Happy Endings

Is it me or are we all motivated and driven by the ultimate goal of a Happy Ending? Women (ok I'm generalising here) spend their lives hoping (even if secretly) for the White Knight to come and scoop them up in a whirlwind of love,lust and romance. Followed by the fairytale wedding, the 2.4 children, the people carrier and old age spent on a rocking chair, holding hands watching the grandchildren play. Men seem to be just as determined to find their Happy Ending, even if there's includes lots more sex, beer and football-in the end they want to have the Happy Ending with a stable home life. This seems to be a universal goal. Yes we all have other different goals-careers, travelling, accomplishment etc but overall we all strive for that Happy Ending scence in the end.

I am absolutely one of those people. I don't want much, although I would love a lottery win with lots of money and the biggets shopping trips of my life (what woman wouldn't?!) when my head isn't stuck in the lottery-winning-cloud, my reality Happy Ending seems a lot more acheivable. Like I said, I don't want much-romance, love, family, home. That's my Happy Ending.

We live in a world where seperated families are the norm. Where sadly people don't stay together forever, true love doesn't always concour all and more often than not, love just isn't enough anymore. I think that's one reason we have a multi million dollar film industry. In one way or another we are all missing vital pieces of our Happy Ending scenario, so we pay to watch other people's lives even if fictional, when we know that their is a fairytale Happy Ending. We love Happy Endings so much, even when they aren't ours.

This is why I constantly feel like I'm bashing my head on a brick wall when I watch television these days. I have recently started watching a new television show, and within no time I find myself drawn in, addicted to it and so engrossed in the storylines and the characters. And then within a few episodes I don't have the motivation to keep up with it anymore. In almost every plot we have 'the couple' who should be together. Somehow they flirt and dance around actually being together when every fibre of our being (as the viewer) is screaming at them to just get on with it and get down! I know that it's supposed to keep us hooked but to me, it's just annoying and frustrating! I for one would much rather see the couple who should be together forever-actually end up together forever. Yes ok throw loads of drama at them but don't put in to question their Happy Ending because that's what I love-I guess it's escapism. Films always have those brilliant Happy Endings so why do television shows always seem to avoid it for longer than one episode!? I don't want to see and feel the pain of a couple I love not be together-especially for theatrical reasons!

The best example of it that I can think of was Lucas and Peyton in One Tree Hill. They had three seasons (all of 22 episodes) of skirting around the fact they were a couple meant to be together and by season four they were. (Thank goodness because there was no way I could watch another season of reasons why they weren't a couple!) Then season five came and they were having a baby etc but lots of drama was happening to keep us watching. Their Happy Ending was exactly what it should have been and I loved it. It was my escapism, my favourite and they are one of my all time favourite fictional couples because of it.

There is enough heartache, enough reasons why couple's don't make it, enough sacrifice when it comes to finding a Happy Ending in real, everyday life-we all know it and face it to some degree. So when I watch something that I can immerse myself in, I want the Happy Ending-it makes me feel all gooey all over! The writers write characters and hint at relationships in such a way to make us want characters to be together so why toy with us?! We have enough of that for the other 23 hours a day!

I may be alone in thinking like this but when a show toys with relationships which really should work out, I actually stop watching. It's too tiresome! It may sound pathetic but I want more Happy Endings on tv! We have reality (and reality tv!) to give us the alternatives!

Ok, rant over!

Love Chloe xx