Servile Snarker



"Bertie Wooster: Do you think I should play this song for the Glossops tonight, Jeeves?

Jeeves: I could not advise it, sir. I have not heard that Sir Roderick is musical.

Bertie Wooster: Oh, but Lady Glossop is.

Jeeves: There is also that to be considered, sir."

- Jeeves and Wooster

You wouldn't like taking orders from some pompous rich higher up for an occupation. In turn, neither do the characters written this way. This trope espouses that the only way to tolerate their occupation of servitude is to snark at your employer for all it's worth. After all, they Can't Live Without You. Also, some employers genuinely enjoy the banter or value the valet's second opinion. Some might even consider them a member of the family, and know that there's genuine love behind the mocking.

The Servile Snarker is a combination of a Deadpan Snarker and The Jeeves (although the original Jeeves, as the above quote shows, can be pretty snarky). A butler, maid, slave, servant, whatever, who is heavily sarcastic to their master and/or their master's guests and yet still manages to keep their job. Often a master of the Stealth Insult.

See Sassy Secretary for another variation of this character. You might also want to see Sarcastic Devotee, No Hero to His Valet and Honest Advisor.

Anime & Manga

 * Matsurika from Maria Holic is a particularly harsh example: she's beyond snarky with her master, she's flat out abrasive with everyone.
 * Robert, Prince Wilfred's valet and bodyguard from Private Prince.
 * Linith from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. She has very little respect for her creator Precia, and is not above talking back or using sarcasm even during her Famous Last Words ("my never kind master, Precia"). Has a better relationship with Fate, but is not above teasing her a little over her being sleepy in her Lotus Eater Machine dream.
 * Kyon from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya fits this to the T, being snarky in general, especially towards SOS-Brigade-leader Haruhi Suzumiya, who treats him as essentially nothing more than a slave and toy for her amusement.
 * Riza Hawkeye, in Fullmetal Alchemist, is Roy Mustang's adjutant. Her job duties have her mixing this up with Sassy Secretary, but whichever way you look at it, she's the only person who gets away with sassing him -- sometimes full-stop yelling at him. The fact that she does get away with it is partly due to his understanding that she's completely loyal to him and only has his best interests at heart, and partly due to Ship Tease.
 * Sebastian Michaelis from Black Butler, oh so very much.
 * Tomoe from Kamisama Kiss is sarcastic in the extreme. He continues to be sarcastic to his master Nanami even after he develops a Bodyguard Crush on her.
 * Watase of Poor Poor Lips, Ren's maid who has a sarcastic remark ready for all of her mistress' antics. We later meet more of the maid staff in Ren's household, whereupon we get to see that this is a trait shared by all of them.
 * In Durarara, towards Izaya, it's  of all people. Sure, she'll take any opportunity to insult him, but that doesn't mean she doesn't do everything she's told with style, and it doesn't mean Izaya can'treturn the favor, either.

Comic Books
"Wong: (entering the mansion, loaded down with luggage) When I dedicated my life in service to you as Sorcerer Supreme, I remember I closed my eyes and prayed that one day I would grow up to be a second-rate Jarvis for a second-rate pile of Avengers."
 * Alfred from Batman was considered as a candidate for the Trope Namer. It takes an extraordinary man to snark at someone who regularly makes others wet their pants in fear. He's also somewhat unique among examples of this trope in that his snarkiness, at heart, comes out of love for the man he snarks against. It's made abundantly clear that, despite his support, he really would rather Bruce Wayne not be Batman, and he's not shy about taking advantage of the fact that he's one of the only people who can dress Batman down and actually be listened to.
 * Newer Than They Think: Alfred started out as a Bumbling Sidekick and didn't become the Servile Snarker we know and love until much later, especially after Frank Miller's depiction of him in The Dark Knight Returns.
 * The incarnation of Jarvis, Tony Stark's butler found in Ultimate Marvel is very sarcastic towards his master, unlike the traditional Earth 616 Jarvis. He's also drawn to resemble Michael Gough, the Alfred of the Burton/Schumacher movies.
 * Wong, faithful manservant and friend to Doctor Strange, is normally a straitlaced and serious character, but in the issues of The New Avengers when he's had to serve the title characters he gets very... snippy with them.


