AOQ Review 4-17: "Superstar"
Arbitrar Of Quality
threads.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Season Four, Episode 17: "Superstar"
(or "I'm Shrimpy! The Shrimp Sprite, they call me! I heard your
wish, and well, now you're gonna get it! No more shrimp for you from
now on!")
Writer: Jane Espenson
Director: David Grossman
The first thing "Superstar" does is defuse the WTF moment that the
beginning sets up. I mean, we're starting with the Slaypack all
fighting as a group, things are moving smoothly, and then suddenly
they're backing down, and going to Wayne Manor to get help from...
well, I actually didn't recognize Jonathan right away, given that
he's usually shot to look shorter and doesn't dress like that. So,
huh? But then the opening titles, the first "special" ones of the
series, make it clear where the episode is going. It says right here:
this is the gimmick, people. Don't expect anything too serious, and
you're officially missing the point if you start complaining that it
doesn't make sense.
The problem with so much of the episode, of course, is that it's
largely one joke. You know how much I love that (especially given my
legendary lack of anything resembling a sense of humor). Let's mock
on perfect characters who're the center of every scene, yeah, yeah,
got it. Now, how about the part where you make me laugh rather than
maybe a wry smile at best? Here I think I prefer it when the episode
plays on other things so as to make super-Jonathan just the source of
the gag rather than necessarily the center of it. So when I was
looking for good moments to latch onto, stuff like "don't you
agree... SPIKE?! [dramatic chord]" worked for me. One particularly
inspired bit of comedy comes when Jonathan follows up his relationship
advice by crooning an inspirational song, and we get the slow lingering
pans over Buffy and Riley's faces as they tentatively look towards
each other until their eyes meet, take each other by the arms, and are
swept away by the dance music. Dead-on parody there, and you then add
the followup gag with how the music affects Xander and Anya. That's
good humor writing.
Too often, though, the first half of "Superstar" just wasn't
exciting or particularly interesting to me. Oh look, Jonathan is the
military strategist, didn't see that one coming. Mrs. Quality was
thrown by the episode more than I was, to the point where I had to yell
"Do you not get that this is a joke?!" after she complained about
the "bad acting" during the aforementioned waltz scene. But I had
to qualify that by saying that maybe it wasn't a particularly good
joke. Better in theory than in execution, maybe, because I like the
idea of the episode more than I enjoyed watching it, again particularly
true during the early going.
Then there's a moment at which a few things "click" - Adam,
surrounded by his growing group of minions, makes a speech for the
audience's benefit. And the viewer realizes "holy shit, they're
actually going to find a way make this whole thing 'canon.'" As
Xander says, that's really cool. Now the sense of anticipation as
our heroes, despite themselves, start to cut their way through the
false reality can give direction to the rest of the hour.
Knowing the mechanism of how things have been changed lets the show
start busting out more jokes about what Jonathan's "accomplished"
in the past. "Superstar" never becomes a work of brilliance or
anything, but not having our faux-hero on screen much yet having
everything be about him is actually funnier. I liked the mention of
Buffy giving Jonathan the Class Protector award, and of course the
unforgettable "hey! I was right at the part where he invented the
Internet!" That one must've killed back in 2000.
And yes, "Jonathan Levinson" (*never* nicknamed) is just about the
~best superhero name EVAR!!~
Dont'cha feel triumphant along with Buffy as she rediscovers what it
means to be the Slayer, and remembers that she's the star here?
It seems a little weird for everyone to suddenly start putting things
together after years of living in Jonathan-land, but it'd have been
tiresome to watch otherwise, and one can easily fanwank up an
explanation involving the difference between events occurring before
and after the moment of spellcasting.
I made a token attempt to try to dissect the humor above, but as
always, funny can't really be analyzed. For instance, repetition of
a weaker joke generally annoys me, but sometimes it inexplicably makes
things funnier. The first time Buffy gets mush-mouthed around Spike,
leaving Jonathan to handle all the snark? Kinda chuckle-worthy, but no
real impression. The same gag again later in the episode? I laughed.
