I "Uh" You, Too

Alex: I, uh...
Emma: I uh you too.

— Alex & Emma

When a character can't bring themselves to properly confess their love, so they either make a statement to similar effect or one that is totally unrelated. The character on the receiving end of the pseudo-confession usually understands what they mean, often responding with something along the lines of "I [first character's statement] too."

Sometimes involves Emotionally Tongue-Tied or The "I Love You" Stigma. May be related to Cannot Spit It Out. Compare Aborted Declaration of Love.

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Examples:

Advertising

• An advertisement for Bud Light has a man with trouble spitting out "I love you" to his ladyfriend but has no such problems when it comes to his beer.
• An ad for M&M's had a woman confessing her love to Red. He replies with the uninspiring (but technically correct) statement, "I love... too."

Anime & Manga

• Dragon Ball Z: Bulma and Vegeta may qualify as well. They blush and fumble with their words, a lot. It should be noted that Bulma does try to be affectionate towards Vegeta (hand/arm holding, resting her head on his shoulder, etc.), and on his good days he will at least tolerate it for a time. The closest to a vocal confession came in Dragon Ball Super, when Goku commented on how they both married strong-willed women, and Vegeta responded with, "Yes, but I don't hate it."
• Fullmetal Alchemist:
  • Even in the very last chapter, some people still can't get over their chronic Cannot Spit It Out disorder.
    Ed: Winry! Uh... Um... How do I say this? Er... Like an appointment, or a promise, right?
    Winry: Huh? Just spit it out.
    Ed: Equivalent exchange. I'll give you half my life... so give me half of yours!
    Winry: [confused, then frustrated] Argh, why are alchemists like this?
  • Of course, Winry's response is no less awkward. She first says that she'll give Ed all of her life, but then decides that's too much, and eventually settles on 85%. Yeah, it's adorable.
• In Full Metal Panic!, it takes Kaname the better part of a year to realize that Sousuke's regular declarations of protection were effectively love confessions rather than simply reminding her of the danger she was in and his duty as her bodyguard, with his eventual Anguished Declaration of Love being less a confession itself and more a desperate clarification that "ensuring your safety is my primary concern" means its his reason for living rather than his job. And while they do actually say they love each other over an open communications channel 2/3rds into the series, Sousuke opts to use, "I will be your guard. Always," to convey his feelings before their Big Damn Kiss when they reunite rather than, "I love you."
• Kamitani from Gakuen Babysitters toward his younger brother, Taka. The best he can manage is "I don't really hate you, either."
• In the Gundam universe:
  • Mobile Fighter G Gundam: Domon Kasshu. Then again, when Domon DOES spit it out in the middle of an "I Know You Are in There Somewhere" Fight to the Brainwashed Rain, it's heartwarming and awesome. And it freaking saves the world.
  • And let's not forget Garrod Ran from After War Gundam X, who's so scared of being rejected by the Barrier Maiden he has a crush on (since poor Tiffa's been treated like an object for most of her life) that he can't bring himself to spit it out, since he thinks he'll be no better than her previous abusive caretakers.
• During the Golden Week vacations of the characters of Hayate the Combat Butler, Kaoru gets a chance to be alone with his crush, Yukiji, and tries to confess to her. He can't finish the statement, and so turns it into a question about her little sister's relationship status. It seems that Yukiji seems to understand what the statement was originally (and 'responds' later in the arc), but her immediate response is to turn to her Hard-Drinking Party Girl ways and offer him a drink. She then (probably teasingly) asks him what he likes about Hinagiku (the younger sister), as if he had just confessed affection for her instead.
• In I"s, this is how the Official Couple finally spits it out.
  Iori: Whom did you want to confess to?
  Ichitaka: Uh... you.
  Iori: ...I thought it was one-sided.
• In Kodocha, Akito can't say "I love you" about anything. Sana finally realizes he's coming around when he tells her "I don't hate you" in the same way he talks about sushi.
• In Negima! Magister Negi Magi, former Queen Arika was incredibly bad at expressing her emotions due to her strict upbringing. So, when Nagi pulls a ridiculously awesome Big Damn Heroes moment and declares his love for her, she tries to avoid giving a response by pointing out why she can't love him (he counters this with a Dope Headbutt). What she finally says to him is "I don't dislike you". He gets her to admit she thought about him every day that she spent in prison after a little more prodding, but he still can't get her to properly say "I love you".
• While Serena in Pokémon the Series: XY is going to focus on her goal of becoming a Top Performer for now, she tells Ash that "He is still her other goal", and also promises to become a "more attractive woman" when they meet again. And she tops it off with a kiss.
• Outright defied in The Quintessential Quintuplets. Nino confesses to Fuutarou that she loves him in Chapter 59, but due to the noise of the bike they're riding and the wind, he doesn't hear her. In the next chapter, when Nino realizes he didn't hear her confession, she repeats it to his face without a shred of hesitation.
• The penultimate chapter to Ranma ½ straddles the line between this and Cannot Spit It Out. Thinking Akane was dead, Ranma builds up to an Anguished Declaration of Love, however the "I love you" was only in his inner monologue. It turned out Akane simply couldn't move for a time, but heard everything and was able to put the pieces together herself. When she tries to call him out on it in the final chapter, Ranma still denies it.

