Okay, but like...are we sure Jareth isn't a rom-com villain?

So, I finally caved and watched Labyrinth (yeah, yeah, I know, I'm late to the party). And while I appreciate the Muppets and the David Bowie as Goblin King of it all, I couldn't help but see it through my rom-com lens. Hear me out! Girl wishes away annoying sibling, gets hot, emotionally unavailable Goblin King who puts her through a series of ridiculous challenges to...prove her love? He literally sings about having power over her! It's giving toxic boyfriend vibes, no? And the ballroom scene?! Come on! That slow dance with Jareth? It's practically straight out of a period drama where the brooding Byronic hero wants to seduce the innocent heroine. I swear, if he'd just confessed his undying love instead of trying to make her a goblin queen, this would be playing on repeat during cheesy movie nights. Okay, maybe without the goblins... unless? (I'm kidding! ... Mostly.) Sarah's journey through the Labyrinth is basically her character arc for a rom com, learning to assert herself and realizing what she really values (family, apparently). The ending felt a little abrupt, tbh. Like, all that build-up and bam, she just says "I have no power over you" and he's gone? Bit of a letdown after all those sparkly pants and cryptic pronouncements. Still, I can't deny Bowie's charisma. He was definitely working the 'enigmatic bad boy' persona, even if the script didn't quite make him a heartthrob. Now, if someone could just write a Labyrinth AU where Jareth gets a redemption arc and actually woos Sarah properly... Honestly, I'd watch that sequel, no question. I think I have some fanfiction I need to go write now...