100 Favorite TV Characters and Ships in 2011
picspammy's CHALLENGE 29 YEAR-END LIST
100 Favorite TV Characters and Ships in 2011
IMAGE HEAVY. I would say it's pretty spoiler free image-wise, but I'd skip past the annotations.
I don't watch a very big variety of different TV shows, so to make up for that, I decided to picspam a stupid huge amount of characters and ships from the couple of shows I do watch. I didn't include rewatches in this list (because that would be practically endless), so every single show in this picspam is one that aired new episodes in 2011, with the one exception of Robin Hood, which ended years ago, but I only just discovered within the past few months and I just couldn't leave it out. I hope you enjoy browsing through and I would definitely recommend watching any show included in this post if you aren't already!
o5o. Supernatural has been pretty hit or miss lately, but so far it's at least had a fair share more good episodes overall than season six. Honestly, Dean hasn't been too noteworthy this season, but I just can't have a Favorite Characters list without him.
o49. It took me a while to like Tara's first three alters, but once the psycho half-brother came into the picture all the other ones seemed lovely. Shoshana I pretty much dug from the beginning, she was kind of awesome.
o48. Donna was non-stop HBIC-y until right up there at the end of the season where it's ~revealed she might have or at one point had feelings for Harvey. Fuck that all over the place. Donna and Harvey's friendship is clearly awesome, there's no need to ruin it with an unnecessarily forced romantic edge.
o47. Zoey is too cute for words. She (partly accompanied by Thor and Sam) will be the only reason I'll bother with the next season of Nurse Jackie.
o46. I love, love, love Mary. She can be kind of rude and abrasive, but she just doesn't take any shit from anyone and I think that's the best. Lately, I wish she'd be less standoffish with her mother and sister, though. I know they've fucked her over a lot in the past, but I think they've really grown as people and I want for Mary to believe and accept that so she can finally have some semblance of a nice family life. I'm definitely looking forward to her baby (I'm one of those few people who don't think a pregnancy automatically ruins a show), but I hope she kicks that ex of hers to the curb. I get that he's sort of a reliable guy now or whatever, but that kid definitely needs to be raised by Mary and Marshall.
o45. I adored Potter from the start. Despite basically being one of the villains of this season (he is trying to shut down and imprison SAMCRO, after all), I think he's just an interesting and likable guy. I have to admit, at first I thought the writing of his character was a little try-hard (Oh, look at me, I drink chocolate milk and I stand on tables, I'm so eccentric!), but he kind of won me over with how ruthlessly he went after Juice (who I do love, I swear!), manipulated Otto, and forced Roosevelt to do his bidding. I was actually kind of sad for him in the end when his investigation was taken away from him, before I realized, duh, you idiot, you don't want SAMCRO shut down. I really hope he's back for season five; I would love to delve further into his history. I sort of hope and suspect he himself was once involved in a motorcycle club back in the day. Plus, that teeny tiny scene he had with Gemma? Whatever that was, I desperately need more of it.
o44. Walter makes me sad a lot of the time. His life is just a bummer. I think he's unintentionally snarky, though, and definitely brilliant. I love how much he loves his son and as of where we are in the show right now, the fact that he doesn't remember Peter is completely tragic. All of his angst about basically destroying the other universe really breaks my heart, partly because it's obvious he's so upset and apologetic, but I don't think he'd do it differently if it meant saving Peter. Another reason it's just so fucking upsetting is that it's completely true. It really is all Walter's fault and that's so much guilt to lay on a man.
o43. Harvey is so BAMF-y. I'm a sucker for outwardly apathetic characters who secretly ~care inside. Plus, that wardrobe. Goddamn.
o42. On the occasions when Tara was just Tara, I thought she was a really cool chick. She and Max made a good couple and she was kind of an awesome mom.
o41. I love that Marshall knows a little bit about pretty much everything. I like him best on the rare occasions when he gets to be kind of tough. It doesn't happen too often, it's usually Mary all up in someone's face, but when it is Marshall, it's pretty great. Right now, I like him a lot with Abigail, it's just not possible to dislike her, but I really hope in this next and last season of In Plain Sight, he finally tells Mary straight up how he feels. He sort of did something similar in that really intense scene where he got almost angry at her, telling her that she picks men that are wrong for her, but I really, really think he needs to be significantly less subtle.
o4o. Ian makes some pretty questionable decisions (see: married thirty-something boss he's fucking), but I think he's kind of a sweetheart. And, to be honest, I'm inclined to love any canon gay character just for existing, unless he or she turns out to actually be a sucky person.
o39. I have the most inexplicable crush on Burt, man, I don't even know. As far as Raising Hope characters go, this spot could have just as easily gone to Virginia, who is equally hilarious and great, but I had to give Burt the edge here because I seriously think he's so attractive. He made his wife a cabin out of breakfast foods! I mean, come on!
o38. The Year of Penny! Penny is so funny and so cute, it's kind of no wonder she's my fav Happy Endings character.
o37. Fiona, ugh. I just fucking adore her. She is so strong and, like, I don't even know, brave, for raising these five kids basically on her own. The scene where she goes off on Monica for leaving them was kind of stunning. I never really cared for this actress before Shameless, but her portrayal of Fiona has really impressed me.
o36. Justin Ripley is the sweetest little thing. The episode where he gets abducted, though, I was so impressed with his badassery. I love that TPTB tried to shame him into quitting, but he just stuck it out. If Luther hadn't come back for him, he'd just take whatever was thrown at him with dignity and carry on. That's fucking respectable.
o35. HE'S CULTIVATING MASS!!!
o34. Awe, man, you have to love the dean. Such a sweet little guy. And okay, I'm just going to say it: In Documentary Filmmaking: Redux, when he gets all mean and angry and psychotic? In that moment, I find myself kinda hot for Dean Pelton. No shame.
o33. I have loved Lincoln from the very start. I'm actually a big fan of Seth Gabel, from Dirty Sexy Money and his creepy character on United States of Tara among other things, so when he came on screen, I was so surprised and pleased. When he became a regular, I was thrilled! I remember being so curious to see if we'd ever meet the Lincoln Lee of the first universe and being really pleased when we did. Regular!Lincoln is cute and dorky and everything, but I definitely have to give the edge to Alt!Lincoln. He's kind of just stupid hot.
o32. I love Djaq because she's just as much of a fighter as any of the other outlaws. In her first episode, when Much was telling her to declare herself Christian to be freed and she told him to deny his god himself if he thinks it's so easy, I really loved that scene between them and I was hoping she'd stick around. Unfortunately, she only stayed for the first two series' and her absence was noticeably missed in the third.
o31. This season of Psych was pretty quality, but even when I'm not super into this show, I'm always into Gus. He's kind of the best. That scene in Last Night Gus where he's sitting on the couch, drugged out of his mind, giggling in the middle of a literal gunfight? I was cackling, that was so fucking funny.
o3o. I liked Kate because I felt like I could relate to her. For a while there, she was just kinda floating through life, not really sure what she wanted to do, and that's sort of where I am right now. The fact that things worked out for her definitely gives me a faint sense of hope for myself. Not too much, though. She is fictional, after all.
o29. Of course, I love Ron Fucking Swanson, but the way he's been received sort of annoys me. Parks and Recreation is an ensemble comedy, but it's pretty obvious that at the front of that helm is the character of Leslie Knope. She's strong and smart and great at her job. She is a fantastic female character. And yet, the breakout character of the show, everyone's favorite, is Ron Swanson. Not only a male character, but arguably a representation of all it is to be stereotypically masculine. It's quite possible I'm not articulating myself especially well right now. I do love Ron, but I feel like sometimes he overshadows Leslie, which just annoys me to no end.
o28. Oh my god, Jeff's Dean Pelton imitation is probably one of the most hysterical things on TV this year. Why go Greendale? Just because! Just dean it! Dean machine! Got dean, got much, much got! Goddamn, that was fucking funny. Even besides that, I love Jeff. He's kind of a dick sometimes, but I dig it.
o27. Rusty is one of my absolute favorite depictions of strong, realistic character development. Over a four season series, he went from an uncomfortable, socially awkward boy to a guy who's really self-assured and comfortable with himself and his place in the world around him. By the time the finale of Greek aired, Rusty had climbed his way up to stake claim as my favorite character of the show. His Kappa Tau speech in that scene at the end was absolutely fantastic.
o26. First of all, I have no problem with fictional incest. I don't even have a problem with fictional incest involving Dexter, as made clear below, but this weirdo therapist trying to convince Deb she wants to bone Dexter is a thousand different levels of terrible. I don't want to see that shit even a little bit. Despite that, I was so pleased with Deb's promotion. I think she is making a really good boss. Hopefully LaGuerta doesn't fuck her over too bad. That Deb-related cliffhanger in the season finale? All I can say to that is YESMOTHERFUCKINGFINALLY. Bring me season seven!
