"Vampire Ball 6" Review

Guests met and discussed in this review :-

• J. August Richards (Gunn from Angel and Deathlok from Agents of SHIELD)

• Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia from Buffy and Angel)

• George Hertzberg (Adam from Buffy)

• James Leary (Clem from Buffy)

• Keith Szarabajka (Daniel Holtz from Angel)

• Clare Kramer (Glory from Buffy)

• Georges Jeanty (Buffy season 8 & 9 comic artist)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Doublemeat Palace" Review (6x12)

Brief Synopsis: “Strapped for cash, Buffy gets a job at the Doublemeat Palace, where the odd manager and high turnover of employees has her more than a little suspicious. When co-workers start disappearing, the mystery behind the ‘secret ingredient’ comes into question. Meanwhile, Willow works on staying clear of magic, but she’s forced to make a big decision when Amy gives her an unwanted gift.”

London Film & Comic Con 2015 - A Detailed Review

Guests met and discussed in this review (with the franchise I most associate them with personally) :-

• Hayley Atwell (Agent Peggy Carter in “Agent Carter” and other Marvel projects)

• Rose Leslie (Ygritte in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Carice Van Houten (Melisandre in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Iain Glen (Jorah Mormont in “Game Of Thrones”)

• David Bradley (Walder Frey in “Game Of Thrones” and Argus Filch in the “Harry Potter” film series)

• Michael Gambon (Albus Dumbledore in the “Harry Potter” film series)

• Rey Mysterio (Wrestler)

• James Remar (Harry Morgan in “Dexter”)

• Catherine Tate (Donna Noble in “Doctor Who”)

• Jonathan Pryce (The High Sparrow in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Julian Glover (Grand Maester Pycelle in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Alexander Siddig (Doran Martell in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Robert Englund (Freddy Krueger in the “Nightmare On Elm Street” film series)

• Jason David Frank (Tommy Oliver in the “Power Rangers” franchise)

• Kristian Nairn (Hodor in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Keisha Castle-Hughes (Obara Sand in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Jessica Henwick (Nymeria Sand in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Gemma Whelan (Yara (Asha!) Greyjoy in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Sean Gunn (Lucas in “Angel”, Mars in “Angel”, and Kraglin in “Guardians Of The Galaxy”)

• Gregg Henry (Sheriff Bourne in “Firefly” and Peter Quill’s grandfather in “Guardians Of The Galaxy”) 
• Peter Shinkoda (Nobu in “Daredevil”)

Collectormania: Milton Keynes 2015 - A Detailed Review

Guests met and discussed in this review :-

• Nick Blood (Agent Lance Hunter from “Agents Of SHIELD”)

• William Sadler (Heywood from “Shawshank Redemption” & Pres. Matthew Ellis from “Iron Man 3”)

• Chad Coleman (Tyreese from “The Walking Dead”)

• Art Parkinson (Rickon Stark from “Game Of Thrones”)

• Eugene Simon (Lancel Lannister from “Game Of Thrones”)

• Charlotte Hope (Myranda from “Game Of Thrones”)

• Toby Sebastian (Trystane Martell from “Game Of Thrones”)

• Alexandra Dowling (Roslin Frey from “Game Of Thrones”)

• Steven Williams (Rufus from “Supernatural”)

• The Dudley Boyz (Wrestlers)

• Christopher Daniels (Wrestler)

• Frankie Kazarian (Wrestler)

• Peter Ebdon (Snooker Player)

Wales Comic Con 2015 Part I - A Detailed Review

Guests met and discussed in this review :-

• Nicholas Brendon (Xander from “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”)
• Sean Maher (Dr. Simon Tam from “Firefly”)
• RVD (Wrestler)
• Eric Bischoff (Former President of World Championship Wrestling)
• Kerry Ingram (Shireen Baratheon in “Game Of Thrones”)
• Ross Mullan (The White Walkers in “Game Of Thrones”, The Silence in “Doctor Who”, and The Teller in Doctor Who’s “Time Heist”)
• Conan Stevens (The Mountain, Gregor Clegane in the first season of “Game Of Thrones”)
• Mark Sheppard (Badger in “Firefly” and Crowley in “Supernatural”)
• Andy Kellegher (Polliver in “Game Of Thrones”)
• Josephine Gillan (Marei in “Game Of Thrones”)

Stoke Con Trent 2015 – A Detailed Review

Guests met and discussed in this review (with the franchise(s) I most associate them with personally) :-

• Aimee Richardson (Myrcella Baratheon in the first two seasons of “Game Of Thrones”)
• Spencer Wilding (Everything ever. Seriously. “Guardians Of The Galaxy”, “Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban”, “Doctor Who”, “Game Of Thrones”...) 

