#Jane Giles

[jgthirlwell]

Scala!!! is a documentary about the legendary London repertory cinema ; JG Thirlwell spent a lot of time there in the late 70s and early 80s. Thirlwell, who appears in the documentary, will be joining co-director Ali Catterall and co-director & former Scala film programmer Jane Giles for a Q and A after the screening of the film at Metrograph in NYC on July 21 2024.

[lonesomedreamereccentriclover]

Happy Birthday Gwendoline Christie!

[babygirlgiles]

Fine. I’ll admit it. I’m coming out as an I Robot, You Jane sympathizer. I like that episode. The first scene in the library alone like!! Giles’s snide little “of course 😒”. The iconic “if you’re not jacked in, you’re not alive,” line that I quote relentlessly. The interpretation of scanning a book as being the same as “reading” it, which is just (unintentionally) so, so fascinating to me. The way the whole episode as a Time Capsule of anxieties not just about the internet and technology and “stranger danger”, but more broadly about information and knowledge and privacy and human connection. The idea that the mystical and the divine is everywhere, even in digital spaces. Willow has a picture of her and Giles in her locker. She has a picture of herself and Rupert Giles. Hanging In Her Locker. I cannot emphasize this enough. Willow has a picture of her and her high school librarian Rupert Giles hanging prominently in her locker. And. most importantly. Jenny Calendar. <3

[buffster]

The Replacement (BTVS 5.03)

This is part of my ongoing Buffyverse Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the shows. You can find the BTVS list here and the ATS list here. Gifs are not mine.

This episode got heavy on the psycho-analysis. Let's dive in.

We open on Xander's continued humiliation in his parent's basement. He's double dating with Buffy and Riley and--I assume--doesn't have the cash to take this party literally anywhere else. The cat peed on his hot plate--eliminating their food options--and his parents quickly start fighting horribly upstairs.

All signs point to Xander developing his easy-going, friendly, always-has-a-joke personality as a way to cope with his parent's toxic relationship. If he was able to lighten the mood it probably gave him a sense of safety when it calmed down the screaming and throwing. No wonder he's charming with even the most hostile people.

Xander witnesses Riley please Buffy with some shoulder rubbing and quickly tries it on Anya who--whoops--has a dislocated shoulder. But it's not all paradise in Briley land. Riley is feeling a little neglected in the relationship as Buffy dives headlong into slaying. He makes some subtle remarks but never opts to just communicate his needs to Buffy.

Riley: Hey, Buff. Maybe you oughtta leave the work behind sometimes. You're not always a slayer on duty, you know.

Buffy: Well, it would drive you crazy if this was an army movie and they were all, you know, saluting backwards and, and… invading all willy-nilly.

Subtext here:

Riley: Hey Buffy, pay attention to me on our date night.

Buffy: Oh, he's annoyed I'm analyzing the movie. Sorry!

The awkward date seems to finally give Xander a push to look at apartments. They immediately assume Riley is the one looking. Anya's matter-of-fact dissection of his life is definitely not helping his self-esteem, either.

Anya: Which is when, Xander? 'Cause right now things are looking pretty un-together and you can't expect me to just wait around-

Xander: Quiet, please. Anya, what is this? What's going on with you?

Anya: What's going on is my arm is hurt and I'm tired and I don't really feel like finishing the tour of beautiful things I can't have.

We're also getting a little more Anya character development this season as we see her adjust to what it means to be human. This episode highlights some of their issues as a couple. Anya is looking for a protector and a provider, which leaves Xander constantly feeling like he's not enough. Xander needs someone to bolster his confidence and self-worth, which I don't think Anya's matter-of-fact attitude really does. There's also a sense that neither of them are really seeing the other. Anya looks at Xander and sees the role he plays in the list of things she wants to accomplish during her human life. Xander looks at Anya and sees someone to bolster his ego and--to be honest--someone who embarrasses him.

The demon Toth plans to attack Buffy but hits Xander instead.

Xander: So, you take the bullet for the swinging Scooby-friends and what do you get? A pat on the head? A tasteful medal? No! You get left for dead under a light layer of moldy socks and banana peels!

How did Xander genuinely believe his friends would just leave him there? Goodness.

