Misplaced Pages

Villain of the week: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 07:03, 7 January 2005 editPaul A (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users63,852 edits add Category:Narratology, stub notice← Previous edit Latest revision as of 13:41, 19 November 2024 edit undoSimonWan00 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users3,033 edits →topTags: Mobile edit Mobile app edit Android app edit App section source 
(231 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Antagonist that only appears in one episode of a work of fiction|}}
"'''Villain of the week'''" (or, depending on genre, "'''monster of the week'''") is a concept that describes the format of certain television shows. As many American adventure-themed TV shows air episodes weekly, there is usually a new, temporary antagonist to forward the plot each week. The main characters usually confront and vanquish these characters, often leaving them never to be seen again.
{{About|antagonists in episodic fiction|the 1998 song "Freak of the Week"|Marvelous 3|the tabletop role-playing game|Monster of the Week}}


"'''Villain of the week'''" (or, depending on genre, "'''monster of the week'''", "'''freak of the week'''", "'''alien of the week'''", or '''"dinosaur of the week'''") is an ] that only appears in one ] of a multi-episode work of fiction, commonly British, American, and Japanese genre-based ]. As many shows of this type air episodes weekly at a rate of ten to twenty new episodes per year, there is often a new antagonist in the plot of each week's episode. The main characters usually confront and vanquish these characters, often never encountering them again.
See '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'' for examples.

⚫ ]
Shows that use such characters include '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'', '']'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Eirth|first=Annabelle|url=https://screenrant.com/charmed-biggest-problems-fans-ignore/|title=25 Things Wrong With Charmed Fans Choose To Ignore|date=January 20, 2019|website=Screen Rant|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> '']'',<ref name=leane>{{cite web|last=Leane|first=Rob|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/superhero-tv/245124/does-superhero-tv-need-the-villain-of-the-week-format|title=Does Superhero TV need the Villain of the Week Format?|date=April 1, 2015|website=Den of Geek|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> and '']''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Sproull|first=Patrick|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/tv/scooby-doo/219931/the-10-scariest-scooby-doo-episodes|title=The 10 Scariest Scooby-Doo Episodes|date=September 13, 2018|website=Den of Geek|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> Some series alternate between using such antagonists and furthering the series' ongoing plotlines (as in '']'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Vinney|first=Cynthia|url=https://screenrant.com/buffy-vampire-slayer-monsters-episodes/|title=Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The 5 Best Monsters Of The Week (And The 5 Worst)|date=March 16, 2019|website=Screen Rant|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> '']'',<ref name=leane /> '']'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Jeffery|first=Morgan|url=https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a373145/fringe-a-short-story-about-love-recap/|title='Fringe': 'A Short Story About Love' recap|date=March 26, 2012|website=Digital Spy|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> and '']''),<ref>{{cite web|last=Bassett|first=Jordan|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/xfiles-scariest-monster-of-the-week-episodes-2215681|title=The X Files' scariest 'Monster of the Week' episodes|date=January 8, 2018|website=NME.com|publisher=New Musical Express|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Navarro|first=Megan|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3519356/x-files-turns-25-10-best-monster-week-episodes/|title="The X-Files" Turns 25: The 10 Best Monster of the Week Episodes!|date=September 10, 2018|website=Bloody Disgusting|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> while others use these one-time foes as pawns of the recurring adversaries (as in '']'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Eisenbeis|first=Richard|url=https://kotaku.com/i-cant-decide-if-samurai-flamenco-is-brilliant-or-terr-1503049913|title=I Can't Decide if Samurai Flamenco is Brilliant or Terrible|date=January 17, 2014|website=Kotaku|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> '']'',<ref>{{cite web|last=Wellham|first=Melissa|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/popasia/blog/2016/11/21/re-watching-sailor-moon-adult|title=Re-watching Sailor Moon as an adult|date=November 21, 2016|website=SBS.com.au|publisher=Special Broadcasting Service|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> ] and '']''<ref>{{cite web|last=Whitbrook|first=James|url=https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-io9-guide-to-super-sentai-1769494693|title=The io9 Guide to Super Sentai|date=April 7, 2016|website=io9|publisher=Gawker Media|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref> and its American equivalent, '']'').{{sfn|Clements|McCarthy|2015|p=}}<ref>{{cite web|last=Bruce|first=Amanda|url=https://screenrant.com/power-rangers-main-major-villain-ranked-worst-best/|title=Power Rangers: Every Major Villain, Ranked Worst To Best|date=August 25, 2017|website=Screen Rant|access-date=July 11, 2019}}</ref>
{{stub}}

In some cases, these villains return reformed in later episodes, becoming invaluable allies or gaining a larger role in the story.

