So I'm going back and watching every episode of "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" in order; even the ones I've never really liked.
I haven't done this since Rosalind was born and it feels kinda good to do it again. I was thinking recently though "Why don't I write a weekly blog post about the eps I've seen that week."
Now, I've already watched all of season one and I'm about six episodes into season two so what I'll do is recap season one tonight and the first six of season Two, and then next friday start a recap of the ones I've seen that week.
So, here we go....Cue the theme music...Alright! (Yes, I'm a HUGE Buffy geek...so what?)
Season one is so short! Only twelve episodes since it was a mid season replacement, but a pretty good opener. Yes, the cheesiness abounds like when they play the theme music in the last episode as Buffy, Angel and Zander are walking very purposefully to find and defeat The Master. But there's also some really good moments.
Such as in the episode "The Pack" where we get to see the darker side of Zander. Now, I always thought Zander crush-worthy, but in this episode the sexy factor was turned way up. Another good one has to be "The Puppet Show". I get the creeps when I see a dummy, I think they're just all around icky, but in this episode the dummy was really a great character and made the episode funny.
"Nightmares" is probably one of the creepiest of this season, in my opinion. Here's a quick recap: A young boy is in a coma, and because of the mystical energy of the Hellmouth, his nightmares have torn the boundary between reality and the realm of nightmare, meaning everyone's nightmares are becoming reality. Not only can we all relate to the absolute horror at the thought of our worst nightmares coming true, but this episode also encourages those who've been abused to be strong, confront the monsters who've hurt them and disarm them.
My favorite for season one has to be "Angel". It's angsty, sexy and we see some awesome Darla and Angel interaction. Side note: They killed Darla off WAY too early. I mean, seriously! She was an all star villain; which I guess is why they brought her back in the TV show "Angel."
All in all, season one was a decent start. Dan points out that they did a really good job of integrating how High School can feel within the supernatural story lines. Such as in "Witch" where we see the pressure of parental expectations against the backdrop of a literal wicked witch of a mother. Or the brutality of cliques in "The Pack".
Now Season Two:
First episode is great because we see how literally dying and being revived changed Buffy; and it also gives us a sexy Zander-Buffy moment. But from a story telling standpoint I really appreciate how they weren't just glossing this over. Going through such a thing would change a person on a fundamental level.
Buffy and Angel's relationship is fits and starts the first five episodes. He doesn't want to be with her because it'll get complicate (he's a vampire after all) and she's not sure if she should have feelings for a blood sucking fiend; soul or no. I have to admit it's handled a little...clumsily. Episode five "Reptile Boy", Angel tells her their attraction isn't a fairy tale, their passion can only lead to bad things, yet by the end of it he back tracks and they're starting to kinda date. A little sudden in my opinion, although dragging it out much more would be awful.
Season two episode three is the first time we meet Spike and Drusilla...*sigh* Spike...ok, so I have a thing for bad boys. The relationship between Spike and Drusilla is awesome; dark, twisted, passionate, completely devoted. The first time Spike sees Buffy is at the Bronze, and the scene is loaded with sexual energy. She's dancing, Spike is lurking in the shadows, watching. His expression is equal parts desire to kill and desire to screw. Whether the actor and writers knew it or not, it lays the foundation for his obsession and love in the later seasons.
Giles is so cute in this season! I mean his crush on Jenny Calendar is one of my favorite storylines. He's clumsy, sexy, bookish and in episode six "Halloween" we see the first glimpse of "Ripper"....mmmmm.....I love Ripper. Seriously how many bookish, handsome guys have a burn down the world dark side. Yum! And in episode six we also see army guy Zander, who looks AMAZING in a dark green tank while he's kicking serious butt.
One more note about episode six, it's the first time we see take charge Willow. For those who don't know, there's a spell cast on some of the Halloween costumes and our heroes become their costumes. So Zander becomes an army guy, Buffy an 18th Century woman, and Willow a ghost. Willow is the only one who remembers who everyone is and what is really going on and has to take charge. It's the beginning of her major change this season.
Of the six, I have to say "Halloween" is my favorite. I just love the reversal of the world; Buffy the victim not the hero, Willow the leader, and the glimpse of Giles' dark side.
I'm not feeling well, so I may get through quite a few episodes in the next week, but I'll try to limit my future posts to just six episodes max.
Let me know which ones are your favorites of the episodes I've blogged about, I'd love to hear from some of my awesome readers!
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Book 17: Ain't she sweet
So I took a radical detour from my heavily cerebral reading list and read a romantic comedy. I was taking a chance since my last foray into the Romance genre ended in disappointment and wasted money. But "Ain't She Sweet" was delightfully good. It had the best aspects of most romantic comedies with truly interesting characters that had dimension; unlike the few Romance novels I tried and failed to read.
Popular and beautiful Sugar Beth has had three husbands, and is coming back into her hometown after leaving a trail of hurt and anger a mile wide. She's also flat broke and her childhood home is now owned by the teacher she wrongfully accused of sexual misconduct.
