History Main / RomanticPlotTumor

* Say what you will about {{Taken}}, but one thing you must note is the fact that there is NO. LOVE. STORY. An action movie without romance is so rare that the aversion of this trope actually improved the otherwise wonky story and characters. It was an action movie, nothing more.

* ''MaximumRide'' began life as a fairly decent kids' series, full of action and fighting stereotypical MadScientists. By book five, the relationship between the two main characters -- who are ''brother and sister'' -- has become the entire focus of the (thin anyway) plot.

* The romance between {{Angel}} and Cordelia Chase? WAY outta left field. Made even more [[UnfortunateImplications unsettling]] by the fact that the first couple seasons portrayed their relationship as more of a surrogate Father/Daughter one.
** Wanna complain about Angel and Cordy? At least they were always portrayed as caring ''' a lot''' about each other and as very close friends... now ''Connor'' and Cordelia, [[{{Squick}} that's a whole other story]].
*** Actually, Angel started off as BIG BROTHER to Cordy in Angel S1. As for Connor/Cordy, though Squick, remember that it was mostly actually Jasmine. Although ironically if season 3 hadn't pulled an Angel/Cordelia pairing out of nowhere, Connor and Cordelia's relationship would have been a lot less disturbing.

** Buffy Season 7. Both Willow and Kennedy - why aren't they preparing for the end of the world? Because they'd rather talk about how they're so awesomely perfect for each other just because they're lesbians! - and Buffy and Spike - why isn't ''Buffy'' preparing for the end of the world, or at least making a battle plan that isn't something LeeroyJenkins would come up with? Oh, she wants to sit in a room with Spike. Or in a cave with Spike. Or down the bottom of the school with Spike. Good God, she seemed to spend as much screentime with Spike in that season as she did with Angel in the both shows put together!
*** The Willow/Kennedy parts being made that much worse by the fact that [[TheScrappy literally no one likes Kennedy]].
*** Well, there is one person that likes her. [[TheWesley Joss.]]

** In Season 3, the writers ''try'' to give the romance more conflict once Kevin turns into an analgram of monstorous elemental body parts and his relationship with Gwen is tested. However, this just makes the RomanticPlotTumor even ''more'' obvious, as not only is it obvious that their relationship will survive this situation, but too much time is dedicated to the testing of it, rather than focusing on more important things like Ben's busted omnitrix or the conflict with Vilgax. Their romance troubles are even shoehorned into an episode that otherwise revolves around SolidGoldPoop!

** ''{{Fans}}'' ripped on the Anakin/Padme dialogue in [[http://www.faans.com/index.php?p=1680 this strip.]]

* ''DarthsAndDroids'' is a screencap webcomic parodying ''StarWars'', so naturally it gets its digs in on the romantic subplot of Episode II, as noted above. However, rather than having the subplot occur between Anakin and Padmé, it instead has the ''players'' of these characters carry on an awkward behind-the-scenes romance that results in both them and their characters hooking up and delivers some of the most delightfully awkward dialog scenes one could ever imagine committing to print. It's {{Lampshaded}} in TheRant, when the author observes that Lucas deserves at least some credit, as writing truly awful romantic dialogue is harder than it looks. The comic takes it even further in Episode III, when the Anakin-Padmé conflict is driven by their players' near-breakup thanks to PoorCommunicationKills.

** MichaelBay has since claimed that this was a result of ExecutiveMeddling; they apparently wanted the movie to be ''{{Titanic}}'' [[AC:[[RecycledINSPACE at Pearl Harbor!]]]]
*** It WAS ''Titanic at Pearl Harbor''; it's just that Bay, Affleck, Hartnett, and Beckinsale don't have one-tenth the talent of Cameron, [=DiCaprio=], and Winslet. And it's not as though ''Titanic'' doesn't have the same RomanticPlotTumor charge levelled at it sometimes.

!!Examples:

** [[YourMileageMayVary Your mileage may also vary]], but ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated seems to spend more time on the angst involved with Daphne's unrequited love for Fred and Velma competing with Scooby for Shaggy's attention than the actual overarching mystery.

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* ''{{Zack and Miri Make a Porno}}'' starts as a film about a group of losers trying to make a porno film, but their film gradually focuses on a romantic subplot to the point where it completely abandons porn plot near the end in favor of romantic comedy of errors.

* The Aubrey/Maturin series books come to a screeching halt on 2 occasions due to romance/females being added to the story. The first (In post-captain) is somewhat excusable, as it establishes their wives and family early in the series, and was described as the authors homage to JaneAusten. Another 13 or so books later, another woman (Clarissa Oakes) ends up on their ship, and it pretty much ruins the realistic feel every other book has.
** If the book is named after Clarissa Oakes, then scenes concerning Clarissa Oakes cannot, by definition, be considered a plot tumour, romantic or otherwise. She is what the author chose to focus that book around. Also, the point was that years of sexual abuse meant that she didn't do romance, found sex uncomfortable at best, and only engaged in it out of a general desire to be helpful and/or pleasing, with various repercussions on the ship's crew. It's not a story about romance, it's a story about a rape survivor.

*** Actually, Angel started off as BIG BROTHER to Cordy in Angel S1. As for Connor/Cordy, though Squick, remember that it was actually Jasmine.

* The Brazilian 1956 classic ''TheDevilToPayInTheBacklands'' seems to suffer a little with this trope. Let's see, there's a [-FREAKING WAR-] going on, with people [[JourneyOfRevenge seeking for revenge]] and doing [[DealWithTheDevil deals with the devil]], but mostly people just remember the gay love storyline, wich is written amazingly, by the way.

*** The support structure that the Docter does everything he can to keep her away from?
** It seems Eleven is subverting this. His only companions so far have been Amy Pond, who had a one way crush on the Doctor nad her now-husband Rory. He's explicitly brushed off Amy several times.
*** Dona and the Doctor had a running gag about them being quite vocal towards there non-romantic relationship.

*** The part that complicates it all is that Kojima '''really is''' insane enough to write an '''intentionally''' aggravating subplot into a game, just to prove whatever overarching thematic point he thinks he's making.

** It's kind of unfortunate, because seeing how [[{{Castlevania}} Konami has run with it]], it could have been something epic! Perhaps one day, a remake...hopefully directed by Carlo Verdone.
** Sorry, didn't realize you were talking about {{Twilight}}.
*** Nah, that's [[RelationshipSue another trope entirely]].

** Though YourMileageMayVary.