The Xander split raises the question of whether Xander is wearing his weakness as a defense mechanism. As I said, a jovial, non-threatening personality probably worked to disarm his father and mother and created a sense of safety. The "weak" version of Xander is the most Xander-like of the two, to the extent we're suspicious the other one isn't Xander at all. Strong Xander dresses well and carries himself with confidence. He nods solemnly as Giles explains what likely happened, while "weak" Xander is shouting, "It's probably a robot!" Does Xander feel safer being the joke even as it cuts at his self-esteem?

Xander: I'm just... another great humiliation. And this time it's even worse. This demon, he's like, taking my life and, everyone's treating him...everyone's treating him like a grown-up. Well, I'm starting to feel like... Like, it's doing everything better, it's smarter and... I don't know. Maybe I should just let it have it. Take my life, please.

I do think Willow has a point that there's a connection missing between Xander and Anya. He doesn't think of her for some time during the whole fiasco, signaling she's not his partner in a real way. It seems more like they stumbled into a relationship and never saw a reason to end things than anything else. Xander says he "needs her" but...why? Though Riley claims Anya "wants the whole package", I got the sense she was far more attracted to strong Xander and could have done away with the other part.

I want to touch on Buffy and Dawn's sibling rivalry for a second. I think part of it is meant to be attributed to Buffy having to acclimate to a sister after always being an only child, but I say Joyce gets some of the blame here too. Children need adults to intervene and create boundaries. Why is Joyce allowing Dawn to stand in the hallway and harass Buffy? You're just not fostering a good relationship here, Joyce.

After we learn that Toth meant to split Buffy into slayer Buffy and regular Buffy, Buffy has concerns:

Buffy: Well, you have been kinda rankly about the whole "Slayer" gig. Instead of Slayer Buffy you could have Buffy Buffy.

Riley: I have Buffy Buffy. Being the slayer is part of who you are. You keep thinking I don't get that, but --

Buffy: I just know how unfun it can be. Bad hours, frequent bruising, cranky monsters-

Riley: Buffy, if you led a perfectly normal life, you wouldn't be half as crazy as you are. I gotta have that. I'm talking toes, elbows, the whole bad-ice-skating-movie obsession, everything. There's no part of you I'm not in love with.

The thing is, I don't think Riley does have a problem with slaying. At least not with the slaying itself. He has a problem with what being a Slayer means: Buffy doesn't look to him as a partner. Riley isn't strong enough to stand by her side. She has to protect him and therefore must stand alone. I think this fact also carries over to other areas of her life, which is why she doesn't lean on him even in areas where she could. The trauma of Angelus also left a lasting impact on her and she's unable to fully lean on anyone. There is a part of her that stands apart...Riley senses that and becomes insecure. Add in some abandonment trauma from her dad, and I think Buffy has some clear attachment issues. None of this has anything to do with Riley himself, but he doesn't get that.

He seems to take the view that allowing someone into her Slaying life is letting them in completely, but I don't think that's true. Later in the season she lets Spike stand by her side because he can physically handle it, but it's not until she tests him again and again that she begins to think he might not leave her and she feels safe to open up. And we're only beginning to get there by series end. Riley is missing the point here, is what I'm saying!

Once the Xanders are back as one, the gang helps Xander finally move out of the basement. He thinks people only want cool Xander, and we see Dawn whisper that she likes the weak part of him, too. Xander also mentions that Anya always make him feel insecure, which I don't think is a great sign.

Riley: Hey, I'm well aware of how lucky I am. Like, lottery lucky. Buffy's like nobody else in the world. When I'm with her, it's like I'm split in two -- half of me is just on fire, going crazy if I'm not touching her. Other half is so still and peaceful, just perfectly content. Just knows: this is the one. But she doesn't love me.

I'm going to hold thoughts on this until later in the season.

Character Notes:

Riley Finn: We continue to see his identity is increasingly tied up in being Buffy's boyfriend. It's not that she's the center of his world...it's that she's his entire world. He genuinely likes psychology and wants to lock the Xanders in separate rooms and do experiments on them.

Spike: We see him scavenging at the local dump.

Xander Harris: He has a collection of Babylon 5 commemorative plates. Also "for my seventh birthday I wanted a toy fire truck and I didn't get it and you were really nice about it and then the house next door burned down and real fire trucks came and for years I thought you set the fire for me. And if you did, you can tell me." Every Christmas he watches Charlie Brown with Willow and does the Snoopy dance.

[hal-1500]

Maybe today I am thinking about Giles saying "Those boys aren't sparklingly normal as it is", as if he himself is even within touching distance of normal.

