Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Buffy Rewatch Week 25: Spoiler Forum

So I was just in the basement doing laundry after my kids decided to be completely non-compliant and not go to sleep at all tonight (while hubby was out at a Sloan gig) and it suddenly occurred to me, "Uh... I don't think I posted a spoiler forum this week!" Oops, sorry guys! As always, here be the place where you can speak freely about Buffy and Angel (no comics comments, please).

On that topic, though, the final installment of Buffy Season 8 came out in trade paperback last week, and just got my copy, so I'm looking forward to diving in and finally finding out how that thing ended!

15 comments:

Colleen/redeem147 said...

Once you finish season 8, can you put up a thread so we can all bash, I mean discuss the comics?

Giles says to Spike regarding his chip, "Have you considered there may be a higher purpose?" Perceptive of him.

Willow is still hiding Tara from her friends, which I think means she's dealing with her unexpected feelings and doesn't know how they'll react.

Buffy refers to Giles/Anya "Scenes from my parent's marriage" - I know a lot of people who ship them, and it will only increase as the series goes on (Tabula Rasa.)

When Riley walks in to Willy's, little does he know it will be his new hangout.

Spike is caught between two worlds - a story that will eventually cause him to seek his soul.

Xander's not wrong about Riley having a chip - just the location.

Xander and Giles' description of Faith sounds like Dana from Angel - and no, Spike, you won't like her.

Christina B said...

Nikki, how many volumes is the trade paperback?
Or is there just one big book I can buy?
Any idea?

Tom D. said...

If I recall correctly, there are 8 volumes of the trade paperback. The Long Way Home, No Future For You, Wolves at the Gate, Time of Your Life, Predators and Prey, Retreat, Twilight, Last Gleaming. The first four volumes are really good in my opinion; then things get problematic.

Batcabbage said...

Ooooh, I'd be in for a Season 8 comics discussion! Not being an uber fan of Buffy, but an uber fan of comics (Batkitty is the Buffy uber fan in our house, and has every single issue, so I've known how it ended for some time), I'd be interested in everyone's opinion.

Tom D. said...

The Buffy comics were a bit of a gateway to comics-in-general for me, in that they got me going to my local comic book store every month. Now I'm reading quite a bit of X-Men and eagerly awaiting season 9 of Buffy (which, I believe with some confidence, will be better than the latter half of season 8).

As for this week's episodes, I just adore the early/awkward Tara.

Some viewers seem to see Willow and Tara's spellcasting in season 4 as a metaphor for sex. I don't get that. To me it's not a metaphor -- it's just a literal sexy thing, being done by two people who are attracted to each other, that will eventually lead to their having actual sex. All of which is great -- I just don't see the part where it's supposed to be a metaphor.

I like that in This Year's Girl, Faith isn't the only forgotten character to suddenly reappear; there's also Joyce, who we haven't seen since Fear Itself. As a viewer, I find myself feeling guilty right along with Buffy for having semi-forgotten about her.

Willow has her best hair in season 4, in my opinion. But she's already starting to grow it out:(

Lisa(until further notice) said...

Colleen, you took my Anya/Giles bit. I loved that!! I know now that only upon rewatch do you see all the hints to Dawn's arrival via Faith's dreams. Interesting how early Joss planned this.

I had forgotten why Tara didn't want the demon finding spell to work until one of you smart people reminded me. I had remembered it having to do with her (Tara) having a feeling that Willow was going to become too powerful a witch and she was trying to slow things down. It's all in the details...

Witness Aria said...

Great write-ups. I especially appreciate the thoughtfulness regarding the first two episodes, which have never been my faves of the season.

@erambo
Regarding the following:
-----> Buffy and Riley are separated, “Everything he’s ever believed in has been taken away…he has nothing to hold on to.” Cut to Riley in the military hospital, clutching Buffy’s scarf, still wrapped around his scratched hand (unrealistic, but let it go). Compare this with the exchange between Angelus and Buffy in 2.22 “Becoming, Part 2”:

ANGELUS: Now that's everything, huh? No weapons... No friends... No hope. Take all that away... and what's left?
BUFFY: Me.

For the moment, at least, Buffy is Riley’s only weapon, friend, hope. And some people say there’s no religion in the Buffyverse.
-------------------------

Something like this happens again in season 7 when Buffy tells Spike she believes in him just in time for him to hold onto that strength when he's kidnapped by the First. Love it.

