Matt Zimmer's Journal

There are plenty of movie buffs out there and a ton of comic book fans. As for as fictional mediums go, television was always the bastard red-headed stepchild compared to film and books. Movie critics do NOTHING but talk shit about it and you what? I do too. It doesn't stop it from the being the medium of entertainment I most consume and that I feel the most comfortable with.

Does TV suck? Righteously and almost always. But it's still where I get the bulk of my fiction, good and bad. And it probably always will be.

There are plenty of amazing TV shows on TV currently. I don't dig them all but I get the appeal. And TV did not used to be this level of high quality, if you can believe it. It used to be MUCH worse. There was a point in time in which Quantum Leap was the best science fiction series on television, which strikes me as a fucking travesty. Nevertheless, as a TV buff I have had MANY favorite shows over the years, mostly during my formative young adulthood. The thing all of these shows I loved have in common is almost none of them hold up in hindsight on any level. Many are outright cringe. I get WHY I loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, The X-Files, Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Dinosaurs at the time for their uniqueness, but each of those shows were shows I thought were majorly sucky rewatching them years later. I'm sure plenty of kids who grew up in the 1980's were disillusioned when seeing a full episode of ThunderCats or Transformers as adults. My sensibilities are so different from when I was younger that I want to pick holes in Captain Fucking Picard! What is wrong with me?

There are exactly THREE shows from back in the day I loved that hold up equally well and contain the same magic today as back then (one of them lands even BETTER in hindsight). There are a few shows I still have great admiration for despite their imperfections (Farscape, Millennium, The Simpsons, Futurama, Gargoyles, Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, Superman: The Animated Series) but only three shows I EVER saw as a youth wowed me decades later: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Twin Peaks, and Justice League Unlimited. This will be a 3 part essay on each of these shows, what they meant to me as a viewer and a writer, how they influenced my work (where applicable) and what the best and worst things were about them.

The second essay will cover Twin Peaks.

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That classic third season two-part time-travel episode addressing class warfare and the problem of homelessness in the U.S. was set on August 30, 2024. Not often we get to mark a real-world milestone with Star Trek because it tends to be a bit ambiguous about when stuff in the near-future is set.

Of course Star Trek: Picard seemed to retcon the crisis of the Sanctuary Districts in its second season set in 2024. I personally blame the Temporal Cold War for this.

Also reviews for the latest episodes of The Nevers, Batwoman, and Teen Titans Go!, a Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure short, and the latest episodes of Bless The Harts, The Simpsons, The Great North, Bob's Burgers, Family Guy, Power Rangers Dino Fury, and Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy.

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For Chris, who asked.

1. Scorpius (Farscape): Not only the best of the last twenty years, but would probably rank VERY highly on a list of best villains of all time. His S&M bondage fetish look, his scarily soft and creepy voice, Wayne Pygram's performance and the fact that all of the evil things he does may ultimately be for some greater good that our heroes don't know about, Scorpius is one of the best baddies of all time. Best moment: Condemning John Crichton "to live" on the operating table, with his true love dead and the speech center of his brain gone.

2. Angelus (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel): A no-brainer for number two. One of the best things about Angelus is his dark sense of humor. Also great is the fact that he inhabits the body of a character you care deeply about. Best moments: Snapping Jenny Calender's neck and leaving her in Giles' bed to discover.

3. Severus Snape (Harry Potter): For a good chunk of the series you aren't sure if he's a good guy or a bad guy and his ambiguous nature and anti-hero status makes him a natural antagonist. Easily the most glamorous villain in Harry Potter and put Draco Malfoy to shame. Best moment: Four words: The Lightning Struck Tower.

4. The Joker (DCAU Version): Yes, I know the Joker isn't technically a villain from the last twenty years but Mark Hamill's take is so delightfully twisted that he makes the character seem new again. Best moment: The Return Of The Joker flashback.

5. Lord Voldemort (Harry Potter): He would rank higher but his status as Big Bad in the Potterverse is mostly based on reputation and the fear he inspires in others rather than actual scariness. Best moment: his ressurrection in Goblet Of Fire.

