tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post709985524344123611..comments2024-02-04T05:13:04.501-05:00Comments on Nik at Nite: Buffy Rewatch Week 29Nikki Staffordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-41228908461055961342011-07-24T21:56:56.809-04:002011-07-24T21:56:56.809-04:00Reading in another comment that they had first exp...Reading in another comment that they had first expected and so written the beginning episodes where Dawn appears for a 10 year old explains a lot to me. If this is true, if they had cast a ten or 11 year old, then the problems I had with the first few appearances of Dawn would not have arose.<br /><br />The problem I see based on this new information is not Michelle, whom I personally love, or even how Dawn acts but in that they had written Dawn to be 10 not 14. <br /><br />I believe that after a few episodes they correct this and though she is still annoying she is at least more age appropriately written.kluunoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-25970264753730293412011-07-23T01:54:46.521-04:002011-07-23T01:54:46.521-04:00I also wanted to mention, before knocking off for ...<br>I also wanted to mention, before knocking off for the night, that the look of <i>Buffy</i> and even the newer <i>Angel</i> both seem to really take a leap forward in Seasons Five and Two, respectively. Season Five of <i>Buffy</i> on looks much crisper, and the rising of the tribunal in "Judgment" (as well as <i>Angel</i>'s general makeup and creature effects) is leagues ahead of the visuals of early <i>Buffy</i>.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-71425519940586881582011-07-23T01:49:13.262-04:002011-07-23T01:49:13.262-04:00Season One of Angel had some very rewarding episod...<br>Season One of <i>Angel</i> had some very rewarding episodes, in terms of both stand-alone entertainment and significance to the larger <i>Buffy</i> mythology ("I Will Remember You" early on; "Sanctuary" later). The series has already kicked things up a notch just one disc's worth into Season Two, however.<br /><br />I'd <i>love</i> to have been introduced to Lorne through his first appearance in <b>"Judgment"</b>, Season Two's opener. Unfortunately, I hadn't started watching the series quite yet, so as I've said before these early episodes are a sort of "how they came together" prequel story to me. <br /><br />While the episode catches flak for not fleshing out the story of the woman whose protector Angel slew and thus as whose champion Angel thus feels obligated to serve – and, yeah, she should have spoken up during the fight before Angel killed the guy — that whole plot is really just a MacGuffin to reinforce both that Angel has not just a purpose but a potential reward (as indicated by the scroll in "To Shanshu in LA") <i>and</i> that, beyond the reach of a Hellmouth at least, "evil" is not necessarily a standard setting in the shadow society of demons that still populates the world. Given the time it takes on screen and the big joust/tribunal set piece, it's hardly as incidental as the yet-another-apocalypse scenes in "The Zeppo", but to me the lack of details concerning the woman's child or those enthroned creatures to whom she's appealing drives home Angel's own confusion and realization that there are many, varied, and powerful forces at work. Of course, I can't help but wonder, the more I see of the demon population in Los Angeles, who's off fighting the good fight around the <i>rest</i> of the globe.<br /><br />The opening scenes are fun in their depiction of the gang (well, trio) having sharpened up into a reasonably well-oiled, accomplished if still farily ragtag fighting force — with, as Cordelia notes, still frustratingly vague visions — in the month we're told has elapsed since the previous season. And the coda with Angel visiting Faith in prison provides nice continuity; that scene alone is worth <i>Buffy</i>-only viewers checking this episode out, although both Angel <i>and</i> David Boreanaz (as he, um, vamps over the closing credits) singing "Mandy" are the real clincher.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-39346355201740731032011-07-23T00:54:18.870-04:002011-07-23T00:54:18.870-04:00"The Replacement" is lots of fun and has...<br><b>"The Replacement"</b> is lots of fun and has plenty of choice dialogue — but, then, this is <i>Buffy</i>, so of course it does. Willow bursting into Giles's place, prompting him to exasperatedly say "I swear this time I <i>know</i> I had that locked" is one great line. Buffy's "Okay, Xander... <i>s</i>" in the final act is another.