My favourite fictional friendships

Laurel Lance and Felicity Smoak

Arrow

Katie Cassidy and Emily Bett Rickards

I really liked Laurel during the first season, and still find her a fascinating character. I know that there are constant wars between some Laurel fans and Felicity fans, but I think that there are more similarities than differences in the two.

Wait! Hear me out.

When we first meet Laurel, she's buried herself in her work, her determination to help others leading her to take on the corrupt regardless of the financial complications. She's clearly very intelligent, seeing as she has managed to become a lawyer. She has a defensive streak, protecting herself by maintaining a distance from others, due to something painful in her past. She is working for a pro bono lawyer firm, when she could potentially be earning a good deal of money. 

Felicity's introduced a couple of episodes later, but she has also buried herself in her work. She's doing something below her intelligence and ability level, just like Laurel. She clearly doesn't like being underestimated, letting loose when Walter calls her into his office, her outrage mirrored by Laurel when Laurel defeats Max's thugs who are beating Oliver and Tommy. 

Admittedly it's not exactly the best start for their friendship when the two first meet on screen it's a blink and you miss it moment. Laurel meets Felicity. Felicity interrupts a conversation between Oliver and Laurel, and I don't think the two meet again until season two. 

It is not until season three when Laurel has been given the story line of becoming the Black Canary, that the two of them start developing a real friendship. I think it's because Sara, the one that Laurel has the strongest connection with, amongst the female characters, is killed off during the season three premiere. Both Felicity and Laurel spent a good deal of time with Sara, and Sara was the only female friend that we had seen Felicity have on screen, certainly during the second season. 

The writers needed to develop the friendship between Laurel and Felicity, especially given the fact that the two characters would be spending a lot of time together, as Laurel became a solid part of Team Arrow. 

The scene after Laurel has been fighting what she thinks is her sister, while hallucinating is a particularly touching one. Felicity comforts her, and gives her a new reason to wear the Black Canary mask. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cor9P_VLiRY


The friendship is cemented during the fourth season, and Laurel is a sounding board for both Oliver and Felicity about their romantic issues, after the exposure of Oliver's son, and Felicity's shooting by Damian Dhark. 

I enjoyed seeing Felicity and Laurel interact, as their relationship was different to the relationships between Nyssa and Laurel, as well as the one between Sara and Felicity. Those seemed to be more about Nyssa and Sara training the other girls, but Laurel and Felicity together alone supported each other in a different way. 

The actresses apparently enjoyed their scenes together as much as I enjoyed watching them, Emily Bett Rickards and Katie Cassidy at Paley Fest 2015

I'm not the only viewer who enjoyed their scenes together, as there are a number of fan videos featuring the pair. Here are a couple I found: 

Laurel and Felicity- Stand by You by jdmalone95

felicity & laurel | the nicest thing (3x13) by nedlovesyou

Jenny: Doctor Who

Jenny 

Doctor Who

Georgia Moffat

I found Moffat’s portrayal of Jenny, to be endearing and interesting pretty much from the first moment that she stepped out of the machine. There was something lovely about her enthusiasm and her misunderstanding of things. Moffat held her own against Tennant, in the scene when the Doctor talk about the Time Lords, something made even more impressive considering her relative lack of formal acting experience, well there were only a handful of credits to her name on her Wikipedia page anyway.

Another very touching scene between the pair, is when Jenny has changed enough to be his true daughter, self sacrificing just like her father. It was a little bit heartbreaking, uploaded by mizzharmonieeee

But the thing that I love most about Jenny, is the scene when she shows off her physical abilities, back flipping through lasers uploaded by  BBCWorldwide. I don’t think I’ve seen a companion do such a thing.

Fan videos dedicated to Jenny

Background song Christina Aguilera’s Fighter Uploaded by HumanDancerrOx

Background song: on my father’s wings, uploaded by AnonymousCatt

Lyla Winston: Sons of Anarchy

Lyla Winston 

Sons of Anarchy

Winter Ave Zoll

She’s not a major character, her connection to the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle gang coming because she is tied to Opie, the best friend of the lead character. However even though she was only in a handful of episodes, I grew to really like her.

Yes, she’s a porn actress, who has a drug habit, but she’s also sweet natured, reliable, brings up her son on her own, takes on Opie’s children after they are orphaned during the fifth season. She fits in with the Sons, as she's another character that values family, and is remarkably loyal. Her loyalty to the club is possibly one of the reasons why Gemma takes to her. There's not much tension between those two characters, even in the early scenes featuring Lyla. 

There are many other qualities that are admirable within the character. She’s proud, determined to make her own money, and is capable of thinking of others despite being in extreme pain, she gets shot in the leg but asks about Chibs’ safety rather than complaining about her pain. I doubt that I would do the same in such a situation. 

I’m not the only one that likes the character, this tribute video was created for her Tribute video

Mira: Spartacus

Mira 

Spartacus

Katrina Law

This character was one of my favourites from early on in the show because she never let her feelings for Spartacus blind her, or let him get away with disrespecting her. She clearly had stronger feelings for him, than he had for her, given the fact that he still had strong feelings for his wife, and instead of staying in the relationship for convenience or protection, she had the strength to end the romance.

It was the first time that I had seen Law in a show, and I liked the physicality that she brought to Mira. Mira was initially a slave, and joined the rebellion, she was the reason that Spartacus and the other gladiators were able to get into the main body of the house. During the later seasons, Mira became more and more proficient with weaponry and was one of the most skilled archers within the camp.

