For the straight relationship being unnecessary bit, I think Pacific Rim did it right.

When it looked like they were about to do the whole "let's make out while the search party finds us" bit, I was going "oh come on, don't do it, it's completely unnecessary. I came here for mechs vs kaiju punch fests, I don't care about some bullshit romantic d plot"

I know plenty of people who were pissed they didn't go there, but it's completely irrelevant.

Plenty of hetero couples on screen have 0 chemistry and it ruins the shows or movies a bit for me.. Really, if it's not necessary to the plot, why have romantic things at all? Why does the generic white guy on the screen need to have a wife and 3 children never see? It doesn't come up during the plot points, nobody else mentions them, so why?

Don't even get me started on the gay panic certain producers of Star Trek had and forced awkward hetero relationships that made no sense and were almost never mentioned....

I totally agree. We want to see human to human connections and not something shoved down our throats, make it believable and we will gladly like it

I'm on season two of Resident Alien and I love how (so far) the relationship between the sheriff and the deputy is growing deeper and more intimate and loving yet carries not an ounce of romance. If they hook them up I'm going to riot.

I am a fifty year old man. If my wife were to leave me or pass away, what I would miss is the caring and loving relationship with someone I can trust and talk to. The romance I can live without and sex is easy to get.