tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post4518182422346683348..comments2024-02-04T05:13:04.501-05:00Comments on Nik at Nite: Buffy Rewatch Week 1 Spoiler ForumNikki Staffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-80936147851822941472011-01-23T16:04:49.287-05:002011-01-23T16:04:49.287-05:00@Blam
Right there with you re: the scene in 'W...@Blam<br />Right there with you re: the scene in 'Welcome to the Hellmouth' where Giles is creepily invading Buffy's personal space as they observe the crowd below them at the Bronze. I also had an icky deja-vue flashback of her and Spike having a 'special moment' up there in Season 6.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02810569592586534053noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-55729689980171880282011-01-11T10:58:23.961-05:002011-01-11T10:58:23.961-05:00Page48: Sean is 35 now??? I didn't realize we ...Page48: Sean is 35 now??? I didn't realize we were so close in age. He seemed so little when his dad died... then again, so was I, I suppose.Nikki Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-21748802336526453362011-01-11T10:56:24.372-05:002011-01-11T10:56:24.372-05:00Jess: Thanks for your post, and thank you for maki...Jess: Thanks for your post, and thank you for making me not feel so alone in my earlier thoughts on Joyce! Watching Season 1 I can't believe I ever had a problem with her then, but it's as the series goes on things begin to crumble. The one episode I'm really looking forward to watching again is "Dead Man's Party" because Joyce going off on Buffy after getting all looped up on schnapps in front of all her friends is something that always drove me completely nuts. I wonder if I'll be able to watch that one any differently. <br /><br />And honestly, I wanted to throw her out a window throughout that whole MOO thing in Gingerbread!! ;) <br /><br />verification word: "redsh": How Joyce refers to that Warren Beatty movie when she's hopped up on schnapps.Nikki Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-91844823548842931142011-01-11T09:34:42.212-05:002011-01-11T09:34:42.212-05:00Blam,
Money (or rather the lack of it) may have b...Blam,<br /><br />Money (or rather the lack of it) may have been a factor in the seen but not heard in Buffy. However, given that Whedon was a film student it might also be the belief common among some filmmakers before the advent of the orgasmic spectacle of cgi that the unseen is more horrible than the seen (those wonderful Lewton-Tourneur horror films; some Hitchcock). Of course, it may be both.Ronald Helfrich Jnr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/01979221009291819300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-6447142380872204142011-01-10T21:33:31.695-05:002011-01-10T21:33:31.695-05:00redeem: It's Sean Lennon, actually. Julian Len...<i>redeem: It's Sean Lennon, actually. Julian Lennon was the one who was sitting on a pebble by the river playing gee-tah. Because apparently his butt is so tiny it can fit on a... pebble. ;)</i><br /><br />And I thought I was over the flu. *sigh*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-62191150235682696482011-01-10T21:05:40.896-05:002011-01-10T21:05:40.896-05:00@Blam: nah I didn't think he had a big enough ...@Blam: nah I didn't think he had a big enough part to actually warrant a name, but its the sort of thing my friends and I speculated about (after they read the comic as well). That along with Pike's gray hair color XD <br /><br />He appeared in "Sins of the Father", which I plan to re-read since its one of my favorite Buffy novels. When I first read it I didn't draw the parallels between the movie Pike and the book Pike, mostly 'cause I was so used to thinking of the movie as not being part of the Buffyverse.<br /><br />in regards to the music, I know that when the episodes originally aired I was really into finding out about the songs and bands. But somewhere around season 3 or so I fell out of enjoying English lang music and was listening to more asian things, so Buffy didn't fill that niche for me. <br /><br />My sister though, she obsessed over the music. Found a list of every single song mentioned or played in Buffy and Angel and then compiled them all. She has an entire CD case full of Joss Whedon music (she's currently working on Dollhouse).<br /><br />As for Joyce...as a teen I was irked with Joyce for not caring more. Part of that was because of my own personal life (my mom paid little to no attention to me as well), so I pushed my unhappiness in my situation onto the Buffy/Joyce dynamic. Now though its a blessing in disguise that Joyce doesn't interfere more often or 'get it'. <br /><br />Future retconning (season 6 "Normal Again") will point out that Buffy had told her parents about vampires before and they locked her up for it, so Joyce's reaction at the end of Season 2 is kind of...odd, but Buffy was lucky. It was after her mom found out that things got really hairy for her.Lexiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01997726505496899916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-89575669292331323312011-01-10T20:40:49.747-05:002011-01-10T20:40:49.747-05:00I haven't watched the whole series (I'm on...I haven't watched the whole series (I'm on season 4) so I will refrain from reading this post, but Cynthea encouraged me to post my recent rant on Facebook, so I will.