Scribble Creatures Spotlight: Angel

It was Buffy the Vampire Slayer's 19th birthday the other day. To celebrate, our Spotlight series continues as we look at that show's often underappreciated spin-off...

 

Top Five Faceless Villains

While we all enjoy a good villain to boo and hiss at (such as these fearsome females), sometimes it can be more interesting and unsettling to have a more unknowable - faceless - antagonist. In this list I won't be looking at baddies who hid their faces like The Claw from Inspector Gadget but those soulless villains, often corrupt corporations or surveillance states, who conspire against our hero for their own nefarious, and usually nebulous, ends. Evil organisations such as James Bond's SPECTRE aren't eligible as they often have a single leader (in SPECTRE's case, Blofeld) who acts as the hero's nemesis rather than the organisation themselves.

Wolfram & Hart

Appeared in: Angel 

Built around the premise 'what if lawyers actually were as evil as people say they are?, Wolfram & Hart are the demon-worshipping law firm that plan to end the world on Buffy spin-off Angel.
We get to know several of the firm's smarmy employees over Angel's five season run but we never meet the mysterious 'Senior Partners' - beings who are basically personifications of evil. An organisation of humans as the evil enemies of our traditional monster hero, W&H are the perfect villains for the more moraly-grey world of Angel. 

HYDRA

Appeared in: Marvel comics and the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Originally featuring in The First Avenger, HYDRA were used to a brilliant effect in The Winter Solider. In the Captain America sequel, that niggling doubt about the modern world - that we're all being spied on for evil purposes - turns out to be true and, what's more, the good guys we thought we could trust (namely SHIELD) are in fact controlled by HYDRA, the ex-Nazi terrorist organisation. HYDRA are one of the best faceless villains, as they have no one head person in charge. Quite literally as their catchphrase is 'cut off one head, two more will take its place.' Hail HYDRA!

The 'Listen' Creature

Appeared in: Doctor Who - 'Listen'

Number three on our list is a bit of a different one; rather than a headless organisation this one is an unseen creature. The most ambiguous Doctor Who monster, 'the perfect hider' that the Doctor hunts for in 'Listen' is left unseen, leaving it to the audience to make up for themselves whether such a creature exists. It's a sophisticated twist on the usually front-and-centre Who antagonists - but, come on, that is clearly an alien standing behind Clara...

The Village

Appeared in: The Prisoner

Probably the most nebulous of the villains on this list, we never get any real sense of what the mysterious overseers of the Village in 60s spy series The Prisoner actually want. We know they wish to find out why our nameless hero Number Six resigned from his job but just why it is so important we never find out. Regardless, the ever-changing figure of Number Two, who runs the Village, the unique architecture and the almost-lobotomised residents make the Village one of the most insidious faceless villains in all of fiction. But, as Number Six always asks, who is Number One?

Big Brother

Appeared in: Nineteen Eighty Four 

Turning our list on its head is our leader. All Big Brother is is a face - whether he exists or not is never discovered but the image of Big Brother is certainly used by corrupt dictators IngSoc to keep control of the dystopian Britain featured in Orwell's seminal novel. Created in the forties, Big Brother infamously predicts the rise of the surveillance state. If you need proof that Big Brother is the most evil faceless villain on this list it inspired the inexplicably long-lasting Big Brother reality series. It may appear that we are the ones who are watching Big Brother but, in fact, Big Brother is watching you...

Monthly Scribbles: From Avengers to Zygons

Well, what a jam-packed month May was! There was a royal birth, corruption in international football and of course the general election. But we're only interested in the most important topics here at Scribble Creatures. Namely, Doctor Who, The Simpsons and superheroes...

Look who's back!

 

Doctor Who fans' jaws hit the floor this month when it was revealed that UNIT scientist Osgood is to return in the next series - after she apparently died at the hands of Missy in 'Death In Heaven!' What's more, it has been confirmed that those shape-shifting suckers the Zygons are back for a rematch against Osgood in Series Nine episodes 7 and 8. For a long while, the Zygons were many people's (including David Tennant's) favourite one-off monster they wanted to reappear and now they're getting their third appearance on the show after 'The Day of the Doctor.'

