11 of the Best Ship Moments in 2015

Relationships are complicated.

At least, that’s what Jeff Winger told Annie Edison years ago on the NBC sitcom, Community. And he’s right. Relationships aren’t easy and sometimes they’re confusing and messy. Television relationships are no exception. 2015 has proven to be a really great year for some television couples as they exchanged “I love you’s” and first kisses, and a not-so-great year for others, amidst break-ups and kept secrets.

For better or for worse, television writers have learned to harness the power of romantic relationships on dramas and comedies. Relationships between characters are foundations on which the shows themselves are built, after all. So it makes sense, then, that “shippers” are so prominent among fandoms. Often given a bad reputation or dismissed by creators and critics, these people — myself included — find themselves invested in romantic relationships in their favorite shows. And, having been around fandom for as long as I have, I’ve discovered that shippers are some of the most creative and inventive people. They’re invested in character arcs and stories more than a casual viewer or a fan. They then make the show their own — someone’s created work becomes the very thing that spurs them on toward creativity, too. Shippers form communities, create fan art and videos, and write fanfiction. It’s mind-boggling to me, in the best way possible, that showrunners have this often unknown impact on the people who watch what they create.

So, as the end of the year approaches, I am here to break down eleven of the best “ship” moments of 2015. Some of these are aww-inducing, some might surprise you, and some are on the list because of how gut-wrenching they are. So sit back, grab some chocolate (and maybe wine) and relish in my favorite shippy moments of this year!



11. The Rafael/Jane time jump (Jane the Virgin)

Okay, all drama with Michael/Jane and Rafael/Jane aside, one of the smartest and best things that Jane the Virgin did this year was present a time jump in a believable way. Television shows that center — either in part or in full — around growing children often encounter problems because... well, kids grow up between the time that it takes to shoot a television show. So this CW comedy chose to take one episode and jump forward in time. This allowed us to see Mateo grow, but also to see Rafael and Jane’s relationship grow, too.

These two have always had a complex relationship (made more complex by the whole baby daddy thing), but “Chapter Twenty-Eight” was amazing and one of my absolute favorite Rafael/Jane moments of 2015. Because in allowing time to pass, we got to see Jane’s heart heal from her relationship with Michael in a believable way (that would have taken weeks or months had the show stuck to its initial real-time format). We saw Rafael date someone else, too, and I think that was important. He dated someone who wasn’t Petra — conniving and brilliantly evil — which is something that was important. And we got the chance to see both characters naturally progress and move back toward one another. So by the time Rafael asks Jane out on a date at the end of the episode, we all believe she’s ready. (And we swoon. Or is that just me?)

I am first and foremost #TeamJane, but if I was forced to choose between snowflakes and flower petals, it would be #TeamFlowerPetals all the way. I love the way that Rafael and Jane naturally clash. Their relationship is full of bumps, but that’s what makes it so believable and so wonderful. They have amazing chemistry together and they’re a family. I can’t quite explain it any other way than that.



10. The “Love is Strange” duet (Galavant)

I absolutely and positively love Galavant. If you haven’t checked out this musical comedy, you really need to. In my review of the pilot I described it this way: “If Monty Python's Spamalot and Mel Brooks' Robin Hood: Men in Tights had an illegitimate child, it would be named Galavant.”

I still stand by that, honestly.

Apart from being excited that the show was miraculously renewed for a second season, looking back on this show’s freshman year has me excited. One of my absolute favorite moments was the “Love is Strange” duet between Galavant and Isabella. The best thing that this series does — among many things — is flip tropes on their heads. Madalena, the seemingly innocent maiden, turns out to be scheming and conniving and delightfully evil. Similarly, Isabella turns out to be the kind of kick-butt and yet emotionally vulnerable heroine and love interest that we all needed. And though Galavant and Isabella sing a love song to one another, this song involves talking about how weird and gross and strange love is. What a wonderfully inverted ballad trope, right?

The realistic picture of love that they paint stands in contrast to the fairytale-esque structure of the show and I absolutely love it. If you don’t swoon while listening to Joshua Sasse sing, then you might just be a robot. Galavant/Isabella forever, you guys.



