Sidekicked (Detective Assistants)

by Kimmarie McCrann

Agatha Christie did not particularly like one of her most popular characters: meticulous Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. Despite Christie famously calling him a “detestable, bombastic, tiresome, ego-centric little creep,” audiences loved Poirot and all his clever eureka moments. So, she kept on writing this “little creep” into her stories. Along with Poirot came Captain Arthur Hastings, his younger and more romantic sidekick. Hastings, a former British army officer, appears in eight Poirot novels, 21 short stories, and one play. And one of these eight novels is none other than Christie’s tale of the hour, The Murder on the Links.

Detective Poirot and Captain Hastings are one example in a long line of renowned hero/ sidekick duos, as seen in many detective stories throughout history. The two are best friends, partners in solving crimes, and share a flat together in London. Although Poirot doesn’t necessarily take pride in Hastings’ skills of deduction, he does value the Captain’s way of seeing things as the “average man” and his frequent tendency to accidentally stumble onto the truth. Hastings is fiercely loyal to Poirot, and the two need each other to balance out their contradicting personalities. Hastings brings a relaxed, human quality to Poirot’s unwavering and mechanical sense of purpose.

The first detective sidekick was the unnamed Parisian roommate of C. Augustine Dupin in Edgar Allan Poe’s The Murders in the Rue Morgue, a short story published in 1841. The unnamed sidekick is the narrator of this story, and he describes how Dupin solved a double murder and proved a man's innocence. Another popular pairing is Lord Peter Wimsey and his valet sidekick, Mervyn Bunter, in Dorothy L. Sayers’ series of detective novels and short stories. Bunter first appeared in the inaugural Peter Wimsey novel, Whose Body?, which was released in 1923. Often referred to as “Mr Bunter,” the manservant ensures that Lord Wimsey is well-dressed and is very knowledgeable on all matters of affluent social etiquette. Bunter can be seen as an early model for the archetype of the British assistant to the protagonist, later seen in Batman’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth.

Archie Goodwin is the womanizing narrator and sidekick to the grouchy private detective Nero Wolfe, as seen in Rex Stout’s Nero Wolfe books from 1934 to 1975. Teenage detective Nancy Drew has her best friends, Bess Marvin and George Fayne, as sidekicks in the Nancy Drew mystery stories. And, of course, likely the most famous coupling of all time, there is detective Sherlock Holmes and his faithful partner, Dr. John H. Watson. These two are also roommates, and their working dynamic is rather similar to that of Poirot and Hastings. Watson, who served as an army surgeon in India, is a modest and patient observer, who has saved the genius Sherlock’s life on more than one occasion. Originally written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the late 1800s, the characters of Sherlock and Watson experienced a resurgence in mainstream popularity with the hit BBC TV show, Sherlock, which ran from 2010–2017. Several other examples of detective pairings in modern media include Batman and Robin (DC Comics), The Doctor and Companion (Doctor Who), and Shaggy and Scooby (Scooby-Doo).

The main purpose of the sidekick is to offer the detective an alternate perspective on a perplexing case. Sometimes, even the most gifted minds, like Holmes or Poirot, are standing “too close to the puzzle” and might be so wrapped up in the intellectual facts of the case that they’re missing an obvious, physical clue. Whether or not the sidekick knowingly reveals the missing key to them doesn’t really matter. The important thing is that having another voice and set of eyes in the room can reveal a whole world of possibilities. And, the sidekick often provides much-needed companionship for the cold and calculating hero, as well as some lighthearted moments of humor for the audience. Witty and observant sidekicks often bring a touch of reality to the ridiculousness of a case at hand, especially when they are the ones narrating the story. The sidekick analyzes the situation at hand in the same way that the reader might be seeing it play out. The same story of The Murder on the Links told from Hercule Poirot’s perspective would be quite a different tale.

In the Agatha Christie canon, sidekicks are a literary tool used to assist the main detective and to move the narrative along. In addition to the very popular Captain Hastings, Poirot has several other buddies that make appearances throughout his stories. Miss Felicity Lemon serves as Poirot’s no-nonsense secretary, Ariadne Oliver is an impulsive and clever crime-writer who provides insight to Poirot, and Inspector Edward Catchpool is a trusty policeman who appears in later novels. Christie’s other featured detective protagonist, Miss Marple, also has a few sidekicks. Marple is more collaborative than Poirot by nature, and she is at times accompanied by Miss Knight and Cherry Baker, who ends up living with her in later years.

Mystery novels wouldn’t be nearly as interesting to read without a steadfast sidekick. Agatha Christie knew this. That’s why she devoted time and effort into ensuring that each of her sidekicks had a rich and interesting backstory, lest they fade into oblivion. In Portland Stage’s production of Murder on the Links, Captain Hastings is played by a femaleidentifying actor, which adds another layer of intrigue to the character and his working relationship with Poirot. In Steven Dietz's stage adaptation Murder on the Links, Hastings has all the fixings of a great sidekick; faithfulness, ambition, and a desire for the truth. It’s no wonder that Sherlock Holmes describes his sidekick Dr. Watson as, “the one fixed point in a changing age.” In any time, a loyal and dedicated pal can never be underestimated.