metabomb!
Friday's fannish5: What are your five favorite sibling relationships?
I know I've talked about this at some point in my LJ, but I don't know if I've talked about it recently. Well-portrayed sibling relationships are my Achilles' heel. I almost never cry while watching movies/tv, but if I do, it's most likely going to be because of sibling-related scenes.
01 - Connor & Murphy MacManus (The Boondock Saints)
Come on, obviously. From some of the things Troy Duffy said in the commentary to BDS, he based a lot of Connor & Murph on his relationship with his brother, so it's not a surprise that their relationship rings so true. "You and your stupid fucking rope!" <3
02 - Buffy & Dawn Summers (Buffy: the Vampire Slayer)
They might be in the #2 spot simply because I rewatched Forever, Intervention, & Tough Love the other day, but I also saw an anti-Dawn rant on YouTube that made me all indignant. You can dislike Dawn. You can say that her storyline sucked. You can say she's a whiny brat (though it seems to me that most people who have this particular opinion are seeing in the character the parts of themselves which they dislike). That's fine. I won't argue with you. That's your opinion. But that Buffy loved Dawn, at times hated Dawn, that having that depth of relationship brought a new dimension to the show... to me, that is indisputable.
03 - Lillian & Vivian Charles, Jaye & Sharon Tyler, George & Reggie Lass
Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me
Yes, a 3-way tie, 'cause I just can't choose among them.
Lily & Vivian's co-dependence on each other is generally speaking a huge detriment to both of them, but at the same time, the stability of that relationship is probably the only thing keeping either of them anywere close to sanity.
It's not that Jaye & Aaron's relationship isn't good or interesting, it's that Jaye & Sharon's is so much more unique and complex. They don't understand each other, and they never will. But over the course of the series, they take the first few steps toward realizing that they can still love and respect one another, anyway.
Right off the bat, the first thing we find out about Reggie is that George doesn't even see her. And of course, that isn't at all how Reggie feels about George. The lynchpin of their relationship is strangely George's death, which makes George face her regrets, and allows her to become closer to Reggie than she was while alive.
04 - Lilly & Duncan Kane (Veronica Mars)
I think a lot about Duncan and his motivations are still a mystery. And we only get glimpses of his relationship with Lilly, mostly from Veronica's perspective. But I find what's there to be really interesting. They should have a massive rivalry. Duncan is clearly the favorite, and Lilly so desperately craves attention. Yet the two of them are extremely close. They even date each others' best friends, and hang out in their tight-knit little group of 4. When they're in trouble, Duncan tries to take the heat off Lilly. They trust each other with the knowledge of their most secret hiding places.
05 - Sarah, Kitty, & Kevin Walker (Brothers & Sisters)
One actor is Australian, one is Welsh, one is American. None of them looks anything like either of the others. And yet they very convincingly portray siblings. There are more of the titular brothers & sisters in the show, but these three are the glue that hold the thing together for me. They're the snarkiest, the ones that get along best of all, and they know how to push each others' buttons like nobody's business.
And 5 more, just for the heck of it!
01 - Simon & River Tam (Firefly)
Seriously, he gave up everything just on the chance of saving her. And what's worse is that she understands & feels responsible.
02 - Eli & Nathan Stone (Eli Stone)
These two are so supportive of each other, it almost veers into fake perfect siblings territory. Except along with the supernatural powers come the requisite lies, cover-up jobs, emotional blackmail, and superiority and inferiority complexes. Bon apetit!
03 - Meredith & Flint Gordon (Heroes)
Seriously, I made a fanmix for them. Their relationship opened a the door for a whole different take on Meredith, and while the writing for Flint was as shallow as a kiddie pool, at least this made him more than just the Very Evil Level 5 Villain.
04 - Prudence & Piper Halliwell (Charmed)
Even though I like Rose McGowan, Paige really didn't work for me. And the main reason is that it changed the whole family dynamic. In the first few seasons, Prue & Piper were the sisters who were very close, and Phoebe was more of a self-reliant person, and Piper had to often be the peacemaker between Prue & Phoebe. Then when Paige came around, it was Piper who was the older, crabby one, and Phoebe had to make peace between her and Paige. And because of the closeness Prue & Piper had, the supposed inseparability of the Charmed Ones rang false to me since none of the sororal relationships on the show were as strong as theirs.
05 - Catherine & Lydia Bennet (Pride & Prejudice)
It's a testament to Jane Austen that Kitty & Lydia's relationship still has extreme relevance to society today -- the two unstoppable debutante sisters, hell-bent on making terrible choices & urging each other on to behave foolishly.