9. Sheldon and Amy... well, you know. (The Big Bang Theory)

I watch The Big Bang Theory whenever I can. Most weeks, I’ll watch it On Demand after I’ve worked out on a Saturday. Sometimes I forget that new episodes have aired and have to have a mini-binge. The show gets a lot of flak because of the fact that it’s a multi-camera comedy and often its portrayal of nerd culture can be pretty one-dimensional. But what I’ve seen the show do in recent years is something pretty impressive — it’s taken to focusing on developing its main characters and really earning the emotional moments. Some of the most impressive areas of growth have come from the character of Sheldon Cooper, especially in his relationship with Amy.

Recently, one of the most important episodes of the show has aired — the episode in which Sheldon and Amy sleep together for the first time. And though the framing of that was hilarious (the cutaways to Raj, Leonard, Howard, and Wil Wheaton in the theater was so great), the moment that really struck me and earned these two a spot on my list was the subtle way that Jim Parsons softened Sheldon. When Amy emerges in her nightgown, the look on Sheldon’s face is so impossibly sweet. You can see him soften and relax into a loving glance — something we are unaccustomed to seeing. Amy’s nervousness isn’t played for laughs, and neither is Sheldon’s response to her. The two genuinely love one another and their moments in that scene were earnest, tender, and completely lovely.



8. Ben and Leslie’s unwavering support for one another (Parks and Recreation)

I’ll never stop talking about how sad I am that Parks and Recreation has ended. But what I will say is that I was never disappointed in the way they handled Ben and Leslie’s romance. The show always strove to portray the unwavering love and support the two had for each other and their relationship, and when the show jumped forward in its final season — no matter how many years — it maintained that. Ben was always willing to stand aside to let Leslie shine, and she was willing to do the exact same. Both made sacrifices in their relationship and truly, their marriage and love was one of equality.

I always discuss the fact that Ben and Leslie’s romance is “relationship goals”... because that romance IS. It was a complete and true partnership, in every sense of the word. Whether he was letting her talk during “Pie-Mary,” or she was supporting him years down the line — through it all, these two communicated about their feelings and struggled, always put one another first, and made sure to carve out time no matter what to express how much they loved one another. I cannot think of a better example of a television ship than these two.



7. Toby and Happy let each other in and kiss (Scorpion)

Scorpion is one of the best shows on television that you’re not watching. You probably dismissed it as a procedural. Maybe you even presumed it was just CSI-lite. You would be wrong. Though Scorpion’s first season was good, it had a few bumps and bruises. But this second season is the strongest yet of the series and the writing has never been better. Not only are there physical stakes for the things our characters are doing, but emotional ones as well.

Toby and Happy have always had this kind of weird relationship — she throws up every wall and defense she can, and he tries to constantly pursue her. In fact, Toby is pretty relentless in the way that he cares about Happy. But he does care. He doesn’t pursue her because he’s hopeful that he can gain something in return, necessarily — he pursues her because he knows she deserves better than she allows herself to believe or have. She understands him and he knows why she wants to keep him at bay. But during this season of Scorpion, these two crazy kids have – for a few, select moments – put their guards down. One such moment happened in the midseason finale, in which Happy was close to drowning. After the ordeal (and the fact that, not too many episodes prior, Toby technically died for a minute or two) and reminders of Megan, Happy’s outlook on her relationship with Toby shifted slightly. And she told him to kiss her.

Apart from the fact that that was one heck of a kiss, the kiss lands on my favorite ship moments of the year because it signaled an active step for Happy. Usually Toby pursues, but it was Happy who called the shots this time around. And it was beautiful. (Runner-up moment? When Toby and Happy slow-danced during “The Old College Try” because HOW CUTE WAS THAT?)



6. Bellamy will not let Clarke be alone (The 100)

Amidst a show with seemingly thirteen billion different shipping options (Clarke/Lexa, Bellamy/Clarke, Lincoln/Octavia, Kane/Abby, etc. etc.), I found myself drawn to Bellamy/Clarke — or, as the kids call them “Bellarke” — during 2015. There is something so subtle and yet powerful about the fact that these two characters began as adversaries and, by the end of the second season, became partners in every sense of the word. One of the most powerful ship moments for me of this past year was Bellamy’s refusal to let Clarke be alone.

