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Post by beren44 on Jan 26, 2019 18:34:02 GMT
OK, before I get beat up about posting the few things I dislike, (one of which is sure to anger most of the girls in the world, I'm sure) I will say lots and lots of positive stuff about the show. As previously noted, it took me 4 tries before it got me hooked, because I have never really been into vampires or zombies much. Once I managed to suspend disbelief, I realize that like most other Whedon shows, it is not so much about the obvious plots, no matter how outlandish. It is a show about characters, and character development. And great story lines. It does not fail to deliver.
I find it interesting in particular, because I have been exposed to Joss Whedon's work in largely reverse order. I never paid that much attention to the producers of any particular show. When I stumbled across both Firefly and Dollhouse, (2 of my favorite shows) I didn't even realize they were both Whedon productions. After I figured that out, I have sought after more of his work, and I have to say... Buffy has his signature ALL over it. I never realized how much he directly influenced the dialogue, actor direction, camera direction, and story lines. Even the sound track.
To me, I see in this show the beginning of his style. It is more developed in later projects, yet all the elements are there and are classic Whedon...now that I understand what that is. No wonder so many people liked it. I will probably never like it as much as the hard core fans, due to the fact that I am just not the target demographic, yet I am truly enjoying it. So far, I am up to season 4, episode 3, and it is just getting better and better. I think my favorite episode so far is Dopplegangland, where Willow's evil parallel universe twin gets summoned up. Sheer fun. The first two eps of s4 are so good also, that I had to pause and start commenting.
Now, just a few notes about the main characters... Willow- So far, my favorite by far. Cordelia-Probably gets the best one-liners of the show...so over the top and funny. Giles-Really likeable guy, I think they overdid the stuttering aspect a bit the first two seasons, but he's calming down. Buffy-Never realized how good an actress Sarah is. She is a good looking gal, yet has never particularly attracted me. I am beginning to realize why so many guys had the hots for her, she is not only prettier than I realized, but really does a great job in this show. Oz- does a great job in his role as a sidekick Zander- This is where my Joss experience kicks into retrograde...his mannerisms, dialogue, delivery, and direction ALL remind me completely of Wash, from Firefly... just not quite as polished. He is what makes me realize how much Joss influences the feel of this show, as well as his others.
Now, to the ugly stuff. I just cannot STAND Angel. I so hope he is gone, again, finally, for real....yet I know he isn't, as he got a spinoff show. I have never seen a worse actor. You could just literally place a cardboard cutout of a one dimensional, sullen-faced, wrinkled-brow, single expression guy and have a voice over. It would be the same effect.
On a technical note, the sound track is very unbalanced, at least on the media I am watching. I have to ride volume constantly because the music gets turned up so loud compared to when they go back into dialogue. That is irritating.
Having said that, I shall gather my crossbow, stakes, and crosses, and await the onslaught of replies. 
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Post by FreeKresge on Jan 27, 2019 2:45:23 GMT
I agree with most of what you say. Joss Whedon very much has a style. This style influences all shows which he runs, particularly the episodes he directs. In addition to some of the things that you cite, there are also themes that run throughout his work, such as family being a group of people who support each other rather than necessarily being about kinship.
One of Whedon's strengths is his eye for talent. It was his involvement that attracted me to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in the first place. Even though I do not think that he has much influence today, the people that he helped hire, especially the cast, are what make that show great. This eye for talent shows as early as in Buffy, especially once it became big enough to attract talent.
While the show helped establish the CW network as being a network for teenage girls, its appeal is much broader, in part because of the quality of the acting, writing, and production values. Also, many people believe that the target audience is not teenage girls but people who are not nostalgic for their high school days and relate to the metaphor of high school not merely being hellish but literally sitting on the mouth of Hell.
At the point that you have reached, I would say that Willow was my favorite character and that "Doppelgangland" was my favorite episode. There are episodes that come later that I think are even better (something to look forward to) and one more character will come later who might challenge Willow, at least for me.
