Renouncing my ways... by deepgirl187

BUFFYVERSE

Renouncing my ways...

POSTED BY: DEEPGIRL187
UPDATED: Wednesday, October 18, 2006 22:18
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 13249
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Saturday, September 9, 2006 11:11 AM

I really have so stop watching discs back to back. There's too much to catch up on. But I tend to into severe withdrawal if I don't see an episode regularly. Although "Bones" starting on F*X has relieved some of the symptoms.

Poor Giles. Though I have to admit, he made a pretty cool demon.

Quote:
Giles: I refuse to become a monster because I look like a monster. I have a soul. I have a conscience. I am a human being. Oh, stop the car!

*gets out of car and chases Prof. Walsh, roaring*

Giles: (closing the door) Right. Let's go, then.

While I'm not really a fan of her, I thought the episodes with Faith were really well done. They showed her as being a person, not just a sadistic, evil bitch. One of the things that bothered me about the last season is that they never explored how the other Scoobies contributed to what Faith became (not that I'm saying she's not reponsible for her actions). Faith really never had a chance if you think about it. The others were instantly going to look to Buffy rather than her just for the mere fact that Buffy was there first. She was doomed to be a second wheel. And the others never really thought about how Faith's background contributed to her behavior. She's obviously had a rough life, but living in the protected world of suburbia, it's hard for the gang to imagine. They just expected her to adapt to life in Sunnydale without understanding it might be hard for her.

"Superstar" was just scary. It was like one of those nightmares you can't wake up from. But I'm a Jonathan fan, so it's okay.

"New Moon Rising" was another good one. Willow's reactions to Oz's return as well as her newfound feelings were well done, I thought. Though I wonder how the other Scoobies will react to the whole matter.

*************************************************

P.S. - One last addendum to my overly-long rant: does anyone else notice the lack of chemistry between Riley and Buffy? Not that I completely dislike Riley (though he's no Angel

), but it's just not clicking for me.

"I left my conscience pressed between the pages of the bible in the drawer."

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Monday, September 11, 2006 6:25 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
does anyone else notice the lack of chemistry between Riley and Buffy?

*thinks back to the Usenet Wars, the Death-to-Riley" campaigns, and the riots*

Yeah. Yeah, we noticed.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Monday, September 11, 2006 7:05 AM

DEEPGIRL187

Death-To-Riley campaigns??? I'll admit, he's not my favorite character, but sheesh.

*************************************************

"I left my conscience pressed between the pages of the bible in the drawer."

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Wednesday, September 13, 2006 2:02 PM

DEEPGIRL187

Well, it's been a good season. Maybe not quite on par with two or three, but good.

I keep developing new appreaciations for Spike (not that it's all that hard

). He reaaly did a good job of playing the Scoobies against each other. Then again, so much was wrong that it wasn't all that hard. And Giles drunk? Hilarious.

I enjoyed the final battle. I have to say, it was probably the most intense one they've had. And Adam was certainly their most dangerous enemy to date. And is it just me, or does the idea of demon/human hybrids and re-animated dead people give one the serious wiggins?

"Restless" was great I thought. The sequences really resembled the way in which our normal dreams occur. We can see our everyday problems right alongside our deepest fears. And let's not forget the outright weirdness. I mean, come on, Spike in a suit? Freaky.

One last thing I've really enjoyed about this season: Anthony Head singing. He has a really great voice. I was holding up an imaginary lighter when he sang "Free Bird".

*************************************************

"It sure as hell ain't normal, but we deal."

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Wednesday, September 13, 2006 2:08 PM

CHRISISALL

Cool, can't wait to hear your views of 5, 6, and 7.

And Harsh Light Of Day was the best ep of the season, no matter what anyone says!

Spikeisall

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Wednesday, September 13, 2006 4:16 PM

GROOSALUGG

Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
One last thing I've really enjoyed about this season: Anthony Head singing. He has a really great voice. I was holding up an imaginary lighter when he sang "Free Bird".