This is a man in orbit around the very concept of normal. He's had normal described to him but he's never seen it. He wouldn't know what normal was if it danced naked in front of him wearing a badge saying "I'm a Slayer - ask me how!"

It will never not be funny to me that, though he clearly means it as a devastating insult, it's actually practically a professional opinion.

[fideidefenswhore]

interesting that 'stannes' are solely blamed for 'distasteful' theories of anne's predecessor and successor...which come from their own biographers?

[longwayroundpodcast]

This episode explores school lunches, OSHA violations, asking the tough questions like ”So… what are we?”, and last but not least, Mickey fundamentally misunderstanding the machinations of lesbian drama.

[mariocki]

Six Plays by Alan Bennett: All Day on the Sands (1.6, LWT, 1979)

"Look at the level of that sauce. Only started yesterday, it's gone down dramatically. I'm under no compulsion to provide sauce. Lathering it on. It's not as if my cooking needed sauce!"

"Make it available on request. Sauce available on request, that'll bring them to a sense of responsibility."

"Wouldn't care, but they go at the salt and pepper like lunatics. You'd think they'd never seen a cruet in their lives."

[reachingforthevoid]

Doctor Who: School Reunion

I rewatched this story on 15 June 2023. It’s partially about child labour; and this Monday was the World Day Against Child Labour.

We begin in a school. A pupil is waiting to see the Headmaster, and is attacked by him behind closed doors. The Doctor enters a classroom, dressed as a teacher. He takes a class of physics and discovers a child genius. Rose, meanwhile, is a dinner lady. It doesn't take long for them to realise that aliens have infiltrated the school, and not only the Doctor is alert to it (thanks to Mickey this time)…

It’s an unusual start to this story, which shows that Dr Who is still capable of doing new things while keeping a tie to its past. This is the first time that an actual travelling companion from the show’s past returned and met the current TARDIS crew, and it’s a corker of a story in which it happens.

Random thoughts: it’s dated a bit with some of the then contemporary language - ASBOs, slappy-happy hoodies… I also can’t help but think if this story was written and made some ten years after it was, the commentary about school dinners and discipline would be quite different.

A very warm welcome back to Sarah Jane Smith and K9.

[oveliagirlhaditright]

Hey, it's me again. I know you don't really answer asks anymore, but I just wanted to say I REALLY LOVED the post you did about "I, Robot... You, Jane" today, the introduction of Jenny Calendar was easily the best thing about that entire episode (Giles/Jenny were one of the best and most heartbreaking ships on the entire show, I don't think I'll ever get over just how brutal "Passion" was)!

Oh, thank you, friend!<3

I really love "I, Robot...You, Jane," so I'm glad I'm not alone.

I know that Passion of the Nerd, for instance--in his Buffy guide--seemed to indicate that if Jenny wasn't introduced in this episode, he probably would have just suggested that people skip it.

And while part of me understands that, and why people might not like this episode... I don't know: I just feel like Willow's first "relationship" in the show is an important thing, among other things. And I find Moloch as an episode Big Bad pretty interesting.

I also like that Willow was willing to have a relationship with someone she met online, even if the story went into a "you can't trust people you meet online" direction. That is definitely dated in some regards, but also sound advice in others. You do have to be careful about that kind of thing.

This episode also being the thing that made Google a verb is iconic.

As is the last scene with Buffy, Willow, and Xander realizing that none of them will ever have normal, healthy relationships, as they try to comfort Willow. LOL

Buffy being too cute while detecting is also great.

-shrugs- I just feel like every time I watch this episode, I find more to like about it. And it's definitely not one of the worst season 1 episodes to me at all.

And Jenny, and Giles/Jenny are just too great. Giles was actually my favorite character when I was first watching the show, and Giles/Jenny was also the first ship I fell in love with, for sure. They're just too cute and perfect. And, yes, Passion will always hurt, damnit.

Thank you so much for the ask!

And sorry I'm slow about getting around to things lately. There's been a lot of scary medical things lately: like me realizing that what I was diagnosed is worse than I thought it was, and me having some pretty scary breathing issues recently (not to scare you or bombard you with all this).

