Line #127 Main/NewOldFlame


1	A gentle RetCon to allow a previously unmentioned [[OldFlame love-of-their-life]] to pop up for a main character in an episode. Characteristically a TemporaryLoveInterest, this is a simple way to establish a relationship without buildup. Sometimes the long absence and sudden reappearance are explained by a FallbackMarriagePact.
2
3	Usually, it ends in death, PutOnABus, [[BusCrash death on a bus]], or with some similar ResetButton; a less dramatic way to end it is for the couple to simply [[OldFlameFizzle realise they don't have the same connection they once did]]. It's theoretically possible that this kind of reunion would result in the old romance rekindling to its former glory or something still greater, but in most cases, StatusQuoIsGod and this would create too many difficulties.
4
5	Often, the character with the New Old Flame is [[AbsenceMakesTheHeartGoYonder already (re-)married]], and it turns out it's not just the audience that's surprised.
6
7	Clumsily done, this can mess with the memory of a previous relationship carefully established over a StoryArc, and anger [[{{Shipping}} 'shippy]] fans. Elegantly done, it can leave us with TheWoobie.
8
9	The inverse situation, where the character does remember the love of their life but the reunion cures them of it, is OldFlameFizzle.
10
11	Compare to RememberTheNewGuy, RomanticFalseLead, TheOneThatGotAway, RelationshipRevolvingDoor. Contrast PsychoExGirlfriend. See also OopsIForgotIWasMarried when the old relationship causes ''legal'' problems for a current one.
12	----
13	!!Examples:
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15	[[foldercontrol]]
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17	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
18	* Done in ''Manga/HayateTheCombatButler'', concerning the past of [[spoiler:Athena]] and Hayate. Except that, while Hayate still holds a flame for her, it's not clear if she has the same for him. Their former relationship was left at the point of her[[spoiler: and/or the spirit possessing her,]] wanting to kill him.
19	* This trope is the basis of ''Manga/SekaiichiHatsukoi'' where the main character works under his high school crush at his new job. Played with in that he does not even recognize that person.
20	* In ''Manga/SoulEater'', Marie's New Old Flame Joe Buttakaki shows up. They both have leftover feelings for one another and are about to rekindle their relationship... when Joe suffers from [[spoiler:[[BusCrash Death On A Bus]]]]. It set off the Stein/Marie shippers since Stein is the one who consoles her.
21	* Done in the Spain arc of ''Anime/AshitaNoNadja'', with [[spoiler: Carmen]] as [[spoiler: José]]'s NOF. [[spoiler: It really doesn't go well.]]
22	* ''Manga/DadTheBeardGorillaAndI'': Just after the titular Beard Gorilla gets back from a dinner date with his crush, he bumps into a never-before-seen woman whom he reveals is his ex-girlfriend. His ex asks to meet up with him, and Kouji is worried she might want to get back together and makes things awkward. [[spoiler:Turns out the ex just wants to tell him that she's getting married, but the girl he likes sees them together and makes the wrong assumption anyway.]]
23	[[/folder]]
24
25	[[folder:Comic Books]]
26	* In ''ComicBook/BirdsOfPrey'', readers learn that ComicBook/BlackCanary has an ex-husband whom she married (and divorced) while in college.
27	* In the ''Comicbook/{{Daredevil}}'' comics, ComicBook/{{Elektra}} was introduced as Matt Murdock's previously unmentioned college girlfriend and love of his life. She died but got better.
28	* In the epilogue of ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', during the funeral of [[spoiler: Sentry]], Rogue reveals that they were in a relationship.
29	* In an issue of Matt Fraction's ''[[ComicBook/TheDefenders Defenders]]'' series, Comicbook/DoctorStrange accidentally brought his college crush BackFromTheDead. They spent a few days "renewing acquaintances" before he had to tell her what he'd done.
30	* ''ComicBook/HuntersHellcats'': In ''Our Fighting Forces'' #111, Hunter discovers that LaResistance leader codenamed 'Alouette' the Hellcats are being sent to rescue is his old college sweetheart.
31	* A while back, we learned that [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Bruce Banner]] of all people had an incredibly hot girlfriend in college, but dumped her because he was a neurotic twit. She's now an evil scientist, and still bitter about the breakup.
32	* In ''ComicBook/LoriLovecraft: The Big Comeback'', Lori encounters ex-lover R.C. Bowman: a former private eye now working as studio security.
33	* Billy Powers, an old high school boyfriend of Michael's, turns up in the ''ComicBook/MsTree'' story "Drop Dead Handsome". It doesn't feel especially forced as very little about Michael's high school days had been revealed. It ends [[FatalAttractor about as well as any of Michael's relationships do]].
34	* Glittering Goldie is [[ComicBook/DisneyDucksComicUniverse Scrooge McDuck]]'s one true love. They break up due to {{poor communication kills}} ... and some accident and bad choices and such. "The Prisoner of White Agony Creek", "Hearts of the Yukon" and "Last Sled to Dawson" show as much.
35	* Lori Lemaris was this in UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age\|of Comic Books}} ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'' comics: Clark Kent's sweetheart from college (who turns out to be secretly an Atlantean mermaid).
36	* Happens to ComicBook/{{Wolverine}} all the time, due to his long life and ExpansionPackPast. Notably, when Jean Grey first manifested as the Phoenix way back when, Wolverine spends some time thinking about how he'd never loved anyone as much as he loved her. Given that at least a half-dozen apparently serious relationships have since been added to his pre-X-Men days, it suggests that either he didn't really love them, or he loved Jean (a girl who, at the time, regarded him as nothing but annoying) beyond all reason.
