The 8 Most Underrated Ships of All Time
This post was originally published in January 2016, and we’re putting it in front of your lucky eyeballs today in case you missed it the first time!
Like any normal person, I’ve been known to unleash a veritable tsunami of happy tears because my favorite fictional characters started kissing. But for every relationship that overcomes five seasons’ worth of trials and tribulations and sexy tension, there’s another that has been here all along. Rock solid. Steady. Always ready and willing to serve as a contrast to the rollercoaster of emotion that was Ross and Rachel or Luke and Lorelei.
These aren’t the ships we deserve, but they’re the ones we need right now. And I think it’s about damn time they were acknowledged.
Molly and Arthur Weasley from Harry Potter
The world operates on certain unyielding principles. Birds fly, tacos are great, and Molly and Arthur Weasley are a married force to be reckoned with. If anything had happened to either of these two lovebirds (looking at you, Nagini), it would have been like ripping my heart out and setting it on fire. They lived through two wizarding wars together, for Dumbledore’s sake. Molly says they were made for each other. Arthur calls her “Mollywobbles.” They’re so cute they’re disgusting. I’m obsessed with them.
Sookie St. James and Jackson Belleville from Gilmore Girls
While Lorelai was waffling about with Christopher and Luke and decidedly not taking my telepathic “PICK LUKE OR YOU’RE DEAD TO ME” advice, Sookie and Jackson were busy being the best of all couples. Exhibit A:
Jackson: I think we should get married.
Sookie: But—uh… but—
Jackson: Soon.
Sookie: Are you pregnant?
Bob and Linda Belcher from Bob’s Burgers
Bob and Linda recently broke new ground by being the cutest couple to ever run a burger joint together. What’s so great about Bob and Linda (I’m working on making Blinda happen, but so far no dice) is that they’re a TEAM. An equal partnership. They love their kids and they’re great parents, aside from the occasional crap attack.
Nomi Marks and Amanita from Sense8
Nomi and Amanita are the standard to which I measure all past, present, and future relationships. (By “future,” I mean when I’m inevitably dating Aaron Tveit. By “present,” I mean the unspoken thing I have with the guy who delivers my pizza.) Nomi is a transgender lesbian hacktivist and Amanita works in a bookstore, and together they are a wholly badass duo of authority problems, social justice, and psychedelic hair.
Nani Pelekai and David Kawena from Lilo & Stitch
At first glance, David is just some unassuming surfer dude who accidentally sets everything on fire at Nani’s luau job. (What lasting relationship hasn’t started with everything being on fire?) But while Nani is the sole breadwinner for herself and Lilo, David remains patient and supportive, and he understands that Lilo is priority #1. And he doesn’t really even bat an eye when they adopt Stitch, the world’s weirdest-looking alien dog-thing.
Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang from the Harry Potter series
When we think of Cedric and Cho, we tend to think of things like Cedric’s sultry “It’s not a bad place for a bath” line and the bout of word diarrhea that was Harry’s Yule Ball proposal to Cho. But the reason I think these two deserve more accolades is because they were just two kids in love—young rival Seekers who made something beautiful together before it was tragically torn asunder by Voldemort.
Cam Tucker and Mitchell Pritchett from Modern Family
Cam and Mitch were the most married couple on this list even before same-sex marriage became legal in California and they able to get blessedly, disastrously married in the midst of a wildfire evacuation. I live for their mockumentary-style interview segments. Example:
Cam: We don’t love pink.
Mitch: You love pink.
Cam: No, pink loves me.
Morticia and Gomez flat-out loved and respected each other; they didn’t fall victim to the overused pop culture stereotype of “marriage = THE END OF ALL THINGS,” and they didn’t care that the rest of the world viewed them as unconventional outcasts. If I don’t wind up with a relationship like the Addams’, then I want a refund.
Who’s your favorite underrated ship? We’re partial to Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, because OBVIOUSLY.
