Bad Romance

It didn't particularly surprise me when Jezebel asked about movies that spoiled readers' romantic expectations in real life. But what's always been more interesting to me is the art I had to detach from because the relationships felt too resonant. Battlestar Galactica was one I had to stop watching for that reason—I related to Starbuck too much, and found her back-and-forth with Lee too painful to witness. Of course, given how the series ended and how disgruntled people were with it, I can make like my abandonment was foresight, or something. I tend to find watching people make truly agonizing errors similar to my own difficult, rather than comforting or helpful. And I have a hard time falling into fantasies that things I see on screens will happening to me.