Friday took the day off, did laundry, and laid about

[shadowkat]

I knew I was going to get in late last night so I took today off, slept in - and did a load of laundry. I've not been sleeping well of late. Decided to take another break from the news.

Television

I'm kind of half-watching the television series "SMASH" on Peacock- mainly to see how it varied from the musical I saw last night - because I couldn't remember it very well. Now that I am watching it? It's an unevenly written, mildly offensive, soap opera about the Broadway theater world, with musical numbers. And a odd obsession with Marilyn Monroe.

The Broadway Show kind of makes fun of it in places, and is a whole lot better. The Broadway Show points out why making a show about Marilyn Monroe doesn't quite work. Also, the Broadway Show doesn't fall into the tired trap of wrenching drama from pitting two women against each other, which the television series did.

I plan on also watching "Wicked" on Peacock this weekend. And making my way through old Buffy episodes. Weirdly? In the first season of Buffy, there are maybe four to five decent episodes. Witch, the Pack, Nightmares, and Out of Sight, Out of Mind. Prophecy Girl has its moments, but the main vampire plot thread is silly and poorly written. But it does have some excellent bits here and there. There's this scene with Cordelia and Willow walking into the high school's break room ...

Cordelia: Oh how sweet, they are watching cartoons! No, no not sweet. Not cute. I should be mad.
Willow: you should.

Cordelia opens the door and her prom date, and boyfriend who she's fallen for - tumbles out of the room, dead. As is everyone else in the room. All positioned as if sleeping. A hand print of blood on the television screen over a cartoon of the three little pigs playing on it. Then the camera shifts to Willow's shell shocked face watching it.

That stands out. It's almost as if its in a different episode. This happens a lot with Buffy. You get these insanely brilliant cinematographic moments, in the middle of an otherwise campy television show. Then there's three scenes Gellar does - that remind me that she can actually act and is a skilled television actress. The first is when Xander asks her to not only be his "date" at the prom, but to be his girlfriend and as she attempts to refuse him graciously (keeping in mind that the audience knows that she knows Willow has a thing for him), he lashes out at her, the second is when she discovers that Giles and Angel both think she's going to die that night at the Master's hands, that's her destiny, and she goes through the range of emotions in a minute or two, and finally the scene with her mother and the dress.

By the way, the clothing that Buffy wears in S1 of that series is horrid. I think wardrobe only liked Cordelia? Every episode - I'm thinking, what in the hell is she wearing? Does wardrobe hate Buffy? Was 90s fashion truly this bad? I don't remember it being this bad? Xander has decent clothes - way too decent for a nerdy geek. (It's weird, his clothes go down hill after high school?) Also? Xander is supposed to be a scrawny nerdy guy who can't get a date - Brendan is muscular, 6 foot, 25, and dark headed. In Nightmares, we're supposed to laugh or think oh poor Xander, instead I'm thinking (as is Willow), damn, Xander, you've been lifting weights on the sly and you appear to have a better physique than Angel or Giles. WTF? Scrawny, he's not. (Weirdly his physique goes down hill after high school - instead of becoming more attractive post high school, he gains weight, and is puffy (Brendan is an alcoholic), when it's written to be the exact opposite.) This was the 1990s, and they tended to cast 20 year olds for teens (for various reasons) and pretty actors. It didn't play that he had issues getting dates to the prom. He was better looking and had more charisma than any of the other boys in the school.
**

Eh, going to bed, I think.

Maybe I'll get more done tomorrow.

Comments

[trepkos]

"The Pack" annoys me because Willow is watching African Hunting Dogs not Hyenas, and as a nerd, she would know that. Call me weird, but I like Buffy's clothes, even though they are so obviously designed to show off her legs (or possibly, to be more charitable, to make her look taller.) Yeah, the only thing about Xander not getting dates that makes sense is that he doesn't like to join teams and show off his assets. But then, popularity is not always logical - a lot of it is about attitude. My niece is gorgeous, but has a lot of trouble making friends, and gets bullied a lot.

[shadowkat]

There may be some cultural differences here? I grew up with a very attractive brother, who by the time he hit high school, he wasn't in any sports and didn't do much in extracurricular activities outside of art, but he is and has always been a girl magnet. Of course he wasn't an asshole like Xander. Xander repels women with his attitude that they should date him, and be all about him.

Have you watched Buffy recently? Also this is obviously subjective.

[slaymesoftly]

I'd have to do a rewatch to even remember what Buffy's clothes looked like. Short skirts are all that comes to mind. I do remember thinking they weren't particularly modest, but that may be later seasons. Someone I don't know recently posted about how Buffy always wore a cross, and how tight a rein her mother kept on her and Dawn, and how that indicated to her they were a very Christian family and she wondered why they never went to church. I was kind of surprised at the theory because my recollection of Buffy's wardrobe in high school didn't scream "my mother is a devote Christian and she makes me toe the line" to me.

[shadowkat]

I'd also forgotten what she wore - outside of short skirts and low cut shirts - until I watched a handful of episodes in the first season. (Her wardrobe does improve in later seasons, which may be why we don't remember it? Also Gellar had more say in the wardrobe choices in later seasons and brought in her own clothing.)

Upon re-watching? She wears short "frumpy" low cut outfits. There's a lot of ahem, velvet? At the end of episode 3, The Witch, she is wearing this gad-awful dress, that looks like someone combined black, brown, blue, and purple in a velvet shift with long sleeves. She also wears a lot of "cloth" chockers with something in the center of them, prior to the cross.

Someone I don't know recently posted about how Buffy always wore a cross, and how tight a rein her mother kept on her and Dawn, and how that indicated to her they were a very Christian family and she wondered why they never went to church.

LOL! Tight rein? What tight rein? They didn't watch the same show we did. Buffy's mother is at the gallery most of the time. Buffy is "studying" with her friends at all hours at a bar that serves alcohol and drinks to minors? When Buffy asks to spend Saturday night with Mom, her mother persuades her to dress up and go to the Prom by herself? Also her mother doesn't really prevent her from seeing Angel, or Angel or Spike for that matter visiting late at night? Angel gives Buffy the cross, not her mother. Her mother isn't religious at all - she has fertility statues at her gallery. And her mother buys her a sexy white dress that Buffy was eyeing in the window for the prom. It's possibly the best thing she wears all season, although it's clearly meant to be a metaphor - the metaphorical sacrificial virgin to the Master, but it is also the best thing she wears all season. And I didn't like the dress all that much.

The network made Gellar (17-18 at the time) wear a push up bra. They went out of their way to make her "sexy". She's constantly in tight fitting tube or scoop tops emphasizing her bust, dresses, and short skirts.

Keep in mind - the showrunner was Whedon, who was an avowed angry atheist. He makes fun of religious folks in this and constantly. Religion is the source of a lot of sly jokes, ruthlessly mocked, and condemned - sometimes a bit too much. Notably? The only times the show is in a church is with vampires - actually with Spike (who has a thing for churches), in the 2nd Season, and the 7th. Outside of that - they aren't in a church at all. The only religious characters are Willow (Jewish and Wiccan), Tara (Wiccan), Spike (Christian) and Angel/Drusilla (Catholic).

[slaymesoftly]

I'm glad it wasn't just me having missed important blatant things! I do wonder what show that person watched.