 * Nodwick is a henchman rather than a butler, but still fits in here because he's, well, a henchman. If you were employed by two Jerkasses and a cleric who fuses naivety and stupidity into one Genre Blind package, wouldn't you fit in this trope too?

Comic Strips

 * Eve Sisulu, the Black maid in the South-African strip Madam & Eve.
 * The eponymous maid from Ted Key's Hazel. Later adapted as a TV sitcom starring Shirley Booth.

Films -- Live-Action
"Arthur: I think I'll take a bath.
 * Hobson in Arthur:

Hobson: I'll alert the media.

Arthur: Do you want to run my bath for me?

Hobson: It's what I live for. (waits for Arthur to leave) Perhaps you would like me to come in there and wash your dick for you, you little shit."

"Tony: (seeing the rendering of the Mk III armor) ...A little ostentatious, don't you think?
 * Some of the same guys from the Comics section get bonus points for their movie versions. For instance, we have the A.I. version of Jarvis:

Jarvis: What was I thinking? You're usually so discreet.

Tony: Tell you what. Throw a little hot rod red in there.

Jarvis: Yes, that should help you keep a low profile."

"George [toward kitchen door]:...did ya hear that, Annie?
 * Interestingly, in what is either Fridge Logic or Fridge Brilliance depending on how you look at it, since Jarvis is an A.I. invented by Tony, Tony must have designed him that way.
 * The butler from The Ruling Class, who makes sarcastic (though not particularly witty) and derogatory comments behind his employers' backs.
 * Riff-Raff from The Rocky Horror Picture Show displays barely concealed contempt for his master throughout the film in their interactions.
 * Vincenzo from the Olsen Twins film, It Takes Two. However, due to his relationship with the Calloways, he does it all in good humor. Everyone knows this, and seems to be willing to verbally spar with him in good fun. However, he very subtly voices his displeasure for Clarice.
 * Annie, the family maid in It's a Wonderful Life isn't afraid to speak her mind - after George has a heart-to-heart talk with his dad and tells him how great he is:

Annie [behind door]: I heard it; it's about time one'a you lunkheads said it!"

Literature
"George: Would sir like his customary black, or would he perhaps like to be adventurous and try something in a dark grey?
 * Terry Pratchett's Discworld
 * The Igors. "Oh no, thur. The Igorth would never think to point out their marthterth' mithtaketh. It'th in the Code."
 * Not to mention Albert, Death's manservant, sometimes does this as well. "I'm laughing like all hell deep down, sir."
 * PG Wodehouse's Jeeves. He does enjoy working for Bertie and genuinely cares about him, but will make it known when he does not care for his master's taste in clothes or music.
 * Many of the servants in Wodehouse, in fact. Beach from the Blandings Castle series is another good example.
 * Lewis's valet George from Darkness Visible is genuinely fond of his employer, but that doesn't stop him putting in the odd dig:

George: Mr Marsh is not to be foolish without your supervision. I understand, sir."

""And Your Highness expected me to listen?""
 * Lynn Belvedere, in Gwen Davenport's Belvedere. Later portrayed by Clifton Webb in a series of films, and by Christopher Hewett in the TV sitcom Mr. Belvedere.
 * Loiosh, the jhereg familiar of assassin Vlad Taltos in Steven Brust's Dragaera books. Loiosh obeys Vlad's orders and always calls him "boss", but also keeps up a constant stream of wisecracks through their telepathic link. Having raised Loiosh from a hatchling, Vlad's own Deadpan Snarker personality is largely to blame for Loiosh's attitude.
 * Dean from Glen Cook's Garrett P.I. books. All of the above traits combined with a matchmaker (trying to make sure that Garrett marries one of Dean's ugly nieces, or at least tie the knot with his girlfriend). All that in a fantasy universe whose inhabitants are divided between either one of the various snarky tropes, or pure snark targets (sometimes both at the same time).
 * In John Zakour's series Zachary Nixon Johnson, the last freelance P.I. on Earth, HARV the super A.I. assistant is made of this trope.
 * Magnus in the Codex Alera is like this all the time.

