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shadowkatRules? Simple. Pick a show you are or have been fannish about. Fannish enough to remember the names of the episodes each season, preferably one that is over. Each season pick one episode that you would rewatch again and again and again - that you love. Off the top of your head. The first episode that comes to mind.
Mine? Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because regrettably really never been that fannish about anything else. I've no clue why.
1. Season 1
Nightmares - reason? It was about identity, and had a lot of psychological and philosophical meat. Each character was explored in depth. We saw what scared them. And that fear is examined throughout the series in different ways. It was a game-changer for me. Up until that point, I didn't see the series a much more than teen fluff. Nightmares...made me wonder what else the writer's had up their sleeve. Also I love re-watching. Always something new to see.
2. Season 2
Passion - I started watch BTVS for Anthony Stewart Head. And this is his episode. It's a beautiful episode, filled with tragedy. Everyone is used well. Spike, Dru, Angelus, Buffy, Giles, Willow, Joyce, Xander, Cordelia - all of them. The voice over is suitably creepy and says volumes about the Buffy/Angel love affair and why it can't work. If you want to know why Angel is the wrong romantic choice, just listen to the voice over. It's so beautifully filmed, and so horrific and plays with so many horror tropes.
3. Season 3
Dopplegangland - a brilliantly horrific and funny episode that does an in depth deconstruction of Willow. It also examines so many other things. Music was perfect - "The Virgin State of Mind", the direction, the acting. It may be amongst the best things Whedon wrote. Perfect blend of humor and horror.
4. Season 4
Hush - another episode that brilliantly uses every character, furthers their arcs, and while utilizing a gimmick uses it to examine the characters and has the plot flow from them. It like Dopplegangland, is amongst the best things Whedon wrote and is why I used to be a fan of Whedon. I still am of that episode. That episode is why I loved Whedon. When he wrote stuff like that? He made me love him. Stuff like that makes you fall in love with a writer. Because it's really hard to do that well. It's like watching a trapeze act without a net...and thinking wow, how did they do that without falling?
5. Season 5
Fool for Love - James Marsters famously stated that it remind him of Repertory Theater. It's that. I loved this episode for its twists and turns, the unreliable narrator - you can tell Spike didn't tell Buffy everything and spun it, the flaws, the reveal that Spike - is not what he appears, that he had started out as a man who despised violence and loved poetry. And is ashamed of that human he once was, or is he? The Bravado quacks, and we see duality. It's like that Xander episode, The Replacement, but better written, where we see two Spike's. And there's so much going on here. So many things to play with. Every time I see it - I see something different.
6. Season 6
Once More With Feeling. So many tv shows have tried to do a musical episode and failed miserably, see Grey's Anatomy for the latest cringe-worthy attempt. This episode got my mother to watch the show - she loves musicals and is incredibly critical (where do you think I get it from?) but this episode blew here away. "They are making fun of themselves," she said. "And musicals. It's hilarious." And it was. It broke the fourth wall, then jumped back again. It was meta but not. It explained the entire season in a nutshell. Brilliant. And my favorite episode of the series and favorite musical episode of any show.
7. Season 7
Beneath You. It's the one episode that every time I watch, I keep rewinding. It's deconstruction of two characters, Spike and Anya. And their views of themselves and their lives. It also talks about gender relationships in ways that few episodes do. The Scorned woman who turns the abusive boy friend into a worm, and the abusive boyfriend who goes insane trying to make himself better, to redeem himself to kill the worm within. It encapsulates every romance novel I've read...showing both sides of the story. The woman seeking revenge, the man who raped and hurt, seeking redemption.
We see the horrific results. It's such a layered episode. So character specific. Spike jumps through each hoop, each role, until finally he's stripped bare to his essence, half naked, he is the romantic poet in the end, humble, desperate, and self-loathing. The last fifteen minutes are amongst the best Whedon wrote and directed. They are unforgettable. And they make you realize nothing is simple or clear-cut.
Mine? Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because regrettably really never been that fannish about anything else. I've no clue why.