Comic Books

• Ultimate Origins: Steve Rogers is about to leave the US and go to fight in WWII. He's just learned that Gail loves him, so he says "When I get back, I'd like to...". He's unable to finish, and just walks away.

Comic Strips

• In Snarfquest, the heroine couldn't quite get out the critical word when parting company with Snarf: "I really, really lo- like you."

Fan Works

• Advice and Trust: During a pillow talk scene Misato and Kaji are fed up with denying their feelings and pretending their relationship is only "friends with benefits"... but they are too frightened to spit it out, so they struggle to find a way to tell "I still love you" without actually saying the words:
  Misato: I want "us" again. I don't know if I can... say it, yet, but... I want "us". [...] If Shinji and Asuka can figure this out, how to get past the walls between them... we can too.
  Kaji: I'd... like that, [...] Us. Katsuragi... I...
• In Cinderjuice, Lydia informs BJ that he's an idiot, but then softens it by adding, "But you're my idiot." Later, he reaffirms that he is, indeed, her idiot. Eventually it becomes their running euphemism.
• In the Dragon Age II fan-fiction Coffee, Black, Garret Hawke tells Fenris that he... loves pie. Subverted in that Garret thought Fenris knew what he really meant, but it comes out later that Fenris thought that Garret just really wished to express his love of baked goods.
• A Crown of Stars: Even after getting together, Asuka was unsure of her feelings and frightened of loving and being hurt again, so she tried to find ways to tell and show Shinji that she wanted to be with him without saying the "love" word until she finally managed to spit it out.
  Asuka: You really are... for me.
• Neon Genesis Evangelion: Genocide: Asuka can't speak aloud how she feels about Shinji, so she settles on saying "Next time, just kiss me", knowing that Shinji would understand her. And he did.
  She couldn't say the words he wanted to hear, but she knew he understood her meaning beyond any doubt.
• Once More with Feeling: During a school dance Asuka asks Shinji straightforwardly what is she to him. Shinji does not want to tell plainly he loves her because he is frightened of scaring her away, so he resorts to tell "You... mean a lot to me" and other euphemisms.

Films — Animation

• Brotherly example: In Brother Bear, after those two moose get in a fight, one is trying to make up to the other. He mentions how he always tells him where the juiciest grazing is because "I love... dew." The other responds, "I love dew too, eh."
• Mulan has Shang say "You... you fight good." And the way he says it is absolutely adorable. However, Mulan is disappointed to not hear something more direct.
• In Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Mr. Peabody has a lot of difficulty saying "I love you," to his son and usually says "I have a deep regard for you as well." However, by the end of the film, Peabody manages to say that and Sherman answers, with a warm smile, "I have a deep regard for you as well."
• Ratatouille has Linguini trying to confess his love for Colette, but he can't do it. "And I would follow you to the ends of the earth because I love you...r advice!"

