The moment when Spike tossed the bratty little kid into a cage and hoisted him up into the sunlight, quipping about having less ritual and more fun, I immediately felt like this was a dastardly villain I could appreciate. Just thought the kid should've made more of a fuss about being disintegrated, though. He just sort of sat there.

Jim in Buffalo | October 30, 14:01 CET

I liked how logical it was that he took over after the Master died, but the best thing that character ever did was die -- letting Spike assume his rightful, if short-lived, place at the heady of Sunnydale's fangsters. (Strange to recall that he was really only Top Vamp for five episodes.)

ManEnoughToAdmitIt | October 30, 14:14 CET

I'm curious as to what vampires these folks like. The classic hollywood Dracula? Anne Rice's all but in the closet vampires? The article reminded me of a bunch of jaded folks trying to find anything to bash. Count Chocula? Count von Count? Those are real targets to criticize? Please!

I'll agree the Anointed One wasn't everything he could have been, but he opened some interesting doors. I realized, and perhaps folks could correct me if I'm wrong, but did Buffy ever have to face Vampire kids? As in, slay one? We know Faith had to take them down in Season 8, and that Angelus made a few. I'd have liked to have seen Buffy faced with such a task. Anyways, I'm babbling on. The Anointed One wasn't horrible enough for this list, I don't think. And lay off the vampire who likes chocolate, yeesh.

RebelAt | October 30, 14:37 CET

I'm all for the listing of the "Annoying One," but by far the best pick on the list was Count von Count. I've always wondered why we never have seen him take out one of the kids on that show, or even the other muppets.

Though now that I'm thinking about it, maybe that's what happens to the kids once they age off of the Street?

TiffintheOK | October 30, 14:38 CET

Buffy faced a vampire girl in the non-canon book One Thing Or Your Mother

Brasilian Chaos Man | October 30, 14:56 CET

Poor unloved Count Duckula! That was one of my favorite cartoons as a kid, as well as Danger Mouse from whence he came. Sort of surprised that one of my favorite movies, Vampire's Kiss wasn't mentioned. For those who haven't seen it, Nicholas Cage goes crazy and thinks he's turning into a vampire. He's certainly a worse one than Duckula...he has to buy plastic fangs! Admittedly, this movie is much funnier if you've spent time around people who claim to be vampires ;-)

The Anointed One was one of my favorite early Buffy plot twists. Set up as the big bad, and really just there to prove how unpredictable Spike was. Fantastic!

narse | October 30, 16:34 CET

Aw. I've always had a soft spot for Count von Count right after Oscar. Even as a child I saw the irony of him being the weirdest vampire ever! I remember saying to my mom, "I bet they made him a vampire just 'cause they wanted a 'counting' muppet". See, childish logic: counting... count... Count Dracula... vampire muppet! ;)

Man, I feel old right now.

[ edited by Mirage on 2008-10-30 16:54 ]

Mirage | October 30, 16:54 CET

This list could have added Jim from "The Office" episode "Business School", which would have provided a second Whedony link.

I do wish the Anointed One would have been slightly more formidable. With 20/20 hindsight, they could have had him bend a bunch of vampires to his will (so they would all act like the devoted preacher in the 2nd Season opener), something that would have made him a threat instead of a little kid. That in turn would have made it more surprising when Spike starts laughing during his "apology".

OneTeV | October 30, 17:03 CET

Thanks, Chaos Man. I've never picked up a novelization of Buffy. How was the situation handled? At least from the non-canonical point of view?

RebelAt | October 30, 18:49 CET

Shiai send me this book early this year (My First in English!). The Story is like a version of (even has Sheila Rosenberg calling Buffy Bunny) passed between I Only Have Eyes for You and Becoming. There is the climate of fairy tales and a little girl vampire like Claudia from "Interview with the Vampire". There is just one little mistake in Sheila grading Willow (The first time it happens in the series is exactily in Gingerbread). And if you will read it, please, don't see the back cover, there is huuuge spoilers.

Brasilian Chaos Man | October 30, 19:28 CET

I really like the role the Annoying One plays, actually. In season 1 he was sufficiently creepy just by being a kid, and he tied in well with the Master's cheesy old-school vampire schtick. Then in season 2 he spent one episode being pathetic and trying to get the Master back - which is what you'd expect a little kid vampire to do, need a daddy figure - and one episode getting stomped all over by Spike and then toasted. It was all part, to me, of how the start of season 2 stepped up a gear and said 'you thought you know how this show works? Well, think again.'

So yeah, he's a fairly pathetic vampire but I like what he does as a plot point.

skittledog | October 30, 19:35 CET

One of my favorite BtVS moments ever - watching the Annoying One getting shoved into the cage & hoisted up into ash. Very satisfying. Best thing the kid did was deliver "I hate that girl" line, but that's not a good enough reason to stay alive or in power...

Spike's relationship to vampire hierarchy & vampire lore is pretty funny, anyway - prior to Spike, we always saw the vamps get pretty intense about their traditions and rituals, and I loved it when Spike blew in to town and talked about getting "chanty with the fellas" - his irreverence was refreshing.

QuoterGal | October 30, 19:54 CET

I don't know that The Anointed One was meant to be that great a concept/character. He had a specific storyline purpose, plus there's the cliched-but-real creep factor of an evil child.

Given that the actor was growing out of the role, I wonder if Joss had to have him exit faster than planned.

Thing about his incineration, like was said above and mentioned by Nikki Stafford in Slayer, was to show a specific moment when 1st Season elements ended and the structure changed. Saying that S-2 wouldn't be S-1 redux, that in other words this was a show with its own sense of "internal realism" and not a cartoon.

The novels showed another child vamp in I believe Paleo; I know she was afraid of whatever the novel's Big Bad was, calling it "the Boogey Monster" until Buffy pointed the little girl was now the boogey monster and told her "Time to rest."

Insofar as BtVS/Angel showed smaller children being vamped, it was shown as being only in cases of extreme, enough-t-offend-Satan-type evil. don't know what if anything we're supposed to draw from that.

DaddyCatALSO | October 30, 22:10 CET

And let's be honest you have no future as a bad guy with a name like Collin

malcolm | October 30, 23:05 CET

Listers not like Caleb from Near Dark? Smash puny listers.

Craig Oxbrow | October 31, 03:30 CET