What is a TnT fanatic to do while her favorite soap couple is missing in action? They have been on screen together for little more than 30 minutes in the last year and half and yet many of us can’t seem to get them off our minds. Sure, we watch the tapes, read all the fan fiction we can get, and discuss them on lists and boards to the detriment of just about everything else. But for the truly obsessed, like me, even that may not be enough.

I was a fan of Todd long before Tea ever graced out screens. I liked him with Rebecca and I liked him with Blair. But it wasn’t until Todd dropped a bomb and proposed a marriage of convenience with his lawyer Tea that I became totally obsessed. From the start, I could tell this wasn’t going to be a traditional soap coupling. This had the makings of a truly great romance that would stand the test of time.

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? I have always been attracted to romances that are full of angst and misunderstanding. The story of two people falling in love despite all their efforts to remain aloof from one another has been a staple of romances since the genre began with the troubadours. These stories can be found in the art, history and literature of just about any age. Novels, plays, poems, and more recently, movies and television programs are filled with examples of two people who find their way together in spite of terrible hardships and several missteps along the way. As I look back over several decades as a consumer of books, movies and television programs, there is a common theme in every one I’ve enjoyed. None of that hearts and flowers stuff for me. If a couple is going to make my pantheon of the greats there has to be torture and plenty of it. So can you blame me if I start seeing TnT everywhere I look? Come along as we take a look at a few examples.

Jane Eyre and her erstwhile employer, Mr. Rochester. I’d be hard-pressed to think of a more Todd-like character in all of literature, but Tea seems quite a bit more feisty than the self-effacing Jane. Their story is one of misunderstandings and secrets that almost blow them apart. Jane is hired to be the governess for Mr. Rochester’s young ward. But as time goes on, she finds herself more and more fascinated by her dark and brooding employer, and they end up falling in love. I can definitely see TnT in this pairing. Can you?

Let’s look at a couple from history for our next study in dysfunctional romances. Cleopatra--she was able to seduce Julius Caesar, a man old enough to be her grandfather.Their relationship contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire. Yet it wasn’t until the young, beautiful queen met Mark Antony that she found her true soulmate. This romance ended in tragedy--something I don’t ever want for my beloved TnT. But if you look at them closely, you can definitely see a bit of Antony and Cleopatra in TnT. I know I do.

Gone With the Wind--the quintessential American love story. Scarlett is convinced she wants Ashley Wilkes, a safe and respectable choice for a husband. Thwarted in her desire, she ignores the rakish Rhett Butler and pines after her lost love. Finally, she realizes that she has found her soulmate, and trust me, it isn’t Ashley. But it appears Scarlett has waited too long to declare her love. Lucky for us, Tea woke up and smelled the coffee when Todd had the good sense to come back and ask Tea to go away with him.  Any way you look at it, Scarlett and Rhett are a pretty dysfunctional couple. Do you see any of them in TnT?

These are just a few examples of places where you can find TnT in literature, movies or history. Of course, when you can still enjoy the genuine article on tape, in pictures and through the imaginations of fan fiction authors, why bother with anything but the real thing?

Todd and Tea

The "One and Only" TnT