|
By Ang Lee (Age 24, Australia)
For weeks the Portrait staff have been riveted to their computer screens to see who would first of all make the top 10 and then who would take out the top spot. With so many nominees and fandoms we changed things a bit this year to give all fandoms a fighting chance and limited the final results of the poll to two ships per show. Almost two and a half million votes later we now have the results of our 6th annual Top 10 Young TV Ships Poll. Were Damon and Elena able to hold on to the top spot from last year? Or did Chuck and Blair reclaim their throne? Or were one of the many dedicated fanbases from Glee or Smallville able to boost one of their ships to number one? Read on to find out!
From the very beginning there has always been sparks between these two. She thought he was just another arrogant jock and he was assigned to protect her. They bickered and bantered and soon we realised that although he was always saving her, she was more than a job to him – he was falling for her. And for a guy that prided himself on being tough, it hurt him to see her falling for someone else. But you can’t deny chemistry and with a few kisses here and there, we had high hopes for these two. It’s a shame that the show was cancelled before we could see how this relationship played out. Hopefully the possible TV movie will give shippers some much needed closure.
Memorable Shipper Moment: The rooftop scene in 1x09 where Alek tells Chloe she should be happy and then they kiss.
Chloe/Alek Fanvid - We Belong Together:
It’s never been easy with these two, but it’s the hardships that have made them stronger. They started off on the same side, he was her mentor and took her under his wing. Then tragedy struck and she went her own way, pitting them on opposite sides. Even then they could never completely stay away from each other, and some would say that the fights and encounters were half the fun between these two. It wasn’t too long before he realised she was right and he came back to her and instead of fighting each other, they were fighting together. If you thought the two of them fighting was enthralling, you hadn’t seen nothing yet! But reuniting doesn’t mean happily ever after, not when your past comes into your present. Things may be rocky for now with Michael torn between his son and Nikita, but we have faith in Michael and Nikita. After all, they’ve proved that the hardships only make them stronger.
Memorable Shipper Moment: Michael coming back to Nikita at the end of 1x17 and admitting she was right and he had been wrong. Cue hot make out session here.
Watch scene here.
Michael/Nikita Fanvid – Wherever You Will Go:
Love is bringing out the best in each other. We know that Santana can be a b**ch most of the time, heck even she knows it. But when she’s with Brittany we see a different side to her – someone who’s gentle, kind, loving and loyal. In fact, Brittany is the one who keeps Santana grounded and not lash out all the time. On the flipside, Santana helps Brittany believe in herself. She doesn’t treat her like she’s stupid and that Britt can achieve things like becoming senior class president. Whether they’re tag teaming against others, skipping around the halls of McKinley together, holding pinkies or exchanging looks across the room, it’s been well worth the wait for these two to make it official. We can’t wait to see what happens next.
Memorable Shipper Moment: It’s quite often through song that Brittany and Santana express their vulnerabilities and communicate how they really feel. To all the haters out there, we question how you can NOT be moved by heartwrenching performances like ‘Landslide’ and ‘Songbird’ – some of the most honest moments in Glee history.
Santana/Brittany Fanvid - We Found Love:
Through the darkness there is light. That seems to be a recurring theme in Stefan and Elena’s relationship and the hope that fans cling to during this tumultuous period of their relationship. When the two first met, Stefan had been living a lonely existence and Elena was mourning the death of her parents, it took meeting each other to spark them back to life again. When Elena discovered her true parentage, her relationship with Stefan was one of the few things in her life that she could rely on and be happy about. When Stefan got bloodlust and struggled to control it, it was his love for Elena that helped him out of the darkness. And when Stefan teamed up with Klaus and left Mystic Falls so that he could save Damon, it was Elena he called to help him stay strong. Stefan and Elena may not be in a good place right now, but just remember that through the darkness there is light.
Memorable Shipper Moment: The Ferris Wheel scene in 2x02. These two have had their fair share of angst, so it’s nice to see sweet and romantic moments between them.
Watch scene here .
Stefan/Elena Fanvid - Echo:
One of the hardest things about love is opening yourself up to someone, especially after you’ve been hurt or had a failed relationship prior. The relationship between Chloe and Oliver is one that developed gradually. They started off as headstrong colleagues both with opinions of their own and sometimes disagreeing over them. It should be noted though that despite these arguments, Oliver still attended Chloe’s birthday party. A hint towards the future perhaps? Soon the duo were partners for missions and grew to know each other better. The banter and teasing that developed between the two suggested the start of a beautiful friendship and it wasn’t before long that the friendship turned into romance. When Chloe disappeared, it was a wake up call to Oliver that made him realise how much he took Chloe for granted and that life without her was unbearable. Thankfully Chloe returned and by the show’s end the pair were married. Fast forward to the future and Chloe and Oliver have a son and we’re guessing that ‘they all lived happily ever after’.
Memorable Shipper Moment: Oliver admitting in 9x05 that no one knows him the way Chloe does and that she saved him.
Watch scene here (skip to 1:27)
Chloe/Oliver Fanvid – 5 years of Chlollie:
These two are a surprise debut into the top 10 but with the sizzling chemistry between them, perhaps we shouldn’t be so surprised. She’s the rookie officer with the desire to do the right thing. He’s her training officer with a bit of a rebel without a cause attitude, unafraid to break the rules to get the job done. At the start of the show they were often seen antagonizing each other. But him being her training officer puts them in pretty close proximity with each other, so cue sexual tension here. The will they or won’t they dance lasted the rest of the season and into the second. Andy became engaged to her boyfriend Luke at the end of season one, but that didn’t last very long when he slept with his ex-girlfriend who also happened to be Andy’s superior. Awkward. You’d think that would pave the way for Andy/Sam, but by the time she realised her feelings for Sam, he was on an undercover mission. Lucky for the Andy/Sam shippers that didn’t stop her from tracking him down and getting her man.