"Baddeley: (to Fanny, whose suitor has come to discuss things with her and her uncle) Sir Thomas wishes to speak with you, ma'am, in his own room.
 * The Dresden Files: Bob the Skull.
 * Sebastian from Heidi, specially in regards to Mrs. Rottenmeier.
 * This character has been a staple of Gothic Literature since its inception, whose purpose is to provide a comic relief breather in the midst of all the darkness, angst, and tragedy in the rest of the plot:
 * Bianca in The Castle of Otranto -- Horace Walpole admitted he was imitating his idol William Shakespeare.
 * Peter in The Romance of the Forest.
 * Annette in The Mysteries of Udolpho.
 * Jane Eyre the snarky governess, who is also the heroine.
 * Nellie Dean of Wuthering Heights (who some interpret as the heroine).
 * Jane Austen includes a Silent Servile Snarker in Mansfield Park:

Mrs. Norris: Stay, stay, Fanny! What are you about? Where are you going? Don't be in such a hurry. Depend upon it, it is not you who are wanted; depend upon it, it is me, but you are so very eager to put yourself forward. What should Sir Thomas want you for? It is me, Baddeley, you mean; I am coming this moment. You mean me, Baddeley, I am sure; Sir Thomas wants me, not Miss Price.

But Baddeley was stout. "No, ma'am, it is Miss Price; I am certain of it's being Miss Price." And there was a half-smile with the words, which meant, "I do not think you would answer the purpose at all.""

"Don Quixote, when he heard such blasphemies uttered against his lady Dulcinea, could not endure it, and lifting his pike, without saying anything to Sancho or uttering a word, he gave him two such thwacks that he brought him to the ground; and had it not been that Dorothea cried out to him to spare him he would have no doubt taken his life on the spot.
 * Bazzard from The Mystery of Edwin Drood is incredibly snarky and rude at all times. His employer is such a nice guy that he lets him get away with it, since he feels that Bazzard's going through a lot of trouble just working for him.
 * Land of Oz
 * Kaliko, Chief Steward to the Nome King in the Oz books, is quite willing to let his monarch know when he's being an idiot. The Nome King, despite being a Bad Boss and quite willing to kill off his generals when they annoyed him, kept him alive -- probably because Kaliko was also a Hypercompetent Sidekick and the King didn't want to have to replace him. (Kaliko ends up departing this trope to become the new Nome King, to the great relief of his subjects.)
 * Jellia Jamb, head of the Palace maids in the Emerald city, also displays traces of this from time to time, having a mischievous sense of humor that occasionally raises its head -- most notably in the famous "translation scene" from The Marvelous Land of Oz.
 * In Death: Summerset, who regularly trades insults with Eve.
 * Higgins in the Bloody Jack series sometimes resorts to sarcasm to show what he thinks of Jacky and her ways.
 * Don Quixote: Deconstructed by Sancho Panza: What happens in Real Life to the employee that cannot say anything about his master without being sarcastic? Why, Sancho is beaten by Don Quixote at chapters XX and XXX of Part I, and gives him a hurricane of insults at chapter XLVI:

"Do you think," he said to him after a pause, "you scurvy clown, that you are to be always interfering with me, and that you are to be always offending and I always pardoning? Don't fancy it, impious scoundrel,..."

"One of the squires observed in his mixture of Gascon and Catalan, "This captain of ours would make a better friar than highwayman; if he wants to be so generous another time, let it be with his own property and not ours."
 * And the only murder that is explicitly shown in this novel is the bandit who dared to snark to his leader.

The unlucky wight did not speak so low but that Roque overheard him, and drawing his sword almost split his head in two, saying, "That is the way I punish impudent saucy fellows." They were all taken aback, and not one of them dared to utter a word, such deference did they pay him."

Live-Action TV
"Prince George: What can I do to a woman that I can't do to you?
 * Edmund Blackadder from Blackadder the Third is made of this trope.

Blackadder: I cannot conceive, sir."

