I feel like we can all collectively agree that TV couples used to hit way harder? I mean, do not get me wrong—I have my favorites like Buddie, Chenford, and like, many more—but they all used to hit like so painfully hard. The slow burns. The yelling in the rain. The “I hate you” turning into “I would do anything to protect you.”
Where did that go?? I miss it.

I just recently started Veronica Mars for the first time, and I am halfway through Season Two—so no spoilers—and Logan and Veronica? Absolutely. That is what I am talking about. It’s the kind of enemies-to-lovers you yearn for and the chaos I miss on my screen. It’s complicated, it’s got a bit of sting, but it feels earned.

Logan is not some golden boy—he’s a whole problem. But like every counterpart in enemies-to-lovers, they have layers. Same with Veronica. She’s guarded and sharp. So when “I hate you” turns into “I love you”? It is some ooey goodness of enemies-to-lovers. It’s also not another bad boy/good girl cliché. It’s two broken people who keep clashing because—you guessed it—they feel too much.

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Give Us the Chaos Again

That’s the thing though—my teenage self felt things with couples like that on my screen. Nowadays, the shows I watch rush into the relationship by Episode Three or Four or—and I am talking to you, Tim Minear—stretching out some slow burn that isn’t catching fire.

Where’s that tension? The angst?? Where’s the scene of “I hate you,” and they stare at each other like they couldn’t be without each other?

Bring. That. Back.

I want the amazing chaos of Damon and Elena in The Vampire Diaries, where each scene on my screen felt like the enemies-to-lovers being built—brick by brick. I want the Pacey and Joey of “you’re my ex-boyfriend’s best friend but all I want to do is be around you.” Maybe it’s the iconic 2000s shows that I need back.

TV writers used to know how to build something. Not that they don’t now—trust me, I yearn for Buddie and Bonrad. A look across the room felt like Party 4 You. A line of dialogue had you rewinding the scene over and over. We were not just watching two characters fall in love, but watching them fight through issues to get there.

So count this as my official petition to bring back real romance. Bring back the pain and the payoff. The angst I yearn for. And bring back the couples that make you want to throw your phone across the room—and then pick it up again because you can’t miss another second.

Give it back. We’re ready.