25 Day Fandom Meme in One Day (Buffy, Angel and Doctor Who) -or quick before bed.

[shadowkat]

We'll see how quickly I can do this before going to bed. Goal is 15 minutes. [ETA: Failed miserably - it took an hour. Dang it. And I lost steam towards the end.]

30-Day Buffy and Angel and Doctor Who Challenge in One Day

Day 1: Favorite Season

Buffy: Hmmm. Tempted to say S2 - because by far the most lovable villians, but the character arcs were overly melodramatic in hindsight and somewhat cliche and dated now. (ie - so high school). Granted Becoming was by far the best season finale, but I need more than that. Also tempted towards S5 - which for me had the best thematic arc, metaphor wise, and some of the best character centric standalone episodes. Yet, S7 and S6 jump above it - in episodes.

Off hand - I'd have to say my favorite is still S5, for some reason I find this season comforting - maybe because unlike all the other seasons it focused more on mother issues and female dichotomy and the duality between genders - it was also the least romantically angsty of the seasons - both Xander and Willow were in stable romantic relationships. (Although S7 and S6 come in close second), this partly due to the fact that the DVD for S2 is crappy.

Doctor Who: right now? The Donna Noble season - with River Song episodes. Although the season before it with Martha Jones is a close second - both contain my favorite episodes of that series to date. (It's too early to know what I'll think of the current season - could end up being my favorite yet.

Angel: Season 5 hands down. I identified with the corporation metaphor and evil law firm metaphors, and evil hollywood metaphors - perhaps more than most. People - trust me when I state that unless you've worked for an entertainment company - you missed half of the inside jokes. Also, I liked the cast the best - they'd finally gotten rid of the weak links and that whole shanshu fatalism nonsense that drove me nuts. Can we say cliche? Yes, we can. I did miss Lilah though. Plus Angel/Spike - favorite pairing EVER!


Day 2: Favorite Episode:

Buffy - Once More with Feeling - the pivotal episode of the season, where every character is wittly explored, while the show made fun of itself at the same time.

Angel: Destiny - the brother relationship, the mirror images, and the demonstration of what Angel did to people - how he corrupted them, broke them down over time, cut away at them, belittled them - demonstrating how emotional abuse can be far worse than physical, and far more destructive - and how his victim rises up and fights back. It was beautifully ambiguous. And turned the whole shanshu prophecy and Angel's ability to be redeemed on its head.

Doctor Who: Two Parter - River Song in Donna Noble Season, Library and Forests of the Air -
played with my head. Made me fall in love with the Doctor, up to that point I really didn't understand what the fuss was about. And scared me shitless at the same time - the piranha of the air that came out of the books and lived in the shadows of the forests....what a concept.
That was new. Also the girl whose mind was the library construct. And a library to beat all libraries. Plus a female heroine to equal the Doctor, who thought like he did, understood him, and was his equal - while we also had Donna who was his equal in another way, and the best platonic relationship he'd ever had. Oh. I loved it.

Day 3: Favorite Song Used In An Episode

Buffy - Pavolov's Bell in the episode Sleeper - best use of a song to depict a character's arc and a character's personality in an episode ever! If want to see how - see my meta: Spike, Triggers, Chips and Souls.

Angel - did Angel have music? Okay it had music. But songs? I'd have to say the song that Cordelia sings when Lorne passes out. The Greatest Love of All is For Yourself - great use of an annoying song.

Doctor Who - again does this have songs? I can't remember any.

Day 4: Favorite Female Character

Buffy - I'd still have to go with Buffy. The character is actually the least like me, (if they were straight - Tara or Willow would most likely be the most like me), but in some ways she resonated for me the best. Whedon was correct - she's like Jimmy Stewart. What can I say? I love the character. If I didn't I wouldn't have fallen in love with the series to the degree that I did. Some people can fall deeply in love with series in which they don't love the lead, I'm not amongst them.

Angel - sigh, it's a tie between Illyria and Lilah. Probably Illyria although it is seriously a toss up.

Doctor Who? River Song. Yes, a minor character, but there you go. I did however love Donna Noble - Catherine Tate is amazing actress. The jury is still out on Kare Gillian.

Day 5: Least Favorite Female Character

Buffy: Harmony - grated on my nerves.

