They Do Love Each Other / Live-Action TV

Examples of Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other in Live-Action TV.

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• Lance Hunter and Bobbi Morse on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.. Formerly married, the pair of them spending most of any mission snarking or bickering, but they still care deeply for each other and will go to any lengths to protect and save each other.
• All in the Family
  • Once or twice every season or so there would be a special episode made just to prove that Archie may be a Jerkass, but he still is just as much in love with Edith as she is with him.
  • In the episode where Michael and Gloria move out, Archie is obviously broken up about his little girl leaving. More surprising is his tender farewell scene with the Meathead, whom he admits was Like a Son to Me.
• Andi Mack: When TJ goes to talk things out with Cyrus in "The New Girls." They usually get along, but Cyrus has been (reluctantly) avoiding TJ ever since the gun incident. It's important to note that this exchange occurs as they walk right up to each other.
  Cyrus: So, you've apologized for not apologizing...but you still haven't apologized.
  TJ: You can be a little annoying, you know that?
  Cyrus: Well, you can be oblivious.
  TJ: Well, you can be very judgy.
  Cyrus: Well, you can be intimidating.
  TJ: Y'know what else you are?
  Cyrus: What?
  TJ: The only person I can talk to like this.
• Arrested Development
  • George and Lucille, especially evidenced in the episode "Visiting Ours" where his wife agrees to a conjugal visit in jail and they begin arguing angrily and end up ravishing each other.
  • Also, most people forget that, over the course of the entire series, there were one or two of these for Tobias and Lindsay (notably at the end of Season 1, when he overcame his never nude status).
  • Michael and GOB get a few of the brotherly version. When Michael mistakenly believes that he tried to run GOB down in a car (it was actually their mother, but Michael got a head injury and she took advantage) and goes to apologize, GOB immediately realizes something is up.
    GOB: That doesn't sound like you. That sounds like Mom. You kinda like me.
• Babylon 5:
  • Londo Mollari openly badmouths all of his wives, which, considering that they openly badmouth him back or are gold-diggers, this isn't unexpected. When he is given a reward from the emperor as thanks for his years of service, he asks for a divorce. He is required to keep at least one for official purposes, so two openly try to seduce him while the third treats him like crap. However, the first two conspire to murder him for the inheritance. The third anonymously gives him a blood transfusion to help him survive. Guess which one he keeps. In the Expanded Universe novels, they come close to rekindling the relationship they used to have back when they first were married, but Londo, fearing that the Drakh might use her against him, had to send her away.
  • Londo and G'Kar have sort of a Heterosexual Life-Partner version of this trope, especially in Season 5. In the Lower-Deck Episode A View From The Gallery, two maintenance men see G'Kar and Londo bickering, and one asks the other, "How long have they been married?"
• Apollo and Sheba on Battlestar Galactica (1978). Saul and Ellen Tigh from the reboot.
  • For the latter, there is a scene in the finale of a flashback from before the fall, where they are celebrating Saul's retirement. Keep in mind, this is right before Saul is asked by Adama to join him on Galactica for one more ride. But it exemplifies how deep Ellen's love for Saul was at that time, and explains why they went through such intense ups and downs through the series because she was denied her deepest desire: to fully enjoy life with her beloved husband.
    Ellen Tigh: Saul! All I ever wanted was to be with you! Not just weekend liberties or, or two weeks' leave a year. I mean full time. You and me. Together in a house... in a tent... homeless and on the street... Just be together.
• Blake's 7 has at least one scene of this kind a season between Avon and Vila, although some are quite subtle. A good example would be when Avon defends Vila from Tarrant.
• Bridgerton: In season 1, Simon and Daphne, especially in the early stages of their fake relationship. They engage in Snark-to-Snark Combat with an obvious undercurrent of a developing attraction.
  • In season 2, Anthony and Kate can't seem to go even one scene without arguing about something — and it doesn't even go away after they sort themselves out, either.
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
  • Xander and Cordelia have their fair share of this during early seasons; "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" comes especially to mind.
  Cordelia: And you know what? I'll date whoever the hell I want to date! ...No matter how lame he is!
  • After they break up for good, and Cordelia's family loses their fortune, resulting in Cordelia being unable to afford a prom dress, Xander surreptitiously buys it for her in "The Prom".
• Burnistoun: While Paul and Walter are normally constantly at each other's throats, in the last episode of Series 2 they take a break from fighting and bond over a childhood game and their dead mother's memory.
• Castle:
  • While Castle isn't exactly secretive about his feelings toward Detective Beckett, as he constantly jokes about it, Beckett belittles Castle — sometimes jokingly, sometimes not — at least once an episode, if not more. Throughout the first season, she can't wait for him to leave and in the finale of Season 3, ends her partnership with Castle for good though. But she also, at least once an episode, shows that she really does enjoy having him around, whether by stating that she'd break him out of jail, defending him to someone else, or simply by the look on her face. Castle himself also gets a rather serious one in the Season 3 finale when Kate is shot and he tells her 'I love you' right before she loses consciousness. According to Word of God, she heard him.