Agreed, but there's still something weird about hearing a Brit sing Skynyrd. Kinda like hearing an American say 'bollocks'. But fear not--that won't be the last you hear of him singing.

And Spike's suit might even make a re-appearance at some point...

Oh, and as a fellow Spike fan--go ahead and start looking forward to episode 7 of S5 ("Fool for Love") now...

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Friday, September 15, 2006 10:51 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by Groosalugg:

Oh, and as a fellow Spike fan--go ahead and start looking forward to episode 7 of S5 ("Fool for Love") now...

My single most re-watched ep.
That give me a new thread idea....

Once again into the breech Chrisisall

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Friday, September 15, 2006 11:53 AM

DEEPGIRL187

Oookay. Having some questions here.

What the hell is up with Dawn? I mean, three seasons with no mention of her, and then all of a sudden at the end of fourth season, they decide to mention "Oh, by the way, Buffy has a sister." Is this a plot hole or are there extenuating circumstances?

I'm not happy with Buffy. I thought with a episodes I might cool down a little, but I just keep getting more pissed. Riley's right, she doesn't love him, not like she loved Angel. I see him getting the hurt put on, big time. And poor Spike. No good will come of this.

And truth be told, I'm more than wigged out about the whole Buffy/Spike thing. I thought it would be cool when I first started watching the series, but now it just seems weird. Frightening even. Though I have to admit, Joss did an excellent job of setting things up. It would explain why Spike's never been able to really get away from Sunnydale.

I feel a sense of foreboding. Dark times seem to be ahead.

*************************************************

"It sure as hell ain't normal, but we deal."

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Friday, September 15, 2006 12:06 PM

GROOSALUGG

Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
What the hell is up with Dawn? I mean, three seasons with no mention of her, and then all of a sudden at the end of fourth season, they decide to mention "Oh, by the way, Buffy has a sister." Is this a plot hole or are there extenuating circumstances?

She's been there all along--what, you never noticed?

Just keep watching. You'll get it.

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Friday, September 15, 2006 1:14 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
I'm not happy with Buffy.

And truth be told, I'm more than wigged out about the whole Buffy/Spike thing.

I feel a sense of foreboding. Dark times seem to be ahead.

Good, it's having the proper effect; don't panic.
And Buffy's not too happy with Buffy, either. You'll see.

It's like life Chrisisall

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Friday, September 15, 2006 5:28 PM

DEEPGIRL187

I've really felt this sense of discontentment with the show lately. Not only do the characters grow apart in the series, but I think the viewers grow apart from the characters. I'm not sure whether this was Joss's intention, but it certainly has had an effect on how I relate to the show. It also may be the reason that I've enjoyed watching Angel so much. I guess I've really needed a break from Sunnydale, and Angel is a good vehicle for that. There were actually days where I looked forward to getting my Angel disc more than my Buffy disc. But I guess as long as I can see Spike, all is well.

*************************************************

"It sure as hell ain't normal, but we deal."

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Monday, September 18, 2006 6:52 AM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
I've really felt this sense of discontentment with the show lately. Not only do the characters grow apart in the series, but I think the viewers grow apart from the characters.

If it helps, I was EXACTLY where you are, and I know what you mean.
And now 3, 6 and 7 are my favourite seasons. The characters evolve, sometimes painfully, but it's a tale worth telling and re-living IMHO.

Chrisisall the Bloody

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Monday, September 18, 2006 2:04 PM

YESMYNAMEISKALI

i started with Buffy then moved to Angel and Firefly. so, i'll ALWAYS love Buffy but, just a suggestion, i really only liked seasons 1-3 of Buffy a lot. the other seasons were okay but not as good. Glad you like the show now, and it's good to meet another Bones fan!!

