Buffy

the shows flaws were really only relative to itself, imo.
the worst episode of buffy > the entirety of fringe, V, house, vampire diaries, bones, etc, etc

For the record, this is probably true, but I also think Sixlets > a handful of shit.

I am not praising Sixlets here.

I mean, most of Buffy's bad episodes are also better than Blansky's Beauties, Til Death, last summer's Kilborn Show, and hockey. If that's where we're putting the bar, then yeah, I'm on board with that.

will ride for 2/3/4/most of 5 til the day i die, have a deep love for 6 despite its flaws, mostly wish 7 didn't exist

i just think of S1 as a long-form pilot episode

is there any evidence in the culture that Buffy ever existed at all?

I think the evidence for "Yes" is that I can hardly even remember what passed for humorous dialogue on tv before Buffy.

Bill, I was just listing off shows that were currently or recently on the air. I'm sure we could war for years as to whether Mad Men or Buffy will have a lasting impact upon TV history. But considering the show WAS put on two fairly half-rate TV networks (WB & UPN) - these same networks that would follow up an episode of Buffy with, say, hockey - I thought it sorta warranted.

I know, I'm just saying ... you happened to list a bunch of shows that I think are really really horrible*, so it's not hard for me to agree that Buffy at its worst is better than them. I don't think you were actually cherrypicking and trying to find weak shows to put on the other side of the >, it was just funny to me.

*Like I said, I think the worst seasons of Buffy are the worst TV I've watched full seasons of - which could change if I rewatch Lost - and I had to phrase it that way because shit like V or House I'm not going to spend more than a couple episodes on.

Fringe is awesome btw

Fringe won me over, but it took a couple years. They've found their groove.

Bill, I was just listing off shows that were currently or recently on the air. I'm sure we could war for years as to whether Mad Men or Buffy will have a lasting impact upon TV history. But considering the show WAS put on two fairly half-rate TV networks (WB & UPN) - these same networks that would follow up an episode of Buffy with, say, hockey - I thought it sorta warranted.

― kelpolaris, Thursday, 14 April 2011 02:20 (4 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

I know, I'm just saying ... you happened to list a bunch of shows that I think are really really horrible*, so it's not hard for me to agree that Buffy at its worst is better than them. I don't think you were actually cherrypicking and trying to find weak shows to put on the other side of the >, it was just funny to me.

*Like I said, I think the worst seasons of Buffy are the worst TV I've watched full seasons of - which could change if I rewatch Lost - and I had to phrase it that way because shit like V or House I'm not going to spend more than a couple episodes on.

― Bill, Thursday, 14 April 2011 02:27 (4 hours ago) Bookmark

Marti Noxon, former Executive Producer on Buffy is now a writer and producer for Mad Men. Drew Goddard, writer of the best episodes of Season 7 of Buffy, went on to write a bunch of Lost and Cloverfield for JJ Abrams.

Buffy goes mad deep, fyi.

Don't forget Jane Espenson, queen of Buffy, wrote for Battlestar Galactica, Caprica, Torchwood and Game of Thrones...

I haven't resolved my issues with Marti Noxon....her name was on a pretty high number of my most hated episodes, plus the whole Spike thing

otoh she wrote whats my line, the prom, SURPRISE, wild at heart, consequences... basically i <3 her.

ok i am going to rewatch buffy. boy i am a fucking nerd.

enbb - what's up?

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_K-yLqRNfNg8/TSFcMDJDTdI/AAAAAAAAAeA/1t8_-MtNCUw/s1600/haaaayaaaayayaaayaya.jpg

haha fuck yeah

hi!!

I got sidetracked in my Buffy watching and sort of stopped after like 2 eps. I'm still going to watch esp with the whole stick with it until season 2 thing in mind. Will keep you posted.

Despite my love for Firefly, I had never actually seen Buffy until this week, besides the last half of S5 or so when I was in eighth grade. Was looking for a summer pastime, and one of my good friends and my bf recommended it, and I've now watched the entire first season in a week. I am now three episodes into season two.

This is a problem insofar as I should be doing research for a professor to solidify/ensure a summer job, and instead I am watching Buffy.

Shocked that it's really this *good*. After all the hype as an important cultural moment, I was expecting to be underwhelmed but it holds up really well (notwithstanding 90s production values) as sort of a proto-Veronica Mars/Alias/True Blood sort of thing.

