I broke it in half. The DVD. I took it out of my player and just snapped it.
Then I went and did the same for the rest of the boxset. But what if the other Buffy DVDs had the same problems? I broke them too.
I broke my entire DVD collection. I cut my hands with them. With my hands wrapped in a towel, I picked each broken DVD up and tossed it in a trashbag and then tossed that in the dumpster.
No more DVDs. I don't even watch TV anymore.
Books. Books are good. I can read books.
I flipped open a book yesterday. I...can't remember the title. But...but I remember reading it. My hands turned the pages by themselves.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Epilogues and Recriminations
So I pressed the enter button on the Easter egg. It wasn't a new episode, though.
There was a man, in his fifties I believe, with gray hair. He was looking down at his hands and then looked up. He spoke with an Eastern European accent I think.
He said: "This...this is my greatest work. My grand acheivement. Yet...yet it is not mine. I made it to worn others of her, but it was her work all along. All along. This is what she does. She digs within you and soon, the actions you perform are not your own. I was a man like Arlecchino once, I am afraid. I was...not nice and dabbled in things I should not have. She was my punishment...my Colombina. But she was never Colombina. She was never..."
He paused then for a few seconds and then took a deep breath. "She is not human, like us. She knows nothing of love or jealousy or hatred. She is attracted to these things, though, because...because she doesn't know them. And so she moves us about, makes mimics of us, makes us look into mirrors and see our own dark reflections."
He leaned in closer to the camera. "If you are watching this, that means you have attracted her attention. I would warn you not to watch, but I know that is futile. Once she has her hooks in you...her strings wrapped around you..." He nervously swallowed. "Soon, I shall take my own life. Even this final action will be hers."
"I have said all I can." He raised his hand and held a tangle of strings. "Though warnings will do no good, I have warned. You will not heed this warning, as I never did." He spread the strings out across the desk. "You can only hope, like I do, that the end will be swift and merciful." He leaned over the desk and suddenly the strings twisted like snakes and curled around his neck like a noose.
I hit the stop button on the remote and the TV went black.
There was a man, in his fifties I believe, with gray hair. He was looking down at his hands and then looked up. He spoke with an Eastern European accent I think.
He said: "This...this is my greatest work. My grand acheivement. Yet...yet it is not mine. I made it to worn others of her, but it was her work all along. All along. This is what she does. She digs within you and soon, the actions you perform are not your own. I was a man like Arlecchino once, I am afraid. I was...not nice and dabbled in things I should not have. She was my punishment...my Colombina. But she was never Colombina. She was never..."
He paused then for a few seconds and then took a deep breath. "She is not human, like us. She knows nothing of love or jealousy or hatred. She is attracted to these things, though, because...because she doesn't know them. And so she moves us about, makes mimics of us, makes us look into mirrors and see our own dark reflections."
He leaned in closer to the camera. "If you are watching this, that means you have attracted her attention. I would warn you not to watch, but I know that is futile. Once she has her hooks in you...her strings wrapped around you..." He nervously swallowed. "Soon, I shall take my own life. Even this final action will be hers."
"I have said all I can." He raised his hand and held a tangle of strings. "Though warnings will do no good, I have warned. You will not heed this warning, as I never did." He spread the strings out across the desk. "You can only hope, like I do, that the end will be swift and merciful." He leaned over the desk and suddenly the strings twisted like snakes and curled around his neck like a noose.
I hit the stop button on the remote and the TV went black.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Another Easter Egg
So, I've been toying with watching that episode again. I know: I must be really stupid. But I've seen it once now, so watching it again wouldn't be as scary. I'd know what is going to happen before it happens.
So I entered the DVD into the player. But first I fooled around a bit with it, just pressing the arrow buttons around...and I found another Easter egg.
I haven't watched it yet. Is it another episode? Do I even want to watch it?
Fuck.
So I entered the DVD into the player. But first I fooled around a bit with it, just pressing the arrow buttons around...and I found another Easter egg.
I haven't watched it yet. Is it another episode? Do I even want to watch it?
Fuck.
Friday, February 4, 2011
Sleep No More...
...Macbeth doth murder sleep.
So, yeah, haven't exactly been sleeping this past week. That last episode was just...something. Something really fucking creepy.
And the sleep that has been coming has been filled with strange dreams. I can't really remember them, except that I saw that wooden mask Colombina was wearing. I think...I think someone else was wearing it.
So, yeah, haven't exactly been sleeping this past week. That last episode was just...something. Something really fucking creepy.