<br /><br /> I can totally understand, this blogpost says, in the beginning when Joyce doesn't understand Buffy she tries to exercise some kind of control over her and be her mother, but how can you ground someone when you find out they're the slayer? And the fact that she's all, oooh, can't wait for you to go to college and be normal!! How about, hey daughter, I don't completely understand you, but the fact that I watched you numerous times kill demons and save the world makes me realize that you're awesome, and I'll just stop trying to be all disciplinary over you. Ugh. And I know that one episode where she tried to kill Buffy (Gingerbread) isn't her fault, but the fact that Buffy isn't screaming at her to back off just drives me crazy! And every time Buffy tells her to run away because she's in the way, Joyce just stands there and goes, no, I'm supposed to protect you. I know it's her mom, but seriously, if I was a slayer and I told my mom to get out of here because I don't want to watch her die, I'd be seriously ticked off if she hesitated and tried to be all heroic. Dammit, Joyce, your daughter is pretty much a super hero. Get the hell out of the way!!<br />/rant.<br /><br />I know this isn't a very smart post, and I'm looking forward to being a little more intellectual, but this rant came during a time when I was deep into my Buffy dvds and had to finally say something about how much Joyce has driven me absolutely crazy!<br /><br />P.S, thank you Cynthea for giving me Buffy, and thank you Nikki for sponsoring this great (re)watch!Jess Legacyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03193763783547777098noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-42472865835088287382011-01-10T16:02:36.750-05:002011-01-10T16:02:36.750-05:00@Blam,
You're not the only Valotter in the r...@Blam, <br /><br />You're not the only <i>Valotte</i>r in the room.<br /><br />It's hard to reconcile that John died at 40 and now Julian is 47. <br /><br />Hell, even Sean is 35 now. What does that make me? Ugh, it doesn't bare thinking about.Page48https://www.blogger.com/profile/09728079057077761364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-67623533103918086182011-01-10T12:04:33.604-05:002011-01-10T12:04:33.604-05:00I will unashamedly admit to having bought Valotte....<br>I will unashamedly admit to having bought <i>Valotte</i>.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-45903407459051421932011-01-10T11:56:35.079-05:002011-01-10T11:56:35.079-05:00redeem: It's Sean Lennon, actually. Julian Len...redeem: It's Sean Lennon, actually. Julian Lennon was the one who was sitting on a pebble by the river playing gee-tah. Because apparently his butt is so tiny it can fit on a... pebble. ;)Nikki Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-23216313507285216402011-01-10T08:56:14.643-05:002011-01-10T08:56:14.643-05:00Tom D.: For me, the most memorable Bronze-band mom...<br><i><b>Tom D.:</b> For me, the most memorable Bronze-band moment is one that's coming up pretty soon: Cibo Matto</i><br /><br />Cibo Matto played the Bronze? Whoa... Yay, Rewatch, again!<br /><br />VW: <i>kinsica</i> — Data from the Kinsey Reports.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-46001801295406614112011-01-10T07:44:06.894-05:002011-01-10T07:44:06.894-05:00I think it's cool that Julian Lennon played th...I think it's cool that Julian Lennon played the Bronze.<br /><br />Seth Green's vampire character can be seen on the cover of some of the movie releases. I'm assuming there was something to the part because he was a fairly well-known child actor.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-60789344649661759302011-01-10T01:52:02.670-05:002011-01-10T01:52:02.670-05:00The single Bronze-band moment that stands out for ...<i>The single Bronze-band moment that stands out for me</i>...<br /><br />For me, the most memorable Bronze-band moment is one that's coming up pretty soon: Cibo Matto in "When She Was Bad," sounding very sultry and evocative while Buffy dances with Xander in a cruelly sexy manner.Tom D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-89122241217300102292011-01-10T00:45:45.339-05:002011-01-10T00:45:45.339-05:00[continued]