Personally, I'm unsure at the return of Osgood as I felt her shocking demise cemented Missy as a danger rather than just the cartoon villain the Master can become if handled badly. But I shall hold my reservations until the episodes air. Let Zygons be Zygons, indeed.

The Simpsons loses a key cast member

Now coming up to its 27th season, The Simpsons has announced that key cast member Harry Shearer is to leave the show, taking with him his distinctive voices for such classic characters as Mr Burns, Ned Flanders, Lenny ('not Lenny!') ETC. As any sane person should, I've always loved The Simpsons and still dip into a new episode now and then. The quality is of course nowhere near the consistency of the series' good ol' days but it can absolutely still come up with a classic once in a while. However, when a show has been going on for so long that the stars want to end it, it's probably time to call it a day. Apparently the show must go on though as the showmakers plan to recast Shearer's roles. We shall have to see if this eerily prescient joke from a decade ago comes true...

Highlights of the month

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Following up 2012's collosal hit The Avengers, was always going to be a Hulk-sized task, and I have to say I went into the film with a strong suspicion it wouldn't be as good. Well, I was right but the film is still a very enjoyable, never unentertaining blockbuster. Age of Ultron does fall in to the common trope of over-stuffed superhero sequels but it is definitely one of the strongest of said subgenre (it's far above Amazing Spider-Man 2, for example). There is largely good work done with the characters without their own franchises and the ambition of the film is to be commended - it does more globe-trotting than a Bond film. Plus you can always rely on Joss Whedon for fun dialogue, with robot baddie Ultron snagging most of the best lines this time. There are too many parts in it to be a great film, but Age of Ultron is so excitingly told you'll be glad it was assembled.

Captain America: The First Avenger

It's an uncommon opinion but the first Captain America film is probably my favourite non-Avengers Marvel movie. The period dubya-dubya-two setting allows for an old-fashioned adventure, largely a mash-up between vintage war films and traditional superhero action with lashings of Sky Captain-esque dieselpunk thrown in. That's not to say the film is flawless - Red Skull should really be a fantastic villain with all his tried-and-tested ticks (he's a nazi with a facial disfigurement played by Hugo Weaving!) but he never really feels up to much. On the other hand, the cast is the best outside of The Avengers films with welcome appearances by the brilliant Toby Jones, Hayley Attwell as Marvel's best leading lady Agent Carter and, of course, Chris Evans who brings a lot of likeability to the star-spangled man with a plan. The follow-up, The Winter Soldier, is a possibly more sophisticated piece but sometimes you just can't beat a bit of punching Hitler on the nose.

The Best of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I was something of a latecomer to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, having only started watching it a few years ago, but I learnt to love it just as many longer-running fans have done. Buffy has the features of all the great shows - wit, heart and loveable characters - but I admire it most of all for being the mother of largely every genre show made since. Torchwood, Being Human, Merlin, 21st century Doctor Who and more all owe Buffy a huge debt. Russell T Davies has gone on record saying how Buffy 'raised the bar' of television in general. From the way it mixes all the elements so well, it's hard to disagree. 

This week Buffy turned 18 years old so, in celebration, I'm going to talk you through my favourite episodes of the show. And I'll begin right about... now. 

'Hush', (Season 4, Episode 10)

The 'Blink' of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Inspired by how critics only seemed to praise the show's dialogue, creator Joss Whedon crafted this episode to be almost entirely silent - as the residents of Sunnydale have their voices stolen. The thieves are the grinning, murderous Gentlemen who I'd wager are the scariest band of TV monsters outside of Doctor Who. 'Hush' is so wonderfully creepy it makes you wish Buffy had thought to be properly scary more often but then this episode is so successful that there was probably no point in attempting to top it.