<br /><br />You <i>can</i> tell Kelly and Nick apart, by the way. Kelly's nose and the rounding of his face is a bit "off" for Xander (which is to say, Nicholas). While Kelly is mostly Confident Xander when the pair is together in the new apartment, they switch a lot in the later scenes in the magic shop depending on which one's talking — Nick delivering most of the dialogue while Kelly just reacts dressed as whichever Xander is the Xander mostly <i>not</i> talking.<br /><br />So while it's awesome that Nick had an identical twin to use for a split-in-two episode, the problem (for me, anyway) becomes that looking for the camera tricks is replaced by looking for which one, if either, is Kelly instead of Nick.<br /><br />On to comments on <i>Angel</i> and, if I have time, on other comments... 8^)<br /><br />VW: <i>pedize</i> — [<i>peh</i> dyz] <i>v.</i> deny someone a ride<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-46955791863092708162011-07-23T00:49:12.691-04:002011-07-23T00:49:12.691-04:00I've already given my opinion on Dawn, so I do...<br>I've already given my opinion on Dawn, so I don't know how much there is to say about <b>"Real Me"</b> beyond repeating some choice lines.<br /><br />Dawn: "I'm telling Mom that you slayed in front of me."<br /><br />B: "How bored <i>were</i> you last year?"<br />G: "I watched <i>Passions</i> with Spike. Let us never speak of it."<br /><br />Dawn: "[Tara] and Willow are both witches. They do spells and stuff, which is so much cooler than <i>slaying</i>. I told Mom one time I wished they'd teach me some of the things they do together... A-and then she got really quiet and made me go upstairs. Huh. I guess her generation isn't <i>cool</i> with <i>witchcraft</i>."<br /><br />I suppose, given that last quote, Joyce isn't actually ignorant of Willow and Tara's relationship like I said earlier; she just must not have been thinking about it.<br /><br />For me the <i>first</i> quote above encapsulates much of the potential in Dawn. Joss Whedon and his merry gang are excellent at the complex plots, the sexy talk, and other stuff of an adult nature, light and dark, but they and Joss himself in particular are also uncommonly good at reflecting real innocence and the turbulent period of adolescence during which aspects of it, at least, begin to get lost. I still think that complaints about Dawn's naivete over the supernatural are valid — although I don't think it's yet been revealed whether she's been in Sunnydale as long as her mother and sister have or how long she's known about Buffy being the Slayer — but there's a lot to mine in a 14-year-old girl's perspective on all this, again even aside from (he said, portentously) what she might actually be.<br /><br />The way her thumb-wrestling match with Tara was scripted, acted, and framed is a golden moment.<br /><br />And yay for Giles taking over The Magic Box, as well as Buffy's rededication to her training with Giles as her Watcher! It's not just satisfying for viewers who root for their relationship — and for the gang as a whole to have a nexus of congregation — but it will serve many plots well.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-73684740052219336242011-07-23T00:17:24.247-04:002011-07-23T00:17:24.247-04:00Of course there was some major forwarding of the o...<br>Of course there was some major forwarding of the overall story at the very end of the episode, with the introduction of Dawn. In fact, her and Buffy's shared "Mo-o-om!!!" could be one of the most surprising, significant lines of dialogue uttered on the series.<br /><br />I just can't help but wish that the writers had either pushed their Dracula further into the realm of goof (risky, to be sure) or embraced him as part of the Slayer-universe mythology — bringing him in line with the series' established lore or elaborating on how or why he was so different from your everyday vampire. <br /><br />The hand-waving and lip service to it as "nothing but showy gypsy stuff" per Spike is a nice try but ultimately unsatisfying. A vampire who's actually learned magic — serious magic at that, given the number of creatures into which he can transform and his powerful hypnosis — is frankly a fascinating concept to explore. Maybe you can write off his ever-present fangs but never-present Klingon forehead as a parlor trick (even illusion) that he learned along the way. Coming back from a <i>staking</i>, though... Doesn't that bear some explanation? In much vampire lore, staking merely immobilized the creatures so that beheading could be performed more readily, beheading being the only real way (other then immolation, perhaps) to definitively kill them; removing a stake could actually revive a vampire to its living, or at least undead, state. Yet in most modern stories, including TV takes from <i>Buffy</i> to <i>The Vampire Diaries</i> to <i>True Blood</i>, staking brings what on <i>True Blood</i> is called "the true death" —<br /><br />— unless you're Wolfram & Hart and you have access to some very powerful mojo that's beginning to wreak havoc on the Slayer's former flame over on <i>Angel</i>.