I would not say that David Boreanaz is a bad actor, but he is weaker than most of the rest of the cast. I do believe that he was good when he was playing a villain over the last half of the second season. He projected menace well, and, by performing every take differently, he kept his castmates off balance, which helped with their performances. Many fans passionately ship Angel with Buffy, but I do not. He is better on his own show than on Buffy, but he was not the best actor there either.
I do not remember any imbalance in the soundtrack when I was watching, so it might be the medium that you are watching.
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Post by Hari Seldon on Jan 27, 2019 5:00:42 GMT
The big irony in what you say about Angel is that Nathan Fillion tried out for that part and DB beat him out for it. Hard to believe, isn't it?
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Post by beren44 on Jan 28, 2019 1:10:05 GMT
The big irony in what you say about Angel is that Nathan Fillion tried out for that part and DB beat him out for it. Hard to believe, isn't it? Well that certainly might have made the character more interesting, for sure!
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Post by Black Widow on Jan 28, 2019 17:02:57 GMT
The big irony in what you say about Angel is that Nathan Fillion tried out for that part and DB beat him out for it. Hard to believe, isn't it? Would have been weird seeing him trying to fake an Irish accent for those flashback scenes. |
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Post by ayanami on Jan 28, 2019 18:11:00 GMT
Nah, thank goodness they didn't take Nathan for that role. Angel is tall, dark and brooding, thank you very much! I don't think NF could have rocked that role at all. Considering the character on Buffy he did end up playing... well, let's just say, I haven't watched those episodes in over a decade, and yet my hatred is still very deep seated! |
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Post by beren44 on Jan 28, 2019 23:39:36 GMT
We interrupt this thread for an update, through s4e20 now. (The Yoko Factor)
I have to say, I am more and more impressed with Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting skills. She is really talented. A great episode, to be continued...after I finish this post I will head directly to the next episode.
Characters I did not touch on the first time:
Spike... Lots of fun, and a very interesting character.
Tara... Good casting choice, for sure. She seems to fit the bill perfectly for someone whom Willow would be attracted.
Joyce.. totally annoying in the first few episodes, slightly less annoying after that.
and then there is Angel... ugh.. he showed up. Again. Dark, brooding, cardboard cutout. No. Thank you.
And, one question about s4.. I posted after the first 3 episodes, when the kiddos were actually in college..well that arc went away pretty completely..no one attends class anymore, they are too busy dealing with the underground army. I think the writers dropped the ball just a bit in this regard. More thoughts will be shared as I continue on. Definitely going to watch it in its entirety.
edit: Anya is not doing much for me. Lame character.
Adam... this show does not need a Borg character.
surely, someone, somewhere, must have made a comment about how much Zander looks like Joey, from Friends!
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Post by ayanami on Jan 29, 2019 2:01:34 GMT
Whaaaaaat? Anyanka is the best! Kind of crazy, but can be lots of fun! Riley Finn, oh how I hate thee! Easily the worst character the show has ever seen. I get the point of giving Buffy a (sort of) normal person as a love interest after Angel, but his arc lasted waaaaay too long. Btw, it's Xander, not Zander. Short for Alexander, after all.  |
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Post by beren44 on Jan 29, 2019 3:08:07 GMT
Whaaaaaat? Anyanka is the best! Kind of crazy, but can be lots of fun! Riley Finn, oh how I hate thee! Easily the worst character the show has ever seen. I get the point of giving Buffy a (sort of) normal person as a love interest after Angel, but his arc lasted waaaaay too long. Btw, it's Xander, not Zander. Short for Alexander, after all. I don't particularly dislike Anya, she just seems kind of pointless. I much preferred Drusilla as a whacked out person. (Also, I think Aubrey Plaza, from Legion, would have filled Drusilla's role quite well!).
Riley was a bore fest, no doubt.
And yeah, you called me out on a typo..Z vs. X. congrats!  |
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Post by FreeKresge on Jan 30, 2019 6:37:29 GMT
Regarding Spike: I introduced the show to my mother. Early in the second season, she was instantly taken with both Spike and Drusilla but was upset because she knew that they had to die. I bit my tongue and thought, "You will not believe what is coming."