And the sleep that has been coming has been filled with strange dreams. I can't really remember them, except that I saw that wooden mask Colombina was wearing. I think...I think someone else was wearing it.
Friday, January 28, 2011
Episode ? "The Grand Guignol"
Short summary: everybody dies.
Longer summary:
So, when we last left off, it looked like Arlecchino had performed some sort of dark ritual to make Colombina live again. Except he's still performing the ritual when this episode starts and it doesn't seem to be working. He's getting pretty angry and finally he jumps down from the balcony to the center of the ballroom. He starts threatening everybody with a knife that appears in his hand, until he gets a good look at the Pale Prince, then he starts to run for the door.
But the door opens before he gets there and in walks Colombina, still covered in that weird string and wearing a dark wooden mask. "How?" he says.
"She is here for the end," the Herleking says. "The end of all of us, the end of life and living, the end of food and drink and dancing. When we follow her we will all be of the end."
"Then I shall not follow her!" Arlecchino says. "I shall follow me, as always, and kill her again!"
At that point, Colombina's arms reach out and the strings fly out and encircle Arlecchino's neck. They strangle him until his face turns red and then tighten until his head (believe it or not) pops off, blood spilling on the dance floor. "It has begun," the Herleking said
and
and
and suddenly it wasn't claymation anymore, it was live-action. Arlecchino's blood looked dark and real and Herleking had a look of sheer terror on his face and the Pale Prince...he was there one moment and then suddenly he wasn't. I didn't get a good glimpse because the whole episode becoming live-action was quite a shock.
Then suddenly we see Colombina again and she's walking forward toward the camera and all the strings around her skin are moving and curling and you can see a little of them behind that wooden mask. It's just so fucking scary. Then strings starts bursting through the floor and all the dancers and revellers get entangled and strangled and die. And the Herleking steps forward and bows his head towards Colombina and he stabs himself before the strings surround him.
And then and then and then the strings all rise up, pulling all the dead bodies up like puppets, and the strings make them dance in a sort of perversion of their previous dance. And Colombina stands in the middle, still and silent.
Analysis: fuck that. I'm never sleeping again.
Longer summary:
So, when we last left off, it looked like Arlecchino had performed some sort of dark ritual to make Colombina live again. Except he's still performing the ritual when this episode starts and it doesn't seem to be working. He's getting pretty angry and finally he jumps down from the balcony to the center of the ballroom. He starts threatening everybody with a knife that appears in his hand, until he gets a good look at the Pale Prince, then he starts to run for the door.
But the door opens before he gets there and in walks Colombina, still covered in that weird string and wearing a dark wooden mask. "How?" he says.
"She is here for the end," the Herleking says. "The end of all of us, the end of life and living, the end of food and drink and dancing. When we follow her we will all be of the end."
"Then I shall not follow her!" Arlecchino says. "I shall follow me, as always, and kill her again!"
At that point, Colombina's arms reach out and the strings fly out and encircle Arlecchino's neck. They strangle him until his face turns red and then tighten until his head (believe it or not) pops off, blood spilling on the dance floor. "It has begun," the Herleking said
and
and
and suddenly it wasn't claymation anymore, it was live-action. Arlecchino's blood looked dark and real and Herleking had a look of sheer terror on his face and the Pale Prince...he was there one moment and then suddenly he wasn't. I didn't get a good glimpse because the whole episode becoming live-action was quite a shock.
Then suddenly we see Colombina again and she's walking forward toward the camera and all the strings around her skin are moving and curling and you can see a little of them behind that wooden mask. It's just so fucking scary. Then strings starts bursting through the floor and all the dancers and revellers get entangled and strangled and die. And the Herleking steps forward and bows his head towards Colombina and he stabs himself before the strings surround him.
And then and then and then the strings all rise up, pulling all the dead bodies up like puppets, and the strings make them dance in a sort of perversion of their previous dance. And Colombina stands in the middle, still and silent.
Analysis: fuck that. I'm never sleeping again.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Episode ? "The Last Masque"
Short summary: a bunch of dancing, a lot more weirdness, a lot more creepiness, and a dark ritual.
Longer summary:
So, when we last left off, Arlecchino was placed in "Bedlam Hospital," a mental institution. There, he's regularly beaten and starved (which is pretty much what he deserves after what he did to Colombina), but he also finds some sort of book of witchcraft or something (it's very vague - at one point, the book just seems to appear on the frame).
