History Main / BickeringCouplePeacefulCouple

* This is the main plot of Donald Marguiles' Pulitzer Prize-winning play ''Dinner With Friends'', as happily-married Gabe and Karen watch their best friends' marriage fall apart.

* ''ComicStrip/{{Blondie}}'' often contrasts the Ditherses (bickering) with the Bumsteads (peaceful).

* ''Film/ItChapterTwo'': The second It movie, and to a lesser extent, the first has this dynamic with [[spoiler: Ben and Bev]] acting as the peaceful couple and [[spoiler: Richie and Eddie]] as the bickering one, with plenty of parallels between the two pairs.

* In ''Film/BeautyAndTheBeast2017'', Belle/Beast and Lumiére/Plumette are mild examples of this trope. Belle and the Beast despise each other at first, and even as they become friends they retain a slight VitriolicBestBuds dynamic due to this version of the Beast remaining prickly and [[DeadpanSnarker snarky]] even as he becomes kinder. Lumiére and Plumette, by contrast, are unabashed SickeningSweethearts. This is a change from the previous versions, where Belle and the Beast are the peaceful couple (after their stormy beginning, that is) while Lumiére and [[AdaptationalNameChange Babette]] do more playful bickering.

* ''Literature/{{Emma}}'' has Emma and Knightley as the Bickering (constantly criticizing each other, snarky, in denial about their feelings for each other) vs. Harriet and Martin as the Peaceful (both sweet people and are kept apart only by Emma's interference).

* The first season of ''Series/MarriedWithChildren'' contrasts the bickering Bundys with the newlyweds-in-love Rhodes'. By a few years into the show the Rhodes have been "corrupted" by the Bundys into bickering too. And then the Rhodes divorce, while the Bundys stay together.

* ''Series/HowIMetYourMother'' has Lily and Marshall by default playing the peaceful couple to whatever bickering couple their friends organized themselves with:
** One of the flashbacks show that Lily and Marshall were the romantic and peaceful counterparts to Ted and his controlling and serial cheater ex-girlfriend Karen, with whom he constantly broke up and got back together again after catching her several times with other men, in his bunk bed.
** Season 5 briefly inverts this dynamic, with an episode that shows Barney and Robin as a loving couple who managed to avoid fighting months into their relationship while Lily and Marshall have a huge fall out due to some misguided tips from Barney. The end of the episode reveals that Robin and Barney's fights are in much bigger number and intensity than anything Marshall and Lily deal with.
** Season 6 has Ted dating Zoe, the two constantly argue and fight over everything as well as Marshall and Lily, who are capable of meeting each other halfway and agreeing with things. An episode is dedicated to comparing his relationship: Ted and Zoe think that Marshall and Lily's relationship is lazy and stops them for growing while Lily and Marshall think that their relationship is exhausting and toxic. At the end of the episode, Ted confesses that a supportive relationship is better and realizes his relationship with Zoe is awful and taking a lot out of him.
* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Cam and Arastoo, as of the moment they get together show a relationship more well adjusted and less prone to complications than Booth with Brennan or Angela with Hodgins. The latter two had considerably large WillTheyOrWontThey filled with tensions and a relationship with plenty of fallouts (Booth and Brennan have a hard time agreeing on things while Angela and Hodgins are both hard headed and [[spoiler:Hodgins becoming a jerk after getting crippled didn't helped]]), while Cam and Arastoo have a secret relationship free of pressure and fit each other pretty well. Things did get seemingly derailed when Arastoo left to find work and broke up with Cam so she wouldn’t feel forced to choose, but he came back later and they reconciled. There was one argument about Arastoo mentioning Cam’s home shopping channel obsession in the lab,and a brief time of tension about how Arastoo’s parents would react, but it didn’t last and they ultimately married.
* ''Series/ParksAndRecreation'' has, in season 4, this dynamic between the constantly fighting and breaking up just to get back together [[spoiler:Ann and Tom]] against the well adjusted and loving relationships between Andy and April as well as between Ben and Leslie.

