I was thinking about this lately after finishing a YA series with a hamfisted romance plot, but it's not limited to just that. I feel like the love triangle is a common piece of so many works, both written and filmed, and I simply can't think of a single time I've ever seen it improve the story.

It tries to create tension, but I'm always just frustrated at the characters' wishy-washy behavior or terrible communication skills. It tries to create pathos but I feel so manipulated by the setup that it pulls me out of the world instead of sucking me in. It tries to create an interesting story, but every love triangle feels like the same thing -- jealousy, conflicted feelings, comparing the two suitors, intelligent people all acting irrationally for no reason, overwrought declarations of love, and a pointless ultimatum. None of it is new or interesting, so love triangles become this quagmire that can suck in and kill off an otherwise interesting, unique fictional relationship.

Those are just my feelings, though. Maybe there's something I'm missing? Maybe there's a work of fiction that plays the love triangle in an interesting way that improves the story -- if so, I'd love to hear about it. What do you all think?