The Harlequinade has started now and the Herleking is walking around with one of those foreign dignitaries called the Pale Prince (a very creepy faceless figure in what looks like a suit). At least, I think his name is the Pale Prince - the others call him by a variety of names. "Oh pale prince," they say, "oh faceless friend of fire and forest! We are humbled by your visit to our territory." What is creepier is that the Pale Prince doesn't say anything to them at all - he doesn't even talk.
At this point, Arlecchino uses black magic to escape Bedlam Hospital (I think - he disappears and reappers, like a jump cut). Later, the dancing starts and the Herleking proclaims that since "she is rising" this will be their "last masque." In the balcony above the dancing, Arlecchino appears and starts some sort of dark ritual.
And then we cut to Colombina's dead body on a wooden slab. There's like a chorus of dark figures in the background singing this creepy song. It goes like: "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle with your snout. They eat your heart, they eat your soul, they eat you up and leave a hole."
As this creepy song is being sung, these weird strings rise up around Colombine's body and wrap themselves around her. They cover every inch of her flesh. Then she starts to move.
No credits again.
Analysis: I really do not know where to begin (and, frankly, I don't want to). But, for some reason, it's kind of fascinating watching it. I'm sort of hooked on how just plain weird it is.
Longer summary:
So, when we last left off, Arlecchino was placed in "Bedlam Hospital," a mental institution. There, he's regularly beaten and starved (which is pretty much what he deserves after what he did to Colombina), but he also finds some sort of book of witchcraft or something (it's very vague - at one point, the book just seems to appear on the frame).
The Harlequinade has started now and the Herleking is walking around with one of those foreign dignitaries called the Pale Prince (a very creepy faceless figure in what looks like a suit). At least, I think his name is the Pale Prince - the others call him by a variety of names. "Oh pale prince," they say, "oh faceless friend of fire and forest! We are humbled by your visit to our territory." What is creepier is that the Pale Prince doesn't say anything to them at all - he doesn't even talk.
At this point, Arlecchino uses black magic to escape Bedlam Hospital (I think - he disappears and reappers, like a jump cut). Later, the dancing starts and the Herleking proclaims that since "she is rising" this will be their "last masque." In the balcony above the dancing, Arlecchino appears and starts some sort of dark ritual.
And then we cut to Colombina's dead body on a wooden slab. There's like a chorus of dark figures in the background singing this creepy song. It goes like: "The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out, the worms play pinochle with your snout. They eat your heart, they eat your soul, they eat you up and leave a hole."
As this creepy song is being sung, these weird strings rise up around Colombine's body and wrap themselves around her. They cover every inch of her flesh. Then she starts to move.
No credits again.
Analysis: I really do not know where to begin (and, frankly, I don't want to). But, for some reason, it's kind of fascinating watching it. I'm sort of hooked on how just plain weird it is.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Episode ? "Harlequinade"
Short summary: Tim Burton crossed with David Lynch. Uh, yeah.
Longer summary:
Made with some sort of bizarre claymation-type animation, this was actually pretty short. Thirty minutes, more or less. It's just that it was thirty minutes of weird creepiness (sort of like watching a claymation version of Eraserhead).
So the plot is this: Arlecchino and Colombina are puppet operators. In fact, they operate the Punch and Judy puppets seen at the end of the last episode (weirdly, actual Punch and Judy puppets are shown when Arlecchino and Colombina control them - a weird mixture of media). They are both getting ready for the Harlequinade, a big gathering that will have food and booze and dancing and, of course, a Punch and Judy show.
Both are nervous about the Harlequinade because the Herleking will be there along with some foreign dignitaries (believe me, I'm paraphrasing - I could barely hear them whisper something about a prince). Also complicating things is that Arlecchino and Colombina are married and Arlecchino is fiercly jealous and suspects her of cheating. (I looked these names up later and they are, in fact, from Commedia dell'arte.)
Finally, at the end, Colombina messes up a line of dialogue and Arlecchino starts beating her. I mean brutally beating - even though they were claymation, I could practically see her pain. And then Arlecchino strangles her with the Judy puppet's strings and kills her (yeah, he's a great guy). The very last scene is him being dragged away and placed in "Bedlam Hospital," a mental institution.
No credits.
Analysis: ...do I even want to attempt to analyze this? It's so grotesque, it's would be funny if it wasn't so creepy.
Longer summary:
Made with some sort of bizarre claymation-type animation, this was actually pretty short. Thirty minutes, more or less. It's just that it was thirty minutes of weird creepiness (sort of like watching a claymation version of Eraserhead).