I think the last act went a little overboard. I mean, having Jonathan
with the pathetic expression and absurdly baggy jeans and so on - we
get it, show, you don't need to exaggerate everything. The attempt
to tie this story to our Buffy/Riley situation seems really forced to
me. And the very last joke is lame. On the plus side, it's a little
interesting and a little sad that at first Jonathan only apologizes for
creating the monster. It doesn't seem to have even occurred to him
that anyone might be upset about the rest of it, and he values his time
spent with his "friends" way too much.
And that's about it. An amusing enough trip, although not as funny
as it could've been, and another novelty episode that manages to not
suck. When you're playing with the fundamental rules of the series
as insanely as is done in "The Zeppo," "Superstar," and to a
degree "Hush," they can't all be winners. But while this one
isn't as good as the other two, it's worth taking a second to
admire the fact that none of the big gimmick shows have been losers
either. I was worried at first that his one would be painful, but it
ended up being kinda fun. And given that a few people consider "The
Zeppo" their favorite of the series, I can imagine that a few will
find a similar place in their hearts for "Superstar."
(More) This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
- The chess game
- The repetition of the shrimp example (and not the rest) when Anya's
telling everyone about parallel worlds
- "Learn to excrete gold coins?" "That one's not so fun"
- The swimsuit calendar
- _Being Jonathan Levinson_
So...
One-sentence summary: Worth a look, at least.
AOQ rating: Decent
[Season Four so far:
1) "The Freshman" - Good
2) "Living Conditions" - Decent
3) "The Harsh Light Of Day" - Good
4) "Fear Itself" - Decent
5) "Beer Bad" - Weak
6) "Wild At Heart" - Excellent
7) "The Initiative" - Decent
8) "Pangs" - Good
9) "Something Blue" - Good
10) "Hush" - Good
11) "Doomed" - Weak
12) "A New Man" - Decent
13) "The I In Team" - Good
14) "Goodbye Iowa" - Good
15) "This Year's Girl" - Good
16) "Who Are You?" - Good
17) "Superstar" - Decent]
Mike Zeares
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
One particularly
> inspired bit of comedy comes when Jonathan follows up his relationship
> advice by crooning an inspirational song, and we get the slow lingering
> pans over Buffy and Riley's faces as they tentatively look towards
> each other until their eyes meet, take each other by the arms, and are
> swept away by the dance music. Dead-on parody there, and you then add
> the followup gag with how the music affects Xander and Anya. That's
> good humor writing.
Back in the day I think I called "since you put your arms around me"
the top romantic moment of the series, and I believe I described myself
as melting into a little puddle. There was something of a shocked
reaction to this, as I had by that time developed a bit of a reputation
as a complete bastard. But I still melt at that moment, and always
take it at face value, rather than the hi-larious parody that others
take it as. It was probably the song. Glenn Miller does things to
me.
That was Brad Kane, "Tucker" from "The Prom," who was doing the actual
singing, by the way. I thought it was one of the best lip-sync jobs
I've ever seen. I totally thought Danny Strong was singing it at
first.
> Dont'cha feel triumphant along with Buffy as she rediscovers what it
> means to be the Slayer, and remembers that she's the star here?
Yes, I did. I thought she actually started figuring things out from
beginning of the episode, it just took her awhile to put it all
together. You can actually see it happen -- when she's walking in
front of the line of Jonathan posters. It's been said that film is the
only medium that can capture a thought. You can see her thinking in
that scene. When it comes to figuring out that somethings wiggy, Buffy
often IS the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Also note her hair. By this time, that kinky hairdo had become a sign
that something was "off" in the episode, either with Buffy or with
reality.
> I made a token attempt to try to dissect the humor above, but as
> always, funny can't really be analyzed. For instance, repetition of
> a weaker joke generally annoys me, but sometimes it inexplicably makes
> things funnier. The first time Buffy gets mush-mouthed around Spike,
> leaving Jonathan to handle all the snark? Kinda chuckle-worthy, but no
> real impression. The same gag again later in the episode? I laughed.
I've always chuckled at "You big, bleached... stupid guy." Even her
quipping was substandard.
