And that aside -- the whole experience of the Initiate, the industrialization of the demon-hunting process takes the edge of the Slayer, and took away a lot of what I liked about Buffy, kicking it in graveyards after school in an anorak and heels, staking some vamps, then going for pizza.
Yeah..I always felt like Joss formed the whole Buffy series from the idea that "High school is hell" and has said that if he had ever had one good day in high school there wouldn't be a series. So once he started "The College Years" the whole series lost it's focus.
Riley was totally boring. But I did love the constant "Superman" references and the idea of Riley as the next guy, the rebound guy. The guy who wants nothing more than to love Buffy and who gets screwed by the psychic backwash of Angel/Buffy.
I did want to put in a plug for season 1. Only 12 eps long but totally entertaining. Some of my all time favorite Btvs stuff is in S1 because it was conceived as its own little arc. Plus - the Xander/Angel relationship bitterness really has roots in S1.
In other words, some problems with the choices made by the show, eg all that Initiate government conspiracy intrigue yawn, as well as some issues with the way the characters have grown up, but I don't at all fault Joss or the writers for the latter issue, only the former. The kids grew up, as kids do, and even though it's bumpy and awkward, it's honest.
I think its difficult to see the writers testing the characters in ways that interfere with the attributes we, as consumers, most like to experience vicariously. Whereas the first three seasons hammered home the "We're all in this together" motif, through which we all vicariously felt the Scooby Love, in the fourth season everyone was more self absorbed. And as they were all learning to be the new versions of themselves, they all had to learn to interact in different ways.
I don't think that any of that is bad, but it was difficult as a fan because the very bonds that they were changing were an integral part of why I loved the show. It made me feel itchy and dissatisfied for much of the fourth season, really only clicking in moments when they were finally able to make the transitions, and their relationships grew stronger for it. Like Wild At Heart, f'rinstance.
And yeah...I personally wanted a lot more Olivia-bonking for Giles.
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Ats Season 1 & Btvs season 4
Date: 2004-03-17 11:05 am (UTC)Yeah..I always felt like Joss formed the whole Buffy series from the idea that "High school is hell" and has said that if he had ever had one good day in high school there wouldn't be a series. So once he started "The College Years" the whole series lost it's focus.
Riley was totally boring. But I did love the constant "Superman" references and the idea of Riley as the next guy, the rebound guy. The guy who wants nothing more than to love Buffy and who gets screwed by the psychic backwash of Angel/Buffy.
I did want to put in a plug for season 1. Only 12 eps long but totally entertaining. Some of my all time favorite Btvs stuff is in S1 because it was conceived as its own little arc. Plus - the Xander/Angel relationship bitterness really has roots in S1.
In other words, some problems with the choices made by the show, eg all that Initiate government conspiracy intrigue yawn, as well as some issues with the way the characters have grown up, but I don't at all fault Joss or the writers for the latter issue, only the former. The kids grew up, as kids do, and even though it's bumpy and awkward, it's honest.
I think its difficult to see the writers testing the characters in ways that interfere with the attributes we, as consumers, most like to experience vicariously. Whereas the first three seasons hammered home the "We're all in this together" motif, through which we all vicariously felt the Scooby Love, in the fourth season everyone was more self absorbed. And as they were all learning to be the new versions of themselves, they all had to learn to interact in different ways.
I don't think that any of that is bad, but it was difficult as a fan because the very bonds that they were changing were an integral part of why I loved the show. It made me feel itchy and dissatisfied for much of the fourth season, really only clicking in moments when they were finally able to make the transitions, and their relationships grew stronger for it. Like Wild At Heart, f'rinstance.
And yeah...I personally wanted a lot more Olivia-bonking for Giles.
:)pg