#buffy review

[redlettermediathings]

[mileenaxyz]

"A rude, unfunny, misogynistic moron" 🤣🤣🤣

ETA Whedon once said Xander was based on himself because he was that guy all the girls just wanted to be friends with.

Yeah, that's not how that works.

Nobody wants to be friends with Xander. Buffy wanted tutoring from Willow and Willow had a crush on Xander. And since Xander had no friends outside of Willow (and Jesse), befriending Willow full-time meant being stuck with Xander. 💁🏽‍♀️

Over the years, we saw Willow evolve, make new friends, join/create new groups, while Xander...didn't. And in S4, when Xander keeps showing up on campus at a university he doesn't go to, Buffy politely asks WTF he's doing there.

If Willow had gained some self-esteem a few years earlier, Xander would be a friendless loser probably planning to pew pew the school.

Girls don't "want" to be friends with guys like Xander/Joss. We get stuck with guys like them because they have no one else to glom onto, nowhere else to go, and since they can't force their way into a guy group, they use their last little dregs of male privilege to force themselves into a girl group. They show up uninvited to our homes, follow us EVERYWHERE, and disapprove of every guy we're interested in.

Cordelia could've easily replaced Xander completely in S1-3 while Anya could've taken over in S4, and BTVS would've been infinitely better. (Even better, Cordelia could've stayed on Buffy and Spike could've gone to Angel after getting chipped.) Because it wasn't Anya who was stapled to Xander, it was Xander who was stapled to Anya (like with Willow). We were first introduced to Anya through Harmony and Cordelia. She later worked a spell with Willow. We NEVER needed to see her with Xander.

[theaftersundown]

I get it now. You b*tches didn't like TVD because it was too normal and tame for you. A love story? Ew. Generational family drama and magic? Pathetic. Redemption and character arc? F*ck no. Hot guys and women? DISGUSTING.

No, no you mfs clearly want to be Ellen in Nosferatu and get manhandled by an actual demonic vampire... okay you crazies.

[edenfenixblogs]

What you put on the internet stays there forever*

*unless it is that one thing from 2003 you’re looking for. Because that has been obliterated from the planet never to be seen again.

[apebellica]

Last night I finally watched I saw the TV glow and, in a very short amount of time, It has become one of those movies that makes me both want to rewatch It over and over again and simultaneously pill my skin off. This movie has quikly became one of my favorites, hands down. But! It's so intense and terrifying and dense that I think I need time to fully digest it.

Right now I can only say that I have never seen something like this (ok, maybe yes if we count We are all going to the world's fair, Jane Schoenbrun's first film), I never consumed a media SO damn dysphoric. You can feel it, clearly. It's in the cinematography, in the script, in the lighting, this sense of incongruity, this feeling of "there's something wrong, something doesn't add up, life shouldn't be this way". It's insane how a viewing like that satisfied a deep desire inside of me and incredibly shook me at the same time. Themes such as isolation, nostalgia, escapism, dissociation and the fear of not being able to distinguish what is truly real are brought to the screen with an imagery so extraordinarily beautiful in all its horror that I really don't know what to say other than ... wow. The more I think about it, the more I feel understood by this film. It's a strangely thrilling and exhilarating experience. This movie, among other things, like I said erlier in this post, is about dysphoria. The type of dysphoria we feel pre coming out (to ourself and to others), before realising this is why we feel this way, before accepting it and before deciding what we want to do in terms of transizioning.

I think the final scene, above all, while extremely disturbing, is a perfect representation of that realization: it pictures the panic, the fear associated with it. The protagonist sees something they cannot unsee and, at this point, you can never look back.

Don't mistake me, being trans, being non-binary is beautiful (I absolutely don't want to be cis) but sometimes it feels like that, like in that final scene, when you can't breathe and all you want is to scream. When you feel distant from other people, not understood and, all you want to do, is to open yourself up.

So yeah... This are my 2.00 AM toughts on I saw the TV glow.

The only thing I can say right now is that I need to rewatch this movie multiple times.

Aaaaand if you have toughts on this movie or you want to discuss It let me know!

PS: plz forgive me if the english is weird, It's not my first language O⁠_⁠o

[justanothergreb]

Just started another Buffy rewatch and thought it works be fun to write down thoughts after each episode. So here's my initial thoughts after S1 Ep 1 &2 - "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "The Harvest".