> And that's about it. An amusing enough trip, although not as funny
> as it could've been, and another novelty episode that manages to not
> suck. When you're playing with the fundamental rules of the series
> as insanely as is done in "The Zeppo," "Superstar," and to a
> degree "Hush," they can't all be winners. But while this one
> isn't as good as the other two, it's worth taking a second to
> admire the fact that none of the big gimmick shows have been losers
> either. I was worried at first that his one would be painful, but it
> ended up being kinda fun. And given that a few people consider "The
> Zeppo" their favorite of the series, I can imagine that a few will
> find a similar place in their hearts for "Superstar."
It has a similar place in mine. It's certainly one of my favorites of
S4. There are factions of fandom who hate this ep with the fire of a
thousand suns. But they're bitter, humorless people.
> One-sentence summary: Worth a look, at least.
>
> AOQ rating: Decent
I can't decide if it's a Good episode, or just a Decent guilty
pleasure. Except I feel no guilt for loving it.
-- Mike Zeares
jil...@hotmail.com
one who accomplished all of the important things. People loved The
Matrix, therefore he was the star. Buffy can't be the heroine, because
all her great wins have to be his, but she gets to keep all of her
losses. Giles can't be the one who finds the answers, because Jonathan
gets that action.
But it's not an alternate dimension, therefore things have to snap back
into place and the spell has a built-in time limit. It will only last
untl the evil is destroyed. And the evil has to be destroyed, or
Jonathan isn't what he made himself to be.
One Bit Shy
news:1147818510.3...@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Four, Episode 17: "Superstar"
>
> So...
>
> One-sentence summary: Worth a look, at least.
>
> AOQ rating: Decent
You did better with this than I did the first time I saw it. (Of course I
didn't know anything about Jonathan's background then.) So I'll spare you
the dissection and get to the big picture...
Today I'd rate the episode Excellent. I'm not sure exactly where it falls
across the whole series, but it might be as high as top twenty. It's one of
several episodes this season that have improved greatly in my estimation
over time. Indeed, I think this one has improved the most through repeated
views of any BtVS episode. (Though there is one more this season that's
gone up nearly as much that way and ends up higher.)
For various reasons it's difficult to explain exactly why. But broadly
speaking I came to better appreciate the depth of its humor, then the craft
of its episode construct, then the quality of its interaction with the
season, and eventually for the quality of its interaction with the whole
series. Yes, it really has things to say about the big series picture,
though there's little reason for you to see that now. Just a reason to come
back to it some day.
How terrible it would be for this world to have no shrimp. For we're all
prawns in the Wheedonverse.
One last thing. I think it's terribly important to have the final Jonathan
scene more or less as is - if for no other reason than to solidly ground the
episode in reality. (Sunnydale reality.) Jonathan really is that pathetic.
This spell was his alternative to suicide. And the consequence may leave
him worse off than ever. He says that now nobody talks to him. Casting the
spell was surely a mistake, but it makes eminent sense for the character to
make that choice. And I think when you consider all the fanciful monsters
and magic and dimensions we've already seen in BtVS, the workings of this
spell - however extravagant - make internal sense.
OBS
Mel
I blame that on Faith hijacking her body. Her hair hasn't recovered yet.
This 'do gets my vote for worst Buffy hair ever.
Mel
Rowan Hawthorn
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Four, Episode 17: "Superstar"
> (or "I'm Shrimpy! The Shrimp Sprite, they call me! I heard your
> wish, and well, now you're gonna get it! No more shrimp for you from
> now on!")
> Writer: Jane Espenson
> Director: David Grossman
>
> The first thing "Superstar" does is defuse the WTF moment that the
> beginning sets up. I mean, we're starting with the Slaypack all
> fighting as a group, things are moving smoothly, and then suddenly
> they're backing down, and going to Wayne Manor to get help from...
> well, I actually didn't recognize Jonathan right away, given that
> he's usually shot to look shorter
Well, no, he actually *is* that shorter...
> The problem with so much of the episode, of course, is that it's
> largely one joke. You know how much I love that (especially given my
> legendary lack of anything resembling a sense of humor).
In this case, though, I have to be the fuddy-duddy: this is the episode
that I consider second from the bottom in the entire series, and the
only one of Jane Espenson's that I didn't like. Partly because Jonathan
just annoys the crap out of me, and partly because it was just *way* too
campy for my tastes (no, I didn't like the "Batman" TV series, either.
