Out of curiousity... by SpacePirateQueen

BUFFYVERSE

Out of curiousity...

POSTED BY: SPACEPIRATEQUEEN
UPDATED: Sunday, April 23, 2006 13:32
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VIEWED: 4077
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Friday, April 21, 2006 7:15 PM

I am rather obsessed with Firefly. I've never seen Buffy.

Since this is where all the Buffyites are...which do you prefer, Firefly or Buffy? Why? Why is Buffy good? Why is it that most people seem to tell me it's nothing but a weird cute blond flailing and stabbing vampires?

__________________
Wife soup!

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Friday, April 21, 2006 7:33 PM

SAMEERTIA

Because most people who criticize Buffy have never actually WATCHED Buffy. Or they see one episode, or 20 minutes of one episode. The fact is that most of the people who I say "What do you think of Buffy" who say "It sucked." usually answer the question of "What episodes have you seen?" with "I dunno, I caught about half an hour on UPN one afternoon and it sucked."

Yup. Can really make a well-informed opinion in half an hour. Sure-yes-indeedy!

Which do I prefer? Firefly! Hands down. Am in LOVE with Serenity and all our Big Damn Heroes!

However, with Buffy, I was actually satisfied. When the end came, I was ready. There was closure, there was completion. "Buffy" works on a completly different plane than "Firefly"- what remained consistent between the two was excellent writing- the one-liners are priceless, and the character development is very true feeling.

At first I was put off by the whole 'demon' running around thing- I think we'd all notice if we had demons running around, right? But it grew on me.

Yes, the love story between Tara and Willow was beautifully done! I was so pleasantly surprised by that!

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Saturday, April 22, 2006 8:31 AM

EVILDINOSAUR

The most common reasons I've seen for people not liking the show are either 1)They didn't give it a chance, or 2)They can't get over the whole supernatural aspect.

I love it, it's got all the Joss wit that makes his shows so great, the great cast of characters, and of course terrific stories.

It's really hard to compare it to Firefly, they're just such different shows, which are both great, plus Firefly had so few episodes, it's hard to compare it to seven seasons of Buffy.

"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 5:52 AM

EMBERS

Quote:
Originally posted by SpacePirateQueen:
I am rather obsessed with Firefly. I've never seen Buffy.

Since this is where all the Buffyites are...which do you prefer, Firefly or Buffy? Why? Why is Buffy good? Why is it that most people seem to tell me it's nothing but a weird cute blond flailing and stabbing vampires?

Firefly is far better, but less fully developed...

Buffy was an incredible success as Joss statement on 'the Hero's Journey' (by Joseph Campbell) and as a venue for Joss' genius (there is a silent episode in S4 where the metaphor is about how people can't communicate...and a musical episode in S6 where the metaphor is that one exposes their darkest secrets when they open up and 'sing')

the people who say it is just stabbing vampires only saw the movie (Joss' script was butchered, the underlying metaphors and subtleties were destroyed...it is NOT his vision)
instead of the TV show where Joss was totally in charge and even the worst episodes are full of all kinds of goodness....

so IMO? Firefly great, Buffy still better than anything else you'll ever see on TV

**********************************************
watch the R. Tam Session vids: http://www.hittarivertam.nu/
and buy the 'Serenity' comics published by Dark Horse
have you checked out this thread?:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=15816

and listen to 'I'm Going To See Serenity':
http://music.podshow.com/music/listeners/artistdetails.php?BandHash=a0
c814e1229742ce77ed4497cbf4631c

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 5:59 AM

REGINAROADIE

Yeah, you should check it out, if only just to say that you've actually seen a more recent 'cultural landmark'.

I dug the show. I have plenty of threads on the Buffyverse section devoted to what I thought about specific episodes and the overall series, so I don't feel like repeating myself. But I will say that it's one of the best and richest fantasy series ever done.

That's the furthest extent of my enthusiasm for the series. I know on one of the featurettes on the season 7 DVD, someone described the show as heir to THE TWILIGHT ZONE and how it's supposed to be a show that "perfectly captures the human condition" or something like that. I personally wouldn't go that far (and that title goes to SIX FEET UNDER, IMHO), but it is a very well done series. And 24 could have existed without BUFFY, let's just get that out in the open. BUFFY might have paved the way for ALIAS, definitly. But not 24. 24 is in a class of its own.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"There's only one "Return" ok, and it ain't "of the King", it's "of the Jedi."

"Maybe we should start calling your friend 'Padme' because he loves 'Mannequin Skywalker' so much, Right? (imitating robot) Danger...danger...my name is Anakin...my shitty acting is ruining saga."

Excerpt of internet teaser for CLERKS 2.

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 7:01 AM

NEEDY

The road to Hel is paved with good intentions

Well it was my love for Buffy, that made me watch Angel. It was love for both these shows that made me watch Firefly - a show that didn't really appeal.

Does this say enough for you? I probably would never have watched Firefly if i hadn't been for the action, horror, comedy and drama of Buffy.

But then again, it's a very different show to Firefly in that I feel Firefly appeals more to the general audience because it is not so unashamedly fantasy.

My dad can't stand Buffy or Angel. He loves Firefly to bits and came to the cinema with me to see it.

Whenever he walks in and sees Buffy, he reacts with "haven't you grown out of this yet?". He just doesn't get it.
He has whole episodes before so it's not that he hasn't given it a chance.
I think Firefly is generally more accessible.
So, if you're a Firefly fan, don't automatically think you'll like Buffy/Angel... but if you do love B/A, you probably will love Firefly.