<br /><br />VW: <i>Booso</i> — Casper's favorite clown<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-80054964970218843642011-07-22T23:57:19.235-04:002011-07-22T23:57:19.235-04:00Speaking of nailing Dracula (and I did), one of my...<br>Speaking of nailing Dracula (and I did), one of my favorite exchanges not yet mentioned was...<br /><br />Riley: "You're not just saying that because of those dark, penetrating eyes of his... <i>Are</i> you?"<br /><br />Buffy: "<i>No</i>... His eyes were... There was <i>no</i> penetration."<br /><br />To me that's actually funnier than Xander's "Dark Master... bator" line, because a double entendre is always best when it's unintentional or unavoidable if not both, although Xander's later "Unholy Prince... bator" is pretty danged clever in its very nonsensicality.<br /><br />We've already seen Riley's jealousy spring up where Angel is concerned, and events in the first of next week's episodes will bring us even closer to a pivotal decision of Riley's that drives home not just his matter-of-fact, mildly heartbreaking revelation to Xander that he doesn't feel his love for Buffy is reciprocated — it might've been more than mild were this not <i>Riley</i> — but his difficulty, no matter how much he might <i>want</i> to accept it, in dealing with the fact that his girlfriend doesn't just <i>fight</i> supernatural creatures, she <i>is</i> one, and as Dracula says the source of her power does have a darkness in it.<br /><br />I also like Joyce's remark to Tara and Willow, of whose relationship she's still ignorant, "Sometimes you just feel like giving up on men altogether" — as the gals share a sly smile and Willow, um, grinds away with her mortar and pestle.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-84875884930037016222011-07-22T23:56:06.959-04:002011-07-22T23:56:06.959-04:00"Buffy vs. Dracula" is a very strange ch...<br><b>"Buffy vs. Dracula"</b> is a very strange choice for season opener. I enjoy when TV shows and comics take a lighter, mostly self-contained detour — <i>The X-Files</i>, the <i>Star Trek</i> series, and <i>Buffy</i> are all good at it — but it's usually done as a breather between epics or a refreshing pause during an intense storyline; I'm not sure it works here on any other level than purely confounding expectations — which frankly is beneath Joss & Co., who admirably almost always invest real meaning in what could otherwise be stunts ("Hush"; the upcoming "Once More with Feeling") and further the plot even during experiments that belly-flop a bit ("Superstar"). Maybe if they'd nailed Dracula the episode's general disconnect would've just been an enjoyable goof, but it doesn't really work for me.<br /><br />I do like a lot of the schtick that occurred, from Xander as Renfield to Giles's reluctance to leave the embrace of Dracula's Wives, a fact that just adds to the frustration that this could have been a near-classic episode with a different, better approach to Dracula himself.<br /><br />And there was plenty of good dialogue. Its full humor doesn't translate in cold, hard text, but in context Buffy's "Xander... I'm pretty sure that's Dracula" is nearly laugh-out-loud funny itself just for the sheer absurdity of it. The jaunty, hyperaware dialogue and some early chintzy effects notwithstanding, <i>Buffy</i> has operated within its own fictional universe and only referenced others either as fodder for banter (from the generic of Buffy being a "superhero" to the specifics of "Scooby gang" and "Spidey-sense") or as a contextual contrast, giving us the way mummies, werewolves, patchwork men, and, yes, vampires quote-unquote "really" work in the Slayer's reality.<br /><br />VW: <i>pokyice</i> — [<i>poh</i> kee iyss] <i>n., slang</i> 1. sharp frozen water, <i>i.e.