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shadowkatAnother difficult commute - I swear, me and Transit are going to have words one of these days. (Considering I currently inhabit the same building that they inhabit - it could actually happen. Possibly in an elevator or in a hallway.) The R train was running with delays and on other tracks, skipping Whitehall Street again this evening. I wish I knew before I hobbled down the eight flights of steps. Someone pulled the Emergency Break again. So, ended up taking the 4 to Borough Hall Brooklyn and walked 10 blocks to Bergen, took the G home. The 4/5 also had delays due to a passenger being hit by a train but seemed to be fine by the time I got there. And the G was running with delays due to a incident with a train being taken out of service somewhere on 21st Street in North Brooklyn. Plus they had a police officer patrolling the G train. Knee was bothering by the time I got there - so icing. Hopefully can do exercises after dinner. Did exercises at work at least.
It's hard to find the time to fit them in, with work. Also hard to do the cardiac activity necessary to lose weight. Stupid knees.
My 83 year old mother is doing fine. I'm the invalid. Turns out a sedentary desk job is tough on the knees.
Oh, digestive issues woke me last night - but, have discovered a concoction that helps a sour stomach. (Gas pains, gastric reflex, and cramping or anything stuck in the esophagus).
1 teaspoon baking soda
Lemon juice
Mixed in a glass of water
It's basically home-brewed alka seltzer, but more effective. Works like a charm - takes about five to ten minutes to work.
Had two decent and reassuring conversations with higher ups today - so I feel a little less sidelined and more valuable than I did previously. They do see me as a valuable resource. (Actually I think Breaking Bad is the one in trouble - and has been for a while now. But I'm not.) I just need to be patient, and keep doing what I've been doing. Being helpful. And keeping my charts up to date.
****
More on Angel/Buffy Rewatch
David Greenwalt in the chat with Holtz, Lindsey, and Lilah actors - stated that Whedon had asked him if he wanted to do work on an Angel spin-off and show-run it for him. It was supposed to be dark and noir - similar in tone to what Greenwalt had previously done with Profit. The actor who played Holtz - came from Profit. Greenwalt asked for Charisma Carpenter - who played Cordelia - because he felt they needed humor and some lightness to the show, which was rather dark in concept. Also apparently they went too dark for the network in the second episode's original/initial script by David Fury - which initially had Angel killing the girl and licking blood off the floor of the bathroom. The network understandably went nuts - and said no, you can't do that.
The actor who played Holtz - brought up how he didn't view his character as a villain. And Greenwalt stated that they tried not to write characters as villains. That's kind of boring. And the other actors chimed in - that you never see your character as a villain, the character doesn't. But it is more fun to play them. Christian Kane (Lindsey) said he looked at it as - you're the company you keep. Lindsey was tainted by WRH. He said having his character be a villain but not quite - made him more fun to play, than to have him be a hero. It's better to have an edge. Romanov (Lilah) agreed.
I'm beginning to understand why I still love these shows - the cast, crew, writers, and fandom are so enjoyable.
**
The characters of Dawn, Riley and Xander with a few exceptions, have the worst episodes in Buffy for some reason. I think the writers either didn't identify with them, over-identified, or didn't know what to do with them? By the time Dawn popped up, the writers were kind of done with teenage years and high school. (That's why it is important on television series to have turn-over in writers - the writers often burn out.) Riley's problem - was the writers knew nothing about the military outside of bad science fiction films and books, and never really developed the character. He's basically Solider Boy or Cowboy Guy in their heads. And they make fun of him throughout. Xander's problem is Joss over-identified with the character, he's the best friend trope but not gay (usually the platonic male best friend in this type of series is either gay or written out or hooks up with the female lead), and well, the actor had major issues that unfortunately bled onto the set. (Brendan is an addict, and while his wife was able to help him hide his problem for the first four years of the series - they kind of separated or ran into marital issues around S5, and Brendan's addiction became readily apparent and interfered with his work. He is also, unfortunately, a mean addict - when he's drunk or high - he gets mean and violent and disruptive. So Whedon had to write around him. Whedon wanted to kill him off - but the writers ganged up on him and stopped him, along with the producers. It's sad, because Nick Brendan is actually a really good actor - when he gets out of his own way.)
That said, Older and Far Away - would have been better, if they didn't try to recreate a Luis Buñuel film (the surreal Spanish filmmaker who worked with French surrealism and more or less created the style) with a teenage girl screaming at the center of it or responsible for all of it. Also it had too many extraneous characters who had nothing to do other than smile and nod, and act as if they accidentally stepped onto the wrong set, and didn't know how to politely get out. These things work better if you limit the number of characters, and don't have any extraneous ones.
