gagglefrak - science fiction blog

“We were played. We’re all pasties.” - Willow

“You are talking crazy-person talk. Put your words in word places, please.” - Buffy

“Vampires are lurks. A spin is a lie. Toy is bad, but spled is good.” And thus begins Fray 101. Joss does a bit of catch-up in this issue, for those who are silly enough not to have read the Fray TPB already. Other critical bits of info include the fact that Melaka Fray has a twin brother named Harth. Mel has the physical powers of a Slayer, but Harth holds the prophetic memories of past Slayers in his mind. Unfortunately, he’s a vamp — er, that is, he’s a lurk. Mel also has an older sister, Erin Fray, who’s a cop. And a pet spider monkey demon named Gates, which she acquired in a story from “Tales of the Slayers” … which is also when she found the Watcher Library that she currently lives in. And she has a merman associate named Gunther, who sometimes sends her out on thieving jobs.

And that’s the Fray universe that Buffy is introduced to in this second installment of the Whedon/Moline “Time of Your Life” arc. As for what actually happens …

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And so it comes to an end. Act 3 of 3 of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is up. But it will only be up till tomorrow. So unless you plan to buy it on iTunes, or buy the DVD when that comes out, you better get out there and watch it. My (somewhat spoilery) thoughts and more screencaps after the link …

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“This is a little thing we call bad cop / bad cop / bad cop / bad cop / crazy primordial seriously bad cop.” - Angel to Flouncy Theater Vampire

Not thrilled with this issue for some reason, and I can’t quite figure out why. I’ve read it through a few times now, and although some things obviously DO happen, I still can’t shake the feeling that nothing really happens. Maybe it’s because after the finale of the big Angel vs Demon Champions showdown last issue, anything else was going to seem slow? Maybe it’s because I’m not all that thrilled with Nick Runge’s art, and wish Franco Urru was still drawing it?

Anyway, Angel’s comic book dream was a nice touch. Then he talks to Nina and Mayor Lorne and Connor and Gwen and Illyria, and it’s snowing, and I’m kind of bored. The scene between Wesley and his babysitter Spike is okay, but doesn’t really tell us anything we didn’t know about these two already. The scenes where Gunn pressures George to use his powers are interesting — but a bit confusing too. I kind of feel like the whole “What’s the Hell’s Gunn Doing?” mystery has played out way too long at this point, particularly when it comes to how George and the Slayers involved. I get the impression we’ll finally get some clarity on that next issue, but that doesn’t do anything for the frustration I feel this issue.

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Alrighty, let’s see how the servers hold up today. Act 2 of 3 of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog is up. I’m really enjoying it, and I can already tell that I’ll be left feeling empty and sad when the third part airs on Saturday. Because in just 26 minutes, Whedon has already created characters that I’d love to see in a weekly TV series. I’m not sure exactly how it would sustain over time, but I’d love to see him try.

More screencaps follow after the link. Take special note of Moist’s t-shirt. Jersey represent!!!

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This week’s W.Y.O.S.T. subject is Brian Thompson. If you ever watched the original Terminator movie, then you’ve seen him. For a few minutes anyway. In one of the opening scenes, he and Bill Paxton play a couple of street punks who go up against a naked cyborg Arnold … and are promptly killed for their clothes. As first roles go, an actor could do far worse — although from the body of work that’s followed since that movie in 1984, one wonders how exactly Brian Thompson has avoided playing the role of a terminator himself over the years. After all, the square-jawed baritone actor has played just about every other kind of imposing bogey man you can think of — two different vampires, two different Klingons, a shape-changing Gotham City supervillain, an alien bounty hunter, an indestructible demon, and even a vengeful Greek Titan.

A child of two teachers, Thompson broke into Hollywood as a Terminator casualty, but has gone on from there to build a career as either a tough guy or an outright bad guy, mostly in sci-fi/fantasy projects. By the time the 80s were over, he had racked up more than 20 appearances in such shows as Moonlighting, Knight Rider, and Falcon Crest, as well as the classic movies Three Amigos, Miracle Mile, and Alien Nation. In 1989, he landed his first Star Trek role, playing a Klingon officer in The Next Generation, and his relationship with the franchise would persist over the years — he appeared in the Generations movie (1994), in Deep Space Nine (1993 & 1996), and even had a recurring role on Enterprise in 2005.

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