Why love triangles continue to be compelling to watch

After Past Lives, Celine Song is back with yet another love triangle drama; this time starring Dakota Johnson, Chris Evans and Pedro Pascal. It throws Johnson’s character in an impossible situation where she has to choose between Evans and Pascal. It's a battle between heart and head as Johnson’s character, a smart and charismatic matchmaker, finds herself torn between two men. Pascal’s character is the textbook definition of an ideal partner living in an apartment worth 12 million dollars, and Evan’s character is her charming but struggling ex. The bar for men isn't particularly high though as he says stuff like, “When I see your face, I see wrinkles and children that look like you" and also remembers her drink order.

Who she picks is going to make for an alluring watch. The trailer also brings back nostalgic memories of a time when love triangles were a go-to trope in TV shows and movies of the early 2010s. We grew up picking sides during Cruel Intentions and deciding between #TeamEdward and #TeamJacob. 

Complex love triangles were the defining plotlines of TV and movies such as Grey’s Anatomy, The Vampire Diaries, The Hunger Games, How I Met Your Mother, and so many others. It became an excellent subject of debate among fans. Questions such as 'Who will she pick? Did she choose the wrong partner? started popping up all over the internet. It also birthed many conversations across platforms such as Tumblr, Rediff, and Twitter (now X), igniting many fan followings.

But why are these love triangles topics of such intrigue?

Often they serve as a focal point of the drama, like in The Vampire Diaries, where most of the characters were defined by who Elena (Nina Dobrev) would pick. This trope also serves many iconic ‘will-they-won’t-they’ moments throughout the story. Often it helps with character development, like Steve (Joe Keery) in Stranger Things and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) in The Vampire Diaries, who better themselves partly due to their love interest choosing someone else over them because of their irredeemable personalities. Ultimately, the progress through this character arc ends up making them the best-liked characters on the show.

In many cases, the love triangles act as a hurdle between the main characters, such as in Grey's Anatomy, Addison's (Kate Walsh) appearance only amounts to shaking things up between Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) and Derek (Patrick Dempsey) for a little while, adding more depth to their love. The infamous love triangle in Karan Johar's Student of the Year acted as a way to drive a wedge between two best friends, giving them a real reason to be at each other's throats during the final battle.

It is also a fun way of adding forbidden love into the mix when the protagonist falls for their best friend's/brother's love interest. Joey (Matt LeBlanc) didn't love anyone as much as he did Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) in FRIENDS while battling his feelings because of Ross (David Schwimmer).

Why don’t we see it as much anymore? 

While most of them feel satisfactory to the majority, some love triangles do leave the viewers high and dry after running the arc in the very end, such as in How I Met Your Mother, where Robin (Cobie Smulders) and Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) get divorced after the last season being all about their wedding, disappointing their long-time viewers worldwide. Ted (Josh Radnor) coming to Robin with a blue horn served as a horror scene more than a romantic one; giving the show one of the worst endings ever.

The trope started losing its charm when women started seeing these characters as unsure about themselves, making them look weak and confused for the better part of the plot. It also began to centre on love-related drama rather than other important aspects of their lives. Fans of the romance genre would agree that it became a cheap way to add drama where it was not necessary. Beloved films like The Kissing Booth and All The Boys I Have Loved Before did that to make sequels to the first part, doing injustice to the OG storyline.

By the 2020s, it was evident that love triangles were losing their charm with audiences' increasing frustration regarding characters that were still part of such illicit affairs. Belly (Lola Tung) from The Summer I Turned Pretty and Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) from Never Have I Ever became popular but proved that the formulaic setting had lost its sheen.

Young girls watching the shows no longer resonate with main characters who are willing to use and hurt their love interests. Audiences have turned towards mature love examples. They want their characters to be sure of the ones they date, without the added messiness love triangles bring into their already-messy lives.