Also, the "alex in montreal" post at the top of the thread reminds me that when I first registered two or three years back there was a vague capital letters snafu that allowed me to have this name notwithstanding the pre-existence of my lower-cased counterpart, and I should really come up with a new login to avoid all kinds of confusion. Ah, well.

i am jealous of you because if you thought it was good so far, shit is about to get real

still have never seen this

i am jealous of you because if you thought it was good so far, shit is about to get real

― the buttonmasher, the party crasher, the forget-my-lotion skin rasher (k3vin k.), Thursday, 12 May 2011 04:09 (9 hours ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

was about to say this.

Yeah, if you make it through season 1 that enthused, it only gets better. For about three more seasons, at least. Then consider stopping after season 5, or season 6 if you're generous.

Season 7 can be a plod, but ultimately it's worth it. I don't think there are any out-and-out bad episodes in 7, just far fewer that stand out as great compared to previous seasons.

Also, if you stop after season 5, you'll miss the musical!

Original cast sez: New Buffy movie without Joss? I would crap on that!

still feel like s6 is super esential

double meat is double sweet

yeah, season 6 is often really silly but still worth it IMO. i'd take it over season 4.

season 6 is kind of like a turbulent exgf--i don't miss it, but i'm glad i did it

Guys - I'm struggling through season one. :(

DO NOT GIVE UP!

Seriously, literally every single person I've turned on to Buffy has had the same reaction. And then suddenly, midway through season two, it's "I didn't think it would get THIS good!" As k3vin k pointed out, that's when the shit gets real.

srs when i watched the whole series with a friend once we basically skipped s1

"I, Robot...You, Jane" is easily the worst episode of the whole series; once you've made it through that, it's smooth sailing.

I don't think there are any out-and-out bad episodes in 7

What about the one with the magic jacket?

I don't remember that one. In all fairness, it could be because it was so bad that I blocked it out. I mostly remember season 7 as alternating speeches, Andrew tied up and his "story" episode, and the finale.

season 7 has Nathan Fillion in it who went on to be Malcolm in Firefly...

man that sound effect with that thing caleb does with his thumb stayed with me for DAYS

E: An easy path through S1 would be the first three episodes, the pack, Angel, out of mind out of sight, prophecy girl. and even then, you could drop Witch, The Pack and OOMOOS.

Fillion was Mal before he was Caleb.

/nerd

spoilers:
I also thought that Caleb was a terribly written character. He was strong because he listened to the first evil? But he was also a Christian? And he saw what the slayers were doing to be evil but had no problem killing people? But he wasn't written to be a mad man, of which Buffy has had many over the years?

(oh, you're right - i only saw Firefly on dvd well after the fact)

first series has a lot of good willow moments. ymmv.

only reason i got through season 1 was because i was watching it with my little bro and we had a week of long plane/train rides. E - STICK WITH IT!

I barely remember Willow in S1, of which I've watched too many times. She... does i Robot you Jane, which is a thing, I guess. And runs out of the talent show. Also is there. But its fine because she becomes Willow in S2.

compare:

Buffy

w/

Buffy

S6 is worthwhile, but it's also the first season I can justify skipping (musical ep aside). S7 is just limping to the finish line. It's like they had this great grand plan, then ran out of time/money, like some huge would-be fantasy epic set in a room. Both the S5 and S6 story arcs and season finales are 100X more satisfying than the series finale.

lol me telling kevin p much the same episodes to watch.

don't skip s6! its the most depressing year of television ever, the kids in the wire withstanding.

Caleb was a terribly written character. He was strong because he listened to the first evil? But he was also a Christian? And he saw what the slayers were doing to be evil but had no problem killing people? But he wasn't written to be a mad man, of which Buffy has had many over the years?

― popular gay automobile (a hoy hoy), Thursday, May 12, 2011 8:10 PM (22 minutes ago) Bookmark

srsly, all of this

haha from that list of reax to the no-joss movie, joss himself:

look for The Dark Knight Rises Way Earlier Than That Other One and Also More Cheaply and in Toronto, rebooting into a theater near you.

I feel like the show got way lazier and more obvious with its feminism - Buffy strikes a blow against misogyny by killing this completely ridiculous one-dimensional uber-sexist Southern preacher. The segments in previous seasons involving the Watcher's Council were effectively feminist, but Quentin whatisname didn't go around shouting about how he was the patriarchy, he was an actual character. Also, the thing where Caleb could have killed Buffy like 3 times and just sort of walked away lessened the impact a bit.

I feel like the show got way lazier and more obvious with its feminism

sam can prob correct me if i'm wrong on this, but this seemed to coincide with joss taking a less active role in the show as he ramped up firefly involvement