User blog:ThatGuy456/A Guy's Thoughts: Carrie the Sentimental Stoic

Analysis
Professedly, there is nothing all too overly special about Carrie; she is the "punk rock" made for the purpose of being a stoic and somewhat of a contrast to the colorful and creative world of Gumball by being "grim".  Although, her being a natural-born ghost is not helping in that matter. There's nothing inherently wrong with this archetype. More often than not, characters that fall into this category prove to be quite popular, especially when the writers play up the darker edge.

Carrie is one of the show's more popular supporting characters, and there is no doubt her ghastly nature has something to do with it. However, Carrie separates herself from other "dark stoics" by having a softer, more vulnerable side. Most works of fiction will have their stoics be overly dark and foreboding to the point that in itself is the joke: they're way too "dark" and dare I say, "edgy", for the universe they reside in. Carrie's gentler traits is where the show can draw a good portion of both the comedy and the stories involving the character; the fact that such a supposedly apathetic character is actually one of the gentler characters on the show is amusing. Carrie's personality is basically an oxymoron. A shining example of this unique oxymoron is Carrie's scene in "The Pony". The episode enforces that A Pony's Tail is nothing more than overly saccharine mush that even the most desperate of children (namely Anais) will find no pleasure in. All of the characters that come into contact with the film are disgusted with its contents; all except Carrie, oddly enough. For a character that the show was trying to portray as "hardcore", it comes across as a refreshingly amusing surprise. Having one of the series's most stoic characters moved to tears by a stereotypical "kiddy" movie is hilarious because it's such a drastic departure from the archetype she is supposed to play.

Carrie's soft side is not strictly limited to comedy. As of late, this facet of Carrie's personality has been used to drive stories and make her one of the more dynamic characters. This is especially evident in her interactions with the Watterson brothers in fan favorites "The Scam" and "The Matchmaker". "The Scam" employs an interesting use of Carrie's personality. Carrie can be seen as a foil to Gumball of sorts in the episode: Carrie's selfless stoic to Gumball's selfish vigor. This relationship between the two becomes more pronounced during the climax. Where as Carrie drops her aloofness in favor of dealing with Gargaroth, Gumball becomes more apathetic to his friends' peril, being more focused on his sugary delicacy. Where as most shows would have the stoic be the stubborn one, conflicting feelings and all, this show utilizes Carrie's peculiar personality to create a role reversal. Having such a serious character be so open about her feelings with little hesitation makes her all the more fascinating, and it bounces off of Gumball's fun-loving but more selfishly hesitating character quite nicely.

"The Matchmaker" is arguably the most dynamic Carrie has ever been because of emotional and vulnerable her character is. Because the episode has Darwin temporarily get together with Teri, Carrie is put through an agonizing experience in which she is forced to overcome her jealousy for the sake of showing some maturity. It's not very often characters such as Carrie are put through such character growth. Grim and serious stoics tend to be the most static characters among the cast, especially in comedy-focused works. "The Matchmaker", however, puts a dent in that notion. Carrie is a dynamic stoic, a breath of fresh air among most characters in the same category. Carrie is a unique take on the apathetic archetype; sure, she still has her moments of being the typical dark and apathetic character, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, Carrie stands out best when she presents herself as an oxymoron: an emotional stoic.

Closing Notes
I said I was going to get to Carrie eventually, and I did. That leaves me with another character I need to tackle soon enough.

Don't have much else to say at the moment. Bye.

You can look at my other stuff if you choose so.