I’ve been obsessively watching “How I Met Your Mother” after discovering it late (super late) in the third season. Actually, I let it slip that I wasn’t watching it and then got harangued by everyone I knew for not knowing what it meant to be the married “Lily” of the group. Since then, I’ve been loving Neil Patrick Harris‘ bad Barney. His Lothario-dude, who would be a creepy, sadistic psychopath in real life, is adorable on TV as he wham-bam-thank-you-ma’ams his way through the ladies of New York. Except, this season he is adorable in a brand-new way. He’s found love with Robin, an uncomfortable, wince-inducing, awesome, making-out and having-googly-eyed-Sunday-brunch kind of love. And I love that he’s in love. Which got me thinking about all the other fictional characters that I’ve wanted to watch fall in love. Or at least get kissed.
- All the nerds on “The Big Bang Theory,” but most especially Sheldon: He’s prim, he’s smart, he’s adorably unable to deal with people. He might explode on smooch contact, but I still want it.
- Peggy from “Mad Men“: She’s certainly not having any trouble in the kiss department — Peter Campbell, the one-night-stands, Duck (really, Duck?). But she’s had nothing like love or even like, and maybe it’s making for some good internal conflict drama, because I know I’m feeling it. She’s the girl with hardly any place to call her own and even a whirlwind of loved and lost would give her some footing the show seems desperate to deny me.
- Lafayette from “True Blood“: After being chained up in the basement and suffering the hot, hot abuse from Eric, he deserves a honey. Not to mention, Lafayette in love would be a breeding ground for hysteria. He’d have to feel things!
- Eric from “True Blood”: I know, I know. Eric in love would actually be awful. Bill is so boring and it is Eric’s Viking sadism that’s piqued everyone’s attraction, but a girl can dream. In the meantime, we’ve got all those Sookie dreams on TiVo to hold us through.
- Ricki from “My So-Called Life“: So this is traveling in the way-back machine, but he’s stuck with me. Ricki was the first gay character that mattered to me. He was bigger than Ellen and way before kids in my small-time school started feeling safe to come out. Kind, generous, and so extremely sad and alone — I know he’s pretend, but I still want the best for him.
So that’s my list. Which unrequited lovers are on yours?
