You have probably heard the debates in the halls, around your dinner table, or even across the field at a football game. The quickest way to gauge someone’s personality is to simply ask: Team Gale or Peeta? Conrad or Jeremiah? Ben or Packston? Most responses are followed with a long line of carefully crafted reasoning as someone passionately exclaims in horror the idea of ever choosing Gale over Peeta.
Modern media is built on love triangles. These stories are an interesting way to create conflict and explore a character’s desires and personality. From Joe in Little Women to Harriet in Emma, or Jay in the Great Gatsby, love triangles have been popular since the 13th century BCE. What we believe draws viewers back to these types of stories is the ability to decide. The consumer is lifted from their living room sofa into the wildness of the Hunger Games or the youthful nostalgia of Never Have I Ever. Suddenly you feel like you’re not just a viewer but a character and your opinions matter to the plot. When we asked what people liked most about love triangles, senior Sophia Stinson said she liked being able to debate and decide on an option. She also said she preceded love triangles that had two good options: one just fits the lead character’s personality more.
We decided it was time to formalize this data and with the help of a few other passionate viewers or readers we sought out to find not only the best man but the best love triangle.
One of the many popular love triangles recently is the one in The Summer I Turned Pretty, which is a television series. In The Summer I Turned Pretty there is this girl named Belly who goes to this elaborate summer house every summer with her mother’s family friend and her two sons. Belly has been in love with Conrad forever, but now things between her and Jeremiah have changed. Now everything is very complicated, and they have ended up in a very controversial love triangle. But the question is who is the better brother?
The Summer I Turned Pretty is a story built on the nostalgia that comes with young love. Childhood best friends slowly turn to lovers, except in this story there are two best friends. On paper this definitely complicates Belly’s situation but to me the correct option was always clear. Conrad, Conrad, Conrad. The foundational concept of this show is that the boys start to fall for Belly when she turns “pretty”, but Conrad always loved Belly. Even as little kids their bond was stronger and deeper than Belly and Jeremiah’s. That love was the only unwavering thing in Conrad’s life, even as his world fell apart his heart belonged to Belly. More than just loving her he always wanted what was best for her, even if that meant letting her go. Conrad and Belly date in the second session but break up when he realizes he’s not in the emotional place to support her and be the boyfriend she deserves. Senior Maddie Maxfield and I agree, sacrifice is one of the most passionate acts a guy can make in a story.
When Belly and Jeremiah dated in the third season their relationship was awkward to see, because it felt like watching cousin’s kiss. They were best friends and no matter how much they tried to be more their love was flat. Not only was their relationship forced, Jeremiah was the definition of a terrible boyfriend. He only wanted Belly because his brother had never truly wanted her happiness. He didn’t want to commit and seemed to push off the serious, important parts of their relationship. When Sophia and Maddie were asked why they didn’t like Jeremiah they had a list of grievances. They said he was a manchild, sexist, immature, selfish, indecisive, stupid, lustful, and petty. For me and for the school it seems, since 73% of responses from our school wide poll are team connie baby all the way.
Conrad is an emotional wreck; he spends half his time desperately pining for Belly and the other half acting like he hates her. Jeremiah is actually emotionally stable and lets Belly be in a fun relationship instead of a mother son relationship. Belly spends more time babysitting Conrad than being his girlfriend and he isn’t good back to her in return. He pushes her away and makes Belly grovel for his love. Conrad withdraws from the relationship whenever things get complicated, but Jeremiah actually communicates like an adult. He prioritizes her happiness over everything else and more than that he allows Belly to grow as a person. He is the “second option” in the story, but that’s not a bad thing. Belly grows up infatuated by Conrad and any viewer can tell their relationship is not all she dreamed it would be. Jeremiah is an actual boyfriend, not just a disappointing fantasy.
One of the most famous love triangles there is in The Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is this one-in-a-lifetime blockbuster movie that makes you feel everything from joy, sadness, depression, and anger. It is set in this futuristic dystopian type of world (based on the Vietnam War) where there is a big capital and 12 districts that reside outside of it. Each one of the districts has their own specialty or skill (for example District 4 is fishing and District 12 is coal mining). Each year on July 4th the kids (ages 12-18) from each district gather around and wait to see which girl and boy are going into The Hunger Games (a game where 24 tributes go into an arena and fight to the death to see which one comes out victorious). Basically, a game where people watch a bunch of innocent kids die for entertainment because the old president got dumped (at 17) and now still has a grudge against all the districts.
This year for the 74th Hunger Games the two tributes from District 12 are the “Girl on Fire” the Mockingjay herself, Katniss Everdeen and her partner “Mr. Lover Boy,” Peeta Mellark”. And they are called the Star-Crossed lovers (because Peeta has liked Katniss since they were little). However, how real is it? Does Katniss start falling in love for the boy who threw her the bread or is her heart chasing her childhood best friend Gale?
Some people believe that choosing Gale over Peeta should be a crime, but I don’t think Gale is given enough credit. Imagine the girl you’re in love with volunteers to go into the Hunger games on her last eligible year. Then, the boy she goes with makes a comment on live television about being in love with her, despite neither you nor her knowing him very well. Then they become this couple on the screen kissing and being in love. You have been left back home to pray she doesn’t die and are watching all of this unfold in front of you. Once she gets back home this new boy is ingrained in her life and the woman you love is taken from you and when she escapes the cruel games. Gale had every right to be jealous, and most people would probably act the same. Despite these feelings, Gale protects and supports Katniss even when he can’t understand what she really went through in that arena. He again watches her get drafted and torn from him once more.
