5 Teen Drama Couples Who Should Have Stayed Together But Didn’t
Teen dramas adore love triangles (or quadrangles) as much as the average human being worships at the altar of Nutella.
Throughout a show’s run, it isn’t unusual to see different couples form, but in the end, those who are meant to be find their way back to each other and ride off into the sunset – together. Sometimes, though, there are couples who deserve to stay together but don’t, because the showrunners had other ideas for their characters.
Well, it’s time for everyone to take a sip of ice-cold Honesty Juice and come to terms with the sour taste of the truth. These are the teen drama couples who should have stayed together on series but didn’t – and oh, how the TV gods have failed us here!
Clark Kent and Lana Lang in ‘Smallville’
Yeah, yeah, yeah… Superman lore says that Clark Kent and Lois Lane are meant to be since she’s the center of his universe and his home, blah, blah, blah. However, since Smallville massacred the mythology for its own storytelling purposes and treated canon like toilet paper, why didn’t it let Clark (Tom Welling) and Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) stay together in the end? Their relationship started out as puppy love among high schoolers, but they built something special throughout the seasons. There was a genuine heartfelt connection between them, and no one understood Clark like Lana did. What’s even more tragic is how it ended since Lana absorbed so much Kryptonite that she was no longer able to be around Clark, so she had to leave. This is like Titanic-levels of breaking hearts.
Dan Humphrey and Vanessa Abrams in ‘Gossip Girl’
From the first episode of Gossip Girl, it’s clear that Dan Humphrey (Penn Badgley) has his heart set on Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively). Even after Dan deceives all his friends with his Gossip Girl shenanigans, he and Serena marry and live happily ever after. But remember his time with Vanessa Abrams (Jessica Szohr)? Vanessa was his best friend and someone who shared all the same interests as Dan to the point in which the pair could sit together for hours and have intellectual conversations about movies and books. They got together in the series, but their dreams pulled them in different directions. Still, take nothing away from how Vanessa loved Dan for who he was – not who he could be, which is the impression one always got from how Serena viewed and toyed with him. Dan made the wrong choice here.
Dave Rygalski and Lane Kim in ‘Gilmore Girls’
Who doesn’t enjoy seeing two awkward people falling in love?! That’s exactly what happens between Dave Rygalski (Adam Brody) and Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) in Gilmore Girls. It started as a crush and turned into something more, but nothing beats seeing a fumbling Dave do everything possible to gain Mrs. Kim’s (Emily Kuroda) stamp of approval. What looked like a relationship meant to last forever changes after Dave moves to California for college. While Dave and Lane attempt to do the long-distance romance thing, it doesn’t last and they split up. Honestly, the writers did Dave and Lane dirty here, as they had something special and it should have lasted. Also, let’s be real for a second: Lane and Zack Van Gerbig (Todd Lowe) have about as much chemistry as cabbage in porridge.
Lucas Scott and Brooke Davis in ‘One Tree Hill’
In One Tree Hill, no one had as big of a heart as Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush). She often forgave the unforgivable and gave more of herself to her friends than what she received. She fell in love with Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) twice – and hard – but lost him to her best friend, Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton), both times. Brooke dedicated herself to Lucas – probably more so than anyone else in the series. In addition, Lucas appeared happy with her, as he came out of his shell whenever he was around her. Lucas, though, turned out to be a fool and couldn’t let go of his feelings for Peyton. Yeah, he and Peyton might be the poster teen drama couple for One Tree Hill, but Lucas and Brooke were better suited for each other.
Seth Cohen and Anna Stern in ‘The O.C.’
The O.C. introduces Seth Cohen’s (Adam Brody) obsession with Summer Roberts (Rachel Bilson) right out of the gates. She’s the girl of his dreams, and he wishes she would notice he was alive. Eventually, through the events of the series, they get together and become a couple. But did anyone else get uneasy with the way in which Summer spoke to Seth at times? The condescending tone and subtle mockery of his geeky interests just doesn’t sit right and indicates a lack of respect from her to him. You know who never did that to Seth? Anna Stern (Samaire Armstrong). She was the right person for him, waltzing into his life seamlessly and connecting with him on a deeper level. They shared the same interests and she even made him a graphic novel featuring him and Captain Oats. Sorry, but if that doesn’t scream true love and the perfect teen drama couple then nothing does.
