This week’s Drama Chat topic comes straight from a suggestion by @bbstl, who rightly pointed out that this Highly Important Issue Affecting Rom-Coms Everywhere is worth more than the one-off comment in a drama’s episode recap. That’s right, we need a place to talk about this problem thoroughly.
And so, it’s time to dig in. What is the genesis of this “murder in a rom-com” trend in dramaland? Why do writers think that every love story needs the extra ante of life-and-death stakes to make connections more powerful, situations more romantic, or forced cohabitation even more necessary? Was there ever a rom-com that did this, but did it well? Has it ever served a good narrative purpose? Or, on the other side of the coin, do you like your rom-coms with a touch of murder?
Let’s dissect the rom-com + threat of murder = true happiness trend, shall we?