Five Favourite Sidekicks
Feb. 10th, 2007 06:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
selenakThis week's Fannish Five. This one is easy and tricky at the same time - there are a lot of candidates for me to pick from, but some of them don't really fit the definition of "sidekick" in their particular narrative, or it's impossible to pick just one of them. Hence, for example, no Scoobies. So:
1) Matthew the Raven, from Sandman. Matthew actually started out as a human man named Matt Cable in another comic, Swamp Thing, and his background sometimes gets obscurely alluded to, but all Sandman readers need to know about his former life is mentioned in Sandman itself. When we meet Matthew early on in Sandman, he has, after his death as a human, just started his existence as a raven in the Dreaming, the realm of Morpheus, aka Dream. Matthew is still trying to figure things out there and getting adjusted to Dream, which makes him an obvious stand-in for the reader, and his wry comments and 20th century lingo are a great contrast to Dream's mythical grandeur. Matthew comes to care passionately about his boss, even if he at times questions his sanity, and their dialogues can be both funny and, in the end, very touching. One of my favourites comes when Dream asks Matthew whether Matthew is well versed in the art of car driving. Quoth the Raven: "Are you kidding? I died in a car crash. Well, the first time." Dream: "I am not sure that is a recommendation." On the other end of the scale, the scene where Morpheus sends Matthew away because he doesn't want Matthew to die (again) or witness Morpheus' end is the thing that regularily gets me crying during The Kindly Ones. And Matthew remains our guide till the end, during The Wake, at first absolutely refusing to deal and to accept the new Dream, Daniel, and slowly coming around until he takes Daniel under his literal wing. Ah, Matthew.
2) Vir Cotto, from Babylon 5. Vir is brave, loyal, loving, and in the terrible situation of actually spending two of the five years in the show absolutely hating what the object of his devotion does and the rest fretting over the consequences. He also loses his own innocence in the process. His above and beyond loyalty to Londo is never blind - and very similar to Vir's relationship with his people, the Centauri, because being a patriot to Vir means neither accepting when your people go wrong nor turning your back on them - and, both during the dark times and the climb back, probably the crucial element of what keeps Londo from losing himself completely. What Vir comes to mean to Londo and vice versa is best summed up in The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari in season 5, an episode which mostly takes place in Londo's mind, confronting him with his deeds. Londo, who is aware of what his ultimate fate will be, not utterly surprisingly asks himself the question whether it wouldn't be better if he died now. No, says his inner Vir. It wouldn't. "I would miss you." "And I suppose," says Londo, "I would miss you" and finds the strength to face the past and to live.
3) Zoe, from Firefly. Nobody uses the term "Sir" so effectively as she does; as an ironic put-down or as a sign of support, Zoe has Mal's measure. She's his best friend, pillar of strength, and sometimes direly necessary provider of common sense. Her marriage to Wash in its relaxed adult happiness (which doesn't mean it's argument-free, of course) is a counterpoint to the angsty UST between Mal and Inara and the frustrated pinings of Kaylee for Simon, and she has raised warrior woman stoicism to an art form. Two of my favourite Zoe scenes: when Niska the sadist, anticipating the fun of tormenting her by making her choose between Mal and Wash, shows their tortured selves to her and opens his mouth for his gleeful speech, and Zoe just cuts him off before he even started by picking Wash, getting the hell out of there and starting the rescue-Mal-operation. The expression in her eyes says it all (Gina Torres is a goddess). The other scene is from the BDM. At the end, Mal asks about Serenity the ship, and it's obvious that what he really asks is how Zoe deals with the loss of Wash. And Zoe, understanding him perfectly, says: "She's damaged, Sir, but she'll keep flying." It's such a sad and lovely moment between these two with its understated tenderness, and we know, as Mal does, that Zoe and Serenity will indeed make it.
4) Ace, from Dr. Who. Listing a Companion as a sidekick is a bit tricky, especially one as strong as Ace, but let's face it, the show is about the Doctor, and Companions come and go. Ace has issues, including the fact she loathes her mother, she loves to blow things up, and she has great chemistry with her Professor. (Don't ask why she calls him Professor; it's one of those Ace things.) What makes Ace's courage feel so real is that she can get scared - in her first adventure on Who, for example, when the villain has the proverbial gun at her head - and her acts of heroism can spring from panic (case in point: Rememberance of the Daleks, when she goes from dodging the Dalek's shots to attacking it with a baseball bat, and you can see the transition very well). Her relationship with the Doctor is somewhat complex, close but with the occasional dark undertone because he can get quite manipulative. Also? When she thinks he's dead, she puts on his hat and takes on the bad guys. *loves Ace*
5) Marshall Flinkman, from Alias. Marshall is essential, not just because he's the Q of the show (from Bond, not Star Trek, as Buffy would say), or because he's often used as the comic relief, but because despite being tech guy, not a field agent and not trained in their ways, he comes through every time he needs to save the day (while quoting Star Wars, and you've got to love that Marshall, despite having a crush on Sydney early on, automatically casts himself as her Luke, not her Han Solo). He presents his Evil Overlord of a boss with cravats, makes up technical data songs for his baby - because Marshall manages to get married and become a father without all the angst, as opposed to certain types who shall remain Vaughn -, and when he's asked to play a badass, he introduces himself as Bristow, Jack Bristow. Marshall, says Sydney to him in season 3, I love you. Well, naturally! So do I.
