TV Couch: Pop psych ‘diagnoses’ of which mental disorders TV or reality TV characters suffer from
A staple of a good sitcom is a nice, full- season or full- series coat of unrequited love. Fans become “shippers” of characters who may or may not show an attraction to one another, but when there’s a full- on wild crush which becomes the hallmark of a series, we’re seeing a psychological reflection of human nature. It’s painful, except when his or her love is your endless- supply drug. You’re not sick, you’re just in limerance. It’s infatuation on terrible steroids.
A good (or bad, depending on the moment) case of limerance is the source of every great love song ever written. It’s not infatuation, which is often over quickly and can be enjoyed in the general direction of more than one object at once. Limerance can last for years because it’s frustrated by some sort of obstacle, such as a spouse, cultural convention, or nation one happens to rule.
“Do you think she likes me?” Via
Or, because your sitcom was just renewed for another three seasons. In the first season of Frasier, the title character’s unhappily married brother, Niles, expressed an interest in hippy-dippy physical therapist and housekeeper Daphne Moon. The couple that couldn’t be became such a stamp of the series that it all but took it over by the end; Daphne lost her psychic flashes and earthy ways, and her character became defined by her role as the object of Nile’s affections.
The smart show did examine the psychological fallout of their eventual marriage (of course they were giving a happy ending– let’s face it, this isn’t a sitcom if it’s not), but much of the delicious tension oozed out of the series. The shark was jumped by a kiss.
The problem with a case of limerance as a sitcom staple is the Catch-22 expectations of the audience. Viewers want a happy ending, but once it’s attained… what’s next? The best sitcoms solve the problem with an on- again, off- again roller coaster, as in Cheers‘ Sam and Diane and Friends‘ Ross and Rachel, but patience can quickly wear thin if viewers feel cheated or manipulated.
Then again, there’s nothing like a good emotional trip to the moon over a stray smile from the high school quarterback who may or may not know you exist.
