Visual Romance

So pretend for a moment you have no romance novels to read – Candy, given the multiple universes need to house your TBR pile, I know this is a bit of a stretch. But pretend you have no romances to read, and you’ve re-read everything in your keeper shelf a million times. The order you placed isn’t here, and you are a-hankerin’ for some romance, stat.

Where do you go? Well, fire up the telly: What tv shows and movies satisfy your romance-love jones?

TV:

X Files: I will mention this first because redwyne was kind enough to send me an X-Files desk wallpaper that about knocked my socks off. I love this show, and I love that my TiVo has six million episodes saved up, though Hubby is getting pissed that there’s not room for Quantum Leap. But I have to clarify: aliens? Conspiracy? Black oil? Do I care? Meh. I watch the episodes according to the relationship episode guide and check out the subtle ways in which Mulder and Scully interact with each other. I even have this theory that they were all kinds of hookin’ up after the first season or so, and we just never saw it on camera. But when it comes to nuanced portrayals of attraction, particularly attraction unfulfilled, the writers of the early seasons had it cold.

NCIS: Are you watching this show? I love this show. And again, crime? Murder investigation? Drama? Meh – not so much. But the weird mentor/mentee affection between Abby and Gibbs? And the sparring between Kate and Anthony? Oh, baby, baby, how was I supposed to know? Kate and Anthony particularly are great to watch for that attractive romantic spark because they walk that fine line – but never cross over into “I hate you,” ” NO, I hate YOU” bickering. They work together, he gives her shit, she gives him shit, but when the poop hits the oscillating air circulating device, they have each other’s backs, no question.

CSI: Crime? Guts? Gore? Meh. Grissom & Sara? Whoa. Seriously, I never even noticed until one episode hit me over the head with it, and I was all, “Huh? Seriously?” I googled “Grissom and Sara CSI” and holy hell did I miss that boat when it sailed. There were already comprehensive websites tracing the clues to their possible relationship. And it’s nowhere near as fun now that Sara keeps bringing it up. Sheesh.

Buffy: Buffy. Angel. Spike. Mrowr.

SportsNight: This show lasted one season, but mercifully it came out on DVD last year. It’s an Aaron Sorkin show, and if you’re familiar with the first two seasons of the West Wing, you know the rapid dialogue and verbal content of the show moves the plot and the character development – same with SportsNight. If you’ve never seen it, imagine a behind-the-scenes portrayal of a SportsCenter-esque show with cast romances. Marvelous – dialogue driven romance. Just the way I like it.

Cupid: Six years ago, there was the fantastic show that I liked. As a result of my saying out loud how much I liked it, it was cancelled. Cupid starred Jeremy Piven as Cupid, the God of Love, cast out of the heavens for his cynicism and only allowed to return once he’s matched 100 couples in true love. Marshall plays Claire Allen, the psychologist into whose care Cupid, or Trevor Hale as he calls himself, is released by the courts. And as luck would have it, Allen runs a lonely hearts group of people trying to learn to make romantic connections with other people. Each episode featured a short-term storyline of two people being brought together by Hale, and the series, as long as it lasted anyway, dealt with the attraction between Hale and Allen. Oh holy moly did I love this show. I wish it was out on DVD. Maybe I should stop doing all this blogging and just write letters to CBS all day.

Movies:

The Butchers’ Wife: Does anyone remember this? Demi Moore starred as some wackass chick from a rural island who interprets signs from above that a butcher who washes up on the shore of her island is her dream man, and marries him and follows him home to New York. And of course, they aren’t entirely meant to be, but once she’s in Manhattan, she meets the man who is her other half, and hilarity ensues. I don’t know why I love this movie, as it’s not spectacularly good, but I do.

Bull Durham: is this movie about sports, about sex or about love? I’d argue that it’s a romance, though it takes it’s sweet time getting there, and the lead characters are all over other people aside from each other. But the sparks between Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon – boo yah.

Sleepless in Seattle : OK, I know it’s hokey. But gosh I love this movie, specifically for the moment when Meg Ryan gets off the plane in Seattle, about to track Tom Hanks down, and he’s there in the airport dropping someone off, and sees her and looks like lightning hit him smack on the schnoz. Bam. Love it.

When Harry Met Sally: It’s not that I have a thing for Meg Ryan. She more than annoys me. But this movie also charms me to no end, particularly because each character is so completely blind and oblivious to how they really feel, but still manage to have a fantastic friendship in spite of it. And there’s also that scene with the wagon wheel.