Angel: Harmony

Doctor Who: Rose Tyler

(see a pattern?)


Day 6: Favorite Male Character

Buffy - Spike - enuf said.

Angel - Wesley - for more or less the same reasons Spike is in Buffy, best character arc. It should be Angel, which possibly explains why I didn't like the series that much and kept leaving it and coming back. Angel, the character, I liked depending on the episode and whether Boreanze decided to actually show up or phone it in.

Doctor Who? The Doctor - which is a good thing, because the show would be unwatchable for me otherwise. I fell a bit in love with him during the Donna Noble season.

Day 7: Least Favorite Male Character

Buffy - Robin Wood although Andrew is a close second (for more or less the same reasons I don't like Harmony).

Angel - hard one, have to go with Angel. Yes, I liked all the male characters on the series more than the lead - pathetic I know.

Doctor Who? Right now Rory. The character's voice grates on my ever-living nerve.


Day 8: Favorite Friendship

Buffy - Willow and Buffy (yes, I like their friendship more than Buffy/Xander, partly because unlike Xander, Willow whose gay has a truly platonic relationship with no demands - it's pure.)

Angel - Angel and Spike - Spike actually made me fall for Angel again and enjoy the character.
I loved them hard together. But platonically.

Doctor Who - Doctor Who and Donna Noble, best platonic friendship on the series and ended miserably damn RTD!!!

Day 9: Favorite Romance

Buffy - Buffy/Spike

Angel - Lilah/Wesley (although was tempted to go with Angel/Darla, but no...has to be Lilah/Wes).

Doctor Who - Doctor Who 10 and River Song

Day 10: Least Favorite Season

Angel - Season 3, I gave up on the series and had to be coaxed back, people bribed me by sending me tapes to catch up. LOL! Waiting in the Wing is possibly the Worste Whedon episode ever, followed closely by Amends... Whedon really did not get Angel or the series.

Buffy - Season 1 - stupid villians and campy beyond belief

Doctor Who - Season 2 - sigh the Doctor/Rose angst...I stopped watching early on and didn't come back until the end to see her written off.

Day 11: Least Favorite Romance

Buffy - Buffy/Angel (sigh)

Angel - Buffy/Angel (sigh)

Doctor Who - Rose/Doctor 10 (sigh - it's odd I liked Rose Tyler in S1 with Doctor 9)

Day 12: Least Favorite Episode

Buffy - Amends

Angel - sigh, too many to count in S1 and S3, unfortunately, I'd have to go with Provider or whatever that one was about taking care of the Baby in S3?

Day 13: Favorite Potential Slayer

Buffy - what if you don't have one? Kennedy?

Angel - Dana

Doctor Who - are there slayers in Doctor Who?


Day 14: Favorite Female Villain

Buffy - Drusilla

Angel - Lilah

Doctor Who - is there one? I guess we could go with...the Prime Minister

Day 15: Favorite Male Villain

Buffy - Angelus (yes I preferred Angelus to Angel in the Buffy series)

Angel - Angelus and possibly Angel himself

Doctor Who - possibly the Doctor himself although the Master comes in a good second

Day 16: Episode You Like That Everyone Else Hates

Buffy - Him

Angel - Hole in the World and Underneath

Doctor Who - don't know, I'm guessing the River Song episodes?


Day 17: Character You Relate To The Most

Buffy - Willow, although to a degree Buffy herself and Spike (so those three - a tie)

Angel - no one. Maybe Spike or possibly...Cordy in the early seasons

Doctor Who - Donna Noble

Day 18: Character Who Didn’t Get Enough Screen Time

Buffy - Giles

Angel - Illyria and Lilah

Doctor Who - River Song

Day 19: Character You Like That Everyone Else Hates

Buffy - I don't know...Buffy? Fandom is funky. Depends on the faction.

Angel - Connor, definitely Connor - in particular S4 Connor, who I loved and everyone else hated. I much prefered him to pod!Connor/StepfordSonConnor in S5 after the mindwipe.

Doctor Who - Martha Jones

Day 20: Best Spike-centric Episode

Buffy - Fool for Love (although I do love the end of Beneath You)

Angel - Destiny (although Damage is wickedly good but Destiny has that amazing fight sequence, made even more so by the knowledge that Boreanze was injured prior to it and you cannot tell.)