1) Matthew the Raven, from Sandman. Matthew actually started out as a human man named Matt Cable in another comic, Swamp Thing, and his background sometimes gets obscurely alluded to, but all Sandman readers need to know about his former life is mentioned in Sandman itself. When we meet Matthew early on in Sandman, he has, after his death as a human, just started his existence as a raven in the Dreaming, the realm of Morpheus, aka Dream. Matthew is still trying to figure things out there and getting adjusted to Dream, which makes him an obvious stand-in for the reader, and his wry comments and 20th century lingo are a great contrast to Dream's mythical grandeur. Matthew comes to care passionately about his boss, even if he at times questions his sanity, and their dialogues can be both funny and, in the end, very touching. One of my favourites comes when Dream asks Matthew whether Matthew is well versed in the art of car driving. Quoth the Raven: "Are you kidding? I died in a car crash. Well, the first time." Dream: "I am not sure that is a recommendation." On the other end of the scale, the scene where Morpheus sends Matthew away because he doesn't want Matthew to die (again) or witness Morpheus' end is the thing that regularily gets me crying during The Kindly Ones. And Matthew remains our guide till the end, during The Wake, at first absolutely refusing to deal and to accept the new Dream, Daniel, and slowly coming around until he takes Daniel under his literal wing. Ah, Matthew.
2) Vir Cotto, from Babylon 5. Vir is brave, loyal, loving, and in the terrible situation of actually spending two of the five years in the show absolutely hating what the object of his devotion does and the rest fretting over the consequences. He also loses his own innocence in the process. His above and beyond loyalty to Londo is never blind - and very similar to Vir's relationship with his people, the Centauri, because being a patriot to Vir means neither accepting when your people go wrong nor turning your back on them - and, both during the dark times and the climb back, probably the crucial element of what keeps Londo from losing himself completely. What Vir comes to mean to Londo and vice versa is best summed up in The Very Long Night of Londo Mollari in season 5, an episode which mostly takes place in Londo's mind, confronting him with his deeds. Londo, who is aware of what his ultimate fate will be, not utterly surprisingly asks himself the question whether it wouldn't be better if he died now. No, says his inner Vir. It wouldn't. "I would miss you." "And I suppose," says Londo, "I would miss you" and finds the strength to face the past and to live.
3) Zoe, from Firefly. Nobody uses the term "Sir" so effectively as she does; as an ironic put-down or as a sign of support, Zoe has Mal's measure. She's his best friend, pillar of strength, and sometimes direly necessary provider of common sense. Her marriage to Wash in its relaxed adult happiness (which doesn't mean it's argument-free, of course) is a counterpoint to the angsty UST between Mal and Inara and the frustrated pinings of Kaylee for Simon, and she has raised warrior woman stoicism to an art form. Two of my favourite Zoe scenes: when Niska the sadist, anticipating the fun of tormenting her by making her choose between Mal and Wash, shows their tortured selves to her and opens his mouth for his gleeful speech, and Zoe just cuts him off before he even started by picking Wash, getting the hell out of there and starting the rescue-Mal-operation. The expression in her eyes says it all (Gina Torres is a goddess). The other scene is from the BDM. At the end, Mal asks about Serenity the ship, and it's obvious that what he really asks is how Zoe deals with the loss of Wash. And Zoe, understanding him perfectly, says: "She's damaged, Sir, but she'll keep flying." It's such a sad and lovely moment between these two with its understated tenderness, and we know, as Mal does, that Zoe and Serenity will indeed make it.