Films — Live-Action

• In Apflickorna (She Monkeys in English), after Emma and Cassandra instantly hit it off and spend an entire afternoon chatting with each other, two guys try to enter the conversation. Cassandra gets them to leave by pretending to accept one of their phone numbers.
  Emma: Are you interested in him?
  Cassandra: [laughs] No!
  Emma: [beat] I'm... not interested in him either.
  Cassandra: [freezes in surprise, then smiles]
• The Trope Namer is the film Alex & Emma where Alex can't spit out his love for Emma, but Emma understands what he's trying to say. "I uh you too."
• The Apartment has one of the most classic examples, at the end when Fran and Baxter are playing gin rummy:
  Baxter: I love you. You hear what I said, Miss Kubelik? I absolutely adore you.
  Fran: [smiling] Shut up and deal.
• A variation in Demon Knight where the villain is trying to propose to the Final Girl, and fails miserably, because Evil Cannot Comprehend Good so much that the word itself is unutterable for him.
  The Collector: I l-l-l-l-l you. I l-l-l-l-l you. Do you think you could ever find it in your heart to l-l-l-l-l me back?
• Happens in Far and Away, after Joseph and Shannon talk about their ideal futures.
  Joseph: I pretend I love you.
  Shannon: I pretend I love you, too.
• Ghost (1990): "Ditto"
• During the infamous toilet scene in Lethal Weapon 2, Riggs and Murtaugh share a moment, the dialogue follows thus.
  Murtaugh: Riggs?...
  [long Pause]
  Riggs: I know. Come on.
• In My Fair Lady, Higgins is so far into Confirmed Bachelor territory that he can hardly bring himself to admit that he even likes Eliza, quickly following his statement that he'll miss her with "...and so will Pickering - Eliza, you're a fool!"
• Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: "I'm in lesbians with you." Counts as a subversion, due to Ramona's reaction.
  Scott: ...I said "lesbians"...
• The Sense and Sensibility movie has Edward say something along the lines of "I would express my feelings, if I could" and Eleanor says that she understands. However, she thinks that he loves Lucy, so she doesn't press; and he thinks she loves Colonel Brandon, so he doesn't press.
• Han Solo's famous "I know" when Leia says she loves him in The Empire Strikes Back. Classy response. The originally scripted line was "I love you, too," but that sounded too sentimental, so Harrison Ford ad-libbed. There is a rumor Carrie Fisher was so drug-addled she kept blowing her lines, in a scene that was already having technical problems, so the line was in jest out of Ford's exasperation. Except the director loved it, proving...
  • And, of course, the Dialogue Reversal in Return of the Jedi in which Han says "I love you" and Leia replies "I know". Hers was a heartfelt confession at a moment when they might never see each other alive again, his was in response to her indicating to her hidden side-arm when some storm-troopers got the drop on them. Both scenes are portrayed awesomely, as a result.

