Buffy Rewatch Wrap-up
Sep. 25th, 2009 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkatNow that I've finished the great Buffy rewatch - which I began in April or May, can't remember, in order to cope with real life crap that I really don't want to bore you or me with, tis time to wrap it up in a somewhat meaningful or half-way meaniful fashion.
Yes, that's right - tis time to list my favorite episodes from each season and which seasons I liked the best. Also to give a general review of the rewatch.
I rewatched it, by the way, from a Doylian and a Watsonian perspective. And if you are anything like me, you are probably thinking right about now - WTF is Doylian and Watsonian?? No way you'd know, unless you are a Terry Prachett or Conan Doyle fan. I looked it up finally. And determined , yes, methinks, I am both - leaning toward Doylian due to educational training more than anything else.
Here is the definitions for people who are style woefully scratching their heads in confusion:
"Watsonian or in-universe commentary takes the reality of a work as given, and thus restricts itself to making statements that are sensible within that reality. Watsonian explanations are things like "Character X was lying", "He had plastic surgery over the summer", and "The main character fell off a cliff". Tropes which take a generally Watsonian perspective include:
Some forms of Death Of The Author
Fan Wank
Literary Agent Hypothesis (its underlying assumption)
Justified Trope
Wild Mass Guessing "
"Doylist or out-of-universe commentary considers the work as a created object, and prefers explanations based on the real-world motivations or circumstances of the creators. Doylist explanations are things like "The author had a Better Idea", "The actor died, so they had to hire a new one", and "The author got sick of writing those books, so he killed off the main character". Doylist tropes include:
Author Existence Failure
Idiot Ball and all its subtropes
Literary Agent Hypothesis (its intent)
Plot Induced Stupidity
Real Life Writes The Plot
Rule Of Index and all its subtropes"
"As the page quotes suggest, most people aren't "pure" Watsonians or Doylists; they switch between modes as the occasion warrants. The terms reference Sherlock Holmes—where Watsonian commentary relates to the in-universe author Dr. Watson, while Doylist commentary relates to the Real Life author Arthur Conan Doyle—but they seem to have originated (or at least been popularized) on the Bujold fan mailing list. "
Yep, that's me in a nutshell - I switch between the modes at will. Often combining the two. Not an extremist or absolutist in any way. But I'm guessing most of us aren't.
Go here: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WatsonianVersusDoylist?from=Main.Doylist
Mostly, I rewatched from the perspective of whether the writers accomplished their objective -did they hit their thematic points, complete their characters emotional arcs and did the characters emotional journeys make logical sense? Yes, on all counts. No missteps. Not only that but the characters journey's echoed and supported each other as well as the thematic arc.
They propelled the plot and theme forward and were not lost or mere pawns of it.
I was impressed. May help that the showrunner/creator and I are more or less on the same wavelength and have had similar literary and filmography studies/backgrounds. Also are more or less the same age and generation. Whedon is about my age, 42, he studied Westerns, Noir, and Horror films, he has read and seen just about every Shakespeare play out there, and he studied 18th century lit as well as 17th and 16th centurary. One can tell a fellow Engligh/Cultural Anthropology/Cinema Studies Liberal Arts Major when one sees one. Plus, we both went the existentialist route for a bit. Where we differ? I'm female. Not an athesist. Not privileged. Not rich. Not from a wealthy family. And not a television writer - ew. I'd rather shovel manure. Okay maybe not manure. Anyhow the similarities explain, why I am a fan of Whedon's writing - I've more or less seen or read everything he's written to date that is available for public consumption. And it is very similar in tone, theme, emotional arc, and message - from Toy Story to Dollhouse.
But enuf. Now to the fun part, favorite episodes per season (I won't list the ones I didn't like because why be negative..life is too short):
Season 1 - Welcome to the Dollhouse, The Pack, Nightmares, Prophecy Girl, Angel, Never Kill A Boy on the First Date..
(Why? Welcome - has one of the funniest and best scenes in the series - Xander standing in the library overhearing Buffy talk about being a slayer with Giles, then later telling her she is crazy but hot. LOL! Then finding out, she's not crazy in the least. Great character moment. The Pack - also has great character moments - with Xander, showing his dark side.
