'AITA for waiting three months to prove my boyfriend wrong about a TV character?' UPDATED

"AITA for waiting three months to prove my boyfriend wrong?"

Early in the summer, my boyfriend (24M) and I (22M) started watching Lost. One night we were watching an episode after dinner, and my boyfriend asked what happened to one of the characters’ girlfriends: Helen.

Now, Helen’s name is pronounced exactly how you spell it (like Helen Mirren). But my boyfriend pronounced it like Hellene (Huh-lean). I thought this was kind of funny, and said “I’m pretty sure it’s pronounced Helen,” to which he responded with “No, you’re wrong,” in a pretty flat, dismissive tone.

For some reason this really got to me. He’s always super confident in his opinions and views (even when he’s definitely incorrect), but he’s never straight up said that I was wrong before.

I didn’t press it any further. Instead, I patiently waited until the next time someone said the character’s name, so that I could finally say “I was right all along! YOU’RE the one who was wrong.” Which I was only able to do FOUR SEASONS AND THREE MONTHS LATER.

My boyfriend doesn’t even remember telling me I was wrong, and thinks it’s weird that I waited so long for this petty revenge. He also feels embarrassed that I brought up so much attention to him being wrong.

AITA for holding on to this for so long?

Info: my bf is Canadian and English is his first language.

The internet did not hold back one bit.

avid-learner-bot wrote:

NTA I suppose...but, how on Earth did you manage to hold onto this for so bloody long?! Respect, mate, sheer respect.

Greedy-Umpire-222 wrote:

That's nothing. My family met every year for reunion. I was walking up to mess hall just arriving. Saw my favorite uncle and shouted: hey uncle how you doing? He said minding my own business you ever tried it? Ohhh burn.

The next year I missed the reunion. Following year made it. Was sitting in the mess hall and uncle showed up. I ignored him while he greeted everyone. Finally got to me and asked, how you doing jdale? I said minding my own business ever tried it? Yeah baby.

Upset-Lavishness-522 wrote:

My husband loves to try and prove me wrong on the spot by googling whatever it is in front of me and an audience. Then sulks when I'm right and certainly doesn't voice what he just read. And yes, it's every time. If I don't know the correct answer, it just say that I don't know. Not sure why it's so hard to do that.

Valuable_Many5801 wrote:

NTA. Correcting misinformation is not “petty revenge,” especially after he specifically told you that you were wrong. The overreaction sounds like a lot of drama from someone his is unable to admit when they were the one who was wrong.

He completely dismissed you in the moment, which seems to have surprised you and shaken your confidence. I don’t blame you for not wanting to turn the situation into an argument over a character’s name. I suspect that the way he spoke to you continued to bother you, so that’s why it was still on your mind when they said the character name again 3 months later.

That being said, I am questioning the health of your relationship, that this weighed on you for so long and that you felt like you couldn’t look it up and point this out sooner. It almost feels like you were too worried to say anything until it could be confirmed by someone else, and that has me concerned that you are feeling unheard or disregard when you speak up in your relationship.

The whole thing is a kind of a silly non-issue over a character’s name, and that’s why I don’t think it’s about the name at all. I am concerned this may actually be about how you don’t feel confident and supported when expressing yourself to your partner.

Beth21286 wrote:

Confidence is no substitute for knowledge. Tell him he makes himself look foolish when he defends being demonstrably wrong and it's not a pleasant character trait.

Waiting 3 months to 'gotcha' is just a waste of your time. Google is a thing.

A day later, OP shared an update.

My boyfriend and I have read the comments on my previous post. We’ve had a good laugh at all the comments calling us manipulative, gaslighting and petty lol.

I’ve enjoyed having my feelings and my methods vindicated, and my boyfriend acknowledges that he shouldn’t have been so curt.

But I have to clarify that my boyfriend is a beautiful, kind, and sensitive man, and that his not remembering the incident in question is not evidence of him gaslighting me, but of just how silly this whole situation is. He’s always been nothing less than honest with me (maybe even to a fault haha), and we’ve always had good communication. I love him, and we both find his mispronunciation really funny.

“But why didn’t you google it?” Because that’s not what Benjamin Linus would have done. He’d plot and connive, because he’s a petty ho, so that’s exactly what I did.

BF here: You may be asking (as my boyfriend aka OP was), why and how the hell did I think her name was Helene? The explanation is as simple as it is stupid: I was also rewatching The Office at the time this incident took place and there IS a character named Helene in it. However, I recognize that I was an AH in this situation.

The internet did not hold back one bit.

Jlobeats18 wrote:

Of all the problems while watching Lost…this was not one of them XD The ending of Lost annoyed me so much! Watched it for the first time this year, it was brilliant only to be brutally disappointed by the end. Still not over it. My BF thinks it’s hilarious I’m still hung up on the ending of Lost. It’s up there with GOT, Pretty Little Liars and HIMYM on crappy endings for tv shows!

tight_stress2135 wrote:

These people in the comments are not it. I think this whole situation is absolutely hilarious and 100% something I would do to my boyfriend 😭

Amazing-Gas-7516 wrote:

Ah yes the bf here: type post. I'm getting the vibe you are alone and made this post just to I don’t know finally talk to some people or what. And even if he is real you are brushing off that he doesn’t listen to you at all lol so enjoy that wonder amazing man who doesn’t seem to listen to anything you say while you laugh and giggle at the comment section.

unrivaledbabyboy wrote:

Man these guys can't stand your relationship haha, honestly its kinda like mine, been with her for 10 years and we have these stupid little engagements like this every so often. It's not toxic, or gaslighting.

The internet just likes to think so, because most people won't be with someone who they can have petty arguments with and it not turn into some knock down drag out bs fight. My wife and I bicker at most. She is right a good amount of time and when she isn't, she still is. Keep doing you, seems pretty healthy to me.