Harvey Guillén is an American actor. He is best known for his role as the human familiar Guillermo de la Cruz in the 2019 television series What We Do in the Shadows. Guillén has appeared in recurring roles on a number of television series, such as Alistair Delgado on Huge (2010), Cousin Blobbin on The Thundermans (2013–2018), George Reyes in Eye Candy (2015), and Benedict Fenwick on The Magicians (2017–2018). He also appeared in the 2013 film The Internship.
By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
Photos copyright AMC
I was recently made aware of just how many movies and television shows the younger generation have never heard of, never mind seen. So to that end, we look back at some characters you really need to see before you kick the bucket.
“Sanctuary for all. Community for all. Those who arrive survive.”
Through season 4 of the Walking Dead we were teased with signs along a railway track urging the characters to come to Terminus. Our group had been split apart after the Governor attacked the prison scattering everyone. Daryl had hooked up with a violent gang, Carol had been exiled to fend for herself and Rick, Michonne and Carl were lost. But all through the episodes, there was the call of Terminus, a seeming haven for the wandering. But sadly it was but a siren call to certain death.
As our characters reunited they all entered Terminus which seemed friendly at first. Mary (Denise Crosby) was cooking a barbeque and they were welcomed by the leader of Terminus, Gareth. But things quickly descended into terror when it became clear that whoever had written the sign missed a bit off the end.
Sanctuary for all, community for all, those who arrive, survive (for a few hours before being BBQed by Mary and served in a bun with relish).
Yep, our friendly neighbourhood Terminus gang were cannibals and travellers were the menu.
When Rick, Carl, Daryl and Michonne finally arrive they see a woman broadcasting a message to come to Terminus. At first Gareth seems friendly asking if Rick and the others have come to rob them. Their weapons are inspected and Gareth would like to ask questions just to ensure everyone’s mutual safety. However Rick spots one of Terminus people with a fob watch he knows very well. It belonged to Hershel who bequeathed it to Glenn before he was killed by the Governor.
The tables turn quickly as they run from Gareth and his crew only to be cornered and thrown into a train car where they find all the others.
It turns out that Terminus did once stand for sanctuary and they helped many people at the beginning of the zombie plague. When marauders invaded, they raped the women, murdered people and imprisoned the Terminus people in the same cars they now stash their food source. However Gareth and his friends fought back and took their home back again. They vowed no one would ever hurt them going forward. This new world does not have a place for kindness and compassion so they went down the dark path. Terminus would survive. They would stay within the walls, watchful for new arrivals who would be slaughtered and served up as sustenance. Never again would they have to venture out for food runs. While the world devoured itself Terminus would survive and thrive amid the chaos.
As season five opens, our heroes are prisoners and we get to see how the people that come here are killed. They are bound and gagged and kneel before a trough. Terminus people then strike them on the back of the head with a bat, stunning them before cutting their throats like pigs at the abattoir.
It is this scene that is the most telling about Gareth and how much he has moved from the generous man he once was. He is completely nonchalant about the way these people are being killed. He squats down before a bound Rick flicking through a notebook. He is in a position of absolute power now and his arrogance shines through. He questions Rick about the bag he has hidden somewhere and what it contains. Rick holds his stare and tells him about the weapons. He also mentions that it contains a machete with a red handle which he is going to use to kill Gareth. Little did they know that Carol was in fact outside about to blow up the gas tanks to destroy the fences and allow the zombie herd in to Terminus. Bob demands to speak and tries to reason with Gareth but to no avail.
The explosion distracts the guards allowing Rick and the others to escape. Gareth flees and with Terminus gone, he returns with some survivors when he kidnaps Bob right from under Rick’s nose. Bob awakes to find his leg amputated but he has the last laugh. He has been bitten and Gareth and co have been eating tainted meat. They try to attack Father Gabriel’s church where Rick’s people are but it is a trap. Gareth is forced to his knees and pleads for his life. Just as his experience left him hard nosed, so too is Rick. He and the others have no problem shooting down Gareth’s people without hesitation even when they threaten to fire into the back room containing Carl and Judith.
