Hi clurbur, congrats on your first forum comment, thanks for joining in and getting the ball rolling!
I think we're all with you on that, we love all of Hal in all his aspects !
there is something so deliciously naughty about enjoying 'Bad Hal'...however evil and monstrous he is! and it is thrilling to see Damien become that 'other' character he is so at home in his own skin, all the angsty, wracked Hal gone...as if in alignment with his nature.
Sadly we didn't really get much time to enjoy 'human Hal' (and one could argue he is actually good Hal personified without the struggle). But the glimpse we saw...le sigh. (we need to see more human Hal! )
and yet... 'Good Hal' pulls constantly at the heart strings..as Tom put it so well "he was kind, and clever, and odd"...and we invested in his struggle and engaged with his tragedy.... I love them both but Good Hal, with a tenderness. So i voted for him.
Bad Hal. Absolutely. Every time! He is simply glorious! But only, I guess, because we get to see good Hal too.
I'm not at all sure that the distinction is that clear cut either. He told Tom, "A mask of civility is always hardest to maintain". He also said to Annie that her mask was even better than his. Bad Hal is always there....the monster is always there....just hidden, supressed sometimes by the desire to be better. Except maybe as a human.
Just read your comments, domino, and now I feel conflicted! because I do agree with you....and I thought Tom's description was spot on too. Undoubtedly some of the best scenes are with good Hal - like with Tom in the tent in the woods (although he did then straight away go and strangle Larry!) But It's too late for indecision - I've already cast my vote!
interesting idea Carmen and Pearl! Hal said "both, neither, I can't explain it"
The reason I included human Hal is because he felt to me to be really quite different...in a way that is hard to explain and yet it was totally discernible, blown away by how Damien portrayed human Hal, another contrast - for me - to both good and bad Hal.
In terms of screen time, we see good Hal the most, bad Hal next then a tiny bit of human Hal. Wow am I really the only one who voted for good Hal after all the struggle we went through with him? It is not i did not enjoy the dark side, I truly did,....but good Hal was not a light and fluffy character...we got many more shades with good Hal and that is why i enjoyed watching him the most.
Oh, I would have to agree on your points w/ the Good. I think I am just happy he has found some measure of peace. One of the reasons why the show had at least another season in it-- I'd love to know how much of their previous lives still exist underneath the surface. No need to turn them into X- Men, but I'm curious how it could be accessed if it does exist. How will they get used to normal life? Are they dead? Is this an alternate reality? All those repetitious script issues could go away and I think it would show promise. OK- now I'm drifting OT... anyhow. Human Hal, def.
Carmen.. wonderful drifting there... we are in danger of overlapping with our series 5 ep 6 discussion topic, but yes, despite not having come to a definitive conclusion on the questions you pose, I have concluded that there is peace, as last, for Hal...whatever version it is.... and that in itself is a happy ending.
Human Hal of now has to be affected by the 500 odd years of struggle ... the question is, would he willingly allow himself to be recruited had he known what was to come? and perhaps the answer is yes because it was implied in his conversations with Leo that he had that option to undo the 500 years of damage by accepting the devils offer... hmm...
I am loving how this topic is bringing up so much thoughtful discussion and sharing of insights..truly wonderful fuel for the grey matter and shows the gorgeous, dedicated Hal fans that you all are! take a group bow! <----- this is meant to be a clap emoticon, but the arms are missing on the dark background, lol.
Ah Whimsy your post before last is simply beautiful, definitely the post of this topic! resonates fully and completely thank you...
UJ... you have this way of saying it perfectly and so succinctly "good Hal was our Hal". THIS.
Bad Hal is top if the poll still, with Good Hal in second position and Human Hal bringing up the rear. (minds out of the gutter please..... )
If you have not voted yet, come on in and add your opinion to the mix!
It's such an agonizing decision, he's just Hal and I want all sides of him, but in the end Domino, I'm with you. Good Hal.
He was the first Hal I fell in love with, he's the one I can sympathise the most with.
We've seen so many diffent facets of good, adorkable Hal. His indignant expressions when someone touched him, or interrupted him, or Alex is up to mischief (the cow takes the cake). His unintentional deadpan humor. His sarcasm.
We've seen his conflict with himself, when he vamps out at the shop and the tortured expression on his face as Annies words sink in, the paniced look on his face when Cutler offers him the blood, the domino twirl and his resignation to drink blood in order to get the information.
We've felt his pain, sobbing when Pearl & Leo pass, crying when Kirby manipulates him, the horror at seeing Alex's gory corpse, and the one that made me love him more than I've ever loved him, sniffling when giving Tom the speech by the tent.
