The Wheldon-world reviews

[lathany]

This week's Buffy and Angel dose was similar to last week's. One great episode and one really poor re-make of a previous episode.

Conversations with Dead People

I really liked this one. The seriousness of the Willow-Cassie and Dawn-Joyce exchanges were wonderfully balanced by Buffy-Holden and The Trio. It advanced the main plot whilst being a nice stand-alone piece. For the second time in the season, two of the main characters were excluded (Xander and Anya) whilst Spike was kept to a non-speaking role. All good calls. Plus Jonathan's attempt to make amends being rewarded by his consequent betrayal and death was a genuinely sad moment.

Spin the Bottle

Tabula Rasa already did this better. <sigh> (and, yes, I know that the former was a Buffy episode, but... really).


Beatrice's physiotherapist visited yesterday (for the second time). She thinks that Bea is coming along very well, and after her next visit will drop down to monthly appearances. So, that is pretty much all over now.

My main task today will be to go over my Swordsmaster - Athory notes to ensure I have enough to run on Sunday. Otherwise, the floor is nearly finished, Mourn's Gift is waiting for my word-processing package to arrive and Baldur's Gate 2 - Throne of Bhaal sees the party arrive on the fifth level of the Watcher's Keep.

And, just one more day to go.

Comments

CWDP

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I think this overtakes Hush as my all-time favourite Buffy episode.

1) It takes the p*ss out of the genre (the scene with Buffy and her old schoolmate), which is what Buffy should be about IMO.

2) It has some good acting for a change.

3) A lot happens in one episode.

4) There's some good plot progress and tie-ins with other episodes.

5) They kill a character in a cool way. IMO the scriptwriters are far too shy of killing recurring characters and when they do they usually make a bad job of it.

6) Dawn gets to resolve a scene herself without anyone leaping in and intervening.

Incidentally - news/rumour this morning that Buffy is being canned from this April, so no 8th series will happen.

Re: CWDP

[triskellian]

I think this overtakes Hush as my all-time favourite Buffy episode.
No! I mean, I love CWDP - it's by far my favourite this season, and probably one of the best ever, but not as good (or as scary) as Hush. Or as original as OMWF. And the end of the Cassie scene is a pretty big flaw IMO.

no 8th series will happen
The version I'd heard was that the series was likely to effectively continue with a different character (perhaps Faith) in the lead role, necessitating a change of name. In any case, I believe the current set of stories comes entirely from a comment by SMG, who's bound to spin it that her departure means the end of the show.

[verlaine.livejournal.com]

Bah, you're ahead of me in the Buffy-watching stakes now. And I have no idea when I will be able to catch up with Season 7, short of waiting for the DVD set to come out (probably in about a year).

Truly my life is ashes!

[pdcawley.livejournal.com]

I have to disagree with you about Spin the Bottle, sure it used pretty much the same hook as Tabula Rasa but I enjoyed both the similarities and the differences and the way it cast light on the earlier characters of the Angel cat. Tabula Rasa was played almost purely for laughs, because the characters lost all their memories they could, believably, get completely out of character. In Spin the Bottle, that wasn't so; the cast were thrown back to their youth and the contrast between what they were and what they have become was fascinating.

Admittedly, it's not vintage Angel, but calling it an inferior remake is missing the mark by a much wider margin.

Seriously ?

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

but calling it an inferior remake is missing the mark by a much wider margin

That seems like exaggeration to reinforce your point !

It isn't an exact remake, but the episode concept is very similar. The differences between losing memory and being regressed to an earlier mindstate might have been vast... The episode you describe could have been made... but it wasn't. What we ended up with was much of the potential of the idea being wasted and the rest being woefully poorly executed. No light was cast on the characters (as you put it) because the scriptwriters came up with dross worthy of an improvised acting class at a junior school ! It was pretty obvious that the cast thought so too - either that or their delivery was lifeless and mechanical for some other reason.

You're right that there was contrast between the characters older and newer selves, but to me this just served to underline the clumsy and contrived nature of Buffy/Angel 'character development'.

I very nearly voted this "Worst Angel Episode Ever"... but then it occurred to me that I have a bad memory and might have suppressed recollection of a worse one. Can't be too careful ! <wink>

Carefully avoiding reading any of the Buffy/Angel spoilers...

[chrestomancy.livejournal.com]

The Gibbon looks forward to May. In May, The Gibbon ends his self-imposed exile from his social-life. The Gibbon formally requests that he be allowed to return to the Lathany group (in Athory still?), if the GM will take him, from any session after May 2nd.

And good to hear about Bea.

Re: Carefully avoiding reading any of the Buffy/Angel spoilers...

[lathany.livejournal.com]

The Gibbon formally requests that he be allowed to return to the Lathany group (in Athory still?), if the GM will take him, from any session after May 2nd.

Done !

Re: Carefully avoiding reading any of the Buffy/Angel spoilers...

[venta.livejournal.com]

yay :)