Supernatural and the Vamp Diaries

[shadowkat]

Having computer issues today. Computer at work took forever to start this morning, this always happens whenever they do a software update. It slows everything down and we don't see any improvements. I've decided this is how IT people keep their jobs. Then at home? My DVR got funky. And didn't tape things. Luckily I decided to watch this week's Supernatural live or I'd have missed the episode where James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter play husband and wife and well ... 800 year old witches in a marital dispute over his cheating. Mr. Dan Stark and Mrs. Maggie Stark. Gotta give Supernatural credit for having a sense of humor when it comes to casting. They cast Amber Benson as a vampire. And James Marsters as a witch. Only a die-hard Buffy fan would get the joke. Since Edlund worked on Angel, he probably suggested it, he's currently writing for Supernatural. OTOH when the two actors start doing a chant...I could almost hear them commiserating off screen, "say what you will about Buffy and Angel, at least we never had to read latin. I have a whole new appreciation for what Ally and Amber had to deal with."

Speaking of Supernatural - maybe it's just me, but does the show suddenly seem off? Or out of character? Out of sync?
Like the characters just don't make sense all of a sudden?

Sam and Dean didn't appear to know what the thing was that was pursuing them and bleeding black blood - which Dan Stark saved them from. They also seemed completely clueless about Sam being in hell, Lucifer, or what happened. In fact the only big issue was Dean's guilt about killing Amy. Sam on the other hand was acting like well Sam from three seasons ago.
Very weird. Was quite jarring in this episode.

It's not a good thing when I'm more interested in the guest stars than the leads. I wanted more of the Maggie and Dan Stark show and less of Dean and Sam stumbling about like the two stooges. Rather liked the twist. We think it is Bewitched, but in reality they are both witches and been together a long time. Sort of the Dru and Spike of the witch world. Although no chemistry - does Charisma Carpenter have chemistry with anyone outside of Nicholas Brendan and Glenn Quinn? Also when did they both get so old? I know, I know they are in their 40s just like I am, but still. People are right - HDTV does not do you any favors. I'm starting to feel really sorry for actors. The non-digital age, when you couldn't see every pore and wrinkle in stark relief, was a lot kinder. That said, no one has a better fiendish grin than Marsters. What always throws me when I watch Marsters in tv shows is how incredibly short he is. Dean is not played by a tall man, but next to Marsters? He's actually pretty tall. I don't remember Marsters being that short on Buffy (possibly because he wore lifts and SMG is about 5 foot if that.) I also thought Charisma was taller? Apparently not, she appears to be the same height as he is, unless she's standing on a sloped floor or he's wearing lifts with her.

None of the Buffy alums have really aged well, outside of maybe Hannigan and Head (who more or less looks the same).
I'm noticing this only because in my head they look the same as they did when Buffy aired, I have to keep reminding myself that this was almost ten years ago. Jeeze, time flies, doesn't it?

The flaw in this episode is the leads didn't really have anything to do but bluster about. Nor does their dialogue make much sense - even the actors appear to be confused by it. They have an odd conversation in the car about what she is doing. And I wanted more of the guest stars. It felt more like a joke episode, and I don't know if joke episodes work that well in serials - they always feel a little jarring, unless done well - and focused on exploring something inside the character or central to them. Example - last year's episode about Dean and Sam entering our world, or the episode where they are in tv land. That fourth wall type of breakage actually did work on a certain level.

Also as an aside why is it in all of these shows, when the hero wants to investigate the suspect's house while they are in it, they ask to go to the bathroom, and instead wander freely around the house? Makes me happy that I have a small apartment, you sort of can tell if people don't actually go into the bathroom. Also, note to self, next time I want to investigate someone's house without them knowing? Ask to go to the bathroom and wander about their house instead. (Every single tv show I've seen does this tactic from the Good Wife to Fringe to Supernatural. Hmmm, is this what tv writers do in their spare time? When they visit their friends houses they ask where the bathroom is and wander about the house instead?)



