During a bout this week with what I am now certain was a minor viral infection combined with a pretty serious dehydration issue, I did what I always do when illness hits: Stay home sick and partake of comfort food. Of course, “food” is often metaphorical (especially when you don’t feel like eating) so I re-watched television that I know and love, including part of season one of ‘How I Met Your Mother.’ Anyone familiar with my recurring argument with Rodrigo vis a vis Ted Mosby’s most adorable ex (or anyone that follows me on Twitter) knows how I feel about Ted’s ridiculous decision to stop seeing Victoria just because it got too difficult, but I’m not surprised to be in a minority about the perfection of their couplehood. Ideed, I often find myself on the wrong side of the preferred “One True Pairing” in fandom. I’m a bigger fan of Buffy with Spike than with Angel (mostly because the actors had better chemistry to my eye) and I’ve long maintained that I like Tommy Oliver better with Kat than with Kimberly (partly because of the wonderful/stupid fan theory that she ends up marrying Skull.)
The MS-QOTD (pronounced, as always, “misquoted”) understand that the name of the show isn’t “How I Met Victoria”, but maintains that if you watch the right episodes in the right order and fast-forward appropriately, it still could be, asking: What alternate romantic relationships do you like better than the official One True Pairings?
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“I like Tommy Oliver better with Kat than with Kimberly (partly because of the wonderful/stupid fan theory that she ends up marrying Skull.)”
It isn’t just fan theory, one of the old writers is the cause of it by stating that is what he wanted to do. It is the same writer who uses the Marvel Comics MMPR comic with the Dark Rangers as a possible reason why Jason had his morpher in “Forever Red” (somehow having acquired it after the Dark Ranger that had the Red Ranger power while the official Red Ranger had the ninja powers).
Also, there was the episode of Zeo that showed a possible future where Kat and Tommy had grandkids, so in some area of the PR multiverse, I think they were the “one true pairing”.
Back on the question, I can’t really think of any canon alternate pairings that I liked better aside from Buffy/Spike. Most of my ideal pairings are in the “it was just a dream/alternate timeline” or “never gonna happen” categories, like Gabrielle and Joxer on Xena.
I am a fan of the Scott Summers/ Emma Frost match. Considering the fact that Jean dies, Scott marries and has a kid with her clone before she dies. Then when his girlfriend comes back it seems like it was meant to be only because the writers really really want it rather than any organic movement towards each other. Then he has the psychic affair with Emma behind his psychic wife’s back (never a good idea, but even worse when your wife is a powerful mindreader) but dies (again) shortly after the affair. Then Emma comforts the grieving husband and love develops.
I also like Bruce with Silver St. Cloud rather than Catwoman or anyone else.