Gareth offers to leave and promises they will never meet again. But Rick doesn’t accept that. No matter where Gareth and his cronies go they will feed on people. He reminds Gareth how he said he was going to kill him and pulls out the machete with the red handle. Rick viciously hacks Gareth to death ending Terminus and its sick legacy once and for all.
Some would say that the people of Terminus were simply victims of trauma and reacting just as this new world dictated. If the dead were eating the living then it makes sense for the future for the living to eat the living. It is never clear if any of the existing Terminus inhabitants were from the original settlers or other travellers that liked the life Terminus offered them with no qualms about cannibalism.
But with everything they have been through Rick and the others have never fallen to this level of barbarism. Even when they were on their knees with hunger and Daryl wept at not being able having to eat worms, they were saved only when Sasha shot a pack of wild dogs. That was what kept them alive before they found Alexandria. But on the flip side, you never know how you are going to react in any given situation as the movie Alive demonstrated. There but for the grace of God as they say. We don’t know what depravities Gareth and the others were exposed to when Terminus was invaded. We only got a taste of it. and what psychological damage was done. Were their minds broken? Was it a case of survival of the fittest that the course of cannibalism was taken?
Gareth was literally on the show for a few episodes but the impact of Terminus will last forever.
Beth, it’s me, your husband! I’m here to save you, or my name isn’t Jerry Smith!
We are delighted to announce our next guest (and another addition to the Smith family!) for DCC Spring Edition, none other than Chris Parnell!
Chris plays Jerry Smith on Adult Swim’s Rick and Morty. After 8 seasons with SNL, Chris played Dr. Leo Spaceman on 30 Rock. He voiced the narrator on WordGirl. Fans will also recognize him from his roles as Cyril Figgis on Archer, and Overseer Benjamin in Fallout TV series on Prime.
Of all the regular Star Trek main cast, over the years only one of them seems to have shunned the spotlight and disappeared off the grid completely. Jolene Blalock has not done any conventions or interviews and left the Trek universe behind to raise a family. Her former colleagues Connor Trinneer and Dominic Keating did a public appeal for her to come on to their then podcast Shuttlepod One. Trinneer had been T’pol’s love interest in the show but their request was not answered. But now she is back, perhaps they can reach out for their new podcast D- Con Chamber podcast.
T’Pol was a great character showing Vulcans on the cusp of becoming totally logical beings that we know so well. Just as Archer was the first captain, she was the first Vulcan, the one that could change Vulcan opinion on humans even though it was never her intention. She held the same view of humans as other Vulcans but that changed over time. She has many excellent storylines including becoming an addict to Trellium-D throwing her Vulcan control totally off. But thanks to Doctor Phlox, she was able to wean herself free of it after their battle with the Xindi in the Expanse. As much as she was learning about humans so we were learning about Vulcan society through her eyes.
But in a move no one expected, Jolene came back to the role in the new Lower Decks episode thanks to the multiverse. Animated show Lower Decks has been following a multiverse storyline and T’Pol is part of the crew of Captain William Boimler’s ship, the USS Anaximander. They are on a mission to hunt down and stop whomever is creating the holes in space leading to other realities.
But this is not the T’Pol we know. She is in fact a version that married Trip Tucker and spent 63 years with him before he died. In that time she got an up close and personal understanding of human emotions.
She is very controlled but compassionate towards her other crew mates. They include Curzon Dax who knows how to swing a Klingon weapon. Also aboard are Doctor Elim Garak and his holographic husband Emergency Medical Hologram Julian Bashir.
T’Pol finds a friend in Curzon especially when he is dying and she must take Dax’s katra into her via a mind meld. She is integral in solving the mystery giving her captain’s erratic and depressive behaviour. He is worn away by all the trouble the multiverse has brought. This trouble comes in the form of multiple Harry Kim’s who form most of his crew especially two pip Kim who is one angry puppy.
How ironic then that they discover the rips in reality are not an act of evil but an accident. They discover it is in fact First Contact’s Lily Sloane that is behind everything. Instead of a creating a warp drive ship with Zephram Cochrane, they created a quantum reality one in order to explore other realities. Their mission is to better understand humanity and had no idea their ship was causing these rips between realities.
