User blog:Candycoateddoom/Another "This is why I think Creddie won't happen again" Blog

'DISCLAIMER: Let me start off by saying that I didn't create this blog to make anyone mad. I swear. I just made this to post my opinion on the whole situation. If you don't like this blog, don't be here. It's simple common sense. And if any Creddiers are gonna start stirring things up in the comments, I'm just gonna scroll past and not even read them. Neither of us is going to change our minds about our ship, which is fine. I just don't wanna get roped up into an argument on the Internet.'

I'm studying to become a TV producer in school, so I'm making this blog from the viewpoint of an executive producer or TV writer. This isn't so much about the character's emotions and how they feel about each other, but more about what works in a TV show in terms of plot, conflict, character development, and analysis.

Carly is the pretty girl next door. She's nice, funny, smart, friendly, and cute. Freddie is the loyal guy friend. Like Carly, he's nice, funny, smart, friendly, and cute. In a lot of ways, Carly and Freddie seem to be a good match for each other. They have a lot of common interests and get along great. Both of them enjoy school and get good grades. They tend to frown upon Sam's vicious and somewhat illegal behavior. They also care for each other very much.

Before, I used to think they would end up together. But I didn't take time to think what their relationship would be like. Now, in my mind, Carly and Freddie's relationship would be stable, but boring. While they have common interests (and that's important in a relationship), they don't seem to disagree on much. Every relationship has to have some conflict. Things can't be hunky-dory the whole way through, it doesn't work like that.

To further prove this, I'll use two of my favorite TV shows as examples.

How They Started Out
After leaving her fiance at the altar, Rachel came into New York City ready to be independent for the first time. But she was still using Daddy's credit card, she still had her shallow and spoiled tendencies, and all she had in her new independent life was a new group of friends and a waitressing job at a coffeehouse.

Ross met Rachel in high school, and reunited with her a little while after he divorced his first wife, Carol. His job at the museum emphasizes that he's still that goofy, nerdy older brother of Monica's. He also has a small lack of confidence, which comes from the fact that his first wife cheated on him.

What Their Relationship Was Like
Rachel was the cheerleader that Ross loved from ninth grade. He finally got his shot to go out with her after high school. The transition from friends to more wasn't easy for either of them. Their fights were based either on miscommunication or their lack of thinking before speaking.

One notable moment for them was in season three, after Rachel quit her job at Central Perk to work in fashion. When Rachel got offered a job at Bloomingdale's from Mark, Ross was immediately suspicious. He decided to make his presence known to Mark, as if to say, "Keep your hands off my girlfriend." He sent Rachel flowers and gifts that covered her desk and even sent a barbershop quartet to sing for her at work. Rachel said, "It was like you were marking your territory! You might have just come down and peed all around my desk!"

Monica and Phoebe later attributed Ross' jealousy from the fact that his first wife, Carol, cheated on him. That's what makes Ross so sure that Mark wants to sleep with Rachel, and it's what makes Ross unable to trust Rachel. It turns out, Ross was right about Mark liking Rachel, but Mark didn't go after her because she was with Ross.

Ross tells Rachel that he's tired of having a relationship with her answering machine and tells Rachel that her job is just a job.

"Just a job? Ross, do you realize that this is the first time in my life I'm doing something I actually care about? That this is the first time I'm doing something I'm actually good at?"

Ross' jealousy and lack of trust in Rachel caused them to take "a break", which then caused Ross to get drunk and hook up with the copy girl, Chloe. Of course, when Rachel finds out, it causes a giant arguement and they break up.

What Changed
Rachel quit her waitressing job and got her dream fashion job at Bloomingdale's. She gained the independence she desired after she left her fiance at the altar. Ross learned that his jealousy and inability to trust will get him nowhere but Single Town.

How They Started Out
Monica is very high-strung, competitive, a neat freak, and something of a perfectionist. She does this to please her parents, who have always favored Ross over her. She struggled with her weight when she was younger (funnily enough, it was Chandler calling her fat that made her lose weight). She's had a series of failed relationships, which gets frustrating for her. She wants to get married and have kids, not just to please her parents, but she wants to do it for herself, too.