Doctor Who - there isn't one, but if you go to Torchwood, you can claim that episode at the beginning of the second season with Captain John.


Day 21: Best Willow-centric Episode

Buffy - Dopplegangland - there's no contest, although I do rather like Tough Love and Villians.

Day 22: Best Xander-centric Episode

Buffy - The Replacement in S5 - which yes, I prefer to the Zeppo, blasphemy, I know.

Day 23: Two Characters You Wanted To Get Together That Never Did

Hmmm, I guess Willow/Xander, and Giles/Joyce don't count, nor does Giles/Anya?
I don't know. Maybe Faith/Spike or Willow/Spike or Xander/Spike?

Doctor Who - can't think of anyone.

Angel - Angel/Lilah

Day 24: Favorite Example of 90s Special Effects

Drawing a blank - I don't remember the 90s, it's a blur


Day 25: Episode You Hate That Everyone Else Loves

Buffy - Storyteller

Angel - Waiting in the Wings and possibly Origin

Doctor Who - the Girl in the Fireplace

Too freaking late now to do 30...and I deleted the ones I could not come up with an answer for.

Comments

[local-max.livejournal.com]

This looks fun.... I haven't watched Doctor Who.

1. It's funny that you say that S2 has the most "lovable" villains--because when I think of a villain being "lovable," I think instantly to the Mayor, more so than S2. Spike, Dru, and Angelus are certainly hugely entertaining, though, so maybe it's just my reaction to the world "lovable" :P.

I think season two doesn't take many missteps in its season arc, though its individual episodes are often weak. But, as you say, it's a bit trite in comparison to later seasons. Each season following it is increasingly complex.

I think season five is probably the most consistent season--no bad episodes IMHO, though a few subpar ones as there are in every season--and I really like the group dynamics. Some episodes feel a little incomplete though, or only really make sense later on. Family's somewhat gooey happy ending works better in the context of the overall tragedy of Willow/Tara; Buffy's high point in Checkpoint is in some ways set up for her fall later in the season. I'd like to hear more of your thoughts on the gender issues--obviously I see the Ben/Glory plotline, and how that mirrors Buffy's conflict between her "just a girl" and slayer halves.

ANGEL: Season five is a bit of a mess, but I think it offers some of the sharpest things in the show. As a contrast, some material in earlier seasons, such as the Angel/Darla/Wolfram & Hart thing in season two, is much more carefully set up and executed, but, in spite of the risks associated with making the main character dark, feels somehow...safer? More controlled? And gives less for the supporting cast to do.

2. OMWF isn't perfect but damned if it isn't impressive. I like your observation about the show making fun of itself. Do you think that's part of the reason for the Xander-summoning-the-demon being sort of brushed off as a joke? A bit of a reminder that this universe isn't real, as we head toward the over-the-top finish ("the curtains close with a kiss, God knows we can tell the end is near...").

Destiny: I'm not sure it'd be my pick, but it's very cool the way this episode, and Spike's presence generally, undermine the assumption of Angel's herodom and even specialness in a way that previous seasons only did implicitly. And I love your observation about child abuse. And it's made more complicated because both have grown up, and both are "better people" now (they're ensouled, fighting for good)--but are still the same people. It still amazes me that in the original version of the episode, Angel won the fight--one of the great insights Fury had in the show.

3. BUFFY: I really have to watch Sleeper again....

ANGEL: there were a few. There was the VAST song "Touched" in the second episode, "Lonely Hearts," while Angel and Kate investigated some murders separately. Obviously there is a lot of karaoke as well--I'd say that Darla's song in "The Trial," and Lindsey's in "Dead End," are some great examples.

4. Good choices.

5. One good thing about Harmony is the way Spike/Harmony helps pave the way for Spike/Buffy--Spike/Harmony parallels both Buffy & Riley and Buffy & Spike, which is neat. But that wouldn't change her grating on one's nerves I guess....

6. Good choices (again!). I agree that Wesley has the most interesting story on ANGEL, besides possibly Angel himself.

7. So you prefer Gunn to Angel? (I think JAR is a better actor than Boreanaz, but still, I'm a bit surprised.)

8. The Willow/Buffy friendship is greatly complex. And I love their fallout in season six, and their fight in Two to Go. The early season eight issue "Anywhere But Here" also continues their relationship really well, I thought.