"See, I've secretly been kind of a fan of me for some time now. I've seen everything I've ever done. I'd love to meet me, but I'd probably just stare and not be able to say anything witty or anything." -- Joss Whedon

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Wednesday, September 20, 2006 5:43 AM

DEEPGIRL187

I'm at a loss for words here. I mean, the past few episodes have been rough. I honestly don't know where to start.

"Fool For Love" was hard to watch. Not that I disliked the episode, it's just that it was difficult to see Spike's past. You really start to understand him for the first time. I mean for the love of Joss, could he have it any rougher? No wonder he's such an ass most of the time, he has it honest. Watching that first flashback was just painful. And Buffy, trifling bitch she is (yeah, I said it), has just been out of line. I'll admit, Spike has earned a fair bit of derision, but Buffy goes out of her way to be cruel to him. Seeing Spike on the ground crying was just awful. But the most moving scene had to be at the very end:

Quote:
"What's wrong?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Is there something I can do?"

Poor Spike. He has a rough time ahead of him, I think.

I know there aren't many people that like him, but as I've watched this season, I've kind of developed a new respect for Riley. His character is fascinating from a philosophical perspective, if you think about it. For instance, people use their professions to define themselves. When they leave that job they lose that identity. Riley, having left the Initiative, has lost what defines him, and is in turmoil becuase of it. He looks for new sensations to fill the void that's been left within him. A good example would be when he allows Sandy to feed off of him. He feels so empty inside that he takes dangerous risks to feel whole.

Still not happy with Buffy. And it's going to get worse, I know. Childhood's over, I guess.

*************************************************

"It sure as hell ain't normal, but we deal."

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Saturday, September 23, 2006 4:56 AM

DEEPGIRL187

*sigh*

What a sordid life our heroes lead...

Not many agree with me, I know. But I honestly liked Riley. I won't say that nothing was his fault, but he was right. Buffy shut him out. In some ways I think that out of all Buffy's relationships, their's could have worked out. And yes, I know I haven't seen her and Spike, but if you really think about it, the mere fact that both Angel and Spike are vampires really dooms any kind of relationship they could have with Buffy. She is the slayer, after all.

*double sigh*

This season just keeps getting worse. Joss has really gotta lighten things up soon.

*************************************************

"It sure as hell ain't normal, but we deal."

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Sunday, September 24, 2006 3:45 PM

DEEPGIRL187

This is a completely self-serving post, but...I GOT THE CHOSEN COLLECTION!!!!!

Ahem. Sorry. Just had to share that. You may now continue your normally scheduled programming.

*************************************************

"So long and goodnight."

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Sunday, September 24, 2006 6:09 PM

AMYEL

Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
*
This season just keeps getting worse. Joss has really gotta lighten things up soon.

Umm... if you're looking for light you might be waiting a while (or forever). If you hate season 5 then perhaps the rest of the show is not going to be your thing. The Buffyverse (which includes Angel) reaches spectacular new levels of depression nearly every year. Don't stop watching, but..just sayin'.

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Monday, September 25, 2006 5:22 AM

DEEPGIRL187

I don't hate Season 5 by any means, Amyel. The whole thing just happens to be hellishly depressing. My mom and I have made remarks to the tune of "poor Spike" just about every episode with all of that in mind. I just miss being able to laugh some of the time. And don't worry, I'll still be watching. I go into withdrawal when I don't get my fix.

Maybe it's just me, I'm not sure. But so far during this season, I'm starting to like the fringe Scoobies more than originals. By "fringe" I mean people like Dawn, Tara, Anya, and of course, Spike. Although Xander's mostly okay. I didn't start off liking Dawn, but after finding out about the Key, you really start to feel for her character. And I was never a big Anya fan, but after watching "Triangle", I'm liking her more. And who could not like Tara. She just too cute.

Spike is really going through the ringer this season. And yes, I know it's going to get much worse. But I have to tell you, nobody does stalking quite like him. I thought Angel was pretty bad, but Spike takes it to new levels.

