BUFFY VAMPIRES - DETAILED

POSTED BY: AnonymousPoster
UPDATED: Sunday, November 7, 2004 03:27
VIEWED: 7338
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DOCNEBULA

Saturday, November 6, 2004 11:39 PM

No one should mistake me for Joss. Joss is often funnier than I am (although in the stuff I write specifically AS comedy, I am pretty humorous), however, the major difference between Joss and I in this regard is that Joss clearly does not care whether his continuity works or not. He simply wants to tell an interesting story.

Telling an interesting story is one of the most essential elements in good fiction, but I am obsessed with continuity and I don't care who knows it. I love BUFFY because the characters are wonderful and the dialogue is usually great, I hate BUFFY, when I hate it, because obviously nobody really cares all that much about keeping the internal metaphysics consistent. Joss clearly couldn't care less about the inherent contradictions in Spike saying "Well, vampires don't breath, you know" AS HE LIGHTS UP A CIGARETTE... and there are endless other problems with the way vampires are defined, in the Buffy universe. It simply doesn't make sense. I want it to make sense, because I want to believe in the reality of the Buffy Universe (although I wouldn't want to live there, I do like to think of the characters as 'real', I think that's an important element of good fiction, too). Therefore, I spend a lot of time and effort trying to make it make sense.

Ultimately, there is only so much you can do, in the face of such utterly determined writer/producer apathy about essential details. Spike lights his lair with torches... TORCHES, for the love of God. WHY? Vampires can see in the dark, he has electricity (I don't know how), and open flames are one of the few things that can kill him (and kill him awfully darned quick, too). We never see him light those torches, and he never changes them, and yet, whenever Buffy breaks in to search the place, there they are, burning happily on the walls. This makes no sense... and it makes no sense that the First Evil, looking like Drusilla, would torture Spike by drowning him when we are constantly reminded by him and every other vampire who ever gets a line of dialogue that 'vampires don't breathe'... but, clearly, Joss had better things to do that trouble himself MAKING his other wise wonderful fictional universe make sense.

Actually, I am maligning Mr. Whedon. He has provided us with a sensible explanation, it's simply an intolerable and unacceptable one to any true BUFFY fan. In the execrable sixth season, he explained everything for us... Buffy's universe is not real; she is actually insane, and locked up in a loonie bin, and simply hallucinating the entire thing. It's a very handy rationale; anything that doesn't make sense doesn't have to, because, well, it's all just a delusion.

I hate that explanation, and will continue trying to find better ones that do not dismiss a fictional reality I love as being nothing more than a hallucination. However, I very much believe that Joss doesn't really care whether the universe makes sense or not, and if he were forced to provide a sensible explanation for the myriad contradictions we have seen (a small fraction of which I have explicated above) he would finally just say admit that providing that explanation was the purpose behind the asylum episode. And then say something like 'get a life, fanboy' and hang up the phone.

So, there are many differences between Joss and I. Yes, he's funnier than I am, on these subjects, however, that's also because he just doesn't take this stuff at all seriously. I don't know, maybe I shouldn't, either... but I have too much respect for the effort that went into the world to want to just dismiss it all as the ravings of a madwoman.

CALHOUN

Sunday, November 7, 2004 12:53 AM

Vampires are NOT real.

Just my 2 bobs worth.

CREVANREAVER

Sunday, November 7, 2004 1:08 AM

Docnebula, or Darren, or whatever your name is, I just want to write that I think your a pretty clever guy with some great theories.

EMBERS

Sunday, November 7, 2004 1:52 AM

actually Darren, Joss is always funny, on every subject...he can't stop himself.
On zero sleep...after having been up all night filming 'Serenity' and flying to Chicago, he gets on stage to do a Q&A, and the puns just keep falling from his lips non-stop....

I would say that the biggest difference between you and him though, he doesn't take himself as seriously as you take yourself.

DOCNEBULA

Sunday, November 7, 2004 3:22 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by CrevanReaver:
Docnebula, or Darren, or whatever your name is, I just want to write that I think your a pretty clever guy with some great theories.

Thanks. Always a pleasure to be appreciated. ;)

DOCNEBULA

Sunday, November 7, 2004 3:27 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
I would say that the biggest difference between you and him though, he doesn't take himself as seriously as you take yourself.

LOL. First, I meant no disrespect to Mr. Whedon, I admire his talents enormously. I just find it extremely frustrating when the fictional worlds I love most don't make sense. Joss has his priorities, I have mine, and he's a far more successful man than I am. Nonetheless, I love BUFFY, I've bought all the DVD collections, I feel I'm entitled to whine.

Having said that, I don't take myself as seriously as you seem to feel I do. I just take absurd geekish nonsense like how in the world vampires have sex with real human beings when we are constantly told that they don't even breathe, VERY seriously. I am a writer myself; I feel it's part of the deal to make my fiction make as much sense as possible.

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