37	[[/folder]]
38
39	[[folder:Fan Works]]
40	* The ''VideoGame/StarTrekOnline'' Foundry mission [[Recap/StarTrekOnlineFoundryTheInterwarpExperiment "The Interwarp Experiment"]] has this as one option for the backstory between the PlayerCharacter and Commander Jerrod Dalton. He was either your madly-in-love soulmate at Starfleet Academy, or he was your bitter rival. [[spoiler:He dies of radiation poisoning during the mission.]]
41	[[/folder]]
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43	[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
44	* The titular WesternAnimation/{{Robin Hood\|1973}} and Maid Marian, who had been childhood friends and were in love before they were separated for some time and later reunited.
45	[[/folder]]
46
47	[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
48	* ''Film/BeyondTheValleyOfTheDolls'': Baxter is introduced as Susan's former love interest who tried proposing to her but was a victim of bad timing. They quickly get back together upon his return (with Baxter ditching his fiance to do so) and get married at the end.
49	* ''Film/BlondeSavage'': When Steve Blake arrives at Mark Harper's diamond mine, he discovers that Harper's wife Connie is a former girlfriend of his whom he has not seen in five years. Connie immediately starts making a play for the handsome Blake as her ticket out of the jungle.
50	* In ''Film/TheBravados'', Jim Douglass rides into Rio Arriba hoping to see the execution of the four men he believes murdered his wife. In town, Douglass happens upon Josefa Velarde, whom he met and fell in love with nearly five years previously in New Orleans. She has been looking after her late father's ranch and has never married.
51	* ''Film/KuchKuchHotaHai'': Despite Anjali is already engaged to Aman, by the time she and his long lost best friend, Rahul, meet again after being estranged for years, she comes to fall for Rahul again.
52	* ''Film/LaHabanera'' kicks off with Astrée, a young Swedish woman vacationing in Puerto Rico, falling in love with a local landowner and impulsively deciding to stay. A ten-year TimeSkip reveals that the marriage has gone bad. Then the film cuts back to Sweden and reveals Dr. Nagel, her old boyfriend from the backstory before she came to Puerto Rico. Naturally, Dr. Nagel winds up going to Puerto Rico too.
53	* ''Film/MissFisherAndTheCryptOfTears'': As is typical for the divine Miss Fisher, Professor Linnaeus is yet another former admirer of hers (who would like very much to be a current admirer) who was never mentioned in ''Series/MissFishersMurderMysteries''. (This kind of thing happens all the time in [[Literature/PhryneFisher the books]] as well.)
54	* In ''Film/PiratesOfTheCaribbeanOnStrangerTides'', Jack has one in TheDragon, Angelica, [[spoiler:Blackbeard's daughter]]. Notable in that she is the ''only'' woman he has ever truly loved.
55	* Done with a twist in ''Film/RobotAndFrank''. Frank is smitten with Jennifer, the small town's librarian. As it turns out, [[spoiler:she's actually his ex-wife from before, but he doesn't remember due to his growing Alzheimer's.]]
56	* ''Film/TheParentTrap1998'': Upon seeing his ex-wife again after being estranged for years, Nick obviously falls in love again with Elizabeth as he is unable to take his eyes off of her despite being with his fiancée, Meredith, inside an elevator. Later, when encountering Elizabeth again, he [[HeadTurningBeauty is so mesmerized by her beauty, so much so that he plunges into the pool]].
57	* In ''Film/TomorrowNeverDies'', the villain's wife, Paris Carver, is an old lover of Film/JamesBond. Given Bond's [[ReallyGetsAround history]], this probably happens a lot.
58	* ''Film/YoungLadyChatterleyII'' introduces Robert as Cynthia's FirstLove. She is overjoyed when she learns he is coming to visit her estate in England. She is shocked to discover that he has joined the priesthood in their years apart.
59	[[/folder]]
60
61	[[folder:Literature]]
62	* ''Literature/TheHollows'': Pierce, Rachel's guy she compares all other guys with, shows up even though we have never heard of him before. When explaining his back story, they bring up that he had helped her defeat an undead vampire. While this incident is occasionally mentioned over the course of the books, this is the first time where it is mentioned that she had help.
63	%%* In L. Jagi Lamplighter's ''[[Literature/ProsperosDaughter Prospero Lost]]'', Ferdinand reappears. With even a reasonable explanation of why he didn't show up for their wedding. Then it turns out he's a fake, then it turns out -- let's just say this trope gets zigzagged in this work.
64	* Chad in the ''Literature/TalesOfAnMazingGirl'' story "Weirder Spreadsheets of love [[spoiler:it turns out he was less a lost lover then a guy she slept with once to boost his popularity]]
65	* The Franchise/StarTrek novel ''Shadows On A Sun'' brings back [=McCoy=]'s ex-wife and has the start of a romance before [[spoiler:she dies.]]
66	** [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''Literature/HowMuchForJustThePlanet'', in which [=McCoy=] ribs Kirk about how many of the people they've met who were his girlfriend at one point or another, and even Spock joins in, stating that the doctor raises a "valid statistical point". Surprising no one ''except'' Kirk, he briefly dated the ambassador they're transporting around eighteen years ago and just misremembered her name. [=McCoy=] excuses himself and Spock, presumably so he can die laughing somewhere in private.
67	* In ''[[Literature/TheFirebringerTrilogy Son of Summer Stars]]'', [[spoiler:Ses]] eventually reconnects with [[spoiler:Calydor]] after [[spoiler:Korr]] dies. It's all but outright stated to actually work out for them.
