We're all just stories in the end

I know Palberta are not popular with the fanbase. I know they didn't have the most consistent buildup (which is a diplomatic way of noting that the writers kept completely forgetting about them for at least 20 consecutive episodes!) I know that for too long the attraction seemed purely one-sided. I know that people are understandably weary of the writers' compulsion to constantly pair up absolutely everyone, dead or alive :)

All of that is correct! But Palberta is such a special couple to me.

I love that for once the 'badass, law-breaking wild one' is a woman while the straitlaced, earnest but repressed rule-follower is the male - it's such a fun and refreshing reversal of the usual gender roles!

I love that they compel each other to reevaluate who they can be - Pete makes Alberta feel worthy of a genuinely kind man who treats her well while Alberta gives Pete permission to be more fun-loving, courageous and adventurous. I love how she can teach the sweetly naive Pete to be more savvy while he can show her how to be more trusting.

I love that they're two people with seemingly nothing in common who would never have crossed paths in real life yet GET each other on a core level - they both know what it's like to be mistreated by their romantic partners, they both know what it's like to live with regrets about how they chose to live, they're both deeply loyal to and proud of their family members who live on, and they both balance a deep need to connect and be a part of something important with feeling secretly lonely and as if no one truly knows their true selves.

I don't know, I just think they're really unique and a beautiful balance of fun, entertaining 'opposites attract' hijinks with real moments of poignancy and connection.