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marshmallow-the-vampire-slayer · 8 years ago

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MTVS Epic Rewatch #156

BTVS 6x07

Obligatory soundtrack to make your reading expeerience better :)

Stray thoughts

1) I have to be honest, this was probably the most difficult recap I’ve written so far (other than The Body, which I skipped altogether and asked for submissions instead.) OMWF was the episode I was most looking forward to rewatching. It’s my favorite BTVS episode. It’s my favorite episode of anything/everything ever, period. I’ve watched it probably more than 50 times (I watched it three times just as part of this rewatch, just so you know.) And as much as I love this episode, I was really clueless about how to write a review about it. Like, what can be said about one of the most talked and written about episodes in the history of television? What can I say about it? How can I honor my love for it and what it means to me in my review? Do I write my recap in a different format? What am I bringing to the table? The truth is, I didn’t have the answers to any of these questions so that’s why I’ve been kind of quiet on Tumblr lately. I just couldn’t get around to writing this recap. At the same time, I wanted to move forward and I wanted to rewatch this episode again and gif the hell out of it. So I said fuck it. Let’s just write a regular recap and be done with it. Anywho, I tried to break down the episode by scenes/songs but you’ll also find fun quotes and the usual stupid things I do with screenshots and whatnot.

So on with it!

TL;DR: I love this episode a whole lot and I didn’t know how to write a recap about it.

2) Opening Credits

When watching TV, there are certain clues that let the viewers know they’re about to watch something different, if not special or momentous. The first of these clues is very straightforward: if a TV episode starts with a “previously on” clip, you know something’s about to go down. If the storyteller is purposefully reminding you of events that have transpired in the show, there must be and there usually is a good reason for it. It typically means that said past events will bear a certain relevance to the episode’s plot. It may also serve to remind you exactly why everything is going to shit at present? Either way, as a TV viewer, whenever I start watching an episode that begins with a “previously-on”, it kind of makes me go “Oh oh, something’s up.” A second clue is the lack of a teaser (i.e. that short clip before the opening credits that literally teases what’s to come and makes the viewers want to continue watching the episode) because that breaks the standard structure of a TV episode and it kind of raises a red flag: if the writer didn’t want to tease anything about what I’m about to watch, then it must be huge. There’s also a third clue: the opening credits may be somewhat altered, which has written “special episode” all over it. And if that weren’t enough, the episode may get a special title card just to finally hammer the point home that this is not your typical episode. These techniques serve to raise the viewers’ expectations. OMWF implements all of these, and it succeeds not only in raising the viewers’ expectations but also in exceeding them. Suffice to say, when I first watched this episode I was pretty much freaking out by this point (even though I watched the show as it originally aired, or rather a few months after it originally aired because that was when it aired in my country, I didn’t consume any media about Buffy other than what I watched on my TV, so I wasn’t privy to the fact I was about to watch a musical episode.) But I hadn’t lost it yet, that was just a couple of minutes away...

3) Opening scene

The opening scene has no dialogue and yet it is extremely effective in conveying Buffy’s depression. We see what “A Day in the Life” is for Buffy, and it is not pretty. The first scene says it all, actually.Buffy has clearly been awake for hours – if she has been able to sleep at all. And then the alarm clocks starts blaring, and she stares at it because it is basically reminding her that she has to start pretending all over again. It’s yet another reminder of everything she’s lost and how hard it is for her to just be alive. She picks up the clock and continues to stare at it, but she never turns it off. She just lies there, staring at the blaring alarm clock. This is exactly how Buffy has been feeling since she came back: just there. No emotions and no feelings other than pain and sadness. Sometimes not even that. She’s mostly numb.

Meanwhile, everything around her is life and movement and happiness. We see Tara making the bed (and finding the little “present” Willow had left for her the previous night…), Willow getting dressed and Dawn hurrying her so that she can take her turn to get ready. And Buffy…

After a few minutes, Buffy is still there. Barely. This shot is relevant not only because it depicts Buffy’s state but also how everyone around her was pretty oblivious to how she was feeling. Yes, Buffy did pretend to feel fine. But a person can keep up the happy façade for so long, there are always cracks, and others can notice those cracks if they pay enough attention. Unfortunately, it was easier for the Scoobies to buy the “I’m happy and grateful” discourse than to own up to what they had done to their friend.

The scene at the magic shop is pretty much the same: everyone is going on about their own lives, and Buffy is barely there. And worst of all, no one even notices how barely there she is.

I’d said this before and it’ll probably be the last thing I say with my dying breath: Buffy’s depression was the best arc in the whole show. Fight me.

4) Going Through the Motions

Buffy’s day ends, as per usual, with her patrolling the cemetery. And this is the moment I lost my shit and never got it back...

I just couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Buffy was singing a song? About herself and how she felt? What was this and what had I done to deserve it? Was I in heaven? (of course, naive me thought: “a musical episode! this should be fun!”)

Season Arc Relevance: “Going Through the Motions” is your typical Disney princess song, which works perfectly in that it is a juxtaposition of how Buffy thinks life should be (music/style) and how life really feels to her (lyrics). She should be the princess in her own story, except she has kind of lost her will to live? In this song, Buffy is addressing her depression, acknowledging it to herself more than anything. She knows she’s been playing the part, going through the motions in her personal life and her “work.” Buffy is suffering from PTSD and depression, and it has affected how she experiences her slayerness. Throughout the prior 5 seasons, Buffy had gone through different stages as regards her status as a slayer and what it meant to her. She had quit more than once, run away from it, almost gave herself up to its darkest side, tried to figure out what it meant for her, and finally embraced it. It is expected, considering it was such a huge part of her identity. But never along the way had she ever felt indifference or apathy towards her slayerness, which was how she was currently feeling. She didn’t see it as a burden, she kept doing it because she knew how to and it was just something else to do. But the purpose had been lost the moment she lost herself. The rest of the season will be a quite painful journey till Buffy finally feels alive, and, more importantly, rejoices in being alive.

What I love about this song: even if Buffy has lost that drive and motivation, even if she is just going through the motions, she still yearns to feel otherwise. And that just goes to show how strong she is, you know? She could be curled up in her bed, crying about everything that she’s lost or was taken away from her. She could so easily let herself die or be killed. But even if she doesn’t really know how to get that drive back, she keeps trying, she never gives up.

What I hate about this song: is the fact that Buffy gets the sympathy and understanding she’s been looking for in her friends from some demons. I mean, the fact that the freaking demons get precisely what Buffy’s been like lately shows exactly how oblivious her friends were.

Foreshadowing: By the end of the episode, Buffy would look for a way to feel alive...

Favorite lyrics:

I don't want to be Going through the motions Losing all my drive I can't even see If this is really me And I just want to be Alive!

And you gotta love the Disney-princess-like finale, right? I do :)

5) At the Magic Shop

BUFFY: So, uh, no research? Nothing going on? Monsters or whatnot? Good! Good. Uh, so, did anybody... uh... last night, you know, did anybody, um... burst into song?

XANDER: Merciful Zeus!

WILLOW: We thought it was just us!

GILES: Well, I sang but I had my guitar at the hotel...

TARA: It was bizarre. We were talking and then it was like...

BUFFY: Like you were in a musical!

TARA: Yeah!

GILES: That would explain the huge backing orchestra I couldn't see and the synchronized dancing from the room service chaps.

WILLOW: We did a whole duet about dish washing.

ANYA: And we were arguing and, and then everything rhymed and there were harmonies and the dance with coconuts.

WILLOW: There was an entire verse about the couscous.

XANDER: It was very disturbing.

This whole dialogue actually proves Giles’s point that people tend to rationalize what they can’t understand or explain. I mean, here we have a group of people who have been dealing with the supernatural for years - one of them for centuries - and when confronted with an out-of-the-ordinary situation their first instinct wasn’t to go “hey, something supernatural must be going on!” but rather to dismiss it as a weird, isolated incident. Instead of thinking “It must be a demon” they thought “It must have been a gas leak” (after all, it’s always a gas leak in Sunnydale. Or a PCP gang. Or both.)

So far, Buffy seems to be the only one affected by the “sing your secrets out” part of Sweet’s spell. It is implied that the Scoobies weren’t really singing about any existential stuff (I mean, I don’t care how much you love couscous, I don’t think couscous is on the same level of “I just wanna feel alive”, you know?) Giles immediately picks up on Buffy’s silence as everyone shares their musical numbers and questions her about her song. Of course, Buffy claims not to remember...

