Sidekicks

Lackluster Sidekicks? Amal Thomas //The light filtered in from a concealed sun, down to the shadows where the hobbit lay. Frodo groaned but, with a great effort, staggered up, only to fall upon his knees again. He raised his eyes to the dark slopes of Mount Doom towering above him, and then pitifully began to crawl forward on his hands. At last, he heaved himself onto a rock and passed. Without the destruction of the One Ring, the Dark Lord’s armies plunged through the land, bringing eternal night to Middle Earth.// Or so the story would have ended if not for Frodo’s faithful sidekick, Sam Gamgee. The sidekick is a pivotal role in any story, the distinction between “happily ever after” and death for the protagonist. Memorable heroes always have sidekicks: Batman and Robin, Don Quixote and Sancho, Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. Unfortunately, the epithet of “sidekick” has slowly deteriorated into the laughing stock of the modern age. What most do not realize is that sidekicks are more important to the overall plot than given credit for. They heighten plots, develop characters and conflicts, and bring a sense of contentment to their stories. The sidekick is more than just a second hero or a wingman. They have several basic functions in their stories, all of which are similar in all mediums. According to Christian Archer, “a good story relies more on action and dialogue than on exposition. A hero needs to have someone to interact with (action) and speak to (dialogue) about his goals. The sidekick provides the perfect partner, sounding board and counterbalance for the hero” (Lesson Six: Heroes, Sidekicks, and Villains). “The sidekicks is also an aid to move the plot forward and bring out and highlight the qualities of his/her hero, while also containing qualities that the reader can enjoy” (Archer). In the second novel of the __Lord of the Rings__ trilogy, Gollum, the former holder of the ring, guides Frodo and Sam to Mount Doom. Sam distrusts him, and rightly so, but when Gollum finds out about his distrust, betrays them and tries to take the Ring. This occurred at the top of Mount Doom, when Frodo succumbs to the Ring’s will and refuses to destroy it. Gollum appears, thirsting for revenge and consumed with longing for the Ring, and steals the Ring from Fordo, but loses his footing and falls into the flames of the volcano. Thus, in an indirect and negative way, Sam is responsible for the main plot resolution.

Why do we need sidekicks in the first place? Is the hero not enough? Well, apparently not, since sidekicks have been inserted into the picture. "A sidekick is NOT an exact replica of the hero...[s/he is not] a shallow character, [nor] boring, [nor] unsympathetic" (Archer). The ideology of Dr. Watson for in the Sherlock Holmes series was for Watson to serve as "the important function of catalyst for Holmes's mental processes" (William L. De Andrea). Watson not only served as Holmes' chronicler, but as "to whom the detective can make enigmatic remarks, a consciousness that's privy to facts in the case without being in on the conclusions drawn from them until the proper time" (Andrea). By making Watson a more trustworthy character than Holmes, whose mental facilities are so advanced the average audience cannot keep up with; the reader is placed in Watson’s shoes, acknowledging the steps taken for one thought to turn into another, while also having the same awe of Holmes. Holmes in turn gained a trustworthy companion, one who he soon became fond of and later regarded as a brother. “It was worth a wound - it was worth many wounds - to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the one and only time I caught a glimpse of a great heart as well as of a great brain. All my years of humble but single-minded service culminated in that moment of revelation…‘If you had killed Watson, you would not have got out of this alive’” (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, __The Annotated Sherlock Holmes__). A more comical, yet equally incredible, relationship would be between Shrek and Donkey. In the beginning of Shrek, Shrek hates the idea of Donkey tagging along on his adventure, hating all company in general; but, through his idiocy and probing questions, Donkey reveals the kinder and gentler Shrek. Donkey slowly builds an actual image of the person Shrek truly is and builds a friendship with that person. media type="file" key="Ogres are like Onions.wmv" width="300" height="300" This part of the sidekick role helps the audience build a relation with the hero, making the hero seem more relatable in their eyes instead of an inaccessible epitome. According to Geppetto Jones, “the sidekick is the bridge between a higher concept and a relatable idea” (Snuff, Sidekicks, and the Apocalypse Suite). In most cases the higher concept, instead of being a sophisticated idea, is actually the hero and his/her decisions.