Literature

• Chimène to Rodrigue in Le Cid: "Go; I do not hate thee."
• In Blood Promise, Dimitri’s inability to say I love you made Rose realize that he just thought of her as a conquest now that he was a Strigoi. It is the main reason she finally decides to get off her drug-addled butt and try to kill him.
• In Dragon Blood, there is a non-romantic example with Ward and his brother Tosten. Ward lampshades that he can't bring himself to tell his brother he loves him, because their father was a strong believer in Love Is a Weakness, and considered it unmanly to show emotion.
• In The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Gale tells Katniss that he loves her. Katniss, who is still confused about her feelings for Peeta, does the Han Solo thing and tells him "I know."
• In the last Percy Jackson book, after Percy fumbles through his feelings for several minutes, while Annabeth refuses to help:
  Percy: You are so not making this easy.
  Annabeth: I am never, ever going to make things easy for you, Seaweed Brain. Get used to it.
  [she kisses him]
• Famously, in both the book and the movie, The Princess Bride features Westley saying "As you wish." He says it repeatedly, for years, until finally Buttercup realizes what it means.
• Variant from Tell Me Again How A Crush Should Feel: When Lisa opens up to her girlfriend Leila that she hasn't visited her brothers grave since the funeral, Leila carefully ponders this and says that she could come with her when she do decide to go there, if she wanted to. Lisa doesn't comment this, but then carefully parks the car, unbuckles her seatbelt and "kisses [Leila] hard and urgently, as if she had just asked Lisa to marry her"
• At the end of the Temps story "Sortilege and Serendipity" by Brian Stableford, Dr Sweetland tells his assistant Carol that he wouldn't wish his recent adventures on anyone, "especially someone I ... like". She looks at him oddly and replies "I ... like ... you too." Since she's Happily Married, they leave it there.
• The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn, makes this into a bit of an affectionate Running Gag between Han Solo and Leia Organa, now husband and wife.

Live-Action TV

• In The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Big Pete cannot spit it out to Ellen ("I...I..."), to which Ellen responds, "It's OK, I know" and smooches him in the middle of a packed high school stadium.
• Happens twice in the All in the Family episode "The Stivics Go West". Mike tells Archie he's going to miss him, and later that he loves him. Both times Archie finds it impossible to reciprocate.
• In the fourth season of Battlestar Galactica, Laura Roslin finally tells Bill Adama that she loves him. His response? "About time."
• In one episode of Boston Legal, Alan attempts to express his appreciation for Tara by telling her "You really smell great." She answers "You smell great too," in an understanding tone of voice.
• Prue suffers from this in Charmed; the last thing she said to her mother before she died was "I love you." As such, she avoids saying the same to her sisters, lest the same thing happen to them.
• In Season 4 of Dexter, whenever Rita says "I love you" Dexter says "Me too." Note that they are already married at this point. Somewhat surprisingly, this doesn't become a plot point possibly because Rita is murdered at the end of the season. Dexter later admits, while simultaneously realizing, that he did love her.
• Doctor Who: In "The Satan Pit", the Doctor does a one-sided version of this while descending into the pit, almost asking Ida Scott to tell Rose something:
  The Doctor: If you talk to Rose, tell her... tell her... [pauses and shrugs] Oh, she knows...
• Hawaii Five-0, "Ku I Ka Pili Koko", twice - while they're trapped under a collapsed building and Steve is about to set off an explosion, Danny (inclined throughout the series to use insults as 'I love you's) says, "I just want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, I really, truly... hate you so much." As they both laugh, Steve replies "I love you too," then sets off the explosion. After they're rescued, Danny stops Steve away from the people waiting for them and says, "I, uh, what you said down there, I just wanted you to know I, uh, I feel the same way." Steve plays oblivious until he spits out the actual three words.
• How I Met Your Mother, Episode "First Time in New York". Ted and Robin. "Ted?" "Yes?" "...falafel."
• Leverage:
  • During "The Double Blind Job" Parker has feelings for Hardison.
    Parker: So the thing is, I think I might be having feelings, like weird, weird feelings for... [Beat] pretzels.
    Hardison: Well, they are right here when you want them.
  • Later on during "The Big Bang Job" she adds that she's craving pretzels.
• In The Middleman, Tyler says to Wendy "I think I kinda love you." She gives him grief for it, but eventually admits that she kinda loves him too.
• My Name Is Earl:
  • A friendship example: while in a helicopter that's on a collision course, Earl tries to say goodbye to Darnell, but can't since he's twitching uncontrollably thanks to a few dozen doses of a knockout drug.
    Earl: I just want you to know, that I've always— [twitches uncontrollably] Geet-geet-aaack!
    Darnell: I feel the same way!
  • Also when Darnell tells Joy he can't reveal his past because it would mean having to leave her.
    Darnell: I can't tell you the truth because I love you too much, stupid!
    [beat]
    Joy: I love you, too, stupid.
• Done at least twice in Mystery Science Theater 3000:
  • In the episode featuring Space Mutiny, Crow and Tom are planning to crash space pods into the Satellite of Love, Tom shouts out "I LOVE YOU, CROW!" with Crow responding "I'M SORTA FOND OF YOU, SERVO!"
  • In the Season Ten finale featuring Danger: Diabolik, when Pearl tries to destroy the Satellite of Love, Mike and the Bots rapidly say their goodbyes, with each one telling the others that they love them, but when it gets to Tom, he conveniently forgets Crow with spare seconds before the bomb duds. Tom claims he forgot his name, but Crow doesn't buy it.
• Parks and Recreation subverts this. When April tells Andy she loves him, he responds with "Shut up! Dude, that is awesome-sauce!" and tries to hi-five her. It eventually turns out that he can say it, he just genuinely thought that was an appropriate response.
  Andy: I do love you. That's what makes the sauce so awesome.
• In Press Gang, Linda and Spike, unable to express their true feelings, resort to using anagrams, leading them to profess that "I vole you".
• Season 3 of Sherlock gives us this gem:
  Sherlock: [looking down] John, there’s something... I should say; I-I've meant to say always and then never have. Since it's unlikely we'll ever meet again, I might as well say it now. [takes a deep breath and looks up at John] Sherlock is actually a girl's name.
• In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, O'Brien is explaining to Bashir how people think of him and strays into some territory he's clearly not very comfortable with.
  O'Brien: Well, people either love you or hate you.
  Bashir: Really?
  O'Brien: I hated you when we first met.
  Bashir: I remember.
  O'Brien: But now... Well, now I don't.
  Bashir: That means a lot to me, Chief. It really does.
  O'Brien: Really. Now that is from the heart. I really do... not hate you anymore.
• Star Trek: Voyager. In "Gravity", Tuvok mindmelds with an alien girl to show her the feelings he can't put into words.
• Happens frequently between Sam and Dean Winchester of Supernatural. During their last Christmas together before Dean went to Hell, Sam's "I love you" took the form of "Do you want to watch the game?" to which Dean's "I love you, too" was a yes.
• In That '70s Show, Donna loves Eric. Eric loves cake.
  Eric: I love you... [punches Donna's shoulder] ...man.
• Wire in the Blood's first three seasons are full of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan dancing around their feelings for each other. In the third episode of season three, Carol asks Tony if he's ever loved another living thing:
  Tony: I've been close.
  Carol: How close?
  Tony: Carol!
  Carol: Why can't you answer? It's a simple question. Are you ashamed?
  Tony: You. [after which he starts talking to the poster behind her]

