Top 3 Toxic Couples I Still Ship
The one thing that pulls me into obsessive mode for any show or movie is complex characters. What really drives me crazy.... complex ships. And these three couples today are very toxic, but not all is what it seems on the surface.
Tom & Shiv
I wrote an essay that ended up being 8000+ words long. Succession is full of complex characters & these two are my favorite. When defending the idea that they never divorce, my main point is that they are not a normal couple. They didn't start dating out of love. The foundation of their relationship is money and power. My main point is also that Shiv was on the Zuko trajectory, except we never saw that season 3 redemption era. I also discussed how the script literally confirms they are together forever, even if it's not in a happily ever after sort of way. Tom also is everyone's pain sponge, not just Mattson's. He's not gonna go away. They're ultimately just stuck together. I love them more than they love each other.
Myself with Sebastian Sallow
Okay, this one is a stretch and probably one you didn't wanna see. But think about it. When it comes to choices in Hogwarts Legacy, nothing really matters.... except for Sebastian. You can learn all curses and not suggest he goes to Azkaban - you're just as bad as he is. You can choose to not learn curses and send him to Azkaban - that's the morally sound route. However! Even going lawful good, you are still an enabler to all his deeds leading up to his climax. Are you really any better than him? Then there's the true evil route - learn all curses, send his ass to Azkaban anyways. You leeched the good stuff off Sebastian than throw him away to a lifetime with the dementors. Sick! You gotta feel guilty after this lol.
Hannibal and Will
Imagine a gourmet cannibal chef therapist who slowly grooms his patient into being a serial killer. Wanna talk about toxic? This is literally as bad as it gets. I still think about this show often. I think there is such a lack of coupled villains. The Briarwoods from Critical Role are the best example I can think of honestly. While Hannibal didn't quite get to that, it definitely set up for it despite the source material telling us that Hannibal moves on to his next protege, Clarice. Though they've played around with said source material so who knows? For Will, it was finding someone who embraced the dark side to himself that no one would accept. For Hannibal, it was about finding his equal who would both challenge him and pleasure him. Talk about Love Crime, am I right?
