Poll!

[beer_good_foamy]

So I was watching "Bargaining", and as always I come away from that episode thinking that the vampire in the Hanson t-shirt who manages to (temporarily) break the Buffybot and tip the biker demons off is a brilliant reintroduction to how Buffyverse vampires work in the season that gives us the Trio. So I got to wondering if he's the best one-shot vampire in the entire series, and one thing lead to another, and so here's a poll: Who's the most fun/interesting/significant/adjective-of-your-choice vampire who only appeared in one episode of BtVS (doubles count)?

I ran out of options, so if I missed your favourite (I honestly couldn't pick just one of Harmony's minions) feel free to add them in comments.

[Poll #1671235]

Comments

[a2zmom.livejournal.com]

I picked Sunday, but "You are strange and offputting. Go now" is the Buffy quote I use most often in everyday life.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. One of the great literary quotes of our time. :)

[pghbekka.livejournal.com]

I did love the Gorches, and Kralik, but I have to go with Holden.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

That does seem to be the general consensus, for good reason IMO.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

It was hard to choose, between Holden and Sunday, but Sunday is by far my fav of the one-shots. Particularly after reading Deadsoul's fic about how Spike and Dru turned her into a vampire. Possibly one of the best character back-story fics that I've read.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Sounds great, do you have a link?

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Here:
http://www.allaboutspike.com/fic.html?id=230

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Oh, that's a long one. Will put it on my list.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Found it - go here:

http://www.allaboutspike.com/fic.html?id=230

Warning it's a BSDM sex. But well-written and takes place in 1970s NY, where DeadSoul actually lived at the time - so fairly accurate. And it's told in Sunday's pov and she's telling it to someone in Detroit. Takes place around the same time that Spike tracked down and killed Nikki Wood.

[rahirah]

I picked Holden, but I really need to write Gorch fic.

[ladypeyton.livejournal.com]

LIKELIKELIKELIKELIKE!

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Seconding what ladypeyton said!

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

My favorite is Sheila, even though she was only a vamp for 5 minutes. Also, my recent rewatch of Superstar was brightened even more by Adam's vamp minion (Jace or something) who is played by the actor who went on to become Chuck the Prophet on Supernatural, so that was kind of a kick. Kralik and Dracula both have their, ahem, charms, but I've gotta go with Holden, too. If only for the line you quote.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Ah, Sheila, forgot about her. Possibly because... well, she never gets dusted or anything, does she? She just disappears mid-plot. A pity they never got back to her.

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Good point. She was a vampire for way longer than 5 minutes because she's one of the few that got away. We only see 5 minutes of her undoubtedly long and eventful unlife. I even have fic!

[zanthinegirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, Holden for sure! but the contest for #2 is a tight race between Sunday, Dracula, and the Gorchs

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

And no love for the poor Hanson vamp? ;)

[frogfarm]

I had to think for a minute to make sure my love for "Helpless" as an episode wasn't making Kralik seem more awesome than he actually is. But no.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Kralik really is awesome. Utterly psychotic and creepy, but smart. (It's interesting that two of the actors playing vamps on this list later came back as non-vampire villains - Brian Thompson was Luke and The Judge, and Jeff Kober played Kralik and Rack. In both cases, they started out at one end of the subverting-the-standard-villain-type scale and ended up at the other.)

[ozma914.livejournal.com]

Looks like I'm in the majority, for once. I loved the conversation between Holden and Buffy ...

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

I don't see how anyone could not love that conversation. Utter brilliance.

[maureen.livejournal.com]

Conversations with Dead People is one of my all time favorite episodes and I love the dude who plays Holden Websster.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

"Wouldn't it be cool if we became arch-nemeses?" He really is great. The only thing that would have made him better would have been if he really had had a walk-on part as a high school student in the first seasons... but you can't have it all.

[ladypeyton.livejournal.com]

It was a tough call between Holden, Sunday, and Lester Gorch; well mostly between Holden and Sunday, but I felt Lester deserved an honorary mention.

I had to go with Holden, though, because he had so many good lines and we got to see more of him than any of the others.

Sunday was awesome, though, and I still regret she only got one episode.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

I do love Sunday. Funny how she doesn't pop up in fic much, she was obviously set up at USC for quite a while...

[shapinglight]

I love Sunday. Her putting her hand on her hip and acting cool even as she's dusting is just wonderful.

I do like Buffyverse Dracula, though. He's certainly the best thing by far in the Buffy comic.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Shhhh, this is about one-shot vampires! ;)

[shapinglight]

Well, he is a one-shot canonically. :)

Okay, Sunday then.

[mister-pointy99.livejournal.com]

Tector Gorch - mostly because of his cinematic legacy.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, I really need to re-watch The Wild Bunch...

[ms-scarletibis.livejournal.com]

While I think Holden had an important part, he really wasn't all that great, and therefore, the poll results confuse me...

