Thursday, April 26, 2001
Posted by shadowy duck.
Spike was good in this week's episode. If only for the helplessness of his unrequited love. But the desert scene with Buffy and the guide was rather flat. The guide's words stereotypically enigmatic without any real depth. Although, being told that she is love was interesting for Buffy. That whole "gift is death" thing seems like such a contrived oracle-like misleading prophecy thing. Hmmmm....

Oh, and the Buffy robot was I guess amusing a little. Though the construction of these robot girlfriends that satisfy a guy's needs entirely and live entirely for that guy is strange to me. I mean, the seeming obsession with this idea on the part of the writers puzzles me. It would seem that there could be something more interestingly done with the concept of man creating a most obedient and pleasing woman. But that very idea remains uninterrogated. It's just simply assumed to be "gross" and wacky. But then why are the writers insistent on it as a fantasy for (some of) the men of the show?

o0o

Wednesday, April 18, 2001
Posted by shadowy duck.
Glad Buffy is back. I'm not sure this recent turn to the dramatic-tragic mode has been entirely successful for the show. The last new episode was amazing not for the acting but for the way it was shot. This episode lacked the frustrating (in an appropriate way) camera angles and narrative fracturing. And the acting was kinda iffy. (Did we ever say SMG could act well?) Dawn was awesome, though. The actor who plays her plays the emotions to a T. Willow was just neurotic (with no good reason?). Tara was cool and level-headed in that way she always is -- I like that kind of inner strength.

I guess Dawn has maybe sacrificed her soul or something of paramount importance in her seeking advice from that old man? I just want the good people at Buffy to get on with the whole Key and Glory thing.

Still disgusted for the most part by Anya as a character. Though she in some ways stands in as a satire of "traditional values" (especially in terms of her fascination and "fondling" of money), she also reinforces them in this strange way in her more serious moments. The whole bit about sex and the creation of life -- total repro-narrativity (that term I picked up from discussion in class . . . I think it was Michael Warner in Fear of a Queer Planet?).

I did think it important for the Buffy people to address the difficulties of dealing with the death of a loved one, but will Buffy ever grow or change? She always reacts in the same way, and she is always ultimately WEAK in the sense of not being able to imagine her future with such losses (hmm...sounds familiar....). I loved how Tara explained dealing with loss to Dawn, though. The incorporation of the deceased into yourself. It's very a very Freudian understanding of grief (mourning vs. melancholia).

o0o


 
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