* ''Series/{{Friends}}'': Ross and Rachel are the iconic bickering and breaking up WillTheyOrWontThey couple. The contrast is Chandler and Monica: they simply went from friends to a perfectly stable couple until the end of the show.
* ''Series/AltaMar'': There are few moments when Fernando and Carolina are ''not'' in any sort of disagreement. Nicolás and Eva haven't had a single fight as of the second season's finale; even when Eva [[spoiler:is forced to threaten him with a gun to save Carolina's life]], he doesn't seem to be angry in the least, and when it's revealed that [[spoiler:Nicolás's wife is alive]], they discuss the matter calmly.
* ''Series/EverDecreasingCircles'': Martin, the protagonist, is pompous and obsessive, and his wife Anne, while she loves him, frequently runs out of patience. They're contrasted with the SickeningSweethearts Howard and Hilda, who show no signs of having ever disagreed about ''anything''.

* ''Series/LoveIsBlind'': couples either get along peacefully or get into frequent screaming matches. In season 1, Cameron and Lauren are the peaceful pair contrast the bickering of couples Damian and Gia and Jessica and Mark.

* ''Theatre/WhosAfraidOfVirginiaWoolf'' showcases two pairs of wedded people, Nick and Honey and George and Martha-the former which is a (comparatively, [[HappyMarriageCharade at first]]) normal couple, and the latter which is a pair of belligerent alcoholics that try their damnedest to demolish the other every time they talk about or at each other as well [[MediationBackfire as team up to attack the normal couple when they try to help]]. It is implied that they do this constantly as a way to direct their frustrations to a third party and not destroy each other.

* While neither couple is actually peaceful – both relationships are on-and-off ones plagued with jealousy – ''Theatre/LaBoheme'' contrasts Rodolfo and Mimí with Marcello and Musetta this way. Even when both couples break up, Rodolfo and Mimí do it gently and sadly, putting it off as long as possible, while Marcello and Musetta throw plates and scream insults at each other.

* A mild example in the stage version of ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', despite a very rough start, Belle and the Beast settle into a peaceful, friendly dynamic following their AfterActionPatchUp scene, whereas Lumiére and Babette are prone to playful bickering and making each other jealous.

* In ''VideoGame/TalesOfPhantasia'', Cress and Mint got along very well ever since Cress {{rescue|Romance}}d Mint from the jail cell and escaped together. Arche and Chester, on the other hand, can't even interact for a second without getting furious at each other.

* In ''VisualNovel/KindredSpiritsOnTheRoof'', this trope applies to the two couples that are already together at the start of the game- Matsuri and Miyu, and Sachi and Megumi, respectively. Matsuri and Miyu often bicker LikeAnOldMarriedCouple, and while this is mostly lighthearted, there is some significant tension over Miyu's insistence that they refrain from public displays of affection to keep their SecretRelationship secret. After Matsuri tries to make out with Miyu during the summer training camp, Miyu angrily rebuffs her advances and the two end up in a feud until the end of the school festival. By comparison, Sachi and Megumi have no major arguments or conflicts over the course of the story.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice2010''. Miss Martian and Superboy get together with relatively little brouhaha and remain stable throughout the first season while Artemis and Kid Flash go through a ton of BelligerentSexualTension before finally getting together. Reversed in the second season, when Miss Martian and Superboy have broken up due to disagreement on the usage of her powers while Artemis and Kid Flash are still very much together.

* ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' has Hawkgirl and Green Lantern as the sweet couple and Batman and Wonder Woman as the bickering couple.
* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] by Aelita and Jérémie. Aelita once wondered why Yumi and Ulrich argued all the time, and Jérémie answered that [[BelligerentSexualTension people who like each other show it by fighting often]]. Thus it make Yumi and Ulrich the bickering couple. Aelita then pointed out that Jérémie and herself never argued, making them the peaceful couple.

* ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'': [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] by Aelita and Jeremy. Aelita once wondered why Yumi and Ulrich argued all the time, and Jeremy answered that [[BelligerentSexualTension people who like each other show it by fighting often]]. Thus it make Yumi and Ulrich the bickering couple. Aelita then pointed out that Jeremy and herself never argued, making them the peaceful couple.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}''. Shrek and Fiona spend most of the first movie (and the subsequent movies) bickering about everything, while Donkey and Dragon fall in love in their second scene together and have kids by the third movie. Shrek and Fiona do love each other very much though and really are happy around each other. Even when they fight, they do maintain the same love and affection and go to the ends of the earth for each other.

