Buffyverse

Out of curiousity...

POSTED BY: SpacePirateQueen
UPDATED: Sunday, April 23, 2006 23:32
VIEWED: 5084
PAGE 1 of 2

Saturday, April 22, 2006 5:15 AM

I am rather obsessed with Firefly. I've never seen Buffy.

Since this is where all the Buffyites are...which do you prefer, Firefly or Buffy? Why? Why is Buffy good? Why is it that most people seem to tell me it's nothing but a weird cute blond flailing and stabbing vampires?

__________________
Wife soup!

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Saturday, April 22, 2006 5:33 AM

Because most people who criticize Buffy have never actually WATCHED Buffy. Or they see one episode, or 20 minutes of one episode. The fact is that most of the people who I say "What do you think of Buffy" who say "It sucked." usually answer the question of "What episodes have you seen?" with "I dunno, I caught about half an hour on UPN one afternoon and it sucked."

Yup. Can really make a well-informed opinion in half an hour. Sure-yes-indeedy!

Which do I prefer? Firefly! Hands down. Am in LOVE with Serenity and all our Big Damn Heroes!

However, with Buffy, I was actually satisfied. When the end came, I was ready. There was closure, there was completion. "Buffy" works on a completly different plane than "Firefly"- what remained consistent between the two was excellent writing- the one-liners are priceless, and the character development is very true feeling.

At first I was put off by the whole 'demon' running around thing- I think we'd all notice if we had demons running around, right? But it grew on me.

Yes, the love story between Tara and Willow was beautifully done! I was so pleasantly surprised by that!


NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Saturday, April 22, 2006 6:31 PM

The most common reasons I've seen for people not liking the show are either 1)They didn't give it a chance, or 2)They can't get over the whole supernatural aspect.

I love it, it's got all the Joss wit that makes his shows so great, the great cast of characters, and of course terrific stories.

It's really hard to compare it to Firefly, they're just such different shows, which are both great, plus Firefly had so few episodes, it's hard to compare it to seven seasons of Buffy.

"Haha, mine is an evil laugh."

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:52 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SpacePirateQueen:
I am rather obsessed with Firefly. I've never seen Buffy.

Since this is where all the Buffyites are...which do you prefer, Firefly or Buffy? Why? Why is Buffy good? Why is it that most people seem to tell me it's nothing but a weird cute blond flailing and stabbing vampires?


Firefly is far better, but less fully developed...

Buffy was an incredible success as Joss statement on 'the Hero's Journey' (by Joseph Campbell) and as a venue for Joss' genius (there is a silent episode in S4 where the metaphor is about how people can't communicate...and a musical episode in S6 where the metaphor is that one exposes their darkest secrets when they open up and 'sing')

the people who say it is just stabbing vampires only saw the movie (Joss' script was butchered, the underlying metaphors and subtleties were destroyed...it is NOT his vision)
instead of the TV show where Joss was totally in charge and even the worst episodes are full of all kinds of goodness....

so IMO? Firefly great, Buffy still better than anything else you'll ever see on TV



**********************************************
watch the R. Tam Session vids: http://www.hittarivertam.nu/
and buy the 'Serenity' comics published by Dark Horse
have you checked out this thread?:
http://www.fireflyfans.net/thread.asp?b=2&t=15816

and listen to 'I'm Going To See Serenity':
http://music.podshow.com/music/listeners/artistdetails.php?BandHash=a0
c814e1229742ce77ed4497cbf4631c

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Sunday, April 23, 2006 3:59 PM

Yeah, you should check it out, if only just to say that you've actually seen a more recent 'cultural landmark'.

I dug the show. I have plenty of threads on the Buffyverse section devoted to what I thought about specific episodes and the overall series, so I don't feel like repeating myself. But I will say that it's one of the best and richest fantasy series ever done.

That's the furthest extent of my enthusiasm for the series. I know on one of the featurettes on the season 7 DVD, someone described the show as heir to THE TWILIGHT ZONE and how it's supposed to be a show that "perfectly captures the human condition" or something like that. I personally wouldn't go that far (and that title goes to SIX FEET UNDER, IMHO), but it is a very well done series. And 24 could have existed without BUFFY, let's just get that out in the open. BUFFY might have paved the way for ALIAS, definitly. But not 24. 24 is in a class of its own.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"There's only one "Return" ok, and it ain't "of the King", it's "of the Jedi."