6) I’ve got a Theory

What I love about this song: I mean, what is there not to love? It’s the first ensemble song, it’s fun and upbeat and even if each character gets only a couple of lines, all of them shine and show their essence in those few lines. It’s also worth noting Buffy’s role in this song, or more precisely, her lack thereof. Even if Buffy is the one who brought up the issue, she immediately takes a step back when everyone joins in throwing theories around. They are having fun, this is the “fun” part of hunting demons. Buffy, yet again, is dettached not only from her friends but also from her duty. Oh, she will patrol and slay. But she’s not invested in it.

I also love the callback to Nightmares: “I've got a theory / Some kid is dreaming / And we're all stuck inside his wacky Broadway nightmare.”

What I hate about this song: We never got to hear Tara’s theory :(

Foreshadowing: Giles figured out what was going in the first line of the song.

I've got a theory That it's a demon A dancing demon! No, something isn't right there.

7) Bunnies

What I love about this song: It’s a fucking heavy-metal song about bunnies. How can you not love it? And it’s so Anya because she may lack finesse (although she disagrees) and tact and she might have trouble with the whole range of human emotions sometimes, but at the same time she often gets hang up on the silliest things and blows them out of proportion (like this song, or the fact that she’s worried about her songs not being hits...)

What I hate about this song: there’s nothing to hate about this song, how dare you?

8) If We’re Together

Season Arc Relevance: Buffy falls right into the role she’s been playing so far in the season: pretending. She plays it perfectly because this is exactly who she used to be, and she remembers it. We can see that Giles is not really buying her optimism, so she picks it up a notch and does a very Buffy joke (”Hey’, I’ve died twice.”) and ropes him in.

What I love about this song: Even if on the surface this song is about Buffy taking her role as a leader and bringing everyone together, there’s a dark depth to it. Buffy’s theory is, after all, “it doesn’t matter.” And she reinforces this idea by saying “Why should we care?” Even if Buffy is pretending, you can still see the cracks there. She indifferent, apathetic, she doesn’t see a purpose to any of it all. She’s making a point about how it’s always the same, and that’s not necessarily an optimistic view considering it usually ends in death and occasionally it’s her own.

What I hate about this song: the Scoobies not reading in between Buffy’s lines, as per usual.

Foreshadowing: In hindsight, this song is rather ironic considering they’re singing about how they can face anything together and well, everything goes to shit this season precisely because they don’t trust in or rely on each other. Also, Anya’s line “There’s nothing we can’t face / except for bunnies.” sort of foreshadows what happens in Tabula Rasa with Giles and Anya at the magic shop.

Favorite lyrics:

We have to try We'll pay the price It's do or die Hey, I've died twice.

9) Giles is not completely sold on Buffy’s optimism, however.

BUFFY: So what is it? What's causing it? GILES: I thought it didn't matter.

She contradicts herself immediately, and Giles picks up on it. But yet again, Buffy is quick to keep up the pretending and she makes a great point about why they should figure out what’s going on (and delivers one of my favorite lines in doing so...)

BUFFY: Well, I'm not exactly quaking in my stylish yet affordable boots, but there's definitely something unnatural going on here. And that doesn't usually lead to hugs and puppies.

10)

ANYA: Well, is it just us? I mean, is it only happening to us?'Cause that would probably mean a spell or...

11)

DAWN: Oh my god. You will never believe what happened at school today.

BUFFY: Everybody started singing and dancing?

DAWN: I gave birth to a pterodactyl.

ANYA: Oh my god, did it sing?

12) Tara and Willow awkwardly pretending they’re not about to have sex is everything.

TARA: Tha-That's right! The, the volume. The text. GILES: What text? WILLOW: The volume-y text. You know? The, the (mumbles) report. XANDER: The what now? TARA: Oh, there's just a few volumes back at the house that deal with mystical chants, bacchanals.

13) It’s Tuesday. Dawn is:

A) shoplifting.

B) in danger.

C) all of the above.

14)

WILLOW: ...those guys are checking you out. TARA: What? Wh-What are they looking at? WILLOW: The hotness of you, doofus. TARA: Those boys really thought I was hot? WILLOW: Entirely. TARA: Oh my god. I'm cured! I want the boys!

15) Under your Spell

Season Arc Relevance: I think the most significant line in this song - other than “I’m under your spell” - is “Something just isn’t right” because it sums up where Tara and Willow are at the moment. Underlying the romantic theme of the song, there are some issues regarding their relationship. Tara is admitting that Willow and her relationship with her have given meaning to her life. There’s a bright side to this, of course (“how you’ve set me free, brought me out so easily”), but there’s also a negative side to it. Tara’s whole existence revolves around Willow, and Willow has – quite literally and for different reasons – taken control of Tara. (“I’m under your spell, nothing I can do, you just took my soul with you.”) That’s not healthy, to say the least. And I think it’s yet another reason why Tara and Willow needed to spend some time apart. Tara needed to find herself, to know that all of this that had come to the surface since she had started dating Willow wasn’t only Willow’s influence or power but it was all Tara’s, beautiful things that had been buried beneath the surface waiting to be freed. And as much as the fandom likes to focus on how abusive Spike was in this season, which I agree with, we tend to overlook the fact that Willow was pretty abusive of Tara as well.

What I love about this song: It’s the typical love song in any Disney movie, except this time is not about a prince and a princess but about two princesses and I fucking love that. Amber’s angelic voice dear lord!

What I hate about this song: This song gets a whole different meaning once it really sinks in you that Tara is literally under Willow’s spell and that by making Tara forget their fight, Willow has removed her consent and agency. Willow has abused of Tara twice: the first time when she wiped her memories, and the second time when she had sex with her. After all, if Tara remembered their fight, she wouldn’t be exactly singing a love song to her girlfriend, let alone be having sex with her...

Again, I’m not a fan of how the show uses magic as a metaphor for anything to serve the plot. And this song sort of piles on the magic = something metaphors. Here magic means love and lesbianism and sex.

For the longest time, I was in awe at the fact that Joss had gotten away with having a FF couple having oral sex on mainstream television. And that he had even included the “you make me COMplete” bit to top it all off. Now, tbh, I really wish the first FF oral sex scene in mainstream television wasn’t one of dubious consent… I have to hand it to Joss, though. If we remove the whole “are they really having consensual sex?” thing and just focus on the synthesis of the images and the lyrics, this is probably one of the most sensual sex scenes in TV history.

Foreshadowing: “Something just isn’t right” because duh!

Favorite lyrics: (disclaimer: I’m a dirty pig)

You make me COMplete

15)

DAWN: Come on! Songs, dancing around. What's gonna be wrong with that?

(I’m Sweet)

16) I’ll Never Tell

Season Arc Relevance: It’s quite obvious that this song explores the relationship problems that will lead to Xander leaving Any in the altar. Even though they mention a lot of issues ranging from the ridiculous but relatable (Xander’s snoring or Anya’s skeezy cheeses) to the potentially problematic (Xander always relying on Buffy, Anya being clingy and greedy), the real issue is their well-founded fears and insecurities. Anya starts singing about how she has basically given up her whole identity and how now she’s mostly defined by her relationship with Xander. She’s embracing it, but it makes you wonder if she had really considered what would happen if Xander was no longer a part of her life. What would there be left? She didn’t really have a life of her own. Xander’s first lines are about his physical attraction to Anya, which justifies her own insecurities when it comes to Xander loving her once she’s old and no longer beautiful and how long-term their relationship actually is. Xander, on the other hand, fears Anya thinks he’s ordinary and that him not becoming successful (i.e., making big money) may be a problem for Anya. It is Xander, though, the one who admits to being petrified...

What I love about this song: This song marks a change in tone in the episode and the songs. So far, they were mostly upbeat and other than Buffy’s “Going through the Motions”, one had to read between the lines to get to the underlying themes and understand their true meaning. It’s halfway through this song that that changes and the lyrics start matching the characters’ true feelings. They start revealing their inner secrets and fears, in spite of themselves.

I really like the old-school musical style both in the song and in the scene, and it does really fit Anya and Xander’s relationship. They do love each other, but they are constantly bickering and picking on each other’s flaws.

The callback to Pangs! (”His penis got diseases from a Chumash tribe!”)

Also, this:

What I hate about this song:

Foreshadowing: Anya literally describes what will happen in Hell’s Bells:

I've read this tale There's wedding, then betrayal I know there'll come the day I'll want to run and hide.