So sue me...)
>
> Too often, though, the first half of "Superstar" just wasn't
> exciting or particularly interesting to me. Oh look, Jonathan is the
> military strategist, didn't see that one coming. Mrs. Quality was
> thrown by the episode more than I was, to the point where I had to yell
> "Do you not get that this is a joke?!" after she complained about
> the "bad acting" during the aforementioned waltz scene.
That's the "camp" coming into play again. Normally, I like Jane's
writing, but this one was pretty much a miss for me. Like every episode
in the series, it had its moments, but that's about it for me.
--
Rowan Hawthorn
"Occasionally, I'm callous and strange." - Willow Rosenberg, "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer"
Daniel Damouth
@38g2000cwa.googlegroups.com:
> Yes, I did. I thought she actually started figuring things out from
> beginning of the episode, it just took her awhile to put it all
> together. You can actually see it happen -- when she's walking in
> front of the line of Jonathan posters.
Yes, Buffy was having feelings that something wasn't quite right from
the start.
But, more than that, I wish I understood why I laughed uncontrollably
at the repetition of "Jonathan.com" in the background.
I'm glad I'm not so jaded as AOQ.
-Dan Damouth
BTR1701
Rowan Hawthorn <rowan_h...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> In this case, though, I have to be the fuddy-duddy: this is the episode
> that I consider second from the bottom in the entire series, and the
> only one of Jane Espenson's that I didn't like. Partly because Jonathan
> just annoys the crap out of me,
V hfrq gb srry gung jnl gbb hagvy gurl vagebqhprq Jneera naq Naqerj.
Gura fhqqrayl Wbanguna qvqa'g frrz fb onq nal zber.
Don Sample
"jil...@hotmail.com" <jil...@hotmail.com> wrote:
It wasn't just that the evil had to be destroyed. The spell itself
wasn't stable. As time goes on and more and more people assign credit
for things that happened to Jonathan, the whole thing builds up like a
house of cards, that will inevitably collapse.
As more time went by, more and more improbable things were happening.
Buffy was the first to notice, but eventually things would get to the
point where everyone (even those with Sunnydale's level of denial)
couldn't help but notice.
--
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Visit the Buffy Body Count at <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/>
Apteryx
news:1147818510.3...@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> threads.
>
>
>
>
> One-sentence summary: Worth a look, at least.
>
> AOQ rating: Decent
You did pretty well. No one was really expecting you to go for this one,
with all the thematic (ie, "one joke") humour. For me its a definite Good. I
liked a lot of the little touches, like the fact that Buffy stirs Jonathan's
coffee in the cafe where they meet Karen with a K (and in fact the notion of
"Karen with a K" itself). Its my 41st favourite BtVS episode, 10th best in
season 4
--
Apteryx
Don Sample
wrote:
> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1147818510.3...@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> >A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> > threads.
> >
> >
> >
> > So...
> >
> > One-sentence summary: Worth a look, at least.
> >
> > AOQ rating: Decent
>
> You did pretty well. No one was really expecting you to go for this one,
> with all the thematic (ie, "one joke") humour. For me its a definite Good. I
> liked a lot of the little touches, like the fact that Buffy stirs Jonathan's
> coffee in the cafe
She pays for it, too.
Kevin
One Bit Shy wrote:
> Today I'd rate the episode Excellent. I'm not sure exactly where it falls
> across the whole series, but it might be as high as top twenty. It's one of
> several episodes this season that have improved greatly in my estimation
> over time. Indeed, I think this one has improved the most through repeated
> views of any BtVS episode. (Though there is one more this season that's
> gone up nearly as much that way and ends up higher.)
OK, I don't own S4, but you've convinced me to take it out of the
library again, and rewatch Superstar. I believe this is one of the few
which I've seen only once, because I didn't care for it the first time
-- though I liked the joke of attributing every imaginable achievement
to Jonathan. But I'll probably appreciate it more now, as you do (and
I do love so much of Espenson's other work).
Incidentally, "Superstar" really is the perfect title, isn't it?
I'm curious what your other Aged-To-Greatness episode is, and whether
I'd find the same in it.