"Bertie: Jeeves, I'm sure that nothing is further from your mind, but d'you know you have a way of saying, "Indeed, sir," which gives the impression that it's only a feudal sense of what is fitting which prevents you from substituting the words, "Says you!""
 * Geoffrey from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, who was this trope's original title.
 * Rochester Van Jones, of The Jack Benny Program.
 * Jeeves of Jeeves and Wooster, even more so than in the original stories. Lampshaded by Bertie:

"Humphrey: I am merely a humble civil servant. It's my job to carry out government policy.
 * Dennis Finch from Just Shoot Me.
 * Niles from The Nanny, especially around C.C. Babcock.
 * Desmond Pfeiffer from The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer.
 * Florence from The Jeffersons.
 * Benson from Soap. When he got a spinoff show of his own he started out as one of these before climbing his way up to the lieutenant governor position (while still maintaining his snarkiness).
 * Sir Humphrey Appleby of Yes Minister is the Permanent Undersecretary of the Department of Administrative Affairs, and later Cabinet Secretary, and never misses an opportunity to subtly mock his political masters while insisting he is only there to serve them. As such a senior civil servant, he can get away with this level of snark even when it is caught.

Hacker: Even if you think it's wrong?

Humphrey: Well, practically all government policy is wrong. But frightfully well carried out.

Hacker: Humphrey! Do you see it as part of your job to help ministers make fools of themselves?

Humphrey: Well, I've never met one who needed any help."

"Mark Antony: Cheer up, Posca, you're not dead yet.
 * Posca, Julius Caesar's personal secretary/slave in Rome. Posca is property -- he can be killed for speaking out of turn -- but he owns everybody. When Caesar dies, everyone else politics. Posca weeps. Cleopatra's maid has some aspects of this as well, chewing her mistress out for smoking opium and other bad habits.

Posca: I sincerely hope not, because if this is the afterlife it is very disappointing!"

"Charlie: I don't pay you to mock me.
 * Two and A Half Men has Berta (Conchata Ferrell), the housekeeper.

Berta: Charlie, you'd have to pay me not to.

Berta: (to Evelyn, who has just gotten her lips plumped) Man, the last time I saw a mouth like that, it was trying to eat Jacques Cousteau."

"Lister: (after discovering his actions gave rise to the Cat's religion) Holly!
 * Holly, the ship's computer, is like this in early episodes of Red Dwarf, when he's more servile and less of a full-fledged crew member.

Holly: Yes, God?"

"Jack: It's just a mind probe.
 * Ianto from Torchwood.

Ianto: Remember what happened last time you used it?

Jack: That was different. And that species has extremely high blood pressure.

Ianto: Oh, right, their heads must explode all the time."

"Mrs. C: Well? Where have you been?
 * Rosario, Karen's maid on Will and Grace.
 * Stephanie on Newhart is an unlikely combination of this and Rich Bitch.
 * Laura from The Brittas Empire is the Hypercompetent Sidekick of Gordon Brittas, a phenomenal case of the Pointy-Haired Boss. Unlike most of the staff, she actually likes Gordon, but she still needs to dish out some serious snark to cope with working for him.
 * Lurcio, the wisecracking Roman slave in Up Pompeii!.
 * Darok, General Martok's aide, in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
 * Occasionally, Daphne on Frasier.
 * Charlie Young, personal aide to the President, on The West Wing. Actually... make that the entire West Wing staff. But especially Donna, who snarks it up practically every moment she has onscreen (which, thanks to Janel Maloney's rather lovely chemistry with Bradley Whitford, is quite a few).
 * Angharad the maid is this for King Arthur in Kaamelott.
 * The title character from Mr. Belvedere.
 * The title character from Merlin has this in spades.
 * WKRP in Cincinnati had Hirsch, Mrs. Carlson's butler. She rings for him and he shows up in mere seconds:

Hirsch: Mardi Gras, ma'am."


 * Lieutenant, later Captain, Miklo Braca sometimes functions as this for Scorpius and Grayza in Farscape. Of course, with Grayza in particular it's wise to be heavier on the servile than the snark, but he lets it out full-strength in one wonderful speech at the end of the "We're So Screwed" trilogy...
 * Let's not forget Pilot. It's the only way the poor guy stays sane.
 * Power Rangers Operation Overdrive has Spencer, the Hartford family's butler.

