Five of My Favourite: Male Nerds and Geeks from TV

Well, here's my extra post, I'm doing a review this weekend. I thought I'd continue with another fun post, and since I've done the my top five female geeks and nerds, I thought I'd do my five of my favourite guys too. 

Please note as usual, that the list is in no particular order.

1] Sheldon Cooper - The Big Bang Theory

A theoretical physicist, a science-fiction geek and a gamer to boot, Sheldon is probably one of the most famous nerds on television at the moment. 

I have heard that some people in the nerd/geek community do not like the Big Bang Theory because it essential mocks nerds, and though I love the show, I can see what they mean sometimes. The other male characters can seem a little embarrassed about nerdiness, especially with their girlfriends, except for Sheldon. He doesn't apologise for being nerd - or anything really, but that's beside the point. In fact he is often surprised, and pitiful, that more people don't know or care about sci-fi and science - and I personally think that's one of the things that makes him so cool. 


2] Kowalski - The Penguins of Madagascar

You've probably all seen or heard of the four penguins from the Madagascar films who act like they're a special forces unit. Well the characters were so popular they got their own spin-off series - and it is fantastic. 

Kowalski is the genius inventor, scientist and general Q of the team - and probably my favourite character. Known for inventing incredible contraptions, he has a touch of the mad scientist about him. It should also be noted that despite understanding physics and once owning a Higgs Boson - he can't actually read. However, he is a penguin and unlike some other television scientists he can fight and is always involved in missions. 

3] Pete Lattimer - Warehouse 13

Pete Latimer is the goofy, often childish partner of Myka at the Warehouse. He is also a comic-book geek and has collected almost every issue of The Iron Shadow, who his favourite superhero - we even see him wear a Iron Shadow T-shirt. 

4] Dr Rodney McKay - Stargate Atlantis

A physicist and  engineer who has worked with stargates, he is the Head Scientist on Atlantis. He's also the guy who normally ends up solving the team's big problem, whether that's fixing a machine or finding a way to escape a volcano in a spaceship. Hints throughout the series suggest he is also Star Trek and Batman fan. 

5] The Doctor - Doctor Who

I have to admit I was unsure about putting the Doctor on this list, unlike the others who are sort of just ordinary but very intelligent or passionate people, he is an alien. His people are more science based and inherently smarter than us. Then again this list includes a penguin so, I say no criteria applies. 

The Doctor of course has a vast knowledge of science, from astrology to engineering to physics and a myriad of other subjects. I guess he also seems to embody other traits I associate with geeks and nerds - passion for technical stuff, the fact his superpower is his intelligence, the fact he can often be goofy or speak in a load jargon. The Doctor is almost all knowing but also all round brilliant.

Five of My Favourite: Female Nerds and Geeks from TV

Okay, so last weekend I only managed two reviews after promising three - I can be excused for watching Game of Thrones? - so I'll be writing an extra post sometime over the next week. In the meantime, I thought I'd have a change of pace and a little fun since its the holidays, and do a list this week.

So, today's list is the my top five female nerds and geeks, in no particular order.

Note - on definitions of nerd and geek. I personally consider these positive terms, with nerd applying to people with interests and expertise in scientific areas, and geek to anyone who is very passionate about a particular subject. However, these are just my personal definitions - you may find others online or in a dictionary.

1] Myka Bering - Warehouse 13

Myka is not only super smart, with a great eye for details, but definitely a book nerd. She grew up reading H G Wells and many other classics in the bookshop run by her parents, and her ability to quote Shakespeare has even saved lives. 


[2] Col./Doctor Sam Carter - Stargate SG1

Though she's already turned up on one of my previous top five lists, I couldn't help but include her here. An astrophysicist and engineer, with an obvious passion for science, she is an expert in alien technology and the cleverest member of SG1. 


3] Claudia Donovan - Warehouse 13

A cool technical nerd, Claudia has amazing computer skills, allowing to hack into a system and find anything she wants. Something of an inventor too, she has been known to create several useful gadgets for use in the Warehouse, including an holographic projector and a periscope for Artie. She also gets pretty cranky when she ends up stuck in the forest with no good Internet signal whilst on assignment. 