o25. This totally counts as a character. The world is kind of monstrously depressing a lot of the time, but catching The Colbert Report four times a week definitely eases the burn.
o24. I cannot relate to Annie at all, she is basically the polar opposite of me, but I think I love her because I wouldn't mind being more similar to her in certain aspects. I like that she's mostly sweet and really focused, but to be honest, she can get a little tiring on occasion. Despite them being my original Community ship, I'm pretty much over her and Jeff. I think she's too great to be bogged down with a plot as dull as that romance.
o23. Gemma should be higher on this list, but she kind of confused me to no end this season. She was less her usual HBIC self in favor of protecting Clay. Even after he beat her down, she demanded Unser basically save Clay from Opie. Maybe she had her reasons, possibly it was that she thought Jax needed to be the one to pull the trigger, but mostly it just came off as her still protecting Clay. I get that she loves him and everything, but if there's any woman who I would think had the capability to put common sense and logic and just self-preservation over ~love, I would think it'd be Gemma.
o22. Lip is definitely my favorite Gallagher. He's kind of uglyhot, but it really works for him. I love that he's this crazy genius, too. The whole thing with Karen was so tragic and I think he could probably do better, but I still want them to work out just for how much Lip really wants them to work out.
o21. Marshall was really lovely. He wasn't one of the more stereotypical gay characters, which I obviously consider a positive. For a short moment here and there, it almost felt like maybe he didn't fit in in this family of crazy people (figuratively and literally), but then he'd do something like light the shed on fire and watch it burn and you'd be like, Oh, right.
o2o. Occasionally I have some issues with Troy (that made up story in acting class, how could anyone think that was a good idea), but overall I love him to pieces. I really enjoy watching Troy slowly make his way into a heavier leadership position in the group.
o19. Laurie is the greatest. She's such a cute, fun, hilarious member of the gang, she's definitely my favorite. It helps that I'm a big Busy Philipps fan, which is kind of weird, because I really don't think I've even seen her in too many things.
o18. Steve McGarrett is the only reason I started watching Hawaii Five-0. I was hanging out with my mom after work one night and she had it on and she just started waxing poetic over how ~beautiful McGarrett is. It made me laugh so hard, but I promised I'd check it out anyway. Turns out, my mother was totally right. Steve is kind too insanely hot for words. The whole ninja Navy Seal thing also totally works for me.
o17. Man, Tara got really dark this season. It was obviously unavoidable though. This is the man she's chosen to have children with and the life she's chosen to go along with and she really needed to toughen up in order to deal with it. She went kind of alarmingly crazy towards the end, but I really dug it. I've always liked Tara well enough, but I think the evolution of her character this season has definitely made her one of my favorites. She was kind of bringing to the table what Gemma had been lacking lately, tbh.
o16. Robin had a tendency to really annoy me on occasion, but I don't know. He had this kind of fierce righteousness that I found so attractive. He was always wearing these tight pants and hoodies and shit, it was like he bought his wardrobe at the local Sherwood Forest Hot Topic. It was so hilarious and ridiculous, but I really enjoyed it.
o15. As great a job as the actress who played girl!Curtis was (and she was, really, she got his mannerisms down), Curtis' power this series was boring as shit. He needs a new one ASAP. On a more shallow note, it felt like Curtis wore more tanks this series than usual. I, obviously, heartily approve. He is so hot, man.
o14. I adored Alice. I love that Luther is this fantastic detective, but even he couldn't prove how she ruthlessly murdered her parents. Smart women are the absolute best. I really, really hope we haven't seen the last of her.
o13. Oh, Juicey. This kid had a rough season. He made some seriously fucked up decisions, but the fact that he's so broken hearted over them makes me hope that now that things seem to be in the rear view mirror for him, they don't come back and fuck his life up again. I know technically he's a rat, or whatever, and he deserves what comes to him, but I just love Juice too much to want anything like that for him.
o12. Olivia is the fiercest chick ever. She was amazing in season three, realizing she's in the wrong universe and getting back. I think they played the way she reacted to Fauxlivia so genuine and heartbreaking. The scene she has in her apartment when she finds laundry that she didn't do and breaks down just about destroyed me. Anna Torv just fucking killed it.
o11. I have loved Shaun and his can't-find-a-fuck-to-give attitude since his first appearance. While it was quite difficult learning he would totally be a Nazi if given the opportunity, I was still devastated to see him go. I really loved that they actually gave him a final moment, though, instead of immediate death like all the other probation workers. If any of them deserved one, it was definitely Shaun.
o1o. I was initially skeptical of Nathan's replacement, but Rudy (and Other Rudy) won me over almost immediately. I'm sure it helps that while I loved Nathan in series one, I found him positively grating in series two. I was happy to see him go. An ohnotheydidnt comment I read once put it best: Rudy has depth, while Nathan was just noise.
oo9. Will was my first introduction to the beautiful and talented Harry Lloyd. There's probably no real reason Will should be my favorite outlaw, he was rarely particularly focused on, but whenever he was, I was just desperately in love with him. I love that his preferred weapon is, like, two hatchets, and I love how skilled he is with building ridiculous things. My favorite episode for Will was probably the one where he was insistent on killing the sheriff. He was so bent on revenge, but when it came down to it, he really was too good of a person to go through with it, even though the sheriff obviously deserved it.
oo8. Justin's quote about Luther really sums up why I love John so much: "There’s also a difference between getting your hands dirty and being dirty." That's exactly Luther in a nutshell. He'll do what he has to do, with no real regard for silly things like rules and laws and morals, but his end game is always doing what's right.
oo7. I was very lukewarm towards Britta at first, but as she became more comfortable with herself in the confines of the study group and stopped trying so hard to be the coolest I realized, oh hey, I actually fucking love Britta Perry. I know a lot of people are sick of Britta being the sort of punching bag of the group, but I still love it. It doesn't bother me as a Britta fan because it's already been established that despite whatever snippy (yet hilarious) dig gets thrown at her, her friends in the group really do love her and it's never coming from a place of sincere maliciousness.
oo6. The Human Disaster is kind of anything but. I'm a huge Adam Scott fan, so him becoming a series regular on my favorite currently airing comedy* was the best surprise. He completely knocks it out of the park. He's sweet and goofy, but he can be kind of severe, too, which I think is great. I love his journey from pushing back against his Pawnee co-workers, not really believing they sincerely want to befriend him, to being roommates with Andy and April and Treat Yo Self-ing with Donna and Tom. Not to mention his relationship with Leslie, obviously. I'm hoping 2012 brings us more Ron and Ben interactions, though. Remember in his first real scene? Ron's What's a non-gay way of asking him to go camping with me? I mean, we know now Ben doesn't camp and he's probably softened too much for Ron to be as keen on him as before, but still! They should have moments!!
*tied with Community
oo5. I loved Kelly's whole thing with Seth this series. I love that when he basically dumped her, she was pissed, but not psycho about it. She just went about her day, killing zombies and shit. She is seriously so fucking cool. As for her power this season, I like that she likes it, but it doesn't really seem to be all that useful. I'm definitely hoping for a new one for her next year. I know with the loss of Nathan, Alisha, and Simon a lot of people are ~swearing off Misfits, but Kelly has been my favorite of them all since series one and as long as she's sticking around, I'm still in.
oo4. Lady Marian was the absolute best Robin Hood character ever. She took it upon herself to save the people of Nottingham when she could and she didn't need Robin to do it. I never, ever shipped her with Guy, but I liked how manipulative she could be towards him. In the end, she and Robin didn't have nearly enough time together, but I like to believe they'd have eternity in Heaven or wherever they went off to.
oo3. Dee, like the rest of the gang, is a really shitty person, but I still love her so much. She's definitely the funniest on the show, but I think she gets overlooked an awful lot, which is a serious shame.
oo2. I can't even pretend to be as film and television savvy as Abed, but he still makes me feel less lame over the considerable amount of things that I do manage to watch. Sometimes he can really break my heart, but he's still the (cool. cool, cool,) coolest male character on TV right now.
oo1. Leslie Knope is sheer perfection. She's funny and sweet and amazing at her job. She'll do anything she can for any one of her friends and co-workers without them even having to ask, but she's so shocked and grateful when they try to return the favor. She's kind to people while having no agenda and she expects nothing out of them in return. She's just nice to be nice and I think that's one of the greatest personality traits. I like that she's not really ~unlucky in love like so many other female leads. It wouldn't make any sense to give her shitty boyfriends because a person as beautiful inside and out as Leslie just doesn't deserve anything less than wonderful in a partner. I really think she and Ben are meant to be, but I understood why she picked her job over her relationship. Now, though, even while she and Ben are officially a couple, I think her campaign will be just fine. If there's any character who makes it feel possible to ~have it all, it's definitely Leslie Knope.
