(Season 4, Episodes 4-6)

Three types of clients appear on The Practice: the one-off jokesters, the multiple-episode-arc accused, and the repeat customers. A lot of the first group are lightweights, though I suppose that makes sense. The middle category has yielded some interesting television, and I’m sure it will continue to do so — those trials are generally the sensational ones. But for some reason, this show has the most love for the third group of clients. Shows definitely should not live in a bubble, but just how realistic is it that so many people keep on walking back into the offices of Donnell and Associates?

4.4 “Legacy”

This time it was Ray Oz (James Whitmore), fighting his wife Joanne (Bonnie Bartlett) over her plight to be named his conservator. Clearly Ray was worse than he was when first on the show, and clearly Bobby was going to ignore all of the signs. Read the rest of this entry »

(Buffy Season 4, Episodes 3-4)
(Angel Season 1, Episodes 3-4)

Now that’s a crossover between two shows. Brilliantly and seamlessly handled. This is why I chose to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel back-to-back like this. I knew Whedon had dropped little treats like this in for his loyal viewers, and now I can pretend to be one, too.

It was also nice to see the return of some familiar faces to both series. As I said last week, the casts are pretty lean. And while I can forgive it as we’re getting settled into our new environments on both shows, it’s time to start stretching out and meeting new people, as well as reconnecting with old friends. Read the rest of this entry »

(Buffy Season 4, Episodes 1-2)
(Angel Season 1, Episodes 1-2)

Welcome to the new and shorter-titled “Diary of a Buffy/Angel Virgin.” I’m a completist by nature, so if I’d been watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it was on, I would have surely tuned in to Angel. I’ll bet the vast majority of people who were watching did the same, or at least sampled Angel.

So far, both shows feel a little lean. They took two of the regular cast members of Buffy, and put them on Angel. Buffy is just making do with the smaller number, while Angel added one. After high school so much changes, so it’s pretty cool watching two different shows to see how everybody’s lives are moving in such different directions. Read the rest of this entry »

(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 »

(Season 2, Episodes 15-18)

A major development for Oz, one of the lighter episodes we’ve seen followed immediately by one of the most tragic. There’s a reason this show resonates so strongly still with its legions of followers. And I don’t think it has anything to do with Buffy’s penchant for animal prints.

Seth Green is so much fun as Oz, it’s nice to see the writers finding more to do with him. On the opposite end of the spectrum, wheelchair bound Spike is almost no fun at all. All that screen presence he commanded is virtually gone with him bound down like that. Angel and Drusilla certainly make up for it, and the banter between the three is great fun, but I think I need Spike back to his bad self before too much longer.

Read the rest of this entry »

(Season 2, Episodes 5-8)

I know adults are people, too. Hell I play one in reality. And yet, like Buffy, I never bothered to think much of Giles beyond his role as a Watcher. Now I’m going to be suspicious that everyone with a British accent might have hung with Rupert back in the day. I think he, Piers Morgan and Simon Cowell used to all hang out and pass judgment on all the other kids.

We’re also making steady progress on integrating Cordelia more into the Scooby gang. She’s even less god-awful annoying, though Xander doesn’t think so yet. As for Oz: in four episodes, he had exactly two scenes, where he pined after Willow. When does Seth Green really join this show?

Read the rest of this entry »

(Season 2, Episodes 1-4)

Wow, the second season of Buffy really started things off with a bang! There are so many questions based on one scene at the end of “School Hard” about the whole of Sunnydale. Not to mention in that same episode, the debut of Spike; does James Marster just eat up the scenery every time he’s on camera?

In just four episodes, one of which was actually pretty terrible, this show just became about as compelling television as I’ve ever seen. And it really all comes down to these characters. Willow is so tragically sweet that you pine for her to find happiness (which I know she will). I don’t know Xander’s ultimate fate, but he’s proven himself a real hero. Cordy is getting roped more and more into the storylines, and even though I know she’s destined for a whole different spin-off, I’m really curious how she gets from here to there. Read the rest of this entry »