As the 264 Deathmatches come to a conclusion for June 2022, a look back at the Group Stages (Round 1) for each of the categories - Villains, Films, Songs, Bonds - to see if any conclusions can be drawn, or just an excuse to give Die Another Day another Brooklyn Stomping; Eighty Percenter.
Obviously this only covers the four categories used, but perhaps one can perceive some trends here?
First up: overall performance in the Round 1 Group Stage, 1 being a win of the group, 5 being abject failure in finishing last:
Villains – Group Stage | Films – Group Stage | Songs – Group Stage | Bonds – Group Stage | First places | Last places | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dr No | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
From Russia with Love | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
Goldfinger | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Thunderball | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
You Only Live Twice | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
OHMSS | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
Diamonds are Forever | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Live and Let Die | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 |
The Man with the Golden Gun | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
The Spy who Loved Me | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Moonraker | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
For Your Eyes Only | 4 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Octopussy | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 |
A View to a Kill | 2 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 |
The Living Daylights | 5 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Licence to Kill | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
GoldenEye | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
Tomorrow Never Dies | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
TWINE | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
Die Another Day | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
Casino Royale | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Quantum of Solace | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
Skyfall | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Spectre | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
No Time To Die | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
If you are a 1960s or 1970s Bond, and why on Earth shouldn’t you be, you have a solid chance of never finishing last in the group. If you’re Octopussy, you carry on being you.
Of the 20 opportunities across the four categories to finish top of a group, 15 are taken by 1960s (8) or 1970s (7) Bonds, and no opportunity taken by either decade of Bond to finish last in a group for a category. 1980s and 1990s Bonds have half the last place opportunities whilst only 10% of first places. If you are Die Another Day, with 4 straight last places for the 00s, you’re no use to anyone really, are you?
If you’re Goldfinger, well done you.
Next up, general progress through the Deathmatches, without seeking to predict remaining outcomes:
Round 1 only | Ends at Round 2 | Ends at Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals or better | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Dr No | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
From Russia with Love | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Goldfinger | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Thunderball | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
You Only Live Twice | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
OHMSS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Diamonds are Forever | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
Live and Let Die | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
The Man with the Golden Gun | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
The Spy who Loved Me | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Moonraker | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
For Your Eyes Only | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
Octopussy | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
A View to a Kill | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
The Living Daylights | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
Licence to Kill | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
GoldenEye | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tomorrow Never Dies | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
TWINE | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Die Another Day | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Casino Royale | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
Quantum of Solace | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Skyfall | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Spectre | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No Time To Die | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Notably never bothering to crawl out of their groups in any category - Octopussy, GoldenEye, Die Another Day, Quantum of Solace and Spectre.
Have to say, the results for GoldenEye throughout this month have surprised me. There used to be a time around here when to suggest it wasn’t great was met with heavy umbrage.
If you’re Goldfinger, well done you - part 2. Never less than a Semi-Finalist.
Skyfall is never less than a Quarter-Finalist, so at least something nearly modern has some hope. Scratching around for positives though.
Never getting past the Second Round - You Only Live Twice (seems fated to stop there), The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill, Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough.
Next up - group position average per decade. Based on the things above, these probably won’t be a surprise:
Decade | Group position average |
---|---|
60s Group position average | 2.25 |
70s Group position average | 2.4 |
80s Group position average | 3.5 |
90s Group position average | 3.83 |
00s Group position average | 3.75 |
10s Group position average | 3.25 |
20s Group position average | 3 |
One could argue things are on the up.
Per Bond, and then ranking per Bond of Group placing in Round 1:
Bond | Group position average |
---|---|
Connery | 2.33 |
Lazenby | 2 |
Moore | 2.93 |
Dalton | 3.25 |
Brosnan | 4.125 |
Craig | 3.15 |
The Lazenby one is obviously a false statistic but applying a previous test - if he had done Diamonds are Forever which otherwise remained as is (I accept this is absurd), the average group position there would be 2.25, and Connery’s would be 2.3, so read into that what you will.
Brosnan - hmm. Saved the series, he did. Honest.
Bond | Group position average ranking, best to worst |
---|---|
Connery | Goldfinger |
From Russia with Love | |
You Only Live Twice | |
Diamonds are Forever | |
Thunderball | |
Dr No | |
Lazenby | OHMSS |
Moore | The Spy who Loved Me |
Moonraker | |
Live and Let Die | |
The Man with the Golden Gun | |
A View to a Kill | |
For Your Eyes Only | |
Octopussy | |
Dalton | The Living Daylights |
Licence to Kill | |
Brosnan | Tomorrow Never Dies |
TWINE | |
GoldenEye | |
Die Another Day | |
Craig | Casino Royale |
Skyfall | |
No Time To Die | |
Quantum of Solace | |
Spectre |
As passing notes, The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill have the same average of 3.25 (i.e. possibly scraping through a group now and again depending on form, but more likely Lucky Losers - the losers) but The Living Daylights did bother to actually win one of its groups, so comes out higher.
Live and Let Die and The Man with the Golden Gun share a group average place of 3 (i.e. could get out, with a fair wind etc.) but Live and Let Die did win a group (and the Songs Deathmatch overall) so it goes higher.
Likewise GoldenEye and TWINE, for what they are worth (which is very little, evidently) have the same average of a position of 4.5 (i.e. not very likely to escape a group) but as TWINE did because some folks like the song, it finishes above The Faded Bond Jesus That Was GoldenEye.
Casino Royale and Skyfall share an average of 1.75, meaning very likely to get out of the group given that the top two do, but Casino Royale had two group wins to Skyfall’s one.
Well, I think it’s interesting.