Friendly Enemy/Live-Action TV

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Examples of Friendly Enemies in Live-Action TV include:

  • The Doctor and The Master from Doctor Who would be examples of the second type, though how friendly they are has varied during the (long) run of the series.
    • The Doctor has also had a chat or two with Davros. Davros enjoys talking with The Doctor to an extent because of his intelligence. There are points, however, when the Doctor feels he's taking it too far.

The Doctor: We are not friends, Davros.

  • Gul Dukat from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine considered Sisko a friend for almost the entire run of the series but it was very much not reciprocated. It almost seemed to border on Genre Savvy at times, with Dukat acting as if Sisko was just pretending to hate him to keep up appearances, although it was pretty clear that he was genuine (what with Dukat being a murdering Nazi and all).
    • Perhaps a more straightforward example from the same show would be Quark and Odo.

Zayra: "I can't believe you're defending him, Quark. You're his worst enemy."
Quark: "I guess that's the closest thing he has in this world to a friend."

    • On Star Trek: The Next Generation, it's implied that this is the standard state of affairs with Klingons, at least as long as they are fighting their fellow Klingons, even openly drinking with the warriors on the other side during the Klingon Civil War during the "Redemption" two-parter.
    • The omnipotent being Q seems to genuinely like and respect Captain Picard. Don't be mistaken, he'll put the Enterprise in grave danger just for kicks and he still thinks humanity is a "grievously savage child race", but at the same time he's been shown to admire Picard and has it's been hinted that he's saved Picard life once or twice.
  • In Juken Sentai Gekiranger, Rio and Mele end up pulling the Rangers' asses out of the fire so many times that it hardly surprises anyone when they turn good in the end.
  • In Kamen Rider Ryuki, Kitaoka Shuuichi (Zolda) is evil, but he also fraternizes with Shinji-tachi throughout the series.
  • In Smallville, Clark Kent's best friend is Lex Luthor. Of course, this isn't quite the standard trope since they have not yet become enemies (though there's been enough foreshadowing to choke Comet the Super-horse).
  • Yes Minister: although Humphrey and Hacker usually act at complete cross purposes, they are almost always polite towards one another and sometimes seem to genuinely enjoy each other's company; on the occasions they are forced to work together for a common goal, they are a very efficient and effective team, and the first time Humphrey suggests this, Hacker appears flattered that Humphrey wants his help. Humphrey once mentioned to a group of other senior civil servants that he and Hacker frequently enjoyed the perks of their jobs, as well as gifts of and parties held by powerful lobbying groups, together. They even laugh at each other's jokes.
    • This may be partly because the two of them are Not So Different, in that, while Humphrey claims to serve the good of the country, and Hacker started out intending to reform the country and serve a greater morality, by the end, they are equally self-serving and morally corrupt, and are in it purely for their own self interest and the good of the Civil Service/Party.
    • On one occasion, they're having one of their typical arguments on this case over the EEC, only for it to morph into this:

Hacker "The problem with Brussels isn't the internationalism, it's too much beaurecracy"
Humphrey "But the beaurecracy is a consequence of the internationalism, whey else would you have an English Commissioner, with a French Director General immediately below him and an Italian reporting to the Frenchman and so on down the line"
Hacker "Oh I agree"
Humphrey "It's like the Tower of Babel"
Hacker "Oh I agree"
Humphrey "No, it's even worse, it's like the United Nations"
Hacker "I agree"
Bernard "Perhaps, if I may interject, you are in fact, in agreement"
Hacker and Humphrey "No we're not!"

