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23 TV Character Problems That Could Have Been Easily Resolved If They Had Just Used Their Brains And Communicated

"The conflicts in Bridgerton wouldn’t exist if the leads had a two-minute, honest conversation with one another."

Kelly Martinez
by Kelly Martinez

BuzzFeed Staff

We recently asked the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which irritating TV conflicts could have been quickly resolved if the characters literally just talked. Here are some of the best examples:

🚨 Warning: MAJOR spoilers ahead, including for the new season of "Stranger Things"!!! 🚨

1. First, on Bridgerton, when Daphne and Simon both wasted an entire episode thinking that the other hated them.

the two main characters saying they trapped the other into a marriage
Netflix

"If Simon had just told Daphne that he felt bad for making her 'fight for a wedding she didn’t even want' (his words exactly), then maybe she would’ve been able to tell him that she did want the wedding because she loved him! That’s 59 minutes of my life I’m never getting back." —laidedahunsi

"All of Bridgerton. I still love it, but the conflicts in the show wouldn’t exist if the leads had a two-minute, honest conversation with one another." —kathrynvankirk

2. On Stranger Things, if the police had literally just asked Eddie what happened instead of assuming that he [SPOILER] killed Chrissy.

a character saying that the police is definitely looking for Eddie
Netflix

"It’s a town where crazy shit happens all the time, and yet the Hawkins Police Department (minus Hopper) are very dumb lol." —noradominick

3. On Teen Wolf, if Scott had taken two minutes to listen to Stiles explain what really happened with Donovan.

a character saying, believe me then scott, say you believe me
MTV

"If Scott let Stiles explain why he killed Donovan, Theo would have been caught lying, and the mess that was Season 5 would have been avoided." —doseofdivineee

4. On Normal People, if Connell had simply asked Marianne to stay.

Marianna and Connell staring at each other
Hulu / Everett Collection

"All he had to do was ask her to stay. All she had to do was ask him if he wanted her to stay. They were the worst communicators, and it was so frustrating! Great show though." —jrenee0587

5. On Ted Lasso, when Nate left the team because he mistakenly believed that Ted didn't appreciate him.

Nate telling Ted that he abandoned him
Apple TV+

"In reality, Ted thinks of Nate like a son!" —noradominick

6. On Ginny & Georgia, when Max and everyone were totally clueless about Ginny and Marcus' romance all season even though their feelings were SO FREAKIN' OBVIOUS.

Max asking Ginny if they're going to lose their virginity on the same night
Netflix

"To be fair, Ginny never really got a chance to tell Max the truth about what happened between her and Marcus the night she moved to town, and that she wasn't actually a virgin. But if Max had just given her the opportunity to be honest, and if Ginny had broken things off with Hunter earlier, a loooot of drama could have been avoided." —kellymartinez

7. On Pretty Little Liars, if the girls had reported A to the authorities from the start.

the four main characters outside
ABC Family/Courtesy Everett Collection

"The show could have been one episode if they just went to the police." —daylinaguerra

Author's note: Okay, I agree they should have gone to an adult, but to be fair...have you SEEN the Rosewood Police Department?!

8. Also on Pretty Little Liars, when Aria literally insisted her mom go on the trip with Zack and then got mad when she...went on the trip.

Aria's  mom saying that Aria basically packed her bags so she could go with Zach
Freeform

"I get that things had changed and Aria was just lashing out like any teenager. However, to this day, this is still one of the absolute dumbest TV conflicts I can think of." —kellymartinez

9. On New Girl, if Jess and Nick had just immediately addressed the awkwardness of her walking in on him naked instead of avoiding each other and making it into a huge deal for an entire episode.

Jess opening the door to a naked and dancing Nick
FOX

"If Nick would have stopped running away and talked to Jess earlier than he did, then it wouldn't have been a problem, and she wouldn’t have felt like she had to also get naked. Everything was just so awkward!"  —yololtb

10. On The White Lotus, if Paula had texted Kai and warned him that Nicole was on her way back to the hotel room.

a character saying they're tired of being a punching bag
HBO

"I know that logically this needed to happen for the plot to work, but I never understood why Paula didn't just warn him and tell him not to break into the safe. The entire robbery-gone-wrong situation could have been so easily prevented!" —kellymartinez

11. On Gilmore Girls, when Luke found out he had a secret daughter and just...didn't say anything about it to Lorelai (his fiancée) for months???

Luke saying he found out about his daughter two months ago
The CW

"Look, I get that the guy is in shock that he has a daughter that he didn't know about, but not telling Lorelai for a couple of months? What bothers me the most about it is that, an episode or two earlier, Luke was furious that Lorelai got a message from Christopher. First that, and then not telling your fiancée about your child and expecting them to be okay with it?!" —s463b03bd4

12. On The Office, when Jim took the job in Philadelphia despite it obviously not being okay with Pam.

Jim telling pam he needs to hang up if she think he took the job just for himself
NBC

"If Jim was honest with Pam from the beginning, and Pam was honest with Jim about how difficult her being alone with the two kids was...just bad communication all around." —madnbryant91

Watch on Peacock.

