Can Joss do no wrong??

POSTED BY: OPPYH
UPDATED: Tuesday, September 7, 2004 09:53
VIEWED: 8029
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BIKISDAD

Monday, September 6, 2004 7:05 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Chilli:
There are two reasons why I dislike Family.

1) It's full of saccharine. Joss really lays everything in on too thick.

2) The only reason The Gang appears to stick up for Tara is because Her Family have such pathlogically screwed up agendas. I don't get the impression they know, or like, Her any better than when the episode started. It'd have been nice if it was more of a gradual change, and not a big twist near the end of Act Four.

This is Chilli, signing off.

Funny, I thought the "only" reason they accepted Tara was that Willow did, and therefore so did the rest of the "family". As with most things from Joss, it seems that there is more than one "only" reason.

Also, I don't know why you consider this episode to be saccharine, other than the fact that it has a happy ending (which is admittedly rare in the Joss 'verse). If that's the case, then "The Prom" and other similar episodes must also be saccharine. I guess I must just like artificial sweeteners?

Apathy on the Rise. No One Cares.

NEDWARD

Monday, September 6, 2004 8:32 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Chilli:
There are two reasons why I dislike Family.

I agree its tone is cheerier than average, but then ME is setting up the Happy Couple of the show, so why not? You need some light to make out the dark.

Quote:
The only reason The Gang appears to stick up for Tara is because Her Family have such pathlogically screwed up agendas. I don't get the impression they know, or like, Her any better than when the episode started. It'd have been nice if it was more of a gradual change, and not a big twist near the end of Act Four.

I didn't see it like that. Sure, the Maclays are two-bit white trash, but I think Buffy's prepared to let them take Tara, until Willow makes Tara admit she's leaving against her will. It's only then that Buffy decides the Maclays have forfeited the right to be Tara's family.

I don't see it as the "this is why we now love Tara" ep, more a case of Joss defining what family should mean. For me, the ep shows the gang don't really know Tara - and still don't at the end. Buffy does what she does because of how Tara's being trampled on, not because she's their friend. My 2p.

CHILLI

Monday, September 6, 2004 9:08 PM

I think it is saccharine because it goes overboard on the emotions.

Nothing is understated in the episode. Everything seems completely melodramatic. It doesn't play like a Joss episode, rather something that, oh say, Marti Noxon would write.

Joss's eps usually have a spark.

But, I shall watch it again tomorrow anyway. See if my opinon changes.

This is Chilli, signing off.

GROUNDED

Tuesday, September 7, 2004 9:53 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Calliope79:

Just to put in my two cents, and I'm not saying you're wrong, because everyone is entitled to the way they feel about it... but personally, Season 6 was one of my absolute favourites. I thought it told an amazing story, and I loved that things got hard and gritty and dark. Sometimes that's the best way to really feel out the characters -- seeing them at their lowest point. Sure, Season 6 had some highs and lows but I think the former far outweighed the latter. I honestly don't think there was any other direction for the plot to go after what happened with Buffy's death and resurrection. It was hard to watch at times, but as other people in this thread already mentioned... the most important thing is that it makes you feel something. Season 6 does that for me more than any other. I stand by what my profile says.. Joss is a genious

Hope I didn't step on any toes.. and definitely feel free to disagree with me, but please play nice

~*~ Calliope Lang

I agree it's good to go to dark places sometimes, but I just felt S6 failed in telling dark stories well. The Willow addiction story is tragically cliched - making a character addicted to magic is NOT character development. The Buffy/Spike thing was disturbing (although obviously it was supposed to be!) but they didn't really do a hell of a lot with it except show them having sex in ridiculous places. The characters were all distanced from themselves throughout the season - I felt absolutely no emotional connection to any of them after the last moments of Tabula Rasa. As a group, Buffy, Willow, Xander, Spike, Anya and Dawn just don't work to enable good stories.

Family: Saccharine was exactly the right choice of word. It made me feel like I was being bludgeoned over the head while someone shouted "You must like Tara!" at the top of their voice. To be brutally honest, Tara is quite possibly the most redundant character in the history of the Buffyverse. After her interesting introduction in Hush she faded into the scenery, existing purely to prove that Willow is 'gay'. Go watch the end of S4+S5. Every scene with the two of them is about how much they're in love and how they fit so good together. It might have been cute at first but it grates very quickly. They did a similar thing with Oz and Willow but dealt with it far more effectively and subtley.

Apologies to the many Tara fans out there but I needed to rant ;)

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