So the plot is this: Arlecchino and Colombina are puppet operators. In fact, they operate the Punch and Judy puppets seen at the end of the last episode (weirdly, actual Punch and Judy puppets are shown when Arlecchino and Colombina control them - a weird mixture of media). They are both getting ready for the Harlequinade, a big gathering that will have food and booze and dancing and, of course, a Punch and Judy show.
Both are nervous about the Harlequinade because the Herleking will be there along with some foreign dignitaries (believe me, I'm paraphrasing - I could barely hear them whisper something about a prince). Also complicating things is that Arlecchino and Colombina are married and Arlecchino is fiercly jealous and suspects her of cheating. (I looked these names up later and they are, in fact, from Commedia dell'arte.)
Finally, at the end, Colombina messes up a line of dialogue and Arlecchino starts beating her. I mean brutally beating - even though they were claymation, I could practically see her pain. And then Arlecchino strangles her with the Judy puppet's strings and kills her (yeah, he's a great guy). The very last scene is him being dragged away and placed in "Bedlam Hospital," a mental institution.
No credits.
Analysis: ...do I even want to attempt to analyze this? It's so grotesque, it's would be funny if it wasn't so creepy.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
A Bizarre Sort of Easter Egg
So, my curiousity finally got the better of me, and I put the DVD back in my DVD player. I watched that ending scene again (still freaking creepy) and then moved on to the next episode, "Nightmares."
Except, while the main screen said it was "Nightmares," the episode screen stated that it was an episode called "Harlequinade."
So I checked the next episode, "Out of Mind, Out of Sight": this one had been replaced by "The Last Masque."
The season finale "Prophecy Girl"? Was now "The Grand Guignol."
Are just the titles changed? I was a bit creeped out, but tomorrow I'll try watching the first one and see if it's any different.
Except, while the main screen said it was "Nightmares," the episode screen stated that it was an episode called "Harlequinade."
So I checked the next episode, "Out of Mind, Out of Sight": this one had been replaced by "The Last Masque."
The season finale "Prophecy Girl"? Was now "The Grand Guignol."
Are just the titles changed? I was a bit creeped out, but tomorrow I'll try watching the first one and see if it's any different.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Episode 9 "The Puppet Show" has been delayed
...
So this is my favorite episode. I was really looking forward to watching this and analyzing it for whatever readers I have. It is one of my absolute favorite episodes of television.
Most of the episode was fine. Barely glitched at all. Then, the very last scene, when Buffy, Xander, and Willow have to do that scene from Oedipus... something weird happened. It looked like a scene from another show was spliced in. Some sort of weird puppet show (yeah, I know what it sounds like).
Anyway, the screen had just turned to black and then another scene came on. Same red curtains as last time, only this time they opened up to reveal an actual puppet theater - complete with Punch and Judy puppets dancing around on strings. It was sort of silly looking at first and then it became weird. The Punch puppet was beating on the Judy puppet and there was fake blood coming out of her nose.
Then they both stopped and started singing. "Have you heard? Have you heard? Heard the word! Heard the word!"
"I heard it from the Herleking," the Judy puppet said. "I heard him cry and sing."
"Cry and sing!" the Punch puppet said and hit her. "Cut your string!"
"Can you hear the drumming, drumming?" they both chanted. "She is coming, she is coming!"
The whole puppet theater than began to shake like there was an earthquake, then the whole thing went crashing down. The curtains closed and the screen went black again.
I...really don't know what to make of this. Did someone film this bizarre scene and place it in this one DVD (meaning they must have been there when it was being made)? Is that one this DVD set has been glitching? What would be the point of that though?
And what was the point of the Punch and Judy show?
So this is my favorite episode. I was really looking forward to watching this and analyzing it for whatever readers I have. It is one of my absolute favorite episodes of television.
Most of the episode was fine. Barely glitched at all. Then, the very last scene, when Buffy, Xander, and Willow have to do that scene from Oedipus... something weird happened. It looked like a scene from another show was spliced in. Some sort of weird puppet show (yeah, I know what it sounds like).
Anyway, the screen had just turned to black and then another scene came on. Same red curtains as last time, only this time they opened up to reveal an actual puppet theater - complete with Punch and Judy puppets dancing around on strings. It was sort of silly looking at first and then it became weird. The Punch puppet was beating on the Judy puppet and there was fake blood coming out of her nose.
Then they both stopped and started singing. "Have you heard? Have you heard? Heard the word! Heard the word!"
"I heard it from the Herleking," the Judy puppet said. "I heard him cry and sing."
"Cry and sing!" the Punch puppet said and hit her. "Cut your string!"
"Can you hear the drumming, drumming?" they both chanted. "She is coming, she is coming!"
