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That's My Take Archive Late November, 2000- Buffy & Angel 00-01 episodes 6-9 | |||||||||
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Buffy Liked the plot twist with that doctor in "Listening to Fear". Liked the episode fairly, but not up to "Buffy" par. Liked the scene when Buffy's mom confessed to Buffy that she thought this awful thought that Dawn wasn't her daughter! Things are moving along, but it still ain't as good as "Angel". What I'm not impressed with AT ALL is Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance. This girl, once held in my mind as the best actress of our time, is now causing me to spontaneously shout: "take an acting class!" &, ya wantta know what I really think it is? Concedity. She just stands there with her lips tight & tilts her head back- that's her thing, now. I mean, can we keep the Diva thing under control or does she want to not have a career once the show is over? The only acting worth anything this season is on James Marster's part. I really, truly mean that. The parts of Riley, Buffy, Willow, Xander, & Tara are just not up to par. Emma Caulfield has done okay. Her & James are the only ones really acting, in my opinion. The writing is not what it used to be. It's not edgy. It's not quick. It's not surprising. It's not what made "Buffy" great. The storylines are very slow and predictable, and not interesting. You'd think they could squeeze some really great episodes out of the Dawn stuff, but they're not. Episode 5 was good, the pre-dreaded Dracula episode was the freaking highlight of the season. I do like Glory, though. I expected WAY more from this Tara mystery & it pisses me the hell off that there was a half of a year plus build up to such a simple concept. & also how they had the Tara mystery intertwining with the Buffy-demon-slayer mystery & the Dawn-what-the-hell-is-she mystery. I mean, you'd think a good TV show would, I don't know, connect some mysteries there? My theory would have been way better than what the reality is turning out to be. (It could possibly be that I'm angry at other things right now, & when I'm angry, I'm stubborn {ok, I'm stubborn always. Sue me. In the Supreme Court & then claim the other party is the one who's taking to the courts.}) But anyway, I have a genuine complaint- what is happening here? All these BIG concepts on "Buffy" lately are done in such a whisper. I want to be turned upsidedown when I watch this show. It's why I fell in love with this show. "Becoming"'s not my favorite episode because it has a bunch of nifty flashbacks- do you at all get what I'm saying?... good, because, when I rant I don't even know... Angel LOVED, LOVED, LOVED "The Trial"! It was the best episode of this new season (on both shows)! Loved everything about it! I was sad. I was heartened. I was at the edge of my seat. I was crying. I was shocked. It threw me upsidedown!!!! Bravo! I've been thinking a little more about Darla & Angel. The Wolfram and Hart plan (although Lindsey most definately wasn't in on it the whole time) was for Angel to sort of fall in love with Darla as a human. Perhaps they wanted Angel to make Darla a vampire and then be responsible for what she did when she woke up. Perhaps they knew that wouldn't happen, but if it did or didn't they'd still get their way. They'd have this really bad-ass vampire, in debt to them, who Angel was inclined to spare. It's poetic justice really for Angel, who did the same to Buffy. I don't think Druscilla was in on it the whole time, but I could be wrong. She was probably just found by Wolfram and Hart because she was the closest along the blood line of her and Angel that was still alive- that they knew about. Remember, they didn't know that much about Angel or Darla until Darla started telling them about their history. Plus, Dru's, ya know, crazy & all. She's just crazy enough to do it. I think I should also mention that even though our beloved human, Darla, talked big, in the end, it was her choice to become a vampire. She may have been weakened from the blood-drain, but it was still her choice to drink Dru's blood. See, I generally don't like flashbacks on Angel, because they're usually pointless, but the ones in the crossover- not the ones about Druscilla getting made- were nice. I liked all these fill-in-the-gaps of Angel-Spike-Darla-Master-Druscilla's past. Because there were all these strange references in Buffy season 1 & they were followed up with & explained more in "Angel"'s episode. - but "He was to sit on my throne, come the day." Funny, the Master & Angel weren't so chummy in the old days. & they explained why the Master is called "The Master" & why the Master looked different- age. & also Angel asked the Master why he wanted to open the Hellmouth when it was better being a part of the world- this is the opposite of what Spike explained of Angel in "Becoming". Angel wanted to end it all & Spike wanted to stay in the world with people (Happy Meals with legs). Julie Benz sometimes give these kick-ass performances & sometimes it's just like- what is she doing? Charisma Carpenter is really disappointing me lately in the acting department. But it may just be that I hold her at the high standard she's set. I do like the focus on Angel's character this season & I love the Darla stuff. I like the Lindsey & Darla stuff. Very interesting. "Angel" is better than "Buffy" so far, but "Buffy" ain't that good. I have enjoyed Kate in episodes. I really like KATE! I still hold that as true! I don't like her being mean, though, & I hope she changes her attitude. I think Kate could be a really nice addition to the cast- she would be since the very beginning. On some fronts of "Angel" I'm still dazed. I'm still all: "Wesley's had sex?" Buffy and Angel Okay, I've been very negative about the shows lately. I do hold that "Buffy" is going downhill. It's loosing its edge. It's lost its surprising plot twists and even the writing isn't as sharp and entertaining. But "Angel" has done this complete turnaround. They're starting to kick some ass over on "Angel" & with this last sweeps episode, "The Trial", with that kick-ass ending with Druscilla turning Darla into a vamp... I'm sensing a trend here! Ya know what I kind of want? I want to ditch all those other people other than Angel. Cordy, Wesley, Gunn, keep Kate, but Angel's sidekicks- get rid. They bother me of late & bog down Angel's tempo. Riley is something just not right on "Buffy". In fact, a lot of things are bogging "Buffy" down so I'm not going to tackle it. But, I will say that the main character herself needs to be worked on. When she cries, I'm not moved, because I generally hold that she's a self-involved bitch. Buffy just isn't that likable anymore. I don't even identify with the character anymore & if I go back and watch season 1 or 2 episodes- I identify with her just fine. It was somewhere in season 3. Somewhere where she became too "better than thou" that the character lost a valuble commodity. If your audience can't identify with the lead character something is wrong. Angel's a 240 some year old vampire & I identify with him more than I do Buffy. | |||||||||