'Restless', (Season 4, Episode 22)

Dreams are an oft-used device on TV and film but rarely, if ever, are they portrayed as realistically as here. Unlike, say, Inception which simply uses dreams to play with the laws of physics, 'Restless' embraces the random-yet-possibly-meaningful nature of dreams to take a glimpse at the psyche of the four main characters. What's more, it's a novel approach to the series finale, acting as more of a coda than a climax. Quite possibly one of the surrealist - and bravest - episodes of mainstream telly ever.

'The Body', (Season 5, Episode 16)

A little like 'Restless' embraces everything about dreams, 'The Body' portrays the grief process with stark reality, particularly that on the very day that one loses a loved one. Inspired by the loss of Whedon's own mother, this episode looks at how Buffy, her sister Dawn and their freinds react to the sudden death of Joyce. Not from a vampire attack, but an aneurysm. It is the perfect example of how Buffy transcended the expectation of what genre shows could do. This is something that other series have continued since yet none of them have delivered an episode as truly devastating as 'The Body.'

'Once More With Feeling', (Season 6, Episode 7)

But on the other hand, Buffy can be, and usually is, lots of fun. And this musical episode is surely the most gloriously enjoyable Buffy of them all. I'm not a particularly massive fan of musicals, but the way in which the character drama and plot development of a normal Buffy episode is done through song is sublime... and also they're just really good tunes. This episode teaches a lesson a lot of TV shows could learn from Buffy as a whole - with just a bit more dedication and care, you can turn average television into something really special.


Fancy some more of my favourite Buffy episodes? Then you can read my, more sweeping, look at the show's finest hours over on Whatculture here.

Monthly Mini-Reviews: May

Yes, it's back! That old regular feature of this blog, the monthly selection of four mini-reviews (oh, I know, it's nothing but pizazz on this site), has returned - and, boy, are you in for a treat. Here's a bumper crop of assorted goodies for you to... muse over my analysis of a certain example of modern storytelling. What better way could there be to party your way into the next month?


Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Season Seven)

Me and BTVS have a peculiar relationship. About a year ago, we were having a good time, enjoying each other's company - it showing me what it could do, everything from playing with genre conventions to strong character drama, and me very much enjoying it - until one day we simply parted, without even a goodbye.
This was the case until I recently remembered I had not seen the show's final season, something I speedily put to rights. Said season sees the Slayer and her scoobies (try saying that three times fast) prepare for the end of the world at the (incorporeal) hands of the ancient entity known as 'the First Evil.' As a whole, it has its ups and downs but, thankfully, its downs are never too damning and its highs are very strong. Particular mention must be made to the season finale which rounds the televisual lives of our heroes off with aplomb. Now, there's no more left. You know, I think I remember why I put off watching the final series in the first place...

 V for Vendetta 

Any story by comic book supremo Alan Moore is notoriously difficult to adapt to the big screen - with the big, bearded man famously hating many of them. However, the film version of Moore's dystopian thriller V For Vendetta manages to be an entertaining and thought-provoking effort. It delivers much that deserves praise, most prominently the well-realised horrors of a future fascistic Britain and the consummate central performance from Hugo Weaving - the actor makes us feel like we know the Guy Fawkes-flavoured V, one of my favourite comic characters for his charisma but morally dubious crusade, despite never seeing his face. Although the film makes missteps, notably the superfluous inclusion of a romance between V and his 'freedom fighter' protégé Evey, I see no reason why a film as daring and deftly-executed as this should ever be forgot..ten.

Marvel 1602

One of my favourite things about Neil Gaiman's writing is his ability, when tackling a popular fictional universe, to celebrate that specific storytelling world, something he did for both Batman and Doctor Who. Another fine example is this skewering of Marvel comic characters which asks; 'What if the Marvel universe was set in Elizabethan England?' 1602 sees royal spy Sir Nicholas Fury, daredevil Matthew Murdock, Javier and his band of 'witchbreeds' plus sorcerer Dr Strange team up to stop nefarious villains despot Otto Von Doom and the corrupt Grand High Inquisitor and his brotherhood from reaching the secret weapon of the Knight Templar - which will apparently bring about the apocalypse. While this all sounds a heady mix and even a little alienating for comic newbies, Gaiman weaves a tale about the nature of heroism that manages to get to the heart of its many characters, making us realise why they have been so beloved from their creation in the sixties right up to now. And including the 1600s, of course.