Got EW, Ken Tucker really doesn't like Once Upon a Time - the premise confuses him. Weird. The premise actually is pretty straight-forward. Snow White and Prince Charming defeat Evil Queen. She's pissed and casts a spell that erases everyone's memories and transfers them into the real world, where they don't remember who they really are. Snow sends her child in a protective bubble ahead to this world, the daughter grows up, has a child, gives the child up for adoption, and eventually becomes a bails bondsman. The child she gave up hunts her down and tries to convince her that she is really the child of two fairy tale characters and has it within her power to break the curse keeping them in the real world and away from the land of fairy tales. How's that hard to follow? The criticisms don't make sense to me. EW needs to hire better critics. OTOH, tv critics are a dying breed - why bother reading them, when you can read your friend's blogs on the same topic for free?

Saw the Vamp Diaries also. Everyone else calls it TVD - but that's confusing. Particularly when it has a great comic short hand name like "Vamp Diaries". I don't do acronyms. I can't even spell the word. Also...it probably has something to do with living in a world where I'm overwhelmed by abbreviations and acronyms.



Show stop teasing me about killing off Elena. Now, show, we know you aren't going to kill off your main lead. Bad show.
Katherine on the other hand - I'm starting to worry about. Michael don't kill Katherine, I like Katherine. She has cool hair and a sense of humor. Although rather funny twist.

Katherine: You should really re-think about drinking human blood again to build up your strength, just a suggestion.
Michael: Oh, I don't need human blood to build up my strength. I don't feed off the living.
Katherine: If you don't feed off the living, then what do you feed off of ---oh, no, AHHHH! no, no...
Me: Hee. Katherine took on more than she could handle, literally. Next time, Katherine, do your research first. On the other hand - at least we know now how Michael can kill Klaus.

Interesting, evil Stefan still isn't getting the good lines. If I were the actor, I'd protest.

Can we have Alaric and Damon make up please?

Oh, Vickie and Matt managed to make all ghosts substantial or capable of wrecking havoc or crossing over? Is that why big bad werewolf uncle of Tyler is back to torture Damon? And I'm guessing everyone else who had a hand in killing him?
Does Tyler know that Caroline helped kill his uncle? I can't remember.

Does anyone else miss Elijah? I miss Elijah. I also miss Klaus. I find Rebecca a bit too...well I agree with Damon, Barbie Klause has joined us. Can Michael kill her first?

Outside of that not much happened. Slow episode in comparison to last week. Oh well, they all can't be that active.

Comments

[angearia.livejournal.com]

Show stop teasing me about killing off Elena. Now, show, we know you aren't going to kill off your main lead. Bad show.

For a second I was confused. The show teased it was gonna kill Elena? Then I remembered.

Someone tries to kill Elena. Must be Thursday. :P

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Yep, once a week. This week it was Vicki. Last week Stefan.
Next week...probably the werewolf ghost.

But we have hope..Alaric is teaching her how to fight. And we got our first "Buffy" reference, courtesy of Damon. (Did Damon watch Buffy? Or just knows about it? It's only fair, considering BTVS referenced both the Scream movies and Dawson's Creek via Spike that Vamp Diaries reference Buffy via Damon.)

I like the fact that Elena is getting tougher. Even if she appears to be the main target each week.

[liliaeth]

Uhm, I might not be an expert on sizes, but uhm, Jensen Ackles who plays Dean, is 6'2". he just usually doesn't look that big, because he tends to stand next to Jared, who's huge.

[http://users.livejournal.com/mad_brilliant_/]

James Marsters: 5'9" (This is true, he's a couple inches taller than me.)

Charisma: 5'7"

SMG: 5'3"

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Really? JM doesn't look that tall on these shows. Are Jared Paleki and the guy playing Dean - 5'11-6foot?

(Hee maybe now would be the time to mention my mom's 5'9-10, my brother 6'4-6'5, my dad used to be 6'3-6'4, and I'm between 5'11-6'ft. I remember in college I was walking with a friend who was 4 ft. And another friend who was 5'5 asked if that was what she looked like next to me. LOL!)