A popular misconception of sidekicks is that they are stuck doing grunt work, acting as nothing more than pack mules and henchmen. Most believe that without a hero a sidekick cannot function, that they are joint factors. In some cases this is true, but most of the time it is because of their perpetual loyalty. In the movie //Pineapple Express//, the sidekick, Red, “repeatedly gets abused and disfigured and shot and blown up and all kinds of crazy stuff…and then at the very end while our heroes are sitting in a diner, he dies. Seemingly” (Movies4Me). This is a misconstrued subject for most and the sidekick image of Red is not a true one. The original Robin, Dick Grayson, grew up to become the leader of several organizations, each becoming their own plot lines in the DC Universe. When the original Batman, Bruce Wayne, dies, Grayson takes up his mantle and becomes the new Dark Knight. A sidekick’s defining quality is his loyalty. As mentioned before, if not for Sam Gamgee, several factors in the __Lord of the Rings__ trilogy would be thrown into confusion. Sam was there to literally pick Frodo up when Frodo fell from exhaustion. “//I said I’d carry him, if it broke my back,// he [Sam] muttered, //and I will!”// (Tolkien 131). Sam is admired for his extreme, almost suicidal, loyalty, which is noted throughout the trilogy by readers and critics alike, while also moving the plot forward. He suffered monsters nipping at his heels, a superpower with abilities so great the entire natural world feared him, and [|his own hero trying to abandon him]. Sam continues to chase Frodo, almost getting killed several times, to help him on the Quest. During these trials, a hero and sidekick develop an unbreakable bond, in which they would do anything for the other. “For the Quest is achieved, and now all is over. I am glad you are here with me. Here [|at the end of all things], Sam” (Tolkien 137). The same relationship exists with all heroes and sidekicks. In the new __Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows__, Holmes dresses up as a woman in order to protect Watson and his new wife from Professor James Moriarty’s assassins. The same is true in Disney’s __Around the World in 80 Days__. Passepartout (Jackie Chan) continually protects his hero, Phileas Fogg, and helps him circumnavigate the in 80 days. In the end, Fogg addresses Passpartout as his brother and comrade in arms. The relationship between a hero and his/her sidekick is a close and phenomenal one. The sidekick, although at times is just there for comedic relief or to make a mistake and throw the entire plot into disarray, is always there to elevate the mood of the plot, characters, and audience. They are the crux of the “master plan” in storytelling, the lifeline between a peaceful and bloody ending. Their actions are just as important and lasting as any hero’s.

Works Cited
 * Archer, Christian. "Lesson Six: Heroes, Sidekicks and Villains | Writinghood." //Writinghood | Everything about Blogging, Online Writing, Online Publishing, Creative Writing and Writing Help//. Trinod, 30 Sept. 2008. Web. 03 Jan. 2012. [].
 * // Around the World in 80 Days // . Dir. Frank Coraci. By David Titcher, David Benullo, and David Goldstein. Perf. Long Cheng, Steve Coogan,, and Jim Broadbent. Buena Vista Pictures, 2004. DVD.
 * Doyle, Arthur Conan. //Annotated Sherlock Holmes: the Four Novels & the Fifty-six Short Stories Complete//. [S.l.]: Pub By Wi, 1992. Print.
 * Jones, Geppetto. "Snuff, Sidekicks, and the Apocalypse Suite » Sarcastic Bite.com." //Sarcastic Bite.com//. 1 Aug. 2009. Web. 03 Jan. 2012. [].
 * // The Lord of the Rings the Fellowship of the Ring // . New Line Home Entertainment, 2001. DVD.
 * // Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows // . Perf. Robert Downey Jr. 2011. Film.
 * // Shrek // . Dreamworks Pictures, 2001. DVD.
 * Tolkien, J. R. R. //The Lord of the Rings, Part Three the Return of the KIng.// USA: Ballantine, 1973. Print.
 * "When Sidekicks Die…or Get Hurt Real Bad « Movies 4 Me." //Movies 4 Me//. 28 June 2009. Web. 03 Jan. 2012. .