Removable characters...

[fajrdrako]

From the Fannish 5:: If you could erase five characters from any fandom, who would you choose?

1. From Highlander: Richie
   
2. From Smallville: Lana Lang. And I loved her so much in the comic!
   
3. From Doctor Who: The Master. Not a Master fan, me.
   
4. From Torchwood: Abaddon
   
5. From X-Men: Rogue. In the movies, she's an embarrassment and a shame to the

Comments

[namastenancy]

I don't know about some of the other characters but Ritchie must die. die. die! I think that the producers must have been trying for a younger audience but what a pathetic, no-talent dork.
Plus not even cute. When I think of the episodes that they wasted on Ritchie which could have featured Methos, I want to kill the little red headed twerp.
Nope, not a fan.
Lana Lang - well, I rather like her looks because I'm a sucker for the exotic type female but the writers sure botched up her character.
I didn't have any problem with "The Master" on DW but the actor who played him in the current series was lacking something. On the other hand, I loved the actor who played The Master in the old Who - the guy had a great face and presence.

[fajrdrako]

I don't know about some of the other characters but Ritchie must die. die. die!

And you know what? He did!

When I think of the episodes that they wasted on Ritchie which could have featured Methos, I want to kill the little red headed twerp.

I don't know if I could ever have got enough of Methos.

Lana Lang - well, I rather like her looks because I'm a sucker for the exotic type female but the writers sure botched up her character.

Yes, exactly! Before the show began I thought she was gorgeous. Then... well, by episode 3 or so I was starting to not like her, and she just got worse and worse... And then I couldn't see her as beautiful any more.

Besides, she short-circuited the Clark/Lex slash. (No happy threesomes there!)

Yes, really, my problem was with John Simm and the writing of the episodes in which he appeared, rather than with the Master himself. I quite liked him when he was Derek Jacobi and Eric Roberts. (I haven't seen the other versions.)

[namastenancy]

Unfortunately, Ritchie didn't die soon enough. They kept the little creap alive until the last season? Next to last season? In any case, far too long! They should have killed him in the episode where Mac's gorgeous blonde artist girlfriend was murdered; let her live and him die. Now that I think of it, none of Mac's women after that had a fraction of her class, strength and character.

[fajrdrako]

They should have killed him in the episode where Mac's gorgeous blonde artist girlfriend was murdered

Tessa? Yes! I liked Tessa.

none of Mac's women after that had a fraction of her class, strength and character.

I liked Amanda - lots of entertainment value there - but not because she had character. Or class. I think I liked Kate but I hardly remember that movie.

[angelfireeast]

#1 Not a Richie fan either.:)
#2 THANK YOU! I can not agree more this!
#3 Even the Master from Doctor Who: Curse of the Fatal Death? He truly rocked and so did the many Doctors.
#4 Another one I agree with.
#5 I've heard many people complain about the same thing with movie Rogue. I'm not a comic fan but I still felt she was miss used. Could have been great but failed to be so.

[fajrdrako]

Even the Master from Doctor Who: Curse of the Fatal Death?

I haven't seen it. I've seen almost none of the classic Doctor Who episodes. I've only seen Eric Roberts (whom I quite liked) and John Simm (whom I found problematic).

In the comics, Rogue started out as a villain, a member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and a kick-ass one at that. She switched sides and joined the X-Men, and was always one of their more vibrant, active, courageous, forceful members. To see her played as tearful and fearful was painful.

If imprisoned, Rogue wouldn't weep. She'd curse and fight and be all full of spit and vinegar.

[angelfireeast]

Doctor Who: Curse of the Fatal Death is a comedy relief from years ago. After the classic series but before the new series. It has stars Rowan Atkinson, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant, Hugh Grant and others as the Doctor in his last few regenerations. Jonathan Pryce plays the Master and is so funny! He's the one in my icon. It's only 20 some mintues long but really good.

Oh that must be really hard to watch movie Rogue.:\

[fajrdrako]

Doctor Who: Curse of the Fatal Death

My goodness - now you describe it, I realize I have seen it. Not being familiar with Doctor Who at the time, I didn't really understand it, but found it funny. Didn't it have Joanna Lumley in it, too?

Movie Rogue breaks my heart. It doesn't help that I don't like Anna Paquin.

[auriaephiala]

I can only comment on your 3 and 4:

#4: Absolutely!

#3: While I dislike the Master as a character -- he's too "I'm Evil! I'm EEEEvil!", I think I dislike the Cybermen even more. And the Daleks really should have been relegated to history once the Doctor exterminated them the first time. But IMHO.

I tried to think of characters to eliminate from other TV series I've liked, and have come up dry so far. If I like a show, I generally like it holus bolus...

[mad_jaks]

I think you made my Cyberman cry...

