Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Face Off: Up, Up and Away!

I know I kinda stopped recapping the second season after the death in my family and never did the third season. But when I flipped onto SyFy to see they were re-airing the premiere, I made a split decision to recap it. And then I realized I turned it on a half hour after the start. So that recap will be pending. Look for it under the title “Face Off: There is Only One Goblin King—David Bowie.”

Last time: The fourteen contestants were welcomed to Face Off. See above for why I don’t know what the foundation challenge was, but I know Anthony won it. The contestants then worked in pairs on goblin kings, bearing designs of the elements. In the end, Anthony won the whole thing while Troy was eliminated. Thirteen contestants remain, who is eliminated tonight?

Face Off
LA! The remaining contestants greet the morning when they notice an envelope in their bowl of oranges. It is an invitation to San Diego’s Comic Con, the biggest Comic Con there is. Really, even NY’s Comic Con—which I go to—is small compared to this.
They head to San Diego and meet Sheridan Crane…I mean McKenzie Westmore. She talks about the Super Heroes. Why? Because the contestants will becoming up with an original super hero. To help them are people from DC, Dan DiDio and Jim Lee. I’d probably make a bigger deal if I read comic books. Everything I know comes from Linkara’s “Atop the Fourth Wall.” Jim and Dan tell them to remember the usual color palettes—reds, blues, yellows, etc—and silhouettes. They bring in some artists from DC to help them before announcing that the winner’s hero will be featured in a DC comic. Autumn is touched because she wants to great one for her hero-loving daughter.

Erik Z. wants to a hero based off his hero, his dad. Anthony wants to go with lava. Eric F. wants to with a Dick Tracy inspired character. Wayne (working with David Finch, a name I recognize) creates a muscle character who protects earth.

The contestants return to the warehouse to begin their creations by sculpting. Meagan’s hero is inspired from the Twin Towers while Kris goes with a time traveling alien. (That sounds familiar but he doesn’t look anything like the Doctor). Someone calls Meagan’s sculpt “Thunder Cat” and she spirals into self-doubt.

Coming Up: Problems!

We come back as Wayne continues to work on his superhero’s face. Alam talks about her color scheme—blue, gray—as her character is covered with glass. I’m still learning names, so the blonde woman is working on an underwater superhero while Meagan still freaks out over her sculpt. Anthony continues to work on his chest piece, especially the muscles. Michael is working on a nose piece while Jenna works on “SilverSight”—a “wonder woman with wings”—who is a conservationist.

The contestants begin their molding phase. Except Meagan, who is still working on her sculpt. But she’s finally happy with how it looks. Michael worries about time and he doesn’t want to be in the bottom again like last week. As time is called, Katie worries hers is too simple.

Day 2! Everyone returns to continue their work. Eric F. says he’s trying to think outside the box. So he wants to expose human anatomy while Jenna works on her wings. Alam works on her glass shards for her characters, which is a challenge for her as she’s working with new materials. Michael, meanwhile, is having problems with his mask. He isn’t thrilled with how it looks and starts to panic.

COMMERCIALS!

Mini-Scene: One contestant has issues with his silicon and gets help from Jenna. He worries about elimination before deciding on foam latex.

Michael is still worried about his mask. He uses spandex and foam to make his mask. Katie wants her pieces to look homemade while House continues working on his punk super hero. He says he took his inspiration from Japanese anime.

Time’s up!

LA! Day 3! It’s application day and everyone is nervous. Eric F. works on a blaster gun for his character as the models arrive. They explain their characters to the models. One contestant is having problems with his back and chest pieces while Autumn is happy with how her work is looking. Megan is happy with her look while Alam struggles with her glass shard back piece. She wonders if she’s using the wrong type of glue. Meanwhile, there’s an oozing mold and an injured contestant. So Anthony goes with “Plan B.” He’s frustrated.

Coming Up: Last Looks!

At the studio, everyone finishes their application. House works on his model’s paint while Alam’s back piece has fallen off again. Meagan is duct taping pieces before calling time.

