Got distracted by other stuff, so I didn’t comment on Buffy this week. Figured I’d combine it with Angel here (which I watched while taking a one-hour break from watching the Anaheim Angels, which somehow seemed Apropos, which is something else entirely.)
Buffy–Overall a solid episode. Loved the subtitling and the extensive sequence with the actors speaking whatever-the-heck-language that was. Anya’s song was blah, unfortunately, and her hair length didn’t seem to match that from “Once More With Feeling.” And the final sequence with D’Hoffryn finally made him seem like a genuine demon head of a vengeance clan, rather than the avuncular type he always is. However, the episode seemed less than the sum of its parts. How could Buffy have forgotten a sword thrust against Anya would be useless considering *we* all remembered having seen Halfax run through last year? “I’m just getting started,” quoth Buffy. What, she’s dragging it out? And the constant repetition of “it devours from below” came across ominous as first, but now it’s starting to sound like an impending case of virulent demonic jock itch. It’s almost as if they want to keep reassuring us that, yes, there is indeed an overall big bad this year (as opposed to the aimlessness that seemed to characterize last season) but enough already with the warnings.
Also, am I the only one who feels like the energy level of the acting is down? Certain cast members…well, it’s not like they’re phoning it in, but they come across more like actors who feel their series is winding down rather than their characters. Maybe they’re jet-lagged. I dunno. Only Marsters seems really on his game; whenever anyone’s in a scene with Spike, their performance level goes up a few notches. Otherwise they seem kinda blah.
Angel–Good characterization marking an episode that seemed mostly set-up. Wes and Lyla are turning into *the* fun couple of TV. These two play more headgames than the guys from “Highlander.” I thought Cordy was going to figure out Angel’s true nature when he didn’t reflect in that honkin’ big mirror she was looking in, but the “Am I a nun?” thing worked nicely too. Connor was actually tolerable. Now when the heck are they making Andy Hallet a regular? I haven’t seen this much lack of support for a regular recurring character since Tara…which is ominous, all things considered.
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I thought that the Buffy episode was actually pretty decent. I really liked the references to 2nd season’s Becoming. I was wondering when it would be brought out into the open that Xander lied to Buffy about what Willow was doing to save Angel.
But you are right, the “It devours from below” is getting a bit old. They should either elaborate on it more, or quit saying it. Over all, I think Buffy and Angel seem pretty solid so far. We’ll just have to wait and see
What I really want to know is exactly what did Willow have to say to D’Hoffryn to convince him to help Anya?
I most definatly agree with your comments about Marsters. His performances as Spike have been great. My favorite being when he had the conversation with both Willow and the rest of the Scoobies when they couldn’t see each other. I’m loving the crazy side of him more than I ever liked the evil side. This is much more entertaining.
One of my favorite bits from last night’s “Angel” was Cordy’s song choice…recapping her brilliant performance from the Sunnydale High (lack of) Talent Show. 🙂
Am I the only one who *enjoyed* last year’s season of Buffy and who doesn’t think much of this season so far?
Brad
First, before I do spoilers, a comment on the end of the World Series. OK, so Eisner was wearing a Mickey Mouse t-shirt as marketing. But why didn’t he do the obvious thing when 1) Disney owns the team and 2) the win is in the ballpark just a mile or two from Disneyland. Namely, announce that they’re keeping the park open to midnight, and anyone with a ticket stub from the game gets in free; i.e. “You’re *all* going to Disneyland!” (If it couldn’t be done that night, say that everyone should keep the stub and a free day date will be announced by today).
Btw, tying Buffy and Angel together, since Buffy actually said the A-word this week, there’s a fairly major hole they’re not even bothering to dance around. Gee, Spike has a soul. Spike is having problems with this. Y’think someone in Sunnydale might want to call up Angel Investigations and ask Angel for some ideas on how to deal with this?
Lorne’s non-regular status is worrisome. I’m also wondering just how he got a client in the hotel so fast after having been imprisoned in Vegas for several months. Also, why did he return to LA? He’s an established star in Vegas, so why not just move to another, not controlled by someone who’d imprison him, hotel and keep doing the show?
On Buffy, I’m still unclear on just why Halfrek was killed off. If I’ve got this straight, Anyanka did the kill the frat boys vengence, and was willing to sacrifice herself to undo it. But, for some reason, D’Hoffryn kills off a different vengence demon who as far as we know he’s perfectly happy with. So instead of costing him one demon, Anyanka, he loses two, Halfrek and Anyanka.
Btw, interesting that Anyanka didn’t bother to point out “Hey, Harris, you killed off a few people with that song and dance spell. Buffy, shouldn’t you be sticking your sword through him too?”
