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thalia_seawood The Dark Age
I hated that first scene, because it was dark and I was alone in the house and then there was this decomposing thing on TV! Good thing I have a cat for company!
Apart from that there was a lot I liked:
- Jenny and Giles are cute together in the beginning of the episode. I loved how she made him squirm about the book he lent her and then smoothly moved on to sexual innuendo. :-)
- I love learning more about Giles' past.
- Ethan Rayne is a good character in as far as he's totally amoral.
- Cordelia is still amusing: What?! Why does everyone always yell my name? I'm not deaf! And I can take a hint. (unsure) What's the hint?
- The way they get rid of the demon is *neat*.
- I had a feeling Giles and Jenny were doomed, but when it actually happened, I felt very sorry for them both. Seeing her step away from Giles because she can't bear for him to touch her after what happened is painful, but realistic.
- And once again the final scene with Buffy and Giles is shiny. It's touching to see how Buffy tries to get the Giles back she's familiar with; he's an adult, so he's supposed to act in a certain way or her world will be shaken up too badly.
Buffy: I'm not gonna lie to you. It was scary. I'm so used to you being a grownup, and (inhales) then I find out that you're a person.
Giles: Most grownups are.
Buffy: Who would've thought?
Giles: Some are even, uh... shortsighted, foolish people.
Buffy: So, after all this time, we finally find out that we *do* have something in common. Which, apart from being a little weird, is kind of okay. (pauses) I think we're supposed to be training right now.
Giles: Yes. Yes. Um, need to concentrate on your flexibility.
Buffy: And you know what? I have just the perfect music. (holds up a black CD) Go on, say it. You know you want to.
Giles: It's not music, it's just, uh, meaningless sounds.
Buffy: There. Feel better?
Giles: Yes. Thanks.
What's My Line - Part 1 & 2
One of my favorite shows so far. There are some things I didn't like, but overall this is a delightful 2-parter.
The theme of the two episodes is great, i.e. Buffy feeling left out because she will never have a normal life or a normal job. It's interesting to see that she sees her Slayer activity as some kind of job that she'd rather give up. When her dreams becomes a possibility, however, things get more complex. For one she realizes that she's *good* at what she does and that she's proud of her abilities. At times she sees Kendra as someone trying to usurp her position and gets quite jealous.
I can't decide what to think about Kendra:
She's a good plot device as she shows how strongly Buffy differs from the way Slayers usually live and behave. Her presence also makes Buffy realize that her Slayer activity is not a job, but what she *is*. However, Kendra feels so much like a plot device that her character doesn't have much room to develop, so I have to admit I found her rather boring.
This moment cracked me up:
Cut to Buffy's room. Angel is there, and he looks around while he waits for her to get home. Buffy climbs up to her window and looks in. She sees him looking into her bookcase. Angel takes her stuffed pig from the shelf. Without a word Buffy reaches for her bag and tosses it loudly through the window and onto the floor. Angel turns around, startled. He gently squeezes the pig.
Angel: Buffy! You scared me.
And it seems Joss brings out my inner romantic, because I have to admit Buffy and Angel make a nice couple. Loved the scene where she sleeps in his bed, loved the scene where she kisses him while he's still in his vampiric form.
Spike and Drusilla together are the stuff of dark dreams, they are such an interesting pair:
Drusilla: Spike, come dance? (holds out her hand)
Spike: (angry) Give us some peace, would you? Can't you see I'm working?
Drusilla pulls back her hand and begins to pout and whine like a puppy.
Spike: Oh, I'm sorry, kitten.
The end is quite interesting, because a) Spike managed to do what he wanted, i.e. cure Drusilla (other shows would have stayed away from making a permanent change to an established character) and b) it's Drusilla who rescues him. What a nice twist to see her carry Spike and promising to take care of him.
This makes up for another problem I had with the episode: There are two vampire slayers around and still they don't manage to kill Spike and Drusilla?! That's rather unlikely in this scenario, but I appreciate, of course, that Joss isn't more realistic here.