The Simpsons: 'Brick Like Me'

Though I still love that overbitten yellow family as much as ever, I rarely make a special case to watch the latest offerings. However, this month, I made an exception as the series reached its 550th episode and was celebrating in a most eyebrow-raising way; an entire episode made/filmed/animated (I'm uncertain of the appropriate term) with Lego. It could have been a cheap gimmick to attract viewers and sell a few Lego sets but thankfully it managed to be one of the funniest Simpsons in years (when king of slapstick Homer can fall apart without harm, you know that's going to be exploited) and, just like the good old days, greatly touching as Homer realises the pluses of living in a Lego world; that 'everything fits together and no one gets hurt.' It's delightful to know that, even after twenty-five years, The Simpsons can still build itself back up again (pun intended) to its best. It's just as I remember, in fact. A show where everything fits together and no one gets hurt.

You can read my own efforts to celebrate The Simpsons' quarter-centenary with my countdowns for both Homer's and Bart's greatest moments.

Monthly Mini-Reviews: March

March has been a busy month - what with the final episode of one of my favourite series, Being Human and the first episode in a new series of Doctor Who! Aside from them, I've consumed a fair few number of entertaining fictions over the past few weeks. Here's a handful...

 Oz the Great and Powerful

In this partial sequel to the 1939 classic, James Franco is Oscar Diggs, a talented magician who dreams of greatness but is trapped in a travelling circus - until he is caught in a twister and taken to the jolly old land of Oz.
The film, directed by Spider-Man's Sam Raimi, seems to have divided people but I fall into the category of people who enjoyed it. Its flaws - such as pacing issues and  dodgy character development - are obvious and it certainly does pale in comparison to Wizard. However, viewed on its own terms, it's an enjoyable enough, visually-gorgeous way to spend a couple of hours.

Neverwhere Radio Series

I've been highly anticipating this one for a while; a radio adaptation of Neil Gaiman's fantastic urban fantasy novel featuring a top-flight cast including James MacAvoy, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sophie Okenedo, Bernard Cribbins - and Christopher Lee! Thankfully, the series delivered, being an funny, touching and fast-paced version of the story terrifically played by the cast. Special kudos goes to MacAvoy for playing everyman protagonist Richard Mayhew with such realism and likeability and, of course, Cumberbatch for imbuing the Angel Islington with a chilling edge. If I did such a thing - which I seem to be here - it would be my pick of the month!

Gaslight Arcanum: Uncanny Tales of Sherlock Holmes 

The best Holmes pastiches, I find, are the ones that pitch the highly-rational detective against the forces of darkness - so I obviously found this anthology of supernatural-tinged Holmes stories a treat. Including tales concerning the devil's footprints, an ancient Egyptian curse and an encounter with Count Dracula, the writing styles vary but invariably capture Conan Doyle's timeless creations throughout. Oddly, my favourite of the bunch may be the least 'uncanny'; the anthology's opening story which details a young Holmes loosing his first love. It's a twisting-turning story that packs a real emotional punch as it aims to get at the steely heart of our Holmes.

                                               
Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Season Six

I've been working my way through Joss Whedon's seminal genre series on-and-off for many months now - and have finally arrived at its sombre, penultimate series. Following on from the climax of Season Five, this series begins as Buffy's friends bring her back from the dead to continue fighting the force of evil in their hometown of Sunnydale. It's a bit of a mixed bag, this one, with several good quality episode alongside some mediocre ones. Downsides include less Anthony Head as his character Giles leaves the main cast but a positive is more of Alyson Hannigan's Willow as her dependence on magic leads to some dire consequences over the course of the series. It's not the best of seasons but it's also not the worst - sorry, Season Four - and has lots to offer. Particularly the musical episode 'Once More with Feeling' which everyone should watch!