Memorable Shipper Moment: When Sam’s undercover job gets compromised because of his and Andy’s relationship they both get suspended and there’s a very cute moment where he asks her if she wants to try being normal together.
Andy/Sam Fanvid – Ask Me To Stay:
‘My only love sprung from my only hate.’ Okay so Sam and Freddie’s relationship is nowhere near as tragic as Romeo and Juliet, but we thought the line was fitting seeing as Sam and Freddie started off hating each other. Sam was always picking on poor Freddie and insulting him. Remember the time she paid $40 just so she could insult him? As the years went on, they grew to accept each other but the teasing didn’t stop – thankfully because we had grown accustomed to it! They say that you always tease the one you love and in season four we realised just how true this was when the Mood Face App revealed that Sam was in love, which then hilariously led to her admitting that it was Freddie she was in love with! But all the romantics in us sighed when he revealed he liked her too. Aww. We wish they were together for longer, but hey they’re only young so we’ve got high hopes for a Seddie reunion later down the track!.
Memorable Shipper Moment: Sam kissing Freddie at the end of iOMG and revealing that it’s Freddie she’s in love with not new guy Brad.
Sam/Freddie Fanvid – “I Would Never Date Sam Puckett and She Would Never Date Me”:
Thanks to the Superman mythology we always knew that Clark Kent and Lois Lane were destined to be together. That’s why it’s interesting to note that when Lois came to Smallville in season four she and Clark didn’t exactly get along. He thought she was rude and loud and she thought he was way too uptight, not to mention he was also still in love with Lana Lang. In fact, it would take a few seasons until they even showed a hint of romantic like for each other. Sure she made him smile leading up to then and he grew to respect her, but it was quite the journey. Perhaps that’s what makes these two so special – it’s all about the build up and anticipation. Even when we started seeing hints of this epic love story beginning, there were still trust and vulnerability issues to sort through and the question of ‘is this worth it?’ Am I willing to risk my feelings and open up my heart? But they did and like a supernova, damn was it worth it! Lois and Clark’s relationship hasn’t always gone to plan, even their original wedding didn’t go to plan, but they finally got their happy ending and it was worth the wait. Life is meant to be a little messy anyway.
Memorable Shipper Moment: So their original wedding didn’t exactly go to plan, but the scenes with Lois and Clark’s wedding vows before the original wedding turned us to mush.
Watch Clark’s Vows here. (skip to 1:30)
Clark/Lois Fanvid – Breathe Again:
These guys are more than just a simple love story. For two and a half seasons we’ve been captivated by Damon and Elena, yet they haven’t actually gotten together. In fact I can count the number of times they’ve kissed on less than one hand. Despite this, they’ve managed to garner thousands of fans from around the world and have so many talking about them and wondering what’s going to happen next, which is a true testament to how popular they are and their strong chemistry. They say that true love comes to those who wait and this couldn’t be more true for Damon and Elena. We’re all for the slowburn and building the strong foundations of their inevitable relationship because we know that the payoff will be well worth it in the end. We know it and so do they. If we look back on their history so far when we first met Damon, he was bitter and sadistic. Elena wasn’t exactly impressed with him, yet she saw something in him that made her decide he was worth giving a chance and now he’s one of the few people in her life she can depend on and trust. In turn, she’s made him a better person and he’s nowhere near as violent and menacing as he used to be. That being said, if anyone tries to hurt Elena, Damon won’t hesitate because he will always save her and choose her first. From hate to respect to trust to friendship and now we’re seeing hints of love. We know how Damon feels, Elena knows how Damon feels, and we can see Elena’s wall against Damon crumbling so it’s only a matter of time. It may not be right now but we’re willing to wait because we know it’ll be well worth it.
Memorable Shipper Moment: Damon’s deathbed scene in 2x22. Sure he was dying and as Elena didn’t have to forgive him but she did more than that – she stayed with him, gave him comfort and kissed him. That’s right, she kissed him.
Watch scene here.
Damon/Elena Fanvid – We Found Love:
Last year Chuck and Blair were knocked from the top spot but this year they’ve reclaimed it with a vengeance. When you think about it, it’s kind of like their relationship – just when you’re wondering whether it’s truly over, we then get a beautiful yet heartwrenching moment to reassure us it’s going to be okay. If it were any other couple it’d be like a never ending merry go round that gets boring after awhile but won’t stop, but the way these two or rather portrayers Ed Westwick and Leighton Meester, portray them makes it so heartfelt and almost soul crushing but in a good way. Season five alone has had plenty of these moments – Chuck crying with his new dog Monkey after learning about Blair’s pregnancy, Chuck apologizing for everything he had done to Blair and the things he didn’t but should have, Blair thinking she had turned Chuck dark and him reassuring her that if anything she was the lightest thing in her life, Chuck vowing to love Blair’s child as his own and Blair praying for Chuck to live. These two have come a long way since season one and endured so much. It doesn’t matter what the writers throw at them, or how many times they bring them together and then break them up, shippers know that they’ll overcome it and will have faith in them until the very end. ENDGAME.
Memorable Shipper Moment: Chuck apologising to Blair in 5x06 for the thing he did to her and the things he didn’t do but wished he did. It expressed how much these two had been through but also highlighted how much they had matured, and take from it what you will the subtext of never giving up on people.
Chuck/Blair Fanvid – Poison and Wine:
The Final Results |
