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thalia_seawoodGetting closer to the end of season 2; only four more episodes to go.
Passion
One of my favorite episodes so far. Wow. This was the first show where I actually teared up.
I love the way the show starts with Angel talking about his feelings from off camera, all the while watching Buffy and her being totally unaware of it.
I love Buffy talking to Miss Calendar: So many nuances. She wants to hate her and blame her, but also realises that Giles loves her and keeps his distance because he feels betrayed, but also because he doesn't want to betray Buffy.
Nice to see that the characters think about the same things as me, i.e. how to uninvite a vampire and which houses was Angel ever invited to.
Question: Did we ever see Angel in Giles' house? He must have been there, because he can enter it and Giles wants to ward his house against him.
All scenes with Angel in them are scary.
He's a very detail-orientedperson demon which can be seen so very clearly. The cards he uses, the way he draws Buffy and her mother, the way he prepares everything so carefully in Giles's house, even what he does with Willow's fishes.
One of the most scary scene was Angel meeting Joyce before her house. Just wow. Especially how he still puts on this nice guy persona, only that the crazyness shines through all the more because of it.
What made me tear up was actually the mother-daughter talk Joyce had with Buffy regarding Angel. It hit all the right buttons for me.
Jenny Calendar's death: I expected a secondary character to die, but when it happened it was a shock. Storywise I'm glad there was a death so, because everything has a price. And Buffy letting Angel escape when she had a chance to kill him, is something that asks for a price -- even though Buffy not killing Angel at the point was very understandable.
Another touching moment was Giles realising that Jenny is dead. Also Buffy hitting him and then telling him she needs him after Giles tries to take on Angel by himself.
The end of the episode with Angel talking about passion from the off, Buffy talking briefly about Angel from the off, and Willow trying to teach the computer class without starting to cry, is very well done.
And I expect to see the yellow disk again; it's not lost, just waiting.
Definitely an outstanding episode.
Killed by Death
More of a filler episode, but still has some good moments like
- Angel trying to kill one of her friends at the graveyard.
- Buffy being scared of hospitals. (I can *totally* sympathise. I *hate* having to stay in hospital.)
- Angel and Xander having a staring contest.
Apart from that the episode was solid and the camera work was very interesting, but it's on a totally different level as Passion.
Overall Thought
I noticed that in Buffy very often the viewer already knows something the character doesn't.
Some prominent examples are: We know that Angel has changed before Buffy does. We know Oz is a werewolf before Willow or any of her friends does. We know Jenny is dead before Giles does.
This has the interesting effect that we want to yell at the TV screen: No, watch out, be careful, it's a trap, there's danger. Knowing more than the characters do doesn't make things boring, but rails us in. We want to protect them or at least be there for them when they realise what has happened.
Passion
One of my favorite episodes so far. Wow. This was the first show where I actually teared up.
I love the way the show starts with Angel talking about his feelings from off camera, all the while watching Buffy and her being totally unaware of it.
I love Buffy talking to Miss Calendar: So many nuances. She wants to hate her and blame her, but also realises that Giles loves her and keeps his distance because he feels betrayed, but also because he doesn't want to betray Buffy.
Nice to see that the characters think about the same things as me, i.e. how to uninvite a vampire and which houses was Angel ever invited to.
Question: Did we ever see Angel in Giles' house? He must have been there, because he can enter it and Giles wants to ward his house against him.
All scenes with Angel in them are scary.
He's a very detail-oriented
One of the most scary scene was Angel meeting Joyce before her house. Just wow. Especially how he still puts on this nice guy persona, only that the crazyness shines through all the more because of it.
What made me tear up was actually the mother-daughter talk Joyce had with Buffy regarding Angel. It hit all the right buttons for me.
Jenny Calendar's death: I expected a secondary character to die, but when it happened it was a shock. Storywise I'm glad there was a death so, because everything has a price. And Buffy letting Angel escape when she had a chance to kill him, is something that asks for a price -- even though Buffy not killing Angel at the point was very understandable.
Another touching moment was Giles realising that Jenny is dead. Also Buffy hitting him and then telling him she needs him after Giles tries to take on Angel by himself.
The end of the episode with Angel talking about passion from the off, Buffy talking briefly about Angel from the off, and Willow trying to teach the computer class without starting to cry, is very well done.