  • At least twice, Beckett has attempted to start something with Castle, even breaking up with her then-boyfriend for that. Unfortunately, he had just gotten back together with his second ex-wife. The second time, she goes to her bedroom in their luxury suite, only to come back a minute later, but Castle has already gone to his room. Timing is not one of Beckett's strong suits.
• Control Z: Natalia and María had a rocky relationship in the first season, particularly due to the former's rude behavior towards her, to the point of María giving her a taste of her own medicine. Subverted in the second season when Natalia shows support after learning about María's pregnancy and abortion. María also teams up with her to collect the money she owes to the drug dealers who threaten to kill her, even becoming concerned for Natalia's safety after they kidnap her for failing to fulfill their deadline that she was willing to ransom her by attempting to steal back Raúl's money, which was previously stolen by the Avenger.
• Corner Gas: Oscar and Emma bicker constantly, but they do occasionally show that they're still married for a reason. Notable examples include "Poor Brent" and "Security Cam." The latter example to the point where it disturbs Brent enough to rip a security camera out of the wall with his bare hands.
• Doctor Who:
  • The TARDIS and the Doctor. Many, many, many times! She may be older than old can be, broken, falling to bits and unreliable, but he loves her, often affectionately calling her "old girl"; he may be mad, occasionally heartless, often changeable, never the same (due to his regenerations) and often smacks her with a hammer (in his 9th and 10th incarnations at least!) but when the TARDIS gets a body (that makes sense in context!) she outright states "what makes you think I'd ever give you back?" and that she deliberately felt the Doctor coming and left her doors unlocked, despite being an obsolete museum piece at the time — she wanted to see the stars... and the Doctor was just mad enough to take her. She also states that, though she doesn't take him where he wants to go, she does take him to where he needs to be. Done in Tear Jerker fashion too; when her body fades and she has to return to her box form, the TARDIS's last words to the Doctor are "I love you." The Doctor even mourns her return to the box.
    • The TARDIS gets another one in "The Parting of the Ways" when, finally, she allows herself to be ripped open and allows Rose to look into her heart to save the Doctor. Being ripped apart could easily destroy the TARDIS, but leaving the Doctor to the Daleks is unacceptable.
  • Done in Tear Jerker fashion between Pete and Jackie Tyler in "Father's Day". Despite all the bickering, jealousy, and hostility expressed by Jackie in this episode, she has one Last Kiss with Pete... just before his Heroic Sacrifice.
  • River Song and the Doctor can get this vibe, since especially in some of the Doctor's earlier meetings with her, he spent a lot of it directing insults at her and feeling out-of-sorts.
    • "Let's Kill Hitler" is loaded with these moments for the Doctor and River, despite the fact that she's technically not even there. Early in the episode, the Doctor keeps making reference to River and from this, a new character immediately picks up on how much he really cares about her. And then, when dying, he gives Melody a message to give River and her response is "I think she knows." Made all the more poignant by the fact that Melody discovers a few moments later that she is, or will become, River.
    • Later versions of River and the Doctor. The two flirt, fight and she even claims she "hates [you]"; he knows better and flirts, fights and tells her that she doesn't, even checking out her ass in "The Angels Take Manhattan".
  • Amy and Rory: the two may bitch and snark, and even get close to divorce before the Doctor meddles and fixes it, but the two do truly love one another.
  • Clara has problems adjusting to the Twelfth Doctor, as he is outwardly the polar opposite of his previous incarnation in virtually everything. After he has settled into the TARDIS once again, she comes clean and tells him she doesn't know whether she can trust or understand him the same way as before. Minutes later, thanks to friendly (but desperate) words from the Twelfth and a special phone call from the Eleventh beforehand, Clara realises he has only changed at face value and deep down, he's still the same friend she grew to like. Cue her awkward but kind hug of the Doctor and both of them agreeing genially to go buy some coffee together. Given that the Twelfth's regeneration episode centered on the topic of "not judging a book by its cover", it's a rather poignant ending to the tension that was present between the two of them for most of the episode.
    • Midway through Season 8, Clara finally has enough of the new Doctor and essentially breaks up with him. They soon reconcile. By the end of the season it's made clear that the two's feelings for each other are much deeper than was even implied during his younger incarnation, with Word of God (Steven Moffat) confirming that when the Doctor tells Clara in "Dark Water" that even her betraying him makes no difference to how much he cares for her, he's saying the equivalent of "I love you." Clara returns the favour in "Last Christmas" by telling the Doctor he's the only man, other than her long-dead boyfriend Danny, that she could imagine ever marrying. Once her youth is restored she does not hesitate to run away with him in the TARDIS. These themes continue into Season 9, with further Word of God from Peter Capaldi that their relationship is an old-fashioned romance. The bickering that had been featured throughout Series 8 which exemplifies the trope faded to almost nothing in Series 9, and by the time of the finale trilogy ("Face the Raven" and "Hell Bent" in particular), leading up to Clara's departure, all pretense had been dropped.
