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Merl, may he rest in piece(es) (August 22, 2002) I'm still traumatized by Merl's most unfortunate and unexpected demise early in season 3 Angel. He was so lovably slimey, so charmingly low-life! And best of all, funny, funny, funny. Definitely my all time favorite peripheral demon, bar none (much as I like Clem & Skip, Merl wins hands down!)
The 3 head-caps (right side up) are my own; the other 3 are from romance-on-btvs.com (which, btw, has some *really* nice season 2 caps, they look they come from DVDs). A LA sky-line shot from gettyone.com and a green marble background that came with my new vid-editing software and a bit of the streaked wall from between Merl & Angel in the capture where they're standing at Merl's place, were used for background/texture, along with some brushes from roshiweb.com along the edges. I also used the motion blur filter, set to vertical, on a copy of the whole thing, faded here and there, set to hard light, 40% opacity.
I started off by using the lasso (straight line option) tool to build a boxy blob selection in the middle of the canvas, then made it a layer mask on the marble background, and clipped all the individually masked screen shots to it. I used the filter pixelate->mosiac and the aforementioned custom brushes to scuff up the edges. On a new layer, I made a new boxy selection and stroked it to get the thin line you see around the edges. Duplicated the layer, ran a wave distortion filter on it (producing that kind of watery rippled line), and added effects -> outer glow to the layer.
"Freaking" is in "Quixley LET", and each letter is it's own layer so that I could use transform to tilt them at angles and place them individually (and flip the R completely upside down to mimic the whole "hanging upside down" thing). "Vampires" is in RoadHoe. "Merl" and "professional informant" are in a horizontally squished version of "Script MT Bold". And of course, the white text is Kroeger. 'cause Kroger is pretty near perfect (though it doesn't have question marks or commas or any punctionation except periods, which is a bit of a pain!)
The following feedback was Lessa writes:
Merl was so interesting. May he rest in peices for sure. Laura writes:
I hate you so much vrya. that goes for most of you on this list whose stuff always looks way more professional than mine. This is so cool, and I loved Merl, too. He was funny and I liked him even more for the evil Angel he brought out, and you represented that well in this piece.
Question: how did you do the geometric design in the background?
Val writes:
Because I don't watch Angel, I have no clue who this is, but that doesn't
stop my appreciation for this piece. I love the line around the edge, the
text and glow. The very cool shapes and great color. Dark images, so they
are very fitting... great blending too... always awesome work!!!
While I was researching Merl lines to use for this collage, I collected Merl scene dialogue, so I might as well re-post it here. Of course the delivery brings the lion's share of the funny to the lines, but especially if you've seen these scenes before, should bring back some fond memories!
Cordy: Cat got your tongue, Merl?
Merl: I don’t have a tongue.
Cordy: Oh.
Merl: And, uh, keep the bloodsucker away from me.
Wes: He can’t hurt you in here.
Merl: I know his rep, okay? He eats his own kind. Beating on demons wherever he finds ’em.
Angel: Especially when they waste my time.
Wes:We’re looking for the PrioMotu.
Merl: Woah, woah, woah! You’ve
obviously never seen one up close. I mean Prios are
stone cold killers. They’ve got these teeth that’ll,
uhm.. . You gotta sweeten this - a whole lot. And
keep my name.. (Wesley puts some more money on
top of the envelope.) This Prio you’re looking for, he don’t like it
above ground. So he’ll be traveling in one of those
sub-tunnels of the Rodondo line. Prios are nasty. Not some big mosquito like
you, turns to dust whenever you stake it. Best of
luck, though.
Merl: But I’mtelling you man, I don’t know where. . .
Angel dunks him.
Merl: Is that how you get your rock off, you sick. . .
Angel dunks him.
Merl: All right, all right. Alright. I heard about your
girls, Godzilla, Darcilla, whatever. Uh. . . they’ve
been hitting all the underground hot spots. Looking
for demons to join some, ah, crew they’re running.
That’s all I know, man, I swear.
Angel dunks him.
Merl: Okay! Okay. Okay. You didn’t hear this from
me. But you know that little Bar-and-bite club on
La Cienega and Washington?—Ah, that’s the only
demon haunt they ain’t been to. Okay? Okay?
Hey, alright? Hey, hey, hey, you’re gonna cut
me down, right? You’re not just gonna leave me hanging here, man?
Hey! Hey! I’m spinning here, man. Freaking vampires!
Angel: Evening, Merl.
Merl: What do you want, man? I ain’t inviting you
in.
Angel: Demon lairs. No invitation necessary.
Merl: Yeah, but it’s *polite*. . .
Angel: Are you avoiding me, Merl? I ask you for a favor and you’re avoiding
me.—That’s impolite.
Merl: Well, nearly drowning me and leaving me
hanging in the sewer ain’t exactly Emily Post either.
Angel: Okay. So we’re both rude. You know what? I
can live with that. Now, do you have the information
I need, or do I have to see what the inside of
your head looks like?
Merl: Hey! Hey, what about my hundred bucks!
Angel: You know what? I’ll owe you. Just make sure you use it for some new
furniture.—Bean bag chairs? (Shakes his head sadly) Merl!
Merl: Does anybody knock?
Boone: You Merl?
Merl:Ah,Merl? Um.. .Ah, the name’s Ed, uh, Silverman?
Boone: You’re Angel’s lackey.
Merl: No. No, I’m not. . . Ow! Independent contractor. Independent contractor!
Boone: And what do you do for him?
Merl: Ouch! Pictures! Ow! I-I take. . .
Boone: Pictures.
Merl: Ow. Surveillance, Pick up dirt. Check people out for him. Not
appreciates it.—Who the hell are you anyway?
Boone: Angel and I have a history. An unfinished
history.
