It's Better to Marry A Ben Over a Noel...This Does Not Hold True for Dylans, Paceys or Deans

The Intro

[The only time I ever wanted to work at a place called "The Peach Pit"]

First, I will be talking about the following shows: Beverly Hills 90210 (the one from the 90s not that crappy one from the CW!) , Dawson's Creek, Felicity and The Gilmore Girls. I could add The OC (Seth or Ryan?), but seriously, what the heck happened at the end there? Besides too many triangles and not enough time. And, this is the only time I will mention vampire infused love triangles via Twilight or The Vampire Diaries...as they are too idiotic to even contemplate as viable options! I'm also not going to be mentioning the delicious triangle in Hart of Dixie as I love both George and Wade... a lot.

The first triangle I ever noticed as a plot device is the Brandon, Dylan, Kelly drama...which eventually turned into a Brandon/Dylan venn diagram of awesome (and, began a lifetime devotion to Lord Byron), which eventually turned into a cluster of...I don't even know what and I stopped watching.

Every good TV drama will have some sort of love triangle and if there isn't an out and out triangle there will be two guys who form a great venn diagram of lust/love and awesome good looks that we, the viewer, must contemplate on a weekly basis even when the show is trying to tackle tough issues like teen suicide and alcoholism.

Watching Felicity in its entirety as an adult who knew the ending made me realize that I may always root for the bad guy in the love triangle, but truly Ben is the only bad guy with a genuine heart of gold...sigh...

Why I'd pick Ben every day of the week and twice on Sunday

Felicity is a pretty good judge of character and she realizes early on that Ben is a good guy. Sure she spends some time trying to reform him, she comes to accept him for who he is and he, in turn, grows to love the girl who is obsessed with him.

Bens
Character Analysis
Ben is not the best guy. He will tell you that. But, he also shows you that he actual is the best guy. He will tell you he loves you, actual once you break down that wall (and there is a big one...think Great Wall of China) he will tell you pretty much all about who he is and how he feels all of the time. Ben is the best guy friend, as he will punch any one who hurts you, and he will tell you like it is...even when you really don't want him to do so. I liked watching as Ben became more than this unattainable boy who Felicity didn't even know enough about to be obsessed over.
Pros
Tells you how he feels, isn't scared of you and your intelligence, he knows how to win your heart and is willing to learn from you how to keep your heart. He is a hard worker who learns from his mistakes, he has loads of friends, he will do anything for you and he will keep you on your toes.
Cons
Baggage...he, um, drinks and may or may not cheat on you, while he may tell you how he feels, he doesn't tell you what is on his mind, you have to be patient while he reforms, but he will reform and that's what makes him great marriage material. He will appreciate every moment with you and he will be honest with you, but he will still be that bad boy who first possessed your heart.

Noels
Character Analysis
Plays a mean game of boggle, and perfect RA material.
Pros
Bows out gracefully, finally.
Cons
Doesn't really know what it means to love someone, he does however, know what it means to be a wee bit obsessed about someone. This good marriage material does not make. I knew he wasn't the guy for Felicity the second he began to sabotage her relationship with Ben...if she really wanted him, she would have gone to him all on her own.

Why it doesn't hold true for Dylan, Pacey or Dean

"The right kind of love..." er...not really...

Dylans
Character Analysis
"Mad, bad and dangerous to know" I never understood why girls kept flocking to Dylan.
Pros
Drive a kick-butt car...um, is a good friend to Brandon most of the time...um...
Cons
Spoiled, trust-fund kid who throws money at problems. He will never understand why his money isn't buying your happiness.

"Whine, whine, whine..."

Paceys and Deans
Character Analysis
Pacey and Dean are the same character for the most part. Moon-eyed and love struck, they are kind of wimpy. I still don't understand why Joey picked Pacey over Dawson, well, that is I don't understand until I remember that Dawson didn't really like people or girls and had a pechant for being mopey and a wee bit selfish. Gosh, Joey really didn't have much of a choice. I can't believe Dean ruined his marriage to be with Rory and I can't believe Pacey pined for Joey...I don't know how long, one million years?
Pros
sweet, thoughtful, kind, patient, never say 'no', hardly ever get angry
Cons

"Could he be any nicer!?"

Their pros are also ALWAYS their cons, as all those traits make them so easy to be walked on...and, are the very reasons they don't make good marriage material. I remember reading/watching "The Joy Luck Club" and there is this scene where a wife confronts her husband about his affair and he says something about the fact that they used to argue and talk and contemplate things all the time and she began to always agree. No one likes to be told they're right all the time. No person with any self-respect likes to be followed without question.

More fun via...

FAB and FAN here

Wade and Zoe and George here

Joey and Pacey and Dawson here

If you have found more posts or want to talk about your favorite love triangle, feel free to convo with me in the comments below, I can totally geek out about this topic forever...