"Villain of the week" plotlines are attractive to ], as it means that episodes can be ] in any order and do not need to be aired in sequence as ] with continuing storylines do.

==See also==
*]
*]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Sources===
* {{cite book|last1=Clements|first1=Jonathan|last2=McCarthy|first2=Helen|year=2015|title=The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation|publisher=Stone Bridge Press|isbn=9781611720181}}

⚫ ]
]
]

Latest revision as of 13:41, 19 November 2024

Antagonist that only appears in one episode of a work of fiction This article is about antagonists in episodic fiction. For the 1998 song "Freak of the Week", see Marvelous 3. For the tabletop role-playing game, see Monster of the Week.

"Villain of the week" (or, depending on genre, "monster of the week", "freak of the week", "alien of the week", or "dinosaur of the week") is an antagonist that only appears in one episode of a multi-episode work of fiction, commonly British, American, and Japanese genre-based television series. As many shows of this type air episodes weekly at a rate of ten to twenty new episodes per year, there is often a new antagonist in the plot of each week's episode. The main characters usually confront and vanquish these characters, often never encountering them again.

Shows that use such characters include Doctor Who, Supernatural, Primeval, Grimm, Charmed, Smallville, and Scooby-Doo. Some series alternate between using such antagonists and furthering the series' ongoing plotlines (as in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Supernatural, Fringe, and The X-Files), while others use these one-time foes as pawns of the recurring adversaries (as in Kamen Rider, Sailor Moon, the Ultra series and Super Sentai and its American equivalent, Power Rangers).

In some cases, these villains return reformed in later episodes, becoming invaluable allies or gaining a larger role in the story.

"Villain of the week" plotlines are attractive to syndicators, as it means that episodes can be rerun in any order and do not need to be aired in sequence as serials with continuing storylines do.

See also

References

  1. Eirth, Annabelle (January 20, 2019). "25 Things Wrong With Charmed Fans Choose To Ignore". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  2. ^ Leane, Rob (April 1, 2015). "Does Superhero TV need the Villain of the Week Format?". Den of Geek. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  3. Sproull, Patrick (September 13, 2018). "The 10 Scariest Scooby-Doo Episodes". Den of Geek. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  4. Vinney, Cynthia (March 16, 2019). "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The 5 Best Monsters Of The Week (And The 5 Worst)". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  5. Jeffery, Morgan (March 26, 2012). "'Fringe': 'A Short Story About Love' recap". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  6. Bassett, Jordan (January 8, 2018). "The X Files' scariest 'Monster of the Week' episodes". NME.com. New Musical Express. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  7. Navarro, Megan (September 10, 2018). ""The X-Files" Turns 25: The 10 Best Monster of the Week Episodes!". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  8. Eisenbeis, Richard (January 17, 2014). "I Can't Decide if Samurai Flamenco is Brilliant or Terrible". Kotaku. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  9. Wellham, Melissa (November 21, 2016). "Re-watching Sailor Moon as an adult". SBS.com.au. Special Broadcasting Service. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  10. Whitbrook, James (April 7, 2016). "The io9 Guide to Super Sentai". io9. Gawker Media. Retrieved July 11, 2019.
  11. Clements & McCarthy 2015.
  12. Bruce, Amanda (August 25, 2017). "Power Rangers: Every Major Villain, Ranked Worst To Best". Screen Rant. Retrieved July 11, 2019.

Sources

  • Clements, Jonathan; McCarthy, Helen (2015). The Anime Encyclopedia, 3rd Revised Edition: A Century of Japanese Animation. Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 9781611720181.
Categories: