Top 5 All-Time Favourite Ships

After watching a video on this topic (because procrastinating is fun!), I thought it would be a neat little exercise to come up with my own list of all-time favourite ships. After all, there are plenty of shows I’ve been hooked on purely because of its ships. So here we go!

 (Note that these all come from TV shows. I’m really much more of a TV person than a movie person, and as much as I read, there aren’t enough couples I ship that come from books to create a list, so let’s just focus on TV couples for now.)

 (Also note: not ONE. SINGLE. COUPLE. on this list ended up together as of yet. Two are definitely broken up, two shows are in progress and the other stayed broken up in the original show by the end. So actually being together isn’t a part of the criteria, is what I’m saying.)

#5. Lucas x Maya (Lucaya), Girl Meets World

I feel a bit weird putting this couple on this list when I consider every couple I've ever shipped. But if I'm being honest with myself, I'm hard pressed to find another couple I care so much about right now. So the fact that they're on here at all is a pretty damn big deal.

The players: Maya Hart and Lucas Friar

Current relationship status: He’s dating her best friend, but neither seem all that into the other in a romantic sense. Previously the three were stuck in a not-a-triangle triangle. Lucas and Maya went on a super awkward date that hasn't been mentioned since. Never explicitly said but heavily implied that even though he chose Riley (the bff), the Lucaya drama is far from over. If the show gets picked up for a season four, there is a good chance they will end up together in some way. 

Best shipping moment: There are too many to pick, considering they have never even been together. But it’s a toss up between the almost kiss by the campfire in Texas and the shirt grab/mega flirt moment in Girl Meets Rules, when they were bantering about his street cred.

Why do I ship them? Their chemistry, plain and simple. I have no idea if Michael Jacobs & Co. planned on something happening between these two from the get-go, or if they noticed at some point that their chemistry is undeniable and decided to do something about it. It’s anyone’s guess. But their chemistry is legitimately 100% the reason why I became a regular watcher of Girl Meets World. They are so much fun to watch. Fingers crossed we get a renewal because if these two never actually get together, it will hurt.

#4. Nick x Jess, New Girl 

The players: Nick Miller and Jessica Day

Current relationship status: Roomfriends. (Roommates + friends). Exes. She still has feelings for him, but he’s dating Regan, who may or may not be moving in with them soon.

Best shipping moment: Nothing can ever beat their first kiss. Hottest kiss on TV, ever. See for yourself: 

Why do I ship them? Again, it boils down to chemistry. I’d still be watching New Girl even if they had never gotten together, but these two have a little bit of magic between them that makes all of their interactions a delight to watch. And at the end of the day, they were a sweet couple who really care about each other – and still do, even as exes. I’m rooting for these crazy kids to get together and I have a feeling that barring some bizarre unexpected cancellation or something, this will be the ONE couple on my list that actually ends up together. (Lucaya has the potential to be together too, but that is largely dependent on a season renewal and even that's not a guarantee they'll have a chance. I'd put my money on Nick and Jess being the ones to go the distance.)

#3. Jack x Rachel, Boy Meets World 

Kinda funny that I have TWO couples on my list from Michael Jacobs-land, isn’t it? 

The players: Jack Hunter & Rachel Maguire

Current relationship status: Broken up. When BMW ended, it was hinted that they would probably get back together at some point. Or at least, you could say “yeah, I think if we got an update of the gang 10 years down the line, Jack and Rachel probably got married” and I doubt anyone would argue. However, according to Girl Meets World, they didn’t get back together and haven’t spoken in a really long time. Not completely unrealistic, I suppose, but damn. Way to crush that dream.

Best shipping moment: Hmm, this is actually a hard one. I like that they were two roommates who had fallen for each other but wanted to keep it a secret to spare Eric’s feelings – their secret make-outs were hot to preteen me. But I think my favourite moment, if I have to pick one, is their little smooch at the end of the dinner party episode. It was so sweet!

Why do I ship them? Honestly, I can’t tell you. For some reason, I really, really liked them together. They were a nice contrast to the super serious couples on the show and they seemed like a natural fit. I can’t pinpoint why, exactly, but they were one of the first (if not the very first) couples I hardcore shipped back in the day, and for that, they deserve a spot on my list. I absolutely could have swapped out these guys for Lucaya, but when considering the historical context of my ships, Jack and Rachel deserved to be higher. 

#2. Logan x Veronica (LoVe), Veronica Mars

The players: Logan Echolls and Veronica Mars

Current relationship status: If we're only taking TV shows into account, then: broken up but still totally hot for each other. If we're considering the follow up movie: BACK TOGETHER THE WAY THE GOOD LORD INTENDED. Finally! They kind of had to get back together in the movie because there  would have been rioting in the streets otherwise. 