I confess that I've never recalle...<br><i>[continued]</i><br /><br />I confess that I've never recalled the music at the Bronze doing much for me. Even when a lyric jibed with the emotional (or physical) content of the scene — again, in memory; I may well be surprised during the Rewatch — it seemed to be a bit too on-the-nose, which might've been excused if the song was actually enjoyable rather than coming across as generic, dull '90s rock. Part of that could just be taste, and I don't mean to denigrate anyone else's enjoyment of it — music is <i>awfully</i> subjective. The single Bronze-band moment that stands out for me, though, is Aimee Mann (the only act I remember having heard of before, which makes it funnier) saying how she hates playing vampire towns.<br /><br />Also, I realize that this is TV <i>and</i> that everyone's high-school experience differs, but... Going to a club on <i>weeknights</i>? Really? Even the most social, "popular" cliques where I'm from had afterschool activities, not to mention, um, homework; the activities <i>were</i> the social framework during the week, be it yearbook, theater, soccer, or cheerleading.<br /><br />I know very much what you mean about <i>Buffy</i> almost feeling like a black-&-white show, and that's worthy of credit to everyone from the director and photographers up through the producers and executives for letting it look like that. The shadows really make an artistic impression, in addition to being narratively necessary for the element of surprise (Is anyone there? <i>Who</i> is there? Has something happened to the person who is there that we're not allowed to see his/her face?). Yet the vibrant color is just as important for contrast <i>with</i> the dark scenes as the blacks and blues are for contrast <i>within</i> the dark scenes.<br /><br />Among the other aspects of <i>mise-en-scene</i> that you mention, "the elegant moving camera" was a welcome surprise. I hadn't really remembered the number and quality of long, tracking shots, but to an extent they make sense not only in terms of Joss and crew wanting to bring a cinematic look to the show but, as he noted on his pilot commentaries, not really knowing any better in terms of how to make a TV series. He'd really only written for, and been on the sets of, feature films. One difference that worked in his favor is that in television the writer/producer is king, and the director (unless also a member of the regular showrunning cabal) is very much a hired hand rather than an <i>auteur</i>, but otherwise the changes in budget and production schedule and the like were rude awakenings requiring adaptation or perhaps willful ignorance.<br /><br />VW: <i>Flutrina</i> — Nutritional supplement formulated for wind-instrument players.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-20149993559519183072011-01-10T00:37:38.769-05:002011-01-10T00:37:38.769-05:00helfron: the sound of the Master poking out the ey...<br><i><b>helfron:</b> the sound of the Master poking out the eye of one of his minions, an act we hear but do not see</i><br /><br />Such off-screen action is a frequent occurrence, and probably at least in part the consequence of budget lackitude — not that it isn't very intentionally, creatively addressed in the resultant workaround. Necessity, Frank Zappa's band, <i>etc.</i> I noted in the other thread that Joss's commentary on "The Harvest" remarked on Buffy jumping over the school gate (after Principal Flutie walks away) through camera trickery rather than having her Bionic Woman it; it's a great moment, where less really is more, and would've been a fine choice even if they <i>could've</i> shown her actually doing the leap. That out-of-frame staking with the pool cue in the same episode is likewise choice, especially with the cue lingering horizontally for a touch, as the dialogue continues.<br /><br />Many of your other thoughts echo mine (and Joss's, who also heaped praise on SMG's reaction shots in her meeting with the principal).<br /><br />The looping, yeah, that's often pretty noticeable, at least when it egregious — which tends to be when it's necessitated by shooting in crowd scenes and the mixing in ADR doesn't really match well. <i>BTVS</i> the Movie had some truly heinous looping its own self.<br /><br /><i>[continued]</i><br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-76333187936701212022011-01-09T23:43:13.505-05:002011-01-09T23:43:13.505-05:00Nikki: I'd hate to think that all you're t...<br><b>Nikki:</b> I'd hate to think that all you're taking away from our comments is that we don't trust you to appropriately reference <i>Angel</i>. 