History Main / TemporaryLoveInterest

* Most DomComs, especially ones with teen-agers, had temporary love interests. Usually, they were used to enforce that episode's [[AnAesop moral]].

Related to RomanticFalseLead, except that [[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds relationship must die]] for the OfficialCouple to be able to get together. Contrast to DisposableLoveInterest, who is a kind of SatelliteCharacter only there for a TokenRomance and tends not to even get the dignity of being killed off.

*** Barbara has a fling with [[GreenSkinnedSpaceBabe Blond-Haired Space Boy]] Alydon in "The Daleks" but leaves him, as well as several more. Lampshaded in the Eleventh Doctor comic "Hunters of the Burning Stone" where the Doctor, upon hearing Barbara was going to marry Ian, reels off a long list of 'broken hearts' she was going to leave.
*** Jo Grant seemed to leave a string of broken hearts in her wake, from Peladonian kings to Thal spacemen.
*** Ace is full-on CartwrightCurse, with anyone she so much as smiles at dying in the last episode (even [[LesYay a female cheetah]] isn't immune). The [[Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures New Adventures]] ran with this ''a lot''.

*** The novelisation of "Shada" has Skagra's SentientShip UpgradedToLoveInterest for the Fourth Doctor. They have a bit of awkward, semi-accidental GRatedSex but as she is an enormous invisible spaceship she is obviously unworkable as a companion, so she and the Doctor respectfully part so she can achieve independence (and punish Skagra).

*** In ''Voyage of the Damned'', this is done particularly badly -- she practically commits suicide through stupidity (see, after you use the forklift to push the bad guy off the edge, you could at least ''try'' to jump out...). He then tries to save her through a mild DeusExMachina, but it was broken in the wreck, and she [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence turns into a glowy remnant of herself]] that goes off into space and gets to see the Universe like she wanted.

** Whilst the Doctor was mostly immune in the original series (aside from Cameca in ''The Aztecs'', who gracefully accepts he has to leave her), this happened to an awful lot of companions. Jo Grant seemed to leave a string of broken hearts in her wake, from Peladonian kings to Thal spacemen. Ace is full-on CartwrightCurse, with anyone she so much as smiles at dying in the last episode (even [[LesYay a female cheetah]] isn't immune). The [[Literature/DoctorWhoNewAdventures New Adventures]] ran with this ''a lot''.

** Occasionally happens to temporary companions in ExpandedUniverse stories set during periods of solo travel, when a meaningful connection is required without upsetting television canon:

*** Most notorious is Serena, played by Kevin Sorbo's real life wife, who Hercules marries at the end of her second appearance (only having known her a few days) she is killed off in the very next episode

* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' Any girl with Sam or Dean.

* The titular character from ''Series/{{Merlin}}'' had Freya, a MysteriousWaif who is introduced and dies in the same episode - though she pops back occasionally as the Lady of the Lake.
* ''Series/{{Angel}}'' [[spoiler:Fred]] is one for Wesley, ''very'' temporarily.

** Any girl who asks the Doctor if she can travel with him but who would obviously not make a good companion for one reason or another in the David Tennant era:
*** In ''Voyage of the Damned'', this is done particularly badly -- she practically commits suicide through stupidity (see, after you use the forklift to push the bad guy off the edge, you could at least ''try'' to jump out...). He then tries to save her through a mild DeusExMachina, but it was broken in the wreck, and she [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence turns into a glowy remnant of herself]] that goes off into space and gets to see the Universe like she wanted.

*** Miss Lamb in ''Ghost Ship'', who has a ton of {{UST}} with the Fourth Doctor (between "The Deadly Assassin" and "The Face of Evil" and dies.
*** Ali in ''The Beast of Babylon'', who expresses a desire to travel with the Ninth Doctor and flirts with him about what kind of girls he likes (directly before the Doctor reappears in front of Rose at the end of "Rose"), but gracefully suggests that Rose would be a better partner for him before the Doctor has her PutOnABus.