Best shipping moment: I don’t know if I have one, because everything about them was and is great. Buuuut gun to my head? Logan’s “epic” speech. One of the most iconic scenes in the whole series. Watch: 

Why do I ship them? Their chemistry and the dynamic between them. They were friends, then they hated each other – he was pretty cruel to her for a long time after her best friend/his girlfriend was murdered. But slowly they became friends again, and finally everything came to a head when they kissed, and LoVe was born. They have serious chemistry and even when they hate each other, they’re an unrivaled tour de force. Some things have to be seen to be believed, and LoVe is one of them.

And finally, we have…

#1. Jackie x Hyde, That '70s Show

It was really hard for me to pick a number one, and for a while, LoVe and Jackie & Hyde were tied for first. But there’s just something special about these guys that gave them the edge...

The players: Jackie Burkhart and Steven Hyde

Current relationship status: It pains me to type this but…broken up. (More on this in a previous post.)

Best shipping moment: Again, I’m having a really hard time coming up with just one moment, because there’s a lot to choose from, so I’m going to cheat and say some of my favourite things from the show were the little Jackie and Hyde moments before they started dating. I loved seeing them be together, of course, but it was especially fun watching them get there.

Honourable mentions go to Hyde giving Jackie a smooch at the cabin, anytime they got cuddly together, and the heartbreaking moment Hyde tells her he loves her.

Why do I ship them? The answer to this question is why I ranked them above LoVe instead of settling for a tie. I really, really like how Jackie and Hyde influenced each other for the better. Without even meaning to, they helped each other change into better people – even their friends knew they were better together than apart. And it was especially wonderful to see the character development in Hyde – angry, loner Hyde who doesn’t care about anyone or anything actually fell in love with, and truly loved, Jackie. The one and only time Hyde said those three words were to Jackie and honestly? That was a huge deal. The show didn’t make it the biggest deal – there was no plot point around him saying it, or not saying it, or anything at all – but to us longtime fans, it was a huge moment for his character.

Jackie and Hyde not ending up together is one of the biggest insults I can imagine in TV Land, to be perfectly honest. They were a fan favourite, time and effort had been put into getting them together in an organic way, and they had tons of chemistry. They were able to be together and still be interesting – they had plenty of break-up drama, sure, but unlike other couples, the driving force of their relationship came from them actually being together and not from the “will they or won’t they?” back and forth. Jackie and Hyde are definitely, without a doubt, my favourite ship of all time.  Buzzfeed agrees with me.

The mystery of That 70's Show is finally solved

Masters of zen.

Holy crap you guys, I'm baaaaa-aaaack! After years and years away, I decided to make my triumphant-ish return with a post on something I've always wondered about.

It's no secret to anyone that knows me that I love That 70's Show when it aired for the first 7 years. When the eighth season aired, however...like many other fans, I turned on the show. I stopped watching regularly, only making a point to watch the series finale. As much as I was heartbroken by the direction the show had gone in, I wanted to take it full circle - I distinctly remember watching the premiere, and I wanted to watch the finale.

The final season of T7S was pretty brutal. Topher Grace and Ashton Kutcher had left, and one of the worst Cousin Olivers of all time, Randy, came onto the scene. As if that weren't bad enough, the writing became lazy and the characters we'd grown to know and love over the last seven years suddenly weren't themselves anymore. Donna and Eric broke up off screen with little fanfare, Fez inexplicably turned into a ladies' man, Kitty's affinity for drinks went from amusing to genuinely concerning, and in one of the more painful changes, all of Hyde's character development went down the tubes and he became a legitimate asshole.

And of course...that ending. Now, it's also no secret to anyone who knows me that I am a HUGE Jackie and Hyde fan. Massive. Even to this day, they are one of my all-time fictional pairings. So needless to say, I was really upset they didn't end up together. Irrationally so. In fact, it's been an entire decade since the finale, almost down to the day, and I'm still annoyed whenever I think about the last few minutes of the series.

I've always wondered why the show runners, producers, et. al decided to break them up for good. My general hypothesis was that they really wanted to do something to shake up the show for its final season and do some unexpected things as a means of retaining their audience after Grace & Kutcher's departures. Well, they definitely did the unexpected.