Chandler is very laid back, sarcastic, and immature (the immaturity stems from being roommates with Joey). He doesn't have the best luck with women, but when he gets a decent girlfriend, he always treats her really well (then he goes all "Chandler" and messes it up).

What Their Relationship Was Like
They developed a secret relationship after hooking up in London. They don't tell their friends because they're not ready to, but everyone finds out eventually by accident.

One notable moment is in season five, when we realize that Monica's competitive nature is still there. When Phoebe dates a new guy, Monica is under the impression that Phoebe and Gary think they're hotter than Monica and Chandler. She tells Chandler that they have to beat them and prove that they're the hotter couple. Chandler was able to calm her down by saying that he's never been in a relationship this long, and he's excited to see where it could go.

Along the way, they end up getting married, and adopting twins to raise in a brand new house in Westchester. Their relationship becomes the longest-lasting one in the entire series (5 seasons, and they're still together at the end of the show).

What Changed
Monica gradually became less high-strung. As their relationship progressed, she focuses less on pleasing her parents and more on making herself happy instead. Chandler matured, became used to a serious relationship, and became the person Monica spent the rest of her life with.

Rachel and Joey
(This one's gonna be a little bit shorter, because there isn't much to work with.)

What Their Relationship Was Like
Rachel and Joey's relationship, while it only lasted a few episodes of season ten, provided a lot of character development for both of them, Joey in particular. Joey fell for Rachel first, in season eight, and it was the first time we got to see a softer side of Joey. We saw him fall in love for the first time and become very nervous and vulnerable around a woman, which doesn't usually happen.

What Changed
We saw Joey's vulnerability, and after he and Rachel amicably split up in the beginning of season ten, he became more caring. He was the only one not paired up with someone at the end of the series, but he did end up with Alex in his spin-off.

How They Started Out
Eric and Donna lived next door to each other for a long time, and Eric has been in love with her since they met. Eric grew up to be this typical teenage boy. He was the nerdy guy in his group of friends, growing up with his hard hitting war veteran father, Red. Red was hoping Eric would become an athlete, but got a rude awakening when he realized Eric wasn't good at sports. Eric didn't know a thing about relationships at all. He just knew he loved Donna.

Donna, despite being a girl, was considered "one of the guys". She's very much a tomboy, and she's also a driven feminist. She wants to do something meaningful with her life. Despite that she's a feminist, she's still the typical teenage girl who wants to fall in love. Like Eric, Donna knows nothing about relationships.

What Their Relationship Was Like
Their relationship was a rollercoaster ride. Usually, their arguments were started by Eric saying or doing something dumb and insensitive. Other times, they would hit a rough spot due to Donna's lack of trust and her driving feminism.

One notable moment for them was in season five, when Donna gave him a "man ring" to symbolize how far they've come in their relationship. Everyone agreed it was a really ugly ring (apart from Fez), and when word reached Donna that Eric didn't like it, she got mad at him for lying about liking the ring. This starts another argument about who has bad taste. Their arguments were settled when Eric said to her, "How can I look you in the eye and tell you that I don't like the ring when I love you so much?"

What Changed
At the beginning of season four, Eric got a glimpse of what his life would've been like if he had never gotten together with Donna. If he hadn't kissed Donna in the first episode, she would've ended up with Hyde. Kelso and Jackie would've broken up for good and not gotten back together at prom. Eric wouldn't have the guts to stand up to his father, and he would've gone to prom with Big Rhonda. Eric and Donna's relationship (or lack of) changed the course of the entire group.

How They Started Out
Jackie was a spoiled rich daughter of a politician. She dated Kelso for three years and always wore the pants in their relationship. Kelso constantly cheated on Jackie, which led to Jackie cheating on Kelso. At the end of season four, Jackie told Kelso she wanted to get married, which caused Kelso to panic and head for California with Donna.

Hyde grew up in lower middle class with his single mom and her many boyfriends (which she would call Hyde's "uncles"). He was very rebellious, even getting put in jail for possession. He also said that he didn't have feelings or a soul. Jackie and Hyde did not get along at the beginning of the series, but before they even got together, Jackie expressed interest in dating him.