  • "The Tsuranga Conundrum": General Cicero and her brother Durkas have trust problems throughout the episode, but as he sets her up to pilot the ship, he admits he regrets not telling her he loved her earlier, and how proud he is of her. She reciprocates.
• Drake & Josh: Despite their antagonistic relationship, Megan and her brothers do seem to care for each other. One notable example is when both Drake and Josh stood up for her when they discovered her boyfriend was cheating on her, which she showed gratitude for.
• Frank and Marie on Everybody Loves Raymond
  • Near the end of "Frank's Tribute", after an unresolved dispute in bed, Frank takes a tissue, wipes off Marie's facial beauty cream, and says "I like you better without the crap on your face."
  • In the episode "Marie's Vision", Frank strongly objects to the accusation that he's in a "loveless marriage".
• Blair and Jo on The Facts of Life have this type of moment almost Once an Episode.
• Family Matters: Steve Urkel annoys the hell out of the Winslow family, especially Carl and Laura, mainly because he's extremely awkward and clumsy, and quite annoying. But while it appears that the Winslows can barely stand him, it's clear that despite Steve's flaws, they do love him and consider him a part of their family, even if they have a hard time showing it. This was shown more in the later seasons, especially with Carl and Laura, whose negative feelings towards Steve gradually softened after he moved in with them. This came to a head in the last season, where Steve and Laura start to date, and in the third-to-last episode Steve and Laura get engaged, and in the final episode the Winslows officially welcome Steve into the family.
• Basil throwing a surprise anniversary party for Sybil in Fawlty Towers. The trope name was even mentioned by the actress of Sybil in the DVD extras.
• Mal and Inara in Firefly. Piece of advice: don't call Inara a whore when Mal's around. Or pick a fight with Mal around the not-incense. Of course, Mal has no problems calling her a whore himself, although he explains that when he says it, he means her job, while everyone else means her.
• Niles and Maris on Frasier (this was later undermined somewhat by their vitriolic divorce) Although since Maris was She Who Must Not Be Seen, (and the longer the show ran, the more horrible her offscreen actions became), the couple might easily have been a one-sided version of the trope, making it depressing rather than heartwarming.
  • Frasier and Niles rarely got along with their father Martin due to their Odd Couple nature (Frasier and Niles being more posh, sophisticated and sometimes outright snobbish, while Martin is more blue collar and down-to-earth.) However, in "Room Full of Heroes" (where the cast go to a costume party where they dress up as their personal heroes,) Niles comes dressed like Martin, and when he gets drunk and does an impression of him that implies that he's ashamed and disappointed in how his sons turned out, Martin angrily cuts him off and tells him that despite their differences, he's proud of his sons.
• Friday Night Lights: The Riggins brothers are emotionally unstable and often settle their disagreements with their fists but they genuinely care about each other. When Tim comes home with a black eye, Billy demands to know who did that to him. His body language makes it clear he's more than ready to go out and avenge his brother. When he realizes it was Tim's fault, he still gives him a bag of frozen peas and commiserates with him. On other occasions, Billy works to rescue Tim from situations that Tim's naivete lands him in, including when he's jumped by a group of grown men. Later, Tim takes the rap for Billy's chop shop and goes to jail so Billy can stay home and take care of his new wife and kid, only making Billy promise to never commit another crime because Tim is only willing to go jail for him once.
• Game of Thrones:
  • Sansa fondly remembers Arya, with whom she had a difficult relationship with back in Season 1, and makes it very clear that she misses her.
  • Subverted in Season 1 by Tyrion and Cersei when they are left in charge of Kings Landing. There are several moments when they could have shown support or affection for each other but never do, most notably when an overwhelmed and vulnerable Cersei breaks down in tears, and Tyrion looks uncomfortable and leaves. It shows that they really don’t love each other, their mutual resentment and anger is just too old and too deep.
  • Sansa's eyes light up when Ramsay mentions her half-brother, Jon Snow, in Season 5 and their reunion in Season 6 is also very affectionate.
  • In the Season 2 finale, Arya overcomes her grudge against Sansa and accepts that she's her sister and she must find her, too. Also telling is that in the Season 4 finale, she refuses to put the Hound out of his misery even when he begs her to...but when he brings up Sansa and how he should have raped her when he had the chance, that is when Arya is visibly the most tempted to kill the jerk right there and then, though she manages to resist.
  • In the sixth season, Arya finally admits that she had taken the Hound off her list before she abandoned him because she was confused about how she felt about him.
  • One thing that makes Kevan dislike the Sparrows more than Cersei: they took Lancel and he misses his son.
