Rockin' Ruby Barrette
Rockin' Ruby Bracelet
Sweater: Poof, Marshalls
Skirt: Ellen Tracy, J. C. Penney's
Shoes: Payless
Bag: Apt. 9, Kohl's
Coat: Wild Fable, Target
. . . and Lamp loves Brick. Or, rather, Brick (Steve Carell) loves Lamp, according to Anchorman. At least until Anchorman 2 when he loves Chani (Kristin Wiig), who is only marginally brighter than a lamp. But then, this is just the sort of obscure pop culture romance reference that's on the docket for this post. Because this Valentine's Day, it's all about unlikely and/or unpopular couples. Think of it as a kind of Mystery Date meets "Mystery Science Theater 3000" -- from an overthinker who watches too much TV.
"Dawson's Creek": Joey & Pacey
The punchline here is that it's Pacey, not Dawson, who ends up with Joey. And lots of people didn't like that, myself included. I could still hear my sister protesting, "It's not called Pacey's Creek!" after watching that fateful series finale. Yet years later, when we both watched the reruns, we changed our tune. Who's there for Joey when that surfer dude tries to take her home from that drunken beach bash? That's right; it's Pacey. And who encourages her to go to Paris instead of cock blocking her big moment? Correctamundo, Pacey again. Which begs the question: Dawson who? Turns out he's just some namby pamby Spielberg wannabe whose only claim to fame is that ugly cry.
"The Office": Kelly & Ryan (not Ripa and Seacrest)
Oh, sure. Everyone hearts the all-American, will-they-won't-they power ballad that is Jim and Pam. No one wants to admit to the dysfunctional appeal of the Dumpster fire that is Kelly and Ryan. Yet in the staid and often vanilla setting of Scranton, it's these two who bring the soap opera. Kelly fakes a pregnancy and dumps Darryl via text. Ryan propositions Erin and dumps Kelly so he can go to Thailand. Then, in the very last episode, Kelly abandons her doctor husband, Ryan abandons his infant son, and they ride off into the sunset together. But what else would we expect from a girl who stole a boat from her high school boyfriend and a guy who nearly burned down Dunder Mifflin nuking a Hot Pocket?
"The King of Queens": Spence & That Ice Cream Cone
Remember when Doug and Carrie and the gang went to that amusement park and Spence hit it off with that woman/man (it was never clear which) in a strawberry ice cream cone costume? How he was pouring his heart out to it and saying that it was such a good listener? Only to leave and come back to find an equally larger-than-life chocolate ice cream cone in its place? Well, I always wondered what could have been for Spence and Old Creamy. Because Spence is a sad sack. In the whole series, his only relationships of note are with 1) a bowling alley waitress played by Rachel Dratch, 2) a culinary student who is too hot (a cook) for Carrie to handle, and 3) his roommate Danny. The guy deserved a win. Or at the very least, a lifetime supply of Ben and Jerry's.
So. Whether you're lucky in love, loony in love, or even a loser in love, may TV always be your guide. And valentine. Unless you have an actual valentine. In which case you can down a pound of Russell Stover's as you watch tube together.
Reruns and refined sugar. Nothing quite rocks romance better.