I love Clarke because she’s a complex, damaged character who has been forced to make really difficult decisions in order to save her people. And really, I love that Clarke is a character who HAS a “people.” She was always a natural-born leader, because of her desire to care for others and keep them safe. Her instinct to protect her own often leads her down some dark and difficult roads, especially this past year. And when she has no choice than to kill those living in Mount Weather in an act of mass genocide (this is a show on The CW, you guys, and is darker than some of the stuff on HBO), she prepares to do it alone. She prepares to bear the consequences of the act on her shoulders. Clarke braces to feel the weight of hundreds, thousands of souls crushing down on her.

But then, Bellamy places his hand over hers. And they make this decision together. It’s so important to me that Bellamy does this, because it symbolizes the fact that he never wants Clarke to feel like she is alone. He cares about her. Bellamy did so reluctantly, at first — he didn’t want to like the girl whom he sardonically called “princess.” He wanted to hate her. But he couldn’t.

Bellamy loves Clarke. It’s hard to argue that, given their final exchange at the end of the season. Clarke wants to leave Camp Jaha, because the weight of what she had to do is too much to handle. It’s crushing her. But gently, Bellamy tells her that he placed his hand over hers in Mount Weather for a reason. He did it so she would know he is always there for her – she is not, nor will she ever be, alone. And Bellamy extends forgiveness to her, in a beautiful (and sad) parallel to what Clarke did for him during “Day Trip.” He searches her face and she hugs him tightly, but she leaves all the same.

I know it’s going to be a rough road for my Bellarke-loving heart in season three, but I’m glad that 2015 helped establish their dynamic and I’m hopeful that next year will build upon it.



5. Jeff and Annie kiss goodbye (Community)

Jeff and Annie are probably my biggest love affair over the past few years. Their dynamic is so complex and their relationship so difficult to comprehend in some ways, and yet so impossibly simple in others. The fact of the matter is that Jeff Winger fell in love with a bright, young, idealistic woman and that changed him from the inside out. His heart softened. His priorities shifted. He began to care about things and people he never assumed he would. He didn’t always express it correctly, but he always has had a soft spot for Annie. She’s been his partner and his rock and his best friend in a lot of ways for years.

And when faced with the cold fact that Annie would be leaving him to take an internship across the country, Jeff began to crumble. The man who scoffed at the very notion of settling down and balked at the idea of marriage years ago daydreams in the series finale about a life with Annie – a home with her, really. He daydreams about building a family and having a life. He daydreams about happiness. Throughout their relationship, Jeff was always the more emotionally distanced. Annie gave up, after a few failed attempts, at trying to read Jeff’s mind and his signals. She eventually stopped dwelling too much on how jealous he got of other guys, and focused on her career and her schooling. But she was always enamored by him, and I believe she loved him, too.

So when she enters the study room to check and ensure Jeff is okay, he confesses that he’s not. He wishes he could turn back time and be exactly where Annie is at that moment — ready to head off into the world, with years stretched ahead of him. And Annie wishes for more time — for more wisdom and years that Jeff has and she doesn’t. When it’s time to come face-to-face with those struggles, Jeff becomes more honest than he was in six years of knowing Annie. He tells her that he has tried to let her go, but that his heart still wants her. So Annie... tells him to kiss her goodbye.

It’s probably not a goodbye kiss, because these two crazy kids would be... well, crazy, to not see one another again. It’s a kiss with a promise, though — tender and sweet and so unlike the ones they had years ago. Because now Jeff knows he loves Annie, and it changes how he behaves. Instead of being the selfish jerk who manipulated others in the pilot, in the series finale Jeff Winger became the man who was so selfless that he let the woman he loved most in the world go, knowing that it would hurt him, but create opportunities and happiness for her. In the words of the Internet: “feels.”



4. Oliver's goodbye to Felicity (Arrow)

I would talk about the soufflé faux-engagement or the real engagement, or the suburban rom-com that Oliver and Felicity found themselves in at the beginning of this season. I could even discuss their adorable domestic bliss after they returned to Star(ling) City. I might even be tempted to talk about their first time together in Nanda Parbat.