  • Despite the bickering and vicious mocking, Yara and Theon care about each other deeply. She even defies her father in organizing a rescue mission for Theon immediately after receiving his castrated penis. When Theon returns to Pyke again in Season 6, Yara — already on edge and a bit paranoid after Balon's death — is furious at first, but when Theon tearfully confesses that he's there purely to support her as the new ruler of the Iron Islands, she is stunned and untenses at once. All the bravado leaves her, and she nearly hugs him on the spot.
  • Yara also isn't terribly fond of her father, but still swears gruesome, bloody vengeance when Euron murders him. Even when they're arguing at the beginning of Season 6, Balon never threatens to disinherit Yara, and mentions he expects that she'll rule after he's dead — though in the very angry climax to their last argument he says that if she won't obey he'll make another who will (it's unclear how much he meant that last one). In the books, Balon considers Yara his heir, given that he thinks Theon is outright dead, even though he could easily name his younger brother Victarion (cut from the show) as his heir, or even his other brother Aeron the priest. In fact this was a particular sign of favoritism by Balon, given how shocking the Ironborn consider it for a woman to rule, and he must have known it risked a succession crisis when anti-Yara lords rallied behind her uncles.
  • The Tyrells are best known for their bottomless ambition, the women are often exasperated by the men's antics, and Lady Olenna in particular has a jab for every family member, but they are one of the most tight-knit, caring families in the entire series. Olenna is willing to go as far as regicide just to spare her granddaughter Margaery an abusive husband, even at the risk of putting Margaery's status as the Queen in jeopardy; she might be very dismissive of her own son and grandson, but she is devasted when they and Margaery die. Meanwhile, Margaery might get frustrated with her brother Loras' carlessness about keeping appearences at court, but will perjure herself, endure prison and fake a conversion if it means keeping him safe from the Sparrows. It's also implied that the scheme she cooked up to have Cersei tried by the Faith wasn't done so much for revenge as to ensure that Loras be freed. Even when Loras is barely holding on after months of torture, she still tries to get him out of the Sept the moment she realises they're in imminent danger, and even gives and anguished look at their Bumbling Dad Mace when she realises he's trapped there too. Her final action before the sept blows up is to hold on to her Brother and pull him close as if to shelter him. Ultimately, the Tyrells are among the few families who love and care for each other to the point that they won't sacrifice their family members' well-being for the sake of political ambition.
  • Contrary to the books, Margaery's friendship with Sansa, which starts off as your garden-variety court scheme, develops into a genuine one. Even after the plan to marry Sansa to the heir to Highgarden falls through and she becomes a social burden, Margaery sticks by her side and tries to comfort her for her unwanted upcoming Arranged Marriage to Tyrion Lannister.
• The George Lopez Show
  • A case of Flanderization caused George to transform from a loving, family man who was only sarcastic on occasion, to an uncaring, snarky asshole who constantly makes fun of his wife, children and mom (though she deserved it), giving an overly-harsh punishment when Carmen and Jason were caught in bed together (they obviously didn't have sex). mocks Vic's Cuban accent and treats Ernie like shit. Though rare moments show that he does love his family.
• Puck and Quinn, from Glee. Usually, they're too busy snarking and insulting each other, but every once in a while when they're alone we get to see just how much they care for each other. Finn interrupts most of the time, but still.
• Crowley and Aziraphale of Good Omens snark and bicker constantly, and at one point Aziraphale snaps "I don't even like you!" And then the last sequence of the series is the two of them risking their lives to save each other.
• Gotham:
  • Selina Kyle, as usual, is famously tsundere towards Bruce Wayne, but at the end of the day he's the person she loves most in the world. She even admits in a rare moment of complete sincerity that she'll be there for him whenever he needs her.
  • Tabitha and Butch.
• Hannibal: Hannibal and Will have both screwed one another over a few times each over the course of three seasons, from Season 1 where Hannibal frames Will for his murders and gets him jailed (don't worry, he also gets him out again), to Season 2 where Will sic's another killer on Hannibal, points a gun at his head, seduces him with the promise of being a murder partner while plotting his capture (sort of), and when Hannibal eventually learns of the betrayal, he guts Will in a way that'll keep him alive, kills their surrogate daughter, and leaves the country without him. Despite all this utter madness, there are several moments where Hannibal and Will share tender words and looks with one another when alone. Look no further than the Hannibal page for a long list of multi-season proof.
  • Once Season 3 rolls around and the two have forgiven one another, Hannibal for Will's betrayal and Will for Abigail's murder, their Destructive Romance turns less and less on each other and more on the people around them. In the series finale, they defend one another and kill the Red Dragon together, admit their mutual feelings of love, and disappear together over a cliff side and into the Atlantic Ocean.
• Ralph and Alice on The Honeymooners are constantly fighting, but have such a moment at the end of every episode, giving an opportunity for Ralph to say one of his Catch Phrases: "Baby, you're the greatest."
• House
  • House and Cuddy.