The whole puppet theater than began to shake like there was an earthquake, then the whole thing went crashing down. The curtains closed and the screen went black again.
I...really don't know what to make of this. Did someone film this bizarre scene and place it in this one DVD (meaning they must have been there when it was being made)? Is that one this DVD set has been glitching? What would be the point of that though?
And what was the point of the Punch and Judy show?
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Episode 8: "I, Robot...You, Jane"
(Note: doing this a day early, so I can spend Christmas day with the fam.)
Short summary: A demon imprisoned in a book gets scanned in a computer and picks up Willow as his cybergirlfriend. That's pretty much it.
Shorter summary: I, viewer...you, bad episode.
Analysis: ...yeah. Not much to analyze. Metaphor? "Computers are evil"? "Men are evil"? "Books are evil"? ..."The internet is evil"? Well, we all knew that one.
In any case, this episode was more about virtual stalking. And since computers have marched on a lot since 1997 (geez, thirteen years? where did it go), this one doesn't really hit like it's supposed to.
Note: barely any glitches at all this time.
Short summary: A demon imprisoned in a book gets scanned in a computer and picks up Willow as his cybergirlfriend. That's pretty much it.
Shorter summary: I, viewer...you, bad episode.
Analysis: ...yeah. Not much to analyze. Metaphor? "Computers are evil"? "Men are evil"? "Books are evil"? ..."The internet is evil"? Well, we all knew that one.
In any case, this episode was more about virtual stalking. And since computers have marched on a lot since 1997 (geez, thirteen years? where did it go), this one doesn't really hit like it's supposed to.
Note: barely any glitches at all this time.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Episode 7: "Angel"
Short summary: Angel is a vampire. The Master hires three vamps to kill Buffy - when they fail, he gets Darla to do it. Angel kills Darla.
Analysis: Woo, this one was a doozy. After the last few clunkers, this one actually delivers. Besides the main metaphor ("This boy I met turns out to be different than I thought"), it contains a more subtle one (you can't escape your own past). Angel's past comes back to bite him and it won't be the last time (eventually, Buffy's past will come back to haunt her, too).
One of the creepiest scenes is where Darla attacks Buffy's mother. We all know Buffy can handle herself, but her mother is...well, her mother. We don't want to see anything bad happen to Joyce and just watching her in the hospital is sort of heartbreaking.
In the end, Angel kills part of his past and allows some of the future in.
Note: this episode only had a few glitches, but it's weird. I couldn't find any scratches. Perhaps it's my DVD player? But none of my other DVDs glitch on it.
Analysis: Woo, this one was a doozy. After the last few clunkers, this one actually delivers. Besides the main metaphor ("This boy I met turns out to be different than I thought"), it contains a more subtle one (you can't escape your own past). Angel's past comes back to bite him and it won't be the last time (eventually, Buffy's past will come back to haunt her, too).
One of the creepiest scenes is where Darla attacks Buffy's mother. We all know Buffy can handle herself, but her mother is...well, her mother. We don't want to see anything bad happen to Joyce and just watching her in the hospital is sort of heartbreaking.
In the end, Angel kills part of his past and allows some of the future in.
Note: this episode only had a few glitches, but it's weird. I couldn't find any scratches. Perhaps it's my DVD player? But none of my other DVDs glitch on it.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Episode 6: "The Pack"
Short summary: A trip to the zoo turns the school bullies (and Xander) into hyenas. They terrorize the school, eat the principal, and Xander tries to rape Buffy. Buffy hits him with a desk. Turns out the Zookeeper is responsible and he gets his karmic payback after Xander and the rest get depossessed.
Analysis: on the one hand, the monsters-as-metaphor thing is pretty interesting ("My friend is hanging out with new friends who aren't nice"), but on the other hand, it also gets pretty heavy handed. The attempted rape scene in particular (and why couldn't we see Buffy actually hit him with that desk?).
A better metaphor might have been a more simple one ("Those bullies are just animals"), but then we wouldn't have gotten Xander into the mix. (Xander-episodes have always been somewhat of a mixed bag - "Teacher's Pet" is a low, while "The Zeppo" is a high.)
Note: this time the DVD froze only once, during the end where the Zookeeper's eyes glowed. I checked the disk, but there weren't any scratches.
Analysis: on the one hand, the monsters-as-metaphor thing is pretty interesting ("My friend is hanging out with new friends who aren't nice"), but on the other hand, it also gets pretty heavy handed. The attempted rape scene in particular (and why couldn't we see Buffy actually hit him with that desk?).