68	* ''Literature/LegacyOfTheDragokin'': Jago had a close relationship with Daniar in the past; expecting-a-child close. However, he is not mentioned in the previous book, ''Literature/TrappedOnDraconica'', where Daniar starts a relationship with Kalak that ends with marriage and a kid by the time he is introduced.
69	%%* ''Literature/TheLastDragonChronicles'': Arthur Merriman to Liz Pennykettle.
70	* In the ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' novel ''Literature/LordsAndLadies'', though neither ''character'' is actually new, it does come as a bit of a surprise to learn that Mustrum Ridcully and Esmerelda Weatherwax were, at one time, An Item (and are explicitly stated to be ''married'' in an alternate reality).
71	* In ''Literature/{{Overenskommelser}}'' by Creator/SimonaAhrnstedt, Lily Tremaine is this to Seth (the story's male protagonist). But in the end, [[spoiler: they break off their engagement, so Lily can be with her new love Alexandre and Seth can be with Beatrice (the story's female protagonist)]].
72	[[/folder]]
73
74	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
75	* ''Series/TheATeam'':
76	** Although not a lover, one episode is based around the funeral of their old army buddy. There's a lot of tender reminiscing and even a lingering close-up of a photo of the five of them standing together in uniform. This is made only ''slightly'' less poignant by the fact that ''we've never heard of this guy before, nor will we again''.
77	** A more traditional version of the trope is "[[Recap/TheATeamS2E3TheOnlyChurchInTown The Only Church In Town]]", in which Face's first love Leslie Becktall turns up after a fifteen-year absence. (During which time she's [[TakingTheVeil become a nun]]. Ouch.) The fact that Face never mentioned her before actually makes sense inside the story, however, as she seemingly "dropped off the face of the earth" after standing him up, and this obviously hurt Face a lot, explaining why he wouldn't want to discuss it.
78	* In ''Series/{{Alias}}'', Noah Hicks, Sydney's former partner, shows up for a few episodes at the end of Season One.
79	* Happened in an episode of ''Series/{{Angel}}'' when Doyle's ex-wife, Harry, popped in to get their divorce papers signed. Needless to say, Doyle's new love interest Cordelia was surprised by how much that bothered her.
80	* ''Series/BabylonFive'':
81	** Sheridan's ''real'' first wife in the fifth season, Captain Elizabeth Locksley. They were only married for a couple of months before they realized that, both of them having dominant personalities, they couldn't really make it work long-term. Interestingly, in this case, the "former wife" angle wasn't used for any of the normal reasons, but to explain why Sheridan knew he could trust her, even though she'd fought on the opposite side of Sheridan during the war. This is brought up again in ''Series/{{Crusade}}'', just to tease Gideon about his hero.
82	** Lise Hampton, Garibaldi's former significant other, shows up mid-fourth-season (after a couple of mentions in the first season) married to his new boss, [[CorruptCorporateExecutive William Edgars]]. To Garibaldi's credit, he kept things remarkably professional. In a strange twist (for this trope, not for the overall storyline, in which you could see it coming a mile off), Edgars [[DeathOfTheHypotenuse dies]] (no, Garibaldi didn't do it, nor did he even necessarily ''want'' it to happen) and the two get back together by the end of the season. Not only that, but Garibaldi essentially inherits Edgars's financial empire through her (though this is considered a ''side effect'' of the marriage), quitting as security chief and moving to Mars Dome.
83	** Catherine Sakai, Commander Sinclair's old flame, shows up unexpectedly on the station in season one. In the season one finale, they get engaged. [[spoiler: Sinclair's recall to Minbar and travelling back in time to become Valen put a stop to the wedding, though, and Catherine [[WhatHappenedToTheMouse simply vanished from the story]]. The ExpandedUniverse finally stepped in and wrote that Catherine got yanked through a time rift and it all worked out -- about [[LoveTranscendsSpacetime a thousand years ago]]]].
84	* ''Series/BarbaryCoast'': In "Guns for a Queen", a load of rifles is hijacked, and Cable has Cash put out the word that he know an interested buyer: Jeff in disguise. The plan is complicated by the arrival of a girl from both their pasts, who, with her new husband, is seeking to buy the guns herself for a proposed revolution in Tahiti.
85	* ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'':
86	** Lee Adama is angsty when he is reminded of his ex-girlfriend, whom he ran from after she told him she was pregnant with his child. Which is reasonable, just that he is the closest thing to a protagonist in this show, and the first time this is mentioned is in the 14th episode of the ''second season''.
87	** In the minisodes we discover that Gaeta was involved with an Eight model Cylon on New Caprica. It doesn't end well. Although there's been no mention of this up till now, the webisode cleverly works in a previously unexplained NoodleIncident -- what Baltar whispered in Gaeta's ear before he found that ThePenIsMightier.
88	* ''Series/BlackSaddle'': In "Client: [=McQueen=]", Clay is hired by his old employer Senator [=McQueen=] to get back control of his ranch. [=McQueen=]'s daughter Susan -- now married -- is an old crush of Clay's.
89	* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': When Camille Saroyan joins the cast in Season 2, she's revealed to be an old girlfriend of Booth's, and the two soon resume their relationship for a brief time. It doesn't last too long before they break up mid-season after Cam almost dies and remain very AmicableExes and good friends for the rest of the series, each finding other love interests with whom they're more compatible (Bones for Booth and Arastoo for Cam).
