25 TV tropes you’ll definitely recognize but are super tired of seeing

A wife’s same sex relationship reemerges

Sigh. This trope is just a evolution of the “girl kiss” from the ’90s. In the TV evolution, it’s no longer acceptable to use same-sex kisses as fodder for the male gaze or as a vehicle for ridicule (in the case of male on male kisses). However, we’re not all the way there yet.

These days, this silly trope has evolved into a past relationship that’s been a secret until now. Because we still live in a patriarchal culture, we only see this archetype exist between two women. A successful, beautiful woman is confronted by a similarly successful and beautiful woman and it’s revealed they are ex-lovers. Somehow this is meant to mitigate the exploitative nature of this archetype. Spoiler: it doesn’t.

Perhaps this is just a way to make the main heroine more interesting or desirable, but it’s really  lame. Capitalizing on sexuality is gross any way you frame it, but it’s also really sexist when this storyline is consistently about women only. It demonstrates our culture’s fetishization of a lesbian relationship, but also highlights our existing hangups about male homosexual relationships.

How about let’s not make folks’ identities a passing plot point meant to give texture to a female character? Find another way to make them interesting. And also, don’t make the ex pregnant. Women can have tension and drama with each other without having to discuss a baby. It’s totally possible, you know.

Example: How to Get Away With Murder, Conviction, Code Black, and Happy Endings