Music

• There's a song called "I Hmm You".
• Olive you by Dave Days.

Theatre

• In Company, during April and Robert's offstage sex scene ("Tick Tock"), she tells him "I love you," but he can only stammer, "I—...I—..." Then all of his married friends can be heard saying "I love you" to each other.

Video Games

• Fallout 4: The Intrepid Reporter Piper Wright is one of the Sole Survivor's potential romance options. Despite her brusque demeanor, however, Piper is deeply insecure and struggles from a Friendless Background brought about by her being the only news reporter in the Commonwealth. If the Sole Survivor decides to romance her and they say "You're perfect for me", Piper initially has trouble accepting the compliment until she says, "Well, I think you're perfect, too."
• Fire Emblem: Awakening does this so many times it would be almost impossible to list them all here.
• Mass Effect has this when romancing Ashley.
  Shepard: I guess I "want to make you happy" too.
• Mass Effect: Andromeda: If romanced, Peebee will tell Ryder she "kinda sorta" likes them. Ryder will say they "kinda sorta" like her right back. But then, Peebee has issues with trust and emotional intimacy not helped by her ex being extremely abusive (and who Ryder has already met and potentially turned into a deep fried asari by this point). Peebee has no problem showing Ryder how she feels about them.
• Presea does this in Tales of Symphonia after Genis says that she's "p-p-p-pretty".

