In popular culture we often find duos of men who differ from each other in a very specific way: One of them is a romantic who fundamentally sees the world through a lens of warmth and emotion, and the other is a cold-eyed realist, who looks at things more cynically.
Some examples of this pairing (among many) are James T. Kirk and Mr. Spock, Bud Costello and Lou Abbot, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy, Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, Paul McCartney and John Lennon, John Watson and Sherlock Holmes, Jean Valjean and Inspector Javert.
I find it striking how often this particular trope shows up — the list above could go on and on. Yet I can’t think of nearly as many examples where the two are women. There’s Mary-Beth Lacey and Christine Cagney. Or maybe Andrea Sachs and Miranda Priestley, but now I’m reaching.
Why the apparent gender disparity? Hmm.
After I watched “Master and Commander” I thought to myself, “that’s the best Star Trek movie they’ve ever made!” You can add Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin to your list.