R.I.P Andy Hallett

[OOC: Oy, just under a whole month! Now my four essays are done, its time for another posty!]

R.I.P Andy Hallet

The world has lost one of its brightest new talents with the death of Lorne's actor. I loved Lorne so much and his voice....just, wow. His renditions on the Angel soundtrack make me cry everytime I hear it now. Its such an unusual voice compared to people like Timbaland, West and so forth and so cheery. I'll miss my red and green lounge lizard!

YOU ARE MISSED!

Buffy, Season 8: The Twilight mystery

Twilight.

No, not the vampire movie. This is a Twilight Movie free zone.

I mean, the newest Big Bad in Season 8. The guy behind General Voll, Amy/Warren coupling [say it with me...Eww!] and all the anti-Slayer Cabal. The guy whose got Riley twisted into his little schemes. Many people have asked: Who is that big bad behind the mask? I've seen some pretty funny explanations for his real identity.

1. Riley.
Unless Riley acquired some self-duplication, thats not him. Theres a panel that shows him talking TO Twilight!

2. Xander.
Plausible, but I doubt it. It would match the rambly speech he showed but all the explanations don't gel.

3. Ethan Rayne.
The guy's dead. Can't be him.

4. Giles.
Now that would be wickedly Joss. And it would fulfill Tony Head's wish to be the Big Bad, as he stated in Season 7 interviews. Note that Giles is never seen in the same location as when Twilight appears, he's not on panel and the two could feasibly be the same. But unless Joss is doing a mislead, the rambly speech is not Giles.

5. Andrew.
No. Moving on.

6. Jonathon back from the dead.
That would be sad. Plus, Twilight is taller than Jonathan ever was in life. I doubt it.

7. Others/Minor characters
hmmmmm.

Opinion: I doubt we'll find out more until a few issues in. Keep thinbking and plotting!
Alison xx

What If: Firefly Verse 1

Ok, I'll admit first up I stole this idea from the Star Wars Official Magazine. They have a two page spread every issue where they take two characters and put them up in a fight together then decide who wins. So, I shall be continuing that tradition in Joss Style.

River Tam vs. The Operative

River: Intuitive, gifted and nuts. A child prodigy, she excelled at anything her hand touched. From physics to dance, she was one smart chick until Blue Sun [yes, the unexplored corporation I like to think of as Joss's verson of Yahell] duped her. Then, they and the government turned her into a formidable psychic assassin. More about 'Was River Tam Psychic?' later. They rearranged her brain, trained and refined her into someone who could kill with just a thought. No, not like a mutant.

VS

The Operative: Well, we don't know much about his history but the first time we meet him, he's a pretty nasty killer. Very into Bushido and samurai swords. I winced when the guy was impaled by his own sword off camera. This guy makes Spike lusting after Buffy look like a platonic wet dream the way he goes after the Tams. Single minded, focused and fanatical, he kills all who get in the way of his goal. The guy has little remorse and unlike River, kills actively and possibly might get off on it. [well, thats my opinion.]

Similarities: Both were trained by the same people, both can kill very inventively and both are gifted with seemingly powerful abilities. River is 'psychic', the Operative is an expert at sword play. Both are exclusively learnt in anatomy and physiology. Gotta love the nerve cluster strikes. And both are completely NUTS!

Winner: River, by a mile. If they ever met in combat, River could wipe the floor with him. Why? Because while the Operative is trained, River is instictive. The Operative is only able to fight in ways he was taught. River's unpredictability and empathy allow her an improvisation that would win. Plus, she pwns him.

Next Fight's Opponents: Jasmine vs. Illyria [pre Timebomb].

Favvy Faith in Angel Quotes - Volume 1

And on the same vein, here are some of my favvy quotes from Angel said by ms. Faith Lehane or about her.

"Five by Five..."

"Cause I could do anything I want and instead I choose to pout and whine and feel the burden of Slayerness. I mean, I could be rich, I could be famous. I could have anything. Anyone. Even you, Spike. I could ride you at a gallop until your legs buckled and your eyes rolled up. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you pop like warm champagne and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little bit more. And you know why I don't? [mockingly] Because it's wrong."

"Faith: I'm not gonna kill him, Wesley. Angelus. Don't care what you thought you sprung me for, Angel's the only one in my life that never gave up on me. There's no way I'm giving up on...
Wesley: I know. That's why it had to be you.

