Monday, October 14, 2013

forever the best friend

More often than not I prefer the best friend.  This is true in real life as well as TV and movies, but do I ever discuss real life?  Ha.  No.  So fiction it is.

I'm keeping this one short because I prefer brevity when reading posts myself, though I rarely do that with my own.

Seth Cohen (The OC)
I mean look at his little, innocent face.  I suppose you could argue Seth is the main character, but I'd tell you that you were wrong.  The OC is Ryan's story and Seth is a integral part of that story, but not the primary focus - at least not at the beginning.  That being said, I wouldn't have gotten passed the pilot without him.  Ryan is great and everything but dude, check the tank-top at the door and put on a smile.  No?  Well FINE, because Seth will diffuse your tension with his wit and graphic t's.  I think the reason I identified with Seth over Ryan, regardless of the fact that Ryan was new to this world, just like I was, is because he was exactly who he appeared to be: a complete dork.  In the most amazing, satisfying way possible.  He was a geek who had a real relationship with his parents and an unwavering dedication to voicing his emotions.  He professed his love to the resident bimbo (sorry, Summer) endlessly and never stopped trying to make Ryan laugh.  He had heart and a conscious and a loyalty that made him one of the bravest characters I've ever watched.  While insanely neurotic, Seth had a deep understanding of who he was, which is something I find ridiculously attractive because it gives characters a sense of strength.  Seth Cohen might not have been very strong and he might have been sarcastic and uncool, but he owned it in a way that made you want to be just like him.  Or, unfortunately for most straight girls watching, he made you want to find a guy just like him. (Though that appears to be easier said and done, and they're probably all dating their high school sweethearts anyway....) 

Haley James (One Tree Hill)
Haley was written into this show as Lucas' best friend.  Sure, she becomes Nathan's girlfriend then busts out as kick ass singer-songwriter that stops being defined by the guys in her life, but before all that she's just the closest friend Lucas has.  ANYWAY, she's awesome for three primary reasons: she speaks her mind, makes her own decisions (then stands by them), and she's hella smart.  Perhaps the most satisfying aspect of her character is the fact that she's not secretly in love with Lucas as most female friends tend to be when on TV.  Sure, she falls for the bad boy, but he falls first and she doesn't change for him.  She loosens up a little, but the girl owned a knit poncho, she needed it.  Honestly, she was one of the strongest characters on the show because she wasn't constantly questioning who she's supposed to be or what she's supposed to do every five seconds like oh, I don't know, Lucas.  The dude was unnaturally emotional, which let Haley be the calm voice of reason.  In real life, I'd want to be her friend if only because she could help me study.  But for real, she's genuine and honest and has an inner badass that makes her fiercely loyal and crazy lovable.


Shoshana (Girls)
I guess technically Marnie is the best friend?  Or was, anyway?  Regardless of all these girls, Shoshana is definitely the least focused on and what I want to know is WHY.  She's the most interesting because (until recently) her issues weren't completely self-inflicted.  She at least appears to care about other people whereas the other here self-absorbed idiots can't seem to think about anyone but themselves for longer than a few minutes.  Shoshana is  definitely crazy and for sure insecure, but she is just so much fun!  Think about legitimately anything she ever said and you'll realize I'm right.  She's the realest of the absurd and feels like a breath of fresh air.  It's unfortunate she gets the least amount of screen time.  Most of the time I watch Hannah, I wish she was Shoshana.  Same goes for everyone else too, except maybe Adam and potentially Ray.  But then they went and ruined her.  She destroyed the only good relationship because she learned from herself that self-inflicted misery was the way to go.  And I'm not saying her and Ray were perfect or meant to be but she could have talked to him before exploding.  Shoshana is basically the only part of Girls that makes me laugh, and for that alone, she made it to the list.

Marshall & Barney (How I Met Your Mother)
 
So I don't want to get into rants about why these two are so great because it can be said in one line: Because Ted is the worst.

Summer (The OC)
Who isn't awesome when compared to Marisa Cooper?  She was a mess and a half.  Summer might have been shallow and rude, but she cared about things.  Marisa just wandered around causing issues and taking pills.  Not that Summer was issue-less, but she was capable of thinking about others rather that only being wrapped up in her own drama.  Similar to her male counterpart, she had a lot of heart, and I think that's the primary reason she was better than Marisa.  Summer also grew up unlike her BFF, which may be my favorite part about her.  I know Ryan made a huge transformation, but Summer still may have changed more.  She falls for the dork and gets in Brown, who woulda thunk it from the girl who said, "Chino?  Ew." 

Stiles (Teen Wolf)
 
I've already written an entire post about this guy, so I don't want to write about him all over again (you should probably just read the other one).  In case you don't, here are the basics: he is undervalued yet always right and always trying.  He cares about every single person he comes into contact with regardless of their agenda or his own.  Though madly in love with the girl he may never have, his main focus remains his father and best friend.  Stiles is a fighter wrapped up in an insecure doofus.  Don't underestimate.





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