I got the impression that Joss reads a lot of fanfiction. Because the scenes between Angel, Drusilla and Spike are every fanfiction reader's/writer's dream. :-) Half-naked Angel being tied to the bed and tortured by Drusilla... I guess I should have felt bad for Angel, but I'm afraid I sat on the couch cackling like Emperor Palpatine. All scenes with the three of them scream: Subtext galore!! Heck, it's more than subtext:
Spike keeps holding Angel against the bedpost as he and Drusilla engage in a passionate kiss.
As for Xander and Cordelia: Ha! So funny! Joss makes brilliant use of the fandom stereotype "Two adversaries who constantly bitch at one another really have passionate feelings for one another". Both kisses are topped by absolutely stereotypical passionate music which is hilarious. Nope, I don't think this relationship will last very long, but in the meantime it will be *fun* to watch.
And Oz meets Willow! Yay! Oz is the type of guy I would fall for in real life; he so delightfully wacky. ( I mock you with my monkey pants. *grin*) He's also quite good at understanding people as can be seen when he tells Willow that she has a beautiful smile and immediately notices she's a bit scared by his compliment. He manages to distract her very quickly then by prattling on about other things. Sweet.
Side Note: Some of the tarot cards used in this episode exist. Other are completely and utterly made up, down to the way the cyphers are written. I'd like to have this deck for my collection. It's dark, but interesting.
I hated that first scene, because it was dark and I was alone in the house and then there was this decomposing thing on TV! Good thing I have a cat for company!
Apart from that there was a lot I liked:
- Jenny and Giles are cute together in the beginning of the episode. I loved how she made him squirm about the book he lent her and then smoothly moved on to sexual innuendo. :-)
- I love learning more about Giles' past.
- Ethan Rayne is a good character in as far as he's totally amoral.
- Cordelia is still amusing: What?! Why does everyone always yell my name? I'm not deaf! And I can take a hint. (unsure) What's the hint?
- The way they get rid of the demon is *neat*.
- I had a feeling Giles and Jenny were doomed, but when it actually happened, I felt very sorry for them both. Seeing her step away from Giles because she can't bear for him to touch her after what happened is painful, but realistic.
- And once again the final scene with Buffy and Giles is shiny. It's touching to see how Buffy tries to get the Giles back she's familiar with; he's an adult, so he's supposed to act in a certain way or her world will be shaken up too badly.
Buffy: I'm not gonna lie to you. It was scary. I'm so used to you being a grownup, and (inhales) then I find out that you're a person.
Giles: Most grownups are.
Buffy: Who would've thought?
Giles: Some are even, uh... shortsighted, foolish people.
Buffy: So, after all this time, we finally find out that we *do* have something in common. Which, apart from being a little weird, is kind of okay. (pauses) I think we're supposed to be training right now.
Giles: Yes. Yes. Um, need to concentrate on your flexibility.
Buffy: And you know what? I have just the perfect music. (holds up a black CD) Go on, say it. You know you want to.
Giles: It's not music, it's just, uh, meaningless sounds.
Buffy: There. Feel better?
Giles: Yes. Thanks.
What's My Line - Part 1 & 2
One of my favorite shows so far. There are some things I didn't like, but overall this is a delightful 2-parter.
The theme of the two episodes is great, i.e. Buffy feeling left out because she will never have a normal life or a normal job. It's interesting to see that she sees her Slayer activity as some kind of job that she'd rather give up. When her dreams becomes a possibility, however, things get more complex. For one she realizes that she's *good* at what she does and that she's proud of her abilities. At times she sees Kendra as someone trying to usurp her position and gets quite jealous.
I can't decide what to think about Kendra:
She's a good plot device as she shows how strongly Buffy differs from the way Slayers usually live and behave. Her presence also makes Buffy realize that her Slayer activity is not a job, but what she *is*. However, Kendra feels so much like a plot device that her character doesn't have much room to develop, so I have to admit I found her rather boring.
This moment cracked me up:
Cut to Buffy's room. Angel is there, and he looks around while he waits for her to get home. Buffy climbs up to her window and looks in. She sees him looking into her bookcase. Angel takes her stuffed pig from the shelf. Without a word Buffy reaches for her bag and tosses it loudly through the window and onto the floor. Angel turns around, startled. He gently squeezes the pig.
Angel: Buffy! You scared me.
