By: Shaina Semaña
Arguably the biggest and most common theme in pop culture is love. Perhaps because it’s such a relatable emotion that even if you’re not in love, a simple film, TV series or book, can make you feel in love. So, this Valentine’s Day, let’s take a look at some pop culture couples we love for making us feel in love.
Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson
Peter Parker and his romantic interests, especially with Mary Jane Watson (or MJ Jones in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy), remain one of the highlights of the many iterations of the character on both film and comics. Peter and Mary Jane are once childhood friends turned high school lovers, and it’s always interesting to see their relationship bloom across Spidey’s many obstacles.
Ross and Rachel
Ross and Rachel is the couple—not only of the popular sitcom Friends, but might even be considered as one of the most iconic couples on TV ever. They are a classic. Ross and Rachel spent the whole 10 seasons of Friends exploring the rollercoaster ride of their relationship. From a one-sided crush in season 1, to an on-again-off-again couple in seasons 2 to 4, marrying and getting divorced in seasons 5 and 6, co-parenting in season 8, and ultimately back to being a couple in the season finale. Their relationship is quite flawed and might even be toxic for some considering their breakups, but it just shows that relationships are not always rainbows and butterflies. There will be a couple of bumps along the way, but true love will surely win in the end if you persist hard enough.
Han and Leia
Han Solo and Princess Leia Organa’s love story spans two trilogies-worth of Star Wars movies. Aside from Luke and Anakin, they are the soul of the franchise that becomes the foundation of Kylo Ren, which is an interesting cross between the two’s best and worst traits. The Star Wars franchise tested romantic affairs for its characters, but nothing really worked like Han and Leia.
Popoy and Basha
Now let’s get local. From probably one of the most iconic Filipino films of the 2000s, One More Chance’s Popoy and Basha is one couple that’s truly dear to the heart of many Filipinos. Even though they spent most of the film apart, their story depicted the beauty and heartbreaks of two people falling in and out of love. The 2007 film was given a sequel eight years later with A Second Chance, where we see Popoy and Basha, now a married couple, a little less in love but with more love for each other. Sounds a bit confusing? Well, that’s what marriage is about. Popoy and Basha showed that it’s not only the good days that make a marriage; it’s mostly surviving the bad days when they can no longer feel in love that makes a marriage work.
Jack and Rose
Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater is a power couple of cinema. Memorable played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in career-making roles, there’s no denying that the spark of their love story stands the test of time and remains one of the greatest in cinema.
Did these couples make you miss your significant other or just made you feel alone? Well, we suggest you rewatch these classics and be a little more in love this Valentine’s Day.