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That's My Take Archive Late February, 2001- airing of "The Body" & "Epiphany" | |||||||||
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Buffy- "The Body" Woe, with the real-time, Joss, are you trying to get another Emmy nomination? For those of you going 'huh'? real-time is a directing technique where events are told as they happen, it doesn't jump. Like it shows Buffy walking into the bedroom, throwing up, walking to the paper towels, pulling off some paper towels, walking back to the bedroom, putting the paper towel over the throwup, etc. It's one of those things that's supposed to make the Emmy people of 'oh, he used real-time', like 'oh, he made nobody talk for 27 minutes'. Some would call this technique boring, I choose uneventful, but really I think it contributed to the dominating purpose of the episode, what Joss was trying to get across, this real-life account. The real-time made the event seem more of a reality. It sunk in more. It was like no reaction we've ever seen from the Buffyverse characters, we got to see their natural reactions. But, mostly, I think that the whole purpose or concept of the episode was to portray death in this, well, the way it really is, as if the audience themselves were experiencing this traumatic experience- & from all different perspectives. Notice the first act was Buffy's perspective, the second Dawn's, the third mostly Willow's & Xander's. So we got to experience Joyce's death in all these different ways told very real. You know, I'm so into this show, I've practically grown up on it, & these characters I know so well, it was sort of like losing my mother, my friend's mother, & the real-time played on that aspect of audience reaction- we went through the death like we actually were one of the Scoobies or Buffy herself. The lack of music contributed to the reality effect. Also, the real-time allowed Joss to show us what was going on inside Buffy's head. Thinking that the doctor is telling her things to make her feel better, the shock focus on the paramedics chin & shoulders not face, the abstractness of watching the paper towel absorb the throw up. That was a good touch. Not really a typical "Buffy" thing, but it doesn't have to be one thing or the other all the time. Innovative is good. Another note about the directing is that it was really well done. Beautiful shots were taken & interesting camera techniques were used- some I've never seen anywhere before. I got to say I have a few suspicious loon (I'm talking about myself) questions about some people after this episode. I just got this strange energy from Tara like there was something more to her every action. I don't know, I picked up this sense like there's still more mystery with her. Who knows what happened between leaving her house & coming to Sunnydale or why she came. She could know something about Dawn, 730. The guy Dawn was talking to in class was strangely reminiscent of Ben. His mannerisms, his way of speaking & movements when speaking, even his looks- his hair, his face. I wonder, this guy shares a body with his sister, his body can be manipulated. We don't know anything about that. It's conceivable that he could can change form willingly of a younger him. I've come to believe that Dawn really did forget that she saw Ben turn into Glory & if that's so, & Glory was unaware of the conversation, then if anyone was forcing that memory out of Dawn, it had to be Ben. We really don't know anything about him. Really, truly, he could be evil. Maybe he tried to get in with Buffy, couldn't, & now he's going directly to the source, Dawn, which, if so, would mean that maybe he has some sort of use for the Key, maybe (longshot). Who knows. Do you think that when Glory goes into her crazy fits that if she doesn't feed off a human, she turns into Ben? & then the body's Ben's until Glory recuperates? I am such a jumpy little bunny. The thing about Dawn needing to see the body. I think when someone dies suddenly, without warning, there's a big sense of disbelief that it happened, & Dawn needed to see Joyce's body for herself before she could accept it. Quick notes about last week's episode that I didn't get into. The music was perfect. & that acting wasn't as bad- on all fronts, it was sorta good... & I got the message & the episode did work, Joss. Anyway, they're working the Big Brother angle, I'm noticing. Xander has become Buffy's confident, but also has a great link to Dawn, to Joyce. I think the way they killed off Joyce was perfect. They go through the whole death-bed stuff, like Joyce telling Buffy to take care of Dawn. Yet, it's still unexpected. Also, Joyce dies in comfort & after a nice day. It was the right thing to do, if it had to be done, & it did. Joyce's death was definitely needed for the seasonal plot. You gotta' take away her ties to the world, right? Whenever I thought about the writers doing that, I always thought about Joyce. Joyce would still be there. Not anymore. & that's the point. I got a whole new theory having to do with Xander, Buffy, Dawn, etc. so read on if you want to know what I think is going on: Man, this just came over me, it rushed over me & I think this is the way it is. This is a theory, triggered slightly by a spoiler, & if you don't like spoilers, switch on down to the 'Angel' column, cause it's all I'm going to talk about for the rest of this section. The Host, once the little post-Feb. sweeps break is over, is going to reveal to Xander that Xander is going to save humanity. Okay, Joyce is maybe Buffy's foremost connection to the world. The point that without ties to the world, the slayer will, as Spike put it, indulge that natural fascination with death by letting herself get killed is something we should all be familiar with. So, Joyce is gone & who does Buffy lean on? Dawn. So Dawn will be Buffy's foremost connection to the world, but Dawn's not really real, she's not meant to be where she is, & inevitably, Buffy will lose her. When that happens, there has to be someone to keep Buffy from that dark place when it comes down to the most important moment: when Glory uses the Key. Xander's going to be Buffy's last tie to the world, her big brother. & by keeping Buffy with us, all of humanity will be saved. The Key will be used. Dawn will go bye-bye & Buffy will have nothing left. Willow, Giles, all those people will still be alive, but I don't think they'll be there, where it happens, either that or they won't get through to Buffy as she's on the