All the old characters are voiced by their on screen counterparts and a multiverse is designed to give the fans what they want and never got. T’Pol and Trip lived happily ever after while the relationship between Garak and Bashir has been the subject of fan conjecture and fully relaised with their marriage.
T’Pol is centre stage here and fulfils the same function she did with Archer (Scott Bakula) but with a patience and understanding she never had on those four years. She fits right in with the other characters from the various franchises and just to hear her again brings a smile to my face. When Mariner arrives she is in awe of seeing T’Pol in the flesh.
This new T’Pol sees right through the complexities of emotion which is demonstrated perfectly in her relationship with Curzon. She understands sarcasm when he is rude to her and when she lectures him on the amount of sodium he is consuming he gets a lesson in Trill responsibilities in regards to future hosts. His anger masks the fear that she is correct which she also recognises.
Photos copyright Paramount
there are shades of the initial distrust and ignorance she experienced when she joined the Enterprise which is a nice touch but now she handles it with ease.
The biggest and most solid part of the episode is her sparring friendship with Curzon. His death is handled very well as T’Pol becomes the carrier of Curzon Dax’s minds and vows to deliver them to Curzon’s reality.
It’s a pity that this is the end of Lower Decks as this story totally deserves further exploration.
I don’t know how the show’s makers finally persuaded Jolene to return to the role but here’s hoping that T’Pol, the first Vulcan, will not only reappear on one of the spin offs (Strange New Worlds). Who knows? She may well finally agree to appear on the D- Con Chamber podcast along with her onscreen love interest and Dominic. Welcome back Jolene. It’s been too long.
We are delighted to announce our next guest for Summer Edition 2025, none other than Vincent D’Onofrio!!
Even though he needs no introduction…he has been in movies such as “Full Metal Jacket” as Private Leonard “Gomer Pyle”, “Ed Wood”, “The Cell”, “Jurassic World”, and more. His most recent screen appearances put him in the heart of the MCU as the notorious Wilson Fisk/Kingpin in the “Daredevil” series, “Hawkeye”, and most recently in “ECHO” and of course, Edgar the Bug in Men In Black!
The below statement has been issued by DCC in regard to announced guests Theo Rossi in the Spring Edition and Kate Mulgrew due for the Summer Edition.
We just wanted to share a little update about the confusion surrounding some guests.
While we do have more to announce, we wanted to clarify some queries about Theo Rossi’s and Kate Mulgrew’s appearances.
After being assured by their team that they were available, aggreements were made and announcements confirmed, it turns out both are in fact double booked for Spring Edition (Rossi) and Summer Edition (Mulgrew).
They’re both very popular people and mistakes happen, it’s just unfortunate that the realisation came after we had already announced them.
We are working with their respective reps to find a solution that works for for all and they send their apologies to those who were looking forward to meeting them.
We will update you as soon as we can, but stay tuned to our social media this weekend for our next surprise.
By Owen Quinn author of The Time Warriors and Zombie Blues
The Doctor Who Christmas special 2024 highlights an aspect of a national tragedy that has been forgotten by most. Even at the time it was barely acknowledged but left behind a trauma that still hurts to this day because it goes against our very nature.
So, it’s Christmas time once again and the Doctor is once again battling evil at the happiest time of the year. This time, we are at a time hotel where a plan is in place involving a homicidal suitcase that kills the wearer, built by a galactic weapons dealer the Doctor has met before and a young woman who is running away from her pain.
I have to say that I had to watch this twice to fully form an opinion. Sci fi works when it deals with the human heart. I’ve done this with The Time Warriors books because every reader has been in pain; every reader has laughed and every reader buries their own pain. We go through each day with sorrow and pain buried beneath our lattes and scrolling. These are mere distractions we allow to stop us from dwelling on what upsets us.
The evil threatening Christmas this time is not a Dalek or a Racnoss but one we all face. We cannot touch it or see it but it invades every part of our being. It is an evil gestalt that lies within us causing pain when you stop for a moment to think. When you find a quiet moment and reflect then it surfaces washing us in pain and regret. Alcohol brings it to the surface. It is an evil that is at its most intense at Christmas.