Tara was the character that I alluded to in my previous post as the one who would challenge Willow as my favorite. Amber Benson was a good enough actress that many fans thought that they were seeing genuine awkwardness rather than an actress playing an awkward character. Also Benson had great chemistry with Alyson Hannigan. Part of this is that they are simply very good actors, but they also have similar acting talents. Toward the end of "Hush," when Willow and Tara were finally able to talk with each other, Joss Whedon wrote a few pages of dialogue for them. When shooting, Whedon realized that he could toss most of the dialogue away because Hannigan and Benson could communicate everything they needed to with their faces.
On a similar note, my favorite line on the show is Willow's "I am" from the end of "New Moon Rising," because of how much was said in those three letters. I rarely ship characters. In fact, I get annoyed that too many shows do not realize that it is possible for two people of the opposite sex to work together without wanting to get horizontal. I shipped Willow and Tara.
I liked Joyce. In the beginning, she had just been through a divorce and had to completely uproot her life and move to a new town because of what she perceived was her daughter's rebelliousness. Despite all that, she was very patient and loving toward her daughter other than one conversation at the end of the second season that she probably wished she could take back moments after it ended. There is a reason why every May she tends to appear on lists of the best TV moms.
The show could have done more with college life other than have one of Buffy's professors be a villain. While the show got some things right (Professor Walsh reminded me a lot of one of my graduate school advisors), I am not a fan of the mad scientist stereotype.
I am with ayanami on Anya. In addition to taking over Cordelia's role of being the one who says what is on her mind without any filter, she also played a role similar to Spock and Data on their Star Trek shows: the character through which the writers explore what it means to be human. Emma Caulfield has great comic timing, yet she will nail one of the most dramatic scenes across all seven seasons of the show. (I will not say more because you may not have reached the scene in question yet.)
When I first read your comments on Adam, I thought that you said that the show does not need a boring character. I agreed. After villains like Spike, Drusilla, and Mayor Wilkins; Adam was a letdown.
Regarding Riley, my feelings toward him were similar to my feelings toward Lincoln on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: someone I was indifferent to, which meant that I was much more positive toward him than most other fans were. Marc Blucas is not a bad actor but, given the quality of the rest of the cast, "not a bad actor" does not cut it.
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Post by beren44 on Jan 30, 2019 17:31:02 GMT
Regarding Spike: I introduced the show to my mother. Early in the second season, she was instantly taken with both Spike and Drusilla but was upset because she knew that they had to die. I bit my tongue and thought, "You will not believe what is coming." Tara was the character that I alluded to in my previous post as the one who would challenge Willow as my favorite. Amber Benson was a good enough actress that many fans thought that they were seeing genuine awkwardness rather than an actress playing an awkward character. Also Benson had great chemistry with Alyson Hannigan. Part of this is that they are simply very good actors, but they also have similar acting talents. Toward the end of "Hush," when Willow and Tara were finally able to talk with each other, Joss Whedon wrote a few pages of dialogue for them. When shooting, Whedon realized that he could toss most of the dialogue away because Hannigan and Benson could communicate everything they needed to with their faces. On a similar note, my favorite line on the show is Willow's "I am" from the end of "New Moon Rising," because of how much was said in those three letters. I rarely ship characters. In fact, I get annoyed that too many shows do not realize that it is possible for two people of the opposite sex to work together without wanting to get horizontal. I shipped Willow and Tara. I liked Joyce. In the beginning, she had just been through a divorce and had to completely uproot her life and move to a new town because of what she perceived was her daughter's rebelliousness. Despite all that, she was very patient and loving toward her daughter other than one conversation at the end of the second season that she probably wished she could take back moments after it ended. There is a reason why every May she tends to appear on lists of the best TV moms. The show could have done more with college life other than have one of Buffy's professors be a villain. While the show got some things right (Professor Walsh reminded me a lot of one of my graduate school advisors), I am not a fan of the mad scientist stereotype. I am with ayanami on Anya. In addition to taking over Cordelia's role of being the one who says what is on her mind without any filter, she also played a role similar to Spock and Data on their Star Trek shows: the character through which the writers explore what it means to be human. Emma Caulfield has great comic timing, yet she will nail one of the most dramatic scenes across all seven seasons of the show. (I will not say more because you may not have reached the scene in question yet.) When I first read your comments on Adam, I thought that you said that the show does not need a boring character. I agreed. After villains like Spike, Drusilla, and Mayor Wilkins; Adam was a letdown. Regarding Riley, my feelings toward him were similar to my feelings toward Lincoln on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: someone I was indifferent to, which meant that I was much more positive toward him than most other fans were. Marc Blucas is not a bad actor but, given the quality of the rest of the cast, "not a bad actor" does not cut it.Tara and Willow definitely have great chemistry together (no spell pun intended,  ), and Amber Benson really does act on a par with the rest of the best in the group. No arguments there.
