The Mezzanine

So, I seem to like really annoying characters.

There have been many times in the past where I have discovered that the majority opinion on a character is that they're really rather annoying, and I have thought "Huh? But they're awesome!"

Instances I can think of:
- Andrew and Kennedy, from BtVS
- Josh Lyman, from The West Wing
- The Ninth Doctor, from Doctor Who
- Jennifer Haley, from Stargate SG-1 (and for that matter, Rodney McKay, in his pre-Atlantis incarnation)

While I could probably attempt a meta analysing each character, and explaining why they're really not annoying at all, and I'm totally sensible for liking them, I suspect the real reason is far simpler and more personal.

A couple of years ago, I was described by someone as "the most attractive person I've ever seen be THAT awkward". Which… yeah. Fair. I am, in fact, impossibly awkward.

I suspect the main reason I like characters that are, let's face it, pretty annoying and socially awkward, is that I am pretty annoying and socially awkward, and it's really rather nice seeing annoyingly awkward people stepping into the world and being awesome, even though they're still impossibly awkward.



But seriously, Kennedy's awesome.

I reckon we'll have two companions this year - a man and a woman.

(Honestly, I don't even watch the show anymore, but this news has me wondering if I should start again. She just looks so... Doctorly.)

...just because.


Buffy

- Spike's arrival.

Because suddenly vampires were not angsty gothic people, but would make ridiculous comments about Woodstock and then go watch telly.


And way before that...
- "They can fly??" "They can drive."

It was just so mundane and common-sense-y.


Farscape

- Crichton's first week in space:
"Get a tractor beam on that shuttle!"
"Tractor beam? What's that?"
"Graviton field. Attracto ray. Superglue. Whatever it is that you yanked me aboard with."
"You mean the docking web?"
"Yeah! Fine! Use it on the shuttle!"

Star Trek really has done a lot for us. Because, despite the fact that none of us have ever seen one in action, anyone who's watched even the slightest bit of television would recognise the draggy laser thing as a "tractor beam".
I loved that Crichton's space-vocabulary was completely different from everyone else's.


Also...
- Frag-cannons.
Specifically, the fact that Crichton reacts to the name "frag-cannons" by grinning and looking around to see who else has noticed the silly; and meanwhile, everyone else it taking it totally seriously because OH NOES THE FRAG CANNONS!


Doctor Who

- "Wait! The Prime Minister's an alien! ...nah, that's never going to work, is it?"

Most shows would have either had him continually insisting that the PM was an alien, with an aggrieved why-does-no-one-believe-me air, or else had him try to conceal it from the get-go. This one made a nice change.


Leverage

- Parker's origin story. With her blowing up her foster family's house to get her soft toy back.
AND IT WAS ALL CUTE AND EVERYTHING.

In RTD's Doctor Who, the Doctor was, for the most part, loved by everyone in the universe. Someone not liking the Doctor was a fairly good indication that they were evil.


In Moffat's Doctor Who, the Doctor tends to be hunted down and imprisoned by everyone in the universe. Not liking the Doctor is not an indication of evilness so much as normality. Being someone who really likes him and wants to see him again makes you rather unusual.


(Just watched the semi-finale last night. Still absorbing it - and desperately need to watch the whole season again...)

Rose:
Nine shows up unexpectedly, makes silly comments, runs around London, and makes more silly comments. Then there is Rose, and explosions.

The End of the World:
Trees are really pretty, and the last human alive is a trampoline with a face. This does not end well.

The Unquiet Dead:
Charles Dickens chases zombies around Cardiff. Nine and Rose find Cardiff exceedingly amusing, for reasons that escape my comprehension. Plus, the zombies turn into floaty-ghost things. Apparently, blue is pretty and trustworthy; red means you're actually evil.

Aliens of London & World War Three:
Harriet Jones is stiff-upper-lippy and too fun for words. Excitingly huge aliens are making politicians fart, and Nine saves the day by quipping at everyone in sight. Also, the internet can be used for far too many things it couldn't really be used for, such as destroying parliament. (Given 4chan, if you could destroy parliament by hacking the net, someone would have done so already. Truefax.)

Dalek:
A Dalek arrives (finally!), Americans are evil and incompetent, Nine is shirtless (*swoons*), and the Dalek is really a teeny little monster with wavey tentacles. He's so cute!

( the rest of them )



...I was bored, okay?

I think I've figured out why I have such a big problem with what happens to Donna Noble: it's because of Dawn Summers.

( this might require more explanation... )

Questions? Comments?