The Buffy Thread

I was just mentioning this to catie, but you guys should know as well:

1) A brief article on Buffy ran in the Cue section of today's journal/sentinel. Nothing too great, but it did point out that tomorrow night at 7 and 11 pm, A&E will have a Joss Whedon/Buffy "TV-ography". I'll tape it, in case you guys can't get to it. It also gives Milwaukee times for the last 2 episodes, which is nice to have as a reminder.

2) Again in the journal/sentinel (this time in the metro entertainment section), there was a brief snippet of info stating that it looks as if Angel has been picked up for another season. Can anyone confirm this? If so, then yay!

That is all for now.

Jason

thanks jason

I can confirm that Angel has been picked up for another season. Speaking of which...

SPOILER ALERT!!















James Marsters (Spike) is to join the cast as a series regular.


Has everyone seen last week's episode yet? Can I talk about it without spoiling anybody?

I'm watching an episode of Buffy...


I can't possibly spoil things for anyone because I don't even know who is who...


...all that I know is that I want that axe..


M

I don't know if you guys know about this, but the other day in the local Waldenbooks I noticed something abhorrent on the magazine stand while looking for new religious material. Apparently FHM is releasing an issue featuring "The Babes of Buffy" or some such thing. Please, if you value human decency, boycott this nonsense. The publishers of these so-called "men's" magazines need to be taught a lesson: that pornography makes people do things. I think you know what I'm talking about.

That is all. Go Buffy!

Actually, I picked up that particular issue. Let me assure you it's very tastefully done. For the record, it is not pornography--it is quite the opposite. What you're seeing is a group of young women who are confident enough in their sexuality and with their bodies showing what God gave them. In my book, there's nothing wrong with that, "Rupes".


Good episode, although it seems like Whedon is leaving too many loose threads and storylines. And once again, Xander gets beat up on emotionally & physically. So nice to see some things don't change...

Yeah...but it's a really cool axe.


M

If you get that axe, Marcy. I'll go half-sies on it and we can share custody. Then I'll have you declared an unfit guardian and take sole posession.

Okay, first things first. The season finale of Angel. Did not see that coming. Not at all. And I'm not sure how I feel about what happened. I'm gonna miss the Hyperion. I loved the art deco going on there. Much better than the old cop shop from the first season and a half. But I will say that Connor, getting to have the life he should have had, was very touching. I never saw that coming. It was nice to see him being happy and content instead of all angry and broody. I'm very glad it's been picked up next year. I'm anxious to see what they do with the resources of W&H.

Last week's Buffy -- it pains me to say this - probably the worst episode of the series. What was up with that? I had to leave the room during the sex scenes, so I admit I didn't see the whole thing at one time. But I really don't think I missed any of the quality of the show. It was terrible on almost every level. Except for the last five minutes. Blech.

Last night's Buffy -- first of all, I have to say enough with the hand-held camera work already! I think it's the same person who directed last week's episode. Which, as we see above, sucked. The story line was better in this one. Good joshing between Willow and Giles. "See. Size does matter." And bonus for Dawn tazering Xander. Yikes! I missed some parts getting ready for work which I will be watching as soon as I'm done here. And Caleb is becoming a very nifty Big Bad. Too bad he came along to late in the season.
Anxiously awaiting next week's finale, although seeing the teaser, I'm not sure what to make of it. Some of you may know what I'm talking about. I'll just leave it at that.

Catie and/or Cally, how was the convention? Or did I miss your review?

Just a random thought and a retraction (in part) possibly of how I said that Buffy has to end.

This weapon, it speaks to the Slayer, only there are two Slayers instead of one. And, it was hinted at in an episode a while back that the reason the First has power is due to the inbalance caused by Buffy being alive due to being returned by magical means. What if the weapon, to be truly effective, has to be swung by both Buffy and Faith at the same time (i.e. that somehow the Slayer power is "halved" between them and the weapon is more effective with the force of the whole Slayer power). Maybe, instead of Buffy dying, she and Faith merge power and Buffy "moves on" in some other way than death (not that I've thought through how this may happen entirely).

Catie, I have to agree that the whole "sex" episode was awful, esp. Faith and Robin. Edit: It was interesting to see how far Joss pushed the envelope with Willow and Kennedy, however. I don't think anyone has ever gone that far on network TV before. That kind of groundbreaking, however, was probably the best thing about the episode (what sucked was that it wasn't with Tara).