D’Hoffryn did the little bit of killing just because he wanted to punish. And really, it’s good in the long term. Sure, he loses Halfrek, but we don’t know how useful she was, and he pointed out that he’s got plenty of vengeance demons. So what does he gain for this? Torturing someone who’s dared to oppose him, for one… after all, he’s lord of the vengeance demons. Of course he’d go for hurting his former favorite when she turns on him.
For a second, well, he was also perhaps helping to show any other vengeance demons that they don’t want to take Anya’s path.. because as nice as he acts, he’ll certainly make them pay for it. Sacrificing one demoness both for his nature and to make a point for later demons…
I’ll agree with you that this season’s starting off better than last, but I’ll have to disagree with the “performance level goes up” in scenes with Marsters. The basement scenes are getting just a little bit old with the “Spike I–oh that’s right you’re crazy. Well, see ya later”. I’m thinking they might drag that bit on a little too much this season just like last season’s depression for Buffy. I think the actors have been phoning in their parts since last season. I think of scenes in Angel like when Lilah leaves and Wes shows that he’s been hiding Justine in his closet the whole time. THAT’S what Buffy used to do: the plot would go one way and then BAM! — a scene showing what’s REALLY been going on the whole time is casually revealed.
On why don’t they ask Angel about Spike’s soul…besides the “network problem,” I’m thinking there’s the matter of that big ol’ can of worms Buffy *really* isn’t anxious to get into with him about Spike…
About Anya’s song, I agree that it was kind of blah, but I did like how one of the times she opened the door, you could hear two people singing a snippet that would later tie into the “They Got The Mustard Out” song from OMWF.
With Angel, I thought they made every possible right move with the episode. Angel is turning into an APPOINTMENT show to watch lately. I still don’t think much of Connor. The lack of any redeeming qualities, at least in my eyes, makes me wish they had kept him as a baby for a while longer.
What Lorne saw, I wonder if it is tying into the “From Beneath You It Devours” line from Buffy. Even though they are now separate due to networks, it could be done that way, without actually mentioning it.
I’d like to know why Buffy couldn’t have just smashed Anya’s locket. That’s how she reverted to human in the first place. And if there was no locket, then maybe she could have smashed a thimble, or a Pez dispenser, or whatever Anya’s new magical item of choice might be.
I liked the song in the episode of Buffy. Especially the way they cut straight to Anya impaled at the end. ‘Course, I didn’t watch the previous season and didn’t know she could survive the sword-through-the-chest, so that made the scene have a bigger impact on me.
“On why don’t they ask Angel about Spike’s soul…besides the “network problem,” I’m thinking there’s the matter of that big ol’ can of worms Buffy *really* isn’t anxious to get into with him about Spike… “
Certainly that. I find it grimly amusing that Buffy and Angel have each become involved (however tentatively) with the one person who would most upset the other: Buffy with Spike, and Angel with Cordelia.
That’s another reason Buffy might not want to call Angel. He and Spike don’t get along very well, and I’m not sure Angel would want to help Spike, any more than Spike would want to be helped by him.
On top of that, Angel may not know how to help Spike. “How do you deal with having a soul? Well, first you mope around for several decades. Then you try to help the helpless, and when that doesn’t work, you get even more depressed. So you turn evil again a couple of times, alienate your friends, and have sex with someone you don’t really love. Okay?”
–Daniel
Actually, I’m more amused by the fact that Spike’s soul throws the whole Angel prophecies into the blender. I envision a bored Angel down the line…
Lilah: Oh, hey, Angel.
Angel: Uh… I just wanted to check in… I mean, you guys haven’t been bothering me much lately.
Lilah: Yeah, well, you know how it is… busy working.
Angel: But, uh, don’t you need me? Big apocalyptic prophecy and all?
Lilah: Oh, that? No, we got a ringer.
Angel: What?
Lilah: Someone else. We figured you were too much bother.
Angel: You got another vampire with a soul?
Lilah: Yeah, showed up on radar at the end of last season. Didn’t figure it was worth cc:ing you on.
Angel: But the prophecy says “beloved of the Slayer”… I mean, it’s not like even if there was another vampire with a soul, he’d have slept with a Slayer.
Lilah: Gee, about that…
Angel: Man, I never should have spun off.
Originally, I thought Cordelia’s return was going to be punishment/banishment for messing with the slot machine in Vegas.
But now I’m wondering…
Not knowing what side of the fight Angel would enter an upcoming apocalypse on is why Wolfram and Hart started messing with him to begin with.
But now with the big event apparently coming, if Buffy doesn’t get an eighth season, will Angel get a fifth?
