Scott Westerfeld's popular young adult (YA) series Uglies features plenty of romance prospects for the lead character, Tally Youngblood.
The Uglies series is comprised of four novels (Uglies, Pretties, Specials and Extras), each following Tally's journey as she navigates a dystopian world where teenagers are surgically altered at 16 to become perfect specimens, dubbed "Pretties."
As is the case with many young adult franchises, Tally not only has to deal with societal issues in Uglies but also issues of the heart.
A Netflix adaptation of the first novel was recently released on streaming, starring Joey King as Tally and Keith Powers as one of her love interests, David. However, should the Uglies movie franchise continue, viewers will also be introduced to the other point of the love triangle — Zane.
Who Are Tally's Love Interests in Uglies?
Team David
Introduced in Uglies is Tally's first major love interest, David. David is from "The Smoke," meaning he grew up outside the major cities and lived in opposition to their "pretties" regime. He has not been surgically altered, meaning he is still considered an "ugly."
In Uglies, David introduces Tally to his way of life, where she finds herself drawn to him and his cause.
The two form a romantic relationship, which is tested at the end of the first book when Tally agrees to become a Pretty to trial the Smokies' cure and take down the system from within.
David appears briefly in Pretties, where he meets Tally after she has had her Pretties surgery and taken the cure that is supposed to relieve her of its brainwashing. However, he finds she is conflicted about their relationship as she now has feelings for someone new, Zane.
Eventually Tally has to choose between David and Zane, where she opts for the latter. David believes she prefers Zane because of his looks and that he can not compete because he is still an Ugly.
In the third novel, Tally and David have a tenuous relationship after Tally becomes a Special. Despite Tally's new personality, David believes she can overcome the brain surgery and gives her a portion of the full cure so she can make her own decision about her future.
Team Zane
Introduced in the second Uglies novel, Zane is a rival for Tally's affections. He is the leader of the Crims, one of the most popular cliques amongst the Pretties.
The two begin dating after Tally passes a series of tests to become a Crim. Once Tally recovers the cure that she had promised to test for the Smokies, she and Zane each agree to take one of the pills, unaware that the pills were meant to be taken together as one dose.
This causes brain damage in Zane, and Tally ultimately chooses to stay with him instead of David when the Specials hunt them down in the New Smoke.
As a result, Tally becomes a Special in the third book, and her newfound awareness makes it difficult for her to accept Zane's imperfections.
Who Does Tally End Up With?
While Tally forms solid relationships with both David and Zane throughout the Uglies franchise, at the end of the series, only one of them remains.
In the third novel, Specials, Zane has been brain-damaged by the cure pills and is suffering from motor cognition issues. Tally hatches a plan to turn Zane into a Special so he will be cured.
They travel to Diego, where much of the population comprises Smokies, and the cure has been largely effective. Once there, Zane asks the doctors to help enhance him, but when the city is attacked, there is an issue with Zane's surgery, and he is left brain-dead.
Tally is motivated to put an end to the war that killed Zane, but this eventually drives her back toward David, who promises to help her and wait for her when she returns to her home city to put an end to the Pretty Operation.
After she is successful, Tally agrees to go to the wilds with David and form the new Special Circumstances, which will protect the world from human destruction.
The fourth novel, Extras, confirms the couple's status after the events of the main trilogy.
Extras is told from the point of view of a different main character, Aya, but still features Tally in the story. Taking place three years later, Aya notes that David and Tally are a couple and are still working together as part of the new Special Circumstances to save the planet.
Uglies is streaming on Netflix.
