For some reason, 2013 seemed to be the year where pop culture suddenly stopped and asked, "Where are all the female friendships on TV?" There were plenty of articles trying to figure out just where these groups of female besties were hiding and while we are still nowhere near where we should be with portraying healthy and dynamic female friendships in our entertainment, I have to say that I've been pleasantly surprised with some thoroughly awesome friendships between women on TV (of course, the very fact that I'm surprised by this is troubling but that's another article). While this is not an all-inclusive list, I wanted to catalogue just five of the most interesting, in-depth, and genuine female friendships I've seen this year on American television. Share with us your favorites but first let's start with...
5. Marceline And Princess Bubblegum Adventure Time
While fans of Adventure Time have been arguing that there's more to Marceline the Vampire Queen and Princess Bubblegum's relationship than meets the eye, the cartoon has yet to portray their relationship as anything but friendship (subtle nudges and winks aside). Adventure Time has spent 2013 solidifying its place as one of the best animated shows on American television and during that process, has given its viewers dynamic, strong female characters with plenty of agency. Typically, having two strong female characters in a show meant that they were at odds with one another. Instead, Adventure Time illustrates that powerful women can respect, like, and even love one another. Marceline is a punk rock vampire who dangerously loses control when she's hungry. Princess Bubblegum is physically her opposite: pink and cute but a wise leader and intelligent scientist who shouts in German when she's frustrated. Together, they're a formidable team. Neither woman considers herself above the other, though their powers are vastly different. We've yet to see any evidence that they've had a falling out even though we've learned this year that both are roughly 1,000 years old. That is some staying power for a friendship. They're not together every episode but when they are, it's clear that they care about one another and very often, are the only ones they can fully depend on. In the episode "Red Starved" from October, it's Princess Bubblegum who saves Finn and Jake from the ravaging vampire thirst of Marceline. She even momentarily sacrifices herself for Marceline, allowing her to drink from her body, without question. Unfortunately, Marceline seems repeatedly surprised that Princess Bubblegum cares for her:
Marceline: You kept the shirt I gave you? Princess Bubblegum: Yeah. It means a lot to me.
Here's hoping their still somewhat hesitant friendship becomes a centerpiece to the upcoming sixth season.
Kerry is a writer, feminist, and obsessive horror, scifi, video games, comics, literature, and history geek. She spends way too much time online and drinks too much tea. Her personal fandom and feminist blog can be found here: http://fangirlingdaily.blogspot.com/.