90	* In one episode of ''Series/{{Castle\|2009}}'', he and Beckett investigate a murder that took place during the wedding of one of Castle's exes. [[spoiler:There's jealousy from Beckett's side, a lot of talk at the station, and a brief rekindling between Castle and the girl before she does get married and tells Beckett, "He's all yours."]]
91	* ''Series/Charmed1998'' has a variant, where in the first season Prue's love interest is the same guy she dated in high school. {{Deconstructed\|Trope}} -- they sleep together on the first date of their new relationship, but Prue objects when Piper argues that that's equivalent to sleeping with the guy on the "first date," since they already know each other.
92	* Frasier's first wife in ''Series/{{Cheers}}''. She appeared twice more in ''Series/{{Frasier}}'', each time played by [[TheOtherDarrin a different actress]].
93	* Lucille in the last two episodes of ''Series/Chef1993'' served this purpose.
94	* In an episode of ''Series/ClarissaExplainsItAll'', Janet's first boyfriend from high school, Joey Russo, who is now a successful author, comes to visit. Clarissa is worried that Joey coming by will spark old feelings for her mother. Marshall, meanwhile, is irked by the whole thing as well. Joey also seems convinced that Janet still loves him and tries to act like he's going to be a new stepfather to Clarissa and Ferguson. In the end, Joey is such a smarmy douche, everyone is glad when he finally leaves. In a weird way, Clarissa was right. Joey did spark old feelings in Janet: he reminded her why she married Marshall instead.
95	* Justified when Three and Two's respective old flames Sarah and Dr Irena Shaw are introduced in ''Series/DarkMatter2015'', since the ''Raza'' crew are all total amnesiacs and not even the protagonists themselves knew they existed.
96	* ''Series/DeadGorgeous'': In "Love's First Kiss", a painting of one of Rebecca's suitors is brought to Ainsbury High. Heathcliffe the suitor jumps out of the portrait, putting Jonathan in there instead, and goes in pursuit of Rebecca.
97	* ''Series/TheDoctorBlakeMysteries'': In "King of the Lake", the mother of the VictimOfTheWeek turns out to have been Lucien's first serious girlfriend.
98	* ''Series/DoctorWho'':
99	** "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS28E3SchoolReunion School Reunion]]": In the Classic series, Sarah Jane was at most an occasionally ImpliedLoveInterest with tons of chemistry with both her Doctors and some very subtle ShipTease hints regarding the Fourth Doctor having one-sided feelings for her. This New series episode does away with the subtext entirely and {{revision}}s her into TheOneThatGotAway.
100	** Reconstructed in River Song. She is most likely a new old flame from the Doctor's personal future. When the Tenth Doctor meets her for the first time, she is extremely intimate with him right from the start, even knowing his true name and calling him sweetie and pretty boy. Then she [[spoiler: sacrifices herself to save 4400 people, including the Doctor, and dies in front of him.]] After he regenerates into the Eleventh Doctor, they spend several episodes flirting, during which Amy Pond decides she must be the Doctor's future wife. By the end of the fifth series, he may or may not have proposed to her. (He seems unsure himself whether he just did or not.)
101	* ''Series/DueSouth'':
102	** Victoria and Fraser at the end of the first season.
103	** In season 2, Ray V's high school sweetheart, Irene Zuko, was introduced [[spoiler: and killed]] in the episode "Juliet is Bleeding".
104	* Subverted in ''Series/EarthFinalConflict'': William Boone's old flame appears after several years of absence and, in spite of Boone's wife's recent death, he's unusually inflamed with passion, something extremely out of character for him. It's later revealed that Boone's memories of their life together are false and were included in his cyberviral implant as a loyalty test by the Companions, and they had recruited an FBI agent to play the part of the former girlfriend.
105	** It's also unclear if she really is working against the Taelons or was just saying that to test Boone.
106	* In the ''Series/EnemyAtTheDoor'' episode "The Prussian Officer", a woman who comes to live on the island is revealed to be the old flame of, of all people, the SS officer Reinicke. They met and fell in love in Paris, but her family was persecuted for Communist links and he wasn't willing at the time to risk his career in an attempt to protect her. [[spoiler:He still isn't.]]
107	* The second episode of ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' introduces a new head of General Dynamics, after the one from the pilot is ReassignedToAntarctica. He turns out to be Allison's ex-husband (although not the father of her autistic son). They later rekindle their relationship, much to Carter's chagrin, [[spoiler:but he ends up performing a HeroicSacrifice on their wedding day]]. Also, Carter's ex-wife shows up for an episode, but neither has any intention of getting back together.
108	* ''Series/FatherBrown'': In "The Face of the Enemy", an old flame of Lady Felicia's -- who may or may not be a Soviet spy--attempts to persuade her to leave her husband and run away with him.
109	* ''Series/FBIMostWanted'': In "[[Recap/FBIMostWantedS01E04 Caesar]]", Barnes encounters Sandra Coates, a woman she was involved with when working undercover with NYPD, and takes up with her again to get an 'in' with Cleo's gang.
110	* In an episode of ''Series/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir'', Ashley debates sleeping with her boyfriend Derek, who, according to their dialogue, is both her longtime boyfriend and her childhood sweetheart. Except he's never been seen or mentioned before in the previous six years of the show.
111	* The war buddy version is seen in the ''Series/{{Firefly}}'' episode "[[Recap/FireflyE12TheMessage The Message]]" with Tracey.
112	* In ''{{Series/Fringe}}'' season one, Olivia runs into a former flame, Lucas in "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones." Peter also has a run-in with a supposed past lover, Tess, in "The Dreamscape."
