‘Star Wars,’ ‘Buffy’ and More
You either love them or you hate them — there is no in between. From Star Wars‘ Kylo Ren and Rey to Gossip Girl‘s Dan and Blair, TV and movie fans have lots of opinions about which couples left the right impression.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy introduced viewers to a new generation of characters — and relationships. The Force Awakens, which premiered in 2015, hinted at a potential romance between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) after they joined the Resistance in an effort to take down the First Order.
In the next two films, Finn’s story line was put on the back burner as Rey’s unexplained connection with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) took center stage.
“I don’t think [their relationship is] all one thing,” Driver explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2019. “Part of the fun of playing it is the boundaries of it keep changing. At times it’s more intimate, sometimes less intimate. Sometimes it’s codependent. And then it’s, obviously, adversarial.”
Meanwhile, Ridley questioned what kind of future the pair could have together. “I do know about Reylo. I don’t know how I feel about it because everyone’s talking about the toxic thing of a relationship when it’s essentially emotional [abuse]. It’s a tricky road,” the actress told fans at Star Wars Celebration that same year.
She added: “I do feel like, deep down, Kylo thinks what he’s doing is right and he doesn’t think he’s wrong, but he has also killed so many people. So I can’t really get behind in that, in a personal way. Maybe there’s redemption. Who knows? Maybe we explore that in the film.”
In The Last Jedi, Rey and Kylo Ren shared a kiss before the villain’s ultimate demise. The dynamic made headlines again when Boyega called out the way his character was ignored in favor of Rey and Kylo Ren’s story.
“You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything,” he told GQ in September 2020 about his time with the franchise. “[But] what I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
The U.K. native previously pointed out the difference between Finn’s journey and the other leads.
“Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” Boyega recalled during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter one year prior. “You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f—k all. So, what do you want me to say?”
The Woman King star continued: “What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience.’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience. They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything.”
Scroll down for more polarizing couples through TV and movie history:
Credit: Shutterstock (2)
Most Polarizing TV and Movie Couples Through the Years: From Star Wars’ Reylo to Buffy’s Spuffy
You either love them or you hate them — there is no in between. From Star Wars‘ Kylo Ren and Rey to Gossip Girl‘s Dan and Blair, TV and movie fans have lots of opinions about which couples left the right impression.
The Star Wars sequel trilogy introduced viewers to a new generation of characters — and relationships. The Force Awakens, which premiered in 2015, hinted at a potential romance between Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Finn (John Boyega) after they joined the Resistance in an effort to take down the First Order.
In the next two films, Finn’s story line was put on the back burner as Rey’s unexplained connection with Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) took center stage.
“I don’t think [their relationship is] all one thing,” Driver explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2019. “Part of the fun of playing it is the boundaries of it keep changing. At times it’s more intimate, sometimes less intimate. Sometimes it’s codependent. And then it’s, obviously, adversarial.”
Meanwhile, Ridley questioned what kind of future the pair could have together. “I do know about Reylo. I don’t know how I feel about it because everyone’s talking about the toxic thing of a relationship when it’s essentially emotional [abuse]. It’s a tricky road,” the actress told fans at Star Wars Celebration that same year.
She added: “I do feel like, deep down, Kylo thinks what he’s doing is right and he doesn’t think he’s wrong, but he has also killed so many people. So I can’t really get behind in that, in a personal way. Maybe there’s redemption. Who knows? Maybe we explore that in the film.”
In The Last Jedi, Rey and Kylo Ren shared a kiss before the villain’s ultimate demise. The dynamic made headlines again when Boyega called out the way his character was ignored in favor of Rey and Kylo Ren’s story.
“You get yourself involved in projects and you’re not necessarily going to like everything,” he told GQ in September 2020 about his time with the franchise. “[But] what I would say to Disney is do not bring out a Black character, market them to be much more important in the franchise than they are and then have them pushed to the side. It’s not good. I’ll say it straight up.”
The U.K. native previously pointed out the difference between Finn’s journey and the other leads.
“Like, you guys knew what to do with Daisy Ridley, you knew what to do with Adam Driver,” Boyega recalled during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter one year prior. “You knew what to do with these other people, but when it came to Kelly Marie Tran, when it came to John Boyega, you know f—k all. So, what do you want me to say?”
The Woman King star continued: “What they want you to say is, ‘I enjoyed being a part of it. It was a great experience.’ Nah, nah, nah. I’ll take that deal when it’s a great experience. They gave all the nuance to Adam Driver, all the nuance to Daisy Ridley. Let’s be honest. Daisy knows this. Adam knows this. Everybody knows. I’m not exposing anything.”
Scroll down for more polarizing couples through TV and movie history:
Credit: Lucasfilm/Disney/Kobal/Shutterstock (2)
Kylo Ren and Rey (‘Star Wars’)
Fans were introduced to Kylo Ren and Rey as enemies in The Force Awakens — which is why the pair’s kiss in The Last Jedi took so many people by surprise. Even though some viewers were expecting Rey and Finn to get together based on their initial introduction — other viewers felt like Kylo Ren and Rey’s combative energy hinted at something more romantic.
Credit: Marvel Studios
Shuri and Namor (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
Even though Shuri (Letitia Wright) and Namor (Tenoch Huerta Mejía) weren’t presented as love interests in the Black Panther sequel, many viewers couldn’t help but connect with their potential. For some, Namor’s interactions with Shuri hinted at a devotion — which others slammed the villain for trying to kill their favorite characters in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.
Credit: Courtesy of The CW
Bellamy, Clarke and Lexa (‘The 100’)
The 100 left behind an infamous legacy, including the love triangle at the center of the CW show. Clarke (Eliza Taylor) and Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) fans were proud of the representation that the couple were able to offer LGBTQIA+ viewers. Meanwhile, Bellamy (Bob Morley) and Clarke shippers were hoping to see an organic enemies to lovers story unfold on screen.
Unfortunately, neither side got their wish after Lexa and Bellamy were both killed off by bullets in separate seasons.
Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock
Dan and Blair (‘Gossip Girl’)
Blair’s (Leighton Meester) romance with Chuck (Ed Westwick) came off as abusive and toxic for many fans. However, Dan (Penn Badgley) and Blair’s progression from friends to lovers didn’t read as authentic for every viewer.
Credit: Tina Fineberg/AP/Shutterstock
Joey and Rachel (‘Friends’)
Team Ross or Team Joey is a conversation that has continued even after Friends wrapped up its time at NBC. Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (David Schwimmer) were each other’s lobsters — but Joey (Matt LeBlanc) offered Rachel a connection based off years of friendship.
Credit: HBO/BSkyB/Kobal/Shutterstock
Jon and Daenerys (‘Game of Thrones’)
The age-old incest question took Game of Thrones fans by storm when Jon (Kit Harington) got together with his aunt, Daenerys (Emilia Clarke). Family members sleeping together isn’t as taboo within the universe created by George R. R. Martin — but not everyone is on board.
Credit: YouTube
Harry and Ginny (‘Harry Potter’)
Even though Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) and Ginny’s (Bonnie Wright) romance was a sweet addition in the books, not every fan felt satisfied by the delivery in the films.
Credit: Moviestore/Shutterstock
Sandy and Danny (‘Grease’)
The Grease couple is considered a classic movie couple — but their love story didn’t age well for everyone. Some viewers have questioned the decision to have Sandy (Olivia Newton-John) go through a makeover in order to appeal to Danny (John Travolta).