Angel, "Birthday" Review (3x11)

Brief Synopsis: “On her birthday, Cordelia's visions become so painful that they propel her into an astral state and a life-threatening coma. Visited by a demon guide, Skip, astral Cordy is mystically granted the opportunity to live her dream of being a rich and famous actress...if she’s willing to give up her history with Angel and her visions.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Gone" Review (6x11)

Brief Synopsis: “Buffy and Dawn clear the house of magical items and supplies to help Willow, and Buffy has a surprise visit from a social worker checking on Dawn's home life following Joyce’s death. The meeting doesn't go well and in a fit of rage afterwards, Buffy cuts off her hair. Meanwhile, The Trio have built an invisibility ray and accidentally hit Buffy with it.”

Angel, "Dad" Review (3x10)

Brief Synopsis: “Angel discovers how hard it is being a new dad, especially when the demon underworld and an evil law firm are after his newborn son. Will Angel be able to keep his son safe from the hordes of demons or will his desire to keep his son safe cost him his friendships?”

Cardiff Film & Comic Con 2015 – A Detailed Review

Guests met and discussed in this review (with the franchise(s) I most associate them with personally) :-

• Dave Prowse (Darth Vader in the Star Wars franchise)
• Ray Park (Darth Maul in the Star Wars franchise and Toad in the first X-Men film)
• Daniel Portman (Podrick Payne in “Game Of Thrones”)
• Samuel Anderson (Danny Pink in “Doctor Who”)
• Bob ‘Hardcore’ Holly (Wrestler)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Wrecked" Review (6x10)

Brief Synopsis: “When they finally return home from their nights out, Buffy is ashamed of having slept with Spike and Willow is exhausted from casting spells all night. Amy takes Willow to a sorcerer named ‘Rack’, whose particular brand of magic quickly has Willow hooked. Later, Willow and Dawn decide to go out for a movie, but will Willow be able to keep Dawn safe, or has her addiction gone too far?”

Angel, "Lullaby" Review (3x09)

Brief Synopsis: “Holtz and Angel come face-to-face for the first time in hundreds of years. Holtz is still intent upon revenge against Angelus and Darla for murdering his family. With Darla close to giving birth, she escapes from the Angel Investigations team and disappears into the night. Angel must escape Holtz, find Darla, and help her give birth to their child before any harm comes to it.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Smashed" Review (6x09)

Brief Synopsis: “After Tara breaks up with her, Willow manages to successfully de-rat Amy and the two witches begin bonding through using magic, drawing Willow further into her growing addiction. Meanwhile, Spike discovers that his chip doesn’t go off when he hits Buffy, leading him to believe that she may have come back wrong after being resurrected.”

Angel, "Quickening" Review (3x08)

Brief Synopsis: “Angel must do everything in his power to protect Darla and their unborn child when Wolfram & Hart launches a full-scale attack to take mother and baby, as vampire births should be impossible. To make matters worse, the gang is also threatened by a vampire cult who believes that the baby is ‘The Miracle Child’, while Holtz has arrived in present day Los Angeles, seeking vengeance against Angel and Darla.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Tabula Rasa" Review (6x08)

Brief Synopsis: “Willow is devastated to learn that she pulled Buffy out of Heaven, not Hell. She resolves to make things better by casting a spell to make Buffy forget that she was ever in Heaven. The spell, of course, backfires and causes all the Scoobies to wake up in The Magic Box with no memories. The amnesiac Scoobies must piece together their lives and find a way to reverse the spell, while also dealing with vampires and demons that Spike owes kittens to.”