6. David Xanatos (Gargoyles): So successful, a TV trope was named after him. He's such a great villain because he rarely loses and even when the Gargoyles believe they've defeated him they've actually only turned out to have strengthened his hand. Best moment: Breaking the Pack out of prison, not to destroy the Gargoyles as the audience originally thought, but to secure Fox's release for good behavior.

7. Gul Dukat (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine): Easily the most delusional villain on the list and that makes him one of the most dangerous. The fact that he sees himself as some great savior only makes his treachery and genocidal tendencies all the more bone-chilling. Best moment: signing a secret pact with the Dominion and joining them as a bunch of ships exit the wormhole.

8. Spike (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel): Definitely the funniest person on the list, Spike throws out punches and great quips. Best moment: faking disability to team up with Buffy to fight Angelus.

9. Owen Burnett (Gargoyles): I can't tell you WHY Owen is so awesome without spoiling Gargoyles best secret twist. Best moment: THAT moment in The Gathering. You know which one I'm talking about.

10. Mr. Burns (The Simpsons): Everyone's favorite lovable sociopath. Best moment: blotting out the sun in Who Shot Mr. Burns.

11. Vandal Savage (Justice League): Arguably the best DCAU villain of all time, the Joker JUST nudges him out of the top spot. Dwayne McDuffie reimagines him as a fun Bondian super-villain. Best moment: ticking off his evil plans for a railgun on his fingers to Queen Audrey who he married and then bedded the previous day.

12. The Mayor (Buffy The Vampire Slayer): Cheerfully psychotic and strangely lovable, the Mayor is the best non-vampire villain in the Buffyverse. Best moment: His to-do list includes "photo op with boy scouts, become invincible, meeting with PTA, haircut".

13. The Weeping Angels (Doctor Who): The best original villains of the new show, they are truly frightening classic Who-style baddies. Best moment: the entire Sally Sparrow in the mansion segment of Blink.

14. The Lord Of The Locusts/The Hooded One (Bone): You can't really have one without the other. This is probably the most underrated comic book villain of all time. Best moment: the moment on Old Man's Cave where it's revealed exactly WHY the Hooded One has been seeking "The One Who Bears The Star" as well as Phoney Bone's reaction.

15. Lex Luthor (Justice League Unlimited): Arguably no character in the DCAU (with the possible exception of Bruce Wayne) has gone through a more rollercoaster character arc. From evil business tycoon in Superman: The Animated Series, to mad scientist in Justice League, to reformed politicial/presidential candidate turned Secret Society leader in JLU, Lex is probably the second most important character in the Timmverse after Batman. Best moment: To quote Superman: "Brainiac!"

16. The Reavers (Firefly): How scary are the Reavers? Even Jayne is terrified of them. Best moment: The Climax of Serenity where River Tam single-handedly fights them off.

17. Bishop (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003): The dude is awesome. Period. Only Turtle villain who could conceivably beat the Shredder. Best moment: His first smackdown with the Turtles where he defeats them using only his bare hands.

18. Slade (Teen Titans): Ron Perlman kickin' butt in the name of Ron Perlman. Best moment: Teaming up with Robin after he's betrayed by Trigon.

19. MacBeth (Gargoyles): Best anti-hero on the show. Best moment: take your pick from ALL of City Of Stone.

20. Baxter Stockman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2003): Where was this awesome, snarky, buttkicker on the old show? Best moment: refusing the go down and repeatedly rising from the dead in Return To New York.

Also reviews for Hulk Vs. Wolverine and Hulk Vs. Thor (Minor Spoilers) and The X-Files Season Eight (Major Spoilers).

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Also reviews for the latest episodes of Batman: The Brave And The Bold, Heroes, TMNT: Back to the Sewer, The Simpsons, and King of the Hill.

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Also reviews for the latest episodes of Smallville, Heroes, TMNT: Back to the Sewer, The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, American Dad.

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Also reviews for the season finales of Battlestar Galactica and The Spectacular Spider-Man, the latest episode of Doctor Who, the next Transformers Animated episode.

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Reviews for the latest episodes of Lost, Battlestar Galactica, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Doctor Who, Smallville, The Spectacular Spider-Man, The Simpsons, King of the Hill and American Dad.

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