The Telly Addict Awards 2011-PART 2

 

Hero of the Year

     Hero is often an overused word, especially in the world of television. What makes a true here? Is it having the courage to do what others can’t as in the case of Rick Grimes from The Walking Dead? Is it following your own fate no matter what as in the case of The Misfits Simon Bellamy? Is it just pure heroicness as in the case of The Doctor? It’s possibly a combination of all of these and in choosing my Hero of 2011 I have take all of these things into account. It was close with Dexter falling just before the finishing line. Despite the fact that he only kills bad guys, he is after all a serial killer. So that just leaves me to announce the Hero of the year as………………………………………………………………………………………………….Commander Nathanial Taylor from Terra Nova. He is an old fashioned all American Hero and could have graced any war film. The fact that he’s from 2149 living in the late Cretaceous is neither here nor there. He is prepared to do anything for the colony, even killing his own son. You get the feeling that whenever he’s on screen he’ll do or say something heroic. While the rest of Terra Novas cast are one dimensional card board cut outs, Taylor really stands out and you get the feeling that without him, the colony would be screwed.

 

Heroine of the Year

Being heroic isn’t necessarily a male trait. These days we are treated to our fair share of heroines too. Gwen Cooper has shown that she can be every bit as heroic as the often scene-stealing Captain Jack. New show Once Upon A Time has a heroine as it’s main character in the form of Emma Swan. Even Game of Thrones (in a genre that is typically dominated by male hero's) had a strong female cast of characters that largely overshadowed the men. It was nearly a female character from Game of Thrones that took the Heroine of the Year award in the form of Daenerys Targaryen. Despite having an over bearing brother who forced her into a union with Khal Drogo, a brutish character, she soon proved that she was every bit as strong. Unfortunately though there can only be one Heroine of the Year and this year goes to………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Amy Pond from Doctor Who. It isn’t easy to steal the show from Matt Smiths The Doctor but Karen Gillian did it repeatedly as Amy Pond. The Girl Who Waited was arguably one of the best episodes of any show in 2011 and Amy's relationship not just with the Doctor but also with Rory is often provides the crux for each episode. In 2011, the whole series belonged to Amy Pond and her daughter (a resolution that brought us one of the twists of the year). After a couple of shaky companions (er Catherine Tate) Amy Pond is perhaps the best companion of the modern revival of Doctor Who and her I’m sure that she will be missed when she leaves the series midway though the next series.

 

Next time I’ll be announcing my Soap of the Year and The American Show of the Year.