Needless to say everyone wants revenge. But Sugar Beth has learned some hard lessons since leaving her hometown, and has come back stronger, though much more gun shy of personal relationships.
In some ways it was predictable, especially if you're a fan of rom-com's, but in other ways it was a pleasant surprise. The way Sugar Beth repaired some of her relationships, the turn her love affair with our male protagonist took and the richness of the supporting characters was all a nice departure from the romance novels I've read in the past.
I highly recommend this, especially if you're in the mood for a book you can just zone out to.
Popular and beautiful Sugar Beth has had three husbands, and is coming back into her hometown after leaving a trail of hurt and anger a mile wide. She's also flat broke and her childhood home is now owned by the teacher she wrongfully accused of sexual misconduct.
Needless to say everyone wants revenge. But Sugar Beth has learned some hard lessons since leaving her hometown, and has come back stronger, though much more gun shy of personal relationships.
In some ways it was predictable, especially if you're a fan of rom-com's, but in other ways it was a pleasant surprise. The way Sugar Beth repaired some of her relationships, the turn her love affair with our male protagonist took and the richness of the supporting characters was all a nice departure from the romance novels I've read in the past.
I highly recommend this, especially if you're in the mood for a book you can just zone out to.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Feeling Better
O-K...So I realize my last post was a bit histrionic. I apologize for those it may have been uncomfortable for. I certainly didn't mean to make anyone feel like that or make anyone upset. If I did I am so sorry.
A little update: I'm better.
The novel isn't an ash heap.
And a closer look at the critiques with Dan helped me find some answers as to why one of them said some of the things he/she did. There was some simple misunderstandings mainly from the synopsis and from my lack of listening to my inner artist and making some very simple changes before sending the submission off; i.e. changing the protagonists age from 25 to 16.
So, thank you for bearing with my depressed artist rant. I think I just had to get it out and since I'd already vomited some of that bile onto Dan I wanted a different place to vent the rest.
Thanks for giving me that place.
A little update: I'm better.
The novel isn't an ash heap.
And a closer look at the critiques with Dan helped me find some answers as to why one of them said some of the things he/she did. There was some simple misunderstandings mainly from the synopsis and from my lack of listening to my inner artist and making some very simple changes before sending the submission off; i.e. changing the protagonists age from 25 to 16.
So, thank you for bearing with my depressed artist rant. I think I just had to get it out and since I'd already vomited some of that bile onto Dan I wanted a different place to vent the rest.
Thanks for giving me that place.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Pale copies
In the movie "Little Women" Christian Bale, playing "Teddy" has a line that still haunts me. He and the character Amy are in Europe to feed their artistic souls and hopefully have their talents recognized by the people that matter. In response to Amy encouraging Teddy about his music he says, "My compositions are like your paintings. Pale copies of another man's genius."
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
I've feared becoming that statement since I heard it. To feel so much artistic longing, to feel the beauty of creating inside of you but never able to express it?
Oh my God, I can't think of a worse existence.
Here's the thing though, I feel today that maybe I'm facing it.
I'm real good at giving snippets of inspiration. A little nudge here, a character idea there, a scene, a line of dialogue.
But when it comes to the full on take the reigns and go aspect I fear that I may only project the "pale copies of another man's genius".
What has brought on this bleak outlook, you may ask?
I submitted to a literary contest in February. I never expected to win, my only hope was to be one of the eight finalists in my genre; baring that to have really good reviews.
Neither came true.
As part of the contest I receive two critiques, neither of which was particularly inspiring. One of them complained that in the twenty-six pages I sent, my protagonist was one note. Another accused me of "ripping off" Robert Jordan. One gave me literal line by line critiques, while the other simply told me that my scenes rambled on and that if I didn't change my second chapter he personally wouldn't bother reading my story if some idiot chose to publish it.
Of course they used slightly more...professional verbiage.
I know it wasn't as polished grammatically as it could have been. And that the synopsis left out the fact the war wasn't unending (as with Jordan) but instead the sisters would be the ones to end it and bring peace to the land. But I was more than a little annoyed to read that I should replace my dialogue with narrative and that my mandatory one page synopsis didn't have enough detail.
Maybe you're sitting here thinking "You should be more open to honest critique. What do you want everyone just to tell you how great you are and let you fall on your face?"
The answer is no, of course not. I like getting honest feedback, it's helped me a lot in the past. I'm not sure what the exact difference is here, but there is one. Perhaps it's feeling like I'm being told by two people from a well respected writers association that I suck the hind teat of the Fantasy genre, I'm a copy cat with no real talent (pale copy), and that I should simply be satisfied being a wife and mother and stick to writing Christmas cards.
I think in the absence of other feedback, the negative looms larger than it might otherwise. Only one person that I sent the book to after I'd finished the major revisions a month and half ago has finished reading it and said anything about it. She liked it, said it was a page turner. She doesn't read Fantasy books as a rule but she loved this one. She'll tell you that the fact that she's my mother-in-law doesn't color her judgement and for those who know Judy, you know she's telling the truth.