Richard and Sophie have zip to do, and aren't seen prior or after. Nor do we really know anything about either - to care. They did a better job with extraneous guest characters prior to S6. The most interesting character in the episode, Halfrek, isn't explored enough. They really should have explored the Halfrek/William connection more than they did. There was a lot of opportunities there - that could have made the episode more interesting.
Clem - doesn't make sense. Why he's there. Why Spike was able to invite him. And again, he doesn't really add to the episode or do anything? They could have explored him better than they did. If they are going for a demons are people too or disenfranchised minority (like on Angel) - it's not working.
Again, missed opportunity with Halfrek. They really could have used this episode to build up the character better. I think they got in over their heads, and got stuck? Also whomever was checking the dialogue, fell asleep at the wheel. Whedon - after seeing Justice League - can write some cringe inducing dialogue, when he's off his game. And so can his writers. It's in this episode.
Also Dawn is not sympathetic, so much as annoying, due to the shifting points of view. We probably should have just been in her point of view throughout.
The dialogue and interactions between Buffy and Spike and Tara and Spike, also Spike's makeup and outfit - grated. Even his movements. He doesn't belong there. And it feels awkward. Perhaps that's the point? That he clearly is out of place?
Spike had better dialogue in earlier seasons in that house. The sexual innuendos and jokes - didn't fly.
I shouldn't be rooting for the guy with the sword to be stabbing folks, and I kind of was?
***
Angelica Huston memoir - Watch Me, which I'm listening to via audible.
It's well written. She really disliked Ryan O'Neal, who was violent and Huston describes as a bully with no conscience. She'd been in love with him for a bit - and in a very toxic relationship. He beat her and abused her, and it took her a while to break off the relationship and go back to Jack Nicholson.
She also writes about Roman Polanski - whom she lived next door to for a bit, and was friends with. Apparently they tried to get her to testify against Polanski in the "statutory rape" case - by offering her a deal to drop cocaine charges. Huston sets out the facts. She saw cops at Polanski's place. They came to hers. Searched her house. Found some weed, and some coke. Arrested her and Polanski. She was let go. They told her they'd drop the drug charges, if she testified that she saw Polanski with the 13 year old girl and could testify to statutory rape. But Huston never saw him with the 13 year old, and couldn't testify to it - one way or the other. She didn't know anything. I believe her. It's doubtful she would have, they weren't that close. She knew him because of Chinatown - which he directed both her father and Jack Nicolson in.
It's also worth keeping in mind - that Huston's mother married her father at the age of 18, and Angelic Huston slept with James Fox at the age of 16, and hooked up with 42 year old Bob Richardson at 18.
Off to make dinner.
It's hard to find the time to fit them in, with work. Also hard to do the cardiac activity necessary to lose weight. Stupid knees.
My 83 year old mother is doing fine. I'm the invalid. Turns out a sedentary desk job is tough on the knees.
Oh, digestive issues woke me last night - but, have discovered a concoction that helps a sour stomach. (Gas pains, gastric reflex, and cramping or anything stuck in the esophagus).
1 teaspoon baking soda
Lemon juice
Mixed in a glass of water
It's basically home-brewed alka seltzer, but more effective. Works like a charm - takes about five to ten minutes to work.
Had two decent and reassuring conversations with higher ups today - so I feel a little less sidelined and more valuable than I did previously. They do see me as a valuable resource. (Actually I think Breaking Bad is the one in trouble - and has been for a while now. But I'm not.) I just need to be patient, and keep doing what I've been doing. Being helpful. And keeping my charts up to date.
****
More on Angel/Buffy Rewatch
David Greenwalt in the chat with Holtz, Lindsey, and Lilah actors - stated that Whedon had asked him if he wanted to do work on an Angel spin-off and show-run it for him. It was supposed to be dark and noir - similar in tone to what Greenwalt had previously done with Profit. The actor who played Holtz - came from Profit. Greenwalt asked for Charisma Carpenter - who played Cordelia - because he felt they needed humor and some lightness to the show, which was rather dark in concept. Also apparently they went too dark for the network in the second episode's original/initial script by David Fury - which initially had Angel killing the girl and licking blood off the floor of the bathroom. The network understandably went nuts - and said no, you can't do that.
The actor who played Holtz - brought up how he didn't view his character as a villain. And Greenwalt stated that they tried not to write characters as villains. That's kind of boring. And the other actors chimed in - that you never see your character as a villain, the character doesn't. But it is more fun to play them. Christian Kane (Lindsey) said he looked at it as - you're the company you keep. Lindsey was tainted by WRH. He said having his character be a villain but not quite - made him more fun to play, than to have him be a hero. It's better to have an edge. Romanov (Lilah) agreed.
I'm beginning to understand why I still love these shows - the cast, crew, writers, and fandom are so enjoyable.