For some reason I thought CC was closer to 6ft. I don't know why. Maybe because she was so much taller than most of the women on either show - but average height for women is actually between 5'4-5'6. CC is actually pretty tall for the norm.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

I'm convinced that everyone on BtVS was cast so that SMG didn't look like a lilliputian.

I remember meeting Amber Bensen once. On the show she was the one who looked 'normal sized' and in reality she was tiny... which convinced me that BtVS was a world where everyone was 3/4 size. :P

(don't know about Ackles size, but I have heard that Paleki is a really big guy.)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

You might be right. Although Whedon is a very short man. Marsters is taller than Whedon. So this may actually may be a Whedon thing.
Whedon pushed for tiny women to be cast and initially nixed Amber because she wasn't small enough, Marti talked him into hiring her or so he says in one of his commentaries. I remember it because it grated and made me think he was a bit of an ass. Although it is admittedly odd considering he cast a bigger, heavier set woman as the original Willow. Maybe that's why? The bigger, heavier set woman didn't work in the original pilot?

But, we did have Marc Blucas and David Boreanze on Buffy who were both 6 foot. It was just the women who were cast as tiny. Nick Brendan I think is 5'11 or 6 foot as well.

Whedon has this thing about women being tiny. Outside of maybe one or two exceptions - all his women are cast or drawn as tiny. It began to grate on my nerves in the comics and Dollhouse.

[shipperx.livejournal.com]

Don't get me on Whedon's big-eyed victim-waif who is improbably strong fetish ( because that's what I think it is).

Hadn't heard that Amber Bensen story. Makes me angry on her behalf. She cannot possibly be more than a size two.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Amber oddly had issues with the fanboards as well who said she had to lose weight at the time. The camera adds five-ten pounds, it's how light bends around an object. And why Marsters looked amazing when he was ill and lost all that weight.

Whedon like a lot of Hollywood writers and producers put their actors on diets so they were stick thin for the camera. It was all about how they looked on screen.

I think the comment he made was he felt Tara was too womanly, too many curves, and he was seeing someone more "waifish" in the role and Marti convinced him that curves worked better,
since Willow was already waifish. It was an odd comment that made me wonder about this incredibly short, balding, bearded fat guy writer. ;-)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Oops, should have read this comment first. Ackels is 6'2? I thought I read somewhere that he was a small man? Sigh, apparently the internet can be a source of misinformation on actor sizes too.

How tall is Jared? Because he towers over Jensen.

[liliaeth]

Jared claims to be 6'4", but most people say he's taller. (has something to do with his size being a problem when he goes for auditions)

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

He seems really tall. And it is an issue. Clint Eastwood, James Arness (Marshall Dillion from Gunsmoke) had similar problems. As did Signourney Weaver (Alien). The reason is simple - the sets are built small - due in part to cameras having to be arranged in them and to capture everything. They are tiny. A professional actress friend of mine - who is about 5'3 or 5'4 told me that it is cheaper to have smaller sets and most actors are smaller. When you get a tall or big actor - they look even bigger on camera, etc - do to the set.

Feel for him. Being tall myself and from a tall family - it can be problematic in certain places. Particularly when things are built for people who are a lot smaller than you are.

David Boreanze is about 6 foot or 6'1. Marc Blucas was close to 6'4 (former Basketball star) - which was part of the chemistry problem with Gellar - next to Gellar he look huge and she looked too tiny.
And Adam Baldwin is close to 7ft I think, he's very tall, and has struggled most of life for roles because of it.

[petzipellepingo.livejournal.com]

Can we have Alaric and Damon make up please?


I second that.

Does anyone else miss Elijah? I miss Elijah. I also miss Klaus. I find Rebecca a bit too...well I agree with Damon, Barbie Klause has joined us. Can Michael kill her first?


I second that again - and I'd say that Caroline agrees with me. Rebekah is just annoying and a troublemaker.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Rebekah is just annoying and a troublemaker.

Yep. I'd have preferred Rebekah left and Klaus stayed behind. Or we could have Rosemarie back.

