Buffy the Vampire Slayer Archives - Page 10 of 10

Veronica Mars – Complex and Sassy

Wow. I’m just five episodes into this show, and already it’s blowing me away.

I first remember hearing about Veronica Mars on TVLine’s renewal scorecard page. The very first paragraph read:

TV’s queasy season has arrived. From now until late May, ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC and The CW will determine which shows will be back next fall and which will be join Tru Calling, Heroes and Veronica Mars over at the MIA Network. (MIA is fictional people; stop scouring your on-screen channel guide now.)

I bookmarked the page and checked back frequently for updates (maybe once a week at first, but eventually every day around April and early May). I knew Tru Calling starred Eliza Dushku (Faith from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Echo from Dollhouse), and I had the first few seasons of Heroes (watched the pilot, but the hand down the garbage disposal still makes me grimace and has deterred further watching), but I had no clue what Veronica Mars was.

The show popped up on my radar a few other times over the past months. I noticed it on the resume of several Whedonverse alums, particularly Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia on Buffy and Angel) and Alyson Hannigan (Willow on Buffy and Lily on How I Met Your Mother).

But it wasn’t until I read somewhere that the humor and dialogue on the show was very similar to Buffy that I knew I had to try it out. I had just completed my goal of watching every episode of every Joss Whedon show, and I needed something to fill that particularly quirky niche. And I was delighted to find out that Netflix had all three seasons of Veronica Mars on watch instantly.

The sassy nature of the show captured my interest immediately. But then the show continued to unfold new layers, and I knew I’d stumbled across something special.

On the surface, it’s a show about a saucy blonde going to high school in southern California (ditto for Buffy).

On an episodic level, Veronica’s dad is a private investigator, she helps him out with cases, and she finds some of her own (modern take on Nancy Drew).

Then the show delves into her character backstory. Less than a year before the show’s start, Veronica was dating Duncan Kane and was a part of his group of friends. Now she’s forced to keep seeing them at school, and they alternately ignore or belittle her. This ties into the show’s theme song, “We Used to be Friends.”

And then we find out Duncan’s sister Lilly, Veronica’s best friend, was murdered the previous October. At the time, Veronica’s father was sheriff, and pursued Duncan and Lily’s father as his chief suspect. Mr. Kane – rich, powerful, and beloved in the community – told the media and Keith Mars was ousted as sheriff. Veronica’s mom left town.

If that wasn’t enough, we find out that things don’t add up with Lilly’s murder. And Veronica’s mother may have had an ulterior motive for leaving town.

And this is only five episodes into the show!

Kristen Bell does an excellent job playing the various facets of Veronica. She can switch from pensive to spunky to flirty and back again easily. And while Veronica has plenty of Buffy-like sass, she also has Willow’s brains. Percy Daggs III plays Wallace, a Xander-like companion I hope the writers will give more to do in future episodes. Teddy Dunn plays the brooding Duncan Kane well, and keeps reminding me of a young Shane West.

I have a feeling I’m going to be upset about this show’s cancellation.

Side Note: While trying to figure out what to call this show’s genre (if anyone has other suggestions than my choice of “mystery” feel free to mention them!), I came across this quote from Joss Whedon about Veronica Mars:

My peeps and I just finished a crazed Veronica Marsathon, and I can no longer restrain myself. Best. Show. Ever. Seriously, I’ve never gotten more wrapped up in a show I wasn’t making, and maybe even more than those. Crazy crisp dialogue. Incredibly tight plotting. Big emotion, I mean BIG, and charsimatic actors and I was just DYING from the mystery and the relationships and PAIN, this show knows from pain and no, I don’t care, laugh all you want, I had to share this. These guys know what they’re doing on a level that intimidates me. It’s the Harry Potter of shows. There. I said it.

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What I Will Watch in Fall 2011

Now that CBS has finally posted its fall 2011 schedule, I have a good idea what I’ll be watching come September. Most of the time, of course, I will watch shows online the day after they air, but if I get a chance to watch them live, this will be my schedule.

Sunday

8PM – Once Upon a Time – ABC

This fairy tale meets modern life sounds like it has promise, and I love the promos.

Monday

8PM – How I Met Your Mother – CBS

8:30PM – Two Broke Girls – CBS

9PM – House – Fox

10PM – Castle – ABC

Chuck’s move to Fridays and House’s move to 9 finally makes my Mondays conflict-free (though I imagine Chuck’s ratings would have greatly improved with House’s move – seriously, is it any wonder the show wasn’t doing well against BOTH House and HIMYM?). Two Broke Girls sounds interesting, and will nicely fit in my half-hour gap.