</i>, icicles 2. method of cooling down beverages in the slammer, the clink, the hoosegow, the gray-bar hotel<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-4024045128425882802011-07-21T19:01:11.989-04:002011-07-21T19:01:11.989-04:00Maybe you'll all remember how I loathe Where T...Maybe you'll all remember how I <b>loathe</b> Where The Wild Things Are; well my hatred of that episode PALES in comparison to my complete and utter hatred of Dawn. You'd think I'd be over it by now (also being on my umpteenth rewatch), but NO! According to my husband, it's because I AM Buffy and I identify with her so much better when she is an only child, the same as me. ...Maybe that's it, but I think it's because Dawn is JUST SO ANNOYING. However, it's an unfortunate truth that a lot of fourteen year old girls are woefully immature and would interrupt and break things and spill stuff and try to hide it, so THAT part of Michelle's performance in itself doesn't bother me. It's just that she is exactly what Buffy says 'a little idiot.' Clearly, she does NOT belong in Sunnydale. 'Course, my loathing might have something to do with the fact that she COMPLETELY ruins Buffy's training handstand, and doesn't even acknowledge that she's done something wrong. UGH.<br /><br />@EvaHart - I think that Buffy really really WANTS to be able to have her sister be a peer rather than someone she has to protect. If Dawn would act more like an adult, Buffy could treat her more like one. Vicious cycle, that.lyssiriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05486340765329339072noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-32133248433429645132011-07-21T13:58:35.095-04:002011-07-21T13:58:35.095-04:00Buffy V. Dracula: Love NB's performance of Ren...Buffy V. Dracula: Love NB's performance of Renfield. Glad I was right in seeing the resemblance to the Tod Browning version. And Giles is not leaving! Whew! I was so excited seeing the start of this season my first time through. So glad to see the characters again (I came into the series just as season 4 was released on DVD and didn't have cable for reruns. Had to wait for the season 5 DVDs forever!) Love the episode. Funny, witty, classic.<br /><br />Real Me: I love Dawn. That's all I'll say. To me, her immaturity is explained by Buffy's point of view and the things we learn about her later. I love the way the episode is structured. I love getting a look at the Scoobies from an outside/not quite inside perspective. Love the shock of it. If you first-timers are thinking this is a cheat of some sort, don't. There's more to this story, and it makes season 5 brilliant.<br /><br />Replacement: Pure comedy gold and great character development. "Kill us both, Spock!" And I love Riley in this. I like what happens to him in season 5 a lot actually. He seems more real to me this season.<br /><br />ANGEL<br /><br />Judgement: I like the opening scene a lot. The team has coalesced...almost. The rest of the plot was a bit hokey, but the idea of it was great. And this season seriously rocks. They have it figured out now, and they'll start playing around with all sorts of fun story and structure ideas.<br /><br />AYNOHYEB: Speaking of...Love it. I remember the first time through being distracted by Angel's backstory. In the back of my mind, from what we learned in Buffy, I just assumed Angel had been living as a rat-eating vagrant ever since he got his soul back, and I was like, what? what? But it's true that there are a lot of years in there where we don't know what he went through, and Angel the series starts to fill in some of the gaps with stories far more awesome than alley/rat/garbage/brood/rinse/repeat, and this is the start. So good. Yay, Tim Minear! <br /><br />First Impressions: Not so good in my mind, but Angel in a pink helmet. "Hop in board, gorgeous" FTW.Witness Ariahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04640067376665953770noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-57960612018664595442011-07-21T12:52:06.555-04:002011-07-21T12:52:06.555-04:00I, too, am a younger sister, but I never acted lik...I, too, am a younger sister, but I never acted like Dawn! I had my own life and friends and I didn't need to interfere with my sister's, which is probably part of why we are such good friends now. Both my sister and I have been annoying to one another at times, regardless of who was born first, and I wasn't excused or treated like the baby by our parents just because I came second. I dislike Dawn's behaviour being defended with the argument that she's the younger sister, because it's like saying that younger siblings are de facto annoying.<br /><br />@EvaHart: I wouldn't say Spike is Draco, to me he's probably more Snape -although hotter and funnier.Efthymianoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-777038436357854342011-07-21T01:55:27.661-04:002011-07-21T01:55:27.661-04:00WTF?!? Sorry for the extra post...