Nightmares - Buffy and her father, Xander and the Clown, Willow and Madame Butterfly, Giles getting lost in the library and not being able to read..., Angel - the scenes between Buffy and Darla and Angel, and Angel and Darla - which if you watch closely reveal that Angel is not who he says he is and he is far from the good guy Buffy thinks..the tension is that Angel is not clear-cut. Prophecy Girl - the scene in the lounge where Willow and Cordy bond over finding the dead school chums watching cartoons, Xander asking Buffy to the Prom and getting turned down after he's broken Willow's heart, Buffy killing the Master and confronting her fears. Never Kill a Boy on First Date - is more or less foreshadowing for the series - Owen is Riley and William the Bloody combined. HE is Buffy's perfect boyfriend, the one she could fall for...but can't have as is later evidenced.)
Season 2 - When She Was Bad (Buffy/Xander dance scene, Buffy/Angel angst, Buffy torturing vampire, clever writing), School Hard (death of annoited one, Spike and Dru, Angel being cryptic, Spike/Angel friendship introduced, along with Angel being Spike's mentor and teacher, Cordy/Willow), The Dark Age (Dark Giles, Jenny/Giles, Ethan Raine), Innocence (Spike/Dru/Angelus developed, the twist, Jenny's back story, the rocket launcher, Xander/Cordy, Willow/Oz), Passion (Giles/Jenny, Angelus, Spike, Dru - the show went nicely dark and twisted), Halloween (Ethan Raine introduced along with Ripper Giles, also Willow in the sexy outfit and cat Cordy/macho Xander), Becoming Part I & Part II (Spike switching sides, Angel's backstory, Dru and Darla's backstory, and Buffy's backstory)...and What's My Line Part II (Spike/Angel, Dru/Angel, Buffy/Kendra, Cordy/Xander).
Season 3 - Faith, Hope and Trick (faith and buffy, also Trick who made me laugh), Lover's Walk (Spike and Spike/Angel, Cordy/Xander/OZ/Willow), The Wish (dark world), Dopplegangland (vamp!Willow, great songs, and Anya backstory) Choices (Willow, Mayor/Faith, and Buffy/Angel/Mayor), Enemies (Faith/Angel/Angelus, and Buffy learning Angel is still Angelus in a way), Consequences (Angel/Faith, Faith/Xander), Graduation Day Part II (Faith/Buffy dream, we need a bigger boat, the plan).
Season 4 - Harsh Light of Day (Spike, Harmony, great song (we are the lucky ones by Biz Naked), Anya/Xander), A New Man (Spike/Giles - best odd couple ever, with the return of Ethan Raine), Freshman (Sunday, Buffy/Xander), Who Are You (Gellar as Faith, Buffy(Faith)/Spike, Buffy(Faith)/Tara-Willow, Buffy(Faith)/Riley), HUSH (innovative without speaking. Riley/Buffy coolness, Spike/Xander/Anya coolness, Willow/Tara coolness and Giles' inability to draw - hee, also scariest monsters ever), Restless (dreams - like watching a long prose poem for film), Yoko Factor (Spike and everyone, Angle/Riley),
New Moon Rising(Willow/Tara, OZ/Spike and everyone), Fear Itself,
Season 5 - The Real Me, The Replacement, Fool For Love, The Body, Forever, Intervention, Tough Love, The Gift, Buffy vs. Dracula, Into the Woods, Triangle
Season 6 - Bargaining I & II, Flooded, Afterlife, Life Serial, Once More With Feeling,
Smashed, Tabula Rasa, Gone, Dead Things, Normal Again, Seeing Red (for the following scenes - the one between Xander and Buffy in Xander's apartment, Spike and Clem, Willow and Tara in bed discussing Buffy and Spike, Dawn and Spike, and the one between Buffy and Spike before the attempted rape), Villians, Two to Go, Grave
Season 7 - Lessons, Beneath You, Selfless, Same Time Same Place, Sleeper, Never Leave Me, Conversations with Dead People, Bring on the Night, Him (just for the scene that always makes me giggle uncontrollably - when Buffy and Spike fight over the rocket launcher that she is attempting to use to blow away Prinipal Wood and Spike is attempting to prevent her from using to kill Prinicipal Wood), Killer in Me, Storyteller, Get it Done (for the scenes between Spike and Buffy, Spike and Wood, Spike and Anya, Willow and Spike), Lies My Parents Told Me (weird episode - I always yell at the tv during it for some reason).
Should explain why. But no time. And not sure anyone cares. From the lists above, tis obvious that my favorite seasons are 7, 6, 5, 4, 2,3,1. Oddly, the later seasons are better in the beginning and sort of fall off at the end, while the earlier seasons are weak in the beginning and get better at the end. Weird.
Off to watch Dollhouse.
