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If you want comedy gold in a television series, then you need to pair up two people with completely different personalities. Worked for The Odd Couple, am I right? This is why pairing Starfire and Raven together is so brilliant. One is as pessimistic as one can be, while the other is overly positive and naive. Some say opposites attract, others say it only adds fuel to the fire. One particular episode seems to answer all the questions you could ever have about this duo interacting with each other.
Swapping Bodies
We can see as early as episode seven of season one, that these two Titans have a love-hate situation. The episode is called “Switched”, and is a play on the classic body-swapping genre. Long story short, Raven and Starfire swap bodies, but strangely keep their own voices.
The two of them have to adapt to one another’s abilities, causing them to bond and understand each other on a new level. For example, Raven explains that her powers are driven from negative emotion, and the more she feels, the more power is unleashed. In contrast, Starfire explains that she has to feel the unbridled joy of flight in order to fly. The irony is that one character’s powers are driven by positive emotions, and the other by negative. These two things cause a dilemma where each character is unable to have control of their abilities.
Eventually, Starfire decides that in order to overcome this ordeal, they have to know everything about each other. They agree to open up and share everything. By far, this is the greatest of Starfire and Raven’s bonding moments. By the end of the episode, after returning to their original bodies, Starfire joins Raven in meditation. In turn, Raven asks Starfire if she wants to go to the mall together when they are finished. A rather cute moment.
Starfire and Raven’s Friendship
Judging from the aforementioned episode, the two characters, apparently, have contrasting personalities that you would think could possibly make them dislike each other. However, against all odds, they gain the ability to become the best of friends. This is important because they have to work as a team. Starfire and Raven are part of the Teen Titans, and without their companionship, they would perform their tasks as efficiently. Two heads is better than one head. Because they see things for a different view point, their differences actually make them stronger when working together.
In the class episode “Nevermore”, (where we get to see White Raven) Raven spends an enormous amount of time by herself. The reason becomes elusive to the rest of the Teen Titans. Starfire’s urge to check on Raven becomes overwhelming. Robin tries to explain to her that she needs time alone, but Starfire is persistent. It is this kind of persistence that reminds out how much Starfire and Raven are truly friends.
Do Opposites Really Attract?
Needs and desires are essential to any person. These needs make us drawn to other people, according to this article. This makes sense. If another person can provide something that you cannot, you are going to be attracted to having a friendship with that person. Whether it’s finding a business partner, shopping partner or super-hero partner, an opposite opinion or skill is always useful. This couldn’t be more true for Starfire and Raven. Like Yin and Yang, they are opposite but interconnected. This difference makes them a good pair.
As The Spice Girls used to say, “I’ll tell you what you want, what you really, really, want.” It’s to watch Teen Titans (affiliate link) on Blu-ray. By not watching it on a subscription service like HBO Max, you won’t have to pay a stupid subscription fee every single month just to see your favorite show whenever you want to. Besides, you spend too much time on the internet anyway, am I right?