Avengers Assemble - British style!

Well, the picture above really doesn't need any introduction unless, perhaps you've been living in a cave these past few weeks. And, frankly, I'm sure even hermits residing in the Himalayas have heard of this movie. The Abominable Snowman keeps them posted. His favourite is the Hulk, obviously.

Anyway, getting sidetracked. Yes. this is Marvel's The Avengers which is everywhere at the moment. Literally. I wouldn't be surprised to wake up tomorrow and find its logo tattooed across my forehead. So, in a simultaneous act of joining in with the fad and going against it (I'm complex like that, you see) I thought I'd blog about something that would get me as excited as comic book fans across the world at Joss Whedon's multi-hero epic.

What if there was an 'Avengers' team of British TV characters?

I first thought of this idea earlier on today whilst looking for anything to distract me from essay-writing and, like the TV geek I am, thought of who would be the TV equivalent of each Avenger. So, without further ado, here are the British Avengers!

THE DOCTOR

Well, the Doctor was always going to make it in, wasn't he? But, what's more, he's the obvious candidate for filling the role of Thor.
One is a God-like being from another planet who often protects Earth from evil extraterrestrials and the other's... well, I think you see where I'm coming from. The Doctor's is a hundred times cooler than Thor, of course. And I'm sure he could short circuit Thor's thunderin' hammer thing with a buzz from the sonic.

SHERLOCK HOLMES

Cumberbatch's Sherlock is also definitely the Iron Man in this team. Both are arrogant geniuses not known for their people skills. Downey's Tony Stark also can't keep away from the limelight and is a favourite of the media. Remind you of anyone? *Cough* The Reichenbach Fall *Cough*

Also, it's rather fitting that Cumberbatch is Iron Man here as actor Robert Downey Jr also plays the same character as Cumbers in Sherlock Holmes blockbuster series.

GWEN COOPER

A joint team of UK TV heroes needed a female amongst them so I've chosen Torchwood's Gwen Cooper to step up to the post. An equally feisty, action-y, top secret agent of a shady organisation as Scarlet Johanssen's Black Widow. Gwen's just more Welsh.

This one was a bit tougher than the others as there are less female lead characters on TV. I considered River Song and Amy Pond (it's the red hair) but River's too strong to be the Black Widow of this group and Amy is not quite a hero in her own right yet (I'd say her husband is more) so I gave the role to Gwen. Oh, the things I do in the name of procrastination.



HENRY 'HAL' YORK

Vampire Hal (from BBC Three's Being Human) is definitely the Hulk of this team. Just like Bruce Banner, he has a nasty, animistic side that he can't keep under wraps no matter how hard he tries. Hal's a bloodthirsty villain when  the vampire mood takes but otherwise he's a hero, helping to save the world in the last BH series. Plus, his name even sounds like Hulk when you say it quickly. Eh?

CAPTAIN JACK HARKNESS

And, yeah, you probably guessed it. He is, of course, Captain America. This one was obvious but there's actually more similarity between them. Jack is a man out of his time (Cap'n A is from the past, Cap'n J is from the future) and they were both soldiers in World War Two. Jack's even been frozen once or twice.




Yup, that would be the British TV Avengers. I imagine they would get on even less than the film lot. They would be fighting THE MASTER , by the way. He's the obvious choice for the counterpart of Loki here. They're both enemies of the alien of the gang, both sort-of brothers (I'm not going to get into that Who fan argument now) and both share a love of failed attempts to conquer Earth. There's probably loads of fan boys and girls who'd love Tom Hiddleston to play the Master at some point anyway

And there you are. If universes collided, these would be the five TV characters I'd like to see team up to save the world. And I'm pretty sure if I wrote fan-fiction I would be writing about the meeting of these fantastic five. There's loads of other variants you can apply the Avengers idea too. Go on, make your dream Avengers-type teams up! Your inner geek has probably already come out to play while watching the real Avengers movie so why not indulge it a little more.