Visual Novels

• Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair: In his final Free Time event, Komaeda starts what sounds a lot like a Love Confession to Hinata, then revises it to say that he "love[s] the hope sleeping within you from the bottom of my heart." He does confess more decisively in the Drama CD, but Hinata isn't very receptive.
• Despite how she feels being rather obvious, Tohsaka in Fate/stay night never really DOES get around to telling Shirou how she feels. In any route. She admits to liking some of his personality traits (usually to a third party) but when put to it responds to 'I love you' with roughly 'And like you said, I... I also don't hate you.'
• Steins;Gate: When Okabe confesses to Kurisu just before he has to negate the D-mail that saved her life, Kurisu is too embarrassed to return the confession outright. Instead, she asks him to close his eyes and kisses him, giving the excuse that a strong emotional experience will help him not forget her. When Okabe gives a second confession after hitting the Relationship Reset Button, he's given the following answer just before the series ends:
  Kurisu: Do you really want to know? ...Close your eyes.
• Yo-Jin-Bo has a couple of instances of this, due to the fact that the guys Cannot Spit It Out.

Webcomics

• In the Sci-fi arc of Dubious Company, this may have been Sal's response to Leeroy. Or she was just trying to answer his innocent but awkwardly worded question without getting more snickering from the rest of the crew.
• John and Margo from Gunnerkrigg Court do this here.
  John: Uh... I-uh, I mean, it was- I had a... a, you know...
  Margo: M-me too!

Web Original

• In the lonelygirl15 episode "Back Home", Danielbeast, who is recording a message for Bree, says "I still l... care about you." ...which resulted in several fans adopting this supposedly French expression ("l'care").
• Occurs more then once in Red vs. Blue, thanks to the Armed Farces and Dysfunction Junction nature of the main cast making more emotional declarations awkward.
  • In the Season 5 finale, Grif and Simmons tell each other that they hate them with all the passion of a Platonic Declaration of Love.
    Simmons: [tearfully] I hate you too, buddy!
  • Played for Drama in the Season 13 finale, where as part of a Call-Back to his initial death (It Makes Sense in Context), Church awkwardly tells the rest of the Blood Gulch Crew as they prepare to make their Last Stand that "Out of everyone I've ever met, I hate you all the least."

