Glitch (character)

Glitch is a fictional character played by actor Alan Cumming in the Sci Fi channel miniseries "Tin Man", which is a reimagining of L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz". During the course of the story it is revealed that his real name is Ambrose; the nickname "Glitch" originates from the fact that half of his brain was removed by Azkadellia, leaving him absent-minded and prone to mental "glitches".

Glitch appears in all three episodes of the miniseries and is part of the central group of heroes also including DG, Wyatt Cain, and Raw. These characters are analogous to the central characters of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz", with DG, Glitch, Cain, and Raw respectively representing Dorothy Gale, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Cowardly Lion.

Plot summary

Ambrose was the advisor to the queen of the O.Z. (Outer Zone). Using his powerful intellect he invented many useful devices and designed a machine called the Sun Seeder which he intended to use to slow the movement of the O.Z.'s two suns, thus extending the growing season for crops. When the queen's eldest daughter Azkadellia overthrew her mother and seized control of the O.Z., she removed half of Ambrose's brain. Now known as Glitch, he is one of the first people whom the main character DG meets when she arrives in the OZ, both of them having been captured by munchkins. Upon escaping he joins DG in her quest to uncover her lost memories.

In the course of their adventures Glitch recovers some of his own lost memories, remembering his past as Ambrose. He also learns that Azkadellia has twisted his plans for the Sun Seeder, turning it into an "Anti-Sun Seeder" which she intends to use in conjunction with the Emerald of the Eclipse to lock the O.Z'.s two suns in place behind the moon during a double eclipse, which would leave the O.Z. in permanent darkness. Azkadellia is keeping Glitch's brain in her tower, where it is wired to the Anti-Sun Seeder and used to control the device. In the climax of the story Glitch, with the help of the empathic Raw, is able to communicate with his brain and remember the sequence of numbers to shut down the device while DG frees Azkadellia from the evil witch who has possessed her. With the witch destroyed the O.Z. is freed from her tyranny and once again bathed in the light of its two suns.

ee also

*The Wizard of Oz (adaptations)