A better metaphor might have been a more simple one ("Those bullies are just animals"), but then we wouldn't have gotten Xander into the mix. (Xander-episodes have always been somewhat of a mixed bag - "Teacher's Pet" is a low, while "The Zeppo" is a high.)
Note: this time the DVD froze only once, during the end where the Zookeeper's eyes glowed. I checked the disk, but there weren't any scratches.
Friday, December 10, 2010
Episode 5: "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date"
Short summary: a prophecy puts in peril the personage of Buffy. Buffy hopes to perchance ask pretty Owen out, but is perplexed by protecting people from poorly-versed Anointed One. Buffy kills the vampire with pyre, but her pick of boyfriend turns out poor when he likes peril. The Anointed One she pushed was a phony, however; the predestined one, a pint-sized pup, meets the pernicious Master at the end.
Analysis: Another clunker. Besides providing the audience with a lot of mythology, but main metaphor of the episode ("Can I balance my work against a social life") ultimately comes down to a definite answer ("No"). Perhaps with a different character it might have worked, but Owen (a character we have not seen before nor will see after) was just so lifeless, I have expected him to be a monster when I first saw this episode. And the actual monster was...not that great. I mean "pork and beans"? They couldn't think of anything better for him to say?
On the other hand, the actual Anointed One looked pretty interesting (creepy child, always good). We didn't see much of him, though.
Note: the DVD set didn't skip at all during this episode (though, again, sometimes I wished it would).
Analysis: Another clunker. Besides providing the audience with a lot of mythology, but main metaphor of the episode ("Can I balance my work against a social life") ultimately comes down to a definite answer ("No"). Perhaps with a different character it might have worked, but Owen (a character we have not seen before nor will see after) was just so lifeless, I have expected him to be a monster when I first saw this episode. And the actual monster was...not that great. I mean "pork and beans"? They couldn't think of anything better for him to say?
On the other hand, the actual Anointed One looked pretty interesting (creepy child, always good). We didn't see much of him, though.
Note: the DVD set didn't skip at all during this episode (though, again, sometimes I wished it would).
Friday, December 3, 2010
Episode 4: "Teacher's Pet"
Short summary: the new substitute teacher is a giant preying mantis who eats virgins. The end.
Analysis: Ah, the first clunker. This episode tries to give us another monster-as-metaphor, but ends up just making us confused. Teachers are...bugs? Stay a virgin or die? (Well, "sex equals pain" was a lesson Buffy taught well.) There is a sort of enjoyment in watching a bad episode, though, as at least you can have a good laugh.
In any case, the praying mantis teacher was one of the few clunkers of the first season. The only good parts about this episode is the increasing wordplay the characters use and the subtle use of Angel. There wasn't even much to analyze.
Note: my DVD was much better on this episode, which is weird because I wouldn't have minded if it did skip. There were times when I wished it would skip.
Analysis: Ah, the first clunker. This episode tries to give us another monster-as-metaphor, but ends up just making us confused. Teachers are...bugs? Stay a virgin or die? (Well, "sex equals pain" was a lesson Buffy taught well.) There is a sort of enjoyment in watching a bad episode, though, as at least you can have a good laugh.
In any case, the praying mantis teacher was one of the few clunkers of the first season. The only good parts about this episode is the increasing wordplay the characters use and the subtle use of Angel. There wasn't even much to analyze.
Note: my DVD was much better on this episode, which is weird because I wouldn't have minded if it did skip. There were times when I wished it would skip.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Episode 3: "The Witch"
Short summary: Watch Buffy try out for cheerleading. Watch Amy try out for cheerleading. Watch all the contenders for being a cheerleader suffer magical accidents. Watch as Buffy and friends figure out Amy is a witch. Watch as it turns out it's not Amy at all: it's Amy's mother, yearning for her glory days. Watch Giles break Amy's mom's spell. Watch Buffy's awesome fight. Watch as Amy's mom gets trapped in a trophy.
Analysis: the first episode not about vampires. In short, this episode could have broken Buffy, but ended up being the episode that finally showed what Buffy could be about: monsters as metaphors. The previous episodes had metaphors, yes, but they weren't the main monsters, they weren't the main plot. This time, the metaphor and monster are the same: my mother is jealous of me. "Youth is wasted on the young."
Just as the Master and Luke made "The Harvest" about fathers and son, so did Catherine and Amy make this about mothers and daughters (although Buffy and her mom started that a bit in the last episode, it kicked into high gear in this one). This theme will actually come back and forth throughout the series.