8^)<br /><br /><b> Lexie:</b> I ended up going to a <i>BTVS</i> wiki to make sure that Merrick hadn't appeared elsewhere in prose novels or comics beyond <i>The Origin</i> when writing up my blogpost. Yes, Pike apparently shows up in at least one of the novels. As for Seth Green, I read that his deleted role was as a vampire but I don't think that it was a prominent part, so, no disrespect meant to you in the least, "who" he was or would have been probably isn't really an answerable question outside of, like, "Vampire #5". I haven't read more than the very occasional Buffy comics story outside of the start of <i>Season Eight</i>, but since Dark Horse's Omnibus volumes supposedly cherry-pick the best and/or most mythologically relevant stories and reprint them in chronological order in terms of the TV series' timeline, I kind-of have the urge to borrow or buy them to read along with the Rewatch; Things from Another World regularly has them available for at least 50% off in its Nick & Dent sections, whose items rarely have any noticeable defects and in my experience arrive in better shape than stuff sent from Amazon.<br /><br />VW: <i>thesqui</i> — Warning shouted in somewhat less than the nick of time during an attack by a giant cephalopod.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-64130627833825657742011-01-09T21:29:46.091-05:002011-01-09T21:29:46.091-05:00Just saw the series finale of Angel. :(
I know...Just saw the series finale of Angel. :( <br /><br />I know who I'll miss most of all.Lisa(until further notice)noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-54300537157070280332011-01-08T18:39:08.782-05:002011-01-08T18:39:08.782-05:00I also love that we'll be talking about the An...I also love that we'll be talking about the Angel crossovers. I would LOVE to see the list you have of which episodes crossover and where one can watch ahead on either series. Any chance you could share that now or do we have to wait?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17321010164811714514noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-32618329807420904562011-01-08T10:52:08.173-05:002011-01-08T10:52:08.173-05:00I am glad that there will be discussion about both...I am glad that there will be discussion about both Angel and Buffy in regards to the crossover episodes during this rewatch. When we watched Buffy for the first time over a year ago, my son wanted to watch Angel along with Buffy because he said he thought they should be watched that way (wise 10-year old), but I didn't listen to him (foolish 43 year-old) because I was impatient to keep watching Buffy and didn't want to rob time from it. Now, I am looking forward to watching them together as most of you who watched them during their initial airing dates did.Suzannenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-17688284406368243642011-01-08T09:25:39.061-05:002011-01-08T09:25:39.061-05:00Tom D: I have to say, I think that's one of my...Tom D: I have to say, I think that's one of my favourite things this time around, too (and why I posted that pic of her holding her pom-poms in his face, which cracked me up so much this time around). It's just wonderful. And I keep hearing "Wish I could play the father..." in my head.Nikki Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-88034331198834950092011-01-08T09:24:09.215-05:002011-01-08T09:24:09.215-05:00Don't worry, as I've said many many many m...Don't worry, as I've said many many many many times on here already, I will absolutely be referencing Angel the moment it starts up, and will post each week on the corresponding episodes you should be watching. Trust me, as someone who's been lending these DVDs out for years, all of my friends have their handy coordination sheets I made up for them, showing when they could get ahead on Angel or Buffy and it not affect the episode, but where they absolutely MUST watch them together, etc. I'm just not officially doing it (and if you're not watching Angel, it won't hurt) but for those wanting to gang when we get there, I'll be covering that for them. And I'll probably cover the big crossovers in some detail, perhaps not on the Tuesday but the next night or something. But I can't do all of them in detail; already I'm feeling the crunch of the rewatch and we're only two weeks in! (Well, one on the outside, but the second one is all written up and formatted and postdated for next Tuesday!) ;)Nikki Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-22339624731694019542011-01-08T01:07:01.820-05:002011-01-08T01:07:01.820-05:00Witness Aria: I also have a whole theory about Gil...<br><i><b>Witness Aria:</b> I also have a whole theory about Giles' naivety in light of what we learn about Ripper, but perhaps that's for another time.</i><br /><br />I want to hear it — now or later, whatever makes more sense to you. I love Giles' early characterization, and I got a kick out of later revelations of his wayward sorcerous past (or just that he had a life, as when the Scooby Gang walked in on him and his pantsless ladyfriend), but they did make for more than a bit of a continuity clash.