113	* ''Series/FrontierCircus'': Ben encounters one in "The Good Fight". She is now the widow of a CattleBaron who is attempting to drive out a peaceful religious community so she can take their land.
114	* ''Series/TheGhostAndMrsMuir'':
115	** A variant occurs in "Vanessa". A woman turns up in Schooner Bay with some old love letters from Captain Gregg to her great-great-grandmother, who was also named Vanessa. The captain finds himself falling for her, as he did for her ancestor in the 1840s.
116	** Played straight in "Mister Perfect". Mrs. Muir's old boyfriend turns up on his yacht and wants to marry her. At first, the captain tries to stop them; [[IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy then he decides to help them get together]].
117	* Amanda in ''Series/{{Highlander}}: The Series'' is introduced this way, early on. Duncan's current girlfriend Tessa is not amused. (She later comes back after Tessa dies, and they are an on-and-off couple for much of the series.)
118	* Used in the [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin aptly-named]] ''Series/HogansHeroes'' episode "Klink's Old Flame". It's played with, though: Klink hears that his old flame is coming to the stalag, but she is now married to an influential general. Knowing that if she rediscovers her old feelings for him, he could end up fired or shot, [[HilarityEnsues he takes drastic measures to make himself as unattractive to her as possible.]] [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted though, as it's later revealed she never got past a handshake with him, and she's actually an underground agent who arranged the 'reunion' to meet with Hogan.]]
119	* ''Series/HomicideLifeOnTheStreet'': One episode centered on Howard returning to her hometown and reuniting with her never-before-mentioned ex-boyfriend, with the two clearly carrying a torch for each other still. It was justified, as Howard tended to be secretive about her personal life and kept it mostly separate from her job, so it made sense she'd never mention him before.
120	* In the second series of ''Series/TheHour'', we are introduced to Randall Brown, the new head of news, who, as it turns out, has a history with Lix.
121	* Dr. Series/{{House}} and the now-married Stacy.
122	** And as of season 7, Cuddy, though that one didn't last long.
123	** Zig-zagged with Sam, Wilson's first ex-wife. It was always canon that Wilson had been married and divorced three times, but the only things we knew about Wife #1 were that she was married to Wilson and that she served him with divorce papers the weekend he met House. The series doesn't even give her a name until the episode where Wilson tells Thirteen he's thinking of getting back in contact with her.
124	* ''Series/{{Hustle}}'': Emma encounters a new old flame named Joe Ryan, who is everything the grifters are not, in "Old Sparks Come New".
125	* ''Series/ICarly2021'': A month after being dumped by her ex-boyfriend Beau, Carly runs into a man named Luke at Spencer's party. Carly and Luke know each other from camp when they were younger, but the audience never saw this in the [[Series/{{iCarly}} original show]]. The date doesn't work out, as Luke took Carly to a restaurant that only serves whey. Not whey protein powder, actual whey liquid.
126	* ''Series/InterviewWithTheVampire2022'': In "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E3IsMyVeryNatureThatOfADevil Is My Very Nature That of a Devil]]", a jealous Lestat de Lioncourt suspects that Jonah Macon was "an old love" of Louis de Pointe du Lac, although the latter attempts to downplay it by claiming that he and Jonah had "a few early fumbles." However, it's later revealed that Lestat had secretly followed them, and he cries out to Louis in anguish, "[[AnguishedOutburst I HEARD YOUR HEARTS DANCING!!]]" When a vampire is in love, the rhythm of their heartbeats become synchronized with that of their beloved's (this happened to Louis and Lestat in "[[Recap/InterviewWithTheVampire2022S1E1InThroesOfIncreasingWonder In Throes of Increasing Wonder...]]"), so this indicates that Louis has residual feelings for Jonah.
127	* ''Series/JakeAndTheFatman'': In "Out of Nowhere", Jake and the FBI go after Victor Potemkin, a suspected drug smuggler. But when they raid his house they find no drugs, but Jake finds someone he knows - a woman who disappeared overnight just as he was about to propose to her.
128	* In ''Series/KimsConvenience'', Jung runs into an ex-girlfriend from his high school days at work. Said ex, Grace, is now a lawyer (a stark contrast to Jung who dropped out of school and was a juvenile delinquent) and is visiting from another city for work-related matters. Despite having broken up with Jung for a good reason (he got drunk and wreaked havoc at her family dinner), Grace agrees to go out to dinner with him later. Despite a scuffle with their meddling mothers [[MyBelovedSmother (who not only planned for them to meet up but also join them for dinner to discuss their future)]], the two still rekindle things and hookup that night but don't take things further.
129	* ''Series/LawAndOrderCriminalIntent'':
130	** In "Palimpsest", Nichols and Stevens investigate a double murder. Nichols discovers that one of the victims is an old family friend, whose daughter, Lenore, is an old sweetheart of Nichols' (they had to break up because she developed schizophrenia).
131	** In an earlier episode, Nichols tells a suspect about an ex-wife who left him because she didn't want him to be a cop when he had never even hinted at being married before. This one is only possibly an example since Nichols has been known to lie about his personal life in order to establish a rapport with a suspect. [[note]]The timeline of that relationship and marriage also conflicts with the point in time when he was dating Lenore, further suggesting that the marriage was fictional.[[/note]]
132	* ''Series/LoveAndWar'':
133	** In "The Prima Dava", Wally and Jack find Jack's old flame (guest star Tracey Ullman) sleeping in his bed ... and unwilling to leave without a fight this time.