And I expect to see the yellow disk again; it's not lost, just waiting.
Definitely an outstanding episode.
Killed by Death
More of a filler episode, but still has some good moments like
- Angel trying to kill one of her friends at the graveyard.
- Buffy being scared of hospitals. (I can *totally* sympathise. I *hate* having to stay in hospital.)
- Angel and Xander having a staring contest.
Apart from that the episode was solid and the camera work was very interesting, but it's on a totally different level as Passion.
Overall Thought
I noticed that in Buffy very often the viewer already knows something the character doesn't.
Some prominent examples are: We know that Angel has changed before Buffy does. We know Oz is a werewolf before Willow or any of her friends does. We know Jenny is dead before Giles does.
This has the interesting effect that we want to yell at the TV screen: No, watch out, be careful, it's a trap, there's danger. Knowing more than the characters do doesn't make things boring, but rails us in. We want to protect them or at least be there for them when they realise what has happened.
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-20 02:08 pm (UTC)The scene where Angel is watching through Buffy's window the others responding to the news of Jenny's death - the way you see that he completely gets off on seeing suffering/grief. At the same time I'm in awe over the brilliance of this moment, I'm filled with more loathing than I ever have been for Angelus. Ditto with scenes like Giles finding Jenny in the apartment which has been set up to look like a romantic interlude - Angelus goes to so much effort to craft a moment of suffering he won't even see himself. While vamps like Spike simply get off on the adrenaline and excitement of a kill, Angelus makes it an art ("without that, we're just monsters" he says at one point), to make sure his victim suffers before he actually kills them, and that's how he gets his kicks. As we see in this episode, he's not simply content to kill Buffy or her friends; he has to make them suffer first. Except in the case of Jenny, which is shocking in its cold-bloodedness. He's just so... indifferent about it.
Jenny Calendar's death: I expected a secondary character to die, but when it happened it was a shock.
Did you know Joss apparently wanted to kill off Oz originally? Can't express how much I'm glad he didn't go that route. ;)
no subject
Date: 2005-10-21 08:02 am (UTC)Did you know Joss apparently wanted to kill off Oz originally? Can't express how much I'm glad he didn't go that route. ;)
I really liked Jenny, but from a story-telling point of view her death was the better choice. She has been in many more episode than Oz, her gypsy potential already has been put to some use and it makes more sense for her to die in a logical way: Angel has a grudge against the gypsies and she poses a threat to him.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-20 02:10 pm (UTC)We saw Angel in Giles' house in "The Dark Age" (when he saved Jenny Calendar from the demon - get the irony?).
Angel's MO: this is also why he's scarier than Spike as far as both their capacities as villains are concerned. Spike lives for the kill, instant gratification, the rush etc., but elaborate plans and mind games are the exception rather than the rule with him - he rarely has the patience. And of course not quite the same degree of cruelty.
Death of Jenny: was a shock back in the day, when we didn't know Joss loves that sort of thing. And yes, highly thematically relevant.
Joyce and Buffy: I know what you mean. Loved that scene, too.
Viewers knowing more than characters - that's an age-honored horror film technique.*g*
no subject
Date: 2005-10-21 07:58 am (UTC)You're right. I had forgotten this took place in Giles house. Yes, the irony makes it even worse.
Death of Jenny: was a shock back in the day, when we didn't know Joss loves that sort of thing. And yes, highly thematically relevant.
The way it happens is a shock even if you know Joss does these things. Angel doesn't even drink her blood, it's just murder he's after.
Viewers knowing more than characters - that's an age-honored horror film technique.*g*
:-) Well, it's quite obvious I rarely watch horror movies. I mostly stay away from them as my imagination turns even average horror movies into something terrifying.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-21 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-10-21 08:09 am (UTC)That's good, because I expect to write a lot more about it. :-)
On the one hand, it's very nice to be able to see all the seasons for "Buffy" and "Angel" without having to wait. On the other hand, I miss out on all the discussions and theories and the hype that usually takes place when you wait for the next installment. I think I try to make up for it by writing down my thoughts in my LJ. (Of course, I got/get the theories, discussions and the hype for Star Wars, LotR and Harry Potter so I'm not really complaining here. :-))