1. Season 1
Nightmares - reason? It was about identity, and had a lot of psychological and philosophical meat. Each character was explored in depth. We saw what scared them. And that fear is examined throughout the series in different ways. It was a game-changer for me. Up until that point, I didn't see the series a much more than teen fluff. Nightmares...made me wonder what else the writer's had up their sleeve. Also I love re-watching. Always something new to see.
2. Season 2
Passion - I started watch BTVS for Anthony Stewart Head. And this is his episode. It's a beautiful episode, filled with tragedy. Everyone is used well. Spike, Dru, Angelus, Buffy, Giles, Willow, Joyce, Xander, Cordelia - all of them. The voice over is suitably creepy and says volumes about the Buffy/Angel love affair and why it can't work. If you want to know why Angel is the wrong romantic choice, just listen to the voice over. It's so beautifully filmed, and so horrific and plays with so many horror tropes.
3. Season 3
Dopplegangland - a brilliantly horrific and funny episode that does an in depth deconstruction of Willow. It also examines so many other things. Music was perfect - "The Virgin State of Mind", the direction, the acting. It may be amongst the best things Whedon wrote. Perfect blend of humor and horror.
4. Season 4
Hush - another episode that brilliantly uses every character, furthers their arcs, and while utilizing a gimmick uses it to examine the characters and has the plot flow from them. It like Dopplegangland, is amongst the best things Whedon wrote and is why I used to be a fan of Whedon. I still am of that episode. That episode is why I loved Whedon. When he wrote stuff like that? He made me love him. Stuff like that makes you fall in love with a writer. Because it's really hard to do that well. It's like watching a trapeze act without a net...and thinking wow, how did they do that without falling?
5. Season 5
Fool for Love - James Marsters famously stated that it remind him of Repertory Theater. It's that. I loved this episode for its twists and turns, the unreliable narrator - you can tell Spike didn't tell Buffy everything and spun it, the flaws, the reveal that Spike - is not what he appears, that he had started out as a man who despised violence and loved poetry. And is ashamed of that human he once was, or is he? The Bravado quacks, and we see duality. It's like that Xander episode, The Replacement, but better written, where we see two Spike's. And there's so much going on here. So many things to play with. Every time I see it - I see something different.
6. Season 6
Once More With Feeling. So many tv shows have tried to do a musical episode and failed miserably, see Grey's Anatomy for the latest cringe-worthy attempt. This episode got my mother to watch the show - she loves musicals and is incredibly critical (where do you think I get it from?) but this episode blew here away. "They are making fun of themselves," she said. "And musicals. It's hilarious." And it was. It broke the fourth wall, then jumped back again. It was meta but not. It explained the entire season in a nutshell. Brilliant. And my favorite episode of the series and favorite musical episode of any show.
7. Season 7
Beneath You. It's the one episode that every time I watch, I keep rewinding. It's deconstruction of two characters, Spike and Anya. And their views of themselves and their lives. It also talks about gender relationships in ways that few episodes do. The Scorned woman who turns the abusive boy friend into a worm, and the abusive boyfriend who goes insane trying to make himself better, to redeem himself to kill the worm within. It encapsulates every romance novel I've read...showing both sides of the story. The woman seeking revenge, the man who raped and hurt, seeking redemption.
We see the horrific results. It's such a layered episode. So character specific. Spike jumps through each hoop, each role, until finally he's stripped bare to his essence, half naked, he is the romantic poet in the end, humble, desperate, and self-loathing. The last fifteen minutes are amongst the best Whedon wrote and directed. They are unforgettable. And they make you realize nothing is simple or clear-cut.
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no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 01:27 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 02:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 02:17 pm (UTC)But that said: Pangs totally had me, it felt like people I knew (and as I said, dodge ball still has the power to make me feel sick to my stomach! that just terrified me as a kid).
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 02:25 pm (UTC)And campy. More so than the rest of the series.
But that also makes sense from a Doylist perspective - in that it was the first TV series many of the cast, crew, and writers had ever done.
They were all incredibly green. Also, hello, 1990s, WB. ;-)
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 02:08 am (UTC)S1: Prophecy Girl.