We've seen his struggle with his addiction, all the coping mechanisms, the dominos, the cleaning, the finger tapping, the pressups and origami, the withdrawls after drinking blood for the first time in 55 years.
We've seen him overcome his monster, he took care of Eve, he looks out for Tom, he was willing to sacrifice himself to kill the Old Ones. We've seen him lapse into his darker side, needing to vent, killing Larry (though some would argue that was bad Hal), disowning Crumb at the hotel, which was the single moment I've ever disliked Hal, drinking the blood from the flask, using Natasha, lying to Tom and Alex about the blood.
And he's the one we've seen "all starey with the sexy eyes and lack of personal space." ;)
We've seen him become best friends with Tom, and fall in love with Alex.
Tom definitely summarized it best in his sweet naive wisdom "he was kind, and clever, and odd"
So while I LOVE when bad Hal comes out to play - god how with just the change of the timbre of his voice and that wicked smile he totally transforms into proper bad Hal - and while I desperately want to see more human Hal, I have to say I prefer to watch Good Hal.
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
interesting idea Carmen and Pearl! Hal said "both, neither, I can't explain it"
The reason I included human Hal is because he felt to me to be really quite different...in a way that is hard to explain and yet it was totally discernible, blown away by how Damien portrayed human Hal, another contrast - for me - to both good and bad Hal.
Human Hal - the way Damien portrays him is different in that he seems calmer. When he talked he didn't have all the breathy pauses, his voice doesn't tremble and modulate as much. Human Hal is a little awkward like Good Hal, but more in a shy way rather than a panicked way.
But sadly I've only rewatched 4 times, and none in the last 24 hrs. Will have to go do more research.
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papillon... pamplemousse... bibliothèque... un baiser A lilt in his voice. Every sentence like music... #kisskisskiss A terrible beauty is born. Love me some #Jacksass
Oh wow...tough one because i love all facets. I really can't choose. So i won't.
I really responded to 'Good Hal' and all of his quirks and tics and routines. It's the main reason why i watch '1955' over and over again because it is so clear. He does not over emote in this episode either, you're just completely taken in by his character, you believe it because of his eyes, his voice, his facial expressions. He was also rather selfish in those early episodes, as long as he was okay, the rest of it wasn't his concern. He needed to keep hold of his sobriety (and sanity) and gradually throughout series 4 he came to realise that perhaps the world didn't orbit around him. He had to engage. And of course in series 5 it became undone. I really enjoyed his uptight stand offish behaviour. It skated close to autistic sometimes, and i speak as the parent of a young adult on the autistic spectrum and i think that's why Hal resonated with me. Some people on the autistic spectrum exhibit OCD tendencies, my son does. He likes control and routine.
Bad Hal...sexy, confident, dry and quite funny. You could almost see Damien loosen his shoulders and think to himself about having some serious fun. There's the menacing side of Lord Hal (Crumb and the chair for example) which is genuinely scary and then there's the bar fight scene...experienced, vicious, baiting and then there's the studio/ HH scene where he's cold, he's arrogant and that is dangerous.
I don't think we got to see enough of 'Human Hal' to form an exact opinion but what we saw of him, he came across as shy and hesitant and tongue tied and that was in it's own way, adorable. We'd probably get to see a touch of sarcasm and acid wit in time, as has already been said, he's a bit like 'Good Hal' but without the added dose of angst and control. He seemed a bit more vulnerable as human and i responded to that too.
and to add a different way of thinking about how you might answer this poll question....as much as that giddy thrill of Bad Hal is wonderful to watch and experience, when we were rooting for Hal to vanquish his demons and overcome his condition, weren't we longing for 'Bad Hal' not to return?
Good Hal, hands down. Don't get me wrong - I enjoy watching Bad Hal, but my love will always be for Good Hal BECAUSE of knowing it's Bad Hal that he is struggling against and that makes him far sexier and more appealing in my book. Kind of like Alex, I respect it. Or else I'm just terribly mean and enjoy watching Hal struggle... period. Bad Hal is just a little too much confident swagger for my tastes. I prefer my blokes a little awkward. "Honest" - ha!
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"Creepy AND a day drinker. Well. I'm just gonna put this out there - but we should get married."
he is so at home in his own skin, all the angsty, wracked Hal gone...as if in alignment with his nature. 
)
love him and the way Damien brings him to life!
and shows the gorgeous, dedicated Hal fans that you all are! take a group bow!
