(Buffy Season 4, Episodes 5-6)
(Angel Season 1, Episodes 5-6)

Change is brewing already on Buffy the Vampire Slayer. A little abrupt, and saddening, but it will push the characters into new emotional territory. Never want them to stagnate too much.

Over on Angel, it was so good to see Angel doing something other than the whole brooding thing. The show is really coming into its own comedy-wise, which is important. I don’t need it as light as Buffy, but you can’t have characters like Cordelia and Doyle and stay that dark forever. 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 »

Another great quotation week in the world of Television. The great lines weren’t all just on scripted television, as it seemed to be the week of taking shots at NBC, and their … uh … suspect decision making as of late. Can’t say that I blame them. Welcome to the #nbcfail party, boys and girls of FX.

Leverage

“[after explaining how a cell phone is a metal detector] …are you even listening?” – Hardison
“Yeah.” – Eliot
“Well, what did I say?” – Hardison
“You were explaining how you’re still a virgin?” – Eliot

“Skylar?  Is that a boy’s name?” – Eliot

The Television Critics Association Press Tour

“They’ve clearly just said, ‘Look, we can’t develop. We can’t develop anything that’s going to stick. We have – clearly can’t find anything with any traction, so we quit.’” – Rescue Me showrunner Peter Tolan on NBC’s new Jay Leno show

“They should take down the American Flag from the building and put up a white one … They’ve given up.” – Tolan again

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This week’s See Jane Clack has me pondering vampires. Oh, the vampires I’ve loved and lost. OK, I’ve never really had them, but let’s just put it this way: while I’m watching the TV shows and movies, they’re all mine. When the show leaves the air, then I’ve lost them. Until I watch the DVDs, that is; then they’re mine again. Spike, Angel (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel), Mick St. John (Moonlight) … heck, even Barnabas Collins (Dark Shadows) was mine back in the day, but he was a little creepier than the aforementioned vamps.

But this week, I’m brooding over True Blood’s Bill Compton and Twilight’s Edward Cullen. These are two vampires I hold close in my heart, only in different ways….

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(Season 2, Episodes 19-22)

Good lord, I’m not sure if more could have happened in two episodes than we got in these final two installments of season two. What a completely satisfying ending that absolutely makes me beyond anxious to get on with season three and see what comes next. We got major developments for Spike, Buffy, Willow, Angel, Kendra and even Buffy’s mother, Joyce. 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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