Does The Rain’s Martin and Simone’s romance suffer under a dark cloud?

Netflix’s dystopian Danish drama has a lot going on but the inconsistencies in its central romance can’t help but lessen the emotional impact of its sci-fi storylines

Okay, I admit it; I’m a hopeless romantic. Whenever I sit down to watch a new show, I inevitably view it through a shipper’s lens. So, I wasn’t surprised that when streaming Netflix’s dystopian Danish drama The Rain, it was the romance between Simone and Martin that convinced me to stay the course for all three seasons.

But there’s something about their story that doesn’t sit right with me. Don’t get me wrong; I’ve rewatched their scenes on YouTube more times than I’d like to say and the couple has enough moments of epic romance to satisfy even the most sceptical of shippers. And I know that The Rain isn’t about their relationship. The gang’s fight to save the world from a deadly virus (which now feels eerily familiar) is understandably the priority.

I think that my reservations stem from their origin story.

After the titular rain wipes out most of the population, Simone and her younger brother Rasmus spend six years isolating alone in an underground bunker. When they emerge, she’s a smart 22 year old with undeniable strength survival skills but she’s also innocent, naturally optimistic, and can be naive.

In contrast, Martin is older and spent several years serving in the army before having to survive on the road for six years. Along the way, he’s picked up travelling companions: Patrick, Jean, Leah, and Beatrice.

Before the flirtation between Martin and Simone really starts to heat up in the first season, we see glimpses of the uneasy alliance that Beatrice and Martin have formed while travelling together. For Beatrice, the romantic side of their relationship always seems tactical: she trades sex and companionship for protection.

In contrast, Martin seems to be more emotionally invested. He consistently pushes for more, craving intimacy and asking to take Beatrice on real dates. Despite this, they clearly have less in common than Martin and Simone and frequently fight due to their differences.

His desire to have a real relationship with Beatrice undermines the transference of his affections to Simone. Viewers can see the sparks between them, their similar personalities, and shy glances in the shower scene at the commune. But the question still stands: is he really attracted to Simone and their similarities as Beatrice suggests or he is open to her because she’s emotionally available and more willing to give him the kind of relationship he really wants?

It’s a nagging concern that dissipates in the second season when they become a more established couple, but it’s a question that does get in the way of the clean cut story that my romantic heart would prefer. Ideally, Martin and Simone would have both been single and their antagonists to lovers storyline unblemished by others. At worst, I’d even be happy with Martin seeing his relationship in the same way Beatrice does - a partnership of convenience that pales in comparison to his feelings for Simone.

Martin does hint at this later when tragedy strikes and Beatrice dies towards the end of season one. By this point, her relationship with Martin is over and he has already shared his first kiss with Simone. Even so, the news of her death devastates the group and Martin pushes Simone away when she tries to comfort him. When making up later he admits that, being with Beatrice was like, ‘seeing something ending before it even begins’ and that things with Simone aren’t like that.

The inconsistencies in the way this relationship is written emerge again in the third and final season. Season two is Martin and Simone’s season. Together, they drive the plot forward, taking off on adventures as a duo, enduring a mid-season break-up and emotional reconciliation, and having sex for the first time.

Their relationship isn’t the only storyline, the group is still battling to find a cure, dealing with the development of Rasmus’ powers and reckoning with a new enemy in Apollon. But crucially, what I believe works well in the second season, is that these sci-fi elements still make space for romance. Small moments, other characters challenging them to express their feelings, and a season-ending sacrifice demonstrate how important their relationship is for the characters and the show.

Season three opens with an intimate Simone and Martin scene that warmed my shipper heart. They even seemed to be on the verge of finally saying ‘I love you’. But after 15 minutes, they are separated and remain that way for the next four episodes (out of just six episodes in total).

And most frustratingly, Simone doesn’t seem to care.

Rather than drive the season’s storylines together, Simone appears to forget all about Martin as spin as she escapes Apollon. She becomes fixated on the cure and on Rasmus, and even enters into a new flirtation with Daniel. Her choices in the previous two season finales both led to choosing Martin and now, he doesn’t seem to impact her decision making at all.

In contrast, Martin’s actions are driven by Simone. When he watches her fall to her ‘death’, he gives up all hope and agrees to volunteer as a virus test subject as he feels he has nothing left to lose without her. It’s a devastating decision but one that feels true to his character and reflective of the relationship that’s developed in the series so far.

The writers try to make up for this division when the couple is reunited in episode five. Simone lets Daniel down gently and reaffirms her commitment to Martin, they even finally exchange ‘I love yous’ before the virus takes over and Martin dies in her arms. Her grief is also sensitively depicted but its emotional impact is lessened due to Simone’s actions in the other four episodes.

As a shipper, the third season has been disappointing but it’s also impacted me as a fan of The Rain. The Rasmus and Simone sibling relationship has always been central to the series and their final showdown made sense but I don’t believe that they needed to sacrifice Simone’s connection with Martin to make space for the brother/sister storyline.

The writers betrayed the intimacy they’d built up over two seasons and splintered their final season by dividing its central couple. It didn’t ring true and for me, left a dark cloud hanging over the show.

The Simone and Martin romance may not have been the main plot of The Rain but they consistently guided the storyline and underestimating their importance limits the overall emotional impact of the ending.