>>I’d like to know why Buffy couldn’t have just smashed Anya’s locket. That’s how she reverted to human in the first place.<<
And she would know this how? By watching the reruns on FX?
An alternate universe Giles, whom our Buffy never met, did much research using books that Buffy doesn’t have, to find out that Anyanka would become helpless if her power source was smashed, but he didn’t know what the source might be until it conveniently glowed at him. There’s no way that translates to “Buffy could have smashed her power source.”
Granted, in “Dopplegangland” Willow learned Anya’s necklace was of value to her. But at the time she didn’t know Anya was a former demon, she never learned the importance of the locket, and there’s no reason to assume she ever conveyed the sketchy info to Buffy. There’s way too many gaps in logic to figure Buffy should have known what to do.
PAD
In the episode where Halfrek traps everyone in the Summer’s house, Anya told Buffy to get her locket. Interestingly enough it is right after Halfrek is impaled on a sword. So I think Buffy had some idea of a vengence demon’s strengths. I thought Anya was going to wake up hanging on the wall with Buffy holding her locket.
John Angelo
Has it been definitvely established in the Buffyverse that Vampires can show up on video and in photos? ‘Cause I seem to remember that they can’t, but now we have Angel showing up on video monitors two shows in a row, and in a photo this week.
And while I’m sure the writers could spin it either way, I could see where Angel would jump at the chance to help Spike- after all, mentoring your greatest student in evil in the ways of good- it just doesn’t get any more redemptiony than that, does it?
I, too, am annoyed and concerned that Andy Hallett is not an official, name-and-picture-in-the-opening-credits
cast member.
His character is certainly one of my favorites on the show. I’m glad to see him continuing to have a significant role; I’d feared that his move to Vegas was an excuse to diminish his presence.
Of course, it may be by his choice (cf. A. S. Head’s diminished role in BUFFY).
RDF
“Has it been definitvely established in the Buffyverse that Vampires can show up on video and in photos? ‘Cause I seem to remember that they can’t, but now we have Angel showing up on video monitors two shows in a row, and in a photo this week.”
Angel seems to get photographed every few weeks. The rules of the Buffyverse indicate that vampires show up on cameras, and have shadows, but don’t reflect in mirrors (except when the cameraman screws up). That’s the way Joss wants it.
(If I were politically correct, I suppose, I would have said, “cameraman or camerawoman,” but I didn’t want to stick that many clauses in the sentence.)
“And while I’m sure the writers could spin it either way, I could see where Angel would jump at the chance to help Spike- after all, mentoring your greatest student in evil in the ways of good- it just doesn’t get any more redemptiony than that, does it?”
Yep, there are lots and lots of convincing reasons for Angel to help Spike, and lots of reasons for him not to. The “no crossovers” dictum tilts the scales toward the nay side. Also, I think Buffy figures she can handle Spike on her own. If she cures him of his insanity, it will relieve her guilt, and if she doesn’t, it will make him less dangerous, since he’ll spend most of his time cowering in the basement. For now, she may be in too much shock and denial to really deal with the situation.
–Daniel
on how to help Spike with the return of his soul.
Sure Angel is the obvious choice, however if we remember when Angel is doing the “crazy” bit because of the weight of his soul,
which brings to mind, where is Whistler? (the demon who helped Angel get his ášš up out of the depths of pity/insanity)
If I remember right he just sort of disappeared…..
Maybe Angel would be a good start and the obvious one but only a start.
I hear Faith will be appearing on both Angel and Buffy later in the season so maybe if Faith can cross networks…..
and if we really are going back to the beginning isn’t Angel quite essential to this?
The reason vampires don’t traditionally show up in cameras is that cameras have mirrors or reflective surfaces as part of their mechanism.
I don’t believe a video camera does. And if the photos Cordy was looking at was from a digital camera, that wouldn’t either. Which means Angel’s image would appear in them.
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To answer why Andy Hallett is not in the credits really goes to his contract status.
Basically, as in Buffy, there are three levels of contracts. Actors that are contracted to appear in a minimum of (I believe) 18 episodes appear in the opening credits. Supporting actors that are contracted to appear in a minimum of 11 (again, an estimate) do not. Special guest stars may or may not depending on the contract.
Andy Hallett is not contracted for a ‘full’ season, and falls into the second category.
However, don’t think that he’s limited to a certain number of episodes–the contract just guarantees a minimum number. He could appear in all the other episodes as well…but it all comes down to the contract.
Of course, there are always exceptions–such as Tara’s credits in her last episode, and Jonathan’s credits in Superstar.
D. Eric Carpenter