Favorite Lyrics:

BOTH: You know... XANDER: You're quite the charmer. ANYA: My knight in armor. XANDER: You're the cutest of the Scoobies With your lips as red as rubies And your firm yet supple- Tight embrace!

(I do love all the sweets things they say to/about each other)

17) The Parking Ticket

18)

SPIKE: Oh. So that's all. You've just come to pump me for information. BUFFY: What else would I wanna pump you for? ...I really just said that, didn't I?

19) Rest in peace

Season Arc Relevance: This song marks the change in Spike’s attitude towards Buffy in this season. So far, he had been nothing but supportive and understanding (yeah, yeah, you may say his intentions weren’t good - even though I disagree - but the bottom line is he was there for Buffy in a way no one else could/would.) Here, however, Spike starts showing his true colors. “Rest in Peace” sums up perfectly Spike’s approach to “love” and women: confessing his feelings and undying love one minute, and acting aggressive and petty and abusive the next. He feels Buffy has been teasing him, which is not the case, and very a la White Male™ he feels he’s been “patient” enough and that Buffy should either give him what he wants or leave him be - but not really. We should also bear in mind that this is literally the only kind of relationship Spike knows - abusive and unhealthy. This, of course, does not excuse his behavior, it simply contextualizes it.

Spike gives Buffy an outlet to feel something, he’s willingly offering it so why not just take it? It would make everything so much easier. And it won’t take long for Buffy to take him up on his offer.

What I love about this song: First of all, I love the fact that both Buffy and Spike feel exactly the same way about Spike breaking out into song.

Even if Spike is, to quote Buffy, such a pig there’s one thing that you have to admit: he tends to read Buffy quite well, sometimes even better than her own friends: “ You're scared / Ashamed of what you feel / And you can't tell the ones you love /You know they couldn't deal. - You know, you've got a willing slave / And you just love to play the thought like you might misbehave” Of course, this “ability” is something that he will use to his own advantage later on in the season, making her believe he’s “reading” her when in reality he’s manipulating her...):

What I hate about this song: It’s not so much about the song but about the scene. Spike pushes and throws people around, what about the freaking chip, writers?

*falls to her knees and shouts at the skies*

WHAT ABOUT THE CHIP??!!

Foreshadowing: They will misbehave indeed...

You know, you've got a willing slave And you just love to play the thought like you might misbehave

Favorite Lyrics:

I know I should go But I follow you like a man possessed There's a traitor here beneath my breast And it hurts me more than you've ever guessed If my heart could beat, it would break my chest But I can see you're unimpressed So, leave me be

20) Can you imagine as a fangirl breaking up your OTP?

DAWN: I'm glad you guys made up. TARA: What? DAWN: That fight you guys had about magic and stuff? It gives me belly rumblings when you guys fight. TARA: Dawn, Willow and I never fought about- DAWN: It's okay. It's just... you guys are so great together. I just hate it when you... But that was the only fight I've seen you guys have anyway. But I'm still glad it's over.

21) Dawn's Lament

What I hate about this song: it’s cut short and we never learn what Dawn would’ve sung about.

22) Dawn’s Ballet

Tbh, I’m not a fan of this scene. It’s pretty much the only moment of the episode in which I’m kind of waiting for it to be over. There, I said it.

23) What You Feel

What I love about this song: Best Big Bad introduction ever! And I think it ties with Giles “Exposition Song” from Restless as the best, well, exposition song.

What I hate about this song: Why do villains insist on dressing Dawn up in gowns?

Favorite lyrics:

Something's cooking, I'm at the griddle I bought Nero his very first fiddle

24) “ I'm just worried this whole session's gonna turn into some training montage from an 80's movie.” - that is quite literally what happens.

25) Standing

Season Arc Relevance: Parenting is hard, especially if you’re not really a parent and your child has died twice. Giles is torn and is trying to figure out what’s the best role he could play in Buffy’s life to allow her to become an adult. He reaches a decision with the information he has so far and how he interprets Buffy’s behavior, and it’s his decision to leave her when she needs him the most that pretty much leads to Buffy’s downward spiral.

What I love about this song: I like that it’s kind of bittersweet because it’s about how much Giles loves Buffy and how deeply he wants to help her but how at the same time he feels the only way to help her is to leave her. I love the fact that this song shows what I already knew: Giles is the only one who is not completely oblivious to Buffy’s plight. He doesn’t fully grasp it, but at least he knows Buffy well enough to know that something is off.

This is probably my favorite scene in terms of how it was shot. I just love how Buffy’s movements are in slow motion as Giles walks around and sings her out because it clearly shows the distance in their relationship and it conveys the fact that he’s singing to himself.

What I hate about this song: There’s nothing I don’t like about the song, it’s its implications and consequences I have problems with. Giles feels he’s standing in the way of Buffy growing up but the thing is, this wasn’t a case of Peter Pan syndrome. There was a very valid reason for Buffy’s apathy and lack of drive, as he would learn towards the end of the episode. And that’s why I WILL NEVER UNDERSTAND GILES LEAVING AFTER LEARNING BUFFY WAS IN HEAVEN AND THAT SHE WAS SUFFERING FROM SEVERE DEPRESSION. It’s one thing to take a step back because you feel you’re preventing your child from making her own decisions and growing up. It’s quite another leaving your child to fend for herself when she’s clearly suffering from depression and PTSD. Buffy wasn’t relying on Giles just because she was lazy and didn’t want to grow up. She was relying on him because it was all too much for her. She could barely deal with being alive, let alone with taking care of others and the fucking world. So yeah. Forever angry at this.

Foreshadowing: Giles leaving, obviously.

Wish I could stay But now I understand I'm standing in the way

Favorite Lyrics:

I wish I could lay your arms down And let you rest at last Wish I could slay your demons But now that time has passed Wish I could stay your stalwart, standing fast But I'm standing in the way I'm just standing in the way

26) Uh-oh...

27) Under Your Spell/Standing - Reprise

Season Arc Relevance: It’s the breaking point for both Giles and Tara in their relationships with Buffy and Willow respectively.

What I love about this song: Anthony and Amber should sing together in everything ever okay?I love how Giles’ song is basically repeating some lines and Tara’s “Under your Spell” has acquired a whole new meaning now that she knows the truth and the lyrics match exactly how she’s feeling.

I love the fact that it’s a break-up love song, but it’s about two different kinds of love, fatherly and romantic.

I appreciate the fact that Whedon chose to reprise “Under your Spell” and give it the literal meaning implied in the original version in the lines “I’m under your spell” and “You made me believe.” I would’ve liked Tara’s lines about Willow’s transgression (to put it mildly) to be more unsubtle... (”Playing with my memory / You know I've been through hell / Willow, don't you see? /There'll be nothing left of me”)

What I hate about this song: the fact that I can’t sing both parts at the same time fucking sucks.

Foreshadowing: Giles leaving and Tara breaking up with Willow.

GILES AND TARA: Wish I could stay Wish I could stay Wish I could stay Wish I could stay

Favorite Lyrics:

TARA: Wish I could trust that it was just this once But I must do what I must I can't adjust to this disgust We're done and I just

GILES AND TARA: Wish I could stay

28) I love how anti-climatic this moment is…

SPIKE: Works for him. Has a nice little story for the Slayer, don't you? Come on, then. Sing.

29)

BUFFY: So. Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday.

30)

BUFFY: Oh, it's not your fault. So what's the plan? XANDER: Plan, schman. Let's mount up. GILES: No. ANYA: Uh, Dawn may have had the wrong idea in summoning this creature, but... I've seen some of these underworld child bride deals and, and they never end well. Well, maybe once. WILLOW: We're not just gonna stay here. GILES: Yes we are. Buffy's going alone.

Buffy’s going alone?! What? Why? How would this accomplish anything? It’s not the monsters that she has problem facing, it’s her own inner demons!

31)

WILLOW: A little confusion spell could- TARA: No! I mean, I don't think it'll help.

I included the screenshot because I can’t help but read Willow’s expression as if she were thinking “Tara’s not acting the way I programmed her to act…”

32) Walk Through the Fire

FYI, if you don’t sing all the parts at the same time, you’re not a true Buffy fan. Your membership card will be removed. I’m not kidding.