Tuesday

8PM – NCIS – CBS

9PM – NCIS: Los Angeles – CBS

9PM – Ringer – The CW

CBS was smart not to mess with its Tuesday domination. Both shows had awesome finales Tuesday night, and NCIS: LA was finally renewed yesterday. I was a bit worried that they were going to off Jimmy Palmer in the NCIS finale, but Los Angeles ended with the more dramatic cliffhanger, making me anxious for season 3. I will have a hard time deciding what to watch at 9, but the CW’s terrible online viewing experience may tip the scale toward Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Ringer.

Wednesday

8:30PM – Suburgatory – ABC

8:30PM – Free Agents – NBC

I will be checking out these two shows solely for their Whedonverse alums: Suburgatory features Alan Tudyk (Firefly and Dollhouse), while Free Agents stars Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Merlin).

Thursday

8PM – The Big Bang Theory – CBS

8PM – Community – NBC

8:30PM – How to Be a Gentleman – CBS

9PM – The Office – NBC

9PM – Bones – Fox

9PM – Person of Interest – CBS

Thursdays are still full of conflict. As usual, I probably will watch The Big Bang Theory live and Community on Hulu when both are airing new episodes. How to Be a Gentleman sounds promising, and I probably would have checked the show out anyway even if it didn’t perfectly fill a half-hour gap (the promo, however leaves a bit to be desired). Watching Bones will depend on if I catch up on back seasons of the show over the summer. The Office’s penultimate episode of season 7 proved that the show can still be hilarious without Michael Scott, so I plan to keep watching. Jim Caviezel (The Count of Monte Cristo, The Passion of the Christ) stars in Person of Interest, and the sneak peek was excellent.

Friday

8PM – Nikita – The CW

8PM – Chuck – NBC

9PM – Grimm – NBC

10PM – Blue Bloods – CBS

It seems a bit odd, having such a solid line-up of shows for a Friday night. Blue Bloods has proved it can hold its own on the evening, but its family vibe makes it a more likely choice for those who stay in Friday nights. I suspect the young-adult-aimed Chuck won’t do as well, but since it’s the final season of the show the numbers aren’t as important. And it’s pitted against fellow action show Nikita, which also doesn’t seem like a good Friday night fit. Grimm has a tough shot against both a cop show and TWO speculative fan favorites, Fringe and Supernatural (which even I may be watching instead if I have time to check them out this summer).

USA’s Psych typically counts as a summer show, it doesn’t sound like it will be starting until August or September this year (since it’s cable, I won’t be watching it live, though). There are a few other shows on the major networks and some mid-season pickups I also plan to check out if I have time.

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NBC’s Fall 2011 Lineup

So after the grim news of last week’s cancellations, NBC looks toward the future by announcing its fall lineup. Out of the new shows, The Playboy Club, Whitney, and Up All Night don’t interest me at all based on just the descriptions. I watch so many crime dramas a show needs to offer something unique to catch my attention, and Prime Suspects’ hook about a woman trying to break into the boys’ club of a police precinct makes me yawn.

Grimm, on the other hand, offers a storybook twist – bringing fairy tale villains to the world of crime scenes and witness statements. Does this plug sound at all familiar: “The last of a long line of chosen ones must fight legendary creatures few others know exist while maintaining a normal life and keeping the presence of the creatures a secret”? My mind instantly drew parallels to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and it’s not surprising that two of the show’s creators helped produce Buffy and Angel. The cast doesn’t have any big names to draw viewers, but hopefully they will bring in some geekdom guest stars. It’s also in the Friday night death slot, but has a decent lead-in show with Chuck. This year’s cancelled supernatural show meets cop drama, The Cape, also followed Chuck. Here’s hoping Grimm will do far better than The Cape (though I’m trying not to get my hopes up, since The Cape had Summer Glau and Monday nights, while Grimm does not). I also would love it if Grimm got a taste of Buffy-inspired humor.

NBC’s other new show, Free Agents, didn’t catch my attention with its premise as a comedy about two coworkers, one recently divorced and the other who lost her fiance, and their fumbling attempts to get back into dating. But their boss is Anthony Stewart Head (Giles from Buffy the Vampire Slayer and King Uther from Merlin)! The previews confirmed that he keeps his accent, and there was even a brief mention of Sarah Michelle Gellar in one, which tipped the show into “definitely watch the pilot” territory. And since I lost one NBC workplace comedy with the cancellation of Outsourced, it seems only fitting that NBC should provide another.

The unscheduled pickup, Awake, also looks good. Jason Isaacs plays a man caught between two alternate realities. In one, his wife died in a car accident. In the other, it was his son who died in the accident.

In addition to dumping Chuck and Grimm onto Friday nights, NBC made another schedule error by keeping Thursday nights annoying and choppy. They kept Community at 8, which will conflict with The Big Bang Theory if CBS keeps it at the same time, and then plunked Parks and Recreation between it and The Office. I hate half-hour gaps of shows I don’t like between shows I like. But at least they’re providing some worthy substitutes for the shows they axed.