--Kevin
cry...@panix.com
>> It's one of several episodes this season that have improved
>> greatly in my estimation over time. Indeed, I think this one
>> has improved the most through repeated views of any BtVS
>> episode. (Though there is one more this season that's gone up
>> nearly as much that way and ends up higher.)
Kevin <kl...@ucsc.edu> wrote:
> I'm curious what your other Aged-To-Greatness episode is, and whether
> I'd find the same in it.
V pna'g vzntvar vg'f nalguvat bgure guna Erfgyrff?
--
-Crystal
alphakitten
~Angel
kenm47
redone credits to Jonathon helping Buffy/Riley in the end.
BUT remember this episode. Short term and long.
(Sbe fbzr ernfba V unq abg gubhtug bs guvf rcvfbqr va zl pbzcynvavat
nobhg rirelbar npprcgvat gur Qnja zvaq shpx, juvyr Jvyybj'f yrgur fcryy
vf nyjnlf fb qrevqrq. Urer'f nabgure rknzcyr bs jul Qnja, abg Ohssl,
fubhyq unir qvrq ng gur raq bs Gur Tvsg erfgbevat gur Ohsslirefr gb gur
aba-Qnja irefvba - znlor rira oevatvat onpx Wblpr ol qbvat fb.)
Ken (Brooklyn)
jil...@hotmail.com
(Sbe fbzr ernfba V unq abg gubhtug bs guvf rcvfbqr va zl pbzcynvavat
nobhg rirelbar npprcgvat gur Qnja zvaq shpx, juvyr Jvyybj'f yrgur fcryy
vf nyjnlf fb qrevqrq. Urer'f nabgure rknzcyr bs jul Qnja, abg Ohssl,
fubhyq unir qvrq ng gur raq bs Gur Tvsg erfgbevat gur Ohsslirefr gb gur
aba-Qnja irefvba - znlor rira oevatvat onpx Wblpr ol qbvat fb.)
To which I argue:
Jryy, abg ernyyl. Gur bar guvat Ohssl qrgrezvarq jnf gung jung jnf
unccravat gb Wblpr jnf abg, va nal jnl funcr be sbez, pnhfrq ol
nalguvat zlfgvpny. Vs vg jnf pnhfrq ol gur Zbaxf vachggvat zrzbevrf bs
Qnja vagb rirelbar jub zvtug unir vagrenpgrq jvgu ure, gurer jbhyq unir
orra n zlfgvpny fvta bs fbzr fbeg.
Jvyybj'f zvaq fcryy jnf n qryvorengr pubvpr gb gnxr njnl Gnen'f serr
jvyy. Qnja, ubjrire, jnf na nqqvgvba gb Ohssl'f yvsr naq gur jbeyq.
Gurl qvqa'g gnxr nalguvat njnl gb perngr ure, orpnhfr gung jbhyq unir
yrsg (V nz, bs pbhefr, snajnaxvat) n ovt zlfgvpny vzcevag gung Tybel
jbhyq unir AB gebhoyr ybpngvat.
One Bit Shy
Erfgyrff vf gur bgure ovt vzcebirzrag. Pheeragyl zl pubvpr nf 4gu orfg
va gur frevrf. Vg jnf gbb bofpher sbe zr jura V svefg fnj vg. Cnatf
naq Orre Onq unir vzcebirq pbafvqrenoyl bire gvzr gbb, ohg ng n zhpu
ybjre yriry.
OBS
cry...@panix.com
> Erfgyrff vf gur bgure ovt vzcebirzrag. Pheeragyl zl pubvpr nf 4gu orfg
> va gur frevrf. Vg jnf gbb bofpher sbe zr jura V svefg fnj vg. Cnatf
> naq Orre Onq unir vzcebirq pbafvqrenoyl bire gvzr gbb, ohg ng n zhpu
> ybjre yriry.
V xarj vg. :-) V guvax vg vf gung jnl sbe rirelbar.
--
-Crystal
One Bit Shy
Yeah. I can't imagine why that would be. ;-)
All I can say is thank heavens for DVDs.
