Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and whether you, like me, think of Valentine’s Day as a sweet little time to eat some chocolate and celebrate love even more than usual; or you, like basically everyone else I work with, think of Valentine’s Day as an exploitive and manipulative cash-grab orchestrated of the capitalist cisheterosexist patriarchy, I think there’s one thing we can all agree on: It’s fun watching women kiss each other on TV! And so I have mined the canon of queer women on television for some Valentine’s Day inspiration. Here are, in my opinion, the 25 best lesbian and bisexual dates on TV, and some advice about implementing their magic into your own dating game this Valentine’s Day.
Naomi and Emily’s Blowback Picnic, Skins
If a girl who’s very clearly in love with you keeps ducking and dodging your affection, why not entice her to follow you into the forest like a wood sprite and treat her to a relaxing good time?
Emily and Maya’s Under the Sea Bedroom Dance, Pretty Little Liars
Sometimes the girl you love can’t participate in her favorite hobby — say, swimming; or, sleuthing very badly — because she smashed her head into the pool wall under the influence of poison administered by a psychotic ninja ghost. In that case, simulate her favorite hobby.
Stef and Lena’s Stolen Swimming Pool, The Fosters
Children can interfere with your romantic plans. If that happens to you on Valentine’s Day, wait until they’re in bed and then abscond to your neighbors’ place and enjoy a skinny dip in their swimming pool.
Syd and Elena’s First School Dance, One Day at a Time
A school dance is a perfect place to make romantic memories.
Princess Bubblegum and Marceline’s Hambo Rescue, Adventure Time
Valentine’s Day doesn’t have to be stuffy restaurants and a dozen roses. How about journeying into the lair of a selfish little Sky Witch and wrestling back your beloved’s teddy bear from her evil grasp, and then flying home in each other’s arms?
Sara and Ava’s Summer Camp Shenanigans, Legends of Tomorrow
Relieve the magic of childhood by capturing a beloved memory one you experienced and reclaiming it as adults. (There’s a reason A-Camp sells out in just a few hours every year!)
Kat and Adena’s Before Sunrise, The Bold Type
Long-distance love? Don’t despair! You can make even an airport a romantic getaway. So many foods to choose from! So many places to buy books and headphones! Spring for the VIP lounge and you might even be able to sprawl out together! (But, um, be careful what you get up to under a very public blanket fort.)
Yolanda and Arthie’s Ballroom Dance, G.L.O.W.
There’s nothing like dancing with somebody who loves you, just one of the many lessons we learned as children from Queen Whitney.
Callie and Arizona’s First Kiss, Grey’s Anatomy
Maybe that girl you’re into isn’t ready to see you just yet. Or maybe she just thinks she’s not ready. Only one way to find out!
Annalise and Eve’s Misandry Pub, How to Get Away With Murder
Or just enjoy a night out with the one who knows you and loves you best. (Bonus points if any man who talks to you ends up buying your drinks when they sense how superior you are to them and how much you despise them.)
Alex and Maggie’s Pizza Night, Supergirl
Nothing says love like pizza and whiskey and kissing the girl you want to kiss.
Nicole and Waverly’s Reality-Defying Connection, Wynonna Earp
Just because you find yourself in an alternate reality, potentially even engaged to a man, doesn’t mean you have to stop your heart from beating its one true song. Get your girl, no matter what plane of the space-time continuum you find yourself on.
She-Ra and Catra attend Princess Prom, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power
Whether you go to the dance with your girlfriend (like Elena and Syd) or show up with your girl’s mortal enemies, twirl her up into your arms at least once that night, even if you both end up scowling and blushing the whole time.
Betty and Teresa’s Movie Night, Bomb Girls
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with some gentle hand-holding and a night out at the movies. Follow it up with fresh berries for brunch in bed, and you’ve won the holiday.
Brittney and Santana’s Valentine’s Day Kiss, Glee
Sometimes you just want to go out and do karaoke with your friends and open-mouth kiss your girlfriend right in front of them. Cherish it!
Cheryl and Toni’s Milkshake Confessions, Riverdale
Or perhaps a quiet night in a diner is just the thing. A burger, some fries, a milkshake: any or all of those snacks are the perfect food to accompany your confession that your family are all homicidal maniacs, who, in addition to killing each other all the time, once sent you to conversion therapy at a cult compound.
Willow and Tara’s Vending Machine Beginnings, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
You don’t always knows if you have magic with someone until you grasp their hand in yours and do an actual spell together to barricade a door and keep yourself safe from a monster attack.
Cosima and Delphine’s Crazy Science, Orphan Black
Is she straight? You won’t know until you ask her to make crazy science with you and then fetch her an ice cream after she’s exhausted and glowing, Frenchly, in your bed.
Denise and Michelle’s Thanksgiving, Master of None
One of luckiest dates a queer person can have is one that involves a family who loves them and their partner, and also homemade food. You’re even luckier if the whole thing is scored by New Edition.
Grace and Frankie’s Hot Air Balloon Ride, Grace & Frankie
Maybe you’re scared. Maybe she’s scared. Maybe you could conquer your fears together way up in the sky.