o25. Michael and Pam have always been very sweet. I loved how proud and happy for him she was when he decided to propose to Holly. The fact that she was the only one to say goodbye to him at the airport and the scene they had there was lovely.
o24. There's kind of nothing I love more than a really close and strong child/parent relationship. Max is so supportive of Marshall and just a really good dad and I think that's awesome.
o23. To be honest, sometimes I think Shawn is a little too selfish to deserve a beffie as awesome as Gus, but I still love the two of them together despite that. I'm kind of a sucker for lifelong friendships and even if new!bb!Shawn is pretty questionable, I absolutely adore the little flashbacks at the beginning of the episodes.
o22. Jessica makes it clear that she's Harvey's superior, as it should be, but the occasions where they're just friends really make me happy.
o21. I always wanted Guy to turn on the Sheriff and show just the smallest hint of decency, but when it finally happened I realized just how much I loved the two of them together as an evil, power hungry team.
o2o. I'm a real sucker for close sibling relationships. Kate could often be really caught up in her own stuff, but I think when Marshall needed an older sister to be there for him, she managed to step up.
o19. Every once in a while I found myself shipping these two a bit less platonically, but mostly I'm just in love with their mentor/mentoree relationship. In the final episode, Rusty really ended up proving to Cappie that he could handle the house and it was kind of brilliant. Cappie definitely passed the torch to Rusty and the shift from Big Brother/Little Brother to equals was great.
o18. Granted, they've barely had any moments all together outside of Treat Yo Self day, but man, that was more than enough. I love how Ben bummed Donna out so hard that she made Tom let Ben join them. Then the way the two of them comforted him when he was crying in his batman costume was kind of perfect.
o17. I really wish these two would pair up more often. They're always so ridiculous and fun together.
o16. Kicking ass, saving lives, taking out bad guys, etc. etc. Unlike what seems to be the general majority of internet-dwelling 5-0 fans, I actually quite like Lori. I'll be happy for her to stay up until they inevitably try and make her a love interest for Steve. I've got no patience for that (Steve/Danno all the way!). Please don't let my chosen screencaps fool you, though; I absolutely do not consider Joe White to be a member of the team. That fellow is shady as all hell.
o15. This really could have been The Entire Cast of Raising Hope, but I thought I'd narrow it down a little bit. Probably one of my favorite things about the Chases is how much fun they have. Like, they don't have the money to go out and actually do too much stuff, but they're always playing weird hoola hoop games in the back yard or enjoying, like, hours of fun with just a balloon. It's too cute. I love how well Sabrina has fit in with all of them as well, even though this Will They/Won't They with Jimmy is pretty boring. Just break up with that dude and become a Chase already, lady.
o14. Okay, these three need to stay roommates forever. I don't even know why I love them so much, but with Ben teaching them to be adults, and Andy's insistence that Ben let his feelings out, and April's annoyance with all the Sadness Baths, I just cannot with the three of them. They're such an unlikely grouping that totally work.
o13. How freaking cool is this?! I'm a big fan of both of these shows, so when this started happening, I was so pleased. The fact that they finally took it so far as to have characters on each other's shows was just too good. It's absolutely ridiculous that the future of both of these quality shows is up in the air, but I'm very much hoping they both get back on the regular schedule and they can keep this showmance* going.
*This word obviously doesn't mean what I want it to mean, but in this instance, these two things have an extremely literal showmance, so whatever, I'm using it.
o12. All of their scenes in the beginning of the series killed me, almost to the point that I was half-heartedly shipping the two of them romantically. As the show progressed, though, I felt like Robin wasn't regarding Much as one would a brother in arms and that really bothered me. The fact that Much called Robin out on his treatment of him on more than one occasion really was great, though. I think they were great beffies, but sometimes Robin needed reminding how lucky he was to have a friend as great as Much.
o11. Chin really dropped the ball with Kono in the beginning of season two, but I did love that scene where he finally went around to her and told her that no matter what, he was with her all the way. The two of them are really up there with Steve and Danny for my reasons to watch this show. Although, you know, for totally different reasons.
o1o. This is obviously kind of a cop-out, but on this whole list I seriously had Donna/Jean-Ralphio, Tom and Jean-Ralphio, Ron and Jean-Ralphio, Leslie and Jean-Ralphio, Ben and Tom and Jean-Ralphio. I realized it'd probably just be easier to sum it up like this. Basically, I fucking love Jean-Ralphio and every single scene he's in with any other P&R character is off the charts hilarious.
oo9. Again with the sibling relationships. I really love this one. I like that they're kind of obviously each other's best friends. Lip is the only one Ian confided in about Kash and Mickey and Lip confessed to Ian that he might have kind of been falling in love with Karen. They're just unhesitatingly there for each other and that's the best.
oo8. They could not be more perfect. Justin's unwavering loyalty to Luther is possibly my very favorite thing about him. Luther's insistance on paying that back by rescuing Justin from the shitty jobs his superiors were forcing on him was the best. The part where Justin gets abducted and Luther doesn't play into the kidnappers hands, basically ignoring him even, were so rough, but you couldn't help admiring the sheer level of faith Luther had in Justin to take care of himself. The way he believed that truly and then Justin just went and proved him right was wonderful and the huge, relieved hug Luther throws on him when they're reunited was so precious.
oo7. April and Ron are too perfect. She really is like the angry, misanthropic daughter he never had.
oo6. I don't know, what can I even say here? Abed and Troy are two of television's greatest best friends. Originally in the show, Abed was the kind of pop culture nerd and Troy was the former football star and you wouldn't expect the two of them to click so easily, but they completely do. It's great how much genuine fun they have with each other.
oo5. The study group can get really dark. Sometimes it feels like they focus more on how dysfunctional they all are together than how much they really do love each other. Despite that, they're high on this list because even when they're awful, they're fun and hilarious and Community is definitely one of my favorite shows of all time.
oo4. Juice's drama throughout this season was so sad, but out of it came the realization of just how close these two are. The two of them have been my favorite sons since the beginning (tied with Happy), but I'd never really noticed the two of them together before. Chibs' outrage at Juice's suicide attempt and the way he let both Jax and Clay know of his worry for Juice was very sweet. Things seem to have worked out well for Juice in the end, but I would hope if everything he did ever comes back to blow up in his face, Chibs will still be there for him (though I suspect he probably wouldn't be).
oo3. YESSSS, THESE TWO. It's like Rudy has just decided that Curtis is going to be his best friend from now and Curtis is so annoyed, but not enough to really bother going against him. When Rudy was screeching for Curtis to come to the ice cream truck with him, Curtis was just kind of like, Fuck, why me. ...alright I'm coming. It was the best. The fact that these two are staying (and HBIC Kelly) make Alisha and Simon's departure barely an issue for me.
oo2. Annie moving in with Troy and Abed is probably the best thing Community has ever given me, for real. I love these three together so, so much. Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism is definitely one of my favorite episodes of this show and it's totally all to do with the Abed/Annie/Troy storyline. Troy's desperate, "You moving in here was supposed to tone us down!" was so funny, but I also loved how true it was. Of course you'd never expect Annie to go along with batman!Abed, but there she is, like, oh, yeah, let's just climb through the fire escape and break into our landlord's apartment. That's a good plan. I hope these three have plenty of scenes together in the future. Assuming, you know, Community has a future.
oo1. Leslie seems to be the only person that can really pull some sweetness out of Ron and I love that. The two of them are complete opposites, but I think that's just what really makes their relationship work. Plus, the scene where Ron confronts Leslie about Ben and she's like, "How do I know YOU'RE not the one sleeping with him?!" etc. etc. had me in fits. All their scenes together are the best.
o25. I actually shipped these two for the longest time, but it was so cracky, I never expected them to actually happen. Honestly, the way they did get together felt kind of shoe-horned in there, a happy ending just for the sake of a happy ending, but I love Ash and I super love Rusty, so I'll take it.
o24. Dude, the treatment of Castiel in season seven has been some serious bullshit. I don't mind that he's gone (even though it has seriously diminished my interest in a show that had already taken a severe dip in quality even before that), but the fact that we couldn't even get a real final moment with him was so beyond fucked up. I comfort myself with the fact that at least the last thing going on in Castiel's mind before his vessel is taken over is that he has to make up for everything he's done to Dean. Even in his last moments, Dean was, as usual, the most important thing to Cas.
o23. Harvey and Mike sort of remind me how depressing the state of television is right now. They're one of my ships that feel like it's almost not even subtext, like they could honestly, sincerely happen, but then you remember that even though it has the potential to be written completely plausibly, there's just no way any of TPTB are going to let the two male leads on this show fall in love with each other. It's just not going to happen, which fucking sucks because these two make it seem like a real possibility, not just something you'd have to delve into fic for.