OBS
cry...@panix.com
Fcrnxvat bs guvatf juvpu znxr zber frafr va gur pbagrkg bs gur
ragver frevrf, gurer'f fbzrguvat V'ir orra zrnavat gb cbfg fvapr
NBD erivrjrq Nzraqf. Fb V guvax V'yy cbfg vg urer abj, rira
gubhtu V fubhyq cebonoyl fgneg n arj guernq, orpnhfr V znantrq n
ynzr frthr :-)
(Vg'f nyy V pna qb gb xrrc hc jvgu ernqvat gur guernqf! V unir fb
znal guvatf V *jnag* gb cbfg ohg qba'g unir gvzr gb!)
Svefg, Natry jnf xvyyrq ng gur raq bs F2. (V whfg jnag gb
rfgnoyvfu guvf nf n cerzvfr, fvapr vg'f qrongnoyr. Ur rvgure qvrq
yvgrenyyl, naq gur jbeq "xvyyrq" vf hfrq frireny gvzrf va gur
irefr gb qrfpevor uvf qrngu, BE ur qvrq zrgncubevpnyyl, orvat frag
gb uryy.)
Gura, ur jnf erfheerpgrq (oebhtug onpx sebz n uryy qvzrafvba,
ercerfragvat gur nsgreyvsr). Guvf nggenpgrq gur Svefg Rivy'f
nggragvba, jub unq fbzr cyna sbe uvz. Guvf cyna jnf abg gb xvyy
uvz, ohg jung cerpvfryl gur cyna jnf vf hapyrne. Vg frrzf gb or
pragrerq ba rvgure gheavat Natry onpx gb Natryhf, be ba xvyyvat
gur fynlre hfvat Natry nf n gbby, be obgu.
Gur arkg gvzr gur Svefg Rivy pnzr nebhaq, vgf bccbeghavgl jnf
perngrq (nppbeqvat gb Orywbkn'f Rlr) ol Ohssl'f qrngu naq
erfheerpgvba. Guvf vf n phevbhf cnenyyry.
Natry naq Ohssl obgu qvrq, naq jrer erfheerpgrq. Nsgre rnpu jnf
oebhtug onpx, gur Svefg Rivy pnzr. Abg vzzrqvngryl va rvgure
pnfr, ohg nsgre fbzr gvzr. Vg vf abg n pyrne nffhzcgvba, ohg guvf
fnlf gb zr obgu pnfrf pnhfrq fbzr bccbeghavgl gb bcra hc sbe gur
Svefg Rivy.
Vf vg gung erfheerpgvba qvfgheof gur angheny beqre bs guvatf,
"hajevgvat sngr" fb gb fcrnx, naq tvivat gur Svefg Rivy n punapr
gb fgrc va naq nygre gung sngr?
Vg frrzf gb zr Wbff unq n fcrpvsvp vqrn va zvaq va obgu pnfrf, ohg
vg jnf arire znqr rkcyvpvg va gur fubj, gb zl xabjyrqtr. Pna
nalbar rynobengr be fcrphyngr? V'q ybir gb urne fbzrbar znxr
frafr bs gur nobir; jvgubhg vg, obgu Nzraqf naq gur ragver svany
frnfba nep frrz gb unir n engure ynetr cybg ubyr gb zr.
--
-Crystal
mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges
> Season Four, Episode 17: "Superstar"
> (or "I'm Shrimpy! The Shrimp Sprite, they call me! I heard your
> wish, and well, now you're gonna get it! No more shrimp for you from
> now on!")
embrace your inner nerd
> (More) This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
dont speak latin in front of the books
arf meow arf - nsa fodder
al qaeda terrorism nuclear bomb iran taliban big brother
if you meet buddha on the usenet killfile him
William George Ferguson
wrote:
>A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
>threads.
>
>
>BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
>Season Four, Episode 17: "Superstar"
>(or "I'm Shrimpy! The Shrimp Sprite, they call me! I heard your
>wish, and well, now you're gonna get it! No more shrimp for you from
>now on!")
Of course, there's also a world with nothing but shrimp (probably Tara's
nightmare to equal Anya's for bunnies)
>Writer: Jane Espenson
>Director: David Grossman
>
>The first thing "Superstar" does is defuse the WTF moment that the
>beginning sets up. I mean, we're starting with the Slaypack all
>fighting as a group, things are moving smoothly, and then suddenly
>they're backing down, and going to Wayne Manor to get help from...