Over the years, I've tried to do a little bit investigating into the matter. Back in 2006, television and social media weren't really married to each other. Nowadays, it's not uncommon for a show's creator to be interviewed or tweet about every twist and turn a show does. For example, I. Marlene King, creator of Pretty Little Liars, gets interviewed four times a season at least (premiere & finale of the A & B parts of a season, more if there's a special episode). If T7S was airing right now, I might have gotten answers sooner. But alas, I didn't really find anything from anyone on the show who talked about the changes it underwent in the last season.

Until recently.

First and foremost, I stumbled upon this tweet by Danny Masterson, who played Hyde:

Danny gets it.

It made me strangely happy to know that Danny himself was unhappy with ending. One of my other hypotheses for the show ending the way it did was because Danny & Mila Kunis (Jackie) didn't particularly care for the pairing, or just wanted to do something different. I'm glad to see I was wrong about that!

Then, the other day, I stumbled upon a freaking goldmine of info. I have to warn you, I can't make a guarantee or promise this is what happened for real, since it's not 100% verified, but it makes a lot of sense. So strap in and read on!

Flashback to season six.  At some point during the season, it was assumed that season seven would be its last for various reasons (many of which probably have to do with contracts, and how a lot of shows originally intend to stop at seven seasons). It was going to be Topher and Ashton's last for sure, and series show runners Jeff & Jackie Filgo announced they were leaving the show after seven seasons as well. It's important to note that the Filgos were huge Jackie & Hyde fans. 

Allegedly, when the series was going to end at seven seasons, the plan was to have Jackie & Hyde engaged in the finale. This makes sense, especially if you think back to a season 6 episode (Do You Think It's Alright, 6x18) where Hyde sees Jackie in a wedding dress and calls her beautiful. 

The show's biggest what-if

Later on, the show got picked up for its eighth and final season, so the plan for Jackie and Hyde's engagement got shifted around. (If I had to hazard a guess, the renewal came around the mid-to-later part of season 7, when they kept breaking up and getting back together.) According to my source, the cliffhanger of Hyde finding Jackie in Chicago with Kelso was probably done with the intention of setting up next season's drama and conflict before the engagement, and not as a means of splitting up the couple for good.

Since the Filgos were steadfast in their decision to leave after season 7, two new show runners were hired. And these two people - who had no prior connection or involvement with the show - didn't like the Jackie and Hyde pairing. They actually preferred Jackie and Fez, for reasons not understood by the sane. 

There's more to the story - again, remember while this is just a rumour, I remember hearing something about this back then too. Apparently, Wilmer Valderrama (Fez) only agreed to return to the show for season eight if Fez got a major overhaul and got a serious love interest. (My source's take is slightly different - he wanted to be with one of the main girls. I think my version has more truth to it, because a) Caroline came back, unexpectedly and b) reasons I'll address in a minute.) So if that's true, and if the new show runners preferred Jackie and Fez, getting them together is a no-brainer.

Pictured: Utter bullshit

Now, at first, this is where the story ended. Mystery solved, time to move on after wondering why the show was suddenly on crack eight years in: the original show runners were gone, and their replacements didn't care about character development or what the fans wanted to see. It's not an exaggeration to say Jackie & Hyde were hugely popular, and I know I'm not remotely alone in my disappointment and hatred of the nonsensical Jackie-Fez ending. Even if I still dislike the outcome, at least I had answers.

And then I found out even more information, information that is starting to finally give me some goddamn closure (I'm only partially kidding). From what I've read, Danny and Mila fought tooth and nail against what was happening in the eighth season. They fought for Jackie & Hyde - ultimately, they simply had no power to change anything. 

Okay, recall time! A few paragraphs ago, I said I didn't think Wilmer specified being with one of the main characters. The reason why I think this is that allegedly, everyone was against ending the show with Jackie and Hyde apart. Everyone wanted them together, and everyone said so, but again - the cast was powerless to make it happen. If that's true, it contradicts the theory Wilmer wanted Fez to be with one of the main girls, unless he meant Fez being with Donna (which was never going to happen), and lends credence to what I heard - that he wanted a serious love interest, period. 

Really, it all comes down to this. I'm still mad about my favourite pairing not being together, and it kills me to think what we would have gotten if Fox hadn't been greedy and squeeze the cash cow as dry as possible. But at least I know what happened, and knowing Danny and Mila were against makes me feel better about it. It's hard to explain why, but I think it makes me happier to know this pairing meant a lot to them, too. 

Jackie and Hyde were my favourite part about the show, and something I always look forward to during a re-watch. Maybe one day I'll write a quick overview of the development of their characters and why I liked them so much, but for now, I can close the book on this mystery. 

Pictured: Best couple ever

 The mysterious source