Radio

 * Julius the grocery boy in The Phil Harris-Alice Faye Show.
 * Humphrey Lyttelton has twice played a butler in I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue specials: the Laird's butler in Hamish & Dougal Hogmanay Special and Barry Cryer's butler in In Search of Mornington Crescent. In both, he continued to be Humphrey Lyttelton.

Theater

 * Trope is Older Than They Think: the smart and snarky servant was a Roman stock character.
 * The Roman Playwright Plautus created the Ur-Example with the title character in Pseudolus, though he is somewhat different in that he actually chooses the life of a slave, feeling that it (paradoxically) gives him more freedom.
 * Pseudolus also appears in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum.
 * Shakespeare loved this. His fools almost always had clever lines to knock people off their horses.
 * Juliet's nurse in Romeo and Juliet shows some traits of this.
 * Speed from Two Gentlemen of Verona.
 * Maria and Feste from Twelfth Night.
 * Launcelot Gobbo from The Merchant of Venice.
 * Grumio and Tranio The Taming of the Shrew.
 * Touchstone from As You Like It.
 * Moth from Love's Labour's Lost.
 * Almost all the servants in Moliere's comedies are like this, heavily snarky and sassy to their rich and stupid or naive employers. Which makes it a sad thing when one modern translation of Don Juan adds a line not found in the original text, the inclusion of which makes it impossible to play the servant Sganarelle as anything but a buffoon.
 * Nicola from George Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man, although very fawning around his master, has no small amount of wit and sarcasm to fling around otherwise.
 * The original Zanni (especially Colombina who was usaully the only sensible person on stage) from Commedia Dell'Arte, who made a regular habit of popping their masters' egos with panache.
 * Lane from Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.
 * Liza from Peter Pan. She doesn't necessarily start out as this, but once Mr. Darling starts living in a dog kennel and riding it to work, well.

Video Games
"Lawrence: You put the "wit" in "twit", sir.
 * Haskill from The Shivering Isles Expansion Pack for Oblivion is the Chamberlain of Sheogorath (the Daedric Prince of Madness) and a Deadpan Snarker without peer.
 * Lawrence from the third Ratchet and Clank game.

Lawrence: Even drooling imbeciles can achieve success in certain fields, sir. Mad Science for example.

Lawrence: If anyone can beat a moron at his own game, it's you sir."

"Batman: Alfred, I need a way inside the asylum.
 * Mana Khemia 2 Fall of Alchemy
 * Whim; she is often punished for the remarks, though.
 * Raze and Yun share the same traits, but are smart enough to keep it to themselves.
 * The butler in Discworld Noir. Although his snark is directed at Lewton, not his employer. (He doesn't actually have any scenes with his employer.) He's a lot less polite about it as a result. He'd raise obstruction to an art form if not for the fact that you have business with both his bosses, neither of whom appreciate being kept waiting.
 * Alfred, of course. For example, this little gem from the Batman Begins video game:

Alfred: Might I suggest donning a pair of tights and pretending you're a bat, sir?

Batman: Cute."

"Joker: Good work, Commander. That will never come back to bite us in the ass.
 * Aschen of Endless Frontier is Haken's android servant, and seems to consider it her duty to act as The Foil to his Lovable Sex Maniac personality. She sometimes fuels his jokes, sometimes insults them, but it's always with a Deadpan Snarker attitude. Of course, he considers her more like a sidekick than a servant,
 * Fable III
 * Jasper; bonus for being voiced by John Cleese.
 * And another with Hobson, who is certainly a Shout-Out to John Gielgud's character from Arthur.
 * In Sonic's recent endeavors, Dr. Eggman got himself Orbot. In his first appearance, Orbot snarked at Eggman to no end, but recently, he still snarked at him, but it was toned down a bit.
 * Joker in Mass Effect, especially in Mass Effect 2. Every time you finish an important mission (recruitment or loyalty), he will comment on it.

