Running the Gamut with S3 Guy: Part 1

Feral. Vengeful. Unforgettable.

Haunted by the fear his enemy is not dead.

"No. It can't be!" An incredulous Guy realizes his enemy is alive.

"Kill me. I live in hell." Guy admits the depth of his despair and self-loathing.

"You know, I've come to the conclusion I don't like you." Guy stands up to Vasey.

As Guy of Gisborne, Richard took what could have been a bog-standard, cardboard cut-out evil henchman and worked his own particular magic. Over the course of three series, he crafted a fully fleshed-out character, conflicted and complicated, brutal and tender, ruthless and chivalrous, hot-tempered and heart-breakingly vulnerable. In Series 3, RA truly pulled out all the stops and gave a tour de force performance with its own operatic grandeur.

The series opens with a Guy who is a drunken, desperate shadow of the swaggering, sleek master-at-arms we had known. Devastated by the death of his one true love by his own hand, Guy was shattered by Marian’s cruelty and rejection. His rage and need for revenge against Robin leads to drastic actions. Thwarted by his enemy yet again, Guy confesses the depths of his despair before finding the courage to finally stand up to the despised Vasey . . . And that’s just in the first episode. What an actor!

Be Dionysian with the TDHBEW–TAE Word for the Day Pt. 2

Richard. Chocolate. Dionysian Possibilities. I'm just sayin' , , ,

Lucas, hungry, darling?

Lucas North. Choccie-covered doughnuts. That thumb. *thud*

NIgella, the object of Richard's chocolate kisses fantasy. Very dionysian.

Dionysian: (adjective) uninhibited; undisciplined; spontaneous; wild; orgiastic.

Dionysis was, of course, the god of wine and fertility in Greek mythology (Bacchus to the Romans).

Richard once said he’d love to kiss TV chef and queen of gastroporn, the sensuous Nigella Lawson, whilst she had chocolate on her ripe lips. Nigella, it has been said, “revels in dionysian excess.” (Doug Lawson, Sydney Morning Herald).

Imagine sharing a generous dollop of rich, creamy chocolate with RA in a friendly liplock? Talk about a dionysian thrill!

Lucas North had his own dionysian moment chowing down on fresh chocolate-covered doughnuts and licking the frosting from his long, elegant fingers.

I am quite sure John Mulligan, Lee Preston and Sir Guy would all be up for a dionysian evening, ladies. It positively warms the cockles of a red-blooded female’s heart . . .

(photos RANet, squiddo.com)

RA: the cure for S.A.D.?

Surely a man who loves to laugh.

Mine eyes are dazzled. What a grin!

It’s been a dreary winter’s day here in LA (Lower Alabama) following a rainy, painful night. I had to turn the lamp on earlier to have enough light to read. I needed some sunshine.

And I found it.

Richard Armitage–the cure for Seasonal Affectiveness Disorder?

Mammonism and Mulligan: TAE Word for the Day

There he goes, feigning sleep once more and making us swoon.

Never left someone else pack for you, even if he looks like this.

Anyone for fork porn?

Mammonism: (noun) the greedy pursuit of riches.
(screencaps-Richard Armitage Central)

The TAE Word for the Day is brought to you by that sexy, seductive bad boy, John Mulligan. John, the product of a broken home who grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, appears to have made a smashing success of himself in the real estate business.

However, the truth is John is engaging in some very unlauful activities to help support his lavish lifestyle. It seems Johnnie Mulligan is engaging in mammonism and doesn’t care about those he might hurt along the way.

Mulligan may be an amoral criminal and liar who is immersed in mammonism, but I gotta say–he is one delicious bad boy.

The production even RA trashes: Cleopatra 1999

Handsome Man in Toga and Caesar Coif.

A sort of close up of Richard as Epiphanes with Rupert Graves (Octavius).

Before there was Guy and Richie, there was Epiphanes and a Horse with No Name.

That's a Guy-like look in Epiphanes' eyes.

Richard played Epiphanes in a Hallmark Entertainment made-for-TV production back in 1999. Even Richard has said this movie is bad. And knowing the kind and considerate fellow that RA is, you can pretty bet that means Cleopatra is a turkey
The titular role is played by Leonor Varela, an exotically beautiful young woman who wears a lot of diaphanous costumes which allow ample views of her physical charms. Unfortunately, there is very little acting talent on display, with a performance on par with some less gifted grade-schoolers I have encountered.

The dependable Timothy Dalton does the best he can with the role of Caesar and as Marc Antony, Billy Zane is–Billy Zane.
Rupert Graves is, for me anyway, unintentionally hilarious as Octavius. He is wearing a brunette Harpo Marx wig and walks around clutching his toga in a very self-important manner. It’s one of those roles I doubt Rupert puts on his C.V.

But what YOU really want to know is–what about RICHARD? Well, if you are looking for numerous opportunities to listen to that chocolate voice, you are out of luck. I think he has at most one or two audible lines in the whole film. Nor are there lots of close-ups.

Mostly, he is seen in his flattering toga and helmet astride a horse (the man has the legs for a toga, in case you haven’t noticed), or standing around in his toga (with and without his nifty helmet), popping up periodically and almost always in the background. But it seems a criminally long wait one has to endure to see him for the first time, requiring one to sit through a lot of stilted dialogue.

I can report he wears a Caesar haircut extremely well, and his smudgy bedroom eyes seem precursors to the era of Guyliner that will arrive seven years later.

Would I recommend adding Cleopatra to your RA DVD collection? Well, let me put it this way: unless, as I did, you can find it for a very, very cheap price somewhere–no.
Remember, even RA said it was rubbish. And you know RA . . .