I know I've talked about this at some point in my LJ, but I don't know if I've talked about it recently. Well-portrayed sibling relationships are my Achilles' heel. I almost never cry while watching movies/tv, but if I do, it's most likely going to be because of sibling-related scenes.
01 - Connor & Murphy MacManus (The Boondock Saints)
Come on, obviously. From some of the things Troy Duffy said in the commentary to BDS, he based a lot of Connor & Murph on his relationship with his brother, so it's not a surprise that their relationship rings so true. "You and your stupid fucking rope!" <3
02 - Buffy & Dawn Summers (Buffy: the Vampire Slayer)
They might be in the #2 spot simply because I rewatched Forever, Intervention, & Tough Love the other day, but I also saw an anti-Dawn rant on YouTube that made me all indignant. You can dislike Dawn. You can say that her storyline sucked. You can say she's a whiny brat (though it seems to me that most people who have this particular opinion are seeing in the character the parts of themselves which they dislike). That's fine. I won't argue with you. That's your opinion. But that Buffy loved Dawn, at times hated Dawn, that having that depth of relationship brought a new dimension to the show... to me, that is indisputable.
03 - Lillian & Vivian Charles, Jaye & Sharon Tyler, George & Reggie Lass
Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls, Dead Like Me
Yes, a 3-way tie, 'cause I just can't choose among them.
Lily & Vivian's co-dependence on each other is generally speaking a huge detriment to both of them, but at the same time, the stability of that relationship is probably the only thing keeping either of them anywere close to sanity.
It's not that Jaye & Aaron's relationship isn't good or interesting, it's that Jaye & Sharon's is so much more unique and complex. They don't understand each other, and they never will. But over the course of the series, they take the first few steps toward realizing that they can still love and respect one another, anyway.
Right off the bat, the first thing we find out about Reggie is that George doesn't even see her. And of course, that isn't at all how Reggie feels about George. The lynchpin of their relationship is strangely George's death, which makes George face her regrets, and allows her to become closer to Reggie than she was while alive.
04 - Lilly & Duncan Kane (Veronica Mars)
I think a lot about Duncan and his motivations are still a mystery. And we only get glimpses of his relationship with Lilly, mostly from Veronica's perspective. But I find what's there to be really interesting. They should have a massive rivalry. Duncan is clearly the favorite, and Lilly so desperately craves attention. Yet the two of them are extremely close. They even date each others' best friends, and hang out in their tight-knit little group of 4. When they're in trouble, Duncan tries to take the heat off Lilly. They trust each other with the knowledge of their most secret hiding places.
05 - Sarah, Kitty, & Kevin Walker (Brothers & Sisters)
One actor is Australian, one is Welsh, one is American. None of them looks anything like either of the others. And yet they very convincingly portray siblings. There are more of the titular brothers & sisters in the show, but these three are the glue that hold the thing together for me. They're the snarkiest, the ones that get along best of all, and they know how to push each others' buttons like nobody's business.
And 5 more, just for the heck of it!
01 - Simon & River Tam (Firefly)
Seriously, he gave up everything just on the chance of saving her. And what's worse is that she understands & feels responsible.
02 - Eli & Nathan Stone (Eli Stone)
These two are so supportive of each other, it almost veers into fake perfect siblings territory. Except along with the supernatural powers come the requisite lies, cover-up jobs, emotional blackmail, and superiority and inferiority complexes. Bon apetit!
03 - Meredith & Flint Gordon (Heroes)
Seriously, I made a fanmix for them. Their relationship opened a the door for a whole different take on Meredith, and while the writing for Flint was as shallow as a kiddie pool, at least this made him more than just the Very Evil Level 5 Villain.
04 - Prudence & Piper Halliwell (Charmed)
Even though I like Rose McGowan, Paige really didn't work for me. And the main reason is that it changed the whole family dynamic. In the first few seasons, Prue & Piper were the sisters who were very close, and Phoebe was more of a self-reliant person, and Piper had to often be the peacemaker between Prue & Phoebe. Then when Paige came around, it was Piper who was the older, crabby one, and Phoebe had to make peace between her and Paige. And because of the closeness Prue & Piper had, the supposed inseparability of the Charmed Ones rang false to me since none of the sororal relationships on the show were as strong as theirs.
05 - Catherine & Lydia Bennet (Pride & Prejudice)
It's a testament to Jane Austen that Kitty & Lydia's relationship still has extreme relevance to society today -- the two unstoppable debutante sisters, hell-bent on making terrible choices & urging each other on to behave foolishly.