Why does Angel have a personality in these two episodes? For the remainder of the series he is a wet flannel but in these episodes we got sass, a hint of sexy brooding. Where did this go?

Xander kinda sucks from day one doesn't he? As I grow older, the more I find Xander hugely irritating (more so knowing he was who JW based on himself which says everything.

I love how used to weird shit Sunnydale as a town is that they just kinda deal with it.

This series is so quoteable, now adding Cordelia's "what's your childhood trauma?!" to my repertoire.

That's all for the moment but a solid start and introduction to the majority of the initial gang.

[inconsistentlywrittensoul]

Buffy Season One Review

I’m on my first Buffy rewatch in a long time - I think over a decade? I have watched the entire series enough times that the episodes are all still kind of burned into my brain, but I’m curious what my reaction will be now I’m a bit older.

Anyway, I’ve finished Season One, and I thought I might do a quick review of each season as I go. Can’t promise I’ll be able to keep it up, but I’ll give it a go. So…

Season One Review

S1 is… fine. It’s okay. It’s not as good as later seasons, but it’s not bad; it’s shallower than later seasons, but having expected that I found there’s a surprising amount of depth here. (Partly because I’m watching after reading @herinsectreflection’s excellent analyses, which inspired this most recent rewatch.)

I actually don’t think there are many bad episodes in S1 - the problem is, there’s hardly any good episodes either, and none that rise beyond just being ‘good’. They’re mostly just perfectly serviceable - the metaphors are a bit blunt, the humour’s a bit broad, the MIDI soundtrack kind of sucks, the vibes are kind of cheesy and immature, and overall, it’s just…

It’s Power Rangers. It’s a bit deeper and scarier, and the action scenes are worse, but basically, Season One is Power Rangers. And that’s not bad - I kind of like Power Rangers, and it’s not a bad season by those standards - but it’s not what Buffy is trying to be, or what it will become.

Season Score: 5/10 - It’s fine.

Big Bad - The Master:

In some ways, the Master is perfect. It makes sense that Buffy’s first villain is this kind of ancient and powerful vampire - he’s not as interesting as later villains, but it feels appropriate that Buffy has to beat this more generic Big Bad to move on to them. And he has a strong enough presence that he can actually bear the mythic weight that is placed upon him - it makes sense that he’s the one that killed Buffy, that he sired the Bisexual Vampire Squad; it never feels inappropriate that he has this important place in the mythology of the series, and he can carry that weight in his rare later appearances.

Unfortunately, in this season, he’s a Power Rangers villain. He sits in his lair, sending out minions and screaming in frustration when they fail. (Even finally facing the hero directly in the finale, beating them easily before they get a power up and return the favour - classic Power Rangers villain stuff.) He spends most of the season both trapped and sickly - while at full power he’s a compelling, intimidating presence, for most of the season he seems weak and kind of effete, like a homophobic Bond villain. At his best, he's montrous yet civilised, brutal but witty; in his weakened state, he lacks the contrasts that make him compelling.

Still, he is charming, he does work well in the finale, and he’s always a delight in his rare later appearances. So…

Big Bad Score: 5/10 - He’s fine. (... and not in that sense.)

Rewatch Reevaluations

The biggest change in my perspective since my last rewatch is around Angel. When I was younger, I didn’t really think much about the age difference between him and Buffy; now I’m older, I’m extremely aware of it, but also, it seems like the show is too. The episode where he shifts from ‘random mysterious stranger’ to ‘potential love interest’ is Teacher’s Pet - an episode about an older sexual predator preying on teenagers. Then in ‘Angel’, we don’t just see him creepily staring at Buffy, we see him lie to her about it afterwards, in an episode where the age difference is a major topic of discussion.

In general, his obsession with her comes across as way more creepy and pathetic than I remember, and while part of that is just my interpretation, I do think think the series is aware of it; I think him following her around and staring at her from afar is meant to be kind of offputting. I’m curious how I’ll feel about their romance going forward - I remember on previous watches I thought their breakup in Season 3 was unmotivated, and I suspect I’ll feel very differently about it this time around.