McKenzie welcomes them to the reveal stage. There are judges: Glenn, Ve, and Neville Page. (Guess Patrick couldn’t come back). She reminds them of the prize. I’m surprised no one from DC is there.

Michael: Elijah, Bringer of Plagues
He’s proud of his design and the judges smile.

Kris: OrionX
The makeup does look alien-ly. He is worried about the costume.

Wayne: Solarian
It’s an interesting look, but leaning toward “good interesting.”

Anthony: The Infernal Core
He is nervous and wishes the chest piece had been done.

Meagan: Freedom Fighter
The Twin Tower designs didn’t come out so great and she’s not thrilled with her look.

House: Robot Girl
Yeah, I could see that as an anime character.

Autumn: Mercury Ray
Autumn thinks DC could use her character.

Alam: Dark Shard
She thinks no one can see her mistakes.

Alex: H2 Ophelia
She thinks the lighting makes her look even better.

Jenna: SilverSight
She looks great and Jenna knows it.

Katie: ReVolt
She worries because her design is not Glenn’s style

Eric Z: Contagion
I like the arm piece, with the muscles.

Eric F: Dick Gritty
Is this a super hero or a villain? Or is he meant to be an antihero? Antiheroes are popular, right?

The judges take their closer looks. They like Anthony’s paint but not Meagan’s duct tape. They aren’t thrilled with Autumn’s work but they think hers looks like a superhero. Next is Alam, which they think could work in Batman. Until he turns around to reveal the hole where the back piece should be. Alam knows she’s sunk.

COMMERCIALS!

Glenn doesn’t like Katie’s work but think Eric Z’s design looks like an action doll. Some contestants are safe and sent back. House goes to stand before the judges. Glenn calls it “unconventional” and “risky” but he applauds House. Ve likes it while Neville doesn’t think it’s a Super Hero, but Glenn gets the Japanese feeling. Meagan is next and Ve says the arm pieces aren’t great. She calls the sculpting rough and Glenn likes the idea but not the execution.

Eric F. is next to explain Dick Gritty. Neville praises the chest piece and the work on there. Ve says it evokes a 1940s movie, giving him kudos. Michael is next with Elijah. Glenn gets the idea behind the mask but he doesn’t like it. Ve isn’t thrilled with the work. Anthony is next. Ve says that his lava theme is successful. Neville says that Anthony turned lemons into lemonade, creating a great silhouette. Glenn loves the color scheme and details. Katie is next to stand before the judges. Neville asks to see underneath the mask and she needs to study anatomy. Glenn doesn’t like the mask.

The contestants are dismissed so the judges can talk. They loved Anthony’s colors and designs. Ve loved the gold metallic look. Glenn thinks his design will intrigue people. Neville doesn’t see the character as superhero. Ve is disappointed in Meagan’s design and Neville has concerns about her sculpting ability. They didn’t like Katie’s mask.

McKenzie asks Glenn to reveal the top looks: Anthony, House, and Eric F. So who is the winner? It is…

COMMERCIALS!

Anyway, the winner is…Anthony. For a moment, I thought Eric F. was going to win. But I can see both as possible comic characters. The winning looks are dismissed. This leaves Meagan, Michael and Katie in the bottom. They go to stand before the judges. Michael: Squandered his time, final result not good. Meagan: Problems with sculpt. Katie: Needed to work on other things. Therefore, Michael is eliminated. He made many bad decisions and had no makeup for the judges. Glenn, though, says he is creative and wants to see more from him. They wish him luck.

Michael heads backstage to say goodbye. He says this has been a milestone and is very confident about the future.

Face Off

Alam
Alex
Anthony
Autumn
House
Eric F.
Eric Z.
Jenna
Katie
Kris
Meagan
Michael
Troy
Wayne

I’m still lost regarding who is who. So some parts of the recap are lost due to the fact I couldn’t identify some people. Hopefully next week will go better. I am liking Neville on the panel and think he has some good comments. Don’t have any favorites yet, though I am leaning toward Meagan. We’ll see what happens!

Next week: Demons! And hopefully a “Quote of the Episode.”

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