I promised you a top 10, and when I promise, I deliver. Here are mine, in no particular order:
1. Gandalf / Merlin / Dumbledore
The Lord of the Rings / Arthurian legends / Harry Potter
I know it may be controversial to throw these three into the same boat, but they’re so similar and I’ve only got ten slots… work with me here, people. You know this lot: ancient, white beards, quirky, magical. The epitomy of the mentor.
2. God
The Bible
Since we’re on the white-bearded old man subject, God has got to be up there (figuratively, or maybe literally if you believe in that kind of thing). And this is a mentor with serious power: don’t take his advice and you’ll be plagued by locusts, thrown out of Paradise or sent to hell.
3. The Devil
Reaper
Seen the American TV show? No? Well you should, it’s awesome. It’s about a layabout called Sam who discovers that his soul was sold to the Devil when he was a baby. The Devil, in this case, is played by Ray Wise with such wit and cheeky, evil charm, that you can’t help but like Mr Satan. And he actually becomes fond of his protégé Sam – their relationship is the kind of love-hate thing you sometimes see between fathers and sons (you know – normal ones), and that humanity is what really makes the show.
4. Harry Morgan
Dexter
I’m sorry, I’m addicted to American drama series. Harry’s a great mentor figure: a true surrogate father with a moral core… raising a kid who’s a serial killer. Harry keeps faith with his foster-son Dexter, and instills him with a set of rules to live – and die – by. He’s the one who keeps serial killer Dexter on the side of good, although as we get into seasons two and three we discover that Harry does have faults: that he lied to Dexter about his family and that he may have been having an affair with Dexter’s biological mother. I’d love to explore the progression of mentor characters in ongoing dramas, but we’re doing a top ten here, so I’ll restrain myself.
5. The Friar
Romeo and Juliet
An example of when the mentor meddles too much. I think that the Friar is a bit of a power-hungry control freak, who goes a step too far in his dealings with the lovers. As we’ve seen before, it’s a mentor’s duty to step back from the action and let the hero/es figure things out for themselves. Does the Friar do this? Oh no – in the original text he’s there right at the end when Juliet wakes up. It’s a part of the final scene that is nearly always cut from the script in modern productions; in my opinion because it isn’t good storytelling to have him there and it jars with the intimacy of the lovers’ final moments. This is a mentor who doesn’t stick to the rules, and things go horribly wrong.
6. Rupert Giles
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I’m hearing you yawn at yet another American drama but I mean – how could I not? I’ll admit, I’m a big Buffy fan, but Giles is surely the ultimate substitute father figure as well as one of the sexiest older men around. In this list for the yum factor alone.
7. The Doctor
Doctor Who
Yay! A British series at last! Do I need to introduce the Doctor? A British icon for 50 years, he made his triumphant return in 2005 with a younger man in the leading role. While the old doctors were all men of a certain age and clearly mentor figures along the lines of Merlin, the newer ones are only given mentor status by the increased importance played by their assistants. I’ll be interested to see how the next doctor – Matt Smith – sits in this role when he’s so very, very young himself.
8. Sister Bridget
The Magdalene Sisters
I may have a fascination with the anti-mentor. This is my only female mentor on the list, and I feel bad that she’s pretty much an evil bitch. I thought about using Tina Fey’s character in Mean Girls, but I think I already used up my ‘chick flick’ quote for the month with Legally Blonde last week. Anyway, if you haven’t seen The Magdalene Sisters, you should – once – possibly twice if you’re a masochist as it’s completely emotionally draining. Sister Bridget is the corrupt and sadistic mother superior of a Magdalene asylum in Ireland. She teaches her young wards the rigid rules of a world from which they’ve been ostracised, and her lessons are both mentally and physically abusive.
9. Hannibal Lecter
The Silence of the Lambs
Oh my. Could a film demonstrate more clearly the possibilities to be had within a mentor-hero relationship? The chemistry between Hannibal and Clarice flicks between hunter-hunted; helper-helped; and lovers quicker than you can say ‘fava beans’. Let’s face it, this story isn’t really about Buffalo Bill; it’s all about the understanding between Hannibal and Clarice.
10. Endeavour Morse
Inspector Morse
I think there’s a lot to be said with regards to crime series and mentor figures because this is one genre where mentor = hero too. I suppose that in crime dramas the hero needs to be uber-intelligent to solve the tricky cases the writers hand him or her, but on the other hand they need a side-kick to ask the silly questions that the viewers want answered as well as to highlight the chief’s brains. On the other hand, the sidekick character teaches the mentor something about humanity and the important of family that the mentor is often lacking. In Morse we get a wonderful example of the relationship between borderline-alcoholic –but-brilliant-anyway mentor Morse and… well, if Lewis isn’t the hero he is a protégé of sorts, and I don’t think that the new series Lewis is the same without the sublime John Thaw.
Well, that’s all folks. What do you think? Do you agree? Are you outraged that I’ve missed some out? Can you think of more female mentors? Let me know!