But I’m actually not going to. Instead, I’m going to talk about something reminiscent of what I will discuss with Captain Swan — I’m going to talk about pain. In spite of the rocky, uneven, and occasional downright horrible writing of the third season of Arrow, there were some bright spots for the show in 2015. A lot of them took place in the current season, but the most important one to me took place during “The Fallen,” in which Oliver bade Felicity goodbye. Apart from being absolutely gut-wrenching acting from Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards, this scene was so important to me and — to be quite honest — much preferred over the sex scene itself.

Because this is the moment in which Oliver and Felicity are at their most honest and vulnerable. She begins to cry at the thought of leaving him, and he confesses to her that the only way he can make it through being in Nanda Parbat is if he knows she is out there, happy. You can almost feel the unspoken words lingering in Felicity’s head – that she cannot be happy without HIM beside her — but she doesn’t utter them. Instead, the music swells and the two kiss, vowing to not say goodbye this time, since it has become their “thing” to do. This moment is so tender and so intimate that it almost makes you want to look away. You feel like you’re invading this quiet, love-wrought moment.

It’s not just the fact that they have to say goodbye that made this scene so sad and ultimately so moving for me. It’s the fact that we have to watch Oliver watch Felicity walking away. Unlike the many times she has walked away from him before, this time was not because she wanted to, or was angry — it was because she had to. This moment is so beautiful, so sad, and the contrast of the hopelessness in the darkness and the hopefulness of the light that frames it is what makes it the best Oliver/Felicity moment of the year for me.



3. Emma has to kill Hook (Once Upon A Time)

Though it might seem odd for me to choose this heartbreaking moment as the best ship moment for Hook and Emma of 2015, I choose it because it was the most powerful acting I’ve seen from Colin O’Donoghue and Jennifer Morrison. Captain Swan, as they have been dubbed by fans, has gone through a lot the past year. Emma turned into the Dark One, we relished in flashbacks, and then Hook was revealed to have been brought back from the brink of death by Emma, cursing him to also become the Dark One. When it became clear that the only way to save Storybrooke and the people he loved was to die at Emma’s hand, Hook stared death boldly in the face. But, most importantly, he stared into the eyes of his beloved, too.

The complete and utter anguish of that scene is slightly undercut by the complete and utter love that is felt as Emma holds Hook and sobs over his broken body. Hook and Emma have gone through a lot together — they were each so used to constructing walls and forcing people out that when they finally let one another in, it was really important that they did so. We’ve seen the truth, too, that these two will never give up on one another and never stop fighting for one another either.

Hope may seem lost now that Hook has died, but make no mistake about it: Emma doesn’t see that as a roadblock. She will rescue the man she loves. Because, after all: “Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while.”

   

2. Schmidt proposes to Cece (New Girl)

Guys, I did not think that I would become as invested in Schmidt and Cece’s relationship as I was this year. The problem that New Girl had in the third season was that the decision to have Schmidt cheat on Elizabeth and Cece ultimately made him a villain. I’ve always — literally, since the pilot episode — been a shipper of Nick and Jess, and though they had some great moments this season (the one in “Oregon,” and “Clean Break”), it is Schmidt/Cece that stole my heart. The writing of Schmidt this year was so impeccable. He was redeemed from a womanizing character into one who genuinely and truly cared about Cece as a friend, first and foremost. I believed their friendship this year, wholeheartedly, and “The Crawl” and “Oregon” were both great examples of the lengths Schmidt was willing to go to for Cece without anything being in it for him.

And for most of this season, Schmidt was either preoccupied with Fawn or Cece with her studies. But these two never stopped loving one another. That love was always there, bubbling just beneath the surface. But they knew they had to get their lives back in order as individuals before there could ever be hope for them again, romantically. I think that both always knew that if they were to give their relationship a second (third?) chance, it would be permanent. The way that Max Greenfield and Hannah Simone play these characters with such earnestness and endearment toward one another is so lovely to watch unfold. They really went above and beyond this season to unearth subtleties in these characters, which makes me even more excited to watch their engagement and wedding next season.