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NCIS – Baltimore

I had no idea what NCIS was when I first did a search for it in January 2009. A friend had it on a short list of favorite shows on Facebook, and I’d never heard of it before (things like that happen when you don’t get any TV channels at your house). Though I prefer to watch shows from the beginning, I didn’t have Netflix then, and Hulu’s options at that point were pretty limited (I tried watching one of the few first seasons they had – My Name is Earl – and could barely make it through each episode). So I watched one of the newly aired episodes of NCIS, “Roadkill,” and fell in love with the show.

Yes, the crimes were interesting to solve, but what I loved most about the show was the team. Charming DiNozzo with his annoying pranks and hidden depth. Probie McGee with his mad computer skills and tenacity. Mysterious Ziva with her killer reflexes and unfamiliarity with American idioms. Wise Ducky with his keen insights and longwinded stories. Energetic Abby with her Goth looks and thirst for Caf-Pow. And the glue who held everyone together – Leroy Jethro Gibbs.

I went looking for more episodes of NCIS. Never have I watched a show more out of order than this one. CBS had all of the currently airing season 6 up on their website, so I continued watching new episodes as well as watching the start of season 6. Youtube had dozens of episodes uploaded, so I found clumps of consecutive episodes and began watching season 4. And season 1. I eventually bought seasons 1-5 and filled in the final missing pieces, finishing every episode by watching the end of season 3 in mid-September 2009, less than one week before season 7 began.

The latest episode of season 8, “Baltimore,” dives into the past for the previously untold story of how Gibbs and DiNozzo met, and how Tony went from being a Baltimore homicide detective to being an NCIS agent. The flashbacks add relevance to the current investigation into the murder of DiNozzo’s old partner.

While the episode had many treasures, from the origins of Tony’s Mighty Mouse stapler to Gibbs giving him his first head slap, and while it also brought to light not just one, but two “new” Gibbs’ rules, one thing didn’t ring quite true. I couldn’t quite see what it was about DiNozzo that caused Gibbs to invite him to NCIS. With Kate, McGee, and Ziva, it was much more clear why Gibbs wanted them on his team. They were gifted. Outstanding. Motivated.

Anthony DiNozzo, however, seems to play the role of everyman and jokester in the show (not unlike the role Xander plays on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, come to think of it). He’s not the “best” at anything – unless you count movie references – and seems to spend a good portion of his time goofing off. Yet he’s unflinchingly loyal, and his unorthodox methods often give results when others fail. As Tony himself puts it in “Truth or Consequences” (season 7, episode 1), “I’m the wildcard. I’m the guy who looks at the reality in front of him and refuses to accept it.”

Yet these things that make DiNozzo such a great member of the team aren’t very evident in the flashbacks of “Baltimore.” You see his unique interrogation style (and it doesn’t show if Gibbs even sees that) and his ability to read people. That void in the story, plus my added anticipation for this episode, meant that it didn’t wow me. It was good, but not one of NCIS’s best episodes (the aforementioned “Truth or Consequences” is one of the best episodes, and a great introduction if you’re new to the show).

On another note, the latest NCIS: Los Angeles episode, “Plan B,” did impress me (to be fair, my expectations for NCIS are much higher than they are for NCIS: LA). Deeks is really starting to overtake Callen as the star of the show. And I sincerely hope the rumors about Hetty not returning for season 3 are false. Hetty is to NCIS: LA what Abby is to NCIS – the heart of the show.

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The Big Bang Theory – A Year of Laughter

I was looking through my journal, and I was surprised to realize that it was exactly one year ago today that I began watching The Big Bang Theory. The mixture of intelligent insults, social awkwardness, and geeky pop culture references, combined with a huge helping of humor, made me fall in love with the show almost immediately.

The show did have two drawbacks typical of half-hour comedies – a laugh track and crass humor at times. I also wasn’t familiar with any of the main actors (I realized later that Howard also played Moist on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog). But I loved the band of misfit guys, and how Penny gradually became an indispensable part of their group.

Out of all the comedies I watch, The Big Bang Theory makes me laugh the most. From Koothrappali’s facial expressions to Sheldon’s take on social norms, the show keeps me in stitches constantly. It’s also very quotable:

Wolowitz: This is the worst cobbler I’ve ever eaten. It tastes like it’s made of actual ground-up shoemaker.

The relationships between the characters are also awesome. Sheldon and Penny’s parent-child dynamic is always humorous, and Raj and Howard are hilarious when they’re acting like an old married couple. And you know Leonard and Penny will eventually end up together, despite all the bumps in their relationship.

The current obstacle, Priya, would be really annoying if you couldn’t see the blaring signs that her relationship with Leonard is only temporary. The one nice thing she’s brought to the show is the creation of the “Hate Priya group” – aka Penny, Bernadette, and Amy. The three of them hanging out together is hilarious. It was made even more fun when Sheldon joined the group in last night’s episode, “The Agreement Dissection.”