A Recap & Ranking Of Conventions I Attended In 2014

So, halfway through my review of Buffy’s “Tabula Rasa”, I needed a break. Sometimes these really deep, intricate reviews can severely mentally drain you. Especially when you’re trying to juggle a full-time job, two part-time jobs, and two university modules at the same time. Therefore, to counteract all this work...I decided to create more for myself by writing this recap of my times on the convention scene in 2014, as well as giving some general advice and information about conventions and ticket types (primarily in the United Kingdom). Now, unlike my other convention-related posts, this one won’t be 20-25 A4-pages long. This is because, frankly, I’ve already written gigantic reviews of the conventions themselves, so most of the details are contained within those specific reviews. I will try to keep this post as brief as possible...but you know I get excited and fan-flailey, so bear that in mind. What this post will do is recap the year, talk about some of the highlights, talk about some of the best guests, and talk about advantages and disadvantages of different convention companies.

Angel, "Offspring" Review (3x07)

Brief Synopsis: “As the crew researches a prophecy predicting the imminent arrival of a being that may have a profound impact on the world, Darla arrives at the hotel, pregnant, angry, and looking for daddy Angel. Cordelia, hurt that Angel lied to her about sleeping with Darla, takes Darla’s side in the matter. As vampire births should be impossible, Angel looks to Lorne for answers.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Once More With Feeling" Review (6x07)

Brief Synopsis: “A mysterious demon has arrived in Sunnydale and brought with it the ability to make everyone in town burst into song and dance, revealing their innermost secrets. The strange musical influence over Sunnydale takes a more sinister turn when some people can’t stop dancing and burst into flames. Can Buffy and the Scoobies stop the demon before they spill their secrets and become human torches?”

Angel, "Billy" Review (3x06)

Brief Synopsis: “A wave of unexplained and extreme violence against women is traced back to Billy, the young man that Angel was forced to free from a demonic prison a few weeks earlier. Billy's merest touch can cause an otherwise good man to become violently misogynistic...and the results can be deadly. Can Billy be stopped before the infected Wesley hurts Fred, who are alone in the hotel together?”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "All The Way" Review (6x06)

Brief Synopsis: “Dawn sneaks out and spends Halloween night with a friend and two guys. What Dawn isn’t aware of is that the two guys are vampires and are contemplating turning her into one as well. Meanwhile, Tara expresses concern that Willow is too reliant on magic, while Xander and Anya celebrate their engagement in public.”

Angel, "Fredless" Review (3x05)

Brief Synopsis: “Fred’s parents make a surprise visit to Angel Investigations, trying to hunt down their daughter. Rather than being happy to see her parents for the first time in five years, Fred runs away from them in terror. Are Fred’s parents as loving as they seem or do they want to find their daughter for a darker purpose? Meanwhile, a strange insect-like demon is stalking Angel.”

"Buffy Fanmeet" Review

Guests met and discussed in this review :-

• Eliza Dushku

• James Marsters

• Nicholas Brendon

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Life Serial" Review (6x05)

Brief Synopsis: “Buffy decides that in order to pay her mounting bills and take care of Dawn she must go back to college and find herself a job. These new ventures are made much more difficult when ‘The Trio’ decide to test the Slayer with a series of challenges to determine the extent of her abilities.”

Angel, "Carpe Noctem" Review (3x04)

Brief Synopsis: “An old man casts a body-switching spell on Angel and enjoys the many pleasures of being eternally young, handsome, and bloodthirsty in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, Angel is dying in an old man’s body in a retirement home. Can Angel Investigations figure it out and save Angel before his human heart gives out?”

Wales Comic Con 2014 Part II - A Detailed Review

Guests met and discussed in this review (with the franchise I most associate them with personally) :-

• Anthony Head (Rupert Giles in “Buffy The Vampire Slayer”)

• Emily Head (Anthony’s Daughter & Carli in “The InBetweeners”)

• Mark Sheppard (Badger in “Firefly”, Crowley in “Supernatural”, and King of the nerd TV shows)

• Ian Beattie (Ser Meryn Trant in “Game Of Thrones”)

• Road Warrior Animal (Wrestler)

• Booker T (Wrestler)

• Lance Storm (Wrestler)

• Doug Williams (Wrestler)

• Paul London (Wrestler)

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Flooded" Review (6x04)

Brief Synopsis: “With her mother gone, Buffy finds herself broke, jobless, and taking care of a house that’s falling apart and haemorrhaging money. To make matters worse, Buffy is still having severe problems adjusting to life after being dragged out of Heaven by her friends, and a new trio of ‘super-villains’ have arisen in Sunnydale and send a demon to rob a bank for them just as Buffy is applying for a loan.”