[fajrdrako]

Cybermen don't cry. They leak.

[fajrdrako]

I don't have a problem with the Cybermen in general, though I don't care if I ever see them again. I liked the Torchwood episode "Cyberwoman" a lot.

Mixed feelings about Daleks. The Doctor Who series one episode "Dalek" is one of my favourite episodes ever (of anything!) and it was my first introduction to the subject. I loved the next two appearances of the Daleks, but hated the story where they were in 1930s New York, and "Journey's End" was a bit of a hodge-podge of an episode in which the Daleks were present but almost irrelevant. So I'd say: I like the Daleks, but like everything else, they need to be in a good story to make any sense at all.

If I like a show, I generally like it holus bolus...

I couldn't think of anyone I'd want gone from Leverage. I used to want Xander gone in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but in season 5 he's maturing to bearability.

[msp_hacker]

I disagree with your choice for #4, merely because there are other characters I would want to erase more.

[fajrdrako]

I disagree with your choice for #4, merely because there are other characters I would want to erase more.

Really? I had a hard time thinking of anyone I'd want to remove from Torchwood, and it took me a while to come up with Abaddon - but I wanted to mention the show. The only virtue of Abaddon is that his appearance was brief.

I might have said Owen, but he turned out to be very interesting in series 1, and disappointing but bearable (with ups and downs) in series 2. I totally loved Captain Jack, Toshiko, Gwen, Captain John, Detective Swanson, PC Andy, Rhys, Ianto's family, Lois, the staff at the pizza place, and the spooky Tarot Reading Girl.

I never really took to Ianto, but I didn't want him erased, either. And I figure all of fandom would rise up an lynch me if I cited him as the one I wanted gone. I liked Ianto; I just never loved him the way everyone else does (including Jack).

[msp_hacker]

The characters I'd want to erase is the 456. I'd be slightly more forgiving of "Children of Earth" if as soon as I start thinking about that plan it didn't start falling to pieces.

And I have a soft spot for huge monsters that stomp cities flat.

[fajrdrako]

The characters I'd want to erase is the 456

Well, Captain Jack and the others wanted to erase them, too. I liked them because they made for a good plot. (Unlike Abaddon, who seemed to have no purpose.)

I have a soft spot for huge monsters that stomp cities flat.

Godzilla? Fin Fang Foom? Who else?

[janne_d]

Aw, poor Richie - nobody loves him! Including me, I'm afraid, though my first choice for a HL fandom erasure would be Kate/Faith/whatever from HL: Endgame (really I'd like to erase the entire film, but the question was for character).

The only other character I can think of making vanish just now is Riley Finn from BtVS because not only was he boring and bland, I can't think of a single thing he did that illuminated or affected the growth of the characters around him.

[fajrdrako]

I think I liked Kate but I hardly remember Endgame.

I so agree about Riley from Buffy - in fact, he was so boring and bland that I didn't even remember him as a regular character. He was a cross between a robot, a Ken Doll, and a G.I. Joe action figure. He never even settled into a good plot.

In retrospect, I was annoyed with him for the "Buffy doesn't love me enough" theme. What did he want, for her every moment to be focussed on him? That tipped him over from being just dull, to being a bit of a jerk.

[janne_d]

I hardly remember Endgame

Lucky you! Man, that film sucked (and I hear The Source was even worse) - the only good bits were (a) the very few scenes with Methos and Duncan, (b) the early scenes with Duncan and Connor (I will protest to the end that the later scenes completely assassinated Connor's character to the point of him being someone else entirely) and (c) the fight in the loft between Duncan and the character played by Donnie Yen.

What did he want, for her every moment to be focussed on him?

Um, yeah, I think that was exactly what he wanted! What tipped me over into thinking he was a jerk was when (and this may be just my impression since I haven't watched S5 recently) he gets unhappy that Buffy isn't letting him support her in the way he thinks he should, i.e. she isn't crying on his manly shoulder and falling apart so he can feel good about how comforting he is

[fajrdrako]

I heard such terrible things about The Source that I haven't had the nerve to look at it.

Truth is, I didn't mind the assassination of Connor MacLeod's character because I'd never much liked Connor - "someone else entirely" was fine with me. Endgame was the only one of the movies I really liked, though I had no problem with the first one, when it was a one-off. I just think of it as a different universe.

What tipped me over into thinking he was a jerk was when (and this may be just my impression since I haven't watched S5 recently) he gets unhappy that Buffy isn't letting him support her in the way he thinks he should

So true. There were a lot of problems with Riley, really all starting from his total blandness, but it just got worse and worse. And he went from being something like "the ideal boyfriend, if you like 'em dull and without personality" to being all macho and selfish. Sigh. Too bad that happens often enough in Real Life.

Miles looks good by any measure, but you are so right - ! What a contrast.