Secret Blueprints: Dr. Silas Merlot & Dr. Hugo Glassvitch

From Girl Genius

[edit] The Secret Blueprints, Vol. I

[edit] 8: Dr. Silas Merlot & Dr. Hugo Glassvitch

Note: This is a description from the very start of the series. Things have already changed considerably.

Dr. Silas Merlot is Beetle’s second-in-command. Short-tempered, efficient, with a mind for details, Merlot is disliked almost as much as Beetle is loved. More astute students have pointed out that the provision of a “Bad Guy” to carry out unpleasant tasks may be a trick of Beetle’s meant to maintain his own personal popularity. Merlot studied at the College of Alchemical Inquiry at Wittenburg before coming to work for Beetle, where he was the first in his class, outdoing even a few minor Sparks. (Being a genius does not always guarantee high marks.) He came to Transylvania Polygnostic in hopes of a position of power.

Merlot sees the power and prestige of those with the Spark and desperately wants this for himself. Sadly for him, he has yet to produce any work of great worth or creativity. He is a fine assistant, but is not the type to handle power well, so it is probably for the best that he has not Broken Through, and probably never will. Sparks of his personality type tend to be vindictive and cruel when they come to power.

Merlot hates Agatha, mostly because her clumsy unworkable devices remind him of his own failed attempts at greatness.

Dr. Hugo Glassvitch studied in Paris, then came to Transylvania Polygnostic. He has worked with Beetle ever since. He is the Chief of Research for the University, a much more interesting and desirable job than that of Second-in-Command/Scapegoat. Merlot knows and resents this, but Glassvitch is his closest colleague and the nearest thing that he has to a friend, so he tries to be civil. For Merlot, this is a real effort.

Glassvitch is a brilliant scientist, although apparently without the Spark. He is perceptive enough to understand some of Merlot’s unhappiness and kind enough to tolerate the man, mostly out of pity. Merlot knows and resents this too, but not enough to relinquish the one friend that he has.

Glassvitch has a great heart and is kind to everyone around him, but he genuinely likes Agatha. She has been a student in some of his classes over the years and he can see that, for all her difficulties, she really does possess a deep love of Knowledge. He feels sorry for her constant frustration with her work, and tries to give encouragement whenever possible.