This is not cynical. It is realistic. And realism, when rendered with empathy, is more romantic than any fantasy.
Beyond the romance itself, relationships and romantic storylines play a crucial role in character development. They can: sex+budak+sekolah+melayu
In a show about a zombie apocalypse, the most devastating romance is between two men living in a remote bunker. Bill and Frank’s storyline spans decades. They fight over food. They garden. They paint. Frank gets sick. Bill chooses to die with him rather than live alone. There are no zombies in this episode. There is no chase. There is just the slow, quiet, devastating accumulation of a life shared. This proved that audiences are starving for mature relationship storylines, not just young adult yearning. This is not cynical