4) Ace, from Dr. Who. Listing a Companion as a sidekick is a bit tricky, especially one as strong as Ace, but let's face it, the show is about the Doctor, and Companions come and go. Ace has issues, including the fact she loathes her mother, she loves to blow things up, and she has great chemistry with her Professor. (Don't ask why she calls him Professor; it's one of those Ace things.) What makes Ace's courage feel so real is that she can get scared - in her first adventure on Who, for example, when the villain has the proverbial gun at her head - and her acts of heroism can spring from panic (case in point: Rememberance of the Daleks, when she goes from dodging the Dalek's shots to attacking it with a baseball bat, and you can see the transition very well). Her relationship with the Doctor is somewhat complex, close but with the occasional dark undertone because he can get quite manipulative. Also? When she thinks he's dead, she puts on his hat and takes on the bad guys. *loves Ace*
5) Marshall Flinkman, from Alias. Marshall is essential, not just because he's the Q of the show (from Bond, not Star Trek, as Buffy would say), or because he's often used as the comic relief, but because despite being tech guy, not a field agent and not trained in their ways, he comes through every time he needs to save the day (while quoting Star Wars, and you've got to love that Marshall, despite having a crush on Sydney early on, automatically casts himself as her Luke, not her Han Solo). He presents his Evil Overlord of a boss with cravats, makes up technical data songs for his baby - because Marshall manages to get married and become a father without all the angst, as opposed to certain types who shall remain Vaughn -, and when he's asked to play a badass, he introduces himself as Bristow, Jack Bristow. Marshall, says Sydney to him in season 3, I love you. Well, naturally! So do I.
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no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:18 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:20 am (UTC)I don't have a top 5 list but have been intending to do a whole post in answer to this on Irene Merryweather -- who is Cable's assistant, which means she has the worst job in the Marvel Universe (except possibly Doc Samson, who is the Hulk's therapist). She works for a megalomaniacal busybod who has the inconvenient habit of being right most of the time, and might actually be the messiah. She also has the bonus of being in love with her boss, who is never going to love her back, because she is too capable and competent, and he can only be in love with people who need him to save them. *shakes head*
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:37 am (UTC)Poor Irene, going by your description. However, worst job - Jessica Jones from Alias the comics not the show would point out the assignment she got as a PI which turned up to be a set-up putting her in a position where she got to film Captain America's sex life was worse...
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:42 am (UTC)He is quite, quite dark at times, and also deceptively goofy and light-hearted. He's the only Doctor who's commited genocide on-screen, and twice at that, but he also does an amazing vaudeville act. All of his enemies wind up utterly destroyed, but always due to their own tragic failing bringing them down after he's put enough dynamite in their hands to make them really dangerous to themselves, leaving his hands suspiciously clean and his smile suspiciously sly.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:45 am (UTC)But. . .filming Captain America's sex life might win. Was Tony involved in this?
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:46 am (UTC)Other predecessors who are mentioned are Jessamy, Francois, Jehuda, Vivien, Ming-Ti, Dechtire, Hatshepsut, and the infamous Aristea of Marmora
Jessamy and Aristea of Marmora, I know are canon. But, Hatshepsut? Can I really have missed that all these years or is this Wiki pulling bullshit on me?
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:55 am (UTC)Do you mean in front of the camera or behind? *veg* Okay, not directly. However, Jessica was set up by a couple of rich industrialists (!) for political reasons and wanting to out Rogers as Captain America (!!!), and the situation was ultimately resolved because SHIELD bugged her without her knowledge before she confronted the rich bad guy and the Avengers (!!!!) then came in.
She had a nice awkward conversation with Cap afterwards, too, when he thanked her for not handing over the tape...
P.S.
Date: 2007-02-10 06:57 am (UTC)Re: P.S.
Date: 2007-02-10 07:03 am (UTC)Though he seems like a pretty happy go lucky guy.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 07:34 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 10:06 am (UTC)However, nitpicker alert!
He's the only Doctor who's commited genocide on-screen
Not anymore. Ten does it in The Runaway Bride, on-screen. (Millions of little Rachna - or however you spell them? - being the last of their kind and killed by him while the Queen howls "my children, my children"? That's genocide.)
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 11:09 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 11:44 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 03:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 03:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 04:22 pm (UTC)Re: P.S.
Date: 2007-02-10 04:55 pm (UTC)Worst job for a non-named character.
Re: P.S.
Date: 2007-02-10 04:58 pm (UTC)Remember that healer that they just leave in the infirmary in "Dangerous" and he's like, "You're welcome?"
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 05:19 pm (UTC)I need to ask you how you feel about rather seriously NC-17 slashfic before I suggest a marvellous series to you, started loosely from Spooks, with a brilliant OC hero. It's not so much the sex as the violebce, I might add, but it's also the sex. I've been devouring it for months now.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 07:12 pm (UTC)"Where are my keys?"
"Bristow, Jack Bristow."
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 07:27 pm (UTC)*shares some more Marshall love*
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Date: 2007-02-10 07:28 pm (UTC)Get back to me with that in May?
no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 10:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-10 11:36 pm (UTC)Ahem. Yes. Marshall for the win. I especially love him making up geeky little science songs to sing to Mitchell.
no subject
Date: 2007-02-11 06:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-11 06:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-12 10:49 am (UTC)::sobs:: I fell in love with Zoe at that moment. And yes, Gina Torres is a goddess. When will she get a show of her own? ::sad::
no subject
Date: 2007-02-12 12:46 pm (UTC)