Yes, that's right - tis time to list my favorite episodes from each season and which seasons I liked the best. Also to give a general review of the rewatch.
I rewatched it, by the way, from a Doylian and a Watsonian perspective. And if you are anything like me, you are probably thinking right about now - WTF is Doylian and Watsonian?? No way you'd know, unless you are a Terry Prachett or Conan Doyle fan. I looked it up finally. And determined , yes, methinks, I am both - leaning toward Doylian due to educational training more than anything else.
Here is the definitions for people who are style woefully scratching their heads in confusion:
"Watsonian or in-universe commentary takes the reality of a work as given, and thus restricts itself to making statements that are sensible within that reality. Watsonian explanations are things like "Character X was lying", "He had plastic surgery over the summer", and "The main character fell off a cliff". Tropes which take a generally Watsonian perspective include:
Some forms of Death Of The Author
Fan Wank
Literary Agent Hypothesis (its underlying assumption)
Justified Trope
Wild Mass Guessing "
"Doylist or out-of-universe commentary considers the work as a created object, and prefers explanations based on the real-world motivations or circumstances of the creators. Doylist explanations are things like "The author had a Better Idea", "The actor died, so they had to hire a new one", and "The author got sick of writing those books, so he killed off the main character". Doylist tropes include:
Author Existence Failure
Idiot Ball and all its subtropes
Literary Agent Hypothesis (its intent)
Plot Induced Stupidity
Real Life Writes The Plot
Rule Of Index and all its subtropes"
"As the page quotes suggest, most people aren't "pure" Watsonians or Doylists; they switch between modes as the occasion warrants. The terms reference Sherlock Holmes—where Watsonian commentary relates to the in-universe author Dr. Watson, while Doylist commentary relates to the Real Life author Arthur Conan Doyle—but they seem to have originated (or at least been popularized) on the Bujold fan mailing list. "
Yep, that's me in a nutshell - I switch between the modes at will. Often combining the two. Not an extremist or absolutist in any way. But I'm guessing most of us aren't.
Go here: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/WatsonianVersusDoylist?from=Main.Doylist
Mostly, I rewatched from the perspective of whether the writers accomplished their objective -did they hit their thematic points, complete their characters emotional arcs and did the characters emotional journeys make logical sense? Yes, on all counts. No missteps. Not only that but the characters journey's echoed and supported each other as well as the thematic arc.
They propelled the plot and theme forward and were not lost or mere pawns of it.
I was impressed. May help that the showrunner/creator and I are more or less on the same wavelength and have had similar literary and filmography studies/backgrounds. Also are more or less the same age and generation. Whedon is about my age, 42, he studied Westerns, Noir, and Horror films, he has read and seen just about every Shakespeare play out there, and he studied 18th century lit as well as 17th and 16th centurary. One can tell a fellow Engligh/Cultural Anthropology/Cinema Studies Liberal Arts Major when one sees one. Plus, we both went the existentialist route for a bit. Where we differ? I'm female. Not an athesist. Not privileged. Not rich. Not from a wealthy family. And not a television writer - ew. I'd rather shovel manure. Okay maybe not manure. Anyhow the similarities explain, why I am a fan of Whedon's writing - I've more or less seen or read everything he's written to date that is available for public consumption. And it is very similar in tone, theme, emotional arc, and message - from Toy Story to Dollhouse.
But enuf. Now to the fun part, favorite episodes per season (I won't list the ones I didn't like because why be negative..life is too short):
Season 1 - Welcome to the Dollhouse, The Pack, Nightmares, Prophecy Girl, Angel, Never Kill A Boy on the First Date..
(Why? Welcome - has one of the funniest and best scenes in the series - Xander standing in the library overhearing Buffy talk about being a slayer with Giles, then later telling her she is crazy but hot. LOL! Then finding out, she's not crazy in the least. Great character moment. The Pack - also has great character moments - with Xander, showing his dark side.
Nightmares - Buffy and her father, Xander and the Clown, Willow and Madame Butterfly, Giles getting lost in the library and not being able to read..., Angel - the scenes between Buffy and Darla and Angel, and Angel and Darla - which if you watch closely reveal that Angel is not who he says he is and he is far from the good guy Buffy thinks..the tension is that Angel is not clear-cut. Prophecy Girl - the scene in the lounge where Willow and Cordy bond over finding the dead school chums watching cartoons, Xander asking Buffy to the Prom and getting turned down after he's broken Willow's heart, Buffy killing the Master and confronting her fears. Never Kill a Boy on First Date - is more or less foreshadowing for the series - Owen is Riley and William the Bloody combined. HE is Buffy's perfect boyfriend, the one she could fall for...but can't have as is later evidenced.)