What Their Relationship Was Like
Jackie and Hyde started sort of dating when they made out while watching The Price is Right a few weeks after Kelso and Donna left for California. Their relationship at first was just kissing and no talking ("Jackie, talking is for people who have something in common.") Eventually they established that they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Jackie went back to her usual self when she was dating Kelso and tried to control what Hyde did. Hyde never listened to her, though, and this was because of his dislike for authority.

Jackie is like Donna in the sense that she wants to fall in love. She got a little frustrated when he wouldn't say he loved her, because Hyde always hid those emotions behind his sunglasses. But the fact that he never felt that way about a girl before was enough to keep them together.

One notable moment for them was in season five, when a big misunderstanding caused Hyde to think Jackie was cheating on him, so he hooked up with a nurse at the hotel he was working. When he realized Jackie wasn't cheating on him, you could see in his face that he felt horrible for cheating on her. He was honest with her about it, but she said that after breaking up with Kelso that she wouldn't be with another guy who cheated on her. He repeatedly apologized to her and then got brave enough to tell Jackie he loved her.

What Changed
Jackie eventually learned to pick her battles and not control everything about Hyde. Donna even pointed out the positive change in Jackie since she started dating him. Hyde was able to open himself up to Jackie just a little by saying that he loved her.

Notice a pattern? Each of these couples were in a relationship that changed them for the better. In my honest opinion, I don't see that happening for Carly and Freddie. I see them being in a very cruise-control relationship, where they just keep going along with everything, and have no conflict at all. It would be too simple, and relationships are never, ever easy. Keep in mind, iCarly is a comedy. How do you take a relationship with no conflict and make it funny? It just doesn't work. Also, some aspects of the relationship don't necessarily have to be funny, but they still have to be interesting enough to draw an audience. That's a big responsibility for the writers of any TV show, not just this one.

The only way I see some kind of conflict is Carly's possessiveness, which we got a glimpse of in the extended version of iSYL. Some people could see that as a running gag between the two of them, but in real life, what would you call a girl who is possessive of her man every time some other girl talks to him? You'd call her clingy and untrusting. It doesn't sound very Carly to me.

Carly is meant to be a likeable protagonist. It wouldn't do her any favors if she constantly got defensive when another girl so much as looks in Freddie's direction. Sure, if we wanted to, we could discard all that completely. We could say that Carly's jealousy came from the whole hero phase, and if she's not dating him in the hero phase, then she wouldn't be as jealous. But what else is there in terms of conflict? Freddie's nerdiness about technology and Galaxy Wars? Carly girliness and interest in stores like Build-a-Bra? How many fights can you create with all that? If they argue once about Galaxy Wars and once about Build-a-Bra, but eventually settle those arguments, what else is there to create conflict? Not much.

I sort of compare this to Twilight (I didn't want to, but it made sense). At the end of the series, the characters did not progress even the slightest bit. No one lost anything, matured, grew up, changed their outlook... it was all the same. That is what I imagine happening to Carly and Freddie if they got together. I really don't want that to happen because a) Dan is so much better than that and b) I actually like Carly.

Sam, on the other hand, presents a challenge. She and Freddie were pretty different from each other at the start of the series, but they aren't really polar opposites anymore. In fact, both Sam and Freddie have had some positive character development before iOMG. And it looks like their development's only just starting. I mean, learning to love someone you thought you hated is some serious progression for both characters. This is why I like seeing characters that hate each other get together, because there's a lot of character development involved.

While Sam and Freddie might go through some more character development together, this kind of leaves Carly by herself. She's said before that she would really like to have a boyfriend. Some people think that Carly absolutely *has* to have a boyfriend at the end of the series. I disagree. My vision of Carly at the end of the series is a Carly who's realized that she doesn't need a boyfriend to feel complete and has embraced her inner awesome. That would be some great character development for her. (I was actually planning on doing this in one of my fanfiction stories, but opted not to.)

That's all I have to say on that. I don't expect any Creddiers to agree with me (if any of them do, I'll be very surprised). This was just to add my few cents (or few dollars, given how long this blog is) to the debate. Adios.