But nothing from any other friend or family member.
I understand people have lives, they have their own artistic and personal pursuits, families, jobs, responsibilities that take up every moment of every day. I get it, I really do.
At this point, though, I almost wish they'd just dump it in the trash and tell me they couldn't get through it; that the first two chapters didn't grab them enough to read it through to the end and that the only reason they are attempting to trudge along is because they're my friends and care about me. That the dialogue sucks, it's just not different enough for each character (a critique from the contest). That the concept has been done to death, that it's not original enough in the "sword and sorcery" sub-genre of Fantasy to really make it. That my prose is amateur and clunky. That it sucks the hind teat of Fantasy and should be relegated to the half off bin at Barnes and Noble.
The thing is, I never thought it was the next great Fantasy novel; not like Jacqueline Carey or Brandon Sanderson, or Jim Butcher's stories. But I always thought, or hoped, that it was good. A solid story, with interesting characters, and a villain you might love to hate. And at the very least a story my friends and family would want to read. That if it didn't find a publisher they would want to keep reading because they liked the story. I always thought that, at least, would be enough for me; if I could touch and entertain my friends and family with it.
Not to sound over dramatic, but at this point...well, the thought of building a nice little pyre and setting the damn thing on fire has crossed my mind today.
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
I've feared becoming that statement since I heard it. To feel so much artistic longing, to feel the beauty of creating inside of you but never able to express it?
Oh my God, I can't think of a worse existence.
Here's the thing though, I feel today that maybe I'm facing it.
I'm real good at giving snippets of inspiration. A little nudge here, a character idea there, a scene, a line of dialogue.
But when it comes to the full on take the reigns and go aspect I fear that I may only project the "pale copies of another man's genius".
What has brought on this bleak outlook, you may ask?
I submitted to a literary contest in February. I never expected to win, my only hope was to be one of the eight finalists in my genre; baring that to have really good reviews.
Neither came true.
As part of the contest I receive two critiques, neither of which was particularly inspiring. One of them complained that in the twenty-six pages I sent, my protagonist was one note. Another accused me of "ripping off" Robert Jordan. One gave me literal line by line critiques, while the other simply told me that my scenes rambled on and that if I didn't change my second chapter he personally wouldn't bother reading my story if some idiot chose to publish it.
Of course they used slightly more...professional verbiage.
I know it wasn't as polished grammatically as it could have been. And that the synopsis left out the fact the war wasn't unending (as with Jordan) but instead the sisters would be the ones to end it and bring peace to the land. But I was more than a little annoyed to read that I should replace my dialogue with narrative and that my mandatory one page synopsis didn't have enough detail.
Maybe you're sitting here thinking "You should be more open to honest critique. What do you want everyone just to tell you how great you are and let you fall on your face?"
The answer is no, of course not. I like getting honest feedback, it's helped me a lot in the past. I'm not sure what the exact difference is here, but there is one. Perhaps it's feeling like I'm being told by two people from a well respected writers association that I suck the hind teat of the Fantasy genre, I'm a copy cat with no real talent (pale copy), and that I should simply be satisfied being a wife and mother and stick to writing Christmas cards.
I think in the absence of other feedback, the negative looms larger than it might otherwise. Only one person that I sent the book to after I'd finished the major revisions a month and half ago has finished reading it and said anything about it. She liked it, said it was a page turner. She doesn't read Fantasy books as a rule but she loved this one. She'll tell you that the fact that she's my mother-in-law doesn't color her judgement and for those who know Judy, you know she's telling the truth.
But nothing from any other friend or family member.
I understand people have lives, they have their own artistic and personal pursuits, families, jobs, responsibilities that take up every moment of every day. I get it, I really do.
At this point, though, I almost wish they'd just dump it in the trash and tell me they couldn't get through it; that the first two chapters didn't grab them enough to read it through to the end and that the only reason they are attempting to trudge along is because they're my friends and care about me. That the dialogue sucks, it's just not different enough for each character (a critique from the contest). That the concept has been done to death, that it's not original enough in the "sword and sorcery" sub-genre of Fantasy to really make it. That my prose is amateur and clunky. That it sucks the hind teat of Fantasy and should be relegated to the half off bin at Barnes and Noble.
The thing is, I never thought it was the next great Fantasy novel; not like Jacqueline Carey or Brandon Sanderson, or Jim Butcher's stories. But I always thought, or hoped, that it was good. A solid story, with interesting characters, and a villain you might love to hate. And at the very least a story my friends and family would want to read. That if it didn't find a publisher they would want to keep reading because they liked the story. I always thought that, at least, would be enough for me; if I could touch and entertain my friends and family with it.
Not to sound over dramatic, but at this point...well, the thought of building a nice little pyre and setting the damn thing on fire has crossed my mind today.
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