o22. Cappie and Casey's whole problem was that Cappie was too immature and carefree and Casey was too focused and worried about the future. I love that in the finale, they sort of compromised for each other. Cappie left the KT house, ready to start his life as an adult, while Casey was excited to go straight on with no real plan, but determined to make it work.
o21. I know basically everyone on the planet hates them now for being ~smug and ~ruining the show, but what the fuck ever, man. I still love them and I'm happy they're so happy together.
o2o. These two are definitely one of the best things about Happy Endings, if not the very best.
o19. I don't think Lionel was Marshall's soul mate or anything like that, but I do think Lionel and their relationship were so important to him. It was kind of completely tragic what happened to Lionel. I could have seen the two of them getting back together somewhere down the line.
o18. I'm so conflicted here. Television does not have enough totally platonic male/female best friends, but the fact that Marshall is clearly in love with his partner fills me with nothing but glee. There is only one season of IPS left and if they don't end Marshall and Mary on, at least, an optimistically positive note, I'll be crushed.
o17. I sort of think Brian might have been legit sexually into Dexter. He was fucked up enough for it, that's for sure. It seemed like, in season one, he was so crazy jealous of Deb having a sibling relationship with Dexter while at the same time using her as a substitute, like she was as close to Dexter as he was ever going to get. I was so pleased when he came back for the season six episode. He was obviously leading Dexter down a dangerous path and Dexter getting rid of him for good was for the best, but it was still pretty disappointing.
o16. It was obviously really, really, really fucked up that Allan took Guy up on his offer, but honestly, I wasn't even that mad about it because I didn't realize how much I wanted these two to interact with each other until it happened. The thing of it is, Guy is pretty gorgeous, but he's so unrepentantly power hungry and straight up evil that I can't even appreciate his looks all that much. When he was working with Allan though, it's like my severe want of a good slashy couple in the show overrode any of my this-character-is-a-bad-guy!! (no pun) instincts and I was just like, ugh, yes, hatesex it up already, you two.
o15. Kevin and Veronica are such a good looking couple. She is legit stunning and who knew the goofy moron from Reba would get so smoking hot? (Although, as I type this, I'm watching the season two premier and Kev is looking a little Federline-esque. Not working for me. As far as 2011 eps, though, Kevin was fine.) They're obviously the beta couple to Fiona and Steve and maybe even to Ian/his guys, Lip/Karen, which hopefully means they'll be solid forever to balance out everyone else's drama. They definitely deserve it.
o14. Originally, April's super obvious crush on Andy was so, so cute, but I was glad she turned him down when she had the impression he was still into Ann. That kiss between Ann and Andy was so lame, but at least in trying to make it up to her, Andy really proved it was April he wanted, no one else. Their wedding episode was one of the best things about the completely flawless third season. I feel like they're going to really make it almost because they rushed into everything. I really just can't see them breaking up and I'd never want them to.
o25. You know, I wasn't actually shipping the two of them until, like, the scene they had where they confessed their feelings for each other. I kind of got the impression Djaq was into Allan, tbqh. But I love Djaq and Will is my absolute favorite of the outlaws, so I was so happy to see them together and in love. It sucks that they both left at the end of series two (obviously one of the key reasons series three sucked so hard), but I love the thought of them together and happy and hopefully safe in the Holy Land.
o12. Burt and Virginia are just too cute together. I'm a real sucker for sweet, perfect-for-each-other married couples.
o11. I have mixed feelings on Fauxlivia. On the one hand, she's fucking evil as shit, but on the other, she's kind of just doing her job, right? Everything she does is for the greater good of her universe, so, I don't know. As far as alt!Lincoln and Fauxlivia go, I'm pretty sure I shipped them fairly early on. The scene where she gives birth in his arms was the best, but I don't think they ever had any real fallout. Like, were they just disregarding anything said as heat of the moment stuff? I need for them to get together, for real.
o1o. There's really no reason to ship these two, they barely ever even have any scenes together, but I just completely do. I think they'd just be hot and badass and awesome together. If the whole Seth situation ends up not working out, I'd love for them to explore this pairing.
oo9. I remember back when I didn't even ship them. It was obvious that's where the show was going, but I was very meh about it. That's definitely changed now. I seriously need Olivia to start remembering Peter because this whole everyone-including-Peter-himself-thinking-he-belongs-in-a-different-universe thing is kind of crushing my spirit.
o08. The first two episodes of Robin Hood lured me into thinking Much/Robin was going to be my OTP. A bit further in, though, made it pretty clear that there was just not going to be any ship more MFEO than Robin/Marian. I will never get over their two semi-weddings, endless tears forever, and when she comes for him in the series' very last episode, ugh. That was just straight up beautiful.
oo7. All Jax has been doing this season is insisting that he's going to get out of the club and he and Tara are going to take the boys somewhere far away, safe and happy. It's pretty obvious that he's trying to convince himself of that as much as he's trying to convince Tara. I got the impression that Tara just wasn't taking him seriously, too cautious to get her hopes up, until the end which was, of course, when Jax realizes he can't leave his club in this condition. I think it's so sad. I obviously don't want Jax and Tara to skip off to Oregon or whatever because they're two of my favs on the show, but for the sake of the characters, I really want a safe, normal life for them. I'm looking forward to seeing how they play out next season, though, especially with the reintroduction of Abel's biological mother.
oo6. Ian could probably do better, but I like to think Mickey has some real, legit feelings for Ian, even if he'd rather cut out his own heart with a rusty, jagged knife than admit it. POSSIBLE SPOILER: I think I read somewhere that Aaron Echolls might be a love interest for Ian this season. That is clearly the best idea anyone has ever had ever. I seriously need some jealous Mickey over here. Plus, always a fan of a significant age difference. /daddy issues
oo5. I'm gonna be real with you, I sincerely believe that Steve is a little bit in love with Danny in canon. Like, I just really, truly think that's legit. I don't think they'll get together or anything like that, obviously, but I feel like there's some serious unrequited love going on with these two. On Steve's end, at least. I think Danny is completely straight, while Steve seems like he would have a bit more wiggle room in that area. Even without that, though, the two of them are so Old Married Couple, I just can't not ship them. H5-0 is a fine enough show, but I'm not usually one for procedural dramas or whatever and Steve/Danno are honestly the only thing that's keeping me watching. There's a lot of things about it that are enjoyable, but I see them as more of a bonus. The gay married cops are what's holding my interest. As soon as they phase them out, which they seem to be doing a little bit of this season, I'll be done with it.
oo4. I'm not sure if I ship Annie and Abed all the time, or only when Abed is in some character or another. I originally thought it was just when Abed was playing at being someone else, but I've come to realize I would be completely alright with Annie and regular!Abed together. I think the reality of their flirting when he's acting is extremely hot, while the idea of them dating as themselves is unbearably sweet. I would sincerely love to see it happen.
oo3. For a few episodes, I just shipped these two platonically; a gruff, brilliant detective being reluctant best friends with the sociopathic murderer he couldn't bring to justice. In the scene where they're on the bridge and the scene ends with him saying, "One coffee doesn't make us friends," and the two of them walking off together, I just lost my shit, it was SO FUCKING CUTE. But I think I started shipping them romantically when Luther realized Alice was literally the only person he could go to when being framed for murder and she was not only unhesitatingly on board, but practically giddy that he would come to her. Plus, you know, look at them. That is one attractive couple. I'm devastated that she took off, but I'm hoping she'll come back soon, even though I realize plot-wise, it probably isn't possible.
oo2. I was so, so into these two throughout the entire series this year, but I had some serious problems with Seth's decision to bring back is dead junkie girlfriend. I'm choosing to optimistically believe what he said to Kelly at the end of that episode. At the very least, hopefully he'll have plenty of opportunities in series four to prove himself worthy of a chick as awesome as her.
o01. How are these two even so dorky and perfect and beautiful? Watching their feelings build up through season three and the two of them finally coming together at the end of Road Trip was so satisfying. Even in the beginning of season four, Ben was so sweet breaking up with her, for her, so she could start her campaign. The way they played the aftermath, with Ben not being able to handle even being friends with Leslie and Leslie responding to that with unintended selfishness was all sorts of heartbreaking. The speech she makes in Smallest Park about how she is no longer going to 'bulldoze' over people felt like some serious character growth and I just about started to tear up when she breaks down a little and tells Ben she misses being with him too much to care about the consequences. I think it's a real shame that Ben had to resign in disgrace, but the fact that he did that for her, ugh, I just can't. Too sweet and epic and soul mate-ish. Ben and Leslie are legit the best.
So, to sum up, Leslie Knope basically dominated my heart this year. And I have way too much time on my hands. I hope you enjoyed browsing through!
credits//notes:
-Font: Futura BdCn BT, Georgia
-Screencaps all taken and colored by me.