** Any girl who asks the Doctor if she can travel with him but who would obviously not make a good companion for one reason or another in the David Tennant era:
*** In ''Voyage of the Damned'', this is done particularly badly -- she practically commits suicide through stupidity (see, after you use the forklift to push the bad guy off the edge, you could at least ''try'' to jump out...). He then tries to save her through a mild DeusExMachina, but it was broken in the wreck, and she [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence turns into a glowy remnant of herself]] that goes off into space and gets to see the Universe like she wanted.

*** Done for legitimate characterisation by River Song. In ''Forest of the Dead'', she sacrifices herself to prevent the deaths of thousands of other people and stabilize the Library's mainframe computer]]. Despite this, we see her past self go on many adventures with the Doctor, his companions, and eventually [[spoiler: marry the Doctor]]. Much later, a 'data ghost' of her from after her death gets to say goodbye to him properly. She still dies to preserve the status quo, but thanks to the MayflyDecemberRomance factor that was fairly inevitable and their relationship is meaningful to both characters nevertheless.
** Christine de Souza in "Planet of the Dead", a ClassyCatBurglar who both she and the Doctor constantly announce to the audience would be a perfect partner for him. Notable in that she doesn't actually die - they part amicably and she gets a flying London bus out of the deal.

*** Miss Lamb in ''Ghost Ship'', who has a ton of {{UST}} with the Fourth Doctor (between "The Deadly Assassin" and "The Face of Evil" and dies.
*** Ali in ''The Beast of Babylon'', who expresses a desire to travel with the Ninth Doctor and flirts with him about what kind of girls he likes (directly before the Doctor reappears in front of Rose at the end of "Rose"), but gracefully suggests that Rose would be a better partner for him before the Doctor has her PutOnABus.

* Any girl who asks the Doctor if she can travel with him on the new season of ''Series/DoctorWho.'' In [[spoiler:''Voyage of the Damned'', this is done particularly badly -- she practically commits suicide through stupidity (see, after you use the forklift to push the bad guy off the edge, you could at least ''try'' to jump out...). He then tries to save her through a mild DeusExMachina, but it was broken in the wreck, and she [[AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence turns into a glowy remnant of herself]] that goes off into space and gets to see the Universe like she wanted.]]
** Rose Tyler. In [[spoiler:''Journey's End'', she chooses to remain in Pete's World the Doctor's half-human clone, aka "Handy", after Handy whispers in Rose's ear what the Doctor would not - presumed by many fans to be "I love you". Handy also offers to spend his one, human life with Rose, saying that he will age and die as she does ("I could spend it with you, if you'd like"). The Doctor and Rose then part ways, presumably forever.]]
** River Song. In [[spoiler:''Forest of the Dead'', she sacrifices herself to prevent the deaths of thousands of other people and stabilize the Library's mainframe computer]]. Despite this, we see her past self go on many adventures with the Doctor, his companions, and eventually [[spoiler: marry the Doctor]].

** Occasionally happens to girls in ExpandedUniverse stories set during periods of solo travel, such as Miss Lamb in ''Ghost Ship'' (who has a ton of {{UST}} with the Fourth Doctor and dies) and Ali in ''The Beast of Babylon'' (who expresses a desire to travel with the Ninth Doctor and flirts with him, but gracefully suggests that Rose would be a better partner for him before the Doctor has her PutOnABus).

Thus, the TemporaryLoveInterest who shows up has a brief [[HappilyMarried idyllic relationship]] with the hero, then [[ThePlotReaper dies tragically]]. After that, she's usually [[ForgottenFallenFriend never mentioned again]]. If she's put out of the picture without dying, she's a GirlOfTheWeek. If a character has loads and loads of {{Temporary Love Interest}}s, they may have a CartwrightCurse.

Related to RomanticFalseLead, except that [[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds relationship must die]] for the OfficialCouple to be able to get together.

* In the original ''CharliesAngels'', any man an Angel shows interest in usually turns out to be the villain, and is then never mentioned again, which makes the HandWave explanation of Sabrina leaving the team to get married rather inexplicable.

