Again, inspired by the relationship seen in “Forever” (not the kids. We’ll get to them in another post.), here is my official top ten list of my favorite on-screen relationships. We will do this in reverse order.
10. Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne as Ike and Tina “What’s Love Got To Do With It?”
I am aware this relationship is problematic. Notice I put the actors names here and didn’t start with Ike and Tina. Ike was a mess and there is documented proof of that in the movie, in the book, and in life. I want to talk about Bassett and Fishburne specifically. You could not BUY that type of chemistry. Do you know how long we were angry with Laurence Fishburne in real life for what he did in that movie? Bassett has a whole husband and you would have thought he was Fishburne given their acting in this movie! For a story about a woman who was a survivor of abuse, there is no better set of actors I can think of that nail it. Think about it. There has to be a real deep level of comfort that you have to have to physically assault someone every single day on set. It’s. weird bravo to them. I’m sorry but not sorry. Go watch the movie yourself.
9. Friendships on “A Different World”
Another show where you cannot buy this type of chemistry. Ron and Dwayne were real people to me. Whitley and Kim were real people to me. Not only because of the way they were written but because the chemistry between them as friends in the show made me believe I was just watching “Napoleon Dynamite,” a day in the life type of story. To know that they carried those friendships beyond the screen is so beautiful. Many shows in the 90’s did that and that’s why I’m grateful that I was born in that decade.
8. Adonis and Bianca “Creed”
There was something magical about this casting. Til this day, when I see Michael and Tessa on a red carpet I think they are a secret couple. I was mad when she dated Janelle Monae because my brain said, “Not Michael’s lady.” For clarity, they are not together in real life but boy did this movie make me root for them on the outside. There’s nothing better than them in the first movie but that progression of the relationship from strangers to parents was also so lived in for the viewer. Bravo, Ryan.
6. Relationships on “This is Us”
I’m going to say all relationships minus Kevin’s. I don’t know why I never really connected with Kevin’s troubles. Probably because he brought a lot of it on himself. Their parents were perfect in their eyes and on screen. Randall and Beth are TOP TIER Black TV couples, and I almost just gave them this spot by themselves but then I thought about the parents, and Kate, and Miguel, and William and, everyone’s favorite, Nicki. We all cried for much of this series. Thank God it’s over because I don’t think I had any tears left!
5. Dawn and Eric “Forever”
I might be a little biased in this one (as if I won’t be in some others on this list but I digress) but I adore Wood Harris. He can do no wrong and I swear I didn’t see him in any commercials or advertisements for this series. (I also thought it was movie and not a series. I’ve been doing that a lot recently. Any who…) I was ecstatic to see him as the dad in this. Let me tell you what’s special about this couple. Shelly is an Alpha woman. There is no qualms about that. She is demanding, as we see with Justin, she’s a corporate finance executive, and her husband owns a restaurant. She could easily overtake that household, but she married a man who keeps her in check. Let me explain because I see some of you rolling your eyes and sucking your teeth. There is a powerful scene in the series (that I’m sure I will talk about in the breakdown of that episode) where Justin wants to go to Keisha to console and his mom is like it’s dark and you just got a car….nah, son (literally because that is her son). Dad steps in and it is THE BEST! He gives Justin a quick rundown of what he has to do and when to be home by. His mom is furious and confused as to why he would allow his son to be out that late. What about police? (They are in Los Angeles.) It’s just a girl. This is her problem and not his, and Eric simply tells her that he has to be a man and follow through. Let him fall if he has to, and Dawn complies. Does she like it? No, but she knows the kid she raised and she trusts the judgement of her husband. Eric does that a lot with Dawn in this series and I love the balance between then. Sometimes, he can’t help Justin. He has to deal with his mom on his own. Or Eric calls Dawn out for something she did that she knows is bad as a parent to do to her son. I just loved then both on screen. We’ll talk more about them later.
4. Relationships on “Pose”
Angel and Papi alone are worth this whole spot. Ballroom culture, and LGBTQ culture in general, are the embodiment of “it takes a village.” None of those women could survive without the other, and mind you, a couple of these women could not stand each other. But they knew despite whatever they went through personally with each other, they were stronger as a band than they ever would be solo. I love shows that feel like I’m just watching someone’s life and this show was just that. I was genuinely sad when it went away, but then again, it needed an end and the end was perfect. I allowed it.
3. Relationships on “Living Single”
Specifically, Scooter and Khadijah on this one. I never wanted Scooter and Khadijah to break up. Their relationship was so effortless. Sure, it got complicated but they were both business people, very passionate about what they did. It was hard for them to get away from wanting to be successful and wanting to be in love. Overton and Synclaire were a given from the first time we met them. The push and pull between Kyle and Max was always annoying because…
Much like the friendships in “A Different World” and “Pose,” the relationships between the girls was unmatched. I, honestly, can only think of two other friendships that are better, which leads me to #2.
2. Ron, Hermione, and Harry “Harry Potter”/Frodo and Sam “Lord of the Rings” series
The Genie was wrong when he said you ain’t never had a friend like me. Ron, Hermione, and Sam literally went through hell to save their friend. Sam basically was going to hell with Frodo. That’s how deep the friendship was for them. If you don’t have a friend like this in your life, please reassess. There is no better friendship you can name.
1. Dwayne and Whitley “A Different World”
I’ve seen a lot of talk online about my favorite couple ever in life and it sounds to me like the people didn’t watch the show correctly. Much like Keisha and Justin, the relationship was not meant to be perfect. Yes, there were going to be ups and downs. The people in the situation and the people around them are going to make mistakes. This does not mean that the people are broken or not worth being with. Some of y’alls think pieces make it seem like Dwayne beat Whitley and that did not happen. If anything, he was always trying to keep that lady safe! Either way, y’all know what it is already. Thee best couple on TV and I don’t want to hear nothing about it.