Note again: the DVD was glitching on this episode too. If it gets worse, I may have to buy a new DVD set. In particular, the image at the end of the episode of the cheerleading trophy just froze.
Analysis: the first episode not about vampires. In short, this episode could have broken Buffy, but ended up being the episode that finally showed what Buffy could be about: monsters as metaphors. The previous episodes had metaphors, yes, but they weren't the main monsters, they weren't the main plot. This time, the metaphor and monster are the same: my mother is jealous of me. "Youth is wasted on the young."
Just as the Master and Luke made "The Harvest" about fathers and son, so did Catherine and Amy make this about mothers and daughters (although Buffy and her mom started that a bit in the last episode, it kicked into high gear in this one). This theme will actually come back and forth throughout the series.
Note again: the DVD was glitching on this episode too. If it gets worse, I may have to buy a new DVD set. In particular, the image at the end of the episode of the cheerleading trophy just froze.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Episode 2: "The Harvest"
Short summary: Buffy escapes evil Luke, emancipates all (except Jesse) from enemies. Willow and Xander now experience the evils and get to know the esoteric expert Giles, while Buffy meets the enigmatic Angel again. Buffy endangers herself (and escorts Xander) when she goes to the underground enclave of the egregious Master; and finds that Jesse is now an excrable vampire. They escape and figure out the Harvest (some evil equinox) is here and through an extrasensory Vessel, the Master may find egress from his ensorcelled enclave. She puts an excellent end to this at the exalted Bronze. Then Buffy and friends eloquently entreat about a mall establishment. "The world is definitely doomed."
Analysis: Awesome. While the first episode started off at a good pace, but had some strange moments, this episode firmly cements the show as awesome. On the whole, the episode is pretty simple: Buffy goes places, is attacked by vampires, goes other places, is attacked by more vampires, and at the end kills the biggest vampire and wins. But underneath the thin veneer of simplicity lies a much more complex metaphor: the Master and his Vessel Luke, like father and son. The Master wishes to escape by feeding (living, practically) through Luke (a theme repeated again in the next episode, "The Witch"). Meanwhile, Buffy and her mom are having trouble themselves - in one of the best scenes, Joyce grounds Buffy for the same behavior that got her kicked out from her previous school. Buffy, saddened by this, simply escapes out the window.
The fact that the climax of the episode takes place in the Bronze means something too (and not just that they didn't have many sets). The Bronze has been shown as a place for teenagers, so naturally Luke (The Son) would go there, to sow his wild oats. With some symmetry, in the very last episode of the season, Buffy believes the Hellmouth will open at the Bronze, but is proven wrong when it opens in the library - because then it is the Master himself (the Father), who is more about knowledge than freedom.
Note: the DVD I'm watching was bought used, so parts of the episode skipped. While I've seen the episode enough times to practically know all the lines, it was still pretty weird.
Analysis: Awesome. While the first episode started off at a good pace, but had some strange moments, this episode firmly cements the show as awesome. On the whole, the episode is pretty simple: Buffy goes places, is attacked by vampires, goes other places, is attacked by more vampires, and at the end kills the biggest vampire and wins. But underneath the thin veneer of simplicity lies a much more complex metaphor: the Master and his Vessel Luke, like father and son. The Master wishes to escape by feeding (living, practically) through Luke (a theme repeated again in the next episode, "The Witch"). Meanwhile, Buffy and her mom are having trouble themselves - in one of the best scenes, Joyce grounds Buffy for the same behavior that got her kicked out from her previous school. Buffy, saddened by this, simply escapes out the window.
The fact that the climax of the episode takes place in the Bronze means something too (and not just that they didn't have many sets). The Bronze has been shown as a place for teenagers, so naturally Luke (The Son) would go there, to sow his wild oats. With some symmetry, in the very last episode of the season, Buffy believes the Hellmouth will open at the Bronze, but is proven wrong when it opens in the library - because then it is the Master himself (the Father), who is more about knowledge than freedom.
Note: the DVD I'm watching was bought used, so parts of the episode skipped. While I've seen the episode enough times to practically know all the lines, it was still pretty weird.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Episode 1: "Welcome to the Hellmouth"
(Note: I won't be watching the unaired pilot. For one thing, it isn't canon. For another thing: Riff Regan as Willow? No way.)
Short summary of episode: Buffy Summers, student-cum-Slayer, arrives at Sunnydale High, meets soon-to-be-sidekicks Willow and Xander, meets and rejects the offer of Watcher Giles, suffers setbacks when it's revealed by sphinxlike stranger Angel that Sunnydale lies on a stygian Hellmouth, goes to the sonorous Bronze where sidekicks are placed in suitable danger. With such stakes, she strikes against the blood-suckers until she meets strongman Luke who subdues her with a smash. "To Be Continued."