Her loyalty and her strength of will are two qualities that I particularly like her. She displays her loyalty to Spartacus and to the rebels at large more than once.

The character was written to be believable, and seemed to me to be relatable even despite the fact that she was supposed to have inhabited a more brutal world, of 73BC, and suffered things that I thankfully have no first-hand experience of.

Fan videos

Background song: Take it all by Adele video created by axlegoddess

Background song: Skinny Love  video created by KRL2008

Background song: Shattered video created by eden2222

Katarina Stratford: Ten things I hate about you

Katarina Stratford

10 Things I hate about you

Julia Stiles

‘Why should I live up to other people’s expectations instead of my own?’

The character is loosely based on Shakespeare’s character of the same name, from Taming of the Shrew, well sorry actually the film itself is based on the play. She’s a strong willed individual, standing out within her first scene, as she pulls up alongside a gang of stereotypically perky American teenage girls, in a battered vintage car listening to Joan Jett.

I related to her, because of her reluctance to conform, she doesn’t let the fact that her father, her teachers and her sister would like her to behave in a certain way, compromise what she wants for herself, and her own preferences. It was probably one of the first characters that I saw in a high school film, that I actually connected with on that level.

I loved her dry wit, and the fact that she will stand up for people that she cares for, the scene when Patrick’s in detention for singing to her on the football field, showing that particular quality, clip uploaded by Raphaella Grego. However, it’s the fact that she has the strength to be vulnerable emotionally, the scene when she reads her poem always touches me, due obviously to Stiles’ performance, clip uploaded by nalbi dat.

I found this great article on Buzzfeed which sums up several of the admirable qualities that Katarina possesses, entitled The Kat Stratford Guide To Being An Awesome Feminist.

Another article which expresses some of the reasons that I still really like this character, and use her as a template for my own strong female characters, is 10 reasons why Kat Stratford should still be your #1 hero.

Fan videos dedicated to the character

Background song: Misfit video created by mcflygaga

Background song: Bitch video created by Natália Tamaio

Buffy Anne Summers: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy Summers: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy Anne Summers

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Buffy was a extraordinary character, written to want nothing more or less than everyone wants, just to have a normal high school experience when we first meet her. The emotional strength and selflessness which remains a strong part of her character is glimpsed throughout the first season, and is especially evident in the final episode, when she decides to face the Master. It’s Sarah Michelle Gellar’s delivery of the character, and handling of the scene when Buffy realises what Giles doesn’t want to tell her, which was the definitive moment for me. I admired the character before that, but that moment was when I truly empathized with her.

 She’s never written to be perfect or without negative qualities, which could have been the case in the hands of another writer. She’s obviously very physically strong, athletic, very pretty, with a quick wit and a kind heart, but she’s also just finding her way.

She makes missteps, and gets things wrong, just like we all do. The independence and determination to keep things neatly compartmentalised is what leads to the end of her romantic relationship with Riley. Although Buffy is essentially driven by her emotions, the break up with Angel, and the brief relationship with Parker seemed to make her more reserved, keeping Riley at arms’ length even during her mother’s initial illness.

The amount of things that Buffy was seen to deal with throughout the seven seasons, would have caused most to collapse, and Buffy did have phases when her duty was too much for her, most notably during the first season finale, third season premiere and fifth season finale, but she always picked up the burden. That level of responsibility and selflessness are definitely two traits to be admired.

There are loads of fan videos and fan sites dedicated to Buffy Summers, but this one seems to distill most of the reasons that she was and is a incredible character. Not just a remarkable female, or a fantasy character but a remarkable character full stop.  A fan video created by Yatta13694

Amy Pond: Doctor Who

Amy Pond

Doctor Who

Karen Gillan

It took me a while to warm properly to Amy. I liked her well enough, in her first few episodes as she followed the trend of the modern era Doctor Who of having the companions initially be people who weren't quite sure of where their life was heading. She was clearly wanting to have something more exciting to do, than living in such a small place, and working as a kissogram.

She was funny, sure, and clearly quite forthright. She didn't seem to be nervous about showing her attraction to the Doctor, and it provided a few comedic moments particularly in her first episode.

It was the episode with Vincent Van Gogh that I really connected with her, though. Gillan portrayed Amy's confusion over the fact that she was sad, about Rory's loss, even though she didn't remember why, brilliantly. The connection that was developed between her and Van Gogh, the two confused redheads was brilliantly played and written, and the scene in the art gallery was wonderful uploaded by Doctor Who

I liked the fact that Amy is, so far, the first companion to travel alongside her husband, and the Dinosaur on the Spaceship episode showcased all three members of the Pond-Williams family to be seen on screen very well. It showed Amy's forthright nature and the fact that she refused to allow the big game hunter to dismiss her, simply because of her being a young woman.

She remained strong-willed throughout her character arc, but like Rose before her slowly came to realise that she needed to allow others in a bit more. It became clear throughout her tenure as a companion, just how important Rory was in Amy's life, and I loved the fact that the two of them travelled as a married couple. I think that it might be the first time that the series has had a married couple travelling together with the Doctor. The final moment before they decide to jump and remain in the past was incredibly emotionally affecting, both Darvill and Gillan were remarkable in the scene, uploaded by Doctor Who

It's her sarcastic nature and her ability to empathise with people that really won me over, and that's the reason that she is one of my favourite characters.

Fan Videos

Background song: Katy Perry's Roar. created by redhairandbowties1

Background song: The Power of Love created by Annie The Fan Girl