Another awesome aspect of the show are the geeky guest stars. From Sheldon’s nemesis Wil Wheaton to Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica), Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Dollhouse), and Summer Glau (Firefly and The Cape), their appearances only heighten the geek subculture of which The Big Bang Theory is a proud member.

And it was this show that caused me to fully embrace my inner geek. To prove it, whenever I get a text message, my cell phone now chimes with Sheldon’s signature “gotcha” phrase: “Bazinga!”

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Bones vs. Smallville – Initial Thoughts

I know two episodes isn’t always enough to find out whether you’ll like a show, but since pilots often differ from typical episodes, I think most shows should be given at least two chances to hook a viewer’s interest (of course, some shows are so terrible they don’t deserve even one full episode, but I’m more talking about a “meh” reaction to a pilot). I know I wish I’d given Buffy more episodes to grow on me, though the fact that I sought out other Joss Whedon shows right afterward hints that it simply was vampires creeping me out.

With my supernaturally-inclined shows all over for good or for the season (The Cape, Merlin, V, No Ordinary Family, and Being Human), and having finished my Buffy/Angel marathon, it seemed like a good time to try out Smallville. So I watched the first two episodes. And yawned.

To be fair, it probably wasn’t a good idea to watch Smallville so soon after falling in love with the Buffyverse. Smallville had big shoes to fill, and true to its name, it didn’t measure up. It didn’t have humor. Or suspense. The dialog was stilted and predictable. Good characters had no flaws and bad ones, no virtues. The country setting didn’t appeal to me either.

Since I’d watched one Superman movie, I was able to pick up on the hints of mythic origin, and thought they were rather well done – until they decided to paint them bolder as if screaming “Get it?” at me. And since I didn’t really care about the elements that would make up Superman’s future (unlike the elements in the Star Wars prequels that made me enjoy them – R2D2, C-3PO, Palpatine’s rise to power, meeting Lars and Beru), I lacked a sense of wonder at their arrival.

I liked the music. Lex and Chloe seemed like they could become interesting characters. But that was it. I may try to make it to a third episode, if only for the fact that James Marsters (aka Spike) will eventually show up on the show. But considering that won’t happen until season 5, and he’s only in there for 14 episodes, I doubt it. Maybe if I’m really, really bored.

To make up for the disappointment of Smallville, I decided to try watching Bones instead. Yes, I already was watching eight other crime dramas, but only one of them focused on the FBI. I’d heard Bones was good several times. It starred David Boreanaz (aka Angel). And Netflix had every past season on watch instantly.

A few minutes into the pilot, I knew I had found a gem. The chemistry and arguments between Brennan and Booth reminded me of Castle and Beckett. The humor and camaraderie of Brennan’s team made me think of NCIS. (And Castle and NCIS just happen to be my two favorite crime dramas.) I watched the second episode just to make sure this show wasn’t too good to be true.

Already, with her brilliance, beauty, and social awkwardness, Dr. Temperance Brennan seems to have so many layers waiting to be uncovered. I love her “I don’t know what that means” line. And she’s a writer!

Seeing David Boreanaz in a different role is nice (since as Angel he tended to live in a perpetual state of angst, with brief periods of dorkiness and pure evil). Many shows tend to paint FBI agents as “by the book,” so it’s refreshing to have the cop being the one who goes by gut instinct.

Four episodes. Two shows. One clear winner.

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TV Trends – Online Fandom

This post about online TV show fandom caught my attention – mostly because of how many shows I love are on the list! A university student surveyed more than 3,000 people to determine which shows have the most ardent fans, as far as online activity goes. The survey was only for shows currently on the air (if they did ones that have been canceled, I’d wager Firefly as #1), and the results were:

1. Supernatural
2. Castle
3. Smallville
4. Community
5. Hawaii Five-0
6. Chuck
7. Bones
8. Leverage
9. The Vampire Diaries
10. Fringe
11. Burn Notice
12. Glee
13. Mad Men

I thought I’d take a look at each of them in turn.

1. Supernatural

I really don’t know much about this show at all, other than it stars Dean from Gilmore Girls, and I’m guessing it fits into the speculative genre. I’m kind of curious now.

2. Castle

One of my favorite shows ever – consistently good in every way. I love that it’s about a writer. I love that it stars Nathan Fillion and that Firefly references pop up all the time. I feel that if someone took all the TV shows I love and found one that encompassed them all, Castle would be it.

3. Smallville

I’ve always been more of a Spiderman rather than a Superman fan. I did enjoy the main character’s acting on movies I’ve seen him in, but I never had a chance to watch the show. However, after finishing watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, I watched a couple of James Marsters’ (Spike) Q&A sessions. He has a reoccurring role in Smallville and he talked about the story of Superman being a Christ story for an atheist world. That really interested me in watching it and with No Ordinary Family and The Cape being likely out of the picture for next fall, I’m looking for a good superhero show. I plan to start watching it soon.