Angel, "That Old Gang Of Mine" Review (3x03)

Brief Synopsis: “Gunn finds himself stuck between his old gang and his new team after he discovers that a string of brutal and indiscriminate demon murders were committed by his former gang. Even Caritas – a sanctuary for demons, vampires, and humans alike – isn’t immune to the devastation and Gunn is forced to make a choice once and for all.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "After Life" Review (6x03)

Brief Synopsis: “An unseen force is taking over the Scoobies one at a time. Could this spirit be somehow connected to Buffy’s resurrection? Meanwhile, Buffy is desperately struggling to adjust to life back on Earth and she confides in Spike the reason for this.”

Angel, "That Vision Thing" Review (3x02)

Brief Synopsis: “When Cordelia’s visions start manifesting as painful physical wounds, Lorne uses telepathy to discover why this is happening to her and how it can be stopped. It appears that Wolfram & Hart are behind the violent visions and Lilah won’t stop them until Angel breaks a vicious criminal out of a Hell dimension for her.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Bargaining Part Two" Review (6x02)

Brief Synopsis: “As a gang of demon bikers attack, the Scoobies are chased away from Buffy’s gravesite, thinking that the resurrection was a failure. Little do they know, it worked and the Slayer is now alive again, right where they left her...under the ground in her coffin. Buffy has to punch and claw her way out of her own grave. The Slayer is back, but she’s disoriented and thinks she’s in Hell. The Scoobies must convince her otherwise before she commits suicide all over again.”

Angel, "Heartthrob" Review (3x01)

Brief Synopsis: “Angel has been away for the summer, trying to cope with Buffy’s death. After returning to Los Angeles, Angel stakes a female vampire who recognises him and calls him ‘Angelus’ before she turns to dust. Now, her grief-stricken lover, Angelus’ old hunting companion, is out for vengeance against Angel.”

"Hallowhedon 6" Review

 
Guests met and discussed in this review :-

• Clare Kramer

• Mark Metcalf

• Troy Blendell

• Andy Umberger

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "Bargaining Part One" Review (6x01)

Brief Synopsis: “It’s a dark and miserable world without the Slayer. Buffy is dead and the Scooby Gang have survived the summer the best they can without her. Due to Buffy’s mystical death, Willow fears that Buffy is trapped in some Hell dimension and she’s not going to leave her there to suffer eternal torment. Therefore, Willow, Tara, Xander, and Anya decide to perform a resurrection spell to bring Buffy back from the dead.”

Angel, "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb" Review (2x22)

Brief Synopsis: “Cordelia learns that when she ‘comshuks’ with the Groosalugg, her visions will pass to him, but Cordy isn’t sure if she wants to lose them. Meanwhile, Wesley and Gunn are working to overthrow the monarchy, while Angel and Fred are struggling to control the beast inside of Angel.”

Buffy The Vampire Slayer, "The Gift" Review (5x22)

Brief Synopsis: “Glory has Dawn and plans to use her to open a portal back to her own dimension. If this happens, all dimensional walls will crumble and there will be Hell on Earth, quite literally. The Scoobies must find a way to stop the Hell God before it’s too late, while living in the knowledge that this is the toughest challenge they’ve ever faced.”

London Film And Comic Con (Winter) 2014 - A Detailed Review

Guests met and discussed in this review (with the franchise I most associate them with personally) :-

• Ralph Macchio (“The Karate Kid”)
• Jerome Flynn (Bronn from “Game Of Thrones”)
• Miltos Yeromelou (Syrio Forel from "Game Of Thrones")
• Ross Mullan (Primary White Walker from "Game Of Thrones")
• Andrew Rothenberg (Jim from “The Walking Dead” and Malcolm from “True Blood”)
• Michael Koske (Various Zombies from "The Walking Dead")
• Alberto Rodriguez A.K.A. Alberto Del Rio (Wrestler)
• Solofa Fatu Jr. A.K.A. Rikishi (Wrestler)
• Brian Christopher A.K.A. Grandmaster Sexay (Wrestler)
• Scott Garland A.K.A. Scotty 2 Hotty (Wrestler)

Angel, "Through The Looking Glass" Review (2x21)

Brief Synopsis: “Cordelia has inexplicably been made Princess of Pylea, but she begins to suspect that her guards may be her jailers. Meanwhile, Wesley and Gunn search for a way to free Cordy from the castle, while Angel and Lorne get a cold reception from the Deathwok Clan.”