As for Angel, I also agree that I didn't see the whole Wolfram and Hart thing coming. Absolutely incredible...can't wait to see where they take all of this next season.

THANK YOU, JOSS WHEDON AND CAST!!

I have spent the last hour crying, not just tears of sadness but also of gratitude. Of all of the shows I've watched faithfully over the years, this was the first to give me a series finale that I thought was worthy of the show. It was more than worthy. It goes down as the best series finale ever. I don't walk away from this show going "what???", but saying WHOA, THAT WAS INCREDIBLE!!

For anyone that taped the show, have a box of kleenex near by. You will need it!

PS. I'm grateful all my theories on how this show would end were wrong.

My thought process has just shut down completely. I am in awe and shock. The whole episode kept me laughing or crying, and everything was a surprise till the credits rolled. THANK YOU JOSS!

What will I do with my Tuesday nights from now on?

Season 4 DVD release is June 10th, Liz. It's going to have to do.




Spoilers below?






Let me just say that I stand corrected on my lame theories. I know that just about everyone who reads this thread has seen the episode, or will see it before this, so I will just say this:

That is the best ending Joss Whedon could have given his heroine. Women's lib groups will love the bestowing of the slayer's power to all those wouuld-be slayer girls, but it wasn't what was given them--it was what was taken away from Buffy. In that last precious scene, Buffy had her burden taken away, the veil lifted, and she was finally allowed to achieve the "regular girl" status she had yearned, strived, and cried for over the last seven years. Finally the girl caught a break.

Bravo Mr. Whedon, you evil genius, bravo.

Jason



PS: Was everyone else in hysterics over Giles' "Watcher vs. Wounded Dwarf" comparison? What a classic scene.

That scene was good. I also liked the comic touch Joss put in when the Scoobie Gang looked back at the crater that was Sunnydale and the city limits sign falls over into the crater. The other cool thing was the fact that Giles got to use the phrase "The Earth is doomed" before everyone battled the big evil - it brought him full circle back to the beginning of the show. Oh, heck, there are too many cool things to comment on. I taped it, knowing I was going to be crying so hard...I can't wait to re-watch it.

OMG. That episode was FANTASTIC. I haven't watched Buffy all year, but I knew enough to realize that episode was brilliant. Congrats on a great run, Joss!

Speaking as a Buffy fan for more than four years (that's right. I didn't jump on the wagon til the third season), I can honestly say I couldn't have been happier with the ending that Joss Whedon provided. Some people (less maniacal fans, i.e. casual watchers, occasional watchers) were looking for closure in the series finale. The more obsessive fans (of which I am included) didn't want closure. We wanted resolution. And that's exactly what we got.

We didn't see Buffy killed. We didn't see Buffy stripped of her Slayerness. We saw Buffy get what she's been pining for ever since she learned she was the Slayer. She has the opportunity to lead whatever kind of life she wants. Will she completely forgo her Slayer duties? Absolutely not. It's like asking someone who has children to stop being a parent. Once you're in, you're in for life. Buffy still has her duty, but she is no longer alone in the fight. The burden is no longer hers to bear alone. There will be more vampires, more demons, more Big Bads... Now there are others available to take care of business. The burden is lightened, not removed. Buffy still needs to be a Slayer. It's too much a part of her for her to let go. As for the others, I love the thought that the Scoobies will still be the Scoobies. They'll still be out there, thwarting evil schemes. As many different characters have said in many episodes, "It's what we do."

Was this a perfect episode? No. Only three episodes have been, in my opinion, perfect. "Hush", "The Body", and "Once More, With Feeling" are the only ones that hold that accolade. This ep did suffer from some odd pacing, bad CGI (in very few scenes), and brevity of important plot points. However, the many MANY strengths of this episode more than made up for those few shortcomings. Some of those strenghts included fabulous acting, wonderful images (the Slayer awakening montage comes to mind), and some of the best writing this series has ever seen.

I thought I would be sad at the end of this episode. While that was true (sad that there will be no new episodes), I was also extremely proud. Proud for the show, the actors, the writers, and the fans who stuck with a series which began as a mid-season replacement on a then-infant WB network.

