sundries

[rm]

So, world travel and shit. See previous post. Also we leave for the UK on Thursday. And Patty is a dear and is calling the airline for several reasons including trying to get a gluten-free meal for me.

We had a fabulous dinner last night at Cafeteria. I know it's a bit played out, but it was a great time and the spicy roast chicken was actually spicy and fabulous. Afterwards, we went to Burdick's for cocoa.

Got asked to contribute to an anthology related to a given set of media properties this morning. Go go gadget go.

It's Elevenses Day!

Some elements of the radical right fringe are even fringier than we thought. Or something. coyotegoth explains.

Jews around the world react to the pope's personal preacher comparing the world anger at the church of sex-abuse scandals to the persecution of Jews. On the long list of things that are not like sexually abusing children: being a Jew. People, my family is Catholic and Jewish. This has personal, extremely unpleasant and awkward repercussions for us and the Vatican saying that this is not their position? Meaningless.

Cracking down on unpaid internships. Right on.

An update to the preppy handbook. While meant to be tongue-in-cheek then and now, it was regarded as no joke in the world I grew up in. We read it cover to cover to learn how to be our parents and summer damn well was a verb. I'm discomforted by it's reappearance, and the Times's framing of the article, but then it wasn't meant for people like me. (Also, did I see that right, the Times somehow thinks being Jewish fits in the world of Chip and Muffy? They'd be wrong. And trust me, I'd know). *shudder*

With the werewolves in (that I fear are going need major edits), we're back to Buffy.

Buffy 4.13 "The I in Team" and Buffy 4.14: "Goobye Iowa":

It's sort of ridiculous to talk about these two episodes separately, so I won't.

In the end, I really hated Walsh. And not in a "bad guy we're supposed to hate" way, but in a "we never really understood her motivations or who she was and they switched midstream and ultimate she seemed insecure and competitive with other females and isn't that played out and what's with the mommy thing?" way.

On the other hand, I loved that Buffy tweaked to Wash trying to murder her right off. I was worried that Buffy would make up excuses for it and it would drag out. I also loved her speaking into the cam com and all. Well done.

Adam -- wow, a little heavy-handed with the Frankenstein's monster thing there.

Patty told me the demon in the ep was after a fan's screen name at the time. I find that hard to process -- not that things like that don't happen (lots of fans have been referenced in Torchwood-related materials), but because I can't imagine things like that happening without causing EPIC HIERARCHY WANK.

Speaking of heavy-handed: Buffy, Riley, sex and fighting. Oh, clumsy and heavy handed and it sort of made me laugh. On the other hand, that's when I started shouting "Weevil hunting" at the TV and wondering if there was anything RTD didn't lift from these shows (hi alien demon with bone dagger that comes out of arm thing).

Guy who plays Riley can actually act.

Giles/Spike!

What's up with Tara purposely fucking up that spell? Was that a heavy handed "will you still like me if I don't get you off perform awesome magic?" Now sure how I feel about all that yet. Tara has a face that makes her always look as if she's just been crying.

Obligatory remark about spanking joke here.

Comments

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

What's up with Tara purposely fucking up that spell? Was that a heavy handed "will you still like me if I don't get you off perform awesome magic?"

::knowing smile::

[sevendayloan.livejournal.com]

In the end, I really hated Walsh. I don't know, she just confused me. In the end, I pitied her more than anything. Which I think says there's something wrong with me. ;)

Guy who plays Riley can actually act.: Not going to lie, this threw me! Riley kind of bores me, to be honest, and I just assumed that his actor had a limited range. But nope! He's actually quite good.

Adam -- wow, a little heavy -handed with the Frakenstein there. Agreed. I liked that they seemed to pull from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein though, as opposed to the movies. It was nice to see the monster philosophizing.

On the other hand, that's when I started shouting "Weevil hunting" at the TV and wondering if there was anything RTD didn't lift from these shows. Um, I'm thinking about it and ... no, not really. xD

What's up with Tara purposely fucking up that spell? You'll see!

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

*teehee*

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

WAVE YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR! WAVE THEM LIKE YOU DON'T CARE.

Obviously my coffee has either not kicked in or has dialed me up to eleven.

[rm.livejournal.com]

IT IS ELEVEN DAY.

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

I haven't watched these episodes in a really, really long time, but Walsh was a pretty horrible character in terms of development, in my opinion. I couldn't stand her as soon as she came on the scene. The Giles/Spike relationship is awesome. I can't remember the spanking comment you're referencing, just a line that Drusilla says in season 5 about "Spank us til Tuesday" that I really enjoyed. I can't remember the Tara spell thing either, but there's pretty much a reason for everything she does. She's a lot more in tune with the power of magic and how it should be used than Willow is. She's one of those love or hate characters; I happen to love her.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

HOLY SHIT I HAD FORGOT.

