The Fonz as reformed Mary Sue is a charming idea. And, yeah, he's too cool to be real--but the show knows that and plays with it.
Of course, I'll forgive almost anything if it's meta.
... And I hadn't thought about this before, but are the rules different in comedy? I don't write comedy, so I hadn't thought about Mary Sues in that context.
The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis, in The Great Race) is the Mary Sue to end all Mary Sues--everyone adores him, except for Professor Fate, who hates him because he's so perfect, and has a temper tantrum about it, to boot--and the movie lets him be that and makes fun of it at the same time. And I like Leslie, and root for him in a way that I wouldn't if I had to take him seriously. So that set of ground rules may make a big difference.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2005-09-27 12:09 am (UTC)Of course, I'll forgive almost anything if it's meta.
... And I hadn't thought about this before, but are the rules different in comedy? I don't write comedy, so I hadn't thought about Mary Sues in that context.
The Great Leslie (Tony Curtis, in The Great Race) is the Mary Sue to end all Mary Sues--everyone adores him, except for Professor Fate, who hates him because he's so perfect, and has a temper tantrum about it, to boot--and the movie lets him be that and makes fun of it at the same time. And I like Leslie, and root for him in a way that I wouldn't if I had to take him seriously. So that set of ground rules may make a big difference.