I have said many a time that Buffy the Vampire Slayer is the best television series ever produced. Standing back, looking at the entire seven season run, I have to say I feel that statement is absolutely true. The respect and integrity the series exuded not only for it's audience, but for it's cast and crew, is unparalleled. I will not mourn the loss of my favorite show of all time. I will rejoice and celebrate the show with repeated viewings and discussions.

While Sunnydale may be nothing more than a crater in the Southern California landscape, it's stories and history will be forever branded in my heart.

Catie, that was beautiful. You couldn't have expressed it better.

Catie, let it be known that I was all over that signature if Joss had killed off Buffy. I mean ALL over it.

I would agree with your "perfect episode" asessment, though I personally would consider adding "The Gift" (great cliffhanger and closure to a decent season and "Big Bad") and maybe "Dopplegangland" (sheer entertainment value). Season 7 was terrific with the exception of maybe 3 episodes. Sharp, smart writing, very good acting, and incredibly funny moments abound in this last of the Buffy seasons.

The finale was perfect in it's focus and goal, although I would have loved it if it were an hour longer to help flesh out some additional inter-personal relationships and dialogue. I was not really disappointed, and I feel confident that there will be LIBERAL visits of these characters to Angel. Plus, who knows? A year or two from now Angel's ratings could be through the roof, and then a network might be more receptive to a spin-off idea. You just don't know. For the time being, there are so many great episodes to re-watch.

As they say, all's well that ends well.

Jason

Wow, I've been a longer Buffy fan than our biggest Buffy fan (I've been in it from the get go - minus a couple of episodes here and there).

Now that Buffy is over, I can't wait to see what Joss does with Angel and any potential spinoffs.

Hey...I'm back!!! My computer has been out of commision ever since I moved to my new apartment. I missed you guys terribly.

I did see the last Buffy and I thought it kicked butt. I pondered if the reason that they let Buffy live was to leave open a possibility of SMG doing a movie later on. Let me know what your thoughts are on this.

I got notification today that my set of season 4 disks has been mailed. Best Buy let them go early apparently so I should have mine by Monday.

M

I finally get the chance to reply to you, Laura!

I know that SMG specifically asked that Buffy not be killed off. I'm guessing it has to do with the idea of her coming back to a series if her movie career tanks. But I want to think they didn't kill her because it would be way too traumatic for us fans. In the little essay I posted above, Buffy did not need to die for the series to end. She just needed to get what she's wanted for the eight years she's been The Slayer. Freedom. And she got it. I couldn't be happier.

As for the specifics of the show, I thought it was awesome. Sure, there were some parts I didn't like (some of the CGI wasn't up to par), the biggest thing was the show was only one hour long. I mean, Dawson's Creek got a two hour finale, for Pete's sake! But all in all, it was extremely funny (the D&D scene and the Faith/Wood scene come to mind), very touching (Spike scarificing himself), and very emotional (the last shot was just priceless). It's all I could have asked for in the Buffy series finale. Except for that being only an hour long, part. All in all, I thought it was one of the best finales I've ever seen. Only fitting for the best television series ever produced.

What did you think?

Hey Catie-

I miss Buffy so much. Thank the Maker that I get my dose of Buffy at 4 pm and 12:30 am on Saturdays. I don't know what to do with my Tuesdays. Smallville seems to be getting interesting but it cannot fill the void on Tuesday nights. *sigh*

How was the Buffy convention thing you went to? I wish my computer had been up at that time. C'est la vie.

I thought the finale needed to be a little longer. How is Callie with the whole Spike sacrafice scene? I wish they didn't kill him off because he kicked butt. I thought the demon fighting scene was so cool. I was thinking how it would be cool to have that ax. I wondered if they had it for auction on ebay since they were had listed items of Sunnydale were for auction. Oh...I almost forgot to mention how Faith still got on my nerves. I was secretly wishing that she would have got killed off.

This is kind of random, but you may have noticed in the new "SW Insider" that the question is asked of Rick McCallum:

"Is James Marsters in the running to play a young Grand Moff Tarkin?"

To which he replies: "Who?" And: "That's ludicrous"

What a putz. I can't believe he doesn't know Spike. Wouldn't that scenario just be soooo cool?

[image=http://www.wisconsinfanforce.org/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smartass/spoilers.jpg]