Ruby and Sapphire Find the Answer, Steven Universe
Nothing sets the mood for fusing your entire body and soul with another person like a little slow-dancing and perhaps a short duet, under the stars.
Yorkie and Kelly’s ’80s Vibes, Black Mirror: “San Junipero”
Heaven is a place on earth, and also a place inside a simulation meant to serve as an eternal playground for your soul. Either way: If you find a girl who makes your heart sing, do something about it!
M-Chuck Goes to Church, Survivor’s Remorse
After a night of celebrating another one of God’s beautiful creatures, why not hit up your local church with her for a little praise and worship? Unless your pastor reveals himself to be an unrepentant homophobe, in which case, feel free to follow M-Chuck’s lead and make them drag you the fuck out of there.
Madame Vastra and Jenny Celebrate the Holidays, Doctor Who
Going home for a holiday could be a fun time. Or you could go to someone else’s home and save them from violent, sentient snowman. Doing good deeds for others will make you feel good too.
Root and Shaw Find Hope in a Hopeless Simulation, Person of Interest
If you can’t be with your beloved on Valentine’s Day because you live in different places, or because one of you is kidnapped and your brain is being hijacked by a villainous shadow organization, there are plenty of ways to connect online!
What are some of your all-time favorite lesbian and bisexual dates on TV?
I have been rewatching Orphan Black and I am SHOOK @ the amazing beautiful thing they did with Cosima/Delphine.
Jesus their entire story completely ruins me. It ruined other queer love stories for me for sure.
Also in the perfect words of Felix: “oh hey it’s Delphine. God she looks good ”
That scene, when Delphine gets out of the car, straight hair and sunglasses, and Felix says that is one of my favorite scenes on the whole show!
Felix is all of us, always.
Also my favourite scene of the whole show is Delphine telling Cosima “give your sisters all my love”
😭😭😭 god the waterworks.
I almost wanted Delphine to stay dead because that scene was so perfect, so full circle and gah!
Perfection.
P.S.: I did rewatch season one at some point and Cosima‘s wide smiles and their flirting and that kiss gave me even more butterflies a second time around.
“she’s exhausted and glowing, Frenchly, in your bed” ahahahahaha I cackled out loud
I just WISH there was a long-shot version of the embrace in the Helen Shaver-directed episode of the creepy Neolution dinner party where Tatiana literally jumped into Évelyne’s arms, unscripted.
And who’s watched X Company? Évelyne Brochu was frigging awesome in that as well.
Stella and Tanya (Gillian Anderson and Archie Panjabi) in The Fall. They may not have ended up in bed but the misandry thrown in this scene delights me to no end. https://youtu.be/XojvjfuPi4M
OMG yes. Gillian Anderson’s outpouring misandry in this scene/show is such a turn on.
This scene is a panty dropper. Stella has so much swagger, it’s insane. Then again it’s Gillian Anderson that’s playing her so yeah…
ilysm
Willow and Tara’s spell date which ended in otherworldly orgasms.
Even though we don’t see the date, when Dana picks up Lara and they adorably banter about their outfits.
When Ashley convinces Spencer to skip school and they go to the beach.
“I would do a lot of things to you.”
“For me.”
“Yeah, that too.”
From which series is that?
Thank you for including Grace and Frankie’s hot air balloon ride. It was magical.
this is not a date nor is it a canonical queer pairing BUT when kady and julia got matching necklaces declaring each other ‘best bitches’ on the magicians
also wow do i miss bomb girls! gone too soon
omg yes! I’m very into kady and julia’s gal pal times
I snorted at Shoot‘s idea of date night.
But honestly, whenever Root tossed Shaw something to eat was date night for them.
Root and Shaw’s mating rituals are very unique – shooting each other is foreplay; insulting each other are basically “I love you” confessions; and leaving behind a trail of destruction and dead bodies is akin to shouting their affections from the mountaintop.
Well, zip ties and a hot iron is the ultimate meet-cute, it must be said.
Oh, and my vote for their ultimate date was when Shaw escapes and threatens to shoot herself to exit the possible simulation, and Root is like (tiny manic cute smile) “Go ahead, me too” with her own gun beneath her chin.
Ultimate date because Root saves Shaw’s life, demonstrates her devotion in the most dramatic way possible, makes Shaw have feels, AND slightly pisses her off all in one. I think the last emotion was the clincher, in the end, heh – the simulations didn’t have Root pissing off Shaw and making her like it.
When Xena gave Gabrielle that Sappho poem.. Or when Gabrielle punched Xena in A Day in the Life.. or any of their campfire nights really! That show was romance :)
Great ones but particularly the Sappho one cause, you know, Sappho…
When Gabrielle true-love-kissed Xena back to life in the series finale…
I love you so much Heather Hogan
Perfect.
What an excellent list, including representation of those awesome couples in my top three shows of all time: Orphan Black, Wynonna Earp and Person of Interest.
Slightly surprised not to see any Lost Girl love, though.
Thank you for your share ,still want to see these again.