I can't decide if it's just the actress or how they are writing her? Usually their supporting cast is amazing...this is the weakest link I've seen.
It would plot-wise if Michael killed her - because it would demonstrate that Michael is capable of killing an original vampire, specifically Klaus. Also gives Klaus a certain level of angst.

[buffyannotater.livejournal.com]

Ken Tucker is also the man who wrote a book in which he describes at length why he hates Miss Piggy. I honestly never understood how he became a senior EW critic. He isn't a good writer and his reviews are extremely superficial. He doesn't seem to have a critical mind, which you'd think would be important for the job.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Ken Tucker is also the man who wrote a book in which he describes at length why he hates Miss Piggy.

Really? Geeze. How can anyone hate Miss Piggy? She's such a great satirical character and foil for Kermit.

I'm less than impressed with Tucker lately. You're correct he doesn't write that well and his reviews are fairly superficial. It's highly annoying to me when I read a professional review in a magazine like EW and know I could have written it better. Sort of missing Stephen King's reviews...granted I rarely agreed with him, different tastes, but at least the man can write well.

Trying to remember who the critic was that liked Once at EW - because they did have another review in that mag, it was a small blurb, several weeks back or am I confusing it with TV Guide? Possible.

[buffyannotater.livejournal.com]

I know Michael Ausiello, who used to write for EW but now runs http://www.tvline.com loves it.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Oh I miss Michael Ausiello. He wrote good reviews. But no, I think it was one of their female reviewers and it got a B+ or something along those lines.

Tucker liked Grimm and saw it as innovative vs. Once Upon a Time, which he didn't appear to understand or appreciate. While other reviewers have said the exact opposite. Grimm feels more standard tv trope - although...I will state, that the idea of murders based on fairy tales or that fairy tales are real but in a dark vampire and werewolves are real sort of way...is somewhat interesting and a new twist on the crime procedural formula.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

Marsters is close 50 now, isn't he?

Charisma's years of gorgeous tans have caught up with her. She looks older than Marsters now.

This is the first episode of Supernatural I've watched from start to finish in ages, so I can't say much about what was going on. I did like the parts JM and CC played.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Marsters is close 50 now, isn't he?

49, I believe. Just turned it. He's about 5 years older than me, that's how I remember. Otherwise I'd have no idea.

It's probably that 25 year old wife he has that's keeping him young.
Although he did state that he can't do these stunts on shows like Hawaii 5-0 any longer, they are starting to kill him. (I'd think so. That man has a world of pain in his future. TV ages you.)

In my head, I keep seeing him as 32. And he does age fairly well.

Charisma's years of gorgeous tans have caught up with her. She looks older than Marsters now.

That was my reaction. Either that or she's a smoker. The lines around her lips and eyes were pronounced along with her neck. The thing is? Years ago, back when Buffy first aired? We wouldn't have noticed or seen those lines. HDTV and digital is not a forgiving medium. I remember the news anchors fretting over it. They were right.

This is the first episode of Supernatural I've watched from start to finish in ages, so I can't say much about what was going on. I did like the parts JM and CC played.

I give Supernatural a lot of credit for writing a stand-a-lone episode that basically made it possible for people to just watch for Marsters and Charisma. You didn't really need to know what was going on - past the fact that Dean and Sam were tracking them down to solve the murders in town.

Also the roles they gave them were entertaining. I wanted more at the end...I could watch 30 minutes of CC and JM as a bickering witch couple. LOL!

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

A couple of weeks ago Entertainment Weekly had an issue about the upcoming movie Avengers and I really wanted to read it, but I found that no one in town carries EW, so I actually drove to Iowa City (a much bigger college town) and no one had it there either!

Not that you care, I just had to vent my frustration that I've been carrying around for two weeks. :(

I switched over to Supernatural for a bit last night, and I have to say that I still don't think that Charisma Carpenter is a very good actress, which I think is why she can't seem to show much chemistry with anyone....
she can do bitchy anger (which is what Cordy had going w/Xander... no actual romance/chemistry... of course that is just my opinion). Normally (or at least in the old days) James Marsters could get chemistry going with anyone of either sex... but I think she is too self absorbed (am I too harsh?? LOL).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Do you still want the Avenger's article? I still have that issue, I can send it to you - it's really no problem. Was going to just throw it out, like I do with all mags.

