It's the basic tenet of most romance fiction. You can't really blame the fandom for following a centuries old trend?!
Obviously, I haven't only ever written that kind of fic, but I am sort of writing it at the moment (I'd like to argue not, because I made the suggestion Sam and Maya was more of a love affair and that he still cared for her, but the coma had destroyed the last hopes of their relationship), so, you know, I really hope this isn't still kind of directed at me. I'm going to guess you haven't really been up to reading recent fic, though.
I just think --- Sam's problem definitely has always been himself, but you can't deny that he has a connection with Gene, that the conflict and caring that spans between them means something. And no, I don't just think it's coma madness making Sam more vulnerable. Gene talks to Sam. He tells him the truth, even when Sam doesn't want to hear it. It's fair to suggest Ruth never did, plus Maya avoids pushing him, and according to the script, tells him she's leaving by leaving a voicemail message. He put up that barrier, but previous relationships failed to break through. Gene doesn't always, but he's managed on several occasions.
Sure, to say that Gene and Sam are soulmates and the only people to have ever made each other's lives better is ridiculous and bile-inducing, because they don't always make them better, sometimes they make them worse --- but at the same time, the show suggested that without trust --- without Gene --- Sam's got nothing to believe in. And that, I think, is very telling.
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Obviously, I haven't only ever written that kind of fic, but I am sort of writing it at the moment (I'd like to argue not, because I made the suggestion Sam and Maya was more of a love affair and that he still cared for her, but the coma had destroyed the last hopes of their relationship), so, you know, I really hope this isn't still kind of directed at me. I'm going to guess you haven't really been up to reading recent fic, though.
I just think --- Sam's problem definitely has always been himself, but you can't deny that he has a connection with Gene, that the conflict and caring that spans between them means something. And no, I don't just think it's coma madness making Sam more vulnerable. Gene talks to Sam. He tells him the truth, even when Sam doesn't want to hear it. It's fair to suggest Ruth never did, plus Maya avoids pushing him, and according to the script, tells him she's leaving by leaving a voicemail message. He put up that barrier, but previous relationships failed to break through. Gene doesn't always, but he's managed on several occasions.
Sure, to say that Gene and Sam are soulmates and the only people to have ever made each other's lives better is ridiculous and bile-inducing, because they don't always make them better, sometimes they make them worse --- but at the same time, the show suggested that without trust --- without Gene --- Sam's got nothing to believe in. And that, I think, is very telling.