Niles and Maris on Frasier, especially since so much of the awfulness of Maris was left to the viewers’ imaginations. She’s one of the best invisible characters ever created. And David Hyde Pierce’s brilliant delivery and physical comedy gave our imaginations so much to work with. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/15 "2015-11-05T19:26:03Z")
Reminds me of Carleton the Doorman on MTM. There’s another guy who had a dysfunctional relationship with everybody. ---
**Author:** ![HyacinthBucket](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hyacinthbucket/32/3063_2.png) [@HyacinthBucket](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HyacinthBucket)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/16 "2015-11-05T19:35:10Z")
Speaking of Livias - the relationships in I, Claudius between Livia and absolutely EVERYONE were deliciously twisted. I loved her warning to her son Tiberius about Augustus’ personal fig tree… “Don’t eat the figs”. And my favorite historical dysfunctional family, the entire Plantaget brood in The Lion In Winter. “What family doesn’t have its ups and downs?” ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/17 "2015-11-05T20:10:10Z")
[Saul trying to understand Carrie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-tsrkj07g8) on _Homeland._ ---
**Author:** ![Gothic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/839c29/32.png) [@Gothic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gothic)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/18 "2015-11-05T20:30:34Z")
Odo and Quark. Sam and Dean Winchester. Mal and Inara. I don’t watch drama’s unless there are lots of special effects. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/19 "2015-11-05T20:45:25Z")
Sam and Diane on _Cheers_. I’m tempted to say Carla and her scuzzy husband too, but they seem oddly perfect for each other. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2015, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667/20 "2015-11-05T20:55:16Z")
> [@HyacinthBucket](#): > > Niles and Maris on Frasier, especially since so much of the awfulness of Maris was left to the viewers’ imaginations. She’s one of the best invisible characters ever created. And David Hyde Pierce’s brilliant delivery and physical comedy gave our imaginations so much to work with. Yes, yes, a thousand times yes! And Frasier and Lilith’s relationship, too. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-favorite-dysfunctional-movie-tv-relationship/736667.md?page=2)