Season Arc Relevance: Just like “I’ve got a Theory” at the beginning of the episode, “Walk Through the Fire” conveys how distant Buffy feels from her friends and how hopeless and apathetic she feels in general. While in IGAT she is reluctant to join her friends in song but is physically there and ultimately chooses to play the part, in WTTF she’s both physically and emotionally distant from them, which allows her to drop the facade and sing her true feelings into the void. Even if she claims to want the fire back, ultimately she still doesn’t care (To save the day or maybe melt away / I guess it's all the same.) Winning the battle or dying, it’s all the same to Buffy. And it will be a long time before she feels otherwise.

What I love about this song: E V E R Y T H I N G. The way is shot, the juxtaposition of voices and images, “I think this line’s mostly filler”, the Scoobies marching to the rescue, the fire trucks in the background as the Scoobies finally complete the line “let it burn”. It’s pretty epic, don’t you think?

What I hate about this song: that Riley is not there so he can go up in flames as the Scoobies sing “let it burn.” JK. Sort of. I hate this:

WTF SPIKE?! I’ve always found this so funny because like dude, how many times have you been to the Bronze? You’re telling me you don’t know how to get there?

Foreshadowing: Spike saving Buffy at the end of the episode:

First, he'll kill her, then I'll save her

The whole season, summed up:

Everything is turning out so dark

Favorite Lyrics:

And we are caught in the fire The point of no return So we will walk through the fire And let it Burn Let it burn Let it burn! LET IT BURN!

33)

34) Something to sing about

Season Arc Relevance: This song and Buffy’s revelation that she was in heaven will be the breaking point - to a greater or lesser extent - for all the events to come: Spike and Buffy’s relationship, Willow’s downward spiral with magic and her break up with Tara, Giles leaving, and Buffy distancing herself from her friends.

What I love about this song: This and “Going Through the Motions” are my two favorite songs from this episode. To begin with, I love the contrast between the upbeat rhythm of the song with the ironic lyrics. During the first part of the song, Buffy’s is seemingly gleefully repeating all the cliches about life she’s learned are not true. You can see her frustration building up at the lie behind the words as she beats up the minions, until she kind of glazes over...

...because there’s no number of demons she could possibly beat to a pulp that would make her stop feeling miserable. From this point onward, she drops the happy act and while the song is still upbeat in rhythm, the lyrics get gloomier and gloomier. It’s the most honest Buffy’s been in a long time. Until she finally opens up and admits what she’s been hiding from her friends all this time:

There was no pain No fear, no doubt 'Till they pulled me out Of Heaven So that's my refrain I live in Hell 'Cause I've been expelled From Heaven I think I was In Heaven

Now, my knowledge about music is pretty much non-existent, but I know that the score in this song works perfectly because every time Buffy’s voice rises and falls as she says “heaven”, I die. Every single time. (seriously, I just watched it again and I’m crying.) It’s a fucking punch in the gut because it reminds you everything she had earned with her sacrifice and which her friends took away from her because they couldn’t live without her, they couldn’t move on. And then she begs Sweet one last time to give her something to live for, and he swiftly shakes his head no. That’s the breaking point for her, I think. She has just opened up about how she’s been feeling and why to her friends, and she knows that now there will be endless questions and more burdens she can’t take, and she knows there’s no easy way out. Except dancing till she burns...

And then Spike stops her and delivers a heartbreakingly honest speech. It’s not encouraging per se, and it’s not really uplifting. But it’s real, and it’s telling her she’ll get over this with no void-of-meaning cliches.

Life's not a song Life isn't bliss Life is just this It's living You'll get along The pain that you feel You only can heal By living

Of course, Dawn had to deliver the final blow by quoting Buffy’s own words back at her… (”The hardest thing in this world is to live in it.”)

What I hate about this song: The fact that none of the Scoobies thought of stopping Buffy from combusting.

Favorite Lyrics:

There was no pain No fear, no doubt 'Till they pulled me out Of Heaven So that's my refrain I live in Hell 'Cause I've been expelled From Heaven I think I was In Heaven

35) And in another episode of “Guess who fucked up AGAIN!”...

36)

37)

What a lot of fun You guys have been real swell And there's not a one Who can say this ended well All those secrets You've been concealing Say you're happy now, Once more with feeling Now I gotta run See you all in hell!

38) Where do We Go from here?

Season Arc Relevance: This song pretty much sets up the tone for the rest of the season in that they are all kind of lost and don’t really know how to relate with one another anymore. Giles’ sentiment in the line “The battle’s

What I love about this song: it’s a great ensemble song to finish the episode. I love the choreography and the way it was shot.

What I hate about this song: that it’s kinda short?

Foreshadowing: Buffy and Spike’s kiss

The curtains close on a kiss

Favorite lyrics:

The battle's done and we kind of won

GILES AND TARA: So we sound our victory cheer Where do we go from here?

I love A) the fact that Giles admits they “kind of” won because they didn’t really defeat Sweet, he just decided to leave on his own, and B) the fact that their “victory cheer” is rather depressing.

Understand we'll go hand in hand, but we'll walk alone in fear

39) Coda

This isn’t real but I just wanna feel

40) It’s really not that difficult to understand why this episode has such an impact on viewers. It definitely has to do with the songs and the fact that it’s not the expected genre for a TV show, let alone a TV show of the characteristics of Buffy. But the songs in themselves are not great. They are good, and somewhat catchy. And not all of the actors are exactly what one would call gifted singers. But what makes it all work in the end, what makes the songs and the lyrics resonate so much with the fans, is that OMWF is about the characters and characterization. This episode wouldn’t have worked so effectively if it hadn’t been for the fact that Joss had been laying the groundwork for these characters to reach this point for six seasons. Because, you see, Giles leaving Buffy wouldn’t have the same impact if we didn’t know how their relationship had grown from strictly business to friends to father/daughter. Willow using (or abusing of) magic to manipulate the person she loves the most wouldn’t make any sense if we still didn’t remember and love season 1 Willow. Xander and Anya’s relationship problems could be regarded as shallow if we didn’t know these characters so well and why they fear the things they fear. All the jokes and references to previous episodes and events would fall flat. And Buffy’s revelation that she had been torn out of heaven by her friends wouldn’t make us cry every time if every time she sang those lines we didn’t remember everything that led her there and all the sacrifices she had made and how much she fucking deserved her heaven. So yeah. OMWF is extremely rewarding for viewers because of the kind of in-depth knowledge that it takes to comprehend the scope of this episode. You can’t get this episode without getting everything that transpired before. Ultimately, it highlights the show’s main strength – its characters and their arcs – and it does so in the most marvelous, unexpected and unforgettable way.

#Buffy the Vampire Slayer #BTVS #Joss Whedon #Once More With Feeling #television #OMWF #MTVSepicrewatch #BTVSrewatch2015 #recap #mine #btvsrecap

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promomagazine · 6 years ago

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Jacquemus: The Sun King of Fashion

If getting a ‘new job’ is reason to celebrate, Simon Porte Jacquemus is definitely the master of ceremonies. Far from the fancy and opulent shows one can picture, L’Homme Jacquemus was presented in a very soft and cheerful scenario where laughs, nature, family, friends, music, colors and good vibes are the best words to describe the moment. We caught up with the designer in Marseille in order to learn first-hand a little more of the unique and special universe behind Jacquemus.

First things first. Congratulations on your #NewJob. What does a menswear collection mean for Simon right now? You know, I started Jacquemus focusing on women because I wanted to speak about my mother, when I lost her… and so on. I couldn’t do a men’s line to be honest. So, when I fell in love, I found the right time to embark on this adventure. The man by my side gave me the energy to do all of this, to tell a story about men, and to get involved in this new project. That is why I started creating a ‘new job.’

June 2018, Marseille, Calanque de Sormiou, a vivid collection and an after party at the beach that recreated the perfect holiday time with paella and guitars playing live music with solo voices… What’s the story you wanted to tell the world with all this? I didn’t want to only bring a fashion show, but to also show it all through my ‘perfect location’ and share my vibes: swimming in Calanque, looking at hot boys on the beach, a different character inspired by the south of France… the idea of having a paella and an aperitivo afterwards was nothing planned (well, it actually was for the hundred people we were as a whole), but I wanted to keep it more informal, to let it flow. Spanish guitars, gipsy voices from Calanque were an invitation to spend a holiday time with me. Nothing fancy, we were just in an actual paradise and not in a fake one.