100 Favorite TV Characters and Ships in 2011
IMAGE HEAVY. I would say it's pretty spoiler free image-wise, but I'd skip past the annotations.
I don't watch a very big variety of different TV shows, so to make up for that, I decided to picspam a stupid huge amount of characters and ships from the couple of shows I do watch. I didn't include rewatches in this list (because that would be practically endless), so every single show in this picspam is one that aired new episodes in 2011, with the one exception of Robin Hood, which ended years ago, but I only just discovered within the past few months and I just couldn't leave it out. I hope you enjoy browsing through and I would definitely recommend watching any show included in this post if you aren't already!
o5o. Supernatural has been pretty hit or miss lately, but so far it's at least had a fair share more good episodes overall than season six. Honestly, Dean hasn't been too noteworthy this season, but I just can't have a Favorite Characters list without him.
o49. It took me a while to like Tara's first three alters, but once the psycho half-brother came into the picture all the other ones seemed lovely. Shoshana I pretty much dug from the beginning, she was kind of awesome.
o48. Donna was non-stop HBIC-y until right up there at the end of the season where it's ~revealed she might have or at one point had feelings for Harvey. Fuck that all over the place. Donna and Harvey's friendship is clearly awesome, there's no need to ruin it with an unnecessarily forced romantic edge.
o47. Zoey is too cute for words. She (partly accompanied by Thor and Sam) will be the only reason I'll bother with the next season of Nurse Jackie.
o46. I love, love, love Mary. She can be kind of rude and abrasive, but she just doesn't take any shit from anyone and I think that's the best. Lately, I wish she'd be less standoffish with her mother and sister, though. I know they've fucked her over a lot in the past, but I think they've really grown as people and I want for Mary to believe and accept that so she can finally have some semblance of a nice family life. I'm definitely looking forward to her baby (I'm one of those few people who don't think a pregnancy automatically ruins a show), but I hope she kicks that ex of hers to the curb. I get that he's sort of a reliable guy now or whatever, but that kid definitely needs to be raised by Mary and Marshall.
o45. I adored Potter from the start. Despite basically being one of the villains of this season (he is trying to shut down and imprison SAMCRO, after all), I think he's just an interesting and likable guy. I have to admit, at first I thought the writing of his character was a little try-hard (Oh, look at me, I drink chocolate milk and I stand on tables, I'm so eccentric!), but he kind of won me over with how ruthlessly he went after Juice (who I do love, I swear!), manipulated Otto, and forced Roosevelt to do his bidding. I was actually kind of sad for him in the end when his investigation was taken away from him, before I realized, duh, you idiot, you don't want SAMCRO shut down. I really hope he's back for season five; I would love to delve further into his history. I sort of hope and suspect he himself was once involved in a motorcycle club back in the day. Plus, that teeny tiny scene he had with Gemma? Whatever that was, I desperately need more of it.
o44. Walter makes me sad a lot of the time. His life is just a bummer. I think he's unintentionally snarky, though, and definitely brilliant. I love how much he loves his son and as of where we are in the show right now, the fact that he doesn't remember Peter is completely tragic. All of his angst about basically destroying the other universe really breaks my heart, partly because it's obvious he's so upset and apologetic, but I don't think he'd do it differently if it meant saving Peter. Another reason it's just so fucking upsetting is that it's completely true. It really is all Walter's fault and that's so much guilt to lay on a man.
o43. Harvey is so BAMF-y. I'm a sucker for outwardly apathetic characters who secretly ~care inside. Plus, that wardrobe. Goddamn.
o42. On the occasions when Tara was just Tara, I thought she was a really cool chick. She and Max made a good couple and she was kind of an awesome mom.
o41. I love that Marshall knows a little bit about pretty much everything. I like him best on the rare occasions when he gets to be kind of tough. It doesn't happen too often, it's usually Mary all up in someone's face, but when it is Marshall, it's pretty great. Right now, I like him a lot with Abigail, it's just not possible to dislike her, but I really hope in this next and last season of In Plain Sight, he finally tells Mary straight up how he feels. He sort of did something similar in that really intense scene where he got almost angry at her, telling her that she picks men that are wrong for her, but I really, really think he needs to be significantly less subtle.
o4o. Ian makes some pretty questionable decisions (see: married thirty-something boss he's fucking), but I think he's kind of a sweetheart. And, to be honest, I'm inclined to love any canon gay character just for existing, unless he or she turns out to actually be a sucky person.
o39. I have the most inexplicable crush on Burt, man, I don't even know. As far as Raising Hope characters go, this spot could have just as easily gone to Virginia, who is equally hilarious and great, but I had to give Burt the edge here because I seriously think he's so attractive. He made his wife a cabin out of breakfast foods! I mean, come on!
o38. The Year of Penny! Penny is so funny and so cute, it's kind of no wonder she's my fav Happy Endings character.
o37. Fiona, ugh. I just fucking adore her. She is so strong and, like, I don't even know, brave, for raising these five kids basically on her own. The scene where she goes off on Monica for leaving them was kind of stunning. I never really cared for this actress before Shameless, but her portrayal of Fiona has really impressed me.
o36. Justin Ripley is the sweetest little thing. The episode where he gets abducted, though, I was so impressed with his badassery. I love that TPTB tried to shame him into quitting, but he just stuck it out. If Luther hadn't come back for him, he'd just take whatever was thrown at him with dignity and carry on. That's fucking respectable.
o35. HE'S CULTIVATING MASS!!!
o34. Awe, man, you have to love the dean. Such a sweet little guy. And okay, I'm just going to say it: In Documentary Filmmaking: Redux, when he gets all mean and angry and psychotic? In that moment, I find myself kinda hot for Dean Pelton. No shame.
o33. I have loved Lincoln from the very start. I'm actually a big fan of Seth Gabel, from Dirty Sexy Money and his creepy character on United States of Tara among other things, so when he came on screen, I was so surprised and pleased. When he became a regular, I was thrilled! I remember being so curious to see if we'd ever meet the Lincoln Lee of the first universe and being really pleased when we did. Regular!Lincoln is cute and dorky and everything, but I definitely have to give the edge to Alt!Lincoln. He's kind of just stupid hot.
o32. I love Djaq because she's just as much of a fighter as any of the other outlaws. In her first episode, when Much was telling her to declare herself Christian to be freed and she told him to deny his god himself if he thinks it's so easy, I really loved that scene between them and I was hoping she'd stick around. Unfortunately, she only stayed for the first two series' and her absence was noticeably missed in the third.
o31. This season of Psych was pretty quality, but even when I'm not super into this show, I'm always into Gus. He's kind of the best. That scene in Last Night Gus where he's sitting on the couch, drugged out of his mind, giggling in the middle of a literal gunfight? I was cackling, that was so fucking funny.
o3o. I liked Kate because I felt like I could relate to her. For a while there, she was just kinda floating through life, not really sure what she wanted to do, and that's sort of where I am right now. The fact that things worked out for her definitely gives me a faint sense of hope for myself. Not too much, though. She is fictional, after all.
o29. Of course, I love Ron Fucking Swanson, but the way he's been received sort of annoys me. Parks and Recreation is an ensemble comedy, but it's pretty obvious that at the front of that helm is the character of Leslie Knope. She's strong and smart and great at her job. She is a fantastic female character. And yet, the breakout character of the show, everyone's favorite, is Ron Swanson. Not only a male character, but arguably a representation of all it is to be stereotypically masculine. It's quite possible I'm not articulating myself especially well right now. I do love Ron, but I feel like sometimes he overshadows Leslie, which just annoys me to no end.
o28. Oh my god, Jeff's Dean Pelton imitation is probably one of the most hysterical things on TV this year. Why go Greendale? Just because! Just dean it! Dean machine! Got dean, got much, much got! Goddamn, that was fucking funny. Even besides that, I love Jeff. He's kind of a dick sometimes, but I dig it.
o27. Rusty is one of my absolute favorite depictions of strong, realistic character development. Over a four season series, he went from an uncomfortable, socially awkward boy to a guy who's really self-assured and comfortable with himself and his place in the world around him. By the time the finale of Greek aired, Rusty had climbed his way up to stake claim as my favorite character of the show. His Kappa Tau speech in that scene at the end was absolutely fantastic.
o26. First of all, I have no problem with fictional incest. I don't even have a problem with fictional incest involving Dexter, as made clear below, but this weirdo therapist trying to convince Deb she wants to bone Dexter is a thousand different levels of terrible. I don't want to see that shit even a little bit. Despite that, I was so pleased with Deb's promotion. I think she is making a really good boss. Hopefully LaGuerta doesn't fuck her over too bad. That Deb-related cliffhanger in the season finale? All I can say to that is YESMOTHERFUCKINGFINALLY. Bring me season seven!