Although it'll probably disappoint you - since not much there. Basically just promoting the film.

On CC? I don't know...she wasn't given that much to do. And this is all very subjective. To be honest or blunt? I never thought Gellar was that great an actress - either "big emotions" or "bitch, subtlety is completely lost on her. Ringer would probably have been better if they cast the gal from Veronica Mars in the lead role. And don't get me started on Eliza Dusku (grating mannerisms or bewildered robot regardless of the role she's playing - she ruined Dollhouse ). NAh, the only actresses on Whedon's shows that impressed me with their range were Amy Acker, Julie Benze, and...possibly Summer Glau (although to date she's mainly played the same role over and over again, need to see her do something different to offer a real opinion). Amber Bensen is amazingly talented in other areas and willing to try new things, so that's another one. Juliette Landau played a very difficult role quite well. But I haven't seen her do anything else - she does mostly theater, which explains why she and JM hit it off so well.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Oh I would be tremendously grateful if you would send me the Avengers article from EW, I don't know why it is so important to me... but I really wanted it. I'll try to think of something great with which to thank you!

Actually I'm still so grateful for that beautiful winter hat you knit! I wore it a lot last year and I expect to be wearing it even more this year since I'm not going to run away from all of the Winter this year (I may still run away from part of it).

I guess my complaint w/Charisma was that the more they tried to develop her character on Angel the more incomprehensible her performance became... While personally I found it very easy to identify with SMG and Allison Hannigan (when they cried I was moved, when they joked I laughed.... I found their performances to be very accessible, if not terribly subtle or layered).

Amy Acker always seemed totally lame (to me) as Fred, but as soon as she turned into Illyria I was blown away.... I wished they had turned her several years before! I realized after the fact that it wasn't the actress who had been lacking, I had just found Fred to be a very dull character.

Amber Benson really is talented, but wasn't really given enough to do on BtVS, I've seen her in a few different roles and she really can do anything.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Will do. Just have to find an envelope and get myself to the post-office. No need to send me anything, really. You send me cards all the time. ;-)

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Thank you! And of course there is no hurry....
I send out greeting cards because it is a project I enjoy doing, I don't expect anyone else to enjoy them as much as I do.

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Hee. I'm just too picky about cards. I think it's because I applied to be a write and designer for Hallmark Cards when I was 21...I have this insane thing about it being just right. Or don't send the card at all. Also getting stamps in this city is a headache. LOL!

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

I always look for off beat cards which I make sillier w/my stamps and stickers... Hallmark never seemed weird enough for me. I'll pick cards up at bookstores (some comic book stores have awesome greeting cards!) a year ahead of when I'll use them, because I know that down the road they'll be just what I wanted.... In fact I finally decided to start designing my own (you'll get one when I send out my Christmas cards): clearly nothing 'just right', just my brand of extremely odd. You'll be the judge when you see one in December!

The one advantage of small rural towns is that there is no line at the post office (which is centrally located) or at the DMV(!).

[shadowkat67.livejournal.com]

Also when you drive places, no traffic. I don't drive - and post offices are not near by. So I procrastinate. Me and the post office have an ongoing war...it's winning. Although - at least my mail is showing up regularly now. So small victory there.

I've decided if I live anywhere - it's either going to be a huge city like NYC or a small rural town. I can't handle subrogatory. If I have to drive? I don't want traffic.

[embers-log.livejournal.com]

Oh I agree 100%, the suburbs are the worst! You are miles from anything, so you have to drive... and when you get where you are going (usually shopping at one those huge suburban malls) the parking is terrible.

I do like the small town thing of no traffic, and plenty of parking... but I prefer living in a big city where the public transportation makes driving unnecessary (unfortunately LA and San Francisco have not achieved that end).