I am Spanish and I could really see a resemblance between traditions. Having fun at the beach, enjoying the atmosphere and quality time with friends and family while eating and drinking. That’s heaven. For me it was like being in Spain actually, maybe because we are so close. Tell me, is this way of celebrating also common in Southern France? Well, it depends. It could have been a paella, couscous, maybe a barbecue… It could have been anything. The idea was to make it familiar and recreate my way of celebrating with my relatives. The plan was to be us all reunited, and I love paella.

Le Gadjo is a reality and a new era not only for Jacquemus in particular, but for the fashion industry as a whole. What do you expect from this release? I wish, I don’t know! I hope it is a new ‘kind of boy,’ a new version of a Mediterranean man who maybe is just born. Who knows!

Mediterranean vibes, shining sun, a colorful and vivid palette that made outfits come to life and whose colors merged with the nature surrounding the venue. We felt like getting ready to go on a cruise. Color blocks for some outfits and delicate prints (polka dots, sunflowers, lavender…) for some others. Please, describe for us the Jacquemus man. Yes, it does have to do with all of this. I really love colors and I am inspired by an all-natural, Mediterranean palette, from the flowers to the sea. My collection found strong inspiration in all the different characters you can meet on the beach as well; for example, the ship guy could be someone who tries to be shaped but he is not. Men represented by flowers and wearing a tie, like going to a wedding and pretending to look good, to be like the gipsy guy or the other way round. There’s a strong cliché in all of this with an Italian source as well in this collection.

After the show, I had the chance of reading a few reviews and I really got surprised by the fact that a big portion of the gay audience marked your collection as homophobic not only because of the collection itself, but also of the models cast. What do you think of it and what was your intention? What do you think of the male stereotype in fashion? Do you think we must widen the body shapes in fashion? I really don’t get the point in all of this to be honest. In my opinion, the actual cliché is to make guys look like girls, since everybody is currently doing that. It seems it is the only alternative possible. I really find ‘homophobic’ the fact of thinking and feeling that the trans guys can only be pictured in that way. I deeply respect trans guys, and I am really fed up to see that we have to make a mental picture of them looking like girls. The idea, with The Gadjo, was to show my inner vision of the man, of the Jacquemus homme. My woman is ‘very woman’ and my man is ‘very man.’ It seems people are just awaiting for your next move to see how they can criticize, in any way. So sad. I am gay, my environment is as well and got feedback from them telling me the show was ‘more gay’ than a lot of shows. What really bothers me is to have to see or to show only one type of boy, why don’t we just be more open-minded? Let’s try to think out of the box and avoid the idea of the one, muscled guy. We should just try to get out of the normed one. It is not about muscles, but about much more, about who is in that body. The opposite would have shown a non-healthy-at-all fashion show. Of course sport means health, and sport is a good thing. Why being skinny is always a bad thing? I don’t understand. It’s good to take care of oneself. I tried to cast a lot of different kind of guys, with diverse profiles body types from all over the world.

A repetitive accessory we could hunt for man was that pendant pouch… do you want it to become a ‘special’ symbol such as the sun-hats and mini bags are for women? I love accessories. They are a sort of ‘signature’ for me, indeed. I found it nice to do so with men as well.

At the early age of 19 you founded Jacquemus, whose name pays homage to your mother, your eternal muse. Why designing for a woman firstly? How did the process of getting into the male-tailoring world take place? I never thought about designing for men. Since I was young, I only wanted to speak about women. I didn’t watch any menswear shows, I was obsessed about the idea of creating only for women. I don’t know, it was kind of spontaneous. When I fell in love, I knew it was the right time and felt to speak about men, and I am creating a great story about them.

Apart from your mother. Who is/are your muse(s)? I don’t really have muses. It is more the idea of a Mediterranean woman all the time, which drives my direction in every single collection. So does my mother.

Clean patterns, deconstructed pieces, soft and fluid fabrics and a carefully thought out disproportion in accessories [e.g. maxi sun-hats and mini bags] are your signature. I would love you to describe who the Jacquemus woman is. Who does Simon design for? In every single collection, I try to speak to a wide audience and try to make everyone understand my message, my concept. So, my aim is to be understood by a lot of people in a special way. It is essential to be understood by the target I want to reach. I don’t know if everyone can buy my clothes, but I want to make them part of my mood, of my world.

I must admit it strikes me that a male designer gets to know in-depth the feminine body and universe and gets a woman feel so sexy, but comfortable at the same time in your clothes. How is this achieved? My conception of a woman has clearly evolved over time. My current woman is not the same as the one I started thinking of. At the beginning, she was a more playful, naive woman. I have deepened more and more into the woman’s body and my vision has, somehow, matured over time. It was a big process to understand the feminine shape and make them feel more and more beautiful in the most sophisticated way. It is a process that has been growing up hand in hand with the Jacquemus brand and now it is clearly different.

I read once that your intention at the beginning was not creating minimalist fashion but it was merely a matter of budget. Now, it is a signature. What did you have in mind when thinking of becoming a designer? How would the Jacquemus brand have been instead? I don’t like the word ‘minimal’, I do prefer to refer to it as ‘no-detailed’. Minimal, to me, refers to a lack of character. I think even that, sometimes, people can understand my brand as somehow minimal in the sense of no detail: the shapes, no prints, clean patterns… but I wouldn’t describe my brand like that at all. I didn’t have a fixed plan, ideas just came all together. It was a very spontaneous process and was what it was. I just let it flow and everything started to work.

With such original designs, it is not a surprise being in the spotlight for the main fast-fashion hunters. What does Simon feel when his designs are ‘a source of inspiration’ for affordable fashion companies? I love it, indeed [laughs]. I feel so happy. I mean, I am creating something by myself, with my hands and my objects, that will somehow be a ‘source of inspiration’ for others. It will become fast-fashion stuff. It is nice the fact that you will go to a store in the middle of nowhere and see ‘my’ heels. I can reach a lot of people. We are not talking about the same customer profile. Some people can automatically think of my designs and some others can see those designs and find it original without having a clue on where they come from. I don’t really care about that. We don’t really do the same… maybe they go faster than me. I was upset when I started, but now it is so good because I am one of the most-copied designed this season, so it is a good indicator.

Are there remarkable differences/similarities when thinking of a male and female collection? One thing is clear and obvious: men and women don’t have the same body shape. Designing for women has more to do with the body, everything has to fit and drape on and requires an in-depth understanding of the woman’s shape. Men are more about details. I can’t conceive pieces I couldn’t be able to wear… it was important to me to keep this line. Yes, regarding menswear, I do try everything I design.

Do you conceive the idea of splitting the creative direction of menswear/womenswear by focusing yourself on one of the lines and choosing a partner reflecting the Jacquemus philosophy for taking over the other one? Not at all. This is how I love to do it. Everything, from accessories to clothing, has to come from me. That’s the way of working. That is why I love being at Jacquemus because everything, from the sets to the shootings, all the process is supervised and carried out by me. If splitting lines was a thing, it would become another brand and wouldn’t be Jacquemus anymore.

Architecture, painting and cinema are the strongest assets when looking at your collections, but… what inspires Simon the most out of these three? You missed a crucial one… music! I can’t create without music. I listen to music 24/7. It makes me feel like in a movie, it changes my mood completely. Music is very special to me. A special one, for example, would be Água de Beber – Astrud Gilberto.

I would love to discover Simon through a representative: Place – I don’t have a specific one, but the South of France could be one of my most-favorite spots. Picture – Sunflowers, by Van Gogh. Also classic art from Picasso, Matisse… Film – The Italian film Respiro and, to name another one, Spanish one Jamón, Jamón with Penélope Cruz.

If ‘fashion is poetry’ as you stated once, then… are you a poet? A surrealistic one maybe? I hope so, yes! I’m telling a story, not only just selling pieces. Everything makes sense.

You are very active in social media, mainly Instagram, where your account clearly reflects your artistic vein and is a mixture of work and personal life. What do social media mean to you? For me it has always existed. I’ve been using social media since I was eleven or twelve. I always share my vision on life, it is very spontaneous as well. It is not a thing I am trying to build or fake at all.

Our issue theme is titled Looking Forward, an invitation to look ahead. What does the future look like for Simon and for Jacquemus? Happiness. It is the only thing I pursue. Being happy for what you have. Seizing the opportunity and the moment is essential. Enjoying the now when possible.

