User blog comment:Lady Magique/Is there any way around the "out of order airing" issue?/@comment-3419321-20110506053625/@comment-3092491-20110506185723

I think you're complicating things unnecessarily. Yes, part of the draw to Sam and Freddie is us watching how their relationship has changed over four years and the *hope* that they would keep taking it to the next level. They've gone from enemies to frenemies to friends to best friends, to one of them being in love with the other...and now we hope they become a couple.

But we have 26 (right?) episodes left. We ARE in the final stages and the relationship will end (stop growing) when the show ends, except for in our own imaginations.

Now, I don't think they are going to start dating officially until the end of this next 13 episodes. They'll be dancing around each other like they always have but this time the 'change' will be that they are aware of their feelings (on Sam's side) while Freddie is developing his and the 'hope' is that they will face those feelings and get together.

If my theory is correct then when they get together we've got 13 episodes left until iCarly likely ends. And you have to remember how the set up has been until now. iKiss, iThink They Kissed, iSpeed Date, iSaved Your Life, iOMG....? Not that many episodes have been solidly dedicated to the growth of the Sam and Freddie relationship, but they've still been developing in the background all along, so that when those big episodes that shift things do come, it's believable.

It'll be just the same from here on until they become a couple. And when they do become an official couple it'll probably be with so many episodes left and us, as Seddie shippers, will feel like we're in the final stretch and going home with our grand prize. Not much need or time for more complications. BUT I see it perfectly reasonable that their relationship starts out kinda rough and we'll see them developing a smoother, closer couple dynamic in the background the same way we've seen that with their friendship. And it also seems possible to have one or two episodes that have them take it up a notch (TV G way) or have a big fight. But it's towards the conclusion of iCarly so their relationship will be a conclusion as well. I see nothing wrong with that.

It's really just seems like a classic shipper dilemma: the road to the relationship is much more exciting than the actual thing.