**
The characters of Dawn, Riley and Xander with a few exceptions, have the worst episodes in Buffy for some reason. I think the writers either didn't identify with them, over-identified, or didn't know what to do with them? By the time Dawn popped up, the writers were kind of done with teenage years and high school. (That's why it is important on television series to have turn-over in writers - the writers often burn out.) Riley's problem - was the writers knew nothing about the military outside of bad science fiction films and books, and never really developed the character. He's basically Solider Boy or Cowboy Guy in their heads. And they make fun of him throughout. Xander's problem is Joss over-identified with the character, he's the best friend trope but not gay (usually the platonic male best friend in this type of series is either gay or written out or hooks up with the female lead), and well, the actor had major issues that unfortunately bled onto the set. (Brendan is an addict, and while his wife was able to help him hide his problem for the first four years of the series - they kind of separated or ran into marital issues around S5, and Brendan's addiction became readily apparent and interfered with his work. He is also, unfortunately, a mean addict - when he's drunk or high - he gets mean and violent and disruptive. So Whedon had to write around him. Whedon wanted to kill him off - but the writers ganged up on him and stopped him, along with the producers. It's sad, because Nick Brendan is actually a really good actor - when he gets out of his own way.)
That said, Older and Far Away - would have been better, if they didn't try to recreate a Luis Buñuel film (the surreal Spanish filmmaker who worked with French surrealism and more or less created the style) with a teenage girl screaming at the center of it or responsible for all of it. Also it had too many extraneous characters who had nothing to do other than smile and nod, and act as if they accidentally stepped onto the wrong set, and didn't know how to politely get out. These things work better if you limit the number of characters, and don't have any extraneous ones.
Richard and Sophie have zip to do, and aren't seen prior or after. Nor do we really know anything about either - to care. They did a better job with extraneous guest characters prior to S6. The most interesting character in the episode, Halfrek, isn't explored enough. They really should have explored the Halfrek/William connection more than they did. There was a lot of opportunities there - that could have made the episode more interesting.
Clem - doesn't make sense. Why he's there. Why Spike was able to invite him. And again, he doesn't really add to the episode or do anything? They could have explored him better than they did. If they are going for a demons are people too or disenfranchised minority (like on Angel) - it's not working.
Again, missed opportunity with Halfrek. They really could have used this episode to build up the character better. I think they got in over their heads, and got stuck? Also whomever was checking the dialogue, fell asleep at the wheel. Whedon - after seeing Justice League - can write some cringe inducing dialogue, when he's off his game. And so can his writers. It's in this episode.
Also Dawn is not sympathetic, so much as annoying, due to the shifting points of view. We probably should have just been in her point of view throughout.
The dialogue and interactions between Buffy and Spike and Tara and Spike, also Spike's makeup and outfit - grated. Even his movements. He doesn't belong there. And it feels awkward. Perhaps that's the point? That he clearly is out of place?
Spike had better dialogue in earlier seasons in that house. The sexual innuendos and jokes - didn't fly.
I shouldn't be rooting for the guy with the sword to be stabbing folks, and I kind of was?
***
Angelica Huston memoir - Watch Me, which I'm listening to via audible.
It's well written. She really disliked Ryan O'Neal, who was violent and Huston describes as a bully with no conscience. She'd been in love with him for a bit - and in a very toxic relationship. He beat her and abused her, and it took her a while to break off the relationship and go back to Jack Nicholson.
She also writes about Roman Polanski - whom she lived next door to for a bit, and was friends with. Apparently they tried to get her to testify against Polanski in the "statutory rape" case - by offering her a deal to drop cocaine charges. Huston sets out the facts. She saw cops at Polanski's place. They came to hers. Searched her house. Found some weed, and some coke. Arrested her and Polanski. She was let go. They told her they'd drop the drug charges, if she testified that she saw Polanski with the 13 year old girl and could testify to statutory rape. But Huston never saw him with the 13 year old, and couldn't testify to it - one way or the other. She didn't know anything. I believe her. It's doubtful she would have, they weren't that close. She knew him because of Chinatown - which he directed both her father and Jack Nicolson in.
It's also worth keeping in mind - that Huston's mother married her father at the age of 18, and Angelic Huston slept with James Fox at the age of 16, and hooked up with 42 year old Bob Richardson at 18.
Off to make dinner.
no subject
Date: 2026-01-15 01:51 pm (UTC)I think the problem - is they were doing too much for one episode? Also group scenes are torture for actors. Any time you have more than three people in a room it gets crowded? These are very small sets. And you have to do close ups and takes for each one - so think 20 hour days.
The writers kind of got too ambitious and tried to do too much - sometimes less is more, and simple works better.
And it would have worked if the writing had been a touch better? Also Sophie isn't normal either? The dialogue is cringe in that episode.