134	** In "Ten Cents a Dance", Jack watches from the sidelines as a long-lost love waltzes back into Dana's life during a dance marathon.
135	* ''Series/MadMen'' introduces an old flame of Roger Sterling's, whom he dated in [[GayParee Paris]] before [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the war]].
136	* ''Series/TheMagician'': The two-part "Illusion of the Curious Counterfeit" begins when a previously unseen ex-girlfriend of Tony's arrives on his doorstep being chased by gangsters.
137	* ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'': Otto's conscience was finally starting to torment him for having tricked his rival out of the way so he could marry Gretchen. Otto then invited said rival over. However, when it turned out said rival was still in love with Gretchen all those years, Otto expelled him before Gretchen ever knew he came back.
138	* An episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}'' had womanizing Hawkeye's "one true love" from med school show up.
139	* On ''Series/MyNameIsEarl'', many of Earl's exes have been on The List, including a clingy girl Earl broke up with [[FakingTheDead in a horrible way]], and the last woman he dated before his AccidentalMarriage to Joy, and a [[{{Yandere}} one-legged one-night-stand]]. His [[spoiler:first]] ex-wife Joy is listed several times as well.
140	* ''Series/{{NCIS}}'':
141	** Tony's ex-fiancee Wendy shows up mid-season 9. Whether she'll be the RomanticFalseLead or the actual LoveInterest was toyed with and eventually dropped.
142	** Jessica's ex-boyfriend Gage Winchester, a park ranger, appears in the Season 20 episode ''Leave No Trace''. This creates an awkward situation between her, Jimmy, and Gage. Thankfully, Gage shows maturity and already knows she belongs with Jimmy by the end of the episode.
143	** Vance has a zig-zagged version in the form of Lena Paulsen in the Season 20 episode ''Guardian''. Despite this being Lena's only episode in the series, it is established that Vance had a yearly one-night stand with her whenever he traveled to Germany some time after his wife's death.
144	** Alden Parker has one in the form of a childhood girlfriend Joy Aaronson (Creator/RachelTicotin) introduced in the Season 20 episode ''Bridges''. It is established that Parker never got over the circumstances that led to their breakup. By the time the episode starts, her son Travis stole Parker's identity, which leads to a reunion between the pair and an eventual arrest of two Russian spies. During the aftermath, Parker considers rekindling their romance after hearing that his ex-wife (a former FBI agent) deduced Joy's identity and paid her a visit without his knowledge.
145	* ''Series/TheNewAdventuresOfRobinHood'': In "First Love", Robin's former fiancé Olivia seeks the outlaw hero's help in rescuing her husband.
146	* ''Series/TheNewAvengers'': The villain in "Obsession" is an ex-fiancee of Purdey who had never been mentioned before.
147	* ''Series/NewTricks'': Sandra acquires one in the form of DCI James Larson in "Objects of Desire". This does not end well when James [[spoiler:turns out to be a DirtyCop]].
148	* Don Eppes of ''Series/{{NUMB3RS}}'' has a few.
149	** In "Counterfeit Reality", the Secret Service agent working the case is Don's ex-fiancee from Albuquerque. Since it's still early in the series, it's more of this to Charlie (who didn't even realize Don had been seriously involved with anyone) than to the audience.
150	** "Guns and Roses" had Don investigating the murder of an ex-girlfriend he had never mentioned. Somewhat {{justified\|Trope}} in that he apparently had quite a few exes, and there's no reason for him to have mentioned this one in particular until she became the subject of his case.
151	** Liz Warner edges into this on her first appearance; she and Don were never actually together, likely at least in part because he was her teacher, but it's pretty clear by the way they talk about it that there were some mutual feelings even back then.
152	* In ''Series/OnceUponATime'', Emma's ex-boyfriend and the father of her son, Neal, makes a reappearance in Seasons 2 and 3, creating a difficult situation for her; she's still in love with him, but [[TheFirstCutIsTheDeepest is so stung by the depths of his past betrayal]] that just can't bring herself to trust him. And when you factor in how Neal's best friend/BigBrotherMentor is [[LoveTriangle vying for her affections as well]]...
153	* The same plot mechanism is put to different use (with shades of "LukeIAmYourFather") in ''Series/ThePretender'' episode "At the Hour of Our Deaths", which revolves around Miss Parker's adoptive sister -- never hinted at before, dead by the end of the episode, and never referred to again. The series also included several straight instances.
154	* ''Series/{{Rake}}'': Jack, Hilary's ex-girlfriend, appears in Season 4, to Cleaver's surprise (he had no idea she was into women). They get back together again after this.
155	* ''Series/RookieBlue'':
156	** Det. Jo Rosati is Luke's ex-girlfriend. She joins 15th Division at the start of season 2 and forms a love triangle with Luke torn between her and his girlfriend Andy. [[spoiler: Jo and Luke sleep together which leads to Andy dumping Luke]].
157	** In season 3, a new rookie joins the division. He happens to be Gail's old boyfriend from before she became a cop. After they broke up he joined the army, served in Afghanistan, and then became a cop himself. They still have lots of UST and other unresolved issues since they apparently broke up while they were in Vagas and about to get married.
158	** In the season 3 finale, Chris' old girlfriend showed up...[[spoiler:with their son.]]
159	* ''Series/SchittsCreek'':
160	** In Season 3, David's manipulative, selfish ex-boyfriend Sebastien Raine shows up in town.
161	** In Season 4, [[spoiler:Patrick's ex-fiancee Rachel comes to town looking to rekindle their relationship.]]