"Dude! You rescued a puppy!...Wicked."

Faith [in Buffy's body]: Shut up! Do you think I'm afraid of you? [starts punching Buffy, beating her own face] You're nothing! Disgusting! Murderous bitch! You're nothing! You're disgusting!
"Arf Arf, Psycho."

"Like I did mushrooms and got eaten by a bear."

"So its 118 degrees and I'm sleeping without a stitch on, when I hear a screaming outside. So I go out stark nude and a church bus and these three Vamps are feeding on half the baptists in South Boston. I took out the three Vamps and these preacher comes up and starts hugging me like there's no tomorrow. Then the cops pull up and arrest us both."

"New watcher?......Screw that!"

Faith: Evil or Not So Much

Poor Faith gets a raw deal sometimes.

I am a huge Faith 'Lehane' fan, not just because Eliza Dushku is in one of my favvy Arnie movies. Faith had character, she had glaringly apparent flaws. But its sad how she got to be so 'evil' in the eyes of some fans. Was Faith really so bad? Yes, she did things to Buffy and did things so awful only Angelus could compete.

I believe that theres a quote in Angel Season 1 that Buffy says to Faith that sums up what she did amazingly.

"I gave you every chance! I tried so hard to help you, and you spat on me. My life was just something for you to play with. Angel, Riley, anything that you could take from me, you took. I've lost battles before... but nobody else has ever made me a victim." - Buffy, Sanctuary

Faith, if you recall:
- Tried to lead Buffy to the dark side
- Killed Allan Finch
- Joined the Mayor and became evil
- Tried to seduce Angel
- Tried to kill the Scoobies at one time or another
- Nearly killed Angel
- Turned Buffy into her and her into Buffy
- Let Buffy be taken by the Watchers Council
- Seduced Riley
- Ran off and left Buffy to clean up

But...

Faith is not so much a villain as an anti-Buffy slayer. She's the mirror image of what Wish Buffy was like. She had no support network at all. I own a copy of 'Go Ask Malice', which is a copy of Faith's diary from before Buffyverse.

- She had no father
- Her mother was a drug addict, neglectful and abusive [possibly dead]
- Boyfriend who were losers or were jerks
- No friends
- Foster care at one point, I believe
- Teachers didnt support her
- She didn't do school
- Had a social worker
- Kakistos killed her Watcher.

Faith then comes to Sunnydale where [a], theres already a Slayer and [b] she has the life Faith should have had. Faith has nothing expect her clothes and then her new watcher is a fake and the one after that is so stuffy and priggy she can't deal. No wonder she leapt into the Mayor's schemes, he offered her everything she had never had. Love.

I think that Faith is simply misunderstood. "And you can't stand that. You're all about control. You have no idea what it's like on the other side! When nothing's in control, nothing makes sense! There's just pain and hate and nothing you do means anything. You can't even..."

And to prove it, Faith becomes good again. Does her time in prison [mostly], saves Angel from himself and then saves Buffy. Whatever she's done, those few acts negate it. She earned the right to be a hero.

Spike or Angel?

So. The age old question: Who is better?

Angel and Spike are, for a start, completely different beings. Even pre-vampire.

Angel: High spirited Irish lad with a taste for liquor, girls and sleeping in. Your typical teenage boy, except this guy was 26. A slacker. He stole his dads silverware, refused to go to Mass and tried to seduce the maidservants and then had a nice big fight with his dad.

Spike: The guy was a mama's boy if ever we saw one. He was sensitive, kind of a loner and was so stuttery he could barely speak to a woman. I think maybe he was kinda obsessive even then. Loved his mother to bits.

First acts:
Angel: Killed family and village, especially his dad.
Spike: Turned mother into vampire to be with her forever and make her well again, then had to stake her.

Both were cruel vampires, but Spike had a sensitivity not present in any others save maybe Dalton. He was 'tainted', able to love of a kind while Angel knew lust. He didn't love Darla, he lusted for her and the same with Drusilla.

Being 'Neutered' [aka less evil]
Angel: Hid himself away, then became good. Then became evil then good. Moved to LA. Became good and then evil again.
Spike: Tried to be evil, didn't work. Became obsessive and went to get his soul back because he wanted Buffy to love him like he loved her.