Western Animation

• From Avatar: The Last Airbender:
  Zuko: You're so beautiful when you hate the world.
  Mai: I don't hate you.
  Zuko: I don't hate you, too.
• A non-romantic variant: In one episode of the Beetlejuice cartoon, Beetlejuice's younger brother Donny is visiting, and falls into a depressive state. Lydia urges Beetlejuice to cheer him up by telling Donny that he loves him. Beetlejuice can't quite bring himself to go that far; instead, he manages to say, "I... don't hate you like I used to." But it's close enough for Donny, who immediately perks up.
• In the BoJack Horseman episode "Higher Love", BoJack sincerely tells his girlfriend, Wanda, that he loves her as he's heading off to work. Cue pregnant pause where he, Wanda and Todd realize what he just said, and BoJack attempting to take it back by hastily saying, "No I don't!" and running out of the house. When they talk later, Wanda tells him she doesn't love him either and the rest of the episode is BoJack insecurely trying to get her to say it while denying his own feelings. She doesn't say it until he nearly dies, at which point he keeps denying he loves her.
  BoJack: I don't love you.
  Wanda: Sure you don't.
  BoJack: I don't! Come back here! I don't love you. You don't make me feel less broken!
• In Craig of the Creek, after Wildernessa's previous attempts to tell Craig how she feels result in a Mating Dance that just confuses him and a Dying Declaration of Love cut short, she settles for this at the end of "Puppy Love":
  Wildernessa: Uh, b-by the way, Craig, I uh-uh... Ch-Cheesesticks likes you.
  Craig: Uh... I, um... I like you guys, too.
  [both respond by giggling and howling]
• Family Guy:
  • In The Empire Strikes Back parody, "Something, Something, Something Dark Side":
    Leia/Lois: I love you.
    Han/Peter: Fuck off.
  • An earlier episode has Meg telling Lois she loves her. Lois quotes the trope verbatim, only adding "honey" to the end. Not to mention this was during Meg's wedding.
  • When Brian teaches Stewie ballroom dancing:
    Stewie: [whispers] I love you.
    Brian: What? What'd you say?
    Stewie: Uh, olive juice.
    Brian: Olive juice?
    Stewie: [whispers] Olive juice, you too.
• Futurama has a subversion: Fry assumes this is the case, but:
  Bender: I'll kill you!
  Fry: I'll kill you too, buddy. I'll kill you too.
  [Bender throttles Fry]
• The Gargoyles season two finale.
  Elisa: You know how I feel about you, right?
  Goliath: How ... we both feel. Yes.
  Elisa: Good. [kisses Goliath]
• In the end of the God, the Devil and Bob episode "Bob's Father" Bob is making peace with his dead father as they're watching a hockey game on TV in a bar, but instead of saying outright how he loves him and is going to miss him, he tells a story about how he misses Wayne Gretzky. His father knows exactly what he's trying to say.
  Bob: I miss Gretzky, y'know... I wish I'd gone to more of his games. You don't appreciate someone like that until they're out of the game. I mean, one time on his way off the ice, he stared right by me and I looked up, our eyes met and I didn't say anything. I wish... I had told him... how much he meant to me. And now I will never be able to.
  Bob's Father: I think he knows.
• A semi-example from Justice League Unlimited between The Question and Huntress in "Double Date":
  Huntress: Then why do all that? Why risk your life for me?
  The Question: Because I... [he turns his head, muttering] like you.
• King of the Hill:
  • A variation on the episode where Peggy finds Bobby is a better homemaker and assumes Hank doesn't need her any more. Hank wins her back by inviting her back home and showing her he cooked dinner for her himself, to a very competent degree. Of course, Hank is so boxed-in emotionally, he has trouble actually saying "I love you" to anyone except his dog.
    Hank: I didn't marry you because you can cook or clean for me, Peggy. I married you because... Y'know. ..... The love.
  • He manages to say it when he thought he is about to die.
    Hank: [hanging on to a pole during a tornado] Peggy, I love you! Oh yeah, I love Bobby and Luanne too, to a lesser extent!
  • The trope is played straight in an episode where Jimmy Carter intervenes in the situation and gets Hank and his dad to be increasingly less vague about it. The episode culminates in this trope, and afterward Hank and Cotton even have a good time bashing Jimmy Carter...
    Boy I love shooting a nail gun...
    I love shooting a nail gun too.
  • The best part is that Hank and his dad were fighting because Hank actually blurted out "I love you!" to his boss in front of everyone when Strickland finally promoted him to full manager. Everyone is aghast, Cotton is furious/disgusted (but won't admit he's actually just jealous of his son's affection), and Strickland ends up taking back the promotion the next day because it was so embarrassing.
• Phineas and Ferb: "'Cause when I say 'I love you', she says I gitchi gitchi goo you too! Gitchi gitchi goo means that I love you!"
• In the The Smurfs (1981) episode, "The Smurfiest of Friends," after Clumsy saves Brainy from Buddy the imp, Clumsy tells Brainy he loves him. Brainy's response?
  Brainy Smurf: I- I- I know how you feel, Clumsy. I know how you feel.
• From Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation:
  Babs: Oh, Buster, I didn't think that I'd get a chance to tell you...
  Buster: Shh! I feel the same way.
• Daniel and Arcee in the Grand Finale of The Transformers. He Can't Spit It Out and she takes mercy on him, simply saying that she feels the same way.

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