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aburycollection-blog · 8 years ago

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ABURY meets Moroccan artisan Monsieur Omar

Monsieur Omar is a Moroccan artisan ABURY works with and the maker of the ABURY Berber Collection. He truly is a master at working with leather and silk yarn, creating pieces that are no less than art! The way his hands dance around the piece of leather working the embroidery is truly amazing.

Monsieur Omar, married and with two children, is practicing the craft as a family tradition – in fact, leather embroidery has been part of the family for many generations. He is proud of this tradition, to be a Moroccan artisan and he is also proud of his son, who is able to go to a good school in Marrakech. The small atelier Monsieur Omar is working in is owned by his family.

On my regular visits to Morocco I often visit Monsieur Omar. This time I have spoken to him a bit longer about his work, about Morocco and about his life.

Start by tagging yourself with three words.

Confidence, Love/Dedication, Work.

We believe that hands tell stories. Being a Moroccan artisan, your hands surely do, too. What do they tell about you?

My hands tell many stories. One story is how I learned my metier. I went to school and in the afternoon I watched my father always working. And I learned the work that my hand do today just by watching – I never had a teacher or went to a embroidery training. I love the work.

What is the last thing you created with your hands?

The last thing I did is a bag for my wife!

If you could choose, what would you like to be able to do with your hands?

I would love to build a house out of leather.

Looking back on everything you’ve done in your life, what is the one thing you are proudest of?

I am really proud of my children!

One of a mind underlines our strong belief in equality and the value of sharing. How does intercultural exchange benefit our global society in your eyes?

For meitis really inspiring to work with the designers of ABURY.

What makes Morocco special? What do you love about the Moroccan culture?

The special about Morocco is the variety and quality of craftsmanship!

Talking about other senses, how would you describe the Tastes of Morocco and what is your favourite?

My favorite taste is the Couscous with vegetables and meat – I love it since I am a child – it is the most traditional dish, but I love it.

According to some craftspeople, every artisan has their own craft language. How would you describe yours?

I am not doing what the others do. Many artisans here just copy. What I try is always to make the difference – to go one step further.

What do you like most about being an artisan working for ABURY?

ABURY gave me a lot already. First I love that through my work with ABURY I can help the poor people in Morocco. I was taught the women in the village embroidery as well and I see the children going to school. And through the work with the designers I learned and learn a lot. I would have never done ipad bags, clutches or wallets. This is exciting to learn something new.

If you could go anywhere in the world where would that be and why?

Germany – obviously 🙂

Apart from practicing your craft, what else do you like to do?

I love football. In fact, I play myself – and my favourite player is Ronaldo. I have already embroidered a bag for the mother of Ronaldo.

ABURY meets Moroccan artisan Monsieur Omar was originally published on One of a Mind by ABURY

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readbookywooks · 8 years ago

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‘What is this place?’ said Conina.

Rincewind looked around him, and made a guess.

They were still in the heart of Al Khali. He could hear the hum of it beyond the walls. But in the middle of the teeming city someone had cleared a vast space, walled it off, and planted a garden so romantically natural that it looked as real as a sugar pig.

‘It looks like someone has taken twice five miles of inner city and girdled them round with walls and towers,’ he hazarded.

‘What a strange idea,’ said Conina.

‘Well, some of the religions here-well, when you die, you see, they think you go to this sort of garden, where there’s all this sort of music and, and,’ he continued, wretchedly, ’sherbet and, and - young women.’

Conina took in the green splendour of the walled garden, with its peacocks, intricate arches and slightly wheezy fountains. A dozen reclining women stared back at her, impassively. A hidden string orchestra was playing the complicated Klatchian bhong music.

‘I’m not dead,’ she said. ‘I’m sure I would have remembered. Besides, this isn’t my idea of paradise.’ She looked critically at the reclining figures, and added, ‘I wonder who does their hair?’

A sword point prodded her in the small of the back, and the two of them set out along the ornate path towards a small domed pavilion surrounded by olive trees. She scowled.

‘Anyway, I don’t like sherbet.’

Rincewind didn’t comment. He was busily examining the state of his own mind, and wasn’t happy at the sight of it. He had a horrible feeling that he was falling in love.

He was sure he had all the symptoms. There were the sweaty palms, the hot sensation in the stomach, the general feeling that the skin of his chest was made of tight elastic. There was the feeling every time Conina spoke, that someone was running hot steel into his spine.

He glanced down at the Luggage, tramping stoically alongside him, and recognised the symptoms.

‘Not you, too?’ he said.

Possibly it was only the play of sunlight on the Luggage’s battered lid, but it was just possible that for an instant it looked redder than usual.

Of course, sapient pearwood has this sort of weird mental link with its owner … Rincewind shook his head. Still, it’d explain why the thing wasn’t its normal malignant self.

‘It’d never work,’ he said. ‘I mean, she’s a female and you’re a, well, you’re a-’ He paused. ‘Well, whatever you are, you’re of the wooden persuasion. It’d never work. People would talk.’

He turned and glared at the black-robed guards behind him.

‘I don’t know what you’re looking at,’ he said severely.

The Luggage sidled over to Conina, following her so closely that she banged an ankle on it.

‘Push off,’ she snapped, and kicked it again, this time on purpose.

Insofar as the Luggage ever had an expression, it looked at her in shocked betrayal.

The pavilion ahead of them was an ornate onion-shaped dome, studded with precious stones and supported on four pillars. Its interior was a mass of cushions on which lay a rather fat, middle-aged man surrounded by three young women. He wore a purple robe interwoven with gold thread; they, as far as Rincewind could see, demonstrated that you could make six small saucepan lids and a few yards of curtain netting go a long way although - he shivered - not really far enough.

The man appeared to be writing. He glanced up at them.

‘I suppose you don’t know a good rhyme for “thou”?’ he said peevishly.

Rincewind and Conina exchanged glances.

‘Plough?’ said Rincewind. ‘Bough?’

‘Cow?’ suggested Conina, with forced brightness.

The man hesitated. ‘Cow I quite like,’ he said, ‘Cow has got possibilities. Cow might, in fact, do. Do pull up a cushion, by the way. Have some sherbet. Why are you standing there like that?’

‘It’s these ropes,’ said Conina.

‘I have this allergy to cold steel,’ Rincewind added.

‘Really, how tiresome,’ said the fat man, and clapped a pair of hands so heavy with rings that the sound was more of a clang. Two guards stepped forward smartly and cut the bonds, and then the whole battalion melted away, although Rincewind was acutely conscious of dozens of dark eyes watching them from the surrounding foliage. Animal instinct told him that, while he now appeared to be alone with the man and Conina, any aggressive moves on his part would suddenly make the world a sharp and painful place. He tried to radiate tranquillity and total friendliness. He tried to think of something to say.

‘Well,’ he ventured, looking around at the brocaded hangings, the ruby-studded pillars and the gold filigree cushions, ‘you’ve done this place up nicely. It’s-’ he sought for something suitably descriptive - ‘well, pretty much of a miracle of rare device.’

‘One aims for simplicity,’ sighed the man, still scribbling busily. ‘Why are you here? Not that it isn’t always a pleasure to meet fellow students of the poetic muse.’

‘We were brought here,’ said Conina.

‘Men with swords,’ added Rincewind.

‘Dear fellows, they do so like to keep in practice. Would you like one of these?’

He snapped his fingers at one of the girls.

‘Not, er, right now,’ Rincewind began, but she’d picked up a plate of golden-brown sticks and demurely passed it towards him. He tried one. It was delicious, a sort of sweet crunchy flavour with a hint of honey. He took two more.

‘Excuse me,’ said Conina, ‘but who are you? And where is this?’

‘My name is Creosote, Seriph of Al Khali,’ said the fat man, ‘and this is my Wilderness. One does one’s best.’

Rincewind coughed on his honey stick.

‘Not Creosote as in “As rich as Creosote”?’ he said.

‘That was my dear father. I am, in fact, rather richer. When one has a great deal of money, I am afraid, it is hard to achieve simplicity. One does one’s best.’ He sighed.

‘You could try giving it away,’ said Conina.

He sighed again. ‘That isn’t easy, you know. No, one just has to try to do a little with a lot.’

‘No, no, but look’, said Rincewind, spluttering bits of stick, ‘they say, I mean, everything you touch turns into gold, for goodness sake.’

‘That could make going to the lavatory a bit tricky,’ said Conina brightly. ‘Sorry.’

‘One hears such stories about oneself,’ said Creosote, affecting not to have heard. ‘So tiresome. As if wealth mattered. True riches lie in the treasure houses of literature.’