Analysis: With the first episode, there are certain things that will be lackluster: the special effects, some of the acting, even parts of the plot. But on the whole, this episode is better than most first episodes and this is why: it sets up the action quickly and, yes, while there is a lot of contrivance (Xander just happens to be in the library to overheard Buffy and Giles' conversation), the plot as a whole moves forward rapidly and with undue haste. The pace of the episode isn't slow, but it doesn't feel like it's rushing either.
The role of reversals is a big one, too: the opening scene is a reversal of a common trope in horror/slasher films. The blond girl walks down a dark corridor and is attacked by the killer/monster. But in this scene, the blond girl is the monster, which mirrors the later reveal that another blond girl fights monsters. Buffy's awakening is also mirrored in the awakening of the Master. And the characters are mirrors of each other: Cordelia is who Buffy once was, Willow is the opposite, the girl Buffy never was, but wants to hang out with now. Xander is the boy Buffy befriends (and only befriends, though he longs for more) and Jesse is his mirror (similar personality, but a different fate). The episode ends, though, predictably, with Buffy in danger (though this is perhaps a holdover from when this episode and the next were connected and shown as one pilot movie). A slight letdown from a less predictable pilot.
These themes (and more!) next week with "The Harvest."
Short summary of episode: Buffy Summers, student-cum-Slayer, arrives at Sunnydale High, meets soon-to-be-sidekicks Willow and Xander, meets and rejects the offer of Watcher Giles, suffers setbacks when it's revealed by sphinxlike stranger Angel that Sunnydale lies on a stygian Hellmouth, goes to the sonorous Bronze where sidekicks are placed in suitable danger. With such stakes, she strikes against the blood-suckers until she meets strongman Luke who subdues her with a smash. "To Be Continued."
Analysis: With the first episode, there are certain things that will be lackluster: the special effects, some of the acting, even parts of the plot. But on the whole, this episode is better than most first episodes and this is why: it sets up the action quickly and, yes, while there is a lot of contrivance (Xander just happens to be in the library to overheard Buffy and Giles' conversation), the plot as a whole moves forward rapidly and with undue haste. The pace of the episode isn't slow, but it doesn't feel like it's rushing either.
The role of reversals is a big one, too: the opening scene is a reversal of a common trope in horror/slasher films. The blond girl walks down a dark corridor and is attacked by the killer/monster. But in this scene, the blond girl is the monster, which mirrors the later reveal that another blond girl fights monsters. Buffy's awakening is also mirrored in the awakening of the Master. And the characters are mirrors of each other: Cordelia is who Buffy once was, Willow is the opposite, the girl Buffy never was, but wants to hang out with now. Xander is the boy Buffy befriends (and only befriends, though he longs for more) and Jesse is his mirror (similar personality, but a different fate). The episode ends, though, predictably, with Buffy in danger (though this is perhaps a holdover from when this episode and the next were connected and shown as one pilot movie). A slight letdown from a less predictable pilot.
These themes (and more!) next week with "The Harvest."
Friday, November 5, 2010
Introductions
My name is Neville (yes, like that kid in Harry Potter). I watch a ton of television. The shows I watch are many and vary, but there is one show that I consistently watch when I need a pick-me-up. You know the one: Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
There are tons of sites about BtVS on the web. What makes this blog any different from them? Well, for one, it's written by me: a Creative Writing major with a fondness for horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. And another thing: this website is an experiment in Buffy-watching. I shall watch one (and only one) episode a week and attempt to analyze it as one would analyze a Robert Frost poem or a James Joyce novel.
Yes, it shall be daunting. But I shall not waver, I shall not quit, not until 144 weeks have passed (or I get bored, whichever comes first). And maybe then I'll move on to Angel.
So: hello and welcome! Let the experiment begin...
There are tons of sites about BtVS on the web. What makes this blog any different from them? Well, for one, it's written by me: a Creative Writing major with a fondness for horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. And another thing: this website is an experiment in Buffy-watching. I shall watch one (and only one) episode a week and attempt to analyze it as one would analyze a Robert Frost poem or a James Joyce novel.
Yes, it shall be daunting. But I shall not waver, I shall not quit, not until 144 weeks have passed (or I get bored, whichever comes first). And maybe then I'll move on to Angel.
So: hello and welcome! Let the experiment begin...
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