  • House and Wilson just about every episode.
  • When Wilson decides to donate a part of his liver to a patient, House refuses to come to the operation because, as he tells Wilson, "If you die, I'm alone." House ends up going anyways, creating another example.
  • Wilson thinks House is trying to push the limits of their friendship until it breaks. Later that episode, House protects Wilson by making him leave the room while House helps a patient kill themselves and tells him, "I don't want to push this until it breaks."
  • House and Wilson are generally very protective of each other. When Cuddy responds coldly to a very rare attempt by House to be nice, Wilson buys the apartment she and Lucas wanted to use to move in together and says "She hurt my friend. She should be punished."
  • Just look at how House takes care of Wilson in "The C Word". House holds the bucket when Wilson's throwing up; House goes without Vicodin so he can give it to Wilson; and when Wilson's half mad with pain and screaming abuse at House, House holds his tongue. And it turned out he made a truly hilarious video of the whole terrible experience, which made Wilson laugh like he probably hasn't laughed for weeks.
  • Wilson decides on two occasions to try and cut House out of his life; once after Amber dies and again when House injures him while driving a car into Cuddy's house. On both instances, as soon as Wilson spends any real time with House, he can't go through with it and they become friends again.
  • Before the first incident, House also risked his life to find out what was wrong with Amber, just because Wilson asked him to. There's probably not another person in the world that House would make a sacrifice like that for.
• Fred and Ethel Mertz of I Love Lucy had many such moments. In fact, in an early episode, when Lucy assumes that Fred and Ethel can't stand each other based on their bickering, Ethel laughingly corrects her: "We're not fighting — this is how we make love!" Ironically, in Real Life, Vivian Vance and William Frawley absolutely and unconditionally detested each other and never, ever had this kind of moment. They hated each other so much that by the end of the series, they would not speak except when the script required it.
• Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: The constant fighting, manhandling, yelling and whatever going on between Taiga and Nico makes one wonder why he hasn't tried harder to get rid of her. Then it turns out that he is glad that she is hanging out with him, because it gives his sorry life a meaning. Nico can be really nasty in how she interacts with Taiga, but she is being a brat or mad at him only about half of the time. The rest of the time she is showing her affection for him in a way that doesn't look like affection at all, so he can accept it.
• A twisted example on Law & Order: The perp is on trial for killing her husband. Said husband was her therapist when she was young, and they had a sexual relationship while she was still his patient. Part of the evidence was a set of tapes labeled "Meredith", with the victim talking about a young patient in a very romantic/pedophilic way. The prosecution's theory was that she killed him out of jealousy. The wife's defense was A) the "trauma" of her childhood sex, and B) Finding those tapes and realizing that he was doing the same thing to another girl. The reveal? "Meredith" was the name of the town the victim took his wife for getaways. The tapes were about her, not some other girl. The tapes were notes, for a memoir he was writing of their affair. When the wife realized the truth, she broke down crying, on the witness stand, and started apologizing.
• Law & Order: Special Victims Unit:
  • Because Liv and Elliot are Platonic Life-Partners, their arguments invariably end like this.
    Olivia: You're the longest relationship I've ever had with a man. Who else would put up with me?
    Elliot: Sorry about that.
    Olivia: Don't be. [pause] Do you want to get something to eat?
    Elliot: Sure. Who's paying?
    Olivia: Well, you do have four kids and you are going through a divorce...so I guess you are.
    Elliot: That's what I figured.
  • Also Fin and Munch. When Munch gets shot in the ass, Fin brings him his favorite milkshake and says he's glad Munch pulled through. Doesn't stop Fin from joking about the situation in a later episode, though.
• Sun and Jin on Lost spend most of Season 1 emotionally estranged, but they get a fabulous moment in "Exodus Part 1" as they declare their love before Jin sets off on the raft.
• Malcolm in the Middle has the familial version of this trope. Sure, 99% of the time Malcolm's family is a dysfunctional mess, but when Hal's relatives drive Lois to tears at a family reunion, Hal gets the courage to Call The Old Man Out while the brothers singlehandedly demolish the entire party with a golf cart. Also the scene in Lois' Birthday where Hal and the boys take on a posse of clowns.
• Mama's Family: For all the bickering, arguing and name calling that goes on, the Harpers -– even Thelma and Naomi, who were constantly at each other's throats –- will grudgingly admit they love and care for each other, and ultimately they will always stick up for one another.
• Oh, those Bundys. Their lives are basically this trope:
  • With Al and Peg, one of the show's creators, Ron Leavitt, relates a story in which during a pitch session for selling the show, someone suggested they write this trope in for the Bundys, whereupon Leavitt replied, "You are everything that is wrong with American television today." Of course, they might've decided to give Al a reason to stick around. Maybe because it's funny for him to be trapped with his wife because he cares — Al once says about getting a new car that it would be like "trading you [Peg] in for a young blonde with new, smooth, factory-warranted hooters. Sure the first few rides would be nice but in the long run, and this Peg, is what depresses me everyday, I realize that... You're the one I want."