‘The Creosote I heard of,’ said Conina slowly, ‘was head of this band of, well, mad killers. The original Assassins, feared throughout hubward Klatch. No offence meant.’

‘Ah yes, dear father,’ said Creosote junior. ‘The hashishim. Such a novel idea.[15] But not really very efficient. So we hired Thugs instead.’

‘Ah. Named after a religious sect,’ said Conina knowingly.

Creosote gave her a long look. ‘No,’ he said slowly, ‘I don’t think so. I think we named them after the way they push people’s faces through the back of their heads. Dreadful, really.’

He picked up the parchment he had been writing on, and continued, ‘I seek a more cerebral life, which is why I had the city centre converted into a Wilderness. So much better for the mental flow. One does one’s best. May I read you my latest oeuvre?’

‘Egg?’ said Rincewind, who wasn’t following this.

Creosote thrust out one pudgy hand and declaimed as follows:

‘A summer palace underneath the bough,

A flask of wine, a loaf of bread, some lamb couscous

with courgettes, roast peacock tongues, kebabs, iced

sherbet, selection of sweets from the trolley and

choice of Thou,

Singing beside me in the Wilderness,

And Wilderness is-’

He paused, and picked up his pen thoughtfully.

‘Maybe cow isn’t such a good idea,’ he said. ‘Now that I come to look at it-’

Rincewind glanced at the manicured greenery, carefully arranged rocks and high surrounding walls. One of the Thous winked at him.

‘This is a Wilderness?’ he said.

‘My landscape gardeners incorporated all the essential features, I believe. They spent simply ages getting the rills sufficiently sinuous. I am reliably informed that they contain prospects of rugged grandeur and astonishing natural beauty.’

‘And scorpions,’ said Rincewind, helping himself to another honey stick.

‘I don’t know about that,’ said the poet. ‘Scorpions sound unpoetic to me. Wild honey and locusts seem more appropriate, according to the standard poetic instructions, although I’ve never really developed the taste for insects.’

‘I always understood that the kind of locust people ate in wildernesses was the fruit of a kind of tree,’ said Conina. ‘Father always said it was quite tasty.’

‘Not insects?’ said Creosote.

‘I don’t think so.’

The Seriph nodded at Rincewind. ‘You might as well finish them up, then,’ he said. ‘Nasty crunchy things, I couldn’t see the point.’

‘I don’t wish to sound ungrateful,’ said Conina, over the sound of Rincewind’s frantic coughing. ‘But why did you have us brought here?’

‘Good question.’ Creosote looked at her blankly for a few seconds, as if trying to remember why they were there.

‘You really are a most attractive young woman,’ he said. ‘You can’t play a dulcimer, by any chance?’

‘How many blades has it got?’ said Conina.

‘Pity,’ said the Seriph, ‘I had one specially imported.’

‘My father taught me to play the harmonica,’ she volunteered.

Creosote’s lips moved soundlessly as he tried out the idea.

‘No good,’ he said. ‘Doesn’t scan. Thanks all the same, though.’ He gave her another thoughtful look. ‘You know, you really are most becoming. Has anyone ever told you your neck is as a tower of ivory?’

‘Never,’ said Conina.

‘Pity,’ said Creosote again. He rummaged among his cushions and produced a small bell, which he rang.

After a while a tall, saturnine figure appeared from behind the pavilion. He had the look of someone who could think his way through a corkscrew without bending, and a certain something about the eyes which would have made the average rabid rodent tiptoe away, discouraged.

That man, you would have said, has got Grand Vizier written all over him. No-one can tell him anything about defrauding widows and imprisoning impressionable young men in alleged jewel caves. When it comes to dirty work he probably wrote the book or, more probably, stole it from someone else.

He wore a turban with a pointy hat sticking out of it. He had a long thin moustache, of course.

‘Ah, Abrim,’ said Creosote.

‘Highness?’

‘My Grand Vizier,’ said the Seriph.

#Sourcery

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hadarmarkin · 8 years ago

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Constantine – As told to me by my Grandma

One of my favorite books, Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino portrays a surrealistic journey through imaginary magical cities. Despite its actual existence, I have always imagined Constantine, Algeria as one of the cities portrayed in Calvino’s book. Constantine’s ancient history and its dramatic scenery of mountains and bridges certainly justify its legendary appeal. However, my connection to Constanine goes deeper than that as it is the hometown of my grandparents. And even though chances of visiting are slim, Constantine is alive in my imagination through the stories told to me from early childhood and through the flavors and aromas of the dishes prepared in my grandma’s kitchen, such as Algerian couscous (see recipe below).

(Above: A city view of Constantine)

Despite these vivid memories, the story of the Constantine Jewry and the Algerian community in general, one of the largest Sephardic communities, is widely unfamiliar. Growing up in Israel, being of an Algerian ancestry was somewhat exotic. In a country that thrives on stereotypes of different Jewish ethnic groups, there are no jokes about Algerian Jews, simply because they are not widely represented in society. Given various reasons, primarily the weak Zionist infrastructure in Algeria during the first half of the twentieth century and the strong Francophile sentiments, most of Algerian Jews live in France. My family first immigrated to France and then to Israel the 1970’s. A smaller percentage immigrated to French Canada and to the United States and finally Israel.

But even in France, where most of them reside, Algerian Jews go practically unnoticed and often confused with their regional neighbors, Tunisian or Moroccan Jews. Benjamin Stora, a leading historian in France and a native of Constantine, refers to this phenomenon in his semi family memoire-semi historical book, Les Trois Exils. Juifs d'Algérie- The Three Exiles of Algerian Jewry (from French H.M.):

“The image of Sephardi Jews in France is normally associated with the Tunisian Jews in the movie "Truthfully, I am not lying” marching on the shores of Deauville or bustling around the Santier quarter. These are clichés, of course, but they fit the image of (Jewish) people from Tunisia or Morocco ... But where, are the Jews of Algeria? Their "invisibility" in the French society is striking. It is only at time of death that we learn that a certain personality was born there, as it was recently the case with (philosopher) Jacques Derida” (Stora, 9).

Stora argues that the “invisibility” and in some cases the hiding of the Algerian past of well-known figures (including, Nobel price winners, Olympic champions, authors, philosophes, film producers and fashion designers) stems from deep assimilation of Algerian Jews in French society. In fact, it seems that most Algerian Jews, including members of my family, identify themselves simply as French Jews. In order to explain this phenomenon, Stora unfolds his historical thesis, titled like his book, the three exiles or the three major shifts, which gradually pushed Algerian Jews to blend in French culture.

The First Exile, the depart from Jewish tradition, happened in 1871 (approximately 40 years after Algeria was annexed to France) when Algerian Jews were granted French citizenship. The collective naturalization, also known as the Crémieux Decree, opened the door for Algerian Jews to integrate in the French society, and as a result drastically changed the face of the community. Eagerly, Jews fostered French as their main language instead of Judeo-Arabic and Ladino, enrolled their children in French public school, acquired jobs in the French colonial administration, joined the French army, and participated in the national and municipal elections. The exposure to western ideas and way of life gradually diminished the supremacy of traditional rabbinical authorities. The secularization was encouraged by the French state, which imported “modern” rabbis from mainland France to Algeria, and enforced a pledge of allegiance to France in religious institutes. Within this framework, Constantine was the exception. The city, which was known in the pre-French era as “Little Jerusalem” because of its many Talmudic scholars, remained rather respectful to Jewish tradition. Yet, Constantine was not entirely exempted from the general trends, and according local records, eating shellfish post prayer time with the rabbi was a not a rare sight.

(Above: A photo from a French public school in Constantine. My mother’s cousin, Annie, is in the first row, first on the right).

While the mass naturalization presented Jews with great opportunities, it also sparked strong anti-Semitic sentiments among the European settlers in Algeria, who called for the abrogation of Cremièux Decree. The animosity against the Jews was nourished from Old Catholic anti-Jewish myths and later fueled by the racial ideologies spread in Europe in the first half of the twentieth century. Under this uncomfortable climate, Jews did their best to prove their absolute devotion to France and its ideals. However, they were not successful, as in some cases, the colonial propaganda, spurred hostility between Jews and Muslims. The pogrom in Constantine (August 3-5, 1934) was the most infamous example for that. During three days 23 Jews were murdered by their Muslim neighbors as French law enforcement officers did nothing to stop the violence. In age 93, my grandma still recalls the state of fear while hiding from the Muslim rioters.