Cynthea: If on...<br>WTF?!? Sorry for the extra post...<br /><br /><b>Cynthea:</b> <i>If only Dawn had been introduced in a different manner, if only she had done something to help me like her in "Real Me" or to understand why any of the Scoobies like her, I would have readily asserted that the idea of Dawn ... was one of the best plot devices of the series.</i><br /><br />I can see this side of things. My introduction to Dawn is a little more like the one occurring in this Rewatch. While I did see the <i>Buffy</i> pilot when it aired and maybe a couple of episodes after that, I was very focused on my career and my limited TV plate was full (news, some baseball, <i>Friends, NYPD Blue, Star Trek, X-Files</i>, my wife's favorite shows). Only after I had a health crisis and started watching lots more television did I give in to my friends' mounting insistence that I watch <i>Buffy</i> — the tipping point being the insanely powerful episode to which Nikki alluded this week, which I saw totally by chance when it first ran on The WB both the first time and in repeats; I literally watched the entire series during the summer after Season 5 thanks to a friend's tape of the first few episodes, multiple airings daily on the cable channel FX, reruns of the past season on WB, and of course my overheating VCR. [Remember, kids: You can't watch TV without acronyms.]<br /><br />The big problems with Dawn — which, again, I suspect are in large part inherent in her status as a "continuity implant" and more to the point one who was originally intended to be younger than the character ended up being — have to do with the following point made by Cynthea and echoed by many.<br /><br /><i>A sister of the Slayer, a resident of Sunnydale, a teenager with vampire acquaintances (not to mention the former Vengeance demon and practising witches with whom she hangs out) would not, could not have been sheltered from the pantheon of demons and other supernatural paraphernalia that are part and parcel of life in Sunnydale. Dawn may be new to us, but she is supposed to be Buffy’s fourteen-year-old sister. Fourteen!<br /><br />Why then does she not have more Hellmouth street smarts?</i><br /><br />You can only incorporate Dawn as always having always existed in <i>Buffy</i>'s reality so well, and on the whole I think that the creative team did an admirable job. I won't argue that we really should be past the point of her being protected from this, not so much because that wouldn't be Buffy's and Joyce's and Giles's inclination but because for all the reasons Cynthea states she would unavoidably be inured to (or possibly almost terminally spooked by) this stuff already. The writers probably should have resisted the temptation to equate the new prism through which we saw the Sunnydale <i>status quo</i> via Dawn with that <i>status quo</i> being new to her; she was quite literally going to be wide-eyed about enough already — Willow and Tara's relationship, impending tragedies, her own burgeoning adolescence — that she could still have served her dual functions as both fresh perspective and... well, plot points that I can't mention... without having to be so innocent to the realities if not the inner workings of the supernaturalia. <br /><br />VW: <i>dicapers</i> — 1. Two! Two! Two capers in one! 2. Absorbent undergarments worn by Leonardo DiCaprio.<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-49511084305520724362011-07-21T01:14:48.560-04:002011-07-21T01:14:48.560-04:00I like Dawn. There, I said it. 8^)
And I meant it...<br>I <i>like</i> Dawn. There, I said it. 8^)<br /><br />And I meant it, too. I like her in concept — of which the newbies still only have the barest inkling — but also in execution as portrayed by Michelle Trachtenberg. I know that she had a rapport with Sarah Michelle Gellar from working together in the past, but where her presence really shines is in her interaction with the rest of the cast as the group's collective little sister. None of the other original Scoobies had siblings, which is actually mighty strange in real-life if not narrative terms; it's tempting to say that that's part of what drew them to one another, except that only Xander and Willow have been best friends since childhood, with Buffy coming in rather late by comparison and Cordelia being more of an accomplice (turned romantic/sexual foil) than a friend.