162	* ''Series/SexLife'': Brad and Billie used to be an item, and meeting him again while having troubles in her marriage re-ignites her attraction to him.
163	* ''Franchise/StarTrek'':
164	** Comes up quite a bit in ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries''. Despite his reputation as a "love 'em and leave 'em" type, Kirk has apparently had several serious relationships and most of the women, such as Areel Shaw and Janet Wallace, still hold tender feelings toward him. Janice Lester, not so much. This occurred again in ''Film/StarTrekIITheWrathOfKhan'' with Carol Marcus. [=McCoy=] and Chapel also have former love interests appear, sort of.
165	** ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'':
166	*** Lenara Kahn from "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS04E06Rejoined Rejoined]]" is a rare in-universe version of this for Jadzia Dax: the previous hosts of their respective symbionts had been married, but Jadzia and Lenara had never actually met. The episode is used as a metaphor for closeted homosexuality since Trill law forbids previously related symbionts from resuming their past relationship (the fact that their current hosts are both female is unimportant in the story, though clearly relevant for purposes of the metaphor).
167	*** Played straight in "[[Recap/StarTrekDeepSpaceNineS02E18ProfitAndLoss Profit and Loss]]", in which Quark's old flame from the Bajoran Occupation, a Cardassian pro-democracy activist named Natima Lang, returns to the station. She is never heard from again after this episode and Quark goes back to his old womanizing tricks.
168	** ''Series/StarTrekEnterprise'' introduces Captain Erika Hernandez, captain of the NX-02 ''Columbia'', as Jonathan Archer's ex-girlfriend in season four. Interestingly, they didn't break up for the usual reasons, but simply because he got promoted and she didn't, so [[InappropriatelyCloseComrades their relationship went against regs]]. After the Xindi crisis, they're again equal in rank, and after a couple of nights of mountain climbing and soul-searching, they rekindle their romance. The later episodes "Affliction" and "Divergence", in which Erika reappears, neither confirm nor deny whether said rekindling lasted, but a certain intimacy in the way they look at each other hints that this time it stuck.
169	* ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'':
170	** An oft-ignored season one episode introduces us to [[TheCasanova Dean]] [[TheCharmer Winchester]]'s ex-girlfriend Cassie. We get a glimpse of what Dean looks like in love, and it turns out he's kind of a sap. Sam has fun needling him about it until he realizes who dumped whom and why, and how badly [[TheWoobie Dean]] actually got hurt.
171	** Another introduced Lisa, who now had a son with a suspicious resemblance to Dean, born about the right time after he knew her. [[spoiler: It's not his]]. Lisa returns [[spoiler: at the end of the fifth season and in the sixth, where Dean settles down with her and she actually has yet to die.]]
172	** In another episode Dean returns to a foster home where he briefly stayed as a boy. He is then reunited with the girl who was his first real girlfriend. She does not seem to remember who he was but then reveals that she remembers Dean quite well and is still pissed at him for leaving without an explanation the day they were supposed to go to their first dance together. She represents a life that Dean could have had if he chose to remain with the foster family rather than go back to his father and Sam.
173	* Jack Harkness and John Hart in ''Series/{{Torchwood}}'', John is also Jack's EvilCounterpart.
174	** Unsurprisingly, Jack has a few more of these. The radio plays gave us Stella Courtney (from 30 years ago) in ''The Dead Line'', and the Duchess in ''Golden Age'' (very much a New Old Flame; he hasn't seen her since 1924, she hasn't aged a day).
175	** And again from the series itself, Estelle from the episode "[[Recap/TorchwoodS1E5SmallWorlds Small Worlds]]". The twist in that case being that Jack is passing himself off as the son of her former lover (himself), apparently not wanting to explain his immortality to her. However, when she's [[spoiler:killed by [[TheFairFolk the fairies]]]], Jack is clearly heartbroken.
176	** Plus, in ''Series/TorchwoodChildrenOfEarth'', there's Jack's former lover and mother of his daughter. We never meet her as she has already died by this point, but she definitely counts.
177	** Then there's Angelo in ''Series/TorchwoodMiracleDay'', who ends up being the reason this whole mess started. Unfortunately, he comes back [[spoiler:on his deathbed, in a coma, and dies shortly after]].
178	* Bobby for Hilda on ''Series/UglyBetty''. [[spoiler:Seeing how he came along towards the end of the series, they ended up getting married in the GrandFinale.]]
179	%%* ''Series/{{Chuck}}'': Casey has had ''two'' of these.
180	* Ranger Ben served as one of these for C.J. in ''Series/TheWestWing''
181	* ''Series/TheWesterner'': One appears in the first episode "Jeff", with Dave travelling to a remote town after hearing his old flame is working as a saloon girl there.
182	* ''Series/WildCards2024'': It turns out Cole has an ex-girlfriend, Rachel, who's a federal agent, and they split up over her taking the job. She's introduced in "The Accountant of Monte Cristo" and was never mentioned before. It's clear they still have some feelings for each other. [[spoiler:At the end Rachel offers for them to get back together, but he decides against it, liking his job in Vancouver.]]
183	* In ''Series/TheXFiles'', two of Mulder's ex-girlfriends make an appearance, and there are also two past relationships of Agent Scully.
184	** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E12Fire Fire]]": Mulder receives a visit from Phoebe Greene who asks for his assistance on a case. She's his old flame from his university days at Oxford and works now as a Detective in Scotland Yard. They get it on, but she cheats on him once more and in the end, she leaves for England.