Season 2 - When She Was Bad (Buffy/Xander dance scene, Buffy/Angel angst, Buffy torturing vampire, clever writing), School Hard (death of annoited one, Spike and Dru, Angel being cryptic, Spike/Angel friendship introduced, along with Angel being Spike's mentor and teacher, Cordy/Willow), The Dark Age (Dark Giles, Jenny/Giles, Ethan Raine), Innocence (Spike/Dru/Angelus developed, the twist, Jenny's back story, the rocket launcher, Xander/Cordy, Willow/Oz), Passion (Giles/Jenny, Angelus, Spike, Dru - the show went nicely dark and twisted), Halloween (Ethan Raine introduced along with Ripper Giles, also Willow in the sexy outfit and cat Cordy/macho Xander), Becoming Part I & Part II (Spike switching sides, Angel's backstory, Dru and Darla's backstory, and Buffy's backstory)...and What's My Line Part II (Spike/Angel, Dru/Angel, Buffy/Kendra, Cordy/Xander).
Season 3 - Faith, Hope and Trick (faith and buffy, also Trick who made me laugh), Lover's Walk (Spike and Spike/Angel, Cordy/Xander/OZ/Willow), The Wish (dark world), Dopplegangland (vamp!Willow, great songs, and Anya backstory) Choices (Willow, Mayor/Faith, and Buffy/Angel/Mayor), Enemies (Faith/Angel/Angelus, and Buffy learning Angel is still Angelus in a way), Consequences (Angel/Faith, Faith/Xander), Graduation Day Part II (Faith/Buffy dream, we need a bigger boat, the plan).
Season 4 - Harsh Light of Day (Spike, Harmony, great song (we are the lucky ones by Biz Naked), Anya/Xander), A New Man (Spike/Giles - best odd couple ever, with the return of Ethan Raine), Freshman (Sunday, Buffy/Xander), Who Are You (Gellar as Faith, Buffy(Faith)/Spike, Buffy(Faith)/Tara-Willow, Buffy(Faith)/Riley), HUSH (innovative without speaking. Riley/Buffy coolness, Spike/Xander/Anya coolness, Willow/Tara coolness and Giles' inability to draw - hee, also scariest monsters ever), Restless (dreams - like watching a long prose poem for film), Yoko Factor (Spike and everyone, Angle/Riley),
New Moon Rising(Willow/Tara, OZ/Spike and everyone), Fear Itself,
Season 5 - The Real Me, The Replacement, Fool For Love, The Body, Forever, Intervention, Tough Love, The Gift, Buffy vs. Dracula, Into the Woods, Triangle
Season 6 - Bargaining I & II, Flooded, Afterlife, Life Serial, Once More With Feeling,
Smashed, Tabula Rasa, Gone, Dead Things, Normal Again, Seeing Red (for the following scenes - the one between Xander and Buffy in Xander's apartment, Spike and Clem, Willow and Tara in bed discussing Buffy and Spike, Dawn and Spike, and the one between Buffy and Spike before the attempted rape), Villians, Two to Go, Grave
Season 7 - Lessons, Beneath You, Selfless, Same Time Same Place, Sleeper, Never Leave Me, Conversations with Dead People, Bring on the Night, Him (just for the scene that always makes me giggle uncontrollably - when Buffy and Spike fight over the rocket launcher that she is attempting to use to blow away Prinipal Wood and Spike is attempting to prevent her from using to kill Prinicipal Wood), Killer in Me, Storyteller, Get it Done (for the scenes between Spike and Buffy, Spike and Wood, Spike and Anya, Willow and Spike), Lies My Parents Told Me (weird episode - I always yell at the tv during it for some reason).
Should explain why. But no time. And not sure anyone cares. From the lists above, tis obvious that my favorite seasons are 7, 6, 5, 4, 2,3,1. Oddly, the later seasons are better in the beginning and sort of fall off at the end, while the earlier seasons are weak in the beginning and get better at the end. Weird.
Off to watch Dollhouse.
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Date: 2009-09-27 06:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-09-27 08:04 pm (UTC)The poet who is also action guy. Owen is the intelligent, bookish, poet (much like Giles), yet he gets off on her strength, her power, and enjoys the fight. It's what Xander lacked - Xander wasn't bookish enough for Buffy. If Buffy were gay, I'm guessing she would have fallen hard for Willow.