Still, I'd say no matter what, give Buffy AND Angel a shot
I don't think if you dislike one, you'll necessarily feel the same way about the other - my dad, hell even my mum, has liked episodes of Angel (though he won't admit to liking the show as a whole)
Best bet is to ask fans what episodes they recommend. That way you won't end up watching say Buffy's "Doublemeat Palace" or Angel's "She" and think they are all that bad

-----
Needy. Male Companion:
First Boy Whore of Destiny
Incredibly Confused Companion of SereniTree
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 7:37 AM

LAUGHINGMUSE

I watched Buffy because a housemate was seriously into it. I liked some of the dialogue, understood the metaphors, and if I was home I'd turn the TV on and watch. I wouldn't make plans to be at home to catch it on TV, I don't own the seasons on DVD, and while I wouldn't resell them if I received them as a gift, I wouldn't appreciate them nearly as much as some of my friends - who would play them transparent.

For whatever reason or series of reasons, I enjoyed the Angel episodes when Gunn was part of the group, but didn't really warm up to the first season.

The dialogue in both of them was amazing, though. Amazingly funny, amazingly pointed, amazingly layered...yet amazingly real. It's Joss. Enough said.

Find out a list of which first-season Buffy and Angel episodes are the best, and watch them. That will introduce you to the best ones, but not "spoil" you for later seasons. (It might also make much more sense to watch at least most of seasons 1-3 of Buffy before watching Angel.)

---------------------------------
Mankind makes tools; we use them to augment our hands, arms and legs.
The computer augments the brain and this makes it very unpopular with totalitarians. - Charles J.C. Lyall

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 8:03 AM

MSCKAREN

Metaphor alert!

Buffy was a great 7 course meal. Firefly was the most fantastic dessert I've ever had!

The thing I like about Buffy is, like Firefly, JW built an ensemble cast that played like family. Frankly, I began to dislike the Buffy character more and more after season 2 because she got awfully whiny after a while.

But I continued to love, Willow, Xander, Giles and Spike. Their presence kept me watching Buffy.

Some eps are great and memorable TV - "Hush", the musical...

Oh and the end of Season 7 had our favorite space ship captain featured in an ...um... interesting role.

If you liked Buffy or thought it was skewed just to high schoolers, you should check out Angel. Much darker and angsty but same snappy dialogue, created family and killer plot twists.

I wait patiently for the day JW returns to the serialized format of TV storytelling. Well, maybe not patiently but more like tolerantly....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."
http://karenallover.blogspot.com/

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 8:08 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by msckaren:
Metaphor alert!

Buffy was a great 7 course meal. Firefly was the most fantastic dessert I've ever had!

Wow. That was REALLY well put.

And I haven't even finished dinner yet Chrisisall

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 9:55 AM

MSCKAREN

Glad you liked that ... now for my second act

Cliche alert!

"Life is short. Eat dessert first!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."
http://karenallover.blogspot.com/

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 11:55 AM

KWICKO

"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." -- William Casey, Reagan's presidential campaign manager & CIA Director (from first staff meeting in 1981)

If you like Joss Whedon's writing - his wit, his one-liners, his ability to make things VERY dark and disturbing, and then to poke fun at them with a well-placed joke - you'll like Buffy and Angel. This was more of the Joss–honing-his-craft era, where he was gearing up for Firefly. To me, Firefly was Joss at the height of his creative powers. Well, so far, anyway. :)

As for the whole "supernatural" aspect of it, you can either let that get in the way of your enjoyment, or you can just accept it as "fact" (in the realm of the show, anyway) and roll with it. I don't believe in gods, demons, vampires, or ghosts, but none of that stopped me from suspending my disbelief long enough to enjoy 144 episodes of Buffy and 110 of Angel. At some point, the writing took over, and I just got caught up in the world that Joss had created for us, and went along for the ride. And what a hell of a ride it was!

As for which is my "favorite"... Hard to say. I think Firefly had much more potential and more promise, but it was cut short before it could even BEGIN to explore its characters and stories the way Joss's other two shows did. So they're ALL my favorites - in disctinctly different ways.

Mike

A baby seal walks into a club...

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 12:31 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by msckaren:

Cliche alert!

"Life is short. Eat dessert first!"

It appears I did!

*burp* Chrisisall

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 12:35 PM

KAYLEESTHEGREATEST

Buffy doesnt have a really awsome soundtrack.

Someday the verse will spit in your soup but at least they gave you soup.
one day
one plan
one mission
one army of browncoats
june 23rd serenity day

-Our mission as browncoats is to make us known.

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 1:03 PM

AMYEL

Quote:
Originally posted by kayleesthegreatest:
Buffy doesnt have a really awsome soundtrack.

I disagree. Chris Beck was awesome. The soundtrack to the Gift makes me a blubbering baby (the actual episode doesn't get me that much), and Robert Duncan's score of Chosen is brilliant (he posted the whole thing online). Joss is a total music nerd and that shows in his choice of composers for all of his shows. Angel has a full score soundtrack (by Robert Kral) available, and bits and pieces of Buffy scores are on different compilation CDs.

I do think that Edmonson's music had a more important role in Firefly, which makes his brilliance more noticeable.

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Sunday, April 23, 2006 1:32 PM

I am first and foremost a Browncoat. Or maybe an Angel Investigations intern? Or maybe a Sunnydale High student?

Anyone who saw the series finale of Angel will know just how powerful and emotional that entire show was. I stopped watching Buffy because I fell in love with Angel, and stopped watching Angel because it ended.

Thank God for box sets.

I think a little chaos is in order.

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