Old obsessions, revisited

The greatest person in the world, finabair has given me copies of Stingray. No, not the Gary Anderson puppet show, the drama that was on NBC in 1985.



Never heard of it? Doesn't really surprise me. You could say it ran for two seasons because technically it did, but it only had 25 episodes total. And NBC kept changing the air times and preempting it so, in all likelihood, most viewers didn't know it was even on. Even I, with my undying love for the show, didn't get to see all of them the first time it aired.

I can't say that this is my favorite show of all time, but the character of Ray is, far and away, my favorite character ever to exist. If I could bring one character to life from any media, ever, it would (without a second thought) be Stingray. He is everything I passionately love in a character. He is dark, mysterious and dangerous. He lives and works in a world of moral ambiguity, where being the good guy doesn't guarantee anything. He knows that evil exists, having not only seen it, but actually been part of it. Yet, even though he is more than capable of evil himself, he chooses to work for good. Ray stands out from other anti-heroes, though, in that he's not broody and angsty as some sort of self-flagellating penance over the mere capability of doing evil. The character, despite the darkness, manages to have many light moments. He even has a sense of humor that is allowed to come out. He is actually permitted to be happy at times.

( More gushing inside )

I'm sure I'll obsess more here in the future. I mean, I need something to pass the time with until 24 starts in January.

So, you know, be warned.

Fair warning...

I belong to a Stingray group on Yahoo and we are talking about one episode (or so) a week. Because I know have the eps on tape and because it's something I've always wanted to do (Yes, I am that weird), I'm doing recaps/summaries/reviews of the episodes.

I'm posting them here because I can. I will cut them because they are very long and, you know, obsessive in a way most of my flist is not. But if you want to know about the show, read away. Otherwise, go ahead and ignore me. I expect to do an episode a week if I'm lucky, every other if I'm not.

I'm picking up near the end, episode 21 to be exact.

The quick summary of the show:

Stingray revolves around a mysterious man known only as Ray, who travels the land in a black '65 Stingray Corvette. His background is unknown. However, someone can contact him by answering a newspaper or computer ad to barter for a Stingray Corvette. He typically helps those who can't help themselves, but always asks a price: he requires that they help him out one time, sometime in the future, no questions asked. A favor for a favor. He is truly a man of mystery: no one ever knows his real name.

Pity me if you must, feed my obsesion if you can. *grin*

Cry Wolf -- Stingray, episode 21

Cry Wolf

Quick Summary

Ray gets drawn into a case of a drugged-up TV star, Ty Gardiner, who tries to hire him despite Ray's misgivings. When faced with mobsters, Yakuza and feds, Ray find the most dangerous thing he has to face is Ty's self-centered stupidity.

( Recap Comments )

( Episode Recap )

( Episode Comments )

( Music in the show )

( Aliases used by Ray )

( Favors Reclaimed )

( Facts about Ray )

Any changes, additions or comments? Let me know. Please, feed my obsession.

Post it note quotes...

Cleaning up my desk, I found some post it notes with quotes on them. I must have written them down from a show or a book, but I can't recall where they are from. I'll share anyway:

"You always have a choice."
"Well, then the trick is to live with the ones you make."

"Unfortunately, people can think for themselves. It's just sometimes they choose not to.

"I promised to give you and your brother whatever you both needed. How could I regret that choice?"

I'm sure that I had many things I was going to say about those quotes, but I can't recall them now. I could come up with new things, but I think the moment has passed.

I'm sharing, anyhow.