4. Community

This little half-hour show is just hands-down funny. I loved it from the first episode, and while I don’t think the second season is quite as strong as the first, Abed will keep me watching for many years to come.

5. Hawaii Five-0

The main reason I don’t watch this show is that I’m watching too many crime dramas already. Since it airs in the same time slot as Castle, there was little chance I’d watch it live, and since it’s on CBS it’s harder to catch up on old episodes (I’m a big Hulu fan, especially when it lets me watch the whole current season). I did watch one episode in the middle of the season when there wasn’t a new Castle – I thought it was good, but not great.

6. Chuck

Action, humor, romance – what more can you ask for? Oh, just Jayne from Firefly. I sometimes let to-be-watched episodes of this show pile up when I’m busy (usually in a lull between several cliffhanger episodes), but I always watch them eventually. I’m a bit surprised that a show this well-liked is consistently on the bubble for renewal.

7. Bones

Thanks to Netflix having all back seasons, once I recover from my Buffy/Angel David Bornanaz deluge I plan to check out this show. Despite it being yet another crime drama, I’ve heard good things about it.

8. Leverage

Another one of those rare shows that’s “practically perfect in every way” and that I’ve loved from episode one. The concept of modern-day Robin Hoods, the tight-knit team of great actors, engaging plot, witty dialog, and explosive action. If you’re not watching Leverage you’re really missing out.

9. The Vampire Diaries

I’ve only caught half an episode while waiting for another show to start, but I wasn’t impressed. If I start to go into vampire withdrawal I’m more likely to try out True Blood instead.

10. Fringe

This is another of those “waiting for a chance to try” shows. I’ve heard it’s good, but not much else.

11. Burn Notice

Love this show, for three reasons. 1. Michael. 2. Sam. 3. Fiona. Easily one of my favorite summer shows, and more consistently good than even Psych.

12. Glee

I’ve watched 10 or so episodes. Love the music, hate the soap opera.

13. Mad Men

I’ve heard it’s good, but I haven’t heard anything that compels me to watch it.

So, out of the shows I’m not watching yet but thinking about, which do you think I should watch?

Supernatural, Smallville, Bones, or Fringe?

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No Ordinary Family – Superheroes

I can say with honesty that I began watching No Ordinary Family last fall because I was bored. I was caught up on the regular shows I watched, summer shows had ended, and I was looking for something different than crime drama (the two other new shows I picked up that season were both crime dramas – Blue Bloods and Detroit 1-8-7).

I’m only a casual fan of superhero stories. I’d enjoyed movies like Spider-Man (1 & 2) and Hancock, but I hadn’t been overwhelmingly pulled into the mythos of any of them (I haven’t even made it past the pilot of Heroes). No Ordinary Family seemed like a pleasant enough mix of The Incredibles and the Fantastic Four (and even starred Michael Chiklis from the latter). I figured I would give it a try.

The show was decent, but didn’t grab my attention. I left it in the “wait and see” category, as something to watch when I didn’t feel like watching anything else. It had plot holes and cheesiness, but good acting and visual effects. Gradually the show began to shift focus, from the family dynamics of dealing with superpowers to the wider story of others with powers and where they came from.

This focus change improved my opinion of the show. While Blue Bloods succeeded as a show because they blended family drama with crime drama, No Ordinary Family put too much emphasis on family drama at the beginning of the season, alienating many viewers who tuned in for the supernatural aspect. Once the balance improved, I began liking the show more, and eventually watched the entire season.

The side characters’ stories also increased my interest in the show, especially since they seemed to demonstrate more character growth. Joshua’s character was the first to emerge as neither all good or all bad, and the effects of his relationship with Katie changed the show from a may-watch to a will-watch. And I identified with the character of Katie on many levels (plus, she shared my name!).

Unfortunately, a second season seems unlikely for No Ordinary Family. But the first season is still well worth watching, especially after you make it past the first cheesy episodes.

Bonus for Joss Whedon fans: the show stars Julie Benz (Darla on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) and has a brief appearance of Amy Acker (Fred on Angel and Dr. Claire Saunders on Dollhouse). And I didn’t realize it until I looked it up, but Kay Panabaker (who stars as Daphne) played the creepy girl in the white room on Angel too. (I could keep going, the show has 20 or more cast and crew in common with Buffy, Angel, and Dollhouse according to IMDB.)

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Merlin – Magic and Anthony Stewart Head

A friend of mine linked to an interview about the upcoming season four of Merlin, which gives a few hints about what’s to come (and mentioned news I hadn’t heard yet – season four will have a full 13-episode run instead of the 10 originally slated). It got me thinking about how much that show influenced my diving into the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

For one thing, it made me more comfortable watching a show about magic. I grew up in a house where The Chronicles of Narnia were just barely on the side of good, and videos were stopped or gotten rid of if the magic got too black (sometimes even if it was just the bad guys). I realize everyone has their limits and convictions (and even my parents have gotten less restrictive over the years), but it wasn’t until lately that I discovered how slow I was to try out shows with speculative elements.