Angel/Spike rocks pretty hard.

9. Agreed on both. I'm pretty fond of Angel/Darla as well.

10. Well, I prefer season three of ANGEL to season one of ANGEL, so it's not at all my least favourite. But its strengths (Wesley's arc, Holtz' revenge) don't quite make up for the wrongheadedness of Angel/Cordy and Fred/Gunn, and various poor one-offs. I do like Waiting in the Wings more than you, it seems though.

BUFFY season one: agreed.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

think season five is probably the most consistent season--no bad episodes IMHO, though a few subpar ones as there are in every season--and I really like the group dynamics.

Agreed. It's the only season that didn't have an episode that I did not want to rewatch or found myself cringing at some point.
While Family isn't great, it's still better than Bad Eggs,
I Robot, You Jane, Reptile Boy, Amends, Doublemeat Palace, WTWA, Doomed, The I in Team, All the Way, Empty Places...and Showtime.

S4 - had great standalones, horrid arc. Season 3 had a great arc but uneven standalones and often offkilter. (they are the flip sides of each other). S2 also had great arc, bad standalones. Season 1 - good standalones, stupid arc. (also flip of each other). Season 5 good standalones and decent arc. Season 6 good standalones, uneven arc. Seven 7 - excellent standalones, uneven arc.

I'd like to hear more of your thoughts on the gender issues--obviously I see the Ben/Glory plotline, and how that mirrors Buffy's conflict between her "just a girl" and slayer halves.

Gender-bending. We have Spike as care-giver to Dawn, Buffy protector. Glory as super-strong and mighty control god, Ben as wimpy medical doctor-healer. Willow as amazing witch, Xander as side-kick support. Riley as kittenish.

Or who is the real monster? Ben or Glory. Good case can be made for Ben. And the twist on female being part of male or weaker half, here she's the stronger half. It's interesting.

Plus the whole idea of mental illness/sick mother...we jumped away from disapproving father and towards mother as the central focal point. More matriarchial arc as opposed to patriarchial.
Which few of these shows ever do.

Well, I prefer season three of ANGEL to season one of ANGEL, so it's not at all my least favourite. But its strengths (Wesley's arc, Holtz' revenge) don't quite make up for the wrongheadedness of Angel/Cordy and Fred/Gunn, and various poor one-offs. I do like Waiting in the Wings more than you, it seems though.

S1 was saved for me by the Faith/Angel arc and Doyle/Cordy, as well as my favorite Cordy episode Room with a Vue.

S3 did one of my least favorite tv tropes - lead character has baby and we all go, awwwe isn't he cute? Can you handle it? To which I'm rolling my eyes and thinking, bored now. I'll go watch West Wing or Alias instead. Which I actually did.
S3 is saved by the Holtz/Justine/Wes arc and Connor coming back The Destroyer - which is a great ironic twist and sticks with the thematic arc of Angel. He's always having to face disaffected and traumatized sons that look at him in the exact same way he looked at his human father. And blame him in the same way. The only problem with it? Is it is becoming a bit cliche...since every show has done that storyline at least once.
There's four tv series I've watched recently - Merlin, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, and In Plain Sight that have the same storyline of kids with nasty fathers. And those are just the recent ones.

S3 is saved for me because it makes S4 and S5 possible. ;-) But I don't forsee myself ever buying or owning S3 DVD.

[local-max.livejournal.com]

While Family isn't great, it's still better than Bad Eggs,
I Robot, You Jane, Reptile Boy, Amends, Doublemeat Palace, WTWA, Doomed, The I in Team, All the Way, Empty Places...and Showtime.

Interesting--I like "The I in Team," actually. But it's been a while since I rewatched; it might just be that it's the cleanest look we got at Maggie Walsh, who was an interesting character.

Or who is the real monster? Ben or Glory. Good case can be made for Ben. And the twist on female being part of male or weaker half, here she's the stronger half. It's interesting.

Yes--I like that about Ben and Glory's story. Weight of the World, with the big Ben/Glory confrontation, and Ben's decision to give Dawn up, has always struck me as good (and hugely underrated by fans.)