** Early on, Kaguya Shinomiya and Miyuki Shirogane, stuck in an eternal BattleOfWits, are contrasted by the comparably more functional Nagisa Kashiwagi and Tsubasa Tanuma. Ironically, Nagisa and Tsubasa frequently go to the latter two for romantic advice while erroneously assuming they're love experts.
** After Kaguya and Miyuki finally get together, they're much happier and more functional than BetaCouple Ishigami and Miko, who frequently clash and are plagued by insurmountable BelligerentSexualTension.

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Cam and Arastoo, as of the moment they get together show a relationship more well adjusted and less prone to complications than Booth with Brennan or Angela with Hodgins. The latter two had considerably large WillTheyOrWontThey filled with tensions and a relationship with plenty of fallouts (Booth and Brennan have a hard time agreeing on things while Angela and Hodgins are both hard headed and [[spoiler:Hodgins becoming a jerk after getting crippled didn't helped]]), while Cam and Arastoo have a secret relationship free of pressure and fit each other pretty well. Things did get seemingly derailed when Arastoo left to find work and broke up with Cam so she wouldn’t feel forced to choose, but he came back later and they reconciled. There was one argument about Arastoo mentioning Cam’a home shopping channel obsession, and a brief time of tension about how Arastoo’s parents would react, but it didn’t last and they ultimately married.

* ''Series/{{Bones}}'': Cam and Arastoo, as of the moment they get together show a relationship more well adjusted and less prone to complications than Booth with Brennan or Angela with Hodgins. The latter two had considerably large WillTheyOrWontThey filled with tensions and a relationship with plenty of fallouts (Booth and Brennan have a hard time agreeing on things while Angela and Hodgins are both hard headed and [[spoiler:Hodgins becoming a jerk after getting crippled didn't helped]]), while Cam and Arastoo have a secret relationship free of pressure and fit each other pretty well.

* ''WesternAnimation/YoungJustice''. Miss Martian and Superboy get together with relatively little brouhaha and remain stable throughout the first season while Artemis and Kid Flash go through a ton of BelligerentSexualTension before finally getting together. Reversed in the second season, when Miss Martian and Superboy have broken up due to disagreement on the usage of her powers while Artemis and Kid Flash are still very much together.

If TheHero gets together with his girl, expect their relationship to be the peaceful one.

If TheHero gets together with TheChick, expect their relationship to be the peaceful one.

* Played with in ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime'', with [[TheHero Sly]] and [[AntiVillain Carmelita]] appearing to be the bickering couple, and [[TheLancer Bentley]] and [[TheChick Penelope]] being the peaceful couple. Although the former have their problems throughout the game, they made amends in the end. The latter couple is revealed to be "[[FalseSoulmate not-so-peaceful]]", as Penelope turns out to be a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] {{yandere}} who sees Bentley as a MealTicket, and their relationship falls apart completely. [[{{Foil}} In the end]], it's Sly and Carmelita who becomes the peaceful couple, and Bentley and Penelope briefly being the bickering couple, then ArchEnemies with Penelope a PsychoExGirlfriend.

* ''Film/{{Us}}'' has the protagonist couple, Adelaide and Gave, and their frenemies' "bickering couple" (who might actually hate each other), Josh and Kitty.

In a work which features more than [[CoupledCouples one couple]], usually a main pairing and a beta couple, the writers will try to differentiate the two couples from each other. An easy way to do this is to have one couple bicker constantly while the other gets together easily and are sweetly in love. The main couple can be either type, as long as the beta couple are the other type.

In a work which features more than one couple, usually a main pairing and a beta couple, the writers will try to differentiate the two couples from each other. An easy way to do this is to have one couple bicker constantly while the other gets together easily and are sweetly in love. The main couple can be either type, as long as the beta couple are the other type.