Much in the way the first season of Angel and the show Being Human sparked my interest in redemptive stories about vampires (too bad Twilight doused that interest for a time), Merlin showed me how magic could up the stakes of stories since it could be a powerful force for good or evil. Big, scary monsters and spells mixed with comedy and growing up – it worked for Buffy and it’s working for Merlin.

The other push Merlin gave me towards watching Buffy was the actor Anthony Stewart Head (who plays King Uther on Merlin and Giles on BTVS). I still find it hard to believe he’s the only common denominator between the two shows. It’s kind of funny to contrast his anti-magic stance on Merlin with him owning a magic shop and doing spells on Buffy. But on both shows he’s a respected father figure. Giles’ dry wit and exasperated looks are missed, though, as Head has to be a far more stoic king (and almost a villain at times). I’m looking forward to what Merlin’s writers will do with his character in season four, after the traumatic events at the end of season three.

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Angel – Outlasting Buffy

Season five of Angel is a bit of an oddity. Since Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s end (at least on TV) coincided with the end of Angel season 4, the show finds itself in the awkward place of trying to wrap up two shows at once. This is heightened by the appearance of Spike, arguably the most popular character of Buffy’s final seasons.

While most viewers seem to enjoy both shows, from reviews I’ve gathered that many Angel-only fans really resent Spike stealing the limelight. It doesn’t help that Spike is given more of the interesting character development in the early half of the season, while Angel just seems grumpy – all the time.

Though Angel captured my interest as a show far more quickly than Buffy did, for quite some time I’ve preferred Sunnydale to LA. So every allusion to BTVS on Angel brings a wave of sweet nostalgia. I only wish they could have incorporated more characters and storylines, or better yet, simply merged the two shows. As entertaining as Angel and Spike’s arguments over Buffy’s affections are, wouldn’t they have been more fun if Buffy was actually there? But since BTVS’s end seemed to be a mutual decision with the cast (especially Sarah Michelle Gellar) and crew wanting to end on a high note, I can see why more Sunnydale characters didn’t migrate to Los Angeles.

I didn’t realize how much I missed the whole Scooby gang until Andrew showed up in episode 11, “Damages.” I hadn’t been fond of Andrew’s character in BTVS, though by the end of the show his geeky ways had grown on me a bit. But as soon as he appeared on Angel I realized that I’d actually missed his character. And I loved that he shared what everyone from Sunnydale was up to. The best part was his weeping, hugging, Lord-of-the-Rings-quoting reaction to Spike being alive. That was really needed. Everyone on Angel either didn’t know Spike before he showed up or didn’t want him alive. Andrew managed to sum up all the feelings of the certain Scoobies who would have loved the news, plus all the fans’ joy at Spike’s return.

Episode 12, “You’re Welcome,” continues the walk down memory lane, this time focusing on the early days of Angel with Cordelia’s reappearance. Again, this was a character I hadn’t been fond of but had grown to like, and having her show up for one episode brought a warm feeling of homecoming.

The episode also addressed Connor’s removal from the memory of Wesley, Fred, Gunn, and Lorne, which had really been bugging me. In a way, it’s the opposite of Dawn’s appearance in Buffy season five. But while the addition of a side character didn’t change past events much in Buffy, the removal of a central character in Angel leaves way too many dangling plot threads. For example, why was Wesley with Lilah? If Connor hadn’t been there, Wesley would have stayed with Team Angel and never gotten all dark and broody. Episode 18, “Origin,” did clear up a bit of the confusion, but that aspect still bothers me.

I really would have hated “The Girl in Question” (episode 20) if I didn’t find out from the comic that it wasn’t even really Buffy in Rome and dating The Immortal. It seemed out of character for her (unless she was getting close to him for a mission). She’s already kind of in love with both Angel and Spike – throwing in an odd character who happens to be the nemesis of both would be way too melodramatic. But it just adds to the hilarity of the episode to find out the whole cover story was Andrew’s idea.

What I’d really like to know is when does Buffy discover Spike’s alive? I’d thought Andrew might have spilled the beans after “Damages,” but since Buffy’s not even in Rome with him it’s unlikely. Giles might have overheard Spike when he was on the phone with Angel in episode 15 – at least, at that point it didn’t seem like Spike or Angel was trying to keep the info secret. And in “The Girl in Question” there is no mention of the fact that Buffy doesn’t know yet, and if she didn’t, wouldn’t Spike still be dealing with the awkwardness of all of it? Maybe the comics have the answer – I’ve only read the first so far.

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HIMYM – The Exploding Meatball Sub

Now that I’m caught up with How I Met Your Mother, I really miss being able to watch half a dozen new episodes all at once. And tonight’s episode was only the second new episode airing since February, which made me even more eager to laugh at the gang’s continuing adventures (especially since the last one was more serious).