185	** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS01E15Lazarus Lazarus]]": Jack Willis used to be Scully's teacher at the FBI academy and her boyfriend. They don't renew their relationship, but the case involves a body switch with the villain and he later dies. Scully is obviously shattered.
186	** Agent Diana Fowley appeared in the finale of season 5 and was a part of the MythArc in season 6. She's Mulder's ex-partner who worked with him on the X-Files and they used to be lovers as well. She might also be his ex-wife. There is some tension between them, but Mulder refuses to follow this path again.
187	** "[[Recap/TheXFilesS07E17AllThings all things]]": Scully used to date her professor from medical school. He reveals that he has been in love with her for all those years and begs her to be with him. She considers it but ultimately refuses, as she doesn't want to ruin his family.
188	* ''Series/YouMeHer'': After she's left Jack and Izzy, Emma starts dating her ex Kylie. She's one of Emma's previously unnamed ex-girlfriends.
189	[[/folder]]
190
191	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
192	* Many ''ComicStrip/ModestyBlaise'' stories begin with the appearance of an ex-lover of either Modesty or Willie who needs help.
193	* In ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'', Snoopy once spied an old girlfriend at the beach. He tried to show off surfing, which ended badly. The girlfriend never noticed; Charlie Brown tells him that he saw her with a golden retriever.
194	[[/folder]]
195
196	[[folder:Theater]]
197	* In Creator/DorothyLSayers' ''Theatre/TheEmperorConstantine'', downplayed. Helena is very stiff and formal with Flavius when they meet years after he divorced her for a political match, but softens enough to ask after his health.
198	[[/folder]]
199
200	[[folder:Video Games]]
201	* In ''Trials and Tribulations'', the third game of the ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' series, Phoenix and Mia each get one, Dahlia [[spoiler: (or better said, [[TwinSwitch her twin sister]] Iris)]] and [[spoiler: Diego Armando aka Godot]] respectively.
202	* In the DatingSim ''Videogame/AlwaysRememberMe'', the New Old Flame is also a BitchInSheepsClothing trying to convince the AmnesiacLover that she is his current girlfriend when she is really his ex. Needless to say, this irritates his ''real'' current girlfriend, who is working hard to help him regain his memories.
203	[[/folder]]
204
205	[[folder:Webcomics]]
206	* In ''Webcomic/TheInexplicableAdventuresOfBob,'' Jean's ex-boyfriend Slick Simmons has recently appeared. He has some connection to the town's new [[StockNessMonster lake monster.]]
207	* ''Webcomic/{{Flipside}}'': In Chapter 30, Bernadette encounters her former lover in Marvallo, revealing the reason for her neurotic insecurity about monogamous relationships.
208	** This is in addition to the 26 chapters of book 0.
209	[[/folder]]
210
211	[[folder:Western Animation]]
212	* Zuko and Mai of ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender,'' though it's kind of an unusual example--Mai's first appearance makes it clear that she and Zuko have some kind of history, but aside from some ShipTease in a flashback, the two don't interact until the next season, with Mai instead being an ally to Azula (and thus technically Zuko's enemy). Once the pair are on the same side, however, they have an instant off-screen hook-up.
213	* Andrea Beaumont was this to Bruce Wayne in ''WesternAnimation/BatmanMaskOfThePhantasm'', as Bruce's first fiancé.
214	* Désirée D'Allure, Monterey Jack's ex-fiancée from the ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' episode "Love Is a Many Splintered Thing." Complete with a ResetButton, yes.
215	* In the ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth'' episode "The Lost Jewels of Tibet", Mandrake meets up with a female explorer named Atascadero, who is strongly implied to be an old flame of his; the interactions between the two characters suggest that they still have feelings for each other. However, when (at the end of the episode) Atascadero asks Mandrake if he would like to go on "another mad adventure" with her, he tells her that, while he would like to join her, his sense of duty orders him to stay with the Defenders. After this, Atascadero is neither seen nor mentioned again.
216	%%* Juandisimo was this to Wanda in ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents''.
217	* Lawrence and Linda in ''WesternAnimation/PhineasAndFerb'' are probably this. They dated sometime in the late '80s or early '90s but eventually broke up and married other people. They eventually reunited and got married after they had kids with their previous spouses.
218	* Unity, a HiveMind in ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty,'' who was called the love of Rick's life, even compared to Beth's mother. She breaks up with Rick after a brief fling, [[spoiler: and this causes him to attempt suicide.]]
219	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'':
220	** Grandpa Lou had Morgana, who reappears several decades after leaving town believing he'd cheated on her – really the other girl had an asthma attack, Lou was giving her CPR, and it looked like he was making out with her. After reuniting, Morgana and Lou spend a romantic evening together and clear up the misunderstanding, but Morgana only appeared in that one episode, though she was mentioned several times throughout the season before vanishing entirely.
221	** Lou's second wife also qualifies, as she was a USO singer he was crushing on during [[UsefulNotes/WorldWarII the war,]] but they only spoke briefly once back then. 50 years later, they run into each other again.
222	* Elita One from ''WesternAnimation/TheTransformers'', who showed up, helped Optimus Prime and the gang, and then was never seen again, although she sort of showed up in a later episode in the form of her younger self Ariel.
223	* The first episode of the seventh season of ''WesternAnimation/VoltronLegendaryDefender'', flashbacks introduce Shiro's [[AdaptationalSexuality ex-boyfriend]], Adam. At San Diego Comic-Con 2018, the show's producers revealed that the two were together for years, and were on the verge of getting engaged when Adam broke up with Shiro.
224	[[/folder]]

Context Main / NewOldFlame