13. On The Fosters, if Callie had just gone to her mom for help, like, 99% of the time.

Callie telling someone that they think she's a conspiracy theorist
Freeform

"Every relationship, family, or personal problem could have been solved by just talking to her parents. I eventually had to stop watching because, after five seasons of doing the same thing, she decided to solve the problem of literal sex trafficking by offering to be a victim instead of going to her mother, who was a cop!" —tjpen

14. On The O.C., if anyone had just taken two freakin' seconds to actually listen to Ryan's very valid concerns about Oliver.

Seth defending Oliver to Ryan
FOX

"To this day, I cannot rewatch the Oliver episodes because they piss me off so, so much." —kellymartinez

15. On Friends, if Ross and Rachel had clarified what "taking a break" actually meant.

Ross saying that to him a break is a break up
NBC

"The whole 'we were on a break' issue could have been prevented if they laid out the boundaries beforehand. If they had communicated and established what their break meant, it would have prevented the misunderstanding, which led to them officially breaking up later." —senpainoticedu

16. On Gossip Girl, if Chuck had told Blair the truth about what was going on with Jack instead of literally trading her for a HOTEL.

Blair telling chuck she would have done anything for him
The CW

"They didn’t communicate and it completely messed everything up." —shague1116

17. On Sons of Anarchy, when Gemma killed Tara all because of a misunderstanding.

two of the characters staring at each other before fighting
FX

"It was all because one person gave her the wrong information. If she would have just talked to Jax, she would have known that they could be a happy family. She didn’t have to stab her daughter-in-law in the head with a carving fork!" —angmar2805

18. On Grey's Anatomy, when Meredith immediately iced Lexie out on their first day of work together, ensuring that they started off on the wrong foot.

Meredith tells another character that she's the girl from the bar, not lexie
ABC

"Meredith just instantly gives her the cold shoulder and doesn't even give her the time of day and poor Lexie is just trying her best. Yeah, Meredith's father left her and her mother a long time ago — but no need to be a complete wench to your half-sister who, despite everything your DAD did, is still trying and wanting to have a relationship with you." —aries97

19. On Beverly Hills, 90210, if Jackie had told Mel about her pregnancy right away instead of telling Kelly, her teenage daughter, first.

the characters sitting on the bed
FOX

"This entire episode is hilarious and actually one of my favorites, but man, is it frustrating. Jackie tells Kelly, then Kelly tells her friends, then Donna tells David, and then David tells Donna that his dad was going to propose....what a mess! There was no real reason for Kelly and Mel to break up this episode." —kellymartinez

20. On 90210, when Annie literally spent months being ostracized by all of her friends because Liam refused to tell everyone who he really slept with on prom night.

Liam saying he has to go when Annie says he needs to tell everyone the truth that she didn't sleep with him
The CW

"This whole storyline was incredibly infuriating. One of the big reasons that Naomi didn't believe that Annie and Liam didn't sleep together was because Liam refused to tell her who he actually slept with: her sister. He didn't want to tell Naomi because he thought that would hurt her even more, which, yes, it would, but by not telling Naomi the truth from the start, Annie ended up paying the price. She was ostracized by her friends and Naomi truly put her through hell for weeks all because she thought Annie hooked up with him. I don't know why or how Liam didn't just tell Naomi the truth the moment he saw how Naomi treated Annie. Instead, he just let it go on for months." —ajanibazile

21. On Cobra Kai, if Daniel and Johnny ever just had a freaking conversation.

Daniel and Johnny having a stare-off
Neflix

"They finally started listening to each other in Season 3." —aaronweeks101

22. On Degrassi: The Next Generation, when Spike automatically assumed Snake would want nothing to do with the baby, and they nearly called off their wedding over it.

a character saying, it's too bad you're against kids and Snake saying, I never said that
CTV

"I know Spike had a lot of trauma due to having Emma so, so young, but the fact that she didn't just...tell Snake? Him saying out of context that he wasn't planning on having kids right away didn't mean he would want nothing to do with her pregnancy! Emma also irritated me a lot this episode, but Spike never should have told her 13-year-old daughter before Snake." —kellymartinez

23. And finally, on One Tree Hill, if any of the characters — but ESPECIALLY Lucas — literally just communicated!!!

Lucas telling Brooke that he keeps Peyton's stuff as a reminder of how badly he screwed up with Brooke
The WB

"Any plot point on One Tree Hill. Haley wanted to go do music. Cool, tell your husband. Lucas wanted to be with Peyton. Cool, tell Brooke, 'It's not you, it's me.' THEY JUST WANT DRAMA." —cassandrarudy15

Got an example that didn't make this list? Tell us in the comments!

Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.