Schmidt’s proposal to Cece made me cry. It was his truthfulness and devotion, coupled with Cece’s quiet confession of love that was so captivating. The choice for the show to integrate the not-really-flashback-flashback was the absolute perfect decision and I’m so glad that the writers did that. And just like that, the words: “Girl, will you marry me?” made me burst out into tears and cheers. Thank you, New Girl, for making me fall in love with Schmidt/Cece this year. Good job.

   

1. Harvey tells Donna that he loves her (Suits)

Harvey and Donna’s relationship is so important to me.

They absolutely and truly love one another, that it’s impossible to deny that fact. Every character on this series — no, seriously, every character from major to guest-starring attorneys — has pointed out the fact that Harvey and Donna love one another. And even though I have always been a fan of their flirting, bantering dynamic and their unwavering loyalty to one another, it was this year that really pushed me over the edge into full-fledged Harvey/Donna shipper territory. It might have a little something to do with the “I love you” that Harvey uttered to Donna.

When it seemed like all hope was lost and that Donna might go to jail for something she did, Harvey stepped in and did everything within (and outside of) his power to keep Donna safe. He made sure to tell everyone, too, that this case? It was different. Because it was about her. We saw a side of Harvey Specter that we are unaccustomed to seeing. We saw him unhinged. When he thought that Donna might actually go to jail and believed he had no way to stop that, Donna confronted him about his lack of empathy toward her. His demeanor had been icy and distanced, while Louis was offering support and embraces. It was then that Harvey admitted that the thought of Donna going to prison made him want to drop to his knees. If she was gone? That would cripple him. Later on, Harvey admitted that if other people lose faith in him, it doesn’t matter. All that matters is what SHE thinks about him and feels for him. This was completely uncharted territory for Harvey and Donna — both, none more than Harvey, are typically emotionally guarded given their professional relationship and personal history. Harvey let his guard down for the first time in forever with Donna — completely down — and the softness and quietness with which he uttered words of affirmation and care toward Donna was so powerful that it made me catch my breath.

And then, just as Harvey is leaving, Donna asks him “why?” It’s a question that she genuinely asks, without any sort of knowledge of what he might say. So when Harvey says: “You know I love you Donna,” in return, the only thing that registers on her face is shock. She, for the first time in forever, did not expect something like that to happen. But when Donna confronts Harvey about what he said, he — in typical fashion — throws back up his walls and tries to back out of his feelings. Instead of talking through them, he lies and denies. And that’s when Donna hits her breaking point. Because for all of their guarded feelings and hidden emotions, Harvey was always honest with her. Honesty is something Donna Paulsen values above all other things.

When Harvey refused to even talk through his feelings, Donna realized that it was time to start protecting her own for once. She had spent so much time protecting Harvey, so much time excusing his emotional distance, that I think she lost herself and the validity of her own feelings in that denial. And in what has to be one of the most heartbreaking things in 2015, Donna tells Harvey that she loves him... and that she is working for Louis. He pleads with her to stay, and she turns and walks away instead. For as much as she loves him, Donna realized she needed to put her own well-being first for once. And Harvey, as a result, crumbled under anxiety and panic attacks. (Okay, those were due to other things apart from just Donna, but still.)

These two had one of the most important relationships on TV in 2015, and not enough people talk about them. (P.S. Come on, Suits. You cannot use a cover of “The Scientist” over a Harvey/Donna scene. THAT IS WHAT FANVIDEOS ARE FOR AND WHY THEY DESTROY OUR EMOTIONS!)

Did you favorite ships make my cut? What were some of your favorite moments from these and other shows? Hit up the comments below and let me know your thoughts! Until then, happy almost-2016!

