Like many fans of Freeform’s The Bold Type, I was rooting for a happy ending for Sutton Brady-Hunter and Richard Hunter (known collectively by the fandom as “Suttard”) as the show wrapped up its final season. From their attempt at a Bluetooth vibrator sex date to their adorable Paris reunion, Richard and Sutton (played by Sam Page and Megan Fahy, respectively) have been one of the show’s strongest couples from the beginning.

Fair warning: spoilers for all five seasons of The Bold Type and its ending incoming!

At the end of The Bold Type season 4, the newly married couple have a blow-out argument when Sutton realises she doesn’t want to have children while Richard longs to be a dad. At the beginning of season 5, he leaves her and begins divorce proceedings.

Over the course of the final season, Sutton destroys her wedding dress, throws a “divorce party,” starts therapy, and quits drinking in an attempt to get over Richard and get her life back together. Then they meet up to swap divorce papers, inevitably fall into bed with one another, and Richard realises how much he loves Sutton and that he doesn’t want a life without her. Even if it means giving up his dream of having children.

So far, so romantic, right? But…

Richard and Sutton Are Fundamentally Incompatible

No two people will ever be perfectly aligned on every issue or desire. That’s impossible because we’re all multifaceted, nuanced, and complex creatures. But there are, I believe, a few compatibility fundamentals. These are the things you need to agree on (or at least be genuinely, wholeheartedly happy to compromise on) in order to have a functional relationship.

Having children is one of those things. Others might include getting married or not, being monogamous or not, and possibly even political affiliation.

Some things are just deal breakers. Some things should be deal-breakers. Because in reality, much as we want to believe that love conquers all, it doesn’t. Love doesn’t conquer wanting different things in uncompromisable situations. You can’t have half a child. You can’t be half married. Love, however real and powerful, doesn’t make these incompatibilities go away or create the potential for a compromise where there is none. Sutton and Richard’s ending neatly sidesteps this reality.

Fairytale Endings: Fantasy vs. Reality

I’m glad the writers chose to end The Bold Type the way they did. Ultimately, this show is escapist fantasy, a Sex & the City for millennials with little grounding in the real world. Richard and Sutton fans were crushed when the couple split up and were rooting for them to get back together and somehow find a way through their conflicting desires.

The writers gave us what we wanted. Find me a single fan who didn’t let out a collective “awwww” at this moment:

But it really is just fantasy. In reality, fairytale endings like this don’t happen. Or if they do, they cause intense resentment and bigger problems down the line.

I admit that I struggle to relate to Richard, personally. As someone who decided early on that I will be childfree for life, I find it very difficult to imagine wanting to have children more than wanting to be with the person I love. (And my god, these two really do love each other. The two actors have incredible on-screen chemistry!)

But many people do feel like that, and it’s valid and real. Many people want to be a parent more than anything, even if it means they can’t be with the person they thought was their forever person. And those people can’t just switch that off the way Richard seems to in this too-neat-to-be-real happy ever after where he decides he wants to be with Sutton after all.

Do Fairytale Happy Endings Exist?

Sadly, no. At least not in the way you’re thinking of.

A much younger, more naive version of me thought that I’d find a fairytale happy ending someday. There have even been moments when I thought I’d found it. But I hadn’t, because it doesn’t exist.

Real relationships require constant communication, ongoing compromise, and re-calibration as you both grow and change. You can decide to be together, to commit, to go all-in, but that doesn’t take away from the very real work required to make love work long term.

Love is messy, love is nuanced, love is the best thing in the world. But it is not magical. It does not remove all obstacles or effortlessly sweep them aside. And some obstacles are too big to overcome. One person wanting children while the other doesn’t? That’s probably one of those obstacles.

So I’ll enjoy Richard and Sutton’s happy ending for what it is: escapist fantasy wrapping up five seasons of escapist fantasy. But I’m glad it’s not real. Because as much as I want someone to love me for the rest of my life, I would never want them to give up their greatest dream to be with me.