I’m also generally more aware of some things after reading @herinsectreflection’s essays. In particular, I’m noticing Buffy’s relationship to death - from her ‘seize the day, because tomorrow you might be dead’ philosophy in the first episode, to her rebelling against and accepting it in the last… and her Faith-like smile as she enjoys mortal combat with vampires at the beginning of ‘Prophecy Girl’. I’m also much more aware of Giles as a very flawed figure torn between paternal affection for Buffy and sending her to her death - which is explicit in a few episodes, but I’m more aware of it as an ongoing arc, rather than just some isolated emotional beats.

Other than that, one thing I’m noticing is how much weight the show gives to the death of minor characters. It’s easy for an action/horror show to start treating death casually or flippantly, but so far the show is careful to give each death an emotional impact, to make every death matter… at least ‘til the end of the episode, at which point they’ll be promptly forgotten about. Sorry Jesse.

And unsurprisingly for a 90s show, I am finding the sense of humour a little mean and kind of misogynistic, especially towards Cordelia. That said, though Xander is often the face of this meanness, I honestly don’t dislike him, even in S1. The thing is, either the show is aware that he’s being an asshole, in which case it’s an intentional character flaw, which is good; or it isn’t, in which case I tend to blame the show itself rather than the character. Maybe that’s a little generous, but it lets me enjoy the character, so I’m willing extend that generosity. I am curious how I’ll feel about him going forward. I'm glad at least Cordelia gets to be more of a character towards the end of the season - it does make the jokes around her feel a lot less mean.

Honourable Mention Award for Underrated or Forgotten Characters Who Deserve to be Mentioned Honourably

3. Zookeeper Furry from ‘The Pack’. Just a really solid one-off villain performance, in an era where performances tend towards the broad and cheesy side of the spectrum.

2. The Black Cat from ‘The Witch’. Looks like stock footage, never shares a shot or even a set with another character, and achieves nothing except slightly startling Giles, after which he just continues as if nothing happened. Yet despite doing basically nothing, it achieves greatness by earning a place in the opening credits. Truly an inspiration.

1. Principal Flutey. With how much he gets overshadowed by Principal Snyder, it’s easy to forget how great Flutey is as a character. From tearing up Buffy’s permanent record and taping it back together again in front of her, to being eaten by Hyena-possessed students, Flutey is a delight whenever he’s on screen - he’s genuinely a highlight of Season 1 for me. Principal Flutey, I salute you, and hearby mention you as honourably as I can.

Episode Rankings

Might not do this for every season, but hey, it’s a short season, so why not. Starting from the top:

'Prophecy Girl' - Obvious choice, needs no explanation.

'Angel' - Strong character work, introduces a bunch of ideas that’ll be important for the rest of the series, and solves the problem of making a single vampire a threat by giving her guns, which I respect.

'Welcome to the Hellmouth'/'The Harvest' - A solid introduction to the series; I wouldn’t call it great by most standards, but it competently introduces everything the setting, characters and the premise of the series, which is impressive in its own way. Luke is perfect in his role - he’s a compelling presence that feels like a genuine threat, but he’s not so interesting that he distracts from the important things.

'The Pack' - A solid guest performance from the zookeeper, Principal Flutey’s last stand, and some juicy thematic and character goodness makes leaves this Monster of the Week episode at the head of the pack. (… I am so terribly sorry.)

'Nightmares' - Character! Themes! Imagery! This episode has it all, at least by the standards of Season One.

'Out of Mind, Out of Sight' - The first episode that treats Cordelia like an actual character. Also, invisible assassin school! Everybody loves invisible assassin school.

'The Witch' - A perfectly competent MOTW episode, this gets a boost for featuring the cat that accomplishes nothing.

'I Robot, You Jane' - Yeah, the 90s hacker schtick is goofy, but this ep’s not bad - I like the goofy robot demon and the surprisingly good demon prosthetics for its non-robot body that barely appears in the episode. I like the idea that scanning a magic book can summon a demon into the internet itself. Also, Jenny’s here.

'Teacher’s Pet' - Another MOTW episode that does its job adequately. I’m inclined to think of this as the Most Typical Season 1 Episode - it perfectly represents the season at its baseline.

'Puppet Show' - I kind of like some of the ideas in this episode, but the puppet’s a creep and parts of the plot feel contrived. (Why are they sure the demon will leave as soon as it has the organs? Why would Giles get into a guillotine under any circumstances?) Overall… Eh, it’s fine.