@Lorna Jowett
Re this:
-----> Still, when the military take the ailing Riley at the close of “Goodbye Iowa”, Forrest says, “we take care of our own,” a line and an attitude that finds an uncanny echo in Angel’s “Damage”).
---------------------------

Awesome connection I hadn't seen before. That's always so cool.

Onward to the coolness of the next two episodes and the interestingness of the third.

Nikki Stafford said...

Hey guys, CRAZY busy week so I haven't even been checking in to my threads (not good... you never know when a war would break out or something... OK, just kidding; that only happens when Skaters come on here heehee)...

Anyway, you know, I've been thinking about a comics discussion and even tackling one volume at a time over a few weeks (since it takes no time at all to get through one of them).

Christina, as Tom said, there are 8 volumes. Amazon.com has the best price, around $10 per volume (but a HORRENDOUS shipping charge... on my latest Amazon.com order the shipping charge was 1/3 of the cost of the entire order!). Many libraries carry them so maybe start with the Toronto Library website and see if you can find them there.

I really enjoyed the earlier books, and the later ones got a little strange but because Joss used actual Buffy writers, they've really nailed their speech patterns, use of dialogue, etc. and because they're not held down by SFX budgets, they can put them in whatever situation they want.

But I haven't finished them yet, so I don't know if I'll be thrilled by it when I'm done.

If you are looking for a graphic novel series you will NOT be disappointed by, I can't recommend Y: The Last Man strongly enough. It is absolutely STUNNING.

Nikki Stafford said...

Colleen: Yes, watching these episodes again I was thinking how much I love seeing Giles and Anya together. Their chemistry is as funny as watching Giles and Spike. And Giles and Xander.

You know, putting ultra-serious Giles alongside any goofy character is ace in my book. ;)

Dusk said...

Anyone whose in Canada, Chapters carries the paperback volumes as well. They also carry IDW comics as well.

Oh, and when the time comes, can someone please explain the relationship between Dark Horse comics and IDW comics?

Colleen/redeem147 said...

Darkhorse and IDW are too different, competing companies. Darkhorse had the rights to Buffy and IDW had the rights to Angel. Darkhorse took over the rights to Angel through a deal with Joss (upsetting a lot of people at IDW including Bill Willingham who was in the middle of writing his storyline). Apparently Darkhorse isn't doing an Angel comic based on the series though they do have an Angel/Faith series coming up. I will sorely miss Brian Lynch's take on Spike.

Dusk said...

So if I have this right, IDW stories are now technicallly before S8 right? In terms of "in universe" time-line? I just got "Illyria-Haunted" and it was really good.

Tom D. said...

Apparently Darkhorse isn't doing an Angel comic based on the series though they do have an Angel/Faith series coming up.

Not sure what "based on the series" means. The upcoming Angel/Faith book is supposed to bear pretty much the same relationship to the TV series as Buffy season 8 and 9 do -- i.e., it is the official continuation of what happens to these characters.

I will sorely miss Brian Lynch's take on Spike.

Abso-freaking-lutely. I don't see why Dark Horse can't employ Lynch to write some Buffy/Angel stuff. I really hope they do that at some point.

In my opinion, Brian Lynch's "Angel: After the Fall" is the best Buffyverse comic to have been made by anyone (with the possible exception of Fray). It's also more canonical than the other IDW stuff, since Joss worked on the plot with Lynch.

So if I have this right, IDW stories are now technically before S8 right? In terms of "in universe" time-line?

I find that it's best not to think too closely about the timeline of the IDW Angel comics relative to the Dark Horse Buffy comics. It's basically like Spider-Man and the X-Men and the Avengers: they're all in different books doing stuff in the same shared universe, but they usually don't cross paths and it's usually not clear what events might be happening simultaneously with one another, and knowing that information wouldn't really add anything to the stories' entertainment value.

However, the final eight-issue Spike series by Brian Lynch clearly precedes Spike's entrance into Buffy season 8 and partially explains the manner in which he shows up.

Colleen/redeem147 said...

Not sure what "based on the series" means. The upcoming Angel/Faith book is supposed to bear pretty much the same relationship to the TV series as Buffy season 8 and 9 do -- i.e., it is the official continuation of what happens to these characters.
Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant the Angel series with the Angel cast.

Dusk said...

Hm. Thanks, wonder how much A & F will refrence stuff outside ATF, I don't see a way where they could just ignore everything, but would Dark Horse want to refrence comics made under a different company too much?


Plus the fact that Lorne/Andy got a big tribute from IDW and I wouldn't think Dark Horse/Joss would completly not mention him. But I don't believe they would be bringing the character back out of respect for Andy.