“The Summer I Turned Pretty,” “My Life With The Walter Boys” and “The Vampire Diaries”. What’s up with the familial love triangles?
All three of these shows havea love triangle plot with the addition of both love interests as brothers. The female main character is torn between the two brothers throughout the entire show.
Legally, if you date someone, and then their sibling it is okay. Ethically, however, that is when it gets more and more complex on if it’s morally right.
“I think in real life it would be unethical if my brother wanted my girlfriend, I would be pretty pissed at that,” said Blake Dickey, a junior music major. “Essentially these shows are glorifying having brothers in a love triangle and having their relationship be tested and tried over a love interest is not a good message to be sending. There’s girl code and bro code and that shouldn’t be messed with.”
On one hand, this plot line makes for a great watch. You never see the ending coming, and normally we get some sort of last-ditch effort resolution.
“It’s probably got a lot to do with not knowing how it’s going to end because there are two people clearly set up, but adding a third person makes an unknown for an ending. It makes the show more engaging,” Dickey said.
Alternatively, this does enforce situations that would not slide or be popularized in real life. Ethical stance aside, this plot definitely ups the stakes and makes the whole show more interesting.
The central tension of these stories lies in the ethical divide between entertainment and reality. People love a train wreck. It’s hard to watch at first, but you just can’t look away.
“This concept is unethical because there’s a lot of drama and it keeps things interesting as opposed to just two people,” said Darci Simmons, a sophomore biology major . “I feel like the familiar components add to the drama and depth of characters, making you get more invested in picking one side or another, maybe having other conflicts between family members, jobs, life experiences, etc. It’s a weird concept in a real life sense but for movies I think it’s very entertaining.”
It’s the spectacle of a moral dilemma playing out on screen, allowing us to debate the right and wrong of the situation from a safe distance.
Part of the appeal of pop culture, especially in movies and TV, is its use of shock value. Because the ethical boundaries are pushed, the ideas portrayed in the media are more shocking.
“Morally familial love triangles can be wrong, but it can also lead characters to better paths because it is based on people’s feelings,” said Emma McCormick, a sophomore biology major .
To get past the controversial aspect of the love triangle between brothers, we can focus on the character development and growth that comes from the plot. This growth can then inspire viewers to develop in unexpected ways, too.
This plot device, while providing high-stakes drama and showcasing character development, may also normalize situations that are widely considered morally questionable in real life.
Ultimately, the fascination with these “train wreck” narratives reveals a key aspect of pop culture: the power of shock value to captivate an audience. Though ethically complex, these narratives prove to be an undeniably effective way to hook viewers, prompting them to choose a side and become deeply invested in the outcome.