In regard to Joyce, it was just the very first few episodes that I really disliked her. Not sure if it was due to acting talent, or poor writing for the character. Whichever it was that annoyed me, I will say the show upped her game pretty quickly, and she is turning out to be a likeable character.
RE: Anyanka.. She is actually the reason I paused again to comment. Just finished up s5e11, 'Triangle', where Willow and Anya conjure up Anya's ex-boyfriend troll. I absolutely loved this episode, they all had me laughing out loud a bunch of different times, to the point of tears in my eyes, and Anya was especially great. I see how they used her to replace Cordelia's role in the cast, yet my vote still goes very much to Charisma Carpenter.
I think you summed up the problem with Riley quite well.
More thoughts: I am watching this show on Facebook, and pause after each episode to read all the comments left by viewers. There are a couple of trends that I don't quite get. Seems that many of the viewers (especially females) really hated Xander a lot, especially in the first few seasons. That surprises me.
Also, several have stated how they hated Dawn so much, that they went so far as to stop watching the show. While her introduction was confusing for a while, and a big departure that felt kind of like an afterthought or add-on to the overall story, I don't dislike her at all, and am curious as to how her arc will turn out. I feel Michelle's acting chops are right up there with the rest of the cast. I get the feeling I don't have long to wait. I really wonder if Joss had her in mind from the beginning of the show..he generally has long term plot lines planned for his work, long before a pilot is even filmed.
That's all for now, will return later with more. Enjoy reading all your replies, thanks for keeping the thread active!
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Post by ayanami on Jan 30, 2019 18:10:53 GMT
Regarding Spike: I introduced the show to my mother. Early in the second season, she was instantly taken with both Spike and Drusilla but was upset because she knew that they had to die. I bit my tongue and thought, "You will not believe what is coming." Tara was the character that I alluded to in my previous post as the one who would challenge Willow as my favorite. Amber Benson was a good enough actress that many fans thought that they were seeing genuine awkwardness rather than an actress playing an awkward character. Also Benson had great chemistry with Alyson Hannigan. Part of this is that they are simply very good actors, but they also have similar acting talents. Toward the end of "Hush," when Willow and Tara were finally able to talk with each other, Joss Whedon wrote a few pages of dialogue for them. When shooting, Whedon realized that he could toss most of the dialogue away because Hannigan and Benson could communicate everything they needed to with their faces. On a similar note, my favorite line on the show is Willow's "I am" from the end of "New Moon Rising," because of how much was said in those three letters. I rarely ship characters. In fact, I get annoyed that too many shows do not realize that it is possible for two people of the opposite sex to work together without wanting to get horizontal. I shipped Willow and Tara. I liked Joyce. In the beginning, she had just been through a divorce and had to completely uproot her life and move to a new town because of what she perceived was her daughter's rebelliousness. Despite all that, she was very patient and loving toward her daughter other than one conversation at the end of the second season that she probably wished she could take back moments after it ended. There is a reason why every May she tends to appear on lists of the best TV moms. The show could have done more with college life other than have one of Buffy's professors be a villain. While the show got some things right (Professor Walsh reminded me a lot of one of my graduate school advisors), I am not a fan of the mad scientist stereotype. I am with ayanami on Anya. In addition to taking over Cordelia's role of being the one who says what is on her mind without any filter, she also played a role similar to Spock and Data on their Star Trek shows: the character through which the writers explore what it means to be human. Emma Caulfield has great comic timing, yet she will nail one of the most dramatic scenes across all seven seasons of the show. (I will not say more because you may not have reached the scene in question yet.) When I first read your comments on Adam, I thought that you said that the show does not need a boring character. I agreed. After villains like Spike, Drusilla, and Mayor Wilkins; Adam was a letdown. Regarding Riley, my feelings toward him were similar to my feelings toward Lincoln on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: someone I was indifferent to, which meant that I was much more positive toward him than most other fans were. Marc Blucas is not a bad actor but, given the quality of the rest of the cast, "not a bad actor" does not cut it.Tara and Willow definitely have great chemistry together (no spell pun intended, ), and Amber Benson really does act on a par with the rest of the best in the group. No arguments there.