Joker: Glad we figured out Jack is crazy. Because that was really up in the air, just hanging there.

Joker: Thane seems like the strong, sensitive, murdering type. You know those are always great to have around. A real cuddler."


 * Lydia the Housecarl is sworn to carry your burdens...
 * In Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, while Fenrich may be obsessively loyal to his master Valvatorez, he isn't afraid to admit that he can at times be a total moron, and usually expresses these opinions through underhanded compliments.

Visual Novels

 * Umineko no Naku Koro ni: Beatrice's butler Ronove keeps his job because he keeps his mistress from getting bored.
 * Fate Stay Night: Archer. Constant snarky sniping with Tohsaka mixed with genuine and sarcastic praise.

Web Comics
"Kornada: I shall play dumb and run him out of time.
 * Drowtales
 * Liriel can get away with some pretty daring things.
 * To a lesser extent, Chrys' "protector twin", Shinae, as seen here.
 * Erwin in Irregular Webcomic serves in the German Army under Nazi Colonel Haken, yet often makes snarky comments about Nazi policies.
 * Ardsley Wooster, Gil's manservant in Girl Genius, isn't above a well-timed eye roll or directing the girl his master's trying to impress to one of master's "favorite novels" in the library. Slight subversion, as Wooster
 * Impure Blood
 * Elnor can be this, to Caspian.
 * And Dara positively encourages it in Roan.
 * Mr Kornada's robotic assistant Clippy in Freefall isn't above sarcastically commenting on his master's profoundly limited intelligence.

Clippy: A part I'm sure you shall play excellently, sir."

Western Animation
"Norm: That's how I like my shakes. Spazzed, not stirred."
 * Hovis from Doug TenNapel's Catscratch.
 * Norm the Genie from The Fairly Odd Parents. After Crocker spazzed while holding his chocolate shake, he said:

"Amalia: Pay for this? Just ask the chamberlain.
 * Consuela, the Griffin's maid for one episode on Family Guy. Could count in her recurring bits, if one applies Alternate Character Interpretation and sees her as using the language barrier as Obfuscating Stupidity.
 * Evangelyne from Wakfu is technically Princess Amalia's follower and bodyguard, but in truth they've grown together and are very much like a pair of sisters. As such, the older Eva rarely has qualms against putting down the little spoiled princess.

Evangelyne: You mean, the chamberlain of the kingdom that's some ten thousand leagues from here? No problem. I'll go, I'll explain how you ran away, and I'm back in two months with the royal guard."

"Alfred: Why, you're the very model of sanity. Oh, by the way, I pressed your tights and put away your exploding gas balls."
 * Alfred is just as snarky in Batman the Animated Series as he is in the comics.

"Alfred: I made you chicken soup. You can eat while you brood, and I'll put in your stitches myself. It will be delightful, I'm sure."
 * Taken Up to Eleven in the movie Justice League Doom, which features quite possibly the snarkiest incarnation of Alfred yet:

"Norm: Well next time you can do all the cooking, and I'll stand around coming up with Evil Plans that ultimately fail!
 * Luxor is often this to Tut in Tutenstein.
 * Norm from Phineas and Ferb. The episode "Nerdy Dancin'" gives us this (the look on Perry's when he heard those words is priceless):

Dr. Doofenshmirtz (after an awkward silence): Wow. Cuttin' deep, man."


 * My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic
 * Spike from often veers this when having to deal with Twilight Sparkle, on top of his usual snarkiness.
 * According to "Hearth-Warming Eve", Smart Cookie and Clover the Clever were this to Chancellor Puddinghead and Princess Platinum, respectively.
 * Angel also veers into this when his owner gets into a situation that might require a backbone.
 * Maurice from The Penguins of Madagascar, but I guess anyone would if they're right-hand man to someone like Julien.

Real Life

 * Jourdon Anderson, a former slave, dictated this letter to his former master. http://civilliberty.about.com/od/raceequalopportunity/a/jourdonanderson.htm'
 * Siri, the iPhone 4S's speech recognition software, has literally hundreds of easter eggs, including some rather humorous responses to certain requests.