  • Sylar and Peter on Heroes. In the fourth episode of season three, Peter has been brought four years into the future and visits Sylar, who gives him a hug and offers to make him waffles. This is also when Peter learns that the two of them are brothers.
    • Of course, once they realized that it's another Company scheme, they're back to punching each other's lights out.
    • Definitely emphasizing the "friendly" part in Volume 5 after spending years together trapped in a mental prison.
  • Jacob and "the man in black" in Lost hang out with each other on the island and talk regularly, despite the fact that they are archenemies. It turns out that they're twin brothers.
  • iCarly: Sam and Freddie become this in Season 2, wherein the first season, they were pretty much forced to work together out of their mutual interest in Carly.
  • Despite being a challenger five times on Iron Chef, and leading two factions to take the Iron Chefs down, Toshiro Kandagawa was on good terms with them, and even sent flowers to Iron Chef Rokusaburo Michiba when he was hospitalized for exhaustion.
  • In the second season premier of Dollhouse, Topher explicitly refers to ex-Agent Ballard as a "frenemy". Their relationship is actually more like a season-long Enemy Mine-cum-Heel Face Turn, though.
  • Occurs between the settlers and the Native Americans in F Troop. Ostensibly, Fort Courage's mission is to "keep the peace" against the Hekawi Indians. In reality, the Hekawis are pacifists and the two factions tend to leave each other alone, except for the Hekawi's business deals...
  • Max and Siegfried on Get Smart, most definitely.
    • In one episode, Max refers to Siegfried as, "my old friend and bitter enemy".
  • The various mads and their experiment subjects often behave this way on Mystery Science Theater 3000. TV's Frank, in particular, is overheard at least once wishing that he could hang out with the bots. In Time Chasers, Mike goes over to visit Pearl for a cup of coffee in the opening and closing segments. And in Manos: The Hands of Fate, Forrester and Frank famously apologize to Joel and the bots for the movie.
  • Angel and Lindsey from Angel occasionally team up with each other if they aren't busy killing/mutilating/beating the crap out of each other.
    • Same with Lilah. You could also possibly count the team's relationship with Harmony.
  • Babylon 5: Londo and G'Kar pass through this stage somewhere in the season 4 on the way to becoming Fire-Forged Friends.

G'Kar: [In response to Londo's proposition to sign an agreement to incite other races to do the same] "Issue the statement. I will sign my name. ...But not on the same page, do you understand that?"

    • Like so many aspects in this show, this gives the long running foreshadowing of them killing each other (as in Londo's vision) a different meaning. G'Kar doesn't kills Londo out of hate, as hinted in the reason for the vision, but because Londo is under the control of an alien implant. Londo can't kill himself, even pumped full with alcohol, and will resist if someone tries to mercy kill him. G'Kar basically sacrifices himself to free Londo from being a puppet.
  • As of the season 1 finale of Glee, Sue and Will appear to be this. Or rather, Sue seems to think this while Will is convinced that Sue is really a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
    • Sue genuinely does hate the Glee Club, but will often put it aside for truly important issues.
    • Kurt and Rachel, beginning in season two, as they start to realize that they have a great deal in common.

Rachel: (Teasingly) You were my only real competition!

  • Todd of Stargate Atlantis was not only prone to temporary alliances with Atlantis, but never openly opposed them. Had he not been a Wraith, he would probably have become a trusted ally. The whole "needing to eat people" thing makes trust a lot harder.
  • A popular approach in Law and Order and other courtroom dramas. Prosecution and defense spend all day battering each other to death in court, then end up sharing a table at an expensive steakhouse, chuckling about the absurdities of their clients.
  • Burn Notice has a one-sided version: Larry Sizemore just wants to work with Michael again, while Michael has a serious problem with his Psycho for Hire ways. Unfortunately, Larry has a bit of trouble taking no for an answer, even when "no" is delivered via a sniper rifle. (It has been so delivered twice.)
  • Buffy the Vampire Slayer: After Spike reveals his crush on her, Buffy remarks that he was "So much easier to talk to when he just wanted to kill me."
    • And in season seven, a new vampire says delightedly, "I was afraid to talk to you in high school, and now we're, like, mortal enemies. Hey, wouldn't it be cool if we became nemeses?" – And a bit later: "I'm sorry if I overstepped my bounds. I'm just new to this whole mortal enemy stuff."
  • Ally McBeal had Renee Raddick, a district attorney who often spoke against the clients of Cage and Fish, the law firm that the titular character worked for. She roomed with Ally, was her rock when Ally needed one, and was close friends with the attorneys at Cage and Fish, even singing for John at his birthday. Truth in Television among lawyers, see Real Life below.
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