  • Al is also this to his family. When in Hell during a near-death experience, Al is given the choice of returning to Earth with a trio of gorgeous women (leaving them in Hell), or returning WITH his family. He chooses his family, and even as their bickering resumes, he observes it with a smile on his face.
  • Bud and Kelly insult each other and scheme against each other constantly, but when the chips are down, they do stick up for family. (Biggest example: On one occasion, a girl humiliates Bud at a homecoming dance, and while Kelly did nothing to stop it, she did punish the girl for it later; at the end of the episode, the girl was Bound and Gagged, chained to a wall in the school hallway, wrapped in nothing but a Modesty Towel, with Buck's leash tied to the towel and a huge sign saying "DON'T MESS WITH A BUNDY" taped to the locker. Then Kelly walks in and calls Buck to her, and he runs to her, dragging the towel, just as the students start to come in.)
• Merlin:
  • Merlin and Arthur bicker and insult each other most of their time. But when it comes down to it, they do really care for each other and will sacrifice themselves to protect or save the other.
  • Arthur and Morgana have a similar dynamic, as well. (Well, not so much now that Morgana wants to kill everyone and take over the throne. But before that.)
• Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers:
  • Lord Zedd and Rita Repulsa. Squatt nearly evokes the trope by name in one episode. (In fact, when Goldar discovered that Rita had initially seduced Zedd with a love potion, he forced Finster into making an antidote; it proved worthless when he actually used it because, well, as the Trope says...)
  • Also Ziggy and Dr. K on Power Rangers RPM.
  • A non-romantic example are Bulk and Skull. In the first few seasons, it seems Bulk sees Skull more as a tool for his wacky schemes than as his actual friend. But in later seasons, the pair do share multiple heartwarming moments with each other. One notable moment happens during Power Rangers Zeo, where Bulk dismisses classical music as something for dweebs, not knowing Skull is secretly a very talented pianist. But once he hears Skull play before an audience, he freely admits that he was wrong and openly admires Skull's talent.
• At least one of the three main couples in Modern Family experiences this nearly every episode. Not just the couples, the main characters (who are all family after all) all have these moments with each other regularly.
• Monarch: Legacy of Monsters: Michelle Duvall, despite her cold demeanor which her partner Tim is no exception to, looks out for Tim even after she breaks away from mainstream Monarch. She defends him to Verdugo after his cowboy approach to the Randas lands him in hot water, and she finally goes out of her way to save him from getting hurt or arrested in Kazakhstan.
• NCIS
  • A (probably) non-romantic version of this occurs, wherein both Kate and Ziva seem to find Tony intolerable, until (about Once a Season) he gets kidnapped, blown up, catches the plague, etc.
  • Definite non-romantic example between Tony and McGee. Tony may constantly pick on him, McGee may snark back, but if one or the other is hurt or in danger, there's no question they'll take any kind of risk to help each other.
• NUMB3RS: It's implied more than once that the entire series is this for Don and Charlie.
  Alan: I was afraid before [their first case] that you had grown so far apart that I was the only thing you had in common. I figured after I died, you might spend years without seeing each other, but to tell you the truth, I'm not worried about that anymore.
  • "Breaking Point" also plays out the trope quite clearly. Don spends the entire first half of the episode furious with Charlie for doing a TV interview about a case (which is against FBI rules). However, when Charlie becomes a target, Don completely forgets that he was mad and is only upset that Charlie didn't feel like he could tell Don what was going on.
  • David and Colby also have several of these moments throughout the series. Especially notable when it happens early Season 4 (when their relationship is strained), but even apart from that, the occasional disagreements between them and the fact that they often edge into Vitriolic Best Buds territory makes it a case of this in the moments when they really do show how much they care.
• The Office (US): In "Back From Vacation", Dwight catches Pam — who is known for assisting Jim in playing elaborate pranks on him — crying in the hall in response to Jim getting more serious with his new girlfriend. He immediately demands to know who made her cry and gives her a handkerchief. The effect is somewhat spoiled by Dwight saying "So you're PMSing pretty bad, huh?"
  Pam: (sniffling) You don't need to stay here.
  Dwight: I know.
  • Later, when Angela breaks up with Dwight after he kills her cat, Jim and Pam genuinely console him and do everything in their power to make him feel better, even leaving a positive online review for his terrible bed-and-breakfast. At the end of the episode, when Dwight is apparently back to his old self, they exchange a smile across the room.
    Jim: Did I ever tell you why I left Scranton? [...] It was all about Pam. I mean, she was with Roy and I just couldn't take it. I mean, I lost it, Dwight. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't concentrate on anything. And weird stuff, like...food had no taste. So my solution was to move away. It was awful. And it is something that I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. And that includes you.