<br /><br /><b>Page 48:</b> Nice observations about <i>Buffy</i>, <i>Veronica Mars</i>, and their lineage. I loved <i>VM</i>, but while the wit reminded me of <i>Buffy</i>, the premise reminded me more of "Chloe from <i>Smallville</i> has her own show in a world minus superhumans and plus quality."<br /><br /><b>helfron:</b> <i>Buffy</i> is very much <i>X-Files</i> meets <i>My So-Called Life</i>, both amazing shows that popped up about a year after I was out of college and exploded my television time (along with <i>NYPD Blue</i>, <i>Murder One</i>, and the <i>Star Trek</i> series). I find that just like many shows combine disparate elements of those that came before, they often bifurcate again in different ways. <i>Buffy</i> fed into both <i>Reaper</i> and <i>Supernatural</i> (which of course also had a heavy influence from <i>X-Files</i> and its own predecessor <i>Kolchak</i>) but without the teen angst of <i>Life</i> that followed through to <i>Freaks and Geeks</i>.<br /><br />VW: <i>prionsth — </i>Misguided attempt at rendering an infectious protein particle as a verb in Old English.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-11293555477459256102011-01-08T00:55:13.735-05:002011-01-08T00:55:13.735-05:00SenexMacDonald: I will also be doing an Angel re-w...<br><i><b>SenexMacDonald:</b> I will also be doing an </i>Angel<i> re-watch after "Graduation Part 2" so I can see how the two shows weave together. :)</i><br /><br />Me too. I just can't imagine not doing it that way (personally, that is — no offense to Nikki, who's not just watching but writing and coordinating). I'd even rather fall behind than not get the full effect, despite the fact that I'm doing this in large part for the great conversation, but if I <i>don't</i> fall behind I'm hoping to get blogposts on <i>Angel</i> up roughly in sync with the <i>Buffy</i> ones here — either at my own blog or, if other folks want to round-robin the ringleading, at a new joint blog for that purpose.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-40793657038786289112011-01-07T03:03:59.227-05:002011-01-07T03:03:59.227-05:00This time around (having watched this show god-kno...This time around (having watched this show god-knows-how-many times, but this is the first time in a couple years or so), I'm really enjoying the early development of the Buffy/Giles relationship. Her sarcasm in "Welcome to the Hellmouth" especially. "Gee, can you vague that up for me?" And then he saves her in "Witch" by casting that spell, and she's all "You saved me! You were a god!" -- a line that looks silly when written down, but SMG delivered it believably.<br /><br />I guess I'm watching these episodes in the shadow of Giles's (comic book) death. And what's really a shame is not just his eventual death, but the way they became estranged from one another over the years before he was killed. It's almost shocking, to me, to compare that to the rapport that gets established so quickly between them in "Witch."<br /><br />Why does it feel so believable that Buffy and Giles would "click" with one another so fast -- especially after their initial getting off on the wrong foot in "Welcome to the Hellmouth" (which is also such a classic scene!)? I guess he's filling the father-figure role that Buffy must be feeling a great need for, at this point in her life. It's probably also important for their relationship that in "Witch" he gets to be the strong one for a minute -- Buffy is severely weakened, but she's there to see him forcefully barge into Amy's house and refuse to take no for an answer until he finds the spellbook. There's just a slight hint of Ripper in that scene -- but enough to establish that Buffy can count on him to be strong when she needs him.<br /><br />Man, why did they have to go and drift apart like that? I guess maybe it really started with "Helpless," in the middle of season 3, where he deceived her. And just slowly got worse after that (although I loved the moment at the start of Season 5 where she asks him to be her watcher again -- but it just didn't last). Or did it start even sooner than that -- in season 2, when Jenny was killed by Angelus after Buffy failed to kill him when she had the chance? Did that put some irrevocable distance between Buffy and Giles?<br /><br />The best moments of Buffy/Giles closeness that I can remember are in "Lie to Me" and "Innocence" -- early to mid-Season 2. But I'm looking forward to seeing all the moments that I've forgotten. Yay, rewatch!Tom D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-46611011906667094682011-01-07T01:06:03.796-05:002011-01-07T01:06:03.796-05:00SenexMacDonald: If I had been Buffy, regardless of...<br><i><b>SenexMacDonald:</b> If I had been Buffy, regardless of the 'tall, dark and broody' of Angel, I would have walked away! Would have saved her years of torment.</i><br /><br />Cookie dough!<br /><br />VW: <i>reverem</i> — How we clearly feel about these episodes.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.com