Plus the whole idea of mental illness/sick mother...we jumped away from disapproving father and towards mother as the central focal point. More matriarchial arc as opposed to patriarchial.
Which few of these shows ever do.

Very good point. And it's so central to the season....I think of Buffy in "The Gift," "I wish my mom was here."

S1 was saved for me by the Faith/Angel arc and Doyle/Cordy, as well as my favorite Cordy episode Room with a Vue.

I like those as well. But there's a long period between Wesley's arrival and Faith's arrival where there are maybe two genuinely enjoyable episodes, and some of the worst of the series.

S3 did one of my least favorite tv tropes - lead character has baby and we all go, awwwe isn't he cute? Can you handle it? To which I'm rolling my eyes and thinking, bored now. I'll go watch West Wing or Alias instead. Which I actually did.
S3 is saved by the Holtz/Justine/Wes arc and Connor coming back The Destroyer - which is a great ironic twist and sticks with the thematic arc of Angel. He's always having to face disaffected and traumatized sons that look at him in the exact same way he looked at his human father. And blame him in the same way. The only problem with it? Is it is becoming a bit cliche...since every show has done that storyline at least once.
There's four tv series I've watched recently - Merlin, Burn Notice, Royal Pains, and In Plain Sight that have the same storyline of kids with nasty fathers. And those are just the recent ones.

I agree with all of this. :)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I may be getting the I in Team confused with the one afterwards, Goodbye Iowa. You are correct, I in Team is actually pretty good. Goodbye Iowa is a bit silly. Poor Riley - because Lindsey Crouse got a better role and wasn't on contract, he got short shrift. (I actually liked Riley by the way, for the most part.)

I like those as well. But there's a long period between Wesley's arrival
and Faith's arrival where there are maybe two genuinely enjoyable
episodes, and some of the worst of the series.

Agreed. Although to be honest, I did not like Wes until about three episodes in. I stopped watching S1 around the time Wes showed up, then started watching again when Faith crossed over. I didn't see the episodes in between the first Wes episode and the Faith episode until Season 3 - when someone sent me tapes of them.
(And you're right some of the worst episodes of the series are in that season. I always get stuck when I do a re-watch on those episodes. Whedon and Greenwalt really didn't know what they were doing with Angel until Faith showed up.)

[local-max.livejournal.com]

I may be getting the I in Team confused with the one afterwards, Goodbye Iowa. You are correct, I in Team is actually pretty good. Goodbye Iowa is a bit silly. Poor Riley - because Lindsey Crouse got a better role and wasn't on contract, he got short shrift. (I actually liked Riley by the way, for the most part.)

Yeah, "Goodbye, Iowa" isn't the show's best. I like Riley too actually.

Agreed. Although to be honest, I did not like Wes until about three episodes in. I stopped watching S1 around the time Wes showed up, then started watching again when Faith crossed over. I didn't see the episodes in between the first Wes episode and the Faith episode until Season 3 - when someone sent me tapes of them.
(And you're right some of the worst episodes of the series are in that season. I always get stuck when I do a re-watch on those episodes. Whedon and Greenwalt really didn't know what they were doing with Angel until Faith showed up.)

Yes, definitely true. Minear seemed to have some good ideas--Somnambulist and The Prodigal are both solid. But the other episodes are pretty difficult to watch. The pregnancy episode with Cordelia actually seems like a bad remake of Bad Eggs! lol.

Yay meme!

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

1. You know what, I'd agree about season 2. The early seasons are so weird to me, because it's like there's some unspoken rule that they resonate with every high-schooler alive - I was in high school when I saw them and no, they really, really didn't. The first season that really spoke to me was season 6 (at the age of 15). I *love* the Angelus arc, but for real brutal depression, nothing's gonna top S6.

Plus Angel/Spike - favorite pairing EVER!

I KNOW RIGHT.