But I'm fine at the moment, so no worries right now, and I was more than happy to answer this. And hopefully I should get to your message soon:)

[milksockets]

'nijar theater, almería, spain, 2007' by sara de giles in breaking ground: architecture by women - jane hall (2019)

[viivenn]

making an important announcement about some things i’ve noticed in the gwendoline christie fandom that really bug me.

disclaimer: read this at your own convenience and discretion. i am not responsible for any sort of hurt feelings and frankly… i don’t care. if you’re mad about this, you are probably the problem. /lh

to start with id like to begin on a positive note so that i’m not diving into negativity, i don’t want to be completely negative about my experiences because i’ve actually met some of the kindest people in the world through this fan base.

the gwen fandom, the gwandom, the gwendoline christie fandom , the lesbian cesspool, has been an incredible experience that i’m grateful i’ve had the pleasure of being apart of.

i went through a rough patch during november, and if i hadn’t found out about gwen, or met such wonderful people during my time here , i honestly wouldn’t be here right now. i owe my life to these people, gwen included. i will forever adore miss christie and what she stands for alongside the friends i’ve made along the way.

and while i know someday this hyperfix will end, it’s really disheartening to me when a fandom is what makes me grow distant from things i enjoy. it happened before, i feel as though it is happening all over again.

and no, i’m not taking issue with anything like the catrissa stuff or the brienne and larissa ship going around or anything like that. i like that we can all be weird together and enjoy aus like catrissa and crackships like bririssa (not sure the official name that was decided lol). my issue is the amount of content i’ve seen that either focuses on gwen herself, or the strange relationship with minors, or the odd artwork of gwen, and the absolute disgusting behaviour towards giles.

gwen would be absolutely appalled seeing fanfictions of herself that involve nsfw or just her in general, anyone would, it’s disgusting to make works of real people in that setting. it’s like you’re treating them as an original character you can mould and manipulate as you see fit and using someone who is real with thought and feeling and consciousness for smut fics is not okay, or any fic in general. i totally get the hype around her characters, i literally have “brienne’s princess” in my bio and i’ve had “jane murdstone’s bloodbag” (in reference to my vamp au) as a name in a discord server.

but i think the fandom has begun to blur the lines between fictional characters and reality settings when it comes to gwen and the personalities she portrays on the television screen. it’s not fair to her. it’s disgusting. i’ve seen a minor do it, i’ve seen a grown adult do it. it’s something i don’t see shamed and frowned upon often enough and it’s really not okay.

on that note i’d like to quickly mention the photos, we alllll know what photos i’m talking about. the bunny one, the nudes, the ones gwen has expressed regret towards and wishes to not have them spread. was there not a “fan” who brought her a book of her nudes and wanted her to sign it? that person who was blocked on instagram by gwen because they reposted her nudes on their story and tagged her???? how can you refer to yourself as a fan after behaving so abhorrently? absolutely disgusting behaviour. as a collective fandom we need to stop touching those photos (metaphorically speaking) and leave them in the past.

i’ve been told of numerous circumstances in which adults have shown their nsfw works to minors in this fandom and it has to fucking stop. it’s disgusting!! how can you do that knowingly? i constantly ponder terminating my account after a minor got ahold of my nsfw work, and upon realising they WERE a minor it was as simple as blocking and moving on. it’s truly not that hard, folks. and the minors on tiktok who fight with others saying silly things like “that’s my wife” or worse. i’ve seen it all, i feel like, and the more i see it the more sick i become. i cannot stand it.

i have seen and heard of fans who have fat shamed gwen for that one pink dress she wore to the met gala. she looked so happy in that dress, and the audacity one must have to fatshame that poor woman on twitter then turn around and continue to proclaim your ‘love for her’ as if you’d done no wrong? are you fucking serious? are you mental?

and the sexualisation over the porcelain doll look, gods some of you are sick. those were not real breasts, people. considering the fact she wholeheartedly regrets her nude photoshoots , what possesses you to believe she would actually flaunt her chest in that outfit?

the blatant mistreatment of poor giles is not fucking okay either. just because you’re jealous of someone who makes her immensely happy does not give you the right to post something so vile and cruel about him. shame on you. why do you believe this is okay to post:

????????

are you serious? have any of you stopped to consider how HAPPY giles makes her? or is her happiness the last thing you ponder when you look at her? have you even noticed how unhappy she looks lately? have you truly paused to consider how she would feel about seeing this on your page, random twitter user, or the rest of you who think this is okay? bless your hearts.

and some of the absolutely horrific things i’ve seen about her online and the hurtful behaviour towards giles makes me question the difference between a fan and just the general paparazzi. because if you truly loved her and you truly loved giles then i would not be ranting into the fucking void about it for no reason.