<br /><br />Of course I'm not blind to some folks' issues with Dawn, but for the most part I write them off as, well, growing pains likely unavoidable in taking a risk like this or as intentional plot and character bits. I also just don't think I'm bothered by some of the stuff that bothers other viewers — and, in other cases, the reverse is true. People like Riley, Deppula, and "Beer Bad"; <i>I</i> like Dawnie.<br /><br />Yes, I'm not fond of the Dracula with the silky Johnny Depp hair that is neither short enough nor long enough. He bugs me so much that I actually wish he would appear again frequently <i>only</i> so that Buffy could immediately stake him, with Spike there every single time yelling "Ponce!"<br /><br>Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-31628628187246286252011-07-21T01:12:26.605-04:002011-07-21T01:12:26.605-04:00This comment has been removed by the author.Blamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07342343767763035991noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-51978132101918368982011-07-20T13:00:27.482-04:002011-07-20T13:00:27.482-04:00When I first saw this, I felt the same way. Who i...When I first saw this, I felt the same way. Who is the annoying person and why are they all acting like it is perfectly normal that she is there and is part of the family? I thought we could have had a section in the book a la Nikki and Paulo --> Dawn: WHY?<br /><br />Loved the campiness of Dracula and agree with Anya about 2 Xanders, for a little while anyway.<br /><br /><br />Next week has one of my ab favorite Scooby stories.JShttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06219841452322761803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-24578017821267895962011-07-20T12:13:15.410-04:002011-07-20T12:13:15.410-04:00Lisa(until further notice): Dawn is sometimes like...Lisa(until further notice): <i>Dawn is sometimes like R2D2, but more annoying.</i><br /><br />This just made me seriously laugh out loud. ;)Nikki Staffordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04463618183850438914noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-24361974805098028332011-07-20T11:59:37.314-04:002011-07-20T11:59:37.314-04:00Oh, it won't link. Search on Youtube "Who...Oh, it won't link. Search on Youtube "Whose Line:Buffy the Vampire Slayer."Dusknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-28054790161139515512011-07-20T11:57:53.737-04:002011-07-20T11:57:53.737-04:00Here's a video that is fitting for the week, a...Here's a video that is fitting for the week, and it's scary how close it is the the actual show! <br /><br />http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-P7pXLhC8UDusknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-14407710799401163532011-07-20T10:14:51.636-04:002011-07-20T10:14:51.636-04:00Our power was out much of last week. Much misery. ...Our power was out much of last week. Much misery. Among other problems, I was prevented from commenting on the wonderful "Restless." I just want to say this, quickly: what sticks in my mind most following watching Restless is Willow's statement, "I never do anything naughty." Repressed much?<br /><br />I was "restless" watching 5.1. I understood it was somehow important to revisit the ancient vampire legend, but I longed to get back to the Scooby gang. Immature of me, and I appreciate the commentaries here that help me understand "Buffy and Dracula."<br /><br />As a newbie, my initial explanation of Dawn was, well, maybe Buffy spent the summer with her dad somewhere, Dawn was living with him, and Buffy brought her sister back with her. Funny she was never mentioned before, hmmmmm. Just as mysterious to me was the scene with those monks, and the green light. What was that all about? I did not connect the two events until the truth came out. That said, I liked that Dawn was there. I liked that she was a catalyst for the characters to express their nurturing sides.<br /><br />I did not like to see Faith come around, but that was a good episode.<br /><br />The importance of "The Replacement" was to further emphasize the theme that has been evident from the beginning. These people are in search of personal identity, starting from way back in high school, that essential time of identity angst, through young adulthood and, as with Giles, beyond. The idea that we are all complex, and happiest when we learn to accept the good and bad parts, is being reinforced throughout the series.Linda345https://www.blogger.com/profile/14686832191040401466noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-84264863785194830142011-07-20T09:28:44.439-04:002011-07-20T09:28:44.439-04:00Worth noting, cribbed from the Buffy Wiki (http://...Worth