Why Strike and Robin's relationship should stay platonic in The Ink Black Heart

Only last week, Holliday Grainger, who portrays the effortlessly kind, deeply perceptive, and much-loved Robin Ellacott in the series, teased that there’s a romantic moment that "nearly happens" between the crime-solving duo in the new season.

She was quick to clarify, however, that it doesn’t go anywhere – "they retreat from it", she explained.

With that, I could practically hear the hearts of thousands of X (formerly Twitter) users shattering, complaining that, once again, their hopes and dreams have not been fulfilled.

Yet, personally, I couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

There’s a persistent and often frustrating trope within television – and in society more generally, for that matter – that we simply cannot have platonic relationships between men and women.

In almost all on-screen narratives, friendship takes a backseat for romance, which seems to be the only conceivable endpoint for any partnership between a man and a woman.

And while, yes, an on-screen romance can be deeply poignant for some viewers, it’s painfully unrealistic to presume that every on-screen male/female partnership has to end up with love.

For the past five seasons, I’ve tuned in to each episode of Strike with bated breath, fingers crossed that Cormoran (Tom Burke) won't suddenly decide to lean in over the top of Robin's desk for a kiss.

My fears have almost been realised on a handful of occasions, none more intense than the moment Cormoran burst through the chapel doors during Robin’s wedding, just seconds away from shouting, "I object!"

Fortunately, that didn’t happen. Instead, he merely knocked over a metal vase, drew some unwanted attention to himself and smiled wistfully in a radiant Robin's direction.

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Now, I’m not going to sit and pretend that there’s no reason for fans to 'ship' CorMin (or CorBin, or EllaStrike – I can’t say I’m particularly sold on any of those). Anyone with eyes can see there is some sort of love between the two of them. As Robin herself puts it in Lethal White, "The only person who isn’t at me all the time is my work partner," and she’s not wrong.

The chemistry between them is palpable: they share a deep connection that neither have yet managed to find in anyone else. But that doesn’t mean that they need to fall victim to the cliches of a forced romance. There’s enough beauty in their friendship to admire – and let’s be honest, falling in love with your employee? Definitely a bit of a red flag.

What’s more, if the duo does fall victim to some sort of predictable heteronormative romance, Robin risks becoming just another love interest of a dramatically nomadic "I only like one person in the world and it’s you" male protagonist, and she is so much more than that.

Robin is wildly intelligent and relentlessly determined – not to mention a master improviser (the scene in Lethal White when she first invents the Venetia Hall character and asks for an "Earl Grey with soy milk" lives in my head rent free).

Considering Robin is arguably the best part of a show that already has some substantial flaws (seriously, I’m still not sure what on earth was going on in The Silkworm), turning her into a generic romantic partner would be a serious cop-out.

After all, Robin has already been through her fair share of drama: not only has she been traumatised and cheated on by her man-child husband during the worst time of her life, she's now halfway through a much-needed divorce. So the last thing Robin should do is fall into a relationship that will massively disrupt the one stable aspect of her life – her job.

She needs a love that is not grounded by romance but by companionship, and for the last five seasons, Cormoran has been able to provide her with that.

And no, this isn’t just about Robin – because changing the nature of their partnership would affect the show as a whole.

Introducing romance would simply ruin what we have come to love so much about the dynamic between our two leads – their adventures, their playful banter, that warm, gently teasing humour that connects them. Romance would be far too limiting for them.

The longevity of Strike relies on Cormoran and Robin maintaining their tension – the unspoken understanding that, despite the way they may feel about each other deep down, they are ultimately far better off as friends.

Although I may not have read the books the series is based on, I’ve come to understand that even in the source material, Robin and Strike’s connection remains deeply comforting but platonic, constantly teetering on the edge of the unknown.

However, television adaptations aren’t exactly known for sticking closely to the original storyline – sometimes for the better, but often for the worse. (As much as I loved the TV adaptation of Daisy Jones & The Six, for example, I’m perpetually haunted by what they did with Daisy and Billy.)

Perhaps I have no need to worry; perhaps the pros up in Strike’s writers' room have my best interests at heart and they won’t turn Robin and Cormoran's intricate bond into a boringly ordinary romance. Perhaps not.

Either way, there’s definitely some truth in the face that Strike and Robin might be soul mates – but why is it that soul mates can’t just be two best friends?

Strike seasons 1-5 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Season 6 will begin airing from Monday 16th December.

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