P Couples Analysis: Mater and Holley

First thoughts after watching movie

My first thoughts right after watching the movie is that it’s overly rushed, and makes little to no sense. Most of their interactions involves Mater flirting with her, and Holley not knowing how to react, and then one moment causes them to become a relationship? The Cars franchise already has a really nice and well developed relationship, and they follow that with this? It’s just disappointing to say the least.

Summary

Because the agents thinks Mater is the american agent, Holley speaks to Mater though his headset (while Lightning is having his race), and tells him that he needs to leave. For some reason, Mater thinks they are going on a date. As he bailed on McQueen in the middle of his game, Lightning rightfully tells him to leave, and Mater is about to go back to Radiator Springs. He is then recruited by an agent to follow him, and they catch up to Holly, who he flirts with about going on a date while they all are being followed.

Now that they”re on the plane, he finally gets her name, which is Holley Shiftwell. They scan him to see the picture they think he took (but it was planted on him), and he goes through the screen to tell her how “puuuurrtttyy” she is. They then ramble on some mechanics, and he does not clear over the fact that he is not the spy. Honestly, most things in this movie is confusing and does not make sense, so work with me.

While Mater is getting his disguises programmed into him, he tells them that he does not want his dent to be fixed (since it won’t program on the dent) because it reminds me of the moments he has with Lightning. I get where they are gong with it, but I’m not going to keep every injury or scratch for fond memory sake.

They go on another mission, and Mater almost blows it because he is talking aloud to Holley in front of everyone. All of the spies end up getting trapped in the clock of the Big Ben, where he finally tells Finn and Holley that he is not a spy, and that he is a fool. Of course the two of them convince Mater that he is not a fool and an idiot, and he saves himself, as they tell him that they need to go on without him. Mater ends up saving the day for some unforeseen reason that I still cannot explain after 5 watches.

In the epilogue, Mater ends up back in Radiator Springs, where he tells them about his girlfriend, and when Finn and Holley show up, she does tell them that she is Mater’s girlfriend. She now has a dent, and is keeping it because it’s too valuable…… with some of the cars claiming that they are both crazy. Holley and Finn offers him to go along on a mission with them because he’s charming (and because the Queen) recommends him, but Mater rejects it. Holley claims that she will be back, so they can go on their first date.

EDIT: I initially wrote all of this before Cars 3 was released, and was speculating whether there would be a reference, a cameo, or a speaking part for Holly or any of the Cars 2 characters would make some sort of appearance, but…… NOPE. Holly did not make an appearance, had no speaking role, had no cameo, and was not even referenced by Mater, so according to that film, this relationship never even happened.

Final Thoughts

I barely have any final thoughts on this couple. I see where they were going with it, about how there is more to a person than their looks, and the symbolism angle, but it wasn’t developed properly, and they should have just left them as friends. Just really unnecessary.

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