o25. This totally counts as a character. The world is kind of monstrously depressing a lot of the time, but catching The Colbert Report four times a week definitely eases the burn.
o24. I cannot relate to Annie at all, she is basically the polar opposite of me, but I think I love her because I wouldn't mind being more similar to her in certain aspects. I like that she's mostly sweet and really focused, but to be honest, she can get a little tiring on occasion. Despite them being my original Community ship, I'm pretty much over her and Jeff. I think she's too great to be bogged down with a plot as dull as that romance.
o23. Gemma should be higher on this list, but she kind of confused me to no end this season. She was less her usual HBIC self in favor of protecting Clay. Even after he beat her down, she demanded Unser basically save Clay from Opie. Maybe she had her reasons, possibly it was that she thought Jax needed to be the one to pull the trigger, but mostly it just came off as her still protecting Clay. I get that she loves him and everything, but if there's any woman who I would think had the capability to put common sense and logic and just self-preservation over ~love, I would think it'd be Gemma.
o22. Lip is definitely my favorite Gallagher. He's kind of uglyhot, but it really works for him. I love that he's this crazy genius, too. The whole thing with Karen was so tragic and I think he could probably do better, but I still want them to work out just for how much Lip really wants them to work out.
o21. Marshall was really lovely. He wasn't one of the more stereotypical gay characters, which I obviously consider a positive. For a short moment here and there, it almost felt like maybe he didn't fit in in this family of crazy people (figuratively and literally), but then he'd do something like light the shed on fire and watch it burn and you'd be like, Oh, right.
o2o. Occasionally I have some issues with Troy (that made up story in acting class, how could anyone think that was a good idea), but overall I love him to pieces. I really enjoy watching Troy slowly make his way into a heavier leadership position in the group.
o19. Laurie is the greatest. She's such a cute, fun, hilarious member of the gang, she's definitely my favorite. It helps that I'm a big Busy Philipps fan, which is kind of weird, because I really don't think I've even seen her in too many things.
o18. Steve McGarrett is the only reason I started watching Hawaii Five-0. I was hanging out with my mom after work one night and she had it on and she just started waxing poetic over how ~beautiful McGarrett is. It made me laugh so hard, but I promised I'd check it out anyway. Turns out, my mother was totally right. Steve is kind too insanely hot for words. The whole ninja Navy Seal thing also totally works for me.
o17. Man, Tara got really dark this season. It was obviously unavoidable though. This is the man she's chosen to have children with and the life she's chosen to go along with and she really needed to toughen up in order to deal with it. She went kind of alarmingly crazy towards the end, but I really dug it. I've always liked Tara well enough, but I think the evolution of her character this season has definitely made her one of my favorites. She was kind of bringing to the table what Gemma had been lacking lately, tbh.
o16. Robin had a tendency to really annoy me on occasion, but I don't know. He had this kind of fierce righteousness that I found so attractive. He was always wearing these tight pants and hoodies and shit, it was like he bought his wardrobe at the local Sherwood Forest Hot Topic. It was so hilarious and ridiculous, but I really enjoyed it.
o15. As great a job as the actress who played girl!Curtis was (and she was, really, she got his mannerisms down), Curtis' power this series was boring as shit. He needs a new one ASAP. On a more shallow note, it felt like Curtis wore more tanks this series than usual. I, obviously, heartily approve. He is so hot, man.
o14. I adored Alice. I love that Luther is this fantastic detective, but even he couldn't prove how she ruthlessly murdered her parents. Smart women are the absolute best. I really, really hope we haven't seen the last of her.
o13. Oh, Juicey. This kid had a rough season. He made some seriously fucked up decisions, but the fact that he's so broken hearted over them makes me hope that now that things seem to be in the rear view mirror for him, they don't come back and fuck his life up again. I know technically he's a rat, or whatever, and he deserves what comes to him, but I just love Juice too much to want anything like that for him.
o12. Olivia is the fiercest chick ever. She was amazing in season three, realizing she's in the wrong universe and getting back. I think they played the way she reacted to Fauxlivia so genuine and heartbreaking. The scene she has in her apartment when she finds laundry that she didn't do and breaks down just about destroyed me. Anna Torv just fucking killed it.
o11. I have loved Shaun and his can't-find-a-fuck-to-give attitude since his first appearance. While it was quite difficult learning he would totally be a Nazi if given the opportunity, I was still devastated to see him go. I really loved that they actually gave him a final moment, though, instead of immediate death like all the other probation workers. If any of them deserved one, it was definitely Shaun.
o1o. I was initially skeptical of Nathan's replacement, but Rudy (and Other Rudy) won me over almost immediately. I'm sure it helps that while I loved Nathan in series one, I found him positively grating in series two. I was happy to see him go. An ohnotheydidnt comment I read once put it best: Rudy has depth, while Nathan was just noise.
oo9. Will was my first introduction to the beautiful and talented Harry Lloyd. There's probably no real reason Will should be my favorite outlaw, he was rarely particularly focused on, but whenever he was, I was just desperately in love with him. I love that his preferred weapon is, like, two hatchets, and I love how skilled he is with building ridiculous things. My favorite episode for Will was probably the one where he was insistent on killing the sheriff. He was so bent on revenge, but when it came down to it, he really was too good of a person to go through with it, even though the sheriff obviously deserved it.
oo8. Justin's quote about Luther really sums up why I love John so much: "There’s also a difference between getting your hands dirty and being dirty." That's exactly Luther in a nutshell. He'll do what he has to do, with no real regard for silly things like rules and laws and morals, but his end game is always doing what's right.
oo7. I was very lukewarm towards Britta at first, but as she became more comfortable with herself in the confines of the study group and stopped trying so hard to be the coolest I realized, oh hey, I actually fucking love Britta Perry. I know a lot of people are sick of Britta being the sort of punching bag of the group, but I still love it. It doesn't bother me as a Britta fan because it's already been established that despite whatever snippy (yet hilarious) dig gets thrown at her, her friends in the group really do love her and it's never coming from a place of sincere maliciousness.
oo6. The Human Disaster is kind of anything but. I'm a huge Adam Scott fan, so him becoming a series regular on my favorite currently airing comedy* was the best surprise. He completely knocks it out of the park. He's sweet and goofy, but he can be kind of severe, too, which I think is great. I love his journey from pushing back against his Pawnee co-workers, not really believing they sincerely want to befriend him, to being roommates with Andy and April and Treat Yo Self-ing with Donna and Tom. Not to mention his relationship with Leslie, obviously. I'm hoping 2012 brings us more Ron and Ben interactions, though. Remember in his first real scene? Ron's What's a non-gay way of asking him to go camping with me? I mean, we know now Ben doesn't camp and he's probably softened too much for Ron to be as keen on him as before, but still! They should have moments!!
*tied with Community
oo5. I loved Kelly's whole thing with Seth this series. I love that when he basically dumped her, she was pissed, but not psycho about it. She just went about her day, killing zombies and shit. She is seriously so fucking cool. As for her power this season, I like that she likes it, but it doesn't really seem to be all that useful. I'm definitely hoping for a new one for her next year. I know with the loss of Nathan, Alisha, and Simon a lot of people are ~swearing off Misfits, but Kelly has been my favorite of them all since series one and as long as she's sticking around, I'm still in.
oo4. Lady Marian was the absolute best Robin Hood character ever. She took it upon herself to save the people of Nottingham when she could and she didn't need Robin to do it. I never, ever shipped her with Guy, but I liked how manipulative she could be towards him. In the end, she and Robin didn't have nearly enough time together, but I like to believe they'd have eternity in Heaven or wherever they went off to.
oo3. Dee, like the rest of the gang, is a really shitty person, but I still love her so much. She's definitely the funniest on the show, but I think she gets overlooked an awful lot, which is a serious shame.
oo2. I can't even pretend to be as film and television savvy as Abed, but he still makes me feel less lame over the considerable amount of things that I do manage to watch. Sometimes he can really break my heart, but he's still the (cool. cool, cool,) coolest male character on TV right now.
oo1. Leslie Knope is sheer perfection. She's funny and sweet and amazing at her job. She'll do anything she can for any one of her friends and co-workers without them even having to ask, but she's so shocked and grateful when they try to return the favor. She's kind to people while having no agenda and she expects nothing out of them in return. She's just nice to be nice and I think that's one of the greatest personality traits. I like that she's not really ~unlucky in love like so many other female leads. It wouldn't make any sense to give her shitty boyfriends because a person as beautiful inside and out as Leslie just doesn't deserve anything less than wonderful in a partner. I really think she and Ben are meant to be, but I understood why she picked her job over her relationship. Now, though, even while she and Ben are officially a couple, I think her campaign will be just fine. If there's any character who makes it feel possible to ~have it all, it's definitely Leslie Knope.
