Day #13 of the 30 Day Halloween Challenge

[shadowkat]

This is Day 13 of 30 Days of Halloween Challenge

A favorite villain in a film, book or television series.

The Weeping Angels from Doctor Who

Stephen Moffat created the weeping angels - which if you blink, they move and if they get close enough - they throw you into another time line.

The Weeping Angels were an extremely powerful species of quantum-locked humanoids (sufficient observation changes the thing being observed), so called because their unique nature necessitated that they often covered their faces with their hands to prevent trapping each other in petrified form for eternity by looking at one another. This gave the Weeping Angels their distinct "weeping" appearance. They were known for being "kind" murderous psychopaths, eradicating their victims "mercifully" by dropping them into the past and letting them live out their full lives, just in a different time period. This, in turn, allowed them to live off the remaining time energy of the victim's life. However, when this potential energy paled in comparison to an alternative power source to feed on, the Angels were known to kill by other means, such as snapping their victims' necks.

Source - https://tardis.fandom.com/wiki/Weeping_Angel

I loved The Weeping Angels - best villain ever. I don't, however, consider them exactly monsters...

Comments

[cjlasky7]

I know we're only halfway through this challenge, but I'm playing my BUFFY card--I can't think of anyone else who's half as good at being bad:

Is Angelus the greatest TV horror villain?

The psychological manipulation, the snarky sense of humor, the theatrical displays of murder and mayhem--Sadism as an art form. The best thing about Angelus is that you really believe he's the same guy as Angel, only with the soul removed. (You clearly see Angelus in Angel, and vice versa.)

We tend to underestimate Boreanaz as an actor, but he's been a leading man on TV for over two decades now. Angelus was that first, thrilling discovery of what the man could do when given the opportunity.

https://youtu.be/AgijozVKNXc

[shadowkat]

I was hoping someone would go with The Gentlemen - that was my second choice.

Angelus was an entertaining villain - and well the reason I got obsessed with Buffy in S2. I was also admittedly watching the series in 1997 mainly for Angel and Giles.

But I'm not certain the best thing was that you could tell Angelus and Angel were the same person. Boreanze basically plays himself. He's a "re-actor", he doesn't really create a character. And he just reacts to things. Works very well in television shows by the way, because unlike film or stage, you aren't given the character's motivation, back story or arc, because they writers tend to make it up as they go along. So in TV, all you really should do is "react" or get your lines right, and hit your marks, and follow the direction. And emote with the eyes. Of the shows he did, the hardest was Angel - mainly because the writers were "hands on" and Boreanze had no real control.

I recently watched S3 of Teen Wolf - and a young actor on that series plays a character who gets possessed by a Kitsun Fox Demon, and what that actor managed to do, and subtly at that blew me away. He does it with his eyes. And some subtle changes in body language. You know it's the demon, but you also know it's a dark side of the character. He changed how he talked, and various little gestures.

Boreanze's performance didn't. I also saw what Marsters did with Spike, the small little things he did when Spike got a soul, subtle, so subtle. And all with the eyes.

I remember Robert Carlyle telling Jane Espenson in a commentary on Once Upon a Time, that he looks at an actors eyes. That's where all the acting comes from - the eyes.

The problem with most television series, particularly the procedurals like Bones, Castle, Seal Team, is the actors aren't that interesting - they react, but they don't really emote that well. And I'm not as pulled in. Watch Anthony Stewart Head in Buffy - he does almost nothing, but his eyes say it all.

[cjlasky7]

Regardless of whether or not Boreanaz is a good actor (or "re-actor"), Angelus is a great villain because he's not motivated by power or revenge or even bloodlust. His whole thing is emotional torture, and he's really good at it.

You see him screwing with the Scoobs all through the back half of s2, only killing when it's for maximum emotional damage. And, just to amuse himself, he messes with Spike because... well, because it's so easy. (He's already in Dru's head.)

When he comes back in Angel s4, he's been diluted a bit, but "Soulless", at least, is prime Angelus. Wes, Gunn and Fred are no match for him when it comes to head games.