* ''Manga/RandomWalk'' has a variation where neither of the contrasting couples involve the protagonist, Yuka, but is instead shown through the love lives of her two best friends, Touko and Katsura. While Touko constantly [[OffscreenBreakup breaks up]] and [[OffscreenRomance makes up]] with her boyfriend Tsukasa, Katsura seems to face no relationship trouble with Terakado once they get together (though granted, it takes a lot more effort for the latter pair to ''actually'' get together).

* ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist''

* ''Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann''. Yoko and Kamina relentlessly bicker and insult each other, are in obvious denial, and even have AccidentalPervert moments to top it off. In contrast, passive Simon and sweet Nia fall in love very easily.
* ''Manga/RandomWalk'' has a variation where neither of the contrasting couples involve the protagonist, Yuka, but is instead shown through the love lives of her two best friends, Touko and Katsura. While Touko constantly [[OffscreenBreakup breaks up]] and [[OffscreenRomance makes up]] with her boyfriend Tsukasa, Katsura seems to face no relationship trouble with Terakado once they get together (though granted, it takes a lot more effort for the latter pair to ''actually'' get together).

* The epilogue of ''Manga/BeautyPop'' shows that [[spoiler:Seki and Kanako and Iori and Chisami]] are married/engaged. [[BirdsOfAFeather Both partners]] of former pair are laid-back, considerate and shy, while the latter are selfish and boisterous. Naturally, the first pair is calm and lovey-dovey while the second is constantly bickering.

* In ''VisualNovel/KindredSpiritsOnTheRoof'', this trope applies to the two couples that are already together at the start of the game- Matsuri and Miyu, and Sachi and Megumi, respectively. Matsuri and Miyu often bicker LikeAnOldMarriedCouple, and while this is mostly lighthearted, there is some significant tension over Miyu's insistence that they refrain from public displays of affection to keep their SecretRelationshipSecret. After Matsuri tries to make out with Miyu during the summer training camp, Miyu angrily rebuffs her advances and the two end up in a feud until the end of the school festival. By comparison, Sachi and Megumi have no major arguments or conflicts over the course of the story.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}''. Shrek and Fiona spend most of the first movie (and the subsequent movies) bickering about everything, while Donkey and Dragon fall in love in their second scene together and have kids by the third movie. ** Shrek and Fiona do love each other very much though and really are happy around each other. Even when they fight, they do maintain the same love and affection and go to the ends of the earth for each other.

* ''Manga/RandomWalk'' has an unusual variation where neither of the contrasting couples involve, Yuka, but is instead shown through the love lives of her two best friends, Touko and Katsura. While Touko constantly [[OffscreenBreakup breaks up]] and [[OffscreenRomance makes up]] with her boyfriend Tsukasa, Katsura seems to face no relationship trouble with Terakado once they get together (though granted, it takes a lot more effort for the latter pair to ''actually'' get together).

* Inverted in ''VideoGame/SlyCooperThievesInTime''. While Sly and Carmelita appear to be the bickering couple in contrast to Bentley and Penelope being the peaceful couple, in reality, Carmelita is a {{tsundere}} who genuinely loves Sly, while Penelope is a [[TheSociopath sociopathic]] {{yandere}} who sees Bentley as a MealTicket.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Anastasia}}'' has [[BelligerentSexualTension Anya and Dimitri]] as the bickering couple, and [[OldFlameFizzle Vlad and Sophie]] as the peaceful one.

* ''Film/{{Old}}'': Jarin and Patricia are the Happily Married peaceful couple, in sharp contrast to the divorcing Guy and Prisca, who bicker constantly until they realize how severe the situation is. Charles and Chrystal are in the middle, as they have a shallow but less obviously unhappy marriage.

** Season 6 has Ted dating Zoe, the two constantly argue and fight over everything as well as Marshall and Lily, who are capable of meeting each other halfway and agreeing with things. An episode is dedicated to comparing his relationship: Ted and Zoe think that Marshall and Lily's relationship is lazy and stops them for growing while lily and Marshall think that their relationship is exhausting and toxic. At the end of the episode, Ted confesses that a supportive relationship is better and realizes his relationship with Zoe is awful and taking a lot of him.