brink. Dawn will have to be gone &, as that crazy knight said, the Key used means cracked bones & basically the end of all life on Earth. & Buffy will get a little lost, but Xander will bring her back by being her big brother, her last tie to the world. & she'll regain herself & save the world. But there's more to the story, because Buffy is supposed to actually revert to that primal state & be that after the 100th episode (according to those lovely wacky writers {I love you guys, I'm not making fun of you}). I don't have all the answers, but I bet things are gonna play out pretty similar to what I described above. There are things I don't know about, like Glory & Ben- they're going to be interesting. There's still much mystery to be unveiled. Angel- "Epiphany" I can't tell you how glad I was when Angel saved Kate. I love Kate so much! & the whole vibe with Kate & Angel is just, really, better than any vibe Angel has with any other character, in my subjective opinion. You know, I actually didn't even think about how Angel wasn't invited into Kate's place. I figured that she was going to die, Angel wasn't going to care or when he woke, wouldn't remember about her. But, totally there was some higher power involved in that. Just making Darla say the same words Kate had that triggered Angel's memory of that. You could argue that Kate was already dead when Angel got to her place, & that's why he could come in- but if the drugs made her die for a few minutes or seconds, she wouldn't have woken up that quickly- there's no way. So she wasn't dead yet, I'm confident in that. It makes you wonder what the P.T.B. have in store for Kate that they wanted to keep her around. I don't know about Elizabeth Rohm's Bull schedule or if the show is even getting renewed or what, but I'd love to see her as a cast member. & now that she doesn't have the cop job, I'm sure, she's still going to continue to look out for the demony stuff, & eventually, she's gonna need some money to live on- so, it looks like we may just get her as a cast member. I hope. Because there's a great affinity between Angel & Kate. They're really so alike. I gotta' say, last week's episode was so depressing- oh, man. This was nice. Thank you, Joss Whedon, this was a big energy level boost for me. There is a great dynamic between Wesley, Gunn, Cordelia, & Angel. & I think it'll work even better now that Gunn & Wesley are tight. Also, Angel working for them will shake things up a bit. Something that tends to bother me about Angel is the machoism. & I always hated how he would be all 'clean this up' with Cordy, mostly. He did need to be taken down a notch. I think it was so amazing how Angel apologized to Lindsey for not taking him more seriously & not doing everything in Angel's power to help Lindsey when he came to Angel for help in "Blind Date". Darla is another really intense subject. Her just sitting, sitting, for most of this episode, was sort of powerful. She was just a little in shock, but letting things sink in. She wasn't going to get Angelus back. Angel was right, she was never happiness. & that he meant what he said when he told her to go & that he'd kill her if he ever saw her again. You know, vampires are messed up, we know this. But, they are the most human of the demons & quite susceptible to love. & Darla, she loved Angel- in whatever form, really, Angel, Angelus, or whatever he become that was stuck in-between that. Kinda' like Lindsey, that pathetic. She'd kill him in a second or leave him for dead to save her own life, but in her sick, messed up way, she loved him. But she's never going to get him. She couldn't change him. & she knew he meant it when he said he would kill her, so she left. No reason to stay. I don't know how they're going to close this season up because they've already dealt with the most complex & deep issues ever dealt with in the Buffyverse- & pretty much summed it up. I guess there is more around the corner. She probably won't stay away for long, that anger will naturally progress into being. Yeah, it's what comes after realization. & the shit will fly. That should be fun. Buffy & Angel I have to say, at the risk of sounding really crazy, that I've been on Joss Whedon's frequencies lately. I've been thinking through some heavy concepts lately. Life. Death. Life after death. A higher force. The point to life. If I can share some ideology with you for a moment. I tend to be more scientific about my beliefs. Probably because I hate to be wrong. I don't want to belief in something like God & have it not be true. That sounds unfathomable to some people, I'm aware, but bear with me or don't- your choice. This whole big concepts thinking stuff goes back to a childhood fear I have about death. Really about the death of all things. I used to lie in my bed when I couldn't sleep & think that one day I'll be dead, & maybe everyone will be, & then the sun will explode, & the universe will implode & there will be nothing at all. Thinking scientifically isn't good if you want to have any kind of hopefulness in your life. This childhood fear hit me about 4 months ago, it just hits me from time to time, & I couldn't shake it. & I started to think a lot about death, if there's an after life. & I came to the conclusion that, although a basic principle of science is that energy can not be created nor destroyed so therefore I can't be either, there was no life after death. & this really freaked me out. & I don't know. I kinda went through my own Angel-trip, my own, nothing really matters. If there's not god, no judgment, & no reward for good behavior or a hard life, then why do the right thing, why live honestly, never trying to do harm to anyone purposefully? I came to the same conclusion Angel did, that if there is really nothing out there besides humanity, then the most profound thing is kindness. It's making someone's life a little better. & I've been dealing with death a lot lately. & with these last two episodes, whenever I think about all the eerie similarities between what goes on in my head & what ends up on the WB Tuesday night from 8 to 10, I gotta say I truly believe that either Joss is tapped into me or I'm tapped into him. I may not completely believe in a higher force of good, but I do believe in things. Energy, Karma, a Universal law, ghosts. Psh, It's 5:30 AM Wed. morning, I'm pulling an all nighter cause I got a test at 9:30 AM & I just needed a break so I wanted jot down some thoughts. So thanks for bearing through my little personal rant. | |||||||||