One of the things that bothers me the most about this season so far is the reaction everyone's had to Spike. In "Crush" and "I Was Made To Love You", everyone was seemingly angry about his attack on Buffy. But I really think the issue was the fact that he is in love with Buffy. That seemed to unsettle them more than anything. And notice that Buffy never revoked his invitation before, nevermind the fact that he'd attacked her multiple times. The Scoobies can be more than a little hypocritical and self-righteous at times. I can't wait until next season. It serves Buffy right that she ends up involved with Spike.

To make a long rant short (yeah right), Drusilla summed up my feelings on the characters in "Crush":

Quote:
"Oh, we can you know. We can love quite well... if not wisely."

I don't think she means just vampires...

*************************************************

"So long and goodnight."

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Monday, September 25, 2006 5:30 AM

CHRISISALL

Congrats on the Chosen Collection.
Keep on truckin', it's all about season seven to me....
Watchin' it now, AAMOF.

And loving it Chrisisall

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Saturday, September 30, 2006 7:30 AM

DEEPGIRL187

I have to admit, a TV show has never made me cry. The most I'll really do is tear up, and any exaggerations I write about reflect that.

That all changed a few days ago, after watching "The Body". I sat there with my mom and cried silent tears throughout the entire show. It was extremely heart-wrenching to watch what everyone went through. Joss portrayed their grief in a very realistic manner. There were amazing performances done by all, and it's truly a shame that this episode (as well as the show in general) has never gotten more recognition. I've never seen anything on TV or film more moving than that.

P.S. - Oh, and "Intervention" was just plain wrong.

*************************************************

"So long and goodnight."

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Tuesday, October 3, 2006 5:16 AM

DEEPGIRL187

I have to say, season five was the best one I've seen so far. Not only was the plot amazing, but the acting was top notch. The only weak point I can think of was Glory. She just wasn't that frightening (or serious, or intelligent).

Season six already looks like a good one. Though I'm not too happy about Giles not being a regular character anymore. On the other hand, I like the idea of Jonathan, Andrew, and Warren as big bads. Kind of ironic, isn't it?

Watching the episodes in order is going to be a pain. I've already screwed up once (watched "Flooded" before "Carpe Noctem"). It's hard waiting for the Angel discs in the mail. I never was good at being patient.

*************************************************

"So long and goodnight."

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Tuesday, October 3, 2006 8:00 AM

GROOSALUGG

Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
Watching the episodes in order is going to be a pain. I've already screwed up once (watched "Flooded" before "Carpe Noctem").

Well, luckily that's the only thing that even passes for a x-over this season. For the rest of the year, watch 'em in whatever order you want...

Next year, tho (7/4)... That takes a lot of juggling and careful planning if you want to make things match up...

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Tuesday, October 3, 2006 10:08 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by deepgirl187:
Season six already looks like a good one. Though I'm not too happy about Giles not being a regular character anymore.

Select to view spoiler:

Don't worry, he'll be back.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Thursday, October 5, 2006 3:49 AM

DEEPGIRL187

Quote:
"She is the one, she's such wonderful fun
Such passion and grace
Warm in the night when I’m right
In her tight--embrace"

"You know,
You got a willing slave
And you just love to play the thought
That you might misbehave"

"I wish I could say
The right words
To lead you through this land
Wish I could play the father
And take you by the hand"

Musical-y goodness.

Very well done by all. The dance scene for "I'll Never Tell" was great to watch. And I loved the singing, though I have to admit Tony, Amber, and James were my favorite. Now if they only could have put Lindsey and Lorne in the episode...

Quote:
"Oh, listen to Mary Poppins. He's got his crust all stiff and upper with that nancy-boy accent. You Englishmen are always so...bloody hell! Sodding, blimey, shagging, knickers, bollocks, oh God! I'm English!"

"Welcome to the nancy tribe."