** Which in itself parodies the same concept from ''JamesBond''.
* Even when ''JamesBond'' has a love interest that [[CartwrightCurse actually manages to survive the entire movie]], she's almost invariably completely forgotten in the next movie.

* ''TheBigCountry''

* ''Literature/{{Myth-O-Mania}}'' provides a possible explanation for the existence of this trope through Cupid's description of the different arrows he fires. Love induced with yellow-tipped arrows only lasts an hour. Orange-tipped arrows create romantic effects that wear off after three days. Red-tipped arrows avert this trope by making people permanently fall in love.

* ''SuperSentai'' is more fond of GirlOfTheWeek, but uses this trope occasionally. Examples include ''MahouSentaiMagiranger'', where Tsubasa falls for a beautiful IdolSinger who turns out to be DeadAllAlong; and ''GoseiSentaiDairanger'', where a villain is introduced to fall in love with Rin and then gets killed by Gara in the same episode.

* Played with on ''WesternAnimation/SamuraiJack'', where the temporary love (or respect) interest [[spoiler:turned out to be [[FoeYay Aku in disguise]].]]
* The girls in ''TotallySpies'' rarely keep a love interest for more than one episode due to StatusQuoIsGod.

* Most of the secondary male characters in ''SailorMoon'' who get close to the girls only appear in one episode; in fact, most of the familar supporting cast was, over time, completely phased out. The major exception was Yuuichiro, the slacker who lived at Rei's temple for several seasons. Ami's popularity with the fandom let her ambiguous rival/love interest relationship with the boy Ryo come up just twice.

* In the ''Literature/HoratioHornblower'' book ''Flying Colours'', Hornblower has an affair with a French widow named Marie, the daughter-in-law of the Comte de Gracay, while the Comte shelters Hornblower, Bush, and Brown after they escaped French captivity. While she [[GirlOfTheWeek survives the novel's events]], [[spoiler: she is [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse killed]] near the end of the next book she appears in, ''Lord Hornblower'']].

* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'': In the fourth episode "The Frogs and the Lobsters", during the mission in Mouzillac in France as supporters of the French Royalists, Horatio has an innocent brief romance with a local peasant girl turned into a teacher. Horatio persuades her to run away with him, though it's not clear what he wants to do with her once they get aboard his ship or to England. When they reach the bridge which the Navy is supposed to blow up, she's shot by French republican soldiers and dies instantly. Horatio cries BigNO and is shattered for the rest of the episode, but that's the last time we ever heard of Mariette. Note that this isn't too different from the fate of Marie, Hornblower's mistress in the [[Literature/Hornblower original books,]] making Mariette a likely {{Expy}}.

* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'': In the fourth episode "The Frogs and the Lobsters", during the mission in Mouzillac in France as supporters of the French Royalists, Horatio has an innocent brief romance with a local peasant girl turned into a teacher. Horatio persuades her to run away with him, though it's not clear what he wants to do with her once they get aboard his ship or to England. When they reach the bridge which the Navy is supposed to blow up, she's shot by French republican soldiers and dies instantly. Horatio cries BigNO and is shattered for the rest of the episode, but that's the last time we ever heard of Mariette.

* When the kids from ''{{Runaways}}'' went back in time to 1907, Victor found himself falling in love with a girl named Lillie. Their relationship followed this trope to the letter, except that she didn't die; she just decided at the last minute that she couldn't go with him back to the present.

* Mariette in the fourth episode of [[HoratioHornblower Horatio Hornblower]]. Has a brief love affair with the hero, then gets shot just as she's escaping with him and is never mentioned again.

* ''Series/HoratioHornblower'': In "The Frogs and the Lobsters", during the mission in Mouzillac in France as supporters of the French Royalists, Horatio has an innocent brief romance with a local peasant girl turned into a teacher. Horatio persuades her to run away with him, though it's not clear what he wants to do with her once they get aboard his ship or to England. When they reach the bridge which the Navy is supposed to blow up, she's shot by French republican soldiers and dies instantly. Horatio cries BigNO and is shattered for the rest of the episode, but that's the last time we ever heard of Mariette.