In regard to Joyce, it was just the very first few episodes that I really disliked her. Not sure if it was due to acting talent, or poor writing for the character. Whichever it was that annoyed me, I will say the show upped her game pretty quickly, and she is turning out to be a likeable character.
RE: Anyanka.. She is actually the reason I paused again to comment. Just finished up s5e11, 'Triangle', where Willow and Anya conjure up Anya's ex-boyfriend troll. I absolutely loved this episode, they all had me laughing out loud a bunch of different times, to the point of tears in my eyes, and Anya was especially great. I see how they used her to replace Cordelia's role in the cast, yet my vote still goes very much to Charisma Carpenter.
I think you summed up the problem with Riley quite well.
More thoughts: I am watching this show on Facebook, and pause after each episode to read all the comments left by viewers. There are a couple of trends that I don't quite get. Seems that many of the viewers (especially females) really hated Xander a lot, especially in the first few seasons. That surprises me.
Also, several have stated how they hated Dawn so much, that they went so far as to stop watching the show. While her introduction was confusing for a while, and a big departure that felt kind of like an afterthought or add-on to the overall story, I don't dislike her at all, and am curious as to how her arc will turn out. I feel Michelle's acting chops are right up there with the rest of the cast. I get the feeling I don't have long to wait. I really wonder if Joss had her in mind from the beginning of the show..he generally has long term plot lines planned for his work, long before a pilot is even filmed.
That's all for now, will return later with more. Enjoy reading all your replies, thanks for keeping the thread active!
As a female viewer I can only give my own two cents in regards to Xander and say that I either strongly like or dislike him, depending on what role he plays in the current arc. He's amazing as the comic relief and his friendship with Willow is one of the - if not the - strongest bond in the entire show. I also liked how the whole "triangle" played out with him being head over heals into Buffy at first, while on the other side Willow was pining over him. Obviously neither of those crushes worked out, but they all remained friends and the issues were resolved in a satisfying way. When I absolutely cannot stand Xander, though, is when he's the One Sane Man dialed up to eleven and turns into a bitching nay-sayer! (Same issue I have with Mack, btw!) In the earlier season it's especially pronounced in regards to Angel, and I suppose that's where a lot of (female) viewers' beef with Xander stems from. Sure, is dating a 200 year of vampire the safest choice for a highschool girl? No, probably not, but we're talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer here, not Twilight's Bella Swan. Buffy can take care of herself and at least I don't need Xander nagging her ear off every time Angel is so much as mentioned. Plus, the utter heartbreak that was the second season finale, when Buffy had to kill a newly re-souled Angel to save the world could have probably been avoided or at least softened if Xander had told Buffy that Willow was going to restore Angel's soul. As he was supposed to!In addition to that, there are two big decisions Xander makes - one in S6, one in S7 - that I majorly dislike, so that comes on top of what I already listed. I can say more to that once you've seen the episodes. |
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Post by FreeKresge on Jan 31, 2019 23:14:29 GMT
Tara and Willow definitely have great chemistry together (no spell pun intended, ), and Amber Benson really does act on a par with the rest of the best in the group. No arguments there. In regard to Joyce, it was just the very first few episodes that I really disliked her. Not sure if it was due to acting talent, or poor writing for the character. Whichever it was that annoyed me, I will say the show upped her game pretty quickly, and she is turning out to be a likeable character. RE: Anyanka.. She is actually the reason I paused again to comment. Just finished up s5e11, 'Triangle', where Willow and Anya conjure up Anya's ex-boyfriend troll. I absolutely loved this episode, they all had me laughing out loud a bunch of different times, to the point of tears in my eyes, and Anya was especially great. I see how they used her to replace Cordelia's role in the cast, yet my vote still goes very much to Charisma Carpenter. I think you summed up the problem with Riley quite well. More thoughts: I am watching this show on Facebook, and pause after each episode to read all the comments left by viewers. There are a couple of trends that I don't quite get. Seems that many of the viewers (especially females) really hated Xander a lot, especially in the first few seasons. That surprises me.