"Maybe we should start calling your friend 'Padme' because he loves 'Mannequin Skywalker' so much, Right? (imitating robot) Danger...danger...my name is Anakin...my shitty acting is ruining saga."

Excerpt of internet teaser for CLERKS 2.

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Sunday, April 23, 2006 5:01 PM

Well it was my love for Buffy, that made me watch Angel. It was love for both these shows that made me watch Firefly - a show that didn't really appeal.

Does this say enough for you? I probably would never have watched Firefly if i hadn't been for the action, horror, comedy and drama of Buffy.

But then again, it's a very different show to Firefly in that I feel Firefly appeals more to the general audience because it is not so unashamedly fantasy.

My dad can't stand Buffy or Angel. He loves Firefly to bits and came to the cinema with me to see it.

Whenever he walks in and sees Buffy, he reacts with "haven't you grown out of this yet?". He just doesn't get it.
He has whole episodes before so it's not that he hasn't given it a chance.
I think Firefly is generally more accessible.
So, if you're a Firefly fan, don't automatically think you'll like Buffy/Angel... but if you do love B/A, you probably will love Firefly.

Still, I'd say no matter what, give Buffy AND Angel a shot
I don't think if you dislike one, you'll necessarily feel the same way about the other - my dad, hell even my mum, has liked episodes of Angel (though he won't admit to liking the show as a whole)
Best bet is to ask fans what episodes they recommend. That way you won't end up watching say Buffy's "Doublemeat Palace" or Angel's "She" and think they are all that bad



-----
Needy. Male Companion:
First Boy Whore of Destiny
Incredibly Confused Companion of SereniTree
-----
www.myspace.com/needsalt
http://needsalt.livejournal.com/

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Sunday, April 23, 2006 5:37 PM

I watched Buffy because a housemate was seriously into it. I liked some of the dialogue, understood the metaphors, and if I was home I'd turn the TV on and watch. I wouldn't make plans to be at home to catch it on TV, I don't own the seasons on DVD, and while I wouldn't resell them if I received them as a gift, I wouldn't appreciate them nearly as much as some of my friends - who would play them transparent.

For whatever reason or series of reasons, I enjoyed the Angel episodes when Gunn was part of the group, but didn't really warm up to the first season.

The dialogue in both of them was amazing, though. Amazingly funny, amazingly pointed, amazingly layered...yet amazingly real. It's Joss. Enough said.

Find out a list of which first-season Buffy and Angel episodes are the best, and watch them. That will introduce you to the best ones, but not "spoil" you for later seasons. (It might also make much more sense to watch at least most of seasons 1-3 of Buffy before watching Angel.)

---------------------------------
Mankind makes tools; we use them to augment our hands, arms and legs.
The computer augments the brain and this makes it very unpopular with totalitarians. - Charles J.C. Lyall

NOTIFY: N  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Sunday, April 23, 2006 6:03 PM

Metaphor alert!

Buffy was a great 7 course meal. Firefly was the most fantastic dessert I've ever had!

The thing I like about Buffy is, like Firefly, JW built an ensemble cast that played like family. Frankly, I began to dislike the Buffy character more and more after season 2 because she got awfully whiny after a while.

But I continued to love, Willow, Xander, Giles and Spike. Their presence kept me watching Buffy.

Some eps are great and memorable TV - "Hush", the musical...

Oh and the end of Season 7 had our favorite space ship captain featured in an ...um... interesting role.

If you liked Buffy or thought it was skewed just to high schoolers, you should check out Angel. Much darker and angsty but same snappy dialogue, created family and killer plot twists.

I wait patiently for the day JW returns to the serialized format of TV storytelling. Well, maybe not patiently but more like tolerantly....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."
http://karenallover.blogspot.com/

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Sunday, April 23, 2006 6:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by msckaren:
Metaphor alert!

Buffy was a great 7 course meal. Firefly was the most fantastic dessert I've ever had!



Wow. That was REALLY well put.

And I haven't even finished dinner yet Chrisisall

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME

Sunday, April 23, 2006 7:55 PM

Glad you liked that ... now for my second act

Cliche alert!

"Life is short. Eat dessert first!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Appears they've cancelled the show and we're still here. What does that make us?"
"Big damn junkies, Sir!"
"Ain't we just."
http://karenallover.blogspot.com/

NOTIFY: Y  | REPLY  | REPLY WITH QUOTE  | PERMALINK  | TOP  | HOME