4] Lisa Simpson - The Simspons

Perhaps one of the most famous nerds/geeks on television, Lisa is years ahead of her classmates. A member of MENSA, she has been interested in astronomy, helped Doctor Nick give her father a heart bypass and in one episode pretended to be a boy so she could learn maths in a more traditional way, after her school was serparated into girls and boys.

5] Doctor Amy Farrah Fowler - The Big Bang Theory

Again another one from my female scientists list. Amy, though not into science-fiction or comics like Sheldon Cooper, is a neurologist with a passion for medieval literature and playing the harp. Probably the smartest out of the Big Bang Theory girls, she seems to have a good knowledge of physics as well as biology.

Review: Warehouse 13, Season 1

I tad belated this week as I have been watching a whole TV season for a change, rather than just one film. I've just finished watching the first season of Warehouse 13, an original SyFy channel sci-fi show created byJane Espenson and Brent Mote.

Technically this is the second time I've started watching W13, as it can be neatly shortened too. The first time I watched it, which was ages ago, I got a little bored of 'find an artifacts a week' thing, which sounds silly now, as my brother pointed out - that's the point of the show! Anyway, I don't know quite what I was thinking the first time, but on this second viewing I really got into it.

The show follows two American Secret Service agents, Pete Lattimer (Eddie McClintock) and Myka Bering (Joanne Kelly), who are transferred to the mysterious Warehouse 13 - a huge warehouse full of artifacts with strange proprieties. These artifacts can not only do amazing things but can be highly dangerous, and it becomes Pete and Myka's job to locate artifacts then snag'em, tag'em and bag'em - as their new boss Artie (Saul Rubinek) explains.

What I like about this set-up is that opens up a multitude of creative possibilities, as artifacts can be anything, and doing anything. They often link artifacts to famous figures in history too, which is fun, such as Poe's pen or Harriet Tubman's thimble. Whilst the gadgets they use themselves range from the supertech of the video labels in the warehouse, to the more steampunk style video communicator's, the Farnsworths, they use on missions. 

The show also mixes in a good dose of slight absurdity and humour, which makes sense when its set in such an odd place, and the dialogue between characters - and especially from whizz-kid Claudia Donovan (Allison Scagliotti) - has a slightly silly, quick-fire sense to it from time to time - like an odd-ball film. 

However, the show can also be serious, and alot of that comes from the character's pasts, especially Artie's - and I wasn't sure if the serious straight stuff gelled with the more goofy, fast-talking side of the show at first. Now, I've seen the whole season, I think it pulls off alright. The weighty important bits are generally allowed room to breathe before they start being funny again, and of course the humour is used to lighten the mood during a more serious situation. So, all in all it works, and it is nice to have a scif-fi show that can be dramatic but also not take itself so  seriously all the time.  

Another thing I enjoy about the show, and which attracted me to it, is that there are apparently several cameos from other sci-fi actors. Already I have seen two actors from Battlestar Galactica and Joe Flannigan from Stargate Atlantis turn up in season one. As does actor Mark Sheppard - who seems to have a habit of turning up in sci-fi shows. I have also seen him in Firefly, Star Trek and Doctor Who.

I enjoy all the characters on the show, especially Claudia and Pete, who are both funny and smart. I was a little put out by Artie, with his cuddly, professor appearance it took me a while to get my head around the fact the character was also secretive, cranky and bossy. This is not a bad thing though, as of course it gives his character not only more depth, but it also gives the first season most of its over-arcing plot and villain, as someone from Artie's past returns. 

In summary: A fun, bizarre sci-fi show that's very creative. The characters are all likable and well developed, and the setting is great. The first season gets a little slow in the middle, but does kick off once it gets going with its over-arcing storyline, and after that the stakes are raised and the twists just keep coming. Definitely recommended for sci-fi fans.