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Jenn's Pick: My Top 10 Bellamy/Clarke Moments

I became hooked on The 100 pretty quickly. I shouldn't have been surprised at that, really, given my proclivity for obsessing over shows on The CW recently (Arrow, Jane the Virgin, The Flash). When I first began marathoning the series on Netflix -- which took barely any time at all because, you know, hooked -- I compared the show to a Lord of the Flies-esque story of survival. And really, in the beginning, it was just that. The 100 started as a show about teenage delinquents sent to earth who decided to make their own rules, live by their own standards, and survive however they wanted. In those beginnings, I loathed Bellamy Blake because he was a bully and a self-centered, self-appointed leader who cared more about the idea of freedom and doing whatever he wanted than of surviving beyond that day or that week. I loved Clarke Griffin from the moment she appeared on screen, though. I loved how she was this perfect blend of compassion and intellect and sass and leadership. She was always the mother of those on earth. In the drop ship, she tried to warn everyone to stay in their seats, and those who didn't heed her warnings and advice soon found themselves suffering life-altering consequences. Clarke was everything Bellamy was not in those early episodes. She was level-headed, focused more on surviving and protecting everyone than serving her own agenda. The funny thing is that Clarke never stepped into the role as the leader of her people -- she just always was. Leadership and sacrifice have always been such inherent traits in Clarke Griffin. She uses her compassion to make decisions and her strength to stand behind those decisions and convictions. So she clashed with Bellamy a lot when the show began because Clarke could see the kids in the drop ship for what they were -- people. People who needed to be protected, not people who needed -- necessarily -- to be led.

That changed, of course, and so did Bellamy and Clarke's relationship. While Clarke was always a leader, it took a while for Bellamy to accept her as such -- to listen to her ideas and step out of his self-appointed role as leader of the 100 long enough to allow her to step into the role she always possessed. When Bellamy was able to soften and learn to compromise -- when he was humbled -- that is when the two began to trust each other. Moreover, they actually began to rely on one another to make decisions for the good of the group. But even more important than that, Bellamy and Clarke have always reminded each other of their humanity. Bellamy supports Clarke, constantly, and is always there to tell her the things she needs to believe about herself but can't bear because they're too difficult, too heavy. And Clarke has always been this light for Bellamy. She's the one who consistently reminds him that he's not too far gone and that she needs him; that they all do. As these two characters grew closer to one another, I found myself in the position where I find myself a lot in television shows: I found myself warming (rather quickly) to the idea of a Bellamy/Clarke pairing.

And so, below, it's time to detail ten of my favorite Bellamy/Clarke moments throughout the two seasons of The 100. Hopefully this will hold us all over until the series returns again, right?

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Jenn's Pick: My Top 15 Daniel/Betty Moments

When I began marathoning Ugly Betty, I was certain of two things: 1) I loved Betty Suarez as a stong, independent female character and 2) I was falling head-over-heels in love with the relationship between Daniel and Betty. When people "ship" couples on television series, they usually do so because they enjoy the chemistry or sexual tension between the individuals and between the actors. And that's not a wrong reason to root for a relationship between two characters, really. But as I watched the friendship and partnership grow between Daniel and Betty over the course of four seasons, I realized that the reason I shipped them was fundamentally rooted in the fact that these characters were each others' best friends. My love of them is founded on the fact that Daniel will move heaven and earth to protect Betty and that Betty will always be there to support Daniel, even when he doesn't know he needs supporting. I think that's completely and utterly beautiful, really.

Daniel and Betty always had obstacles in their friendship, but somehow -- slowly -- those dissolved until eventually all that was left was each other. And while I would have liked to see another season full of Betty's London adventures with Daniel, I think that the show ended their relationship in a very hopeful place and a very organic place for it to continue to grow in an entirely new way. The majority of the series consisted of Betty working FOR Daniel, which was not problematic, really, because they became so close that their relationship wasn't just that of a boss and an employee. No, the relationship between Daniel and Betty was so lovely and heartfelt and honest, that it is difficult to walk away from Ugly Betty and not root for them as a romantic pairing. If the best relationships supposedly start from friendships, then by "Hello Goodbye," Daniel and Betty are on track for an amazing life together.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. Below, let's discuss fifteen of my favorite Daniel/Betty moments, shall we? Add your own to the comments section below and continue the conversation. :)

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Jenn's Pick: My Top 15 Oliver/Felicity Moments

I really like it when my friends find a new television obsession because it usually means that there will be a trickle-down effect throughout the rest of our friend group shortly thereafter.

