Between yesterday being Bram Stoker’s birthday, and me being thisclose to finishing revisions on my vampire/zombie novel, it seems appropriate for this week’s Friday Five to count down my Top Five Vampires of the small screen (but sorry, Mr. Stoker, Dracula didn’t make the cut).
I have a confession – I haven’t seen True Blood or Vampire Diaries, and the little bit I have seen of Twilight kind of made me want to find Stephanie Meyer and kick her in the shins. Which is kind of irrelevant, since this is about TV vampires, but it still bears mentioning. For me, the Buffyverse was pretty much the pinnacle of my vampire fandom, and it pretty much ruined all other vampires for me. Nevertheless, although this list could easily consist entirely of the Fearsome Foursome plus Harmony, I’ve limited my choices to only three Buffyverse vampires. I’m sure it surprises nobody that they top my list.
1. Spike – Has there ever been a redemption arc as compelling or heart-breaking as Spike’s evolution from bad boy Slayer arch-nemesis to lovesick anti-hero to full-fledged noble hero? I think not. And in all of his incarnations, Spike managed to be equal parts dead sexy and hilarious. HE is the one who ruined me for all other vampires. They just don’t make ’em like Spike anymore.
2. Angel – Even though I’m a Spike and Spuffy girl all the way, I still have a soft spot in my heart for Buffy’s original vampire beau. I can’t help it — as much as Angel can be kind of a jerk sometimes, he can also be one heck of a BAMF — even when he’s two feet tall and made out of felt.
3. Harmony – The Buffyverse is full of awesome and memorable vampires, but even so, the choice for the third spot was a pretty easy one. Harmony Kendall was one of the meanest of the mean girls in high school. After she got turned at her high school graduation, becoming a soulless, blood-sucking fiend actually made her more likeable and sympathetic, without doing anything to hinder her love of fashion or of unicorns. And how can you not love a vampire who dots the i’s in her threatening letters with smiley-faces?
Also, there’s this:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GvaIG_yA8E&w=420&h=315]
4. Barnabas Collins (1990 Ben Cross version) – I adored the 1990 remake of Dark Shadows, and I still think its cancellation after one season (and on a cliffhanger, at that!) is one of the great TV injustices. Ben Cross’s Barnabas was one of my first experiences with a vampire who could be both scary and sympathetic… not to mention easy on the eyeballs.
5. Nick Knight – Forever Night was a show about a vampire detective using his vampire powers to fight crime as he seeks to pay penance and redeem his violent, evil past. Hmmm, why does that sound familiar… So, Nick Knight was the proto-Angel. Not quite as BAMFy as his progeny, but every bit as tortured and angst-ridden… and he wasn’t too hard on the eyeballs, either.
There you have it. Do you agree with my choices? Tell us about YOUR favorite TV vampires in the comments.