Another great episode, but sad too. It'll be hard to adjust with Giles gone. Further down the rabbit hole we go...

*************************************************

"So long and goodnight."

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Saturday, October 7, 2006 7:52 AM

DEEPGIRL187

This has been a hard season to watch.

You want to support the characters, but the majority of them keep making such bone-headed choices, it gets really hard.

The worst of them is Buffy. I don't know if others have mentioned this before, but she is severely abusive towards Spike, emotionally and physically. And Spike can't defend himself. It's like he's missing some component that lets him fight back against the things she does to him. In "Dead Things", she beats the holy hell out of him, and in the next episode, still covered in bruises, he goes to her birthday party as if nothing happened. Buffy can call him a "disgusting thing", and yet he still involves himself with her. Her actions make it hard to have any kind of sympathy for her once so ever, even when she does something right.

At least Willow has addiction as an excuse for her behavior (well, some of it). I have give my props to Alyson Hannigan; she's done a very convincing job of playing an addict. The scene in "Wrecked" where she's on the ground begging for forgiveness was hard to watch.

Looking back on the first three seasons, it almost seems like we were watching a different show. The characters, their environment, everything's changed so much. I wonder if Firefly would have gone through similar changes had it remained on the air.

*************************************************

"So long and goodnight."

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Thursday, October 12, 2006 7:55 AM

DEEPGIRL187

Darth Rosenberg. Officially has my vote as scariest villian ever.

Like I said before, this season was hard to watch. But it's all worth it for the conclusion. Seeing Willow in a showdown between Buffy and Giles was the s**t. While Angelus was more fun, Willow was way more dangerous. When you don't care about living or dying, you are definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Quote:
"Let me tell you something about Willow: she's a loser. And she always has been. Everyone picked on Willow in junior high, high school, up until college with her stupid mousy ways and now - Willow's a junkie."

"The only thing Willow was ever good for...the only thing going for me - were those moments - just moments - when Tara would look at me and I was wonderful. And that will never happen again."

That's one of my favorite quotes from this season. It really sums up how far Willow had fallen at that point, and just how much Tara meant to her. I've always liked Willow, but I think this season helped me to appreaciate her character the most. And major kudos to Alyson Hannigan, who acted her butt off.

One other character I have to give props to is Xander. Yes, he did really screw up this season. But he also saved the world. Not Buffy, not Giles, but him. And it wasn't through some brilliant strategy, or fighting skills, or magic. It was love. I think that by the end, he was the only person that hadn't given up on Willow. I may not always like the guy, but that showed true bravery.

And last but not least, Buffy and Spike. That takes the award for most screwed up relationship on television. You start to wonder who did the most damage to the other, but the truth is they're both to blame. The scene in "Seeing Red" was hard to watch. Anything to do with rape is repulsive for me, but so is emotional and physical abuse, which Buffy is just as guily of. The best thing they could ever do for each other is stay away (but of course that's never going to happen). Considering the content, it's a wonder Joss got any of that through the censors.

It's hard to believe I'm finally on the last season. Watching the Scoobies in high school seems like a lifetime ago. And to pose another question, what the hell am I going to watch once I'm done?

*************************************************

"So long and goodnight."

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Thursday, October 12, 2006 3:08 PM

WHISPER

Actually, you go back and watch them all again. The 2nd time almost has more poignancy than the first time because you already know the characters and what happens in their future. Plus you start to catch all the foreshadows and other small brilliant Joss touches that may have gone unnoticed the first time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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http://www.whispergraphics.net
Now hosting the Firefly Extended Gagreel

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Wednesday, October 18, 2006 10:18 PM

AMYEL

For your next tv show to watch, I nominate Wonderfalls. Tim Minear produced it and Jewel Staite is in several episodes. There aren't very many episodes unfortunately, but it had a perfect arc so it seems more like a mini-series than a cancelled tv show. It's very snarky and cynical as well as crazy and even totally sweet all at the same time.

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