I should probably watch Waters of Mars and End of Time first, right?

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

"I watched Passions with Spike."

[rm.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah.

I wonder what you'll think. They're pretty controversial eps. I loved WoM, but a lot of people hated it. And I HATED the first half of EoT, but was okay with the second.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

The gossip about Walsh is that the actor who played her wanted off the show almost as soon as they started shooting the season, and that S4 wound up with a structure that veered quite a bit off course compared to what they'd originally intended, as a result.

Sadly I don't know details. I've always wondered what the season was originally supposed to be like.

[rm.livejournal.com]

Any word on why she wanted off the show? Or was this one of those "get me out of the sci-fi ghetto" actor tantrums we hear about from time to time?

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Oh, Joyce or Giles?

PASSIONS IS ON. TIMMY'S DOWN THE BLOODY WELL, AND IF I MISS IT I'LL--

YOU'LL WHAT? LICK ME TO DEATH?

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Really? I haven't heard that before, interesting.

[amand-r.livejournal.com]

ahaahahahaahah

"We shall never speak of it again."

[redstapler.livejournal.com]

The actor who played Walsh reminded me so much of my mom, it was actively creepy.

S4 Tara bugged the shit out of me, but I just started on S5, and she seems much more like a sentient human with an actual sense of self.

Note to the peanut gallery: I've never watched Buffy before either, so I'm sure this is foreshadowing of some sort, but don't tell me? Thnx.

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Gah, I should do a Buffython today. But I was going to read! Or shop with the money that I so don't have. Damn you, Easter and your closing of stores, DAMN YOU.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I don't even know that! (: I mean, it's a logical conclusion: when you look at the performance you can almost see that, can't you? But I certainly wouldn't swear to it.

I can think of a lot of reasons to want off a Joss show, actually. From what I understand, they aren't for the faint of heart.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

I wish I could remember where I heard it so I could provide a citation.

[therealycats.livejournal.com]

Eh, I'm sure I could Google or Wiki it or check Whedonesque or something; no biggie.

[eumelia.livejournal.com]

Re: Catholic-Jewish Thing; I think the worst thing about this (beyond the horrendous Atnisemtisim coming from the Vatican and the anti-Catholic sentiment coming from this, shall we say, debacle), is that the RCC is refusing to face facts and be accounted for their actions on the earthly front. That what they did matters and that they owe their people.

I dunno. This is all very angering and confusing on my side of things.

[fmanalyst.livejournal.com]

That's interesting. I'd always felt that so much more could've been done with the college setting than they did. For instance, I would've loved a "Take Back the Night" episode.

[marchek.livejournal.com]

I TOTALLY FORGOT TODAY IS ELEVENSES DAY!

I guess I've been so focused on the U.S. premiere. I'm much more excited about this than I thought I would be.

[bodlon.livejournal.com]

Giles/Spike!

*blinks*

Whoa. Unexpected excellent visual is unexpected. I'm, uh...huh. Well!

ETA:

A Vatican spokesman said the comparison "is absolutely not the line of the Vatican and of the Catholic Church."

This would be the same Vatican for the same Catholic Church which dogmatically holds that the Pope is their direct line to the Bearded Fellow in the Sky? And decides what the Catholic Church thinks about things?

...

*facepalm*

ETA2: in fairness, it wasn't the actual Pope who said this, but one of his people, and even that wasn't an 'official' statement of the sort that becomes dogma, but still.

[elionwyr.livejournal.com]

The Adam storyline is not my most fav, though I do love what they did with Spike and the Initiative...it seemed to me that the show sorta lost some rhythm with this arc, but it gets its grove back.

Giles/Spike = awesome.

Random: Over the span of the shows, I probably love the change/development of Spike and Wesley, followed by Willow. I preferred "Angel" to "Buffy" overall because (and this is probably unfair of me) "Angel" was allowed to be a more adult show. There are times when it seems to me that Buffy is almost painfully yoinked back into acting like a child instead of the woman she should be becoming.

More random: Has anyone ever written Anita/Buffy crossover fic? Early Anita "oh shit I'm becoming a sociopath" might have interesting things to discuss with Buffy.

Or maybe I just need more coffee, as now "oh shit maybe I'm a sociopath too" Gwen just poked at me.

[laurashapiro.livejournal.com]

Considering Whedon's record on rape, I'm not too sanguine about that idea. (: But I agree, I would have loved to see a different S4 than the one we got -- and I like S4 more than most people!