A blog post for 'Buffy'

I realise I'm about ten years behind the rest of the world when I say this but I'll go ahead with it anyway..I've only just started watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I literally hadn't seen an episode before last month.
It's strange that I haven't before now since some of my favourite shows are series that mix the extraordinary with the ordinary e.g. Doctor Who, Torchwood, Being Human, even Sherlock, I'd say. I also knew of the impact Buffy had on those shows - Russel T Davies is a huge Buffy fan and now having seen it I can see the influence on his Doctor Who and in particular Torchwood - yet I just had never got round to sitting down and watching it. However, over the Christmas break, I caught an episode on SyFy, the one where there's no dialogue (Buffy fans among you may know the title) and decided it looked like a quirky, fun series and made a note to myself: 'you know, I should watch more of these.'
And I did. Since then I've watched Season One and I've nearly completed Season Two and I have to say I'm having a whale of a time.
Season One is a little ropey and inconsistent, I'll admit, but it significantly held my interest and liked the lead characters straight away. Sarah Michelle Gellar is of course great in the lead while I really like Alyson Hannigan's Willow and Nicholas Brendan as Xander. Oh, and Anthony Head as Giles is fun too. Even Angel's not too bad even if even if I do keep thinking 'Ah, so that's who Edward Cullen's based on.'
Season Two is a whole lot better though, I feel. The momentum is cranked up and the main cast has swelled - in a good way (there must be about ten lead charcters by mid season two). Spike and Drusilla I'm fond of as the Big Bads (I believe that's the term) plus it gets even better when Angel goes bad, giving David Boreanez a chance to do some evil.
I realise I've got a long way to go til the end of the series and probably a few months of viewing but I'm enjoying mysefl doing so. With the lack of any Doctor Who on TV over the spring and summer, it's nice to have a great show to look forward to watching.

Vids of the Month!

Yes, it's that special time again!

It's time to drop everything and watch some youtube videos (like you weren't doing that already)!

It's time... for VIDS OF THE MONTH!

*Cheap gameshow music*

Yes, ladies and gentlemen we have a great collection of short videos for you to enjoy today. Let's start the countdown!



5. THE SIMPSON PUPPETS!

For a long-term Simpsons fan and childhood Muppet fan, this segment from a Simpsons Christmas special from a couple of years ago meant lots of laughs. I think it's a good example of how, in my opinion, the Simpsons is still just as funny as it used to be - I'll always prefer it to Family Guy. Warning: contains Katy Perry.

4. BEING HUMAN'S 'LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD.'

A fun scene for you all that was posted on the Being Human website showing Tom the werewolf telling a pro-wolf version of the fairy tale to baby Eve. Aw

3. 'A HEAD, SHERLOCK?!' 'JUST TEA FOR ME THANKS!.'

I just had to include a scene from Sherlock. From the opening of Series One finale 'The Great Game' this is one of my favourite moments from the whole series. It shows no matter where you dip into the show the characters of Sherlock and John and their relationship come through; the careless, lazy but brilliant detective and his put-upon everyman best friend. I particularly like the bit where Sherlock virtually insults John and then seems suprised and a little hurt when he walks out. A cracker. 

2.  THE AVENGERS TRAILER

As this blockbuster behemoth is being released soon, I thought I'd post the trailer here. Bound to have comc book fans across the world salivating for the duration of the film, it will famously bring the majority of Marvel's superheroes together in one film. I myself am not overly eagerly awaiting its release - Spiderman, the only Marvel superhero I particularly like is absent from the film - but it is written and directed by Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon who will surely make a good job of it.

1. TIM BURTON'S VINCENT

Here is something a lot more up my street. While he was still working at Disney in the 80s, Tim Burton made this short film of a boy who prefers spending time wallowing in his macabre imagination than play with other children out in the sunshine. It's pure Burton gold from when he was still new and fresh and Vincent Price's narration gives it exactly the right tone. Magic.

That's your lot for this month. Tune in again soon for more Youtube raidings! Guh'night!