Buffy
Angel: Loved Buffy. Was good then evil then good again. Tried to kill her twice.
Spike: Obsessed over her. Was evil then good. Tried to kill her numerous times.

Heroic Event
Angel: Master, Acathla, Mayor, Hus, Caleb/First
Spike: First Evil

Soul
Angel: Forced
Spike: Chosen

After BTVS
Angel: Fought evil in LA for 5 seasons
Spike: Fought evil in the last season, although was evil there in the first season.


Opinion: Angel is better.
1. Angel atoned for his crimes over and over again, even if he was forced to do so at first. Spike chose his soul but he chose it for selfish reasons and then tried to get rid of it.
2. Angel was bad to Buffy for a short time, Spike was constantly trying to be bad, he even tried to rape her.
3. Angel loved Buffy. Spike lusted for her.
4. Spike backstabbed and tried to prevent Buffy at every turn. Angel turned up and helped.
5. Angel did good. Spike, not so much.
6. Angel is cuter than Spike [ok, so thats just me]
7. When they got their souls back, Spike went nuts. Angel just became reclusive.

So, there you have it....

My Best 10 Angel Fights

And following on, my favourite 10 Angel fights

1. Lindsey vs. Angel and Cordy - You're Welcome
I am a huge fan of Lindsey, which is probably why he came first. We'd always thought Lindseywas some whiny little lawyer guy with a amputated hand until he disappeared. And then guess who comes back and kicks Angel's butt! I was so happy when he came back and he really does hand Angel his ass at one point. My favvy.

Best Moment: The sword getting bigger


2. Spike vs Angel - Destiny
Spike vs. Angel. Always the best, most delectable fights. Helped by flashbacks, Spike finally beats his grandsire at brutal combat after a scare. Spike, instead o being funny and Britsh, is all serious here and thats what attracted me to the fight. Plus the choreography is AMAZING!

Best Moment: Definitely the speech by Spike.


3. Angel and Connor vs. Hamilton
Now that was the best! Angel gets beaten to a pulp and then Connor comes along and helps. And their opponent? The luscious Adam Baldwin, dressed in a suit, barely lifts a finger. He pounces about doing his speech and throwing Angel down a few levels onto the ground, smacking Connor away. I loved those angles.

Best Moment: "Can you pick out that one word you probably shouldn't have said?!"


4. Angel Crew vs. Puppets
This is so high up because its so hilarious and unusual. Angel as a puppet is absolutely adorable! And they're taking on a bunch of foam-filled material sacks with features. If it wasn't so Joss, I would not have listed it. But I love it!

Best Moment: When Angel Puppet becomes Puppet Vampire.


5. Angel vs Angelus
Purely mystical but a joy to watch. I feel so sorry for Faith at this point when she gets in his mind. There's some hilarious stuff but I loved the fact that David did such a good job. One of my all-time favvies.

Best Moment: "Maybe because its not all about you...Jackass."


6. Illyria vs Gang - Shells
Illyria shows how awesome she is and kicks their asses. Enough said.

Best Moment: Wesley shoots Knox.


7. Lindsey vs. Angel - Epiphany
Lindsey, sledge hammer and a pickup truck, mad with love over Darla. I love Lindsye and he just seems so...forlorn. He actually manages to beat the poor vampire up and does it well, for the most part. But poor Lindsey never seems to learn that Angel will win.

Best Moment: The sledgehammer belting.


8. Faith vs Angel - Five By Five
In my opinion, the best non vamp knock out, drag down fight. The fact that she comes with a deathwish looking for Angel to kill her for what she did really adds an edge of vulnerability to the scene. And when he has her in his arms in the rain, its so sad!

Best Moment: In the rain

9. Faith vs Beast/Angelus
I tied these two because I love Faith and Eliza played this so well. Such quick thinking on her part and she really gets belted up so bad its not funny. Wesley does an admirable job but the scene is all Faith and Angelus. I love those two... *sigh*

Best Moment: Angelus getting spiked/Angelus stabbing the Beast


10. The Last Fight scenes
I cried so much when Wesley and Lindsey dies! The last few scenes were so heart-wrenching I took a day to recover since it seemed they all died. Watch it and see.

Best Moment: Illyria and Wesley