'Never Kill A Boy on the First Date' - There’s some good stuff in here, especially around Buffy’s relationship to Giles and to her own Slayerhood. Unfortunately, the plot just doesn’t work - even this early on, one vampire just doesn’t feel like enough of a threat to build an episode around, and generic serial killer vamp is no exception - he's certainly no Luke. It’s a plot entirely concerned with setting up the larger arc around the Anointed One, and that would leave this episode feeling empty and boring even if it was for an arc that was actually, you know, good.

So that's Season One. I enjoyed it fine, but... I'm definitely looking forward to the series really getting good. If somehow you've actually read this far: Thank you for putting my words into your brain. I take it as a great compliment, and hope you liked them - or, failing that, that they invoked in you a great fury, such as only the worst opinions may conjure.

In any case - and regardless of whether I can be bothered to write any more of these - I will continue my rewatch into the Actually Good seasons of Buffy.

[finchmarie]

You guys I did it!!! It's the first time in like five years that I've done art every month for a year ;-;

I'm so proud of myself this year. Here's to hoping next year is even better. 💖💖💖

PS thank you for creating this template @taxkha

[bookhouseboy1980-blog]

Buffy Season 5: Best and Worst Episodes + Season MVP's

Sub to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/@RevisitingTheBuffyverse-yp3ey/videos

[jimsmovieworld]

I SAW THE TV GLOW- 2024 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Two teenage outsiders bond over a shared love of a strange late night tv show....

Surreal, mysterious and visually stunning.

Clearly hugely inspired by my favourite tv show of all time, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Among other things they used the buffy credits font and buffys scythe. Theres even a cameo from Amber Benson. Loved all of that. Would absolutely watch the Pink Opaque. Shoutout to Mr Melancholy.

Although i still liked it i didnt enjoy the second half anywhere near as much as the first. Still a very impressive film.

Directed by Jane Schoenbrun. Distributed by A24.

[mileenaxyz]

I love, love, love watching Gen Z discover the Buffyverse. 😂 When BTVS was first airing, most Millennials HATED Cordelia Chase (ETA we hated her initially. She grew on us later). She was a reminder of the very real bullies we dealt with at school.

Meanwhile, Gen Z absolutely LOVES her, almost straight out the gate!!! 😂 Especially the gays. Nothing beats watching a new generation of gays falling in love with BTVS. 🥰

"Don't hurt Cordelia--she just got her hair highlighted!!!" 🤣

[georgelthomas]

Book Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Portal Through Time

Book Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Portal Through Time #ReaderCommunity #ReadingCommunity #BookCommunity #Reading #Books #BookReview #Review #BuffyTheVampireSlayer #BTVS #Buffy #Portal #Timetravel #BooksBasedOnTV #Vampires

Hi everyone! I hope you’re all well! Today is Friday, and it’s time for another review. Today, I am reviewing Alice Henderson’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Portal Through Time. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Portal Through Time was published in October 2006 by Pocket Books and is 352 pages long. The PlotBuffy and the gang must follow a couple of vampires across time as they attempt to thwart their…

[girl4music]

Another great and clever thing about ‘Out Of Mind, Out Of Sight’ was that it layed the groundwork for the Season 6 episode ‘Gone’ in that, from a writer’s perspective, it took the themes of ‘loneliness’ and ‘isolation’ and evolved them into the more important themes of ‘corruption’ and ‘depression’. And the producers and directors took the clever idea of using objects in the environment to represent and indicate to the audience of where the invisible person was and what they’re thinking and feeling as they narrate their perception to the audience.

And the great thing about that parallel is that there is even a reference to Marci in the episode in that Buffy says her cause of invisibleness is not a “Marci deal”. However, if we look at the episode through a thematic and narrative lens - it actually is very much to do with loneliness and isolation as well as the other themes.

There’s many things to love about this episode compared to what’s not to love about it. And as you said - it’s overlooked - kinda like Marci herself.

[amessinadressblog]

Theatre Review | Buffy Revamped | Theatre Royal, Nottingham

It is a very rare occurrence for me to go to the theatre and not know what to expect, but if “Buffy Revamped” is anything to go by, I need to take more risks more often. “Buffy Revamped” is a 70-minute, one-act, one-man show which sets out to chronicle all seven series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (that’s 144 episodes!), as told from the perspective of Spike. (Or William the Bloody, if you want to…

[mqhwriter]