Kralik, hands down, followed by Anne. Most of the other vamps--I didn't even remember who they were until I read the quote (and I'm still unsure who Boone is. The only Boone I recall is from Lost...)

[ms-scarletibis.livejournal.com]

Wait, it's still early this Sunday...rereading your question, you ask two things--essentially, which one had the biggest impact, and who was the best one off?

The one who has the biggest impact is clearly Anne--she affects William's vampire life in some shape or form for the next twelve decades. The most interesting is [clearly] (in my opinion) Kralik :)

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Basically, your favourite vamp. For whatever reason. :)

Boone is the leader of the vampire gang Adam hires in "Who Are You" and who goes on to take a bunch of people hostage in a church. Faith kicks their asses. Because it's wrong.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Really? I love that vamp. I think it's one of the most well-placed vampire fights in the entire series, actually. Buffy's entire function is to fight manifestations of death. Sometimes, it does no good at all.

That said, I love that icon. :)

[lynnenne]

You forgot Jesse and vamp!Xander. But even so, Holden wins, hands-down.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

And vamp!Buffy too. Sigh. But since I'd reached the max number poll of options, either of them would have meant I'd have to leave... say, Andrew Borba out of the poll, and then all of his fans would have complained. ;)

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Holden! A vampire who becomes the Slayer's shrink --> priceless.

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Yup. I love that scene where Buffy is lying on top of a grave, like a psychiatric couch...

[local-max.livejournal.com]

Excellent choices, all. I went with Holden; he's my favourite of Jonathan M. Woodward's hat trick ambiguous-bad-guy-who-dies-the-year-the-show-ends characters. (C'mon Joss, you *know* he would have made a fine one-off dead meat doll in S2 to complete it.)

Here's a few I like that you missed (admittedly, some may not be up to scratch)--

Note also the small subset of characters who, like Anne Pratt, were transformed from human to vampire within the very episode:

* Jesse (The Harvest). Ooh, all right, put me out of my misery. You don't have the guts--
* Billy Fordham (Lie to Me). For a memorable second.
* Theresa (Phases). Angel sends his love.
* Carnival vamp (Restless). I am a vampire! Ouch, you've staked me!
* Cyrus (Real Me). OK, maybe not that great a character but OMG LOOK WHO'S PLAYING HIM YOU GUYS!!
* Van Halen vamp (Fool For Love). They oughtta put this in a museum!
* The last of the vamp hos (Into the Woods). No, Buffy, let her go! Buffy!
* Vamp 1 and Vamp 2 (tie) (Once More, with Feeling). She does pretty well with fiends from hell but lately we can tell....
* Vampire (Lessons). My foot's caught on a root or something...I don't even know how I got down here. If you girls could just give me a hand....
* Richard (Lies My Parents Told Me). Buffy thought he seemed like a nice enough guy.

And, I suppose, AtS has...let's see, there's Russel Winters, Marcus (In the Dark), Penn (Jeremy Renner bonus points!), Alonna Gunn, Jay-don (if very briefly), Doug Sanders, James and Elizabeth (who annoy me to death personally but are I guess memorable), Sarah Holtz, Tamika, and Lawson. Hm....

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm still upset that Woodward never turned up in Dollhouse. I'm pretty sure I spotted him in one of the crowd scenes in Sugarshock!, though. :)

I actually thought about most of those (Richard was one of the last to go) but with a limit of 15 I had to prioritize, so for starters I took out most of the ones who just rise from a grave and get staked. The Van Halen vamp definitely should have been in there, though. D'oh.

Like I said, I couldn't pick just one of Harmony's minions, they're really a team effort.

CYRUS: When are we gonna do it?
HARMONY: Eww! That's rude! I barely know you! Uch, and you're a minion!
MORT: He means the PLAN! When are we gonna do the plan?

AtS would have to be a different poll. Have to say that for the most part, the vampires on AtS are less... fun. With a vampire protagonist, most of the other vamps end up little more than just plain monsters in contrast. (With some obvious exceptions.)

[blueteainfusion.livejournal.com]

Well, I went for Dracula, even if only for sentimental value (it's Dracula, for god's sake!) and that quote. But I have lots for Holden Webster and his ability to listen. And Anne was really affecting too.

In fact, it would be an easier poll if there was a multiple choice. Like, your three favourite one-shot vamps?...

[beer-good-foamy.livejournal.com]

In fact, it would be an easier poll if there was a multiple choice.

Yup. But I'm evil and force people to choose. Mwahaha.

Dracula is pretty amazing in that episode, though.

[treadingthedark.livejournal.com]

It was really hard to pick just one!
Ended up voting for Sunday, partly influenced by the Deadsoul fic no doubt, I feel like I know her!

But Kralik, Holden, Kakistos, Tector, all were pretty great.