Take 2

So here I am again. Revisiting the cheating thing. Because it's still in my head. (And yes, MM and are still fine. This is all still from that freaking movie I watched...)
So I am going to narrow it in, and see if that helps.
Emotional Cheating. WANTING to cheat, but not acting on it. Is it cheating?
I say, yes, it actually is.
Good, because that person doesn't do it. Bad. Because they want to.
To me, it indicates a loss of intimacy between the couple. A loss of that fine thread that seems to connect all the really happy couples that I see. Once your mind starts to wander in that direction, of looking at another person in 'that way'. It is, IMHO, stealing from the relationship you are in.
Does it mean the relationship is doomed? No. Not necessarily. It means that some serious work needs to be done.
It is a difficult situation.
Of course, the 'movie' situation was ridiculous.
Man and woman married for 20+ years. He is, of course, a soldier. He goes to Iraq, and she goes back to work. (becoming a nurse in a miracle amount of time). More annoyingly, she begins to "fall" for a doctor. She doesn't let herself, the doctor dies, right when her husband returns. He knows there is something wrong. She can't deny it. In the end, they prevail, and have a stronger marriage because of it. Blah blah blah.
So, emotional cheating. What are your thoughts?