Merl: Yeah? That’s nice. What, did you
college together?
Boone: These people you check out.
they?—Friends? Enemies?—What does
about?
Merl: I ah, I—I don’t know. Last thing he had
was follow some chick. Did charity work.
Boone: Why?
Merl: Well, between you and me—ain’t
the girl. It’s Wolfram and Hart.
Boone: What’s a Wolfram and Hart?
Merl: A law firm, technically. Uh, more like, uh
Evil Incorporated.—You know lately, Angel, he’s
gunning for them. Especially these two lawyers.
Boone: tell me about the lawyers.
Merl: Jeez, you got to be kidding me! Swear I didn’t
rat on you, Angel. I said nothing to that guy! Ow!
Lilah: Shut up,Merl.
Merl: Well, jeez. Does everyone knowwhere I live?
Got to get myself a new lair.
Lilah: Merl? Lilah. Now that we’re past the pleasantries,
we’ve heard you do favors for Angel. We’d
like to know what those favors are.
Merl: hey, I don’t go selling out one of my pals. How
much you’re gonna pay?
Lilah: I think you’ll find our offer (One of the flunkies
hits Merl) competitive.
Merl: Ow. I would have taken a credit card.
Lilah: (threateningly) Merl.
Merl: Okay, okay, okay. Down Fluffy! Jeez.—Last
couple of days I’ve been following this girl.
Lilah: What girl?
Angel: (suddenly in Merl's lair) Hey, Merl.
Merl: Jesus, man! I mean, can’t you, you know,
knock?
Angel: You don’t make that funny expression when
I knock, or if you do I don’t see it.—What are you
doing?
Merl: Packing.
Angel: You’re not going anywhere.
Merl: Oh, yes I am, as in far, as in now.
Angel: Who’s gonna tell me all the fun facts about
my friends?
Merl: Big meeting tomorrow night, some top-level
Wolfram and Hart brass. I think it’s a new demon
account. 9:30, Diaghilev, that concludes my career
as a professional informant. All right? Consider it
a—a freebie. Just like every other bit of information
I’ve ever given you.
Angel: Nine thirty.
Merl: Tomorrow night. Best of luck. Hope you bust
that evil law firm wide open.
Angel: Well, why the rush to relocate?
Merl: Well, lets see, there is, uhm, you and then
there is every other crook and monstro in this town
that thinks they can just waltz in here and pound
me until they get information, without paying for it
either. I mean at least that British guy understood
what a working relationship was, had some respect.
You don’t care about anyone but yourself.
Angel: I really don’t think that you’re in a position to
judge. . .
Merl: How is old Wesley, huh?—Or the other two you
fired? They doing alright? Oh, gee, let me guess.
You never even bothered to check.
Angel: This had better pan out.
Merl: Nine thirty at Diaghilev. Pleasure doing business
with you.
MERL: I'm not dealin' if the bloodsucker's around.
WESLEY: Angel's not here.
MERL: Good. He's always beatin' me up or hangin' me upside down ... and he never pays up like he's s'posed to. Jeez, I coulda made a livin' in Akron, I never woulda come back to this smog pit.
GUNN: Tick tock, Merl.
MERL: Yeah, well, this *thing* took a little more leg work than I estimated. The price is gonna change.
WESLEY: Really.
MERL: Yeah.
WESLEY: All right. (removes one of the offered bills)
MERL: Hey! (Wes takes another) Hey. (Wes reaches for a third but Merl stops him.)
Hey hey hey hey!
This guy James you're lookin' for? He's alive, he's in town ... and he knows what Angel did to his heartthrob. He's out for blood.
Angel: That night still haunts me. I'm ashamed of how I treated you. The way I used you. I took - what I needed, then I cast you aside and that - that was wrong of me. Was very wrong.
Merl: He's reading!
Angel: I made some notes.
Merl: I don't feel the sincerity here.
Angel: I told you this was a waste of time.
Merl: Real friends don't need notes.
Angel: We're not *friends* Merl! We barely even know each other.
Merl: Not like you made the effort either, is it?!
Angel: No, you know what? No, no, no. Let him go if he wants to.
Cordy: Merl, you said you'd listen to what Angel had to say.
Wesley: (to Angel) You promised you'd make an attempt.
Merl: You get a load of that insincere tripe he was reading?
Angel: I apologized...
Cordy: I hardly think it's fair to blame it on the writing.
Angel to Wes: What does he *want* from me?!
Merl:"What do I want? Huh? I tell you what I want. I want back the three months I spent in therapy after being hung upside down in a sewer. That's what *I* want.
Cordy: Angel, read the cards.
Angel: No. He's - he's right. He's right. Every time I went to Merl for information he came through. So, I'll tell you what, Merl. - Take a shot. Take a shot, Merl."
Cordy: Oh, knock it off, guys.
Angel: Come on, take your best shot.
Wesley: Angel, please...
Angel: Come on, Merl.
Merl: You see this? He's goading. He's goading me.
Angel: Take a shot, Merl. Come on, this one's free.
Merl: No. No. Shameless with the goading. You see?!
Angel: Come on, Merl-la-la. Merl-la-la-la.
Merl: Okay! (attacks, the Caritas forcefield stops him)
Whoa! Man. You did that on purpose! You knew that was gonna happen. You tricked me! Huh?
Lorne: Why, now, I'm sure Angel just forgot for the moment that *any* demon violence is impossible in Caritas.
Angel: Yeah. I-I - I forgot.
Merl: Yeah, yeah. Whatever! Okay? 'cause I'm done listening to this bloodsucker! And the same goes for the rest of you, alright? I never want to see any of you ever again!
(Merl walks towards the exit, slows, stops and turns.) Uh, so, who's gonna give me a ride home?