Updated with more correct answers. :)
Aberdeen’s comment on this meme for me: If there’s a grey character, or a welsh nose, you’ve got the right pick. And if those two go together, well, that’s all she wrote, and Janne’s: Don’t know all those shows, but I’d randomly guess ‘the mystery-shrouded guy with the big nose’ for most of them . *laugh* That’s a pretty good rule of thumb, although perhaps not wholly accurate. :)
Meme correct responses so far behind the cut tag, so people can keep playing:
1. Alias
Deborah gets it correct with Marshall. Marshall is not a grey character at all, but he is so quintessentially himself, so hopelessly and perfectly geeky, and so utterly charming that I don’t see how any girl could not completely adore him. (Also, he does not have an insubstantial nose. God, I’m *so* predictable.)
2. Angel
Aberdeen gets it right with Wesley (augh!). Spike, much as I adore him, wasn’t on the show long enough to count, and Wes is an extremely good example of “grey with nose”. He developed from a complete weenie into a total badass, capable of making the hard decisions–and often the wrong decisions, which is also irresistable–with confidence and brutal honesty. Yum.
3. Beauty and the Beast
Deen, Trent and Laura are correct with guessing Vincent. Not only do you have my favorite fairy tale going here, as well as the gentle monster thing, but Vincent as a character turned me on to poetry. And, perhaps most of all, Vincent’s the one who made me like my name. Ron Perlman is the only person I’d ever introduce myself to as Catherine and hope he actually called me that.
4. Buffy
Nobody’s gotten this one so far. Spike has my favorite story arc out of all the characters, but he’s not actually my favorite character. It’s a damned close call, though.
Update: Mony, Deen and Trent all got it with Jonathan. Jonathan’s my favorite character for sort of metagaming reasons. I believe he plays the role of the audience in Buffy: he knows how the universe really works, but he’s not one of the Scoobies, the in crowd. He’s where we all are. Which is why I was so incredibly pissed off when they killed him.
5. Farscape
Deen’s got a good guess with Chiana, because of the grey thing, but Mary Anne got it right with “the female lead”, whose name is Aeryn. Chicks in black leather just kick ass, man. Also, check out her nose. (Look, at least I’m *consistent*.)
6. Highlander
If anybody I know doesn’t know this one, I’m not doing my job. Yes, obviously, Methos. Aside from the fact that if I’d gone to God with design specifications for the perfect man, God would have given me back Peter Wingfield (except I wouldn’t have thought of the changeable eyes, which just goes to show God must be just a smidge cooler than I am), *Methos* is the most deliciously grey character ever. There’s nothing he hasn’t seen or done and nobody he won’t use to survive, and yet he’s still somebody you can count on when the chips are down. *drool*
7. Invisible Man
Nobody’s gotten this one yet. Yes, there was an I-Man tv series, on SciFi. It was fun. :)
Update: Deen gets it with “the partner”, who is Bobby Hobbes and who is so neurotic I don’t see how you can’t love him. He’s perfectly, exactly *himself*–much the same quality that appeals to me about Marshall. I can’t speak to his nose, though, although I suspect it’s not to be, uh, sneezed at. :)
8. Stargate
I’ll give you a hint: it isn’t one of the leads, because I don’t think I could choose between the four of them if I had a gun to my head.
Update: Deen is both right and wrong with the McKay guess. McKay is my favorite SG character, but he’s only in two episodes of SG-1, so there’s someone else who counts more as my favorite because he’s in more episodes. And ‘he’ is appropriate. :) (Er. And it’s not Peter Wingfield’s Goa’uld character. For the record.)
If the Buffy character isn’t Spike, perhaps Giles? I can see how aspects of his character would appeal to you very much…
As for Angel, I can definitely see that.
Not Giles, either, although like the Angel character, there are reasons that Giles does appeal to me very much. I should perhaps make a point of noting that the character in question is not one of the main cast. :)
What the hell, I’ll take a stab at the Buffy one.
Faith?
Nope! Although man, she’s sure got the wonderful grey area thing going on. I think my favorite of her episodes is the one where she switches bodies with Buffy, and finds herself starting to act like Buffy. Good stuff. “Because it’s *right*.”
>Nope! Although man, [Faith]’s sure got the wonderful grey area thing going on
Grey area *and* a character who tends to wear a lot of tight black leather. I figured it was a safe guess. :)
(I could sit here and rattle off every character not in the main cast, but then again, defining who is the main cast is tough, too. Does Tara count, since she was a regular but not in the opening credits? Does Joyce, another semi-regular? Etc. :)
Revised guesses, then:
1) I was right, I just couldn’t think of his name.
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) Jonathan
5) Oooh! Drat.
6) Yes
7) Well. Hrm. Fauks was the only name I could remember. And there are only two other characters around enough to be worthy of favorite character status, so I’ll guess the partner.
8) Okay. If you’d stuck Atlantis in your list, I’d have immediately gone for McKay. But Atlantis wasn’t listed, so I’ll try guessing him, here. Otherwise, I’m completely stumped.
I’d guess Jonathan for Buffy from your outrage at his death. :) But he wasn’t really a regular, so does that count?
If not, hmmm. If I had to make a second guess, I’d guess Xander.
Hmm.. Stargate. Jacob/Selmak? *tries to remember the secondary he’s* Or Jonas?
Hee, did wonder at the time if I should include ‘morally ambiguous’ in the spec :)