noting, cribbed from the Buffy Wiki (http://buffy.wikia.com/wiki/Real_Me):<br /><br />"Prior to the role of Dawn being cast, Sarah Michelle Gellar suggested they take a look at Michelle Trachtenberg. Dawn was originally conceived to be 12 years old, but after Trachtenberg was cast, the writers raised the character's age to 14. However, the first few scripts were still written in the voice of a 12-year-old. Before being cast, Trachtenberg, a fan of the show, had written a letter to Joss Whedon that suggested how she could become a character on Buffy. The character of Dawn was also originally intended to have the power to speak to the dead, or to be able to move objects with her mind. These powers were later dropped."<br /><br />So there's an understandable reason for Dawn's initial excessive annoyingness.<br /><br />For myself, the first time I saw this, I, too, was aggravated extremely by Dawn. (It might not have helped that, at the time, I <b>actually</b> had a 12-year-old sister...)<br /><br />As time went on, though, I came to like her quite a lot. In general, I found her to be a pretty believable character. The first few episodes still grate on my nerves, but once the writing catches up to the final conception of the character, I don't have any problem with it.<br /><br />Yes, she's annoying. She's a younger sister—she should be, what, 5 years younger than Buffy? She has an older sister whose shadow she is <b>constantly</b> in—but at home, she's Mom's pet, "the baby." She's kind of spoiled and starting to get a taste of not being the center of attention as she becomes more a part of Buffy's circle. <br /><br />Annoying is completely believable here.Delvin Anarishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03350343562075300893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-60765945438911274682011-07-20T06:42:53.219-04:002011-07-20T06:42:53.219-04:00Brilliant start to the season. I think I already p...Brilliant start to the season. I think I already prefer this one to season 4.<br /> <br />And yes, when Dawn appeared I had a major WTF moment. I was up pretty late watching it and for a second I thought I was going a little crazy and having major memory issues. Seriously, Joss Whedon must be an evil genius to mess with my head like that.<br /><br />Despite the initial confusion I think the little sister pov adds an interesting new dimension of someone outside the scoobies. And although its probably too early to say, I like Dawn. Yes, I really do.<br />Maybe it's because growing up I was the annoying little sister and I can identify with her character. I know first hand how hard, and at times depressing it can be to live in your big sister's shadow. So I was a little overwhelmed by the Dawn-hatred going on here. Maybe I'm yet to see the extent of her annoyingness but at them moment, sure she is immature, but to be honest I think she just makes Buffy seem more annoying. How can she expect Dawn to be mature when she just treats her like a baby?<br /><br />Loved The Replacement. Xander and Anya are possibly my favourite couple so far. And I totally agree with Anya. Who wouldn't want two Xanders? <br />It's cool about him having a twin brother and also reminded me a bit of the Ashmore brothers. I can never tell them apart in films or Tv shows either.<br /><br />Also loving all the HP comments. Very topical. Sniff. <br />It's interesting seeing the comparisons between the two trios. I suppose that makes Spike the equivalent of Draco. Well they have pretty much the same hair ;)EvaHartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-91270301895201761852011-07-20T05:39:30.174-04:002011-07-20T05:39:30.174-04:00Lost track of what was happening over in HeLL.A.
...Lost track of what was happening over in HeLL.A.<br /><br />I adore Lorne<br /><br />figured I'd put that out there :)Missyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11352179063117525571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-19857147193857813612011-07-20T03:09:13.475-04:002011-07-20T03:09:13.475-04:00@Dusk said...