S2: Great as Passion is, it's hard for me to watch because it's so horrifying. For sheer re-watch, I'd go with Becoming (1&2).
S5: Either FFL or The Gift. The Body is (JMHO) a better episode than either, but too painful to re-watch.
S7: I'm a sucker for Chosen. Though if you and I ever share a deserted island, I wouldn't complain if our only option was Beneath You.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 02:57 am (UTC)You liked Chosen, Prophecy Girl and the Gift more than I did - they felt messy to me, I see the flaws each time I re-watch. (Not helped by the stunt expert who pointed out all the times Gellar's stunt double popped up in The Gift...I never noticed until she pointed it out.)
But I agree Becoming 1&2 is in some respects more fun than Passion, but Passion just is cleaner.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 10:34 pm (UTC)Weirdly, Doppelgangland didn't make a big impression on me when I first saw it. I don't know why. I think it took a while for me to realize exactly how cleverly written the episode is. The fact that we get to see exactly why both Willows are miserable in this world, and how their only hope of surviving is by becoming (eventually embracing--literally--the other one). Virgin State of Mind is one of the best uses of music in the show.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-25 11:39 pm (UTC)Season 1 - Prophecy Girl - though I can enjoy season one for what it is now and like episodes like Witch, The Pack, Angel, Nightmares... this is the only episode that hit me emotionally and that's pretty much what I like from TV. The hero rejecting their destiny is pretty basic stuff but Buffy's beautiful speech about not wanting to die makes it feel much realer than the standard formula.
Season 2 - Innocence - Buffy's world view is shattered. And it hurts. And she kicks ass anyway. But nothing is ever the same again.
Season 3 - Anne - season three has some nice comic episodes but really again I like the sadness and this episode points wonderfully to some of Buffy's future storyline. My heart just aches for her throughout, and then we get the great reclaiming of her identity and returning home, not to fanfare or arguments (that comes next episode) but to a sweet silent hug with her mum.
Season 4 - Restless - I was tempted by 'Who Are You' but my favourite has to be this endlessly fascinating episode. The bits of foreshadowing are fun but really I mostly just enjoy this for the character insights, the humour and the beautiful meshing of filming styles and editing.
Season 5 - Fool For Love - probably the hardest season to pick from for me but this episode is just too good to be ignored. The construction of Spike's identity, Buffy learning more about Slayers and the supposed Slayer nature (from Spike's POV), lots of Buffy and Spike interaction and an ending that always makes me melt.
Season 6 - Once More With Feeling - Ok, so Dead Things is one of my all time favourite episodes of anything ever. But Once More With Feeling tops that. I didn't really like musicals before this, I was sceptical about the very idea. Then I watched it. And now it's my most-watched episode of Buffy ever easily. It's happy, it's sad, it's fun, the songs are catchy, it progresses the season arc, the character arcs, it stands up to plenty of analysis, it works if watched just by itself and it's great for getting friends who don't want to watch the show to watch an episode with you.
Season 7 - Conversations with Dead People - I just love character analysis so Buffy talking openly about her feelings for 40 minutes just works wonderfully for me. Add to that the genuinely creepy Dawn story, buckets of humour and the shock ending and I'm sold. In a way the only thing that bring this episode down on subsequent rewatches is that the rest of the season fails to live up to its promise.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 12:49 am (UTC)Agree - emotion is an important factor for me as well, and it does help identify which seasons are your favorite or work the best. I struggled the most with S1.
no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 01:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-26 03:15 pm (UTC)Storyteller, Touched, Chosen and LMPTM are controversial episodes.
There are people who hate those episodes, and people who love them.
For example: I can't watch Storyteller. I skip over it. One of my least favorite episodes. But over half the Buffy fans on my flist love it to pieces. (shrugs)
Also not a fan of Chosen...did not work for me. But most of the Buffy fans on my flist love it.
I don't think Beneath You is quite as controversial, everyone appears to love the last scene. If they don't I'm blissfully unaware of it. ;-)