![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
A Girl for All Seasons
Aug. 27th, 2004 02:06 pmSince ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
cholten99 is out of the flat for a few days, I've been taking the opportunity to watch Buffy S7. I do this predominantly because he makes no secret of his dislike for S7. Fine, he admits it's better than anything that's on TV at the moment, but the fact remains that, compared to other seasons, he thinks it sucks. Of course, that may well be because he's of the firmly-held opinion that the whole thing should've ended at S5.
Now, don't get me wrong -- he's entitled to his opinion. He is also entitled to express his opinion. The reason I'm trying to cram 22 episodes of Buffy into a few short nights is because I actually want to watch the damn season. And when I say 'watch', I mean actually watch, as in 'pay attention to'. Not as in 'miss important and/or funny bits of dialogue because somebody had to tell me his opinion of this episode and then follow it up with a ten-minute story that I've already bloody well heard'. It's much like not wanting to watch Firefly until he's well and gone so I don't have to miss most of it because he's either laughing at funny lines that haven't actually been said yet but are coming up in a few seconds, quoting dialogue verbatim while I'm trying to hear how the people who got paid to deliver the lines did it or explaining why this bit (that I can't watch because he's talking) will be important five episodes from now. (The only reason Buffy came first in this case is because Buffy's on loan.)
Anyway, I don't agree with his opinion, and don't want to have an argument about it.
Actually, eight episodes in and I think it's absolutely fantastic. While "Conversations with Dead People" has got to be my favourite S7 episode to date and probably comes into my top 10 Buffy eps ever, "Selfless" was pretty damn brilliant as well, and "Help" even choked me up a little bit*. I've already seen a few episodes from later in the season (there was a Buffython on the telly while I was in Montreal over Christmas), and I actually really liked those too, so I'm thinking it'll only improve as I keep watching the episodes in a linear way. The acting maintains its stellar quality, the dialogue is what you'd expect of Whedon et al, and overall use of lighting, sound and mood in general is just plain brilliant. So yeah; loving S7 ... except for one thing.
I really, really hate Buffy.
Yeah, hating the title character has got to be a pretty big black mark. I think my favourite part of "Conversations with Dead People"** was where that Holden vamp psychoanalysed Buffy and made her look as messed up as she really is. Alternating between superiority complex martyr hero type and whiny little girl is not the most attractive thing in the world, and I think what the Slayer (well, that Slayer) really needs is a good swift kick in the arse. All the love in the world for Willow, one of the only smart ones in that particular group of freaks. Anya's character development is superb. Xander manages to stay Xander while still growing up, and it's done extremely well, given the circumstances. Crazy!Spike just proves James Marsters is a far better actor than the one they had playing first vampire-with-a-soul. The chick who played Cassie is fantastic, particularly during the evil, and The First is turning out to be one first-class villain.*** Even Dawn's little CWDP encounter was pretty fab; she's not quite so whiny and kiddie anymore. But Buffy? I think I'd almost prefer Faith at this point, and I absolutely hated her in S3. (Then again, she redeemed herself a lot in Angel S4.)
So the moral: make your own judgements. Kat really liked S7, whilecholten99 seems to loathe it. My reaction is far closer to Kat's -- but then, when it comes to Whedon stuff, it does seem to be. She and I spend a fair bit of RPG digression time debunking the theory that Connor's just plain evil and poking gentle fun at David Boreanaz, in addition to the "can somebody please remove the stick from Buffy's arse?" back-forth. It's good to have a social circle.
* -- Except I've gotta say this: seer that no one listens to with a name that's a classic diminutive of Cassandra. Can you bludgeon us just a little harder there?
** -- Except maybe when 'Cassie' vanishes; that was just *brr*.
*** -- I'll agree with my housemate on one point; Adam has got to be the lamest villain ever. My list so far goes The First, the Mayor, Willow and Angelus in a tie, Glory, The Master, then Adam lagging waaaaay behind.
cholten99 is out of the flat for a few days, I've been taking the opportunity to watch Buffy S7. I do this predominantly because he makes no secret of his dislike for S7. Fine, he admits it's better than anything that's on TV at the moment, but the fact remains that, compared to other seasons, he thinks it sucks. Of course, that may well be because he's of the firmly-held opinion that the whole thing should've ended at S5.Now, don't get me wrong -- he's entitled to his opinion. He is also entitled to express his opinion. The reason I'm trying to cram 22 episodes of Buffy into a few short nights is because I actually want to watch the damn season. And when I say 'watch', I mean actually watch, as in 'pay attention to'. Not as in 'miss important and/or funny bits of dialogue because somebody had to tell me his opinion of this episode and then follow it up with a ten-minute story that I've already bloody well heard'. It's much like not wanting to watch Firefly until he's well and gone so I don't have to miss most of it because he's either laughing at funny lines that haven't actually been said yet but are coming up in a few seconds, quoting dialogue verbatim while I'm trying to hear how the people who got paid to deliver the lines did it or explaining why this bit (that I can't watch because he's talking) will be important five episodes from now. (The only reason Buffy came first in this case is because Buffy's on loan.)
Anyway, I don't agree with his opinion, and don't want to have an argument about it.
Actually, eight episodes in and I think it's absolutely fantastic. While "Conversations with Dead People" has got to be my favourite S7 episode to date and probably comes into my top 10 Buffy eps ever, "Selfless" was pretty damn brilliant as well, and "Help" even choked me up a little bit*. I've already seen a few episodes from later in the season (there was a Buffython on the telly while I was in Montreal over Christmas), and I actually really liked those too, so I'm thinking it'll only improve as I keep watching the episodes in a linear way. The acting maintains its stellar quality, the dialogue is what you'd expect of Whedon et al, and overall use of lighting, sound and mood in general is just plain brilliant. So yeah; loving S7 ... except for one thing.
I really, really hate Buffy.
Yeah, hating the title character has got to be a pretty big black mark. I think my favourite part of "Conversations with Dead People"** was where that Holden vamp psychoanalysed Buffy and made her look as messed up as she really is. Alternating between superiority complex martyr hero type and whiny little girl is not the most attractive thing in the world, and I think what the Slayer (well, that Slayer) really needs is a good swift kick in the arse. All the love in the world for Willow, one of the only smart ones in that particular group of freaks. Anya's character development is superb. Xander manages to stay Xander while still growing up, and it's done extremely well, given the circumstances. Crazy!Spike just proves James Marsters is a far better actor than the one they had playing first vampire-with-a-soul. The chick who played Cassie is fantastic, particularly during the evil, and The First is turning out to be one first-class villain.*** Even Dawn's little CWDP encounter was pretty fab; she's not quite so whiny and kiddie anymore. But Buffy? I think I'd almost prefer Faith at this point, and I absolutely hated her in S3. (Then again, she redeemed herself a lot in Angel S4.)
So the moral: make your own judgements. Kat really liked S7, while
cholten99 seems to loathe it. My reaction is far closer to Kat's -- but then, when it comes to Whedon stuff, it does seem to be. She and I spend a fair bit of RPG digression time debunking the theory that Connor's just plain evil and poking gentle fun at David Boreanaz, in addition to the "can somebody please remove the stick from Buffy's arse?" back-forth. It's good to have a social circle.* -- Except I've gotta say this: seer that no one listens to with a name that's a classic diminutive of Cassandra. Can you bludgeon us just a little harder there?
** -- Except maybe when 'Cassie' vanishes; that was just *brr*.
*** -- I'll agree with my housemate on one point; Adam has got to be the lamest villain ever. My list so far goes The First, the Mayor, Willow and Angelus in a tie, Glory, The Master, then Adam lagging waaaaay behind.