#30. Dr. Gaius Baltar
Battlestar Galactica |
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Gaius Baltar is, to
my mind, the most interesting character in the new Battlestar Galactica,
and I want to make it clear that I find BSG to have one of the best
ensembles ever. No matter what horrendous things he ends up doing
(whether coerced by the cylons, his love for Number Six, or his own
tremendous capacity for survival), I find it difficult to judge him.
As he makes clear in Season 3, they've all done wrong, and a lot of
Baltar's crimes were gray at best, particularly given the gun to his
head. Brave he is not (well, he's had a couple moments), but
that's not enough to condemn him, and I find his quest to discover if he
is a cylon or god or both fascinating.
"You'll forgive me, Madam President, if I
don't wish to be executed based solely on your...gut feeling."
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#29. Samantha Bee
The Daily Show |
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Samantha Bee is
currently the oldest and best correspondent on the Daily Show, and my
favorite since the Stev/phe(n)s. Her segments are always
hilarious, whether she's discussing gay penguins, testing a
neighborhood's emergency preparedness, inciting Bill O'Reilly's ire by
satirizing the War on Christmas, or playing Sex and the City. Not
that I can see Jon Stewart ever retiring, but if he does, she's the only
one I could see taking over right now, and my loyalty precluded even
that possibility until very recently. Samantha Bee is almost
certainly Canada's best export of the new millennium.
"Women have taken great strides forward,
becoming doctresses, bodybuildrixes, firemen-women. Women even
make up 3/4 of the hosts of the View." |
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#28. Q
Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek:
Voyager |
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Q is the first and
last (get it?) villain of Star Trek: TNG's tv run, because he has taken
an interest in Picard. So the show begins and ends at Q's trial,
but he starts out just testing them, tempting Riker with powers or
speeding up their encounter with the Borg. But as we progress, it
becomes obvious that the relationship goes both ways--Q needs Picard
just as much--and almost every Q episode is one of my favorites.
His DS9 episode was just to send Vash off, and finally Voyager stole
him, and just like Voyager did with the Borg, it cheapened his
relationship with Picard by being just as interested in Janeway.
"If you can't take a little bloody nose, maybe you
ought to go back home and crawl under your bed. It's not safe out
here. It's wondrous with treasures to satiate desires both subtle
and gross. But it's not for the timid." |
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#27. Kat
Weeds |
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In just four
episodes (really three episodes and scene), Zooey Deschanel delivered a
hilarious complex performance as Kat, Andy's ex with loose standards.
While I enjoy her continuous lying (her boyfriend wants to kill Andy,
etc.), I mostly like her hippie, New Age-isms: Heart hugs, her
spirit turtle, liberating resources, seeing Shane's future.
"Kat!" "You lost your cat?" |
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#26.
Dr. Gregory House
House |
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I know superlatives
and hyperbole are the norm when it comes to television and movies, but I
honestly believe House is the best procedural to ever air, and this is
largely due to Hugh Laurie's performance. House is kind of an
asshole, and while you know he's got feelings deep down, if he were to
ever express them (sorrow, guilt, even a basic apology), he wouldn't be
House. Which leads to his sarcastic defense, resulting in
continuous laughter for almost every episode.
"Nobel invented dynamite. I won't
accept his blood money." |
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#25.
Guinan
Star Trek: The Next Generation |
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Guinan came on to TNG in Season 2, Whoopi Goldberg excited to appear on
one of her favorite shows. Whoopi first spoke with trailblazing
Nichelle Nichols (Uhura from TOS) who ultimately convinced her to join
the cast, and from her introductory season, Guinan became one of the
most significant supporting characters. Not only does she have an
unspecified history with Picard that goes "beyond friendship, beyond
family," but she has a personal history with Q and her people were
mostly destroyed by the Borg, the two biggest villains from TNG, giving
Guinan the spotlight in some of the best episodes. She heads up
Ten-Forward, where crew members can come to relax and destress, and she
always gives the best advice, especially when the stakes are huge.
"Prune juice." "A warrior's
drink."
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#24. Eric Taylor
Friday Night Lights |
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Coach Taylor is
godlike in his greatness, taking a position that was inherently
unpopular and leading the Dillon Panthers to victory at state.
He's a great husband, father, and coach, and most importantly, he has an
unwavering moral resolve. He's the definition of character, and
he's hilarious to boot. Like his wife, I love his scenes with each
of the kids (he doesn't have as many with the non-football players),
favorites being taking Matt to the empty stadium and taking Julie to the
dance.
"You like your chili spicy, lady?" |
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#23. Tami Taylor
Friday Night Lights |
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Tami Taylor is
perfect, both as wife to Coach Taylor and mother to all the kids on the
show. If I recall, she's had great scenes giving perfect advice to
every single kid in the cast, and her relationship with Tyra,
specifically, is one of the best parts of the first season. But
the foundation for this best show on television is her relationship with
her husband, and the two are always outstanding.
"It's part of my job to make sure you don't
grow up stupid. It's bad for the world."
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#22. Hoban "Wash" Washburne
Firefly |
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Wash died on the
silver screen, but on television he'll live on forever. The
formerly bemustached pilot is married to Zoe in, as I've stated before,
my favorite t.v. marriage ever (except, of course, for According to
Jim). Always equipped with sarcasm and generally the softest of
the crew, Wash's standout episode was one of the best, War Stories.
"Can we maybe vote on the whole murdering
people issue?" |
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#21. Lucille Bluth
Arrested Development |
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Matriarch of the
Bluths (and the one running it all anyway), Lucille Bluth is almost
always a terrible mother who doesn't understand why her children don't
love her. Constantly drunk and sarcastic, she criticizes Lindsay,
treats Buster like a much younger child, and doesn't care for GOB.
She even adopted a Korean kid as a form of revenge. And I love
her. Her relationship with Lucille 2 is amazing, and I also don't
want to forget her USO flashbacks, which are certainly worthy of
mention.
"Get rid of the Seaward." "I'll
leave when I'm good and ready!"
"How am I supposed to find someone willing to
go into that musty old claptrap?" "...The cabin! Yes." |
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