If one person starts a show and talks about it enough, inevitably we all will slowly become involved in it too. This is what usually happens with my friend group. But then, there was Arrow. Instead of a trickle-down effect, the rapid succession with which seemingly all of my friends became involved could be classified as more like a waterfall. One person started a domino effect, and the rest of us soon followed. We were binge-watching the first season on Netflix and falling in love with the characters; we were rooting for Oliver and marveling over the stunt coordination. We all, too, fell in love with Oliver/Felicity as a romantic pairing and bonded over the characters’ growth (both as individuals and a pairing) and certain “shipper” moments.

That’s right, friends and faithful readers. I have a new “ship” and it’s delightful and complex and layered. In essence, it’s everything I desire from a relationship – romantic or platonic – on a television series. There’s no doubt in my mind that Stephen Amell and Emily Bett Rickards have chemistry. They do – just like Joel McHale and Alison Brie, just like Jake Johnson and Zooey Deschanel, just like Gabriel Macht and Sarah Rafferty. Chemistry is so vital in order to truly sell a pairing, but that’s not all that is necessary. What I love about Olicity can really be summed up by what I love about Amell and Rickards as individual actors, just as it can be summed up by all of the actors and actresses I listed previously: they understand their characters. It’s one thing for an actor to play a character. There’s a distinct difference that you feel as an audience member, watching an actor’s dialogue or action in a scene. You don’t feel connected to them and if you do, you don’t feel that the connection runs as deeply as it should. But when Amell and Rickards are on screen together and separately, you get the sense that they just don’t play characters, but that they KNOW their characters.

A decent actor will play a character, like a child playing dress-up in her mother’s closet. You’ll believe them, perhaps, but there will also be a part of you that knows it’s a ruse; that it’s not real. And then there are the good and great actors who you can tell have evolved from playing a character to embodying and becoming that character; they understand what makes their character nervous and afraid, what fills them with joy, what they’re thinking at a particular moment. You can see, in Amell-as-Oliver the intensity and hesitancy and disappointment in himself when Felicity confronts him about Isabel Rochev. And that’s just one example of a moment where you can see that Amell understands his character so deeply that it doesn’t matter if something is written explicitly in a script or not – he just knows Oliver; he knows exactly what he thinks and feels and he acts not as Stephen Amell playing Oliver Queen but AS Oliver Queen. (The exact same thing holds true for Emily Bett Rickards because she just absolutely and completely understands Felicity Smoak and her emotions and motivations for everything and anything.)

So I decided, in the spirit of setting sail on a new “ship” (just roll with the imagery) that I would count down my fifteen favorite Olicity moments before season three’s premiere on October 8th. Join me below the cut and see if your favorite moments made my list!

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Jenn's Pick: My Top 20 Nick/Jess Moments

When I first started watching New Girl, I immediately fell in love with the idea of Nick and Jess becoming a romantic couple. I never ship couples from the pilot episodes, but I did with these two. I can’t put my finger on it and I suspect that the writers couldn’t quite either, but there was something inherently interesting about the way that Jake Johnson and Zooey Deschanel played off one another in their scenes that made me believe that they had potential.

It’s often hard to find great chemistry between characters on a television series, but this is something that Jake and Zooey have never lacked. They’ve always seemingly had a natural rapport and easiness as Nick and Jess, which made the two characters so appealing. Seemingly, Nick and Jess are polar opposites. When we meet both of them in the pilot, we are introduced to a gruff, curmudgeonly bartender in the character of Nick and a quirky, idealistic young woman in Jess. But as the audience grew to know and understand these characters over the course of a few seasons, we learned that they were more similar than immediately presumed. Both had suffered through the loss of a love, and it shaped the way that they viewed the world around them (for better or worse). Both had goals for themselves; both cared a lot about the people around them and had high expectations for the way that they should be treated in return.

Eventually, Nick and Jess grew from these goofy, weird, unexpected friends to romantic interests and – most recently – exes. The road has been paved with some amazing and delightful moments in both their friendship and romantic relationship and while we anxiously await the return of New Girl next fall, I thought I would ease our hiatus woes with a countdown of my top 20 Nick/Jess moments of all time. (I could have easily added more than 20, but I refrained.) So, if you’re ready, let’s take a look at some of MY favorite moments between these characters. Some are significant and others are so simple that you may have blinked and missed them during an episode. Feel free to add your own or rank your own favorite moments in the comments section.