o25. Michael and Pam have always been very sweet. I loved how proud and happy for him she was when he decided to propose to Holly. The fact that she was the only one to say goodbye to him at the airport and the scene they had there was lovely.
o24. There's kind of nothing I love more than a really close and strong child/parent relationship. Max is so supportive of Marshall and just a really good dad and I think that's awesome.
o23. To be honest, sometimes I think Shawn is a little too selfish to deserve a beffie as awesome as Gus, but I still love the two of them together despite that. I'm kind of a sucker for lifelong friendships and even if new!bb!Shawn is pretty questionable, I absolutely adore the little flashbacks at the beginning of the episodes.
o22. Jessica makes it clear that she's Harvey's superior, as it should be, but the occasions where they're just friends really make me happy.
o21. I always wanted Guy to turn on the Sheriff and show just the smallest hint of decency, but when it finally happened I realized just how much I loved the two of them together as an evil, power hungry team.
o2o. I'm a real sucker for close sibling relationships. Kate could often be really caught up in her own stuff, but I think when Marshall needed an older sister to be there for him, she managed to step up.
o19. Every once in a while I found myself shipping these two a bit less platonically, but mostly I'm just in love with their mentor/mentoree relationship. In the final episode, Rusty really ended up proving to Cappie that he could handle the house and it was kind of brilliant. Cappie definitely passed the torch to Rusty and the shift from Big Brother/Little Brother to equals was great.
o18. Granted, they've barely had any moments all together outside of Treat Yo Self day, but man, that was more than enough. I love how Ben bummed Donna out so hard that she made Tom let Ben join them. Then the way the two of them comforted him when he was crying in his batman costume was kind of perfect.
o17. I really wish these two would pair up more often. They're always so ridiculous and fun together.
o16. Kicking ass, saving lives, taking out bad guys, etc. etc. Unlike what seems to be the general majority of internet-dwelling 5-0 fans, I actually quite like Lori. I'll be happy for her to stay up until they inevitably try and make her a love interest for Steve. I've got no patience for that (Steve/Danno all the way!). Please don't let my chosen screencaps fool you, though; I absolutely do not consider Joe White to be a member of the team. That fellow is shady as all hell.
o15. This really could have been The Entire Cast of Raising Hope, but I thought I'd narrow it down a little bit. Probably one of my favorite things about the Chases is how much fun they have. Like, they don't have the money to go out and actually do too much stuff, but they're always playing weird hoola hoop games in the back yard or enjoying, like, hours of fun with just a balloon. It's too cute. I love how well Sabrina has fit in with all of them as well, even though this Will They/Won't They with Jimmy is pretty boring. Just break up with that dude and become a Chase already, lady.
o14. Okay, these three need to stay roommates forever. I don't even know why I love them so much, but with Ben teaching them to be adults, and Andy's insistence that Ben let his feelings out, and April's annoyance with all the Sadness Baths, I just cannot with the three of them. They're such an unlikely grouping that totally work.
o13. How freaking cool is this?! I'm a big fan of both of these shows, so when this started happening, I was so pleased. The fact that they finally took it so far as to have characters on each other's shows was just too good. It's absolutely ridiculous that the future of both of these quality shows is up in the air, but I'm very much hoping they both get back on the regular schedule and they can keep this showmance* going.
*This word obviously doesn't mean what I want it to mean, but in this instance, these two things have an extremely literal showmance, so whatever, I'm using it.
o12. All of their scenes in the beginning of the series killed me, almost to the point that I was half-heartedly shipping the two of them romantically. As the show progressed, though, I felt like Robin wasn't regarding Much as one would a brother in arms and that really bothered me. The fact that Much called Robin out on his treatment of him on more than one occasion really was great, though. I think they were great beffies, but sometimes Robin needed reminding how lucky he was to have a friend as great as Much.
o11. Chin really dropped the ball with Kono in the beginning of season two, but I did love that scene where he finally went around to her and told her that no matter what, he was with her all the way. The two of them are really up there with Steve and Danny for my reasons to watch this show. Although, you know, for totally different reasons.
o1o. This is obviously kind of a cop-out, but on this whole list I seriously had Donna/Jean-Ralphio, Tom and Jean-Ralphio, Ron and Jean-Ralphio, Leslie and Jean-Ralphio, Ben and Tom and Jean-Ralphio. I realized it'd probably just be easier to sum it up like this. Basically, I fucking love Jean-Ralphio and every single scene he's in with any other P&R character is off the charts hilarious.
oo9. Again with the sibling relationships. I really love this one. I like that they're kind of obviously each other's best friends. Lip is the only one Ian confided in about Kash and Mickey and Lip confessed to Ian that he might have kind of been falling in love with Karen. They're just unhesitatingly there for each other and that's the best.
oo8. They could not be more perfect. Justin's unwavering loyalty to Luther is possibly my very favorite thing about him. Luther's insistance on paying that back by rescuing Justin from the shitty jobs his superiors were forcing on him was the best. The part where Justin gets abducted and Luther doesn't play into the kidnappers hands, basically ignoring him even, were so rough, but you couldn't help admiring the sheer level of faith Luther had in Justin to take care of himself. The way he believed that truly and then Justin just went and proved him right was wonderful and the huge, relieved hug Luther throws on him when they're reunited was so precious.
oo7. April and Ron are too perfect. She really is like the angry, misanthropic daughter he never had.
oo6. I don't know, what can I even say here? Abed and Troy are two of television's greatest best friends. Originally in the show, Abed was the kind of pop culture nerd and Troy was the former football star and you wouldn't expect the two of them to click so easily, but they completely do. It's great how much genuine fun they have with each other.
oo5. The study group can get really dark. Sometimes it feels like they focus more on how dysfunctional they all are together than how much they really do love each other. Despite that, they're high on this list because even when they're awful, they're fun and hilarious and Community is definitely one of my favorite shows of all time.
oo4. Juice's drama throughout this season was so sad, but out of it came the realization of just how close these two are. The two of them have been my favorite sons since the beginning (tied with Happy), but I'd never really noticed the two of them together before. Chibs' outrage at Juice's suicide attempt and the way he let both Jax and Clay know of his worry for Juice was very sweet. Things seem to have worked out well for Juice in the end, but I would hope if everything he did ever comes back to blow up in his face, Chibs will still be there for him (though I suspect he probably wouldn't be).
oo3. YESSSS, THESE TWO. It's like Rudy has just decided that Curtis is going to be his best friend from now and Curtis is so annoyed, but not enough to really bother going against him. When Rudy was screeching for Curtis to come to the ice cream truck with him, Curtis was just kind of like, Fuck, why me. ...alright I'm coming. It was the best. The fact that these two are staying (and HBIC Kelly) make Alisha and Simon's departure barely an issue for me.
oo2. Annie moving in with Troy and Abed is probably the best thing Community has ever given me, for real. I love these three together so, so much. Foosball and Nocturnal Vigilantism is definitely one of my favorite episodes of this show and it's totally all to do with the Abed/Annie/Troy storyline. Troy's desperate, "You moving in here was supposed to tone us down!" was so funny, but I also loved how true it was. Of course you'd never expect Annie to go along with batman!Abed, but there she is, like, oh, yeah, let's just climb through the fire escape and break into our landlord's apartment. That's a good plan. I hope these three have plenty of scenes together in the future. Assuming, you know, Community has a future.
oo1. Leslie seems to be the only person that can really pull some sweetness out of Ron and I love that. The two of them are complete opposites, but I think that's just what really makes their relationship work. Plus, the scene where Ron confronts Leslie about Ben and she's like, "How do I know YOU'RE not the one sleeping with him?!" etc. etc. had me in fits. All their scenes together are the best.
o25. I actually shipped these two for the longest time, but it was so cracky, I never expected them to actually happen. Honestly, the way they did get together felt kind of shoe-horned in there, a happy ending just for the sake of a happy ending, but I love Ash and I super love Rusty, so I'll take it.
o24. Dude, the treatment of Castiel in season seven has been some serious bullshit. I don't mind that he's gone (even though it has seriously diminished my interest in a show that had already taken a severe dip in quality even before that), but the fact that we couldn't even get a real final moment with him was so beyond fucked up. I comfort myself with the fact that at least the last thing going on in Castiel's mind before his vessel is taken over is that he has to make up for everything he's done to Dean. Even in his last moments, Dean was, as usual, the most important thing to Cas.
o23. Harvey and Mike sort of remind me how depressing the state of television is right now. They're one of my ships that feel like it's almost not even subtext, like they could honestly, sincerely happen, but then you remember that even though it has the potential to be written completely plausibly, there's just no way any of TPTB are going to let the two male leads on this show fall in love with each other. It's just not going to happen, which fucking sucks because these two make it seem like a real possibility, not just something you'd have to delve into fic for.
