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That's My Take Archive Mid February, 2001- airing of "Crush" & "The Thin Dead Line" | |||||||||
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Buffy- "Crush" Way to go, this week's "Buffy" had an actual ending. Not one of those soap-operay things that end with a big close-up of someone's face talking about something they feel. My verdict on Spike & Buffy? I like it. There's a chemistry between the characters. I would feel more comfortable with it without the dummy & the mural to Buffy in Spike's crypt, but other than that, it's actually pretty logical. I don't think it should be the whole focus of the show (or perhaps not even an entire episode like this was), but definitely an interesting sidebar. & I thought it was supercute how Dawn had a crush on Spike & how Xander got upset about that. & how damn long did it take Buffy to do a de-invite spell on Spike? I mean, you'd think after "Lover's Walk" when he came back to town after he promised not to. You'd think after "Becoming", but she ran away & didn't have that on her mind then, but it would have been a good idea to de-invite Spike when she was running away from home & leaving her mom alone in the house. Angel- "The Thin Dead Line" I should have known Anne, I'm sorry, I still want to call her Lily, you might catch me slipping Lily instead of Anne, wasn't going to be in just that one episode. It looks like she might be in a few more. She adds an interesting dynamic. I don't know if I mentioned this last week, but I remembered that Anne actually met Angel on "Buffy" in "Lie to Me". Guess they didn't remember eachother. I think I'd remember Angel if I met him. Gunn knows Anne? Small World. Something that struck me while I was watching this episode was that it was one of those urban-issue episodes that somehow didn't seem to work as well earlier in the show's history, but it did this time. I think maybe it's the dynamic between the characters. Gunn was really needed to be their source for the street life. I also noted that the situation was much scary given the fact that there was no superhero standing guard against threatening forces- just real people in real scary situations. There's an irony in Cordelia reaming Angel at the end of this episode. She accused him of not helping them, turning his back, but, in actuality, he saved their asses & Wesley's life. Is he turning around? Is he starting to care about them again? There was a time when they were all he cared about. The same could be said for Dru, Darla, & Spike. His two families. It's good if he cares about one of them, but better for plot if her cares about both. I'd like to see him care about both. Buffy and Angel I don't think Mr. Whedon's shows sent off quite the right message to impressionable people this week. Spike hitting his girlfriend, Angel beating up & killing cops, Angel's continual stalking of his old friends, & Spike keeping a mural to his crush in a crypt. I don't mean to be Tipper Gore, & unlike Tipper Gore, I understand the situations, but there is that part of me that stops to wonder what kind of impression this is leaving upon the consciousness of our society. I mean, I don't agree that a 60-foot demon-snake was a depiction of two psychos shooting up a school, but I think, it's like with professional athletes, they may not want to be role models, but they are & they have to step up to that, & it's the same way with television shows. I'm not all 'censor everything', I'm saying: don't add all these unnecessary depictions that may be unhealthy for society to absorb. Was it necessary that Spike hit Harmony so brutally? For some reason, that is really on my mind & it really bothers me. I don't think it was necessary & I don't think the whole Harmony/Spike relationship is necessary & I just don't like the way it's depicting Harmony at all. "Buffy" has had a tradition of really likable bad guys, & it didn't live up to that in season 4 (well not in 1 either, it all began with Spike & Dru), but Glory's shaping out to be really cool. I found myself insulted when Buffy called Glory "hellbitch" last week. I was like: 'you're the bitch, Buffy!' What does this indicate, besides that I have some emotional problems? That the audience, & by 'the audience' I mean 'I', have been taken to this place where the bad guy is more likable than the good guy. Isn't that fabulous? It's kinda' the same way to me with "Angel". Not about Wolfram & Hart, well, kinda' with Lindsey because he's been it since the 'It's not that I don't care (that Darla is probably going to kill him), it's just that I don't mind', but Darla, & also Dru, who I must confess I hadn't liked up til now since she was revived to health second half of season 2 "Buffy", ya know, I root for the girls. When I thought Angel was going to burn them, I was like 'shit, no! They're awesome!' My whole point in this is that it's a great conflict. The same major conflict I found in Season 3 with Faith & the Mayor. I adored Faith (still do) & I for some reason admired the Mayor, and I didn't want them to die. They were evil & I almost wanted them to win. I think that's kinda' awesome that we can be taken to that place where we see both sides to the plot. & ultimately Buffy will win, or win for the most part or she'll win the larger battle, & we know it's right, but there's that little piece of us that wishes the other had conquered. & that's the great thing about those likable bad guys. I almost wish Glory would get her key. Of course, it would mean the end of the world, but who cares? She's awesome! | |||||||||