And it seems Joss brings out my inner romantic, because I have to admit Buffy and Angel make a nice couple. Loved the scene where she sleeps in his bed, loved the scene where she kisses him while he's still in his vampiric form.
Spike and Drusilla together are the stuff of dark dreams, they are such an interesting pair:
Drusilla: Spike, come dance? (holds out her hand)
Spike: (angry) Give us some peace, would you? Can't you see I'm working?
Drusilla pulls back her hand and begins to pout and whine like a puppy.
Spike: Oh, I'm sorry, kitten.
The end is quite interesting, because a) Spike managed to do what he wanted, i.e. cure Drusilla (other shows would have stayed away from making a permanent change to an established character) and b) it's Drusilla who rescues him. What a nice twist to see her carry Spike and promising to take care of him.
This makes up for another problem I had with the episode: There are two vampire slayers around and still they don't manage to kill Spike and Drusilla?! That's rather unlikely in this scenario, but I appreciate, of course, that Joss isn't more realistic here.
I got the impression that Joss reads a lot of fanfiction. Because the scenes between Angel, Drusilla and Spike are every fanfiction reader's/writer's dream. :-) Half-naked Angel being tied to the bed and tortured by Drusilla... I guess I should have felt bad for Angel, but I'm afraid I sat on the couch cackling like Emperor Palpatine. All scenes with the three of them scream: Subtext galore!! Heck, it's more than subtext:
Spike keeps holding Angel against the bedpost as he and Drusilla engage in a passionate kiss.
As for Xander and Cordelia: Ha! So funny! Joss makes brilliant use of the fandom stereotype "Two adversaries who constantly bitch at one another really have passionate feelings for one another". Both kisses are topped by absolutely stereotypical passionate music which is hilarious. Nope, I don't think this relationship will last very long, but in the meantime it will be *fun* to watch.
And Oz meets Willow! Yay! Oz is the type of guy I would fall for in real life; he so delightfully wacky. ( I mock you with my monkey pants. *grin*) He's also quite good at understanding people as can be seen when he tells Willow that she has a beautiful smile and immediately notices she's a bit scared by his compliment. He manages to distract her very quickly then by prattling on about other things. Sweet.
Side Note: Some of the tarot cards used in this episode exist. Other are completely and utterly made up, down to the way the cyphers are written. I'd like to have this deck for my collection. It's dark, but interesting.
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-17 12:00 pm (UTC)I had a feeling Giles and Jenny were doomed, but when it actually happened, I felt very sorry for them both.
Err. Maybe I should warn you. Every single romantic relationship on this show is doomed, sooner or later. Which isn't to say that some of the couples don't manage to stay friends afterwards, but when Willow predicted in season 1 that none of them would ever find eternal romantic bliss? She probably has a flash of prophecy.
Kendra: that would be telling. Let's just say establishing that Buffy's minutes of death in "Prophecy Girl" activated another Slayer went to create a major, major season 3 plot line.
This makes up for another problem I had with the episode: There are two vampire slayers around and still they don't manage to kill Spike and Drusilla?! That's rather unlikely in this scenario, but I appreciate, of course, that Joss isn't more realistic here.
Spike was supposed to die in this episode and Drusilla in the season 2 finale, but the characters were so popular and had more potential beyond the season, so Joss decided to keep them alive. And the rest, they say, is history.
I got the impression that Joss reads a lot of fanfiction.
No kidding. He's also actively encouraging it, speaking out pro fanfic at several opportunities in interviews. Later seasons have some great (and good humoured) fanfic parodies, such as the episode Superstar in season 4 (which is basically a riff on the Mary Sue concept, which makes for great intertextual teasing between creators and fans.
All scenes with the three of them scream: Subtext galore!! Heck, it's more than subtext:
You ain't seen nothing yet. Not this season, and not in later seasons. This particular scene also has a particularly nice continuity resonance once you've seen the entirety of both Buffy and Angel, because back when Spike was young William, newly created vampire, Angel had sex with Drusilla right in front of him to show him his, err, position in the family. (That's a season 5 Angel flashback, though.)
Xander and Cordelia: loved them, and yes, that's it exactly.