o22. Cappie and Casey's whole problem was that Cappie was too immature and carefree and Casey was too focused and worried about the future. I love that in the finale, they sort of compromised for each other. Cappie left the KT house, ready to start his life as an adult, while Casey was excited to go straight on with no real plan, but determined to make it work.
o21. I know basically everyone on the planet hates them now for being ~smug and ~ruining the show, but what the fuck ever, man. I still love them and I'm happy they're so happy together.
o2o. These two are definitely one of the best things about Happy Endings, if not the very best.
o19. I don't think Lionel was Marshall's soul mate or anything like that, but I do think Lionel and their relationship were so important to him. It was kind of completely tragic what happened to Lionel. I could have seen the two of them getting back together somewhere down the line.
o18. I'm so conflicted here. Television does not have enough totally platonic male/female best friends, but the fact that Marshall is clearly in love with his partner fills me with nothing but glee. There is only one season of IPS left and if they don't end Marshall and Mary on, at least, an optimistically positive note, I'll be crushed.
o17. I sort of think Brian might have been legit sexually into Dexter. He was fucked up enough for it, that's for sure. It seemed like, in season one, he was so crazy jealous of Deb having a sibling relationship with Dexter while at the same time using her as a substitute, like she was as close to Dexter as he was ever going to get. I was so pleased when he came back for the season six episode. He was obviously leading Dexter down a dangerous path and Dexter getting rid of him for good was for the best, but it was still pretty disappointing.
o16. It was obviously really, really, really fucked up that Allan took Guy up on his offer, but honestly, I wasn't even that mad about it because I didn't realize how much I wanted these two to interact with each other until it happened. The thing of it is, Guy is pretty gorgeous, but he's so unrepentantly power hungry and straight up evil that I can't even appreciate his looks all that much. When he was working with Allan though, it's like my severe want of a good slashy couple in the show overrode any of my this-character-is-a-bad-guy!! (no pun) instincts and I was just like, ugh, yes, hatesex it up already, you two.
o15. Kevin and Veronica are such a good looking couple. She is legit stunning and who knew the goofy moron from Reba would get so smoking hot? (Although, as I type this, I'm watching the season two premier and Kev is looking a little Federline-esque. Not working for me. As far as 2011 eps, though, Kevin was fine.) They're obviously the beta couple to Fiona and Steve and maybe even to Ian/his guys, Lip/Karen, which hopefully means they'll be solid forever to balance out everyone else's drama. They definitely deserve it.
o14. Originally, April's super obvious crush on Andy was so, so cute, but I was glad she turned him down when she had the impression he was still into Ann. That kiss between Ann and Andy was so lame, but at least in trying to make it up to her, Andy really proved it was April he wanted, no one else. Their wedding episode was one of the best things about the completely flawless third season. I feel like they're going to really make it almost because they rushed into everything. I really just can't see them breaking up and I'd never want them to.
o25. You know, I wasn't actually shipping the two of them until, like, the scene they had where they confessed their feelings for each other. I kind of got the impression Djaq was into Allan, tbqh. But I love Djaq and Will is my absolute favorite of the outlaws, so I was so happy to see them together and in love. It sucks that they both left at the end of series two (obviously one of the key reasons series three sucked so hard), but I love the thought of them together and happy and hopefully safe in the Holy Land.
o12. Burt and Virginia are just too cute together. I'm a real sucker for sweet, perfect-for-each-other married couples.
o11. I have mixed feelings on Fauxlivia. On the one hand, she's fucking evil as shit, but on the other, she's kind of just doing her job, right? Everything she does is for the greater good of her universe, so, I don't know. As far as alt!Lincoln and Fauxlivia go, I'm pretty sure I shipped them fairly early on. The scene where she gives birth in his arms was the best, but I don't think they ever had any real fallout. Like, were they just disregarding anything said as heat of the moment stuff? I need for them to get together, for real.
o1o. There's really no reason to ship these two, they barely ever even have any scenes together, but I just completely do. I think they'd just be hot and badass and awesome together. If the whole Seth situation ends up not working out, I'd love for them to explore this pairing.
oo9. I remember back when I didn't even ship them. It was obvious that's where the show was going, but I was very meh about it. That's definitely changed now. I seriously need Olivia to start remembering Peter because this whole everyone-including-Peter-himself-thinking-he-belongs-in-a-different-universe thing is kind of crushing my spirit.
o08. The first two episodes of Robin Hood lured me into thinking Much/Robin was going to be my OTP. A bit further in, though, made it pretty clear that there was just not going to be any ship more MFEO than Robin/Marian. I will never get over their two semi-weddings, endless tears forever, and when she comes for him in the series' very last episode, ugh. That was just straight up beautiful.
oo7. All Jax has been doing this season is insisting that he's going to get out of the club and he and Tara are going to take the boys somewhere far away, safe and happy. It's pretty obvious that he's trying to convince himself of that as much as he's trying to convince Tara. I got the impression that Tara just wasn't taking him seriously, too cautious to get her hopes up, until the end which was, of course, when Jax realizes he can't leave his club in this condition. I think it's so sad. I obviously don't want Jax and Tara to skip off to Oregon or whatever because they're two of my favs on the show, but for the sake of the characters, I really want a safe, normal life for them. I'm looking forward to seeing how they play out next season, though, especially with the reintroduction of Abel's biological mother.
oo6. Ian could probably do better, but I like to think Mickey has some real, legit feelings for Ian, even if he'd rather cut out his own heart with a rusty, jagged knife than admit it. POSSIBLE SPOILER: I think I read somewhere that Aaron Echolls might be a love interest for Ian this season. That is clearly the best idea anyone has ever had ever. I seriously need some jealous Mickey over here. Plus, always a fan of a significant age difference. /daddy issues
oo5. I'm gonna be real with you, I sincerely believe that Steve is a little bit in love with Danny in canon. Like, I just really, truly think that's legit. I don't think they'll get together or anything like that, obviously, but I feel like there's some serious unrequited love going on with these two. On Steve's end, at least. I think Danny is completely straight, while Steve seems like he would have a bit more wiggle room in that area. Even without that, though, the two of them are so Old Married Couple, I just can't not ship them. H5-0 is a fine enough show, but I'm not usually one for procedural dramas or whatever and Steve/Danno are honestly the only thing that's keeping me watching. There's a lot of things about it that are enjoyable, but I see them as more of a bonus. The gay married cops are what's holding my interest. As soon as they phase them out, which they seem to be doing a little bit of this season, I'll be done with it.
oo4. I'm not sure if I ship Annie and Abed all the time, or only when Abed is in some character or another. I originally thought it was just when Abed was playing at being someone else, but I've come to realize I would be completely alright with Annie and regular!Abed together. I think the reality of their flirting when he's acting is extremely hot, while the idea of them dating as themselves is unbearably sweet. I would sincerely love to see it happen.
oo3. For a few episodes, I just shipped these two platonically; a gruff, brilliant detective being reluctant best friends with the sociopathic murderer he couldn't bring to justice. In the scene where they're on the bridge and the scene ends with him saying, "One coffee doesn't make us friends," and the two of them walking off together, I just lost my shit, it was SO FUCKING CUTE. But I think I started shipping them romantically when Luther realized Alice was literally the only person he could go to when being framed for murder and she was not only unhesitatingly on board, but practically giddy that he would come to her. Plus, you know, look at them. That is one attractive couple. I'm devastated that she took off, but I'm hoping she'll come back soon, even though I realize plot-wise, it probably isn't possible.
oo2. I was so, so into these two throughout the entire series this year, but I had some serious problems with Seth's decision to bring back is dead junkie girlfriend. I'm choosing to optimistically believe what he said to Kelly at the end of that episode. At the very least, hopefully he'll have plenty of opportunities in series four to prove himself worthy of a chick as awesome as her.
o01. How are these two even so dorky and perfect and beautiful? Watching their feelings build up through season three and the two of them finally coming together at the end of Road Trip was so satisfying. Even in the beginning of season four, Ben was so sweet breaking up with her, for her, so she could start her campaign. The way they played the aftermath, with Ben not being able to handle even being friends with Leslie and Leslie responding to that with unintended selfishness was all sorts of heartbreaking. The speech she makes in Smallest Park about how she is no longer going to 'bulldoze' over people felt like some serious character growth and I just about started to tear up when she breaks down a little and tells Ben she misses being with him too much to care about the consequences. I think it's a real shame that Ben had to resign in disgrace, but the fact that he did that for her, ugh, I just can't. Too sweet and epic and soul mate-ish. Ben and Leslie are legit the best.
So, to sum up, Leslie Knope basically dominated my heart this year. And I have way too much time on my hands. I hope you enjoyed browsing through!
credits//notes:
-Font: Futura BdCn BT, Georgia
-Screencaps all taken and colored by me.