Gale’s consistent promise to Katniss is to always protect her family, and through the 74th game and the quarter quarrel he does just that but as the revolution explodes his devious war strategies kill Katniss’s little sister Prim. He designs a two-tiered bombing strategy but he didn’t know Prim would be there nor did he deploy the bombs. Maddie and Sophia both argue that Gale is awful because he killed Prim, but that truly was not his fault, since Coin was the one who chose to sacrifice Prim in an attempt to control Katniss. Gale and Katniss don’t end up together but I think that has more to do with the differences of their experiences during the games compared to just not working as a couple.
I think everyone who has ever heard of The Hunger Games can agree that Peeta is the better choice. And from the data, about 90% of students here at Harrison High School all agree with me. It is very apparent that Peeta is the better choice and is a better match for Katniss than Gale is. Peeta loves the soft side of Katniss just as much as he loves the tough side of her. Peeta was the one who comforted her during her nightmares, but also the one who let her be her true self: The Mockingjay. He didn’t shame her for playing the game of the Capitol because he understood her. Peeta was judgement free for her and let her have time and space to cope and be herself. He didn’t hold her to any promises which is highlighted in the train scene in Catching Fire. With Peeta, Katniss didn’t have to be strong she could be weak which is why she loved him. She loved how she could talk to him about anything. She also loved how he would just trust her and go along with her crazy plans like destroying the arena, both putting night lock (a poisonousness berry), in their mouth, a plan to pretend they were in love, a pretend marriage, he was going to escape the districts with her, and even when he was corrupted he still went along with her rebellion plan. Peeta gave her his whole self because he was truly in love with her. That trust is what made them such a good pair and what made Katniss and Gale such a bad pair. Since Gale didn’t trust her and ended up undermining and shaming her for her actions when he didn’t understand the full situation. That trust and that bond is what made Katniss and Peeta the winner in this love triangle.
In Never Have I Ever there is a controversial love triangle. Devi is this teenage girl who is getting over the death of her dad and being paralyzed for a whole year. She is also a social purana which does not help. When she goes into the next year at school, she has a chance to start ‘getting to know’ the most popular guy at school, the captain of the swim team, Paxton. Paxton is this dangerous bad guy who she would love to start getting to know. However, there is also Ben. Ben has been her friend and a constant for her since she was younger. They are academic rivals and push each other to succeed. Throughout most of the show Devi had some trouble picking between someone who would introduce her into a new world or someone who she feels comfortable with. Most people agree that this love triangle is confusing since both sides have pros and cons and neither choice is a bad choice for Devi, making the decision harder for everyone (including Devi).
Ben was the perfect match for Devi and when she was with him, she was herself. Through the show Devi struggles with personal identity and self-confidence. She spends so much time trying to be someone else while also grappling with who she is. When Ben is just Devi, not crazy Devi or social Devi or any other mold she tries to fit herself into, just herself. Ben also pushes Devi to be her best self while also looking out for her. They are academic rivals turned lovers so they motivate one another to be their best selves, but also learn they are stronger united then divided. In the beginning of the show these two are always locking horns but they both grow throughout into new people that need each other to keep them grounded and inspired.
Unlike in a typical love triangle where one character seems to be the obvious choice and the other is slightly evil, Paxton is a good guy. The lines of this triangle are blurred but Ben is still the better choice. Paxton is, well to use sophisticated terminology, he’s hot and that is why people tend to sway their vote toward him. But until the last 2 seasons he has the personality of a wet sponge, except a sponge is useful, Paxton is not. Overall, he is a good guy and has monumental growth over the fourth sessions, but he and Devi just don’t match.
Ben was not the perfect match for Devi; he is Devi’s biggest bully. In season one he gives Devi and her friends the nickname UN (which stands for something inappropriate). He was also always mocking Devi and making fun of everything she did (like the makeup she wore). During the show Devi was having struggles the whole show and instead of showing her sympathy Ben made Devi feel stupid. Ben shoved all his achievements down her throat even if she was feeling bad showing her that he was better than her. And when Devi fell short he made sure she knew. One time when Devi messed up he tricked her into getting a noise ring when she knew her mother would definitely not approve. He wanted to get her in trouble and he wanted to hurt her because that would mean he won. He often treated her more as a competition than a real human being. Which makes him a bad match for Devi. (I don’t know if we want this)
On the other side of the triangle you have somebody that just fits for Paxton better. Paxton helped Devi start to feel comfortable and confident within herself. He praised her instead of dragging her down which helped her find herself. When they just met Devi was still just getting over her dad’s death which really took a toll on her. However, when Devi was with Paxton she momentarily forgot about that part of her life and started becoming a new person. Paxton helped Devi get over her trauma which should never be forgotten. Paxton was sweet and soft with Devi, asking for consent before doing anything. Paxton is patient and calm with Devi while also being a distraction that helps her get over her grief. With Paxton she isn’t the broken little girl, but she is becoming a strong and independent new woman. Paxton symbolizes new beginnings which is exactly what Devi needed during the show.
No matter whose side you are on any of these love triangles, we can all agree that love triangles are one of the most fun forms of entertainment in media. When a love triangle is present in a TV show or movie everybody turns their heads. As people wait for exciting kisses, devastating breakups, and everything in between these love triangles build a community with each other as viewers. During these shows those are yells, cries, screams, dances, and much more. These love triangles are more than just entertainment, they are connections and relationships across people of all ages who would never communicate without these devices.