[shadowkat]

Well, no, he actually is motivated by power, you're wrong about that. The emotional manipulation is all about power. It always is. That's the reason he does what he does with Acathla, and why he cares so much about being the chosen one or a champion, and why in turn he is so easily manipulated by outside forces. He craves power, and being in control of others - being their puppet master. It's why he makes the decision he does in I Will Always Remember You.

Angel is a narcissist. The signs are all there. His pain at not being able to see his own reflection, his need to be important, his need to be validated by others. And he's so charming. Narcissists are very charming and charismatic. They need to be the star - the champion - the hero. They want to be the one in control. Everything they do is about their ego, their image, how they look to someone else - and they manipulate and control for power over that.

Narcissists crave power - and attention - and control, and they do it in very subtle ways. No one is more adept at emotional manipulation than a narcissist. For the narcissist - it's all about their image, how they appear to others, how others react to them, and they get off on emotional manipulation. And there is no one more emotionally manipulative than a narcissist.

Also people are attracted to narcissists - because you know charming, emotionally manipulative, and really good at playing mind-games. They tend to be very successful, rich, pretty, and often men. Extremely good presenters, and very good at making you think they are great guys. No one is better at marketing and self-promotion than a narcissist.

[cjlasky7]

That's true. He is about power, about asserting dominance on an emotional and psychological level. He just has no interest in "material" power (i.e., to ruuuuuule the world). In fact, as you said, he'd rather destroy the world than admit to emotional weakness.

And you're also right about his narcissism. That's a consistent character trait across all of his incarnations--Liam, Angel, and Angelus. (Angel's friends keep calling him on it, but he's been slow to learn...)

[shadowkat]

Narcissists generally aren't interested in material power per se, they are more interested in power over their image. It's all about them. They also make horrible leaders - you do not want a narcissist as a leader, they don't care about people or the earth or anything really except their own ego.

Oh, another trait of narcissism - or rule of thumb? If you think you might be a narcissist, you probably aren't. Narcissists are completely un-selfaware. They don't see themselves as narcissists at all - and often see themselves as the victim. If you told a narcissist that they were - they'd deny it or refuse to see it. It's not something you can change or cure - there is no cure for narcissistic personality disorder.

Whedon loved narcissistic villains - Cordelia aka Beast Lady, The Mayor, and Glory all fall within that category. I'd say the Mayor and Angelus were probably the best of that group.

[cjlasky7]

[Narcissists] also make horrible leaders... they don't care about people, the earth or anything really except their own ego.

Are we still talking about Angel?

[shadowkat]

Well, yeah...he tried to lead Angel Investigations and basically killed everyone. The Mayor from Buffy was another example - he also basically killed everyone.

But generally speaking that applies to real life narcissists as well. Vote for a narcissist as a leader? Prepare to die.

[atpo_onm]

Gonna go with Buffy also, and certainly no knock on Boreanaz, but for me, this guy was easily the most fascinating and diabolical of the various villains in the series.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH3JvmtPZfg

"Human weakness. Never goes away. Even his."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebTybhwgX9g

[shadowkat]

You're not supposed to go with the same television series. Try to find another one.
And yes, I agree - The Mayor was a far more interesting villain than Angelus and far scarier. I didn't find Angelus frightening.

[wendelah1]

Miles Drenttel from thirtysomething was the boss from hell. He seemed almost demonic, I swear to God.

Ad Executives Cheer As Ethics Wins the Day On 'Thirtysomething'

The Weeping Angels are a great choice. They were very scary, and quite an original creation. "Blink" is my favorite episode of Doctor Who.

[shadowkat]

Blink is among my favorite episodes as well.

Oh interesting villain choice - not going with something obvious. You win for being most innovative.

[petzipellepingo]

I'd have to go with my old college friend Freddy Krueger aka Bob Englund.

[shadowkat]

The penultimate slasher villain. I can't watch the films though...I think I only made it through the first one. And that was enough.