• In the short-lived cooking show parody Posh Nosh, the annoying Stepford Smiler wife and her obviously gay husband can't help but get on each other's nerves. However when Simon's in deep mourning over the death of his tennis coach, Minty happily introduces him to a new tennis coach who has a striking similarity...
• The Pretender:
  • Miss Parker has several of these moments with both Sydney and Broots, not in romantic terms but in terms of 'they are my people, hurt them and I will kill you'. One particularly striking example:
    Miss Parker: [talking to Lyle] As much as I hate to admit it, Broots is more of a brother to me than you will ever be.
  • She also has moments like this with Jarod, siding with him a few times over the course of the series, though even by the end of the second movie she still can't bring herself to completely break her ties with the Center.
  • In the same episode with the above quote, Jarod has a moment like this with Broots, helping him to clear his name and being helped by him to track down Damon. Despite Broots being on Team Capture Jarod, Jarod kills the only person he kills in the entire series run to protect him.
• Primeval, Season 2: Connor and Abby spend the first half of an episode arguing, but when Abby is taken by one of the creatures of the week, Connor cries.
• Xiao Yan Zi in Princess Returning Pearl acts oblivious most of the time and it isn't always obvious that she loves Yong Qi. But there are telling moments when she is caught off-guard that shows how much she truly does love him. The most touching when she blindly rushes between him and a sword blade when his life was in danger (twice!).
• Lister and Rimmer in Red Dwarf. Notably the part where Lister tells Rimmer there was nothing wrong with the way he lived in Holoship, or Lister wanting to give Rimmer a good send-off when he leaves to become the next Ace.
• Dalton and his unseen wife Anne-Marie on The Red Green Show were almost always described as bickering and in a loveless marriage. Yet the "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue reveals they renewed their wedding vows and are implied to have even had a second wedding ceremony for it.
• Sanford and Son: Fred and Lamont were always at odds, usually over Lamont wanting to pursue a real job and get married. However, at least during the original series, Lamont agrees to stick it out at the junkyard, feeling an obligation to look after his father. Also, Fred and Aunt Esther were always at each other's throats, but in the end, they could count on each other to help each other in their time of need.
• Scoundrels (2010): Hope and Heather might hate each other most of the time, but when Hope sees Heather getting tricked by a False Friend who's a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing, she rushes to her sister defense and prevents her from being tricked.
• Scrubs
  • Dr Cox and Jordan. Zigzagged as it is stated early on that they both like being mean (to both each other and others). Then it becomes clear that Dr. Cox is, at heart, a terrific guy. He uses the surface nastiness as a protective shell. Jordan, on the other hand, definitely does delight in cruelty, though she's not all bad.
  • Dr Cox and JD, kinda. Though it does become apparent a few times that they (both) do care, the final episode, in which Cox defends JD from (set-up) false bad claims shows this.
• In Seinfeld, the perpetually squabbling Frank and Estelle Costanza. Particularly visible in "The Junk Mail" when they're seen using the same trick Jerry and George use to get out of a phone conversation, and later George is horrified to find them getting hot and heavy in Jerry's used van.
  Frank: What you saw in that van was a natural expression of a man's love for his lady.
  George: (groan) Ohhhh...
  Estelle: Your father's right. It's beautiful.
  Frank: And it was safe.
  George: Oh, God...
  Frank: Now if you'll excuse me, once again, your mother and I...
  George: Oh...make it stop.
• Wally and Les from Shine a Light are always bickering, but when Les plans to leave him in "Two's a Crowd", Wally gets genuinely upset.
• Sonny Munroe and Chad Dylan Cooper from Sonny with a Chance have at least one Aw Look moment an episode. After becoming an Official Couple. And they've "broken up" three times in the past three episodes. Yet it's been made very clear that they care about each other, and for every second that they snark at each other, there's another second or two where they are completely adorable.
• Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis had a couple of these.
  • Daniel Jackson and Vala Mal Doran in the SG-1 finale, though this was subverted through a Reset Button.
  • The Siege, Part 3. Sheppard had gone out on a kamikaze mission and came back due to the Daedalus' Big Damn Heroes moment.
    Sheppard: I'm home!
    Weir: [calmly walks up then hugs him] Yes... yes, you are...
  • John Sheppard and Elizabeth Weir in the Atlantis episode "Misbegotten".
    Sheppard: How much diplomatic trouble is it going to cause if I knock this Woolsey guy upside his head?!
    Weir: What makes you feel like that?
    Sheppard: Beside from judging every damn decision you ever made???
    Weir: John Sheppard, are you defending my honor?
    Sheppard: ...and judging me for agreeing with you?
  • (Meredith) Rodney McKay and Jeannie Miller, two estranged siblings, reconcile after four years in the Atlantis episode "McKay and Mrs. Miller". The dynamic here works especially well since the two actors really are brother and sister.