Loss. The loss of loved ones hits home harder at Christmas.
There isn’t one character here that isn’t impacted by it.
The Doctor lost not only Ruby but the hope he had found his granddaughter, Susan. Ruby, in her cameo, has lost the Doctor despite getting her family back. The Silurian manager is alone separated from his people. Anita is locked in her hotel because she has lost love because of the shitty men she picked. Trev is forever letting people down and has no one. They are all victims of pain and regret but go on with their lives day after day because they cannot bear to face it.
But it is Joy (Derry Girls Nicola Coughlan) that epitomises it best because she was the victim of one of our world’s most heinous tragedies which is made even worse by recent reviews of the Covid lockdown measures.
And it is one that we must never forget.
I contracted Covid like many others and at the time many people did not believe in it. The government restrictions came into place and our lives changed drastically. I had to shield for 12 weeks which by the end of that, taught me that I am not a person that can survive being restricted and locked away from the outside world. So when I took pneumonia from the disease thanks to a doctor not doing his job, I ended up in a Covid ward in a bubble until I was recovered enough to rejoin the world.
In that time, you have no one to talk to in person but the nurses. Amazingly there were thirty something patients that did not believe they had Covid even though they were in a Covid ward. Sometimes humans can be very stupid.
But it was an opportunity for me to see for myself the effects of Covid. The nurses that cared for these patients should be recognised as national heroes. They told me how they had to let relatives watch their loved ones die over Facetime. The nurses actually had to hold phones and iPads with distraught relatives on the other end helplessly watching a loved one pass.
Think about that for a second.
Christmas is a time to be with family and friends. How torturous it is to wake up on Christmas Day with the knowledge that your mother died alone while you were stuck on the other end of a device? You weren’t there to be with them as they passed away. You couldn’t hold their hand or kiss them goodbye as they took their last breath. We forget this ever happened because once restrictions were lifted it was business as usual. But for those whom it happened to, they will never forget.
Joy is devastated by this and blames herself which is why she isolates herself at Christmas. It is through the star she absorbs that brings her mother peace in her death finally. She finds purpose again and finally gets to reconcile.
All photos copyright BBC
But together with loss and pain comes hope at Christmas. We hope for a better year and for happiness for our families which must surely come after the deluge of grieving tears. And the final scene with Joy being the star of Bethlehem itself is perfect because the greatest hope for the world was born that day.
The Doctor is back and does what he does best; change lives and do the right thing. His self imposed year with Anita has taught him how much he is fallen back into old habits.
The only thing I will say is that this Doctor was healed by the end of The Giggle. Yet here he is facing the same thing Donna told him in The Runaway Bride, River told him, Clara made him promise not to do and Amy criticised him for. And now Joy tells him the same thing. But how are we here again given the events of The Giggle?
The Doctor must never travel alone and needs to find a friend asap. He works best not because he brings joy to their world but because they bring it to his.
And all this because one girl could not be with her mother when she died because the government said so.
I have to quickly mention Ncuti is brilliant, the sink plunger joke was awesome and wasn’t time door number four look an awful lot like the fossilised Tardis panel from the comic strip The Stockbridge Horror? His speech to make Joy mad is as much about him as it is abut her as seen when he berated his future self for being so lonely.
This is how to highlight a sad part of our history without ramming it down the viewers’ throats. We must never forget those days and strive to make sure we are with the ones we love so they will never die alone. If there is another pandemic, ensure the powers that be learn from what they did during the pandemic and do not make the same mistakes again and deprive civil liberties to that extent again. At the end of the day, civil liberty encapsulates our right to be with our loved ones when they die so they leave this world in a blanket of unrequited love. There had to be a way better than an electronic device.
This year Doctor Who delivered perfectly and shook us out of complacency over an issue many have forgotten. Remember, after the tears always comes a smile and I’m doing both this Christmas. Well done Moffat.
Don’t forget to get your tickets now via https://www.tixr.com/…/dublin-comic-con-spring-edition…
We are delighted to announce our next guest (and another addition to the Smith family!) for DCC Spring Edition, none other than Chris Parnell!
Ah jeez…
The Time Warriors and Beyond 