All the various romantic tropes have been deployed, the unresolved sexual tension has been lingering for ages, the fans are practically panting in anticipation and finally - finally - the two people in a couple get together (or are on the verge of doing so). And then, they instantly decide that they're better off friends.
As far as tropes go, this is one of the rarest of the rare. Almost as soon as the creators deploy the "better off friends" trope, they back away from it by piling on some unresolved sexual tension, or having the pair get back together a season or two later. Very rarely do characters try life as a couple, dismiss it with a collective shrug and go back to their stellar friendship, breathing a sigh of relief at the bullet they've dodged. To quote "When Harry Met Sally" (1989): "Men and women can't be friends because the sex part gets in the way." (Of course, unless he's gay. Then a fabulous, high-fiving, gossiping, utterly stereotypical friendship is launched.)
In fact, this trope is so rare that it took me quite a while to find an example of it. Finally, I thought that I'd found one: Ted (Josh Radnor) and Robin (CobieSmulders), from "How I Met Your Mother" (2005-2014), who were able to let each other go after years of angst. (Warning: there are spoilers ahead for those who haven't yet watched the series finale.) Only then, as I watched in horror, the titular mother (CristinMilioti) was summarily killed off, and the show tried to make the case that, after all this time, Ted was meant to end up with Robin. Seasons worth of character development were smashed to pieces, and the series finale of a show that I once loved for its willingness to bend tropes proved, once and for all, the shortsightedness of a media that can't see beyond any relationship that isn't romantic.
The controversial final episode of "How I Met Your Mother" also highlighted the need for more TV shows, books and movies that feature the "better off friends" trope. Yes, romantic relationships are the bread and butter of many a story arc. As long as creators maintain the possibility of a romantic relationship, they have it as a fallback story, should they need the option.
Yet platonic friendships have just as much - if not more - potential, like Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, or Blair (Leighton Meester) and Serena (Blake Lively) from "Gossip Girl" (2007-2012). Romantic relationships are generally seen in one of three stages: broken up, together or in the process of getting together. Platonic friendships have a million different stages. It's a shame that our media can't recognize this and stretch their story arcs to conceive of a pairing that really are better off as friends.
A happily-ever-after isn't always possible - sometimes relationships don't work out. And sometimes, instead of the two partners walking away from each other, sobbing in the rain, they can actually be friends and forge a better relationship than ever. Sometimes, it can even be a source of humor, as they tease each other about how terrible their first kiss was. The media should give us hope that the end of a romance doesn't have to mean the end of everything, that it's possible to move past mistakes and find a future that encompasses both a new love and an old friend. That's where "How I Met Your Mother" went wrong: It refused to acknowledge that both Ted and Robin could have moved on from each other and decided to look to the past rather than the future. So let's resolve to look forward, to look to new kinds of relationships and the promise that a beginning is to be found in every ending.
Natalie Girshman is a sophomore majoring in history and drama. She can be reached at Natalie.Girshman@tufts.edu.