• Star Trek: The Next Generation: Worf spends the whole show glaring at Data more intensely than anyone else, but when Data's Shuttlecraft explodes and he is presumed destroyed in "The Most Toys", he looks absolutely devastated and says very quietly "Data...", he spends the rest of the episode with his head slightly down and seems to be smiling when Data is found safe at the end of the episode. Keep in mind that Worf never smiles...
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Quark has these moments a lot, especially with his much-abused brother Rom, his estranged mother, and Odo.
  • Before his Character Development into a kindly Idiot Savant, Rom usually appeared fairly stern and even cruel with Nog. The first major instance of this change was when Nog decided to join Starfleet, and Rom stood up to Quark to make sure Nog fulfilled his dreams.
  • General Martok and his wife. When you see them together, they appear to despise each other. But when he discusses her with someone else, he clearly worships the ground she walks on.
  • Miles and Keiko O'Brien. Initially she was unhappy with having to move to Deep Space Nine, and occasionally came across as Tsundere toward him, while O'Brien sometimes seemed clueless toward Keiko, but at the end of the day they were absolutely devoted to each other. It's telling that, even when most seasons had at least one "O'Brien Must Suffer" episode, Miles and Keiko never even considered breaking up.
• Steptoe and Son: The father/son equivalent; for all the bitterness and bickering, it was sometimes hinted that Harold and Albert really did care about each other. It's worth noting that Harry H. Corbett and Wilfrid Brambell did not get along at all in real life, particularly later in their lives; much like their characters, the actors found themselves stuck with each other and having to make the best of things.^note  Just how much they disliked each other depends on who is telling the story. The 2002 documentary When Steptoe Met Son and the 2008 docu-drama The Curse of Steptoe between them implied that Corbett and Brambell absolutely loathed each other and the series. However, Ray Galton and Alan Simpson (who claimed their interviews for the documentary were Quote Mined) denied this, and Corbett's daughter Susannah published a biography of her father at least partly to counter the notion that he hated Brambell and/or Steptoe and Son. Brambell said after Corbett's death that while they were never close friends as they led very different lives, they generally liked each other enough to work together, and while Corbett admitted that he regretted being typecast as a comic actor later in his career, he claimed not to resent Steptoe and Son for this.
• Supernatural: Castiel and Dean have these moments, and it's obvious that it breaks Dean's heart when Castiel lets Crowley manipulate him like a puppet down the road to Hell. Also, there's the entire reason why Castiel went to Crowley for help in the first place: he didn't want to bring Dean back into the hunting life after he got out. Castiel thought Dean would be happier being left alone to live a normal life with Lisa and Ben.
  • Crowley and his mother Rowena normally despise each other, having each openly attempted to have the other killed multiple times. However, in Season 12, Crowley responds to learning that his mother's new fiance is a philandering gold digger by exploding the man's head. Rowena tearfully responds that "That is the sweetest thing you've ever done for me", and Crowley smiles like a little boy who just made his mommy proud.
• The Twilight Zone (1959): In "Passage on the Lady Anne", Alan and Eileen Ransome book a cruise on the titular ship in order to save their troubled marriage. By the next morning, they are already at each other's throats and decide to get a divorce as soon as possible. However, after hearing the various romantic stories of the elderly passengers, Eileen begins to cry and both she and Alan realize that they are still in love. When Eileen briefly goes missing, Alan is devastated at the thought that something might have happened to her. When he finds her safe and sound, he is overjoyed and decides to give up his Workaholic lifestyle. Ian Burgess' comment that people always seem to be rushing nowadays also strikes a chord with him.
• Pete and Catherine Martell in Twin Peaks. They've been married for many years, with Catherine constantly belittling and yelling at Pete (and cheating on him), while Pete responds by snarking at her and swooning over Josie. Pete still tries to rescue Catherine when she's trapped inside the burning saw mill and cries when he can't. When she returns to him after letting everyone think she was dead for a while — for business reasons — and pulls off her disguise, he's overjoyed:
  Pete: [grinning] You look terrible! [embracing her and sobbing on her neck] You look terrible...
• The White Queen: Richard of Gloucester never forgot or forgave his middle brother George of Clarence for betraying their older brother King Edward IV (and Richard) twice, but he shows that Blood Is Thicker Than Water when he passionately argues for George's life when the latter is about to be executed.
• Young Sheldon:
  • In "A High-Pitched Buzz and Training Wheels", Missy can't help but hug Sheldon when he starts crying after being yelled at by their dad.
  • When Sheldon gets a splinter in his finger, Missy is the one to pull it out. The fact that Narrator!Sheldon states that Missy was able to carry out a 'complex medical procedure' suggests that he was actually a little bit impressed with her.
  • When Missy goes to try out for the baseball team, Sheldon tells her to "Do good baseball."
  • When Sheldon is having second thoughts about going to college, Missy tells him that she too is scared of moving on (to middle school) and tells him that their only option is to do it anyway despite their fear. Sheldon is so impressed that he personally thanks Missy in his graduation speech.

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