i avoid interacting with pages i find problematic on here to keep from stirring the pot but tonight i chose violence and got reeeeeal pissy about how i felt about this place. it’s not okay what i see on here and it’s getting exhausting seeing the same cycle of content on a daily.

that’s everything i have to say, i think. i probably missed a lot that should be discussed in the comments but i’m done for now because i know if i go on i’ll probably cry.

before you post things about real people with real feelings , stop to consider how they will feel those real feelings towards the content you put out. chances are you’ll become less problematic and obnoxious that way. 💘

[theroyalsandi]

British Royal Family - The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh arrive for the Order of the Thistle Service at St Giles' Cathedral in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Jane Barlow) | July 3, 2024

[hal-1500]

Extremely important to me that Jenny spends the entirety of her canon relationship with Giles being flirty and bantery and taking great delight in flustering him and deliberately pushing him out of his comfort zone and generally broadcasting an aura of, "Haha, this is such a fun, light-hearted, casual, sexy distraction with no feelings or strings attached!! Haha!! I can stop any time I like!!"

BUT pretty much any time Giles expresses insecurity or uncertainty about their relationship or tries to give her an out or pulls away, she metaphorically steps closer to him, totally giving the lie to her already-paper-thin assertions of detachment.

A non-exhaustive list of my favourite examples of this:

Exhibit A: Even in I Robot, You Jane, every time Giles tries to escape Jenny and her needling, she follows him around like a little cat, or reminds him that, hey, we were fighting, actually, so come back here and pay attention to me!!

Exhibit B: At the end of Some Assembly Required, when Giles is clearly thinking that their first date has gone badly off the rails, *she's* the one who floats the idea of a second date.

Exhibit C: In School Hard, when Giles suggests that he'd understand if Jenny didn't want to see him anymore, she *literally* takes his arm like they're the romantic leads in a Golden Age Hollywood film, and the look on her face shows she knows *exactly* what she's doing.

Exhibit D: During Ted, after the conversation with Giles in her classroom, she fucking chases him down mid-patrol, in a cemetery, at night, in a vampire town, on the Hellmouth to patch things up - even though he's the one fled her classroom after failing to respect her boundaries.

And the best bit is that so much of Jenny's character and arc are the result of shoddy writing but it all combines to create this situation where she's both transparently in love with Giles and completely in denial about it.

She's holding him at arms-length all the time but, if he even *looks* like pulling away, she holds on so tight! If he runs, she chases. She's got it so bad and she doesn't even know!

And, really, how can you not love her for that??

[gffa]

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the film’s debut on May 25, 1983, 40 storytellers explore the story of Return of the Jedi through the eyes of supporting characters, including heroes, villains, droids, aliens, and creatures.

From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors:

Olivie Blake gives us a chilling glimpse into the mind of Emperor Palpatine.

Saladin Ahmed recounts the tragic history of the rancor keeper.

Charlie Jane Anders explores the life and times of the Sarlacc.

Fran Wilde reveals Mon Mothma’s secret mission to save the Rebel Alliance.

Mary Kenney chronicles Wicket the Ewok’s quest for one quiet day on the forest moon of Endor.

And Anakin Skywalker becomes one with the Force in a gripping tale by Mike Chen.

Plus, more hilarious, heartbreaking, and astonishing tales from Tom Angleberger, Kristin Baver, Akemi Dawn Bowman, Emma Mieko Candon, Olivia Chadha, Gloria Chao, Adam Christopher, Paul Crilley, Amal El-Mohtar, M. K. England, Jason Fry, Adam Lance Garcia, Lamar Giles, Max Gladstone, Thea Guanzon, Ali Hazelwood, Patricia A. Jackson, Alex Jennings, Jarrett Krosoczka, Sarah Kuhn, Danny Lore, Sarah Glenn Marsh, Kwame Mbalia, Marieke Nijkamp, Danielle Paige, Laura Pohl, K. Arsenault Rivera, Dana Schwartz, Tara Sim, Phil Szostak, Suzanne Walker, Hannah Whitten, Sean Williams, and Alyssa Wong.

[theroyalweekly]

The Princess of Wales, known as the Duchess of Rothesay while in Scotland, during the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, and the presentation of the Honours of Scotland, at St Giles' Cathedral.

Image ID: 2RAR3C9/Jane Barlow/PA -- Alamy Editorial