After my recent Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon, it was almost shocking to see Alyson Hannigan playing a character other than Willow (I guess 7 seasons of a 45-minute show outweigh almost 6 seasons of a 20-minute show). Maybe I’ve just overdosed too much on Joss Whedon lately, because Barney made me think of Dr. Horrible in nearly every scene, and I haven’t watched that in months (though the lab coat and safety goggles in this episode of HIMYM were a fun nod to the character).

All that aside, this episode hit all the right notes. (Spoilers follow!) From the dreamy nostalgic “I Will Remember You” moments to Robin’s harrowing tale of the clock and the secret grave, the laughter never stopped coming. The contrast of Marshall and Lily’s relationship with Ted and Zoe’s was great, and I loved when Ted and Lily finally shared their difficulties with each other (the show really does need more Ted/Lily moments – it’s rare that we see them together without the whole group anymore). And of course Barney’s seemingly emotional meltdown over Marshall leaving the company was only regret at the delay of his overblown revenge plot.

The differing views on Tommy Boy were also fun.

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Angel – Brooding Older Sibling

Even though I’ve unintentionally seen quite a few spoilers regarding the Buffyverse (and watching season one of Angel first didn’t help), I am still trying to watch both series “in order” as I progress. I’m following the Buffyfest episode order list, which has proved very helpful. I even watched season one of Angel again. (And in case you’re wondering, I highly recommend watching “Fool for Love” before “Darla,” to better get the full impact of Spike’s backstory.)

Near the end of the list, you can start watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel without having to worry about crossovers for a season and a half. When episodes ended on cliffhangers or with a bunch of unresolved questions, I tended to stick with that show for another episode or two. Or dozen.

The end result was that I was a full season ahead watching Buffy versus watching Angel. It surprised me. After all, I’d given up on Buffy after only two episodes the first time I tried watching, while for Angel I’d watched every episode I could at the time on Hulu.

Why did Buffy grip me when Angel didn’t? I’m not sure, but I have a few ideas. Yes, it was seasons 6 and 7 of Buffy versus seasons 3 and 4 of Angel, but I’d “known” the core characters (Angel and Cordelia) of Angel for the same amount of time as the core characters of Buffy.

Spike’s story arc was one aspect that pulled my interest toward Buffy. I never expected to like his character so much. I was a huge Buffy/Angel fan, so I expected to hate Spike. But his humor, British accent, and hopeless romanticism won me over.

Connected to that is the type of humor found in each of the shows. I laugh far more often watching Buffy than watching Angel. Angel isn’t a lighthearted spin-off show – it’s a brooding older brother to the more carefree younger sister that is Buffy.

Consider two similar episodes – “Tabula Rasa” on Buffy and “Spin the Bottle” on Angel. In both, the memories of most of main characters are wiped away for a good portion of the episode. “Tabula Rasa” is hilarious, with everyone screaming at the sight of vampires and Spike thinking he’s Giles’ son. While “Spin the Bottle” does have a few lighter moments, such as Fred thinking aliens caused the confusion, I didn’t laugh once.

Since I’m so far behind on Angel, I have to watch a bunch of episodes before I have the luxury of watching another Buffy episode. And the dark angst can get so overwhelming that I long for one of Buffy’s witty retorts, Xander’s jests during awkward or dangerous moments, or Spike’s cutting repartees.

In relation to Joss Whedon’s other works, I’d have to say that Buffy is more like Firefly with its blend of varied senses of humor, while Angel echoes the darker edge of Dollhouse.

Would Angel have been a lighter, more humor-filled show if Doyle had been able to stick around? I believe so. While I love Wesley’s character, most of his laughable moments were in his early incompetent days. Gunn is stoic. Angel broods a lot. Even Lorne, who seems to be put in as a “lighter” character, has a dismal outlook far too much of the time. Fred is more cute than funny, and Cordelia lost most of her ditzy ways early in the show.

I am looking forward to watching season five of Angel, and finding out how Spike’s addition to the cast will change things. Hopefully he’ll bring some of the humor from Buffy with him.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Changes

As I get further into the Buffyverse, I’m not liking some of the new things that are cropping up. The first three seasons were awesome, but season four was a bit of a letdown (I’ve read that it’s the worst season of the seven so I’m not alone in this). I suppose since I watched season one of Angel first that I grew attached to his character, so his absence in the later seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer is something I’m still getting used to.

Not that I mind Riley – I’ve enjoyed Marc Blucas’ acting in several movies (and even an episode of Castle). And I enjoyed Spike being in the story more – he’s hilarious.

I miss Oz. I feel they could have done a lot more with his character. And Willow went from being one of my favorite characters in the first three seasons to someone I could barely relate to, and from spoilers I’ve caught it sounds like it will only get worse.