2. Completely agreed.
4. Buffy, Illyria and Lilah for the win.
6. Ditto.
8. I'd go with Willow and Xander actually, but agreed on the other two.
9. I am so torn between D/A and W/L too. I think Angel and Darla would probably win out for me though.
12. Man, Provider is such a good episode to make fun of.
17. It'd be Willow, Buffy and Spike for me too. As for AtS - Wesley. Though it seems he's a character very few people admit to relating to.
19. Agreed on all three. Especially Connor. That boy just gutted me from beginning to end.
23. I was always disappointed Wes/Faith never became canon myself.
25. ... People like Waiting in the Wings? Wow. Joss, not your best. (Though, probably one of the few times Angel and Cordelia had chemistry to me.)

Re: Yay meme!

[local-max.livejournal.com]

12. I don't understand what you mean, "make fun of." How else was Angel going to learn that money was not important? How else could it be established that Wes and Gunn like Fred, but their saying "Fred" in unison, without (apparently) realizing that the other has feelings for her? And what of the touching reunion between a murderer and her zombie ex? And plus some dudes select Fred because of her exceptionality to have the new face (head) on their worshipped leader, while the gang rushes to stop Fred's death, thus foreshadowing the Illyria arc. (OK, maybe not. But the last one is almost cool in retrospect, right?)

Re: Yay meme!

[ever-neutral.livejournal.com]

You are right. In hindsight, the episode is no doubt one of the series' masterpieces, full of deep insights into humanity and subtle yet powerful character moments.

Re: Yay meme!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

And plus some dudes select Fred because of her exceptionality to have the new face (head) on their worshipped leader, while the gang rushes to stop Fred's death, thus foreshadowing the Illyria arc. (OK, maybe not. But the last one is almost cool in retrospect, right?)

Except for the fact that they did it in about five other episodes. Fred replaced Cordelia as the damsel for most of S3, S4, and S5 - until that is, she became Illyria.

Re: Yay meme!

[local-max.livejournal.com]

Except for the fact that they did it in about five other episodes. Fred replaced Cordelia as the damsel for most of S3, S4, and S5 - until that is, she became Illyria.

Oh absolutely. But the specific imagery--the demons wanting their old ruler to have Fred's face--evokes Knox wanting Illyria to have Fred's face, in a way that none of the other damselly things suggest (to me). I don't really think it's deliberate, though.

Re: Yay meme!

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Nice bit of irony. But nah, not deliberate. They didn't come up with the Illyria arc until S5. Angel really wasn't plotted ahead of time, they sort of went by the seat of their pants with it. Buffy and Firefly were to a degree - Whedon actually knew what he wanted to do with Buffy and with Firefly, but he had no idea with Angel. Had the same problem actually with Dollhouse - I see the same confusion in that series that I saw in Angel.

We both fell victim to this meme:

[harsens-rob.livejournal.com]

My Buffy 30-Days:

http://harsens-rob.livejournal.com/174486.html


And then I just had to do one for Angel, too. Just to be fair, you understand:

http://harsens-rob.livejournal.com/174663.html


I really must stop clicking on Buffy meme entries - I cannot resist them!

Re: We both fell victim to this meme:

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

I really must stop clicking on Buffy meme entries - I cannot resist them!

Sigh. Me too. But TV memes are so easy to do. Unlike those annoying 30 question personal memes asking what your favorite shoes and snacks are.

Re: We both fell victim to this meme:

[harsens-rob.livejournal.com]

I can't remember if I've seen any personal meme things, but if I have, my eyes probably glazed over and I hit next entry.

Not that you wouldn't be endlessly fascinated by what my favorite snack food is, of course (*ahem*) but they're not that interesting to fill out.

(BTW: Chocolate)

Re: We both fell victim to this meme:

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hee. Chocolat is my favorite snack food too. Unfortunately. Am rather addicted to it.

There's a great line in Farscape.

Aeryn Sun: If your planet has diseases and no space travel, why would you want to go back.

Crichton: You don't have chocolate.

LOL!

Memes are fascinating in that we all love the same tv series but see it sooo differently. Sometimes I wonder when I read a meme if we watched the same one. Then I think back and realize that I've watched it differently. Thirteen years ago I'd have given different responses to that meme. In 1998 for example - my favorite ship was Buffy/Angel. Now in 2010, my least favorite ship is Buffy/Angel. We do change - whether we want to or not. Our interests, tastes, views...it is inevitable. Just wish I could remember why I felt that way in 1998. I remember feeling it. Just not the why of it. From my perspective I haven't changed at all. But obviously I have.