Also, several have stated how they hated Dawn so much, that they went so far as to stop watching the show. While her introduction was confusing for a while, and a big departure that felt kind of like an afterthought or add-on to the overall story, I don't dislike her at all, and am curious as to how her arc will turn out. I feel Michelle's acting chops are right up there with the rest of the cast. I get the feeling I don't have long to wait. I really wonder if Joss had her in mind from the beginning of the show..he generally has long term plot lines planned for his work, long before a pilot is even filmed.
That's all for now, will return later with more. Enjoy reading all your replies, thanks for keeping the thread active!
Benson received a lot of hate when she was on the show. I suspect that much of it was from Willow/Oz shippers, as if it were Benson's fault that Seth Green wanted to leave the show, although homophobes were not fond of her either. A lot of the complaints were stupid, such as attacking her for her weight or not realizing that it was Tara who was awkward, not Benson. She (and Hannigan) received praise as well because the Willow/Tara relationship was supposedly the first long-term same-sex relationship on television. I like Dawn but there were plenty of people who did not. Part of the problem is that Dawn was a teenager, and teenagers can be annoying at times. This part was accurately portrayed on the show. I also agree with you about Trachtenberg's acting, particularly in "No Place Like Home," when she did a very good job being plausible as either a bratty teen or as a malevolent force before we learned that she was really the former (sort of). I do not know if Joss Whedon had Dawn in mind from the start of the show, but there was foreshadowing. In Buffy's dream in the third season finale, Faith said, "Little Miss Muffet counting down from 7-3-0." The "7-3-0" refers to something that happens later, but "Little Miss Muffet" may refer to Dawn. In "Real Me," a brain-addled man referred to Dawn as "Curds and Whey." It is unclear whether the first statement was foreshadowing or if the latter statement was merely a call back. There was clear foreshadowing of Dawn's arrival in "Restless" (e.g., the sunrise in the background of Death of a Salesman and the line "Be back before Dawn"). When I absolutely cannot stand Xander, though, is when he's the One Sane Man dialed up to eleven and turns into a bitching nay-sayer! (Same issue I have with Mack, btw!) In the earlier season it's especially pronounced in regards to Angel, and I suppose that's where a lot of (female) viewers' beef with Xander stems from. Sure, is dating a 200 year of vampire the safest choice for a highschool girl? No, probably not, but we're talking about Buffy the Vampire Slayer here, not Twilight's Bella Swan. Buffy can take care of herself and at least I don't need Xander nagging her ear off every time Angel is so much as mentioned. Plus, the utter heartbreak that was the second season finale, when Buffy had to kill a newly re-souled Angel to save the world could have probably been avoided or at least softened if Xander had told Buffy that Willow was going to restore Angel's sole. As he was supposed to! I have written elsewhere about Xander's actions in the second season finale, so I will just copy and paste here: I am very much in the minority on this issue, probably even among male fans. I concede that Xander could be very condescending when it came to Angel. |
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Post by beren44 on Feb 3, 2019 1:06:47 GMT
Well, well... Yes, I am burning through this whole series, as you all have noted. And just had to pause after s6e19, 'Seeing Red', to drop some more observations before continuing. Reminder, all of you (presumably) have seen it in its entirety, and my comments are being made from a first time viewer, who does not yet know how it ends. My earlier observations of viewer comments was similarly based on things said by viewers who already know the whole story well. I will expound in a moment, in the meantime,... Speaking of endings, s5 finale would have made a good end to the series. As I understand it, it was planned to be, as no renewal had been confirmed at that point. I also think that the end of the episode where Buffy was convinced she was in a mental ward would have made a great series finale, although WOW would that have made a lot, I mean a LOT, of people bitter about the show. And to the point, the end of 'Seeing Red', where I am at now... Damn, I should have seen that coming from the title alone, given the 'Red Wedding' episode of GoT. Hmmm, who stole from whom concerning titles? Anyway, a few notes about seasons 5 and 