Oz is a darling. Tarot cards: more fun to come.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-18 11:22 am (UTC)Not a problem. In real life, I'm all for happily ever after, but when it comes to the fictional world different rules apply. I like to see Angel and Bufy happy, but to be honest having them kissing for minutes in every episode would get boring very soon. It's time for some tragedy. :-)
Also these are heroes. Which means they've got capital letter Destiny awaiting them.
Spike was supposed to die in this episode and Drusilla in the season 2 finale, but the characters were so popular and had more potential beyond the season, so Joss decided to keep them alive. And the rest, they say, is history.
Ah, that explains the temporary feeling I get for them. Very good that Joss saw that they were popular and had potential, because these two rock. I get such a vibe of "I *love* this character." from Juliet Landau and James Marsters, too.
because back when Spike was young William, newly created vampire, Angel had sex with Drusilla right in front of him to show him his, err, position in the family. (That's a season 5 Angel flashback, though.)
Oh, wow! So Angel is in some way an abusive father. I can't imagine Drusilla being very happy about this, considering what he did to her family.
Never mind: I'm planning to watch all 7 seasons of Buffy and all 5 seasons of Angel. It's not exactly a hardship. :-)
no subject
Date: 2005-10-18 05:30 pm (UTC)Coming up. Innocence, the season's half-mark, was the big turning point of the show as well, the episode and storyline which catapulted BTVS on another level.
I can't imagine Drusilla being very happy about this, considering what he did to her family.
It's impossible for me to comment on this without spoiling you, alas, so I won't.
I'll be back in Munich on Wednesday next week - if you're done with season 2 by then, I can give you the next bunch.
(The icon is from another flashback. Did I mention that there is no subtext about the incesteous nature of the Fanged Four?)
no subject
Date: 2005-10-18 08:09 pm (UTC)By now, I get the feeling that Drusilla is torn about it. Her human part is very angry about it (see the "Holy Water Torture"), her demonic part seems to admire him for what he did to her. (I saw "Innocence" today and she clearly knows what Angel has planned for Buffy and is fascinated by it.)
I'll be back in Munich on Wednesday next week - if you're done with season 2 by then, I can give you the next bunch.
That would be wonderful! I actually bought Buffy - Season 3 today, because it was on offer, but I'd also love to see the first seasons of "Angel". Because I just know I'm going to miss him and Queen C. :-)
(The icon is from another flashback. Did I mention that there is no subtext about the incesteous nature of the Fanged Four?)
The icon is definitely more texty than subtexty. :-)
How come this show ran in the afternoon in Germany? It's definitely not a kiddy show...
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 05:04 am (UTC)Still not saying anything here.*g* But I must now check out whether you posted your impressions of "Innocence" which is truly one of the big turning points of the show.
How come this show ran in the afternoon in Germany? It's definitely not a kiddy show...
Because it has teenagers in it and don't you know that makes it a kiddie show. Seriously, there were some cuts in the German broadcast, but basically, the censors were asleep and classified it as "teen comedy" right until season 6 when a certain event forced them to move it to the evening broadcast schedule.
Today's icon shows Dru and Spike in Italy in the 1950s.*g*
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 08:52 am (UTC)Ahh, the little darlings.
Regarding the rating of the show:
I had a look at the complete Angel DVD box at amazon.co.uk yesterday (it will be released on Halloween :-)) and saw that you need to be over 18 to order it.
And the prices for the Angel DVDs are amazing:
They've divided the seasons into episodes 1-11 and 12-22 which makes the total cost for a season much higher. And the prices for a *complete season" DVD box start around 100 EUR at amazon.de!! I really don't get this.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 02:13 pm (UTC)However, I might consider the Halloween set and not buy anything for the rest of the year...
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 02:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 04:12 pm (UTC)Also: it depends. Some UK DVDS have them, some don't.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-17 05:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-18 11:25 am (UTC)Excellent. I plan to post my views on Buffy regulary, so you can expect to see more. :-)
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 01:09 pm (UTC)I love these Buffy impressions of yours! I fear I had much the same reaction to the scene in question, and I gleefully speculated about Angel/Dru/Spike dynamics.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-19 02:29 pm (UTC)