"Endgame"

 I really dislike the concept of a relationship being "endgame".

 

What, exactly, is "endgame"? If a couple is married for decades and then divorces, is that "endgame"? What if a couple is together until they die, but both had they lived they would have divorced? If a happy couple is ended by death and the survivor has a completely happy second marriage, are they both "endgame"?

 

And does a relationship have to be "endgame" to be valuable? Casablanca is considered one of the greatest romances of all time and its centered romance is certainly not "endgame".

 

I just dislike the use of the word "end" in this context. Even a successful marriage isn't the end - it's a continuation of the story.

 

I suppose when people talk about "endgame" in a fictional context, they are referring to the end of the story. If your ship is canon at the end of the story, you've "won". But for all the reasons above, I don't buy that.