(Season 3, Episodes 9-11)

Still chugging along; if only more shows were as consistently inventive and entertaining as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. FOX recently said they intend to let creator Joss Whedon just be Joss in the new season of Dollhouse, rather than interfere like they did with Firefly.

Maybe they went back and watched Buffy and Angel, and realized what magic he could create when you just leave him alone. Whedon succeeds because he creates TV programs that are uniquely special, unlike anything else on the screens. Network executives coming in and mucking up the works only make that harder. Leave him alone and maybe by Season 3, Dollhouse will be at least half as good as this. Read the rest of this entry »

I know I’ve professed my love for Leverage in the past (and by the past, I meant, you know, this weekend), but I really was taken aback by the way they portrayed Lincoln, NE. The quotes were funny, yes, but having lived in Omaha, its not that backwards. Oh, and for the record, I LOVE chicken fried steak, especially because it’s more of a Southern thing, and I can’t stand pork rinds. Also, this week Brett took a look at the “missing” episode of Dollhouse, and we, of course, dove into the Virgin Diaries.

Eureka

“My T.I.R.D. meter is going wild!” – The Drech-man

Dollhouse (”Epitaph One,” screened at San Diego Comic Con)

“You mean to tell me that the tech that punt-kicked the ass of mankind was originally designed to create more believable hookers?” – Zone Read the rest of this entry »

(Season 2, Episodes 12-14)

Things certainly didn’t slow down in the middle of the second season. I’d say the game changer presented here must have been a real blow to many fans of the show at the time. It certainly came as a surprise to me, though one that just deepens the emotional impact of the series, and the Slayer’s life on poor Buffy.

In a way, these three episodes sync up well, even if the latter two are the only ones explicitly linked. In “Bad Eggs,” the class is asked what some of the negative consequences are of having sex and in the next two episodes we find out in the worst possible way.
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So far in my summer series on TV MacGuffins and mythologies I have discussed the unhinging of Twin Peaks (my sweet, precious Twin Peaks … and yes, I am wringing my hands like Gollum right now), and the part time mystery of The X-Files. This week I turn my focus to one of my other favorite shows of all time: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I think Buffy is one show that excelled in MacGuffin management. Buffy’s answer to the MacGuffin conundrum was simple and straightforward: pick a new one each season.

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Do I really need to say this again? Alright, for the benefit of those who don’t know me or haven’t heard me say it the other 30 times in the past, I’m a big fan of the Buffyverse shows. So, when the idea of our Blowing the Hatch posts came about, I knew I’d want to bring Buffy into the mix.

Admittedly, I didn’t love Buffy the Vampire Slayer when I went to catch up with the series to see what all the fuss was about. Season one is one of, if not the worst seasons of the series. It’s because of this lackluster season that many people use it as an example of a show that started out weak but, because it was given a chance, blossomed in its sophomore season and continued to gather viewers.

So, what was it in season two that made me realize Buffy was really getting good, when it Blew the Hatch? When Angelus came to Sunnydale.

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