6, followed by some more character observations, before I wrap up the series. For the first time. I already want to go back and peek in on a couple of episodes from s1, just to see how very much the characters have changed. I will wait til I am done though. While the first 4 seasons were really good, maybe an 8/10 overall, with just 2 or 3 poor episodes each, well, Season 5... slipped a bit on the quality of the writing. There were some great moments, including maybe the most intense hour of television I have ever seen, yet there were several episodes that didn't hold up to the standards set forth previously. I found myself getting bored with the Glory plot line, I think it went on for 3 or 4 episodes longer than it should have. And her minions were a bit lame as well. So that was a downer for me. Not the best big-bad-villain-of-the-season ever written, for sure. HOWEVER, the episode where Joyce dies... 'The Body'... Oh. My. Some of the finest writing, acting, and story telling I have ever seen. Anywhere. It especially strikes close to me on a personal note. I have taken my mom to have two preliminary assessment surgeries in the last month, and at the end of this month will take her to have a heart valve replacement done. Not uncommon these days, yet she is 92 years old, and it is scary. The followup episode, 'Forever', was nearly as touching, as well. True quality programming, no doubt. Season 6...
If season 5 was erratic, well, season 6 is WILDLY erratic. The nerd team is just so stupid, I very nearly quit the show after seeing them featured in more than one episode. I cheated and looked on IMDb to see how many more times they would show up, and was disappointed in my findings. Thank god they interleaved some other story lines between the episodes featuring them, or I probably would not be here typing right now. I struggled through the first of this season, because of them. And the musical episode was a one-off as well, with less than stellar compositions by Joss...yet I will totally give them that... I am sure it is a lot of fun, when you have a hugely popular series, to do an episode like that. I get it. Which brings us to s6e8, 'Tabula Rasa'. It largely kept me from ditching the show altogether, and at this point I am glad. The character development and the way they have treated all the various individual relationships this season is really, really good. The characters...Ok, ayanami , you probably don't have to tell me what you don't like about Xander this season. He pulled the biggest jerk move a supposed man could make. In retrospect of my early surprise at the amount of hate toward him, I realize that those comments were likely made by folks who already know the whole series. I am inclined to agree. Now I just wonder what other bone-headed moves he will make in the last 4 episodes of this season, and the next. Also, I am betting a lot of the hate came from the Buffy/Angel shippers. As you pointed out, he was against that idea from the outset..probably one of the reasons I liked him so much at first Spike is turning out to be a wonderful, masterfully written, complex, imperfect character. SO much better than Angel, both in character and the actors portraying them. James Marsters is one of the top actors on the show, along with Sarah, who continues to impress me with her range. (Robot Buffy was predictable, but really funny nonetheless). I still don't understand all the hate I am still seeing toward Dawn. She can be a pain, but only in the sense that she is a regular teen going through regular teen stuff, in the midst of a bunch of true weirdness all around her. Hell, she has had quite a bit of her own trauma, yet everyone seems to think she should bow down to Buffy because Buffy is the only one with real issues to deal with. I don't buy in to that. At all. Hats off to Michelle for filling the role quite well. Anya is about the same...some comic relief, but not on the grand scale that Cordelia was. I miss her. I'm sure I have left some out, but I'll try to fill it in on the next update. Cheers. EDIT: Concerning Buffy.. Not really happy with the way the writers have handled her coming back from the dead. I will withhold my opinion until I see the rest, yet at this point I don't care for the direction they are taking. She is making a lot of bad choices. I hope that gets resolved before the show is over. Although, it does allow Sarah to expand her acting chops...
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Post by beren44 on Feb 3, 2019 2:51:47 GMT
Quick update after s6e20, "Villains". WOW. This show is a page turner. fantastic episode. Back later, gotta finish the last two of the season.
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