Here’s a question; What connects Simba to Bruce Lee?

-10 if you say they are both kings(they are but that ain’ it.)

+10 if you say they have amazing sidekicks.

 

Welcome to my Ted talk!

Sidekicks are often those characters to which readers, film-goers and consequently fan fiction writers love to attach an individual POV. In more cases than any reader/film-goer  would care to admit, we tend to love the sidekick more than the actual protagonist(Sorry not sorry, yeah?) In this Ted talk, I mean, blog post, I give you four reasons how sidekicks ricochet their way into our cardiac system.

So here’s a toast to all the lovely sidekicks out there!

Watson, Robin, Timon, Pumbaa, Jacques and Gus; Where you blokes at?!

 

Sidekicks add to the gravity of the situation.

In short, they help the situation hit the readers and movie-watchers right in the feels.

Let’s take ‘The Lion King’ for instance. That’s one movie which has two sidekicks which, I feel, we don’t talk about enough; Namely Rafiki and Zazu.

Alright, now let’s backtrack to the scene which made legends cry; Mufasa’s death.

In this scene, we have the initial jolt followed by the settling grief when little Simba calls out for help after the stampede but there’s one scene, not long after, which legitimately rubs it in. It’s Rafiki’s reaction to Mufasa and Simba’s death as Scar made them believe that both were dead. The very act of him smudging out the painting of Simba makes the settling air of grief and the impending doom in all the right places. More so, in case of the impending doom of Scar’s self-proclaimed rule.

And then we have Zazu, Mufasa’s faithful little hornbill. While Rafiki shows the gravity of the impending doom, Zazu shows the depth of ruin and the stark difference between times of light and the ongoing dark times, all by his place in Scar’s rule as a sort of a court jester, held against his will.

Sidekicks can truly hit it in the feels.

Ok, that’s literally the ‘2’ from 221b Baker Street.

Hehe….

Comedic Angle(all about the ‘hehe’)

Imagine a world in which we have;

‘Finding Nemo’ without Dory

‘Notting Hill’ without Spike

‘Sleeping Beauty’ without the Three Fairies

‘Mission:Impossible’ without Benji

and

Hercule Poirot without Captain Hastings.

Such a world would inevitably mean a wasted life for Charlie Chaplin once said….

 

However serious a piece of literature may be, a comedic angle is one of the most important aspects to make you believe that the world isn’t such a bad place after all and that there’s always a reason to smile.

This quality in a sidekick not only confirms the above statement but it also plays a huge role in magnifying the protagonist’s actions.

Take Poirot for instance. His ability to efficiently use his ‘little grey cells’ wouldn’t have been so prominent if not for Captain Hastings’ lack of it. Hence we have this gem from Murder in the Mews

Captain Hastings:
Why don’t you get yourself some turned-down collars, Poirot? They’re much more the thing, you know.

Hercule Poirot:
The turned-down collar is the first symptom of decay of the grey cells!

And coming to the effects of Ethan Hunt’s madness with automobiles, what’s better than explaining it with Benji Dunn screaming,

“STAIRS, STAIRS, STAIRS, STAIRS!!!!!”

And if it wasn’t for these funny sidekicks, we wouldn’t have had Dory’s whale talk or the cake for Aurora in Sleeping Beauty.

Funny Bones successfully tickled.

Hehe.

Giving the protagonist a much-needed box on the ear.

Hermione, Dr. Watson, I’m looking at you!

Let’s admit it, their are times when the protagonist, although essentially a knight in shining armour, can be an A-class balloon!

Harry James Potter for instance. Mr. Potter is brave, Mr. Potter is strong, Mr. Potter is virtuous and has a heart shining with love but Mr. Potter can be really thick. That’s when Hermione Granger comes to the rescue. Whether it is Harry getting overwhelmingly hysterical with his status of ‘The Chosen One’ or believing that it is a good idea to go and fight off death-eaters single-handedly or even if he procrastinates about opening the golden egg from the Triwizard Tournament, Hermione is there, she can fix it. Besides, if it wasn’t for her, in so many instances, Harry James Potter could’ve been killed or worse, EXPELLED.

And trust me, this wave of low intellect crashes upon the best of us. Sherlock Holmes for instance, here we go:

That pretty much sums it up.

Life lessons.

When a sidekick throws one of these, it changes the very bed-rock of your life.

So here’s a collection that will make you reach for the stars!!!!

Alright, now go climb that mountain!

Hehe.

And that is a wrap!

Until Next Time,

Au revoir, Mon ami!