The science vs. supernatural worked well for the plot arc of season four, and Adam as a combination of the two was a truly creepy “big bad.” I also enjoyed catching the crossovers with season one of Angel as I rewatched it.

Now with the start of season five of Buffy we have another big change – the addition of Buffy’s little sister Dawn. I knew she was coming in later seasons, so I noticed the two or three times Buffy is mentioned as an only child in earlier seasons. But I didn’t expect Dawn to be so awkwardly dropped into the show. Seriously, Buffy’s parents are divorced – couldn’t they have made it that Dawn was living with her father in Los Angeles up until this point instead of pretending that she’d been in Sunnydale this whole time? And I think it would have been far more interesting for Dawn not to know that Buffy was the Slayer at first and have to figure it out. Her initial reaction would have be much more compelling than the whiny intro she is given instead.

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer – Coming Full Circle

Buffy the Vampire Slayer was my very first introduction to the world of Joss Whedon – and it didn’t capture me. I had heard some good things about the show, so I watched the two-episode opening in August 2008, and thought it a bit campy. Looking back now, I probably should have given it more of a chance, but with my slow internet at home, I could barely watch 4 shows a week over lunch at work. It was also the first time I’d watched anything about vampires, and to be honest, it creeped me out a little.

I didn’t give up on Joss, though. I figured maybe I’d enjoy one of his other shows, so I tried Firefly – and loved it! Less than two weeks after watching the first episode, I’d finished the entire series and the movie. A few days later I watched Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, which was also excellent.

I figured that perhaps the high-school cheesiness was what bothered me about Buffy. Maybe the show Angel, which seemed aimed more at twenty-somethings, would be an improvement. Hulu had the entire first season, so I watched it and enjoyed it. Returning fall shows crowded out my viewing time.

By the time Dollhouse came out in early 2009, I had become a rabid Whedon fan, so there was no question of whether or not I’d watch the show. I loved the action, the humor, and the mind-twists it put me through. Seeing a few Firefly actors was also a nice plus.

A year after Dollhouse ended (almost to the day), the combination of three things made me come full circle to retry watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer. One, with the new Hulu Plus, I now had access to all seven seasons of Buffy and all five of Angel. Two, I had a renewed interest in redemptive vampire stories after discovering Being Human.

And three, I realized several actors I didn’t know the first time around were a huge part of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Of course I “knew” Angel and Cordelia from the first season of Angel, but there were others. I now watched Darla on No Ordinary Family. And Giles I knew as King Uther on Merlin. But the primary reason I tried watching Buffy again? Alyson Hannigan, who plays Willow on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Lily on How I Met Your Mother.

And I guess second time’s the charm, because I’m on season two and loving it! Yes, it does have its corny moments, and sometimes low-budget special effects (reminds me a bit of Merlin in both ways), but it’s a show with heart and humor.

(Now that I’m thinking about it – there are tons of similarities between the shows Merlin and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. So many, in fact, that I’m shocked that Anthony Head is the only common denominator between the two shows. Not only do they share similar corny moments and special effects, they also have the whole similar “monster/demon/creepy spell of the week” thing. The main characters’ ages are similar, and there’s the whole “forbidden love that is meant to be” aspect. Gaius and Giles play very similar roles advising and doing research in dusty books. And of course, in both shows characters live a double life, hiding their gifts. I’ll probably find even more as I continue watching both shows.)

If you’re not sure you’ll like Buffy, give the show at least 4-5 episodes before you make a final decision. This show grows on you. 🙂

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HIMYM – Caught Up

I first started watching How I Met Your Mother back in July 2010. I’d finally seen every episode of The Big Bang Theory, and was looking for another short comedy show to watch over my half hour lunch breaks at work.

This show reeled me in with the very first episode, despite it’s cringe-worthy laugh track. The only actor in the cast I was familiar with was Neil Patrick Harris, whom I’d loved in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Being more of a Firefly/Dollhouse Joss Whedon fan, I wasn’t even aware that Lily was played by the same actress who played Willow throughout the Buffy series (I found out a few days ago).

I must admit it was Ted’s hopelessly romantic search for “the one” that pulled me into this show more than anything else. While the show is undeniably funny (although a bit too crass at times for my taste), even when some jokes fell flat I was rooting for Ted all the way.

I took a break from the show when my job ended, and was further sidetracked when the fall 2010 shows started. But I missed hanging out with Ted, Marshall, Lily, Robin, and Barney, so I came back to it like a child who’d been grounded from video games for a month. And despite a few hate-worthy episodes in early season five, the show is even funnier than I remember.

And now, a few weeks later, I’ve finally caught up to where the show is on TV. No more avoiding spoilers online. I can discuss the latest episode with friends all I want. But the accomplishment has a severe drawback – I can’t watch hours of new episodes anymore. I have to wait a week or more for a slice of HIMYM’s humor like everyone else.

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