Does anyone know why they used Kell...@Dusk said...<br /><br />Does anyone know why they used Kelly? Did they just really like him, or was it money? They used a split screen for Vamp Willow so it seemed strange they couldn't here. <br /><br />I know at one point in the series, Nicolas Brendon gets pretty sick and they use Kelly. However I do not remember if that was before or after "The Replacement"Annenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-28775931706564865892011-07-20T02:32:12.864-04:002011-07-20T02:32:12.864-04:00I'm one of those who likes Buffy vs. Dracula. ...I'm one of those who likes Buffy vs. Dracula. I've come to like it a lot more on repeated viewings. Xander is hilarious throughout (I love "your excellent spookiness" and "she who you most desire -- sorry, whom"!). Giles's face at the end, when Buffy asks him to be her watcher again, is pretty great. And there's some interesting setting-up of the question of what a slayer really is, which, obviously, is going to be a thing. I enjoyed Stacey Abbott's explanation of the pop-culture antecedents of this version of Dracula.<br /><br />I also just rewatched Judgment. The main plot of the episode, with the woman who Angel is trying to protect, is a bit "meh," but there's a lot of good stuff going on. The green karaoke demon, of course. The Faith scene at the end -- even if you dislike Faith, it's still important that the show remembers that whole redemption plot and doesn't just let it vanish into the ether. The Lilah/Lindsey/Darla scene -- entertaining stuff is going to happen with all three of them.<br /><br />And there's a lot of foreshadowing of themes that are going to reappear throughout the show -- Angel trying to be heroic and screwing up very badly and having to atone for it, and then going out and trying to be heroic again, because really, what other choice does he have?<br /><br />Relatedly, I love Are You Now Or Have You Ever Been and I'm looking forward to rewatching it. It's the episode where I first said "who's this Tim Minear guy?" He's done some amazing writing on Angel, Firefly, and Dollhouse.Tom D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30892649.post-85797823779038436132011-07-20T00:06:06.885-04:002011-07-20T00:06:06.885-04:00I loathe B vs D. It's my least favourite episo...I loathe B vs D. It's my least favourite episode. It's MY Beer Bad. It's a bad fan fic mashup. It's Dracula as an underwear model. It's two worlds colliding for no reason. <br /><br />Dracula elements that don't fit - dirt in the coffin, dematerializing, ultra pale skin, mist, turning into a wolf.... Good gravy. The only possible connection is the thrall, since Dru could do it. <br /><br />Don't get me wrong. I love my vampire stories. It's why I started watching Angel. But there's an internal consistency stories have that this doesn't. Many characters (Spike for instance) hang a lantern on them. That doesn't make them right.<br /><br />Dark penetrating eyes? Please. If they were any bluer they'd be marbles.<br /><br />Does Giles call them the three sisters (more Scottish play) than the wives because that would take the erotica out of his thing with Buffy? (Hint - they needn't bother. It isn't there, even if he did play her husband on All My Children.)<br /><br />Don't hate Dawn, btw, for reasons I'll go into in the spoiler comments.<br /><br />Okay, Dracula rant over. Other things I noticed this week:<br /><br />I love the Anya hair changes in the title sequence. <br /><br />The sudden rainstorm reminded me of Lost.<br /><br />Buffy makes kind of a creepy John Wayne Gacy reference.<br /><br />Why does Xander have sequins on his shirt? <br /><br />Dracula repeats spirit Tara's words about Buffy and Giles starts to in Real Me. Apparently she doesn't know who she is. Identity will be important this season (see also The Replacement.)<br /><br />I like that Willow is starting drama in Real Me and is wearing a Shakespeare quote on her shirt.<br /><br />Dawn is already as tall as Buffy.<br /><br />I have to admit some sympathy for Harmony - I too have a unicorn collection. What? They're pretty!<br /><br />Xander grows up with violence, yet watches violent movies. His friend isn't exactly a pacifist either, but that's her job.<br /><br />Are any apartment rents high in Sunnydale?<br /><br />Did they film this episode at a real dump? Because ew.<br /><br />I'm with Dawn on the Buffy/Riley kisses. Making choking noises now.<br /><br />It's sad that we so easily believe that slobby Xander is the real one and together Xander is the fake.<br /><br />"Buy yourself a Klingon costume and move on?" Who buys a Klingon costume? All the Klingons I know make their own. I usually go Romulan myself.<br /><br />Nicky often does the Snoopy dance at cons if you ask nicely.<br /><br />Xander pulls one of the rare Buffy guns.<br /><br />Buffy's figure skating movie obsession? Michelle (Dawn) will later make one.<br /><br />Oh, Riley. You can take the boy out of the Initiative...<br /><br />Most important thing to point out? There are no B5 collector plates.Colleen/redeem147noreply@blogger.com