Grab an Old Fashioned and settle in because we’re about to count down my favorite Nick and Jess moments of all time!

* GIF credit goes to everyone but me, since I'm not talented at things.

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Jenn's Pick: Top 15 Jeff/Annie Moments (Or, If Being #Pathological Is Wrong, I Never Want to Be Right)

Months ago, a Twitter blowup – for lack of a more eloquent term – occurred when some Community fans began to pester Andy Bobrow to the point where he grew defensive of his work, his unaired episodes, and his decisions as head writer in the absence of Dan Harmon.

These fans were shippers. In particular, they were Jeff/Annie shippers – a handful of them, to be exact – who wanted answers that Bobrow could not give them. As the ladies of Hot Switch and I explained in a recent episode (and I believe it was Jaime who made this observation), there are moments that cause dysfunction and dismay within a fandom. These moments occur when the image that the fandom has created in their minds of a particular character, including their wants, desires, dislikes, likes, etc. does not coincide with the character that the writers create on paper. Bobrow told us, in the final lines of his explanation on Twitter the following:

And can we at least agree on one thing that I hope and pray you can all see as clearly as I can? That Jeff Winger sabotages his relationships, and that Jeff Winger, deep down, doesn’t think he deserves happiness? Do you guys not buy that?

In our episode of Hot Switch, I argued that Bobrow was incorrect… or at least, the intention of the writers to convey that persona of Jeff Winger had failed. Because when there is a disconnect between the way that characters are written and the way that they are either acted or perceived, THAT is when things like our affectionately named “Bobrowgate” occur. See, it doesn’t matter in this scenario if Andy Bobrow is right or if Jeff/Annie shippers are right.

What matters, I’d argue, is that what the writers believe to be true about their characters are not what the actors and then, subsequently, sect of audience members (“shippers”) believe to be true about them. THAT is why “Bobrowgate” occurred and will never truly be resolved. We can argue and tweet and apologize all we want, but that will never solve the underlying issue – the truth of the matter is that the writers still see Annie Edison as an eighteen-year old schoolgirl with a “crush,” and Jeff as a creepy, smarmy ex-lawyer who will never find true love or happiness in a relationship. And the audience sees Jeff as a maturing, albeit flawed man and Annie as a 22-year old, self-possessed woman.

But that, as Joey Tribbiani would say, is a rather “moo” point. So instead of debating the merits of “Bobrowgate,” let’s take some time to discuss fifteen instances in which Jeff and Annie were NOT creeped out by their feelings for one another, shall we? I ship Jeff/Annie, and I feel like a vast majority of the people I know and follow do as well. What is their reasoning for doing so? Well. For starters, these two characters complement one another’s personalities so seamlessly – Annie is Jeff’s conscious; he talks her away from the edge. She forces him to buckle down; he causes her to loosen up.

Joel McHale and Alison Brie have fantastic chemistry together as Jeff and Annie. Granted, either actor could have chemistry with a ROCK, but the fact of the matter is that this chemistry – this attraction or pull or gravity that keeps bringing Jeff and Annie back to one another – cannot be ignored. It cannot be swept under a metaphorical rug. When these actors portray their characters as having a genuine and true connection with each other, the most offensive thing a writer or producer can do is insist that their audience is somehow wrong or warped for picking up on that chemistry.

#Pathological started out as – per his words – a way for Andy Bobrow to hurt the feelings of the Jeff/Annie shippers the way his had been hurt during the Twitter debacle. I’m not saying that either side was right: Andy shouldn’t have engaged the fans and spurred the dissention as much as he did, but the handful of Jeff/Annie fans should not have pestered the writer, nor should they have taken up arms when he didn’t respond the way they wanted him to.

All of that is irrelevant, or at least not as important as this, however: the Jeff/Annie majority managed to do something pretty exceptional – we took #pathological back. What was originally utilized as a weapon turned quickly into a battle cry and a badge of honor that I wear proudly. If being #pathological when it comes to Jeff and Annie is somehow wrong, well… then I don’t want to be right. So I’ve decided to compile fifteen of the best #pathological moments beneath the cut to discuss. If you’re ready, don those shipper caps because we’re about to set sail on the S.S. Milady/Milord!

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