SIDE PROJECT!!! THE PROLOGUE… Online dictionary defines sidekick as “a close friend or companion.” That is, of course, a stupid thing to say. Indiana Jones and Sallah are close friends and companions, but only one is a sidekick. Same goes for Batman and Robin, Kramden and Norton, Al and Tim… One dictionary says “A confederate or assistant” and here we come closer to the true definition that we all know. A sidekick doesn’t just hang around, he assists! But is assisting all he does? No, for that we have to go to the lexicographical big dogs, Merriam-Webster. Take it away, George, Chuck, and Noah! “A person closely associated with another as a subordinate or partner”. Bingo! A sidekick needs to be the second banana AND the second wheel. Someone who is inferior in status to the main character, who helps them out, and who is so closely associated with them that they are seldom thought of without them. If they’re lucky, they get a spotlight episode, if they’re REALLY lucky, they get a spin-off. But they are mostly happy to toil away in the background. They may be incompetent or they may be indispensable, but they’ll never be the star. Except here! It’s time for sidekicks of all kinds to shine out and be noticed. we’ll discuss who they are, who they kick for, what they bring to the table, and what we think of them. Let’s delve now into the annals of those who Ogden Nash was the first to call “side-kickers”. Of course, he also said “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker,” which may tell us where the term “side-kicker” originates.
Oh, and Veronica Mars has four sidekicks, and the one she's holding in the picture there gets more respect, screen time, and closeups than any of the actual human people.