The bloodshed in Constantine was a sad prelude to the Second Exile: the bitter rejection from the Patrie or the denial of their French nationality under the sovereign of the pro-Nazi collaborationist Vichy regime during World War II. In 1940, Marshal Philippe Pétain, the former World War I hero, who was appointed by the Germans to rule the southern part of France and its colonies overseas, pleased both the Germans and the racist settlers by immediately abolishing the Crémieux Decree, and promulgating a set of anti-Jewish laws, aiming to remove the Jews from positions of power. One of the most traumatic measures was the banishment of Jewish students from the French public schools and universities. My Grandma was one of those students summoned to the principle’s office. When asked if she was Jewish, she proudly shares how instead of feeling ashamed, she lifted her head up and replied “yes”.

(Above: My grandma in Constantine)

(Above: My grandma in constantine, in the second row, wearing a white outfit)

Beyond the legal restrictions, the loss of their French citizenship was mentally painful. Algerian Jews could not grasp how their beloved France, which they served loyally, turned its back to them. One of the responses to the circumstances was the foundation of the French resistance group, which consisted mostly of Jewish members. Fearing a direct German intervention, many young Jews chose to take an active stance and clandestinely assist the Allies’ attempt to establish a new front in North Africa by landing on the shores of Algeria. On November 8, 1942, after months of preparations, the resistance staged a Coup-d'etat, and took over the capital Algiers by neutralizing the police headquarter, several army camps and the local radio station. The successful execution of their plan, assured the smooth landing of the Allies, and in the longer run paved the way for the Allies’ victory in the North African campaign in World War II. Israeli researcher, Gita Amipaz Silber, who studied the resistance closely, argued the members were motivated by their “Jewish pride”. Nonetheless, testimonials of former members, backed by other academic works, show that they operated as French patriots striving to bring France back to its original pre-Vichy values.

The restoration of their civil rights and the fall of the Vichy regime did not end the tragic chapter in the history of Algerian Jews. The postwar era and particularly the emergence of the Algerian National Movement, created an uncomfortable environment for the Algerian Jewry. The hierarchy between Jews and Muslims created by French colonialism, forever tarnished the relationship and created a rupture that is still present in France today (as demonstrated in Maud Mandel’s excellent book, Muslims and Jews in France: History of a Conflict). Therefore, the Third Exile was the physical exodus of Algerian Jews from their native birthplace to their aspired homeland, France. Indeed, the immigration experience was relativity easy as many Jews were able to retain their old positions in French administration (as did my grandfather), and there were no language barriers. Yet, many emigrants kept longing for their original home across the Mediterranean.

Perhaps the one, who captures best this spirit of yarning, is Singer Enrico Macias, an old neighbor of my Grandma in Constantine (so she claims). Macias’ lyrics discuss both the experience of immigration, the actual boarding on the boat and the looking back at the white rocks; alongside the amazement with the new land, and primarily its elegant capital, Paris. In addition, Macias is a virtuoso guitar player, and his melodies inspired by Andalusian and Arabic music traditions, add a beautiful oriental twist to his French singing. One of my favorite songs, Non je n'ai pas oublié- No, I haven’t forgotten (click the hyperlink for English lyrics and video) is an example of the tension between past and present. He is much admired the general French public and he has a special place in the French hall of fame next to Edith Piaf and Charles Aznavour.

(Above: Enrico Macias)

Music is not the only reminder for Algerian Jews about their origin. Food also plays an important role in maintaining cultural distinction. Within my grandma’s French bubble in Israel, which included frequently serving endives salad, baguette avec beurre, Camembert cheese and apple tart (not to mention that TV-5 was almost always in the background), there was a special place for traditional dishes. Being located on the southern- western shores of the Mediterranean, the Jewish Algerian Cuisine is heavily influenced by the aromas of the Iberian Peninsula. The repopulation of the North African communities with Spanish and Portuguese refugees after the Spanish expulsion (beginning in the late 15th century) definitely added to this strong Iberian thread, which includes dishes, such as Merguez sausage, sautéed spinach with garbanzo beans, ground beef triangle pastels and fried fish. There are also classic North African dishes, such as Macbooba (burnt vegetable salad), honey dipped dough cigars, Mafroom (potato stuffed with ground beef) and, of course, Couscous (recipe ahead). Thus, in a nutshell, Algerian cuisine can be defined as Sephardic-Mediterranean kitchen with North African accents and a French touch.

And now for the Couscous. Algerian Jews are very particular about their couscous. They will never eat it in a restaurant, or out of the box, and refuse to even taste couscous made by Jews from other North African communities (i.e. Tunisian, Moroccan and Libyan Jews). Their couscous (and I am just echoing everything I heard growing up) is superb because its refined texture resembling tiny sand grains, its minimal seasoning (other than Merguez, Algerian cuisine is not spicy) and its perfectly cooked vegetables (not too mushy- not too hard). In other words, or as they put it themselves, it’s the French version of couscous! It is truly incredible how one dish can encapsulate so much attitude!

In their defense, the making of Algerian style couscous, the way my grandma and my mom cook it, is very laborious. In the few times, I made it myself I used shortcuts, such as substituting a food processor for manually sifting the grains over and over again. In addition to the rewarding nature of the process, the final result is very delicious and hearty. During Friday night dinners at my grandma house, everybody was waiting for this one dish, this white mountain decorated with colorful vegetables in an unassuming glass bowl. Despite the abundance of foods on the table, my grandma and my mother always had to go back to the kitchen to refill the bowl. These days I am glad to witness my young son devouring a plateful of my favorite semolina nosh.

Before finally handing the recipe, a couple of helpful notes:

A. Couscous is a seasonal dish. The cold winter months are ideal for filling your stomach with it.

B. Toppings may change. In my household, we served it with garbanzo beans, turnips, zucchinis and carrots. Hard boiled eggs are also a great addition. Some people like eating couscous with a zesty salad (shredded carrots in lemon) or raw vegetables (radishes) on the side.

C. Sauce is traditionally meat based. However, couscous is veggie friendly, and the sauce is delicious also in its vegetarian version.

D. Clear some time. This is not a quick recipe and even with shortcuts, the process of steaming and sifting the grains several times, is quite long even for experienced cooks.

E. The cooking of Couscous requires a special pot called a couscoussier, a traditional double-chambered steamer. For those who don’t have it, a pasta pot with a steamer or just placing a steamer or a colander on a regular pot should work as well.

(Above: My mother making couscous)

My Family Recipe for Couscous

Couscous Grains

Ingredients:

2.2 Ib. (1 kg) semolina (thick grain)

(About) 5 cups water

5 tbs. oil

1 tbs. salt

Directions:

-Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil.

-Place semolina grains in a big fine mash strainer on top of a large bowl. Pour water over the grains (1 ½-2 cups) and knead the grains, so they will absorb the water. Then sift them through the strainer. Try as much as possible to avoid little balls. Use food processer if you are having difficulty in creating this fine texture.

-Put the grains in the steaming basket on top of the boiling water in the couscoussier (or your alternative pot), cover and cook on medium heat for 30 minutes.

-Remove from heat and place the grains in the strainer again on top of the bowl.

-Once you are done sifting, pour additional 3 cups of water, oil and salt.

-Mix the grains in the bowl and use hands to create tiny little grains.

-Put the grains back in the steaming basket and steam for additional 30 minutes.

-Pour the grains in in a bowl and let cool.

(Repeat the sifting and steaming process for a third time if the grains are too coarse).

Couscous Sauce

Ingredients:

3 cups of garbanzo beans soaked overnight

4 zucchini peeled and cut halfway through

4 carrots peeled and cut halfway through

3 small turnips quartered

2 lbs. meat – beef or lamb (optional)

3 bay leaves

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

-Layer ingredients in a big pot in the following order: garbanzo beans, meat, bay leaves and vegetables.

- Cover with water and bring to a boil on high heat.

- After 40 minutes reduce heat to simmer, add salt and pepper and cook for another 2 ½ to 3 hours until vegetables, meat and beans are soft but not too mushy. Remove bay leaves.

(Above: The different stages of the process)

For serving:

Place couscous grains in a bowl. Arrange vegetables, meat and beans on top and add one or two scoops of the sauce. Basically just to moisten the grains a little bit. Pour the rest of the sauce in a separate sauce for extras.

Bon Appetit!

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