abstract
| - So you have come to the end of the story. The plot is wrapping up. The villain is vanquished. The good guys are in the lead. And lo and behold, Alice and Bob finally admit to their feelings for each other. The verdict is in, they will. Roll Credits. Ah, what a great story. And look, there is a sequel, which opens with Alice and Bob... not together. Wait... What? For some reason or another, between the two stories Alice and Bob have broken up. But Alice and Bob are still both involved in the story, and are so obviously still in love. So now you get to watch them dance the Will They or Won't They? tango all over again. This is a way for the writers to capitalize on what worked in the first film (book, season, etc.) From the audiences perspective, the couple has spent very little time as a couple. Sure, we may sometimes be given background that they were together for some time between stories, but we don't get to see it. In other cases, the original "hookup" only lasts a day or so. Sometimes the audience is shown the breakup. Sometimes it truly happens between the stories. In any case, the result is that we can now spend more time getting the same couple back together. Involves an Off-Screen Breakup. Compare Super Couple, which is this repeatedly over a long period of time. Contrast Girl of the Week where the main character finds a new love interest. Examples:
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