>well, I actually didn't recognize Jonathan right away, given that
>he's usually shot to look shorter and doesn't dress like that.
Probably the other way around. Normally he's just filmed, this time they
use angles to de-emphasize the fact that even SMG towers over him. (as Don
Sample has pointed out, Danny Strong is the only anywhere-near-adult on the
show that's shorter than SMG)
>So,
>huh? But then the opening titles, the first "special" ones of the
>series, make it clear where the episode is going. It says right here:
>this is the gimmick, people. Don't expect anything too serious, and
>you're officially missing the point if you start complaining that it
>doesn't make sense.
Yep, once the credits role, we know exactly where it's going. We may not
know how or why yet, but we certainly know where.
Also, if you aren't a fan of it, you may have missed that the nightclub
scene, and Kathy with a K, was a direct homage to "Buckaroo Banzai Across
the Eighth Dimension".
--
HERBERT
1996 - 1997
Beloved Mascot
Delightful Meal
He fed the Pack
A little
Opus the Penguin
> How terrible it would be for this world to have no shrimp. For
> we're all prawns in the Wheedonverse.
I am going to come to your house and gut you like a mackerel for that.
--
Opus the Penguin
The best darn penguin in all of Usenet
Exp315
I think you're rating BtVS and Angel on different scales. This isn't
the finest hour of the former series, but surely it's not in the same
low category as Angel episodes like "The Ring"?
Stephen Tempest
>Of course, there's also a world with nothing but shrimp (probably Tara's
>nightmare to equal Anya's for bunnies)
"V jnyxrq jbeyqf bs fzbxr naq unys-gehguf, vagnatvoyr. Jbeyqf bs
gbezrag naq bs haanznoyr ornhgl. Bcnyvar gbjref nf uvtu nf fznyy
zbbaf. Tynpvref gung evccyrq jvgu vafrafngr yhfg. Naq bar jbeyq jvgu
abguvat ohg fuevzc. V gverq bs gung bar dhvpxyl."
Stephen
Arbitrar Of Quality
Opus the Penguin wrote:
> One Bit Shy (O...@nomail.sorry) wrote:
>
> > How terrible it would be for this world to have no shrimp. For
> > we're all prawns in the Wheedonverse.
>
> I am going to come to your house and gut you like a mackerel for that.
That's your response to one comment you didn't like? Don't be so
shellfish.
-AOQ
Arbitrar Of Quality
Don't get too hung up on the ratings. If an episode keeps me
entertained enough but doesn't really excite me, it'll probably get a
Decent. Sure, I could sub-classify and say that SS gets a high Decent
while TR gets a low Decent or whatever, but I'm going for a pure
how-much-did-I-like-it evaluation. I'm not interested in comparing
episodes, particularly after having only seen them once. It's cool if
others want to, but I won't be doing the "based on a rigorous set of
criteria, I have objectively determined that 'Who Are You?' is 0.36%
better than 'Hush'" game.
-AOQ
Rowan Hawthorn
Y'know, I've noticed puns are like that - those who don't like them
either turn crabby or krill over with disgust...
Exp315
How can you say that?! Clearly Who Are You? is at least 0.375% worse
than Hush! Or to be more accurate, the first should rate ABB - (High),
while the second is at least AAB + (Mid)!
>- The repetition of the shrimp example (and not the rest)
Anya: "Sure, alternate realities. You could uh, could have like a world
without shrimp. Or with, you know, nothing but shrimp."
Ah yes, the world with nothing but shrimp. :-)
VYYLEVN (sebz "Haqrearngu"):
V geniryrq nyy bs gurz nf V cyrnfrq. V jnyxrq jbeyqf bs fzbxr naq
unys-gehguf, vagnatvoyr.
(gheaf njnl)
Jbeyqf bs gbezrag naq bs haanznoyr ornhgl.
(ybbxf vagb gur zveebe, Jrfyrl'f ersyrpgvba bire ure fubhyqre)
mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges
"Exp315" <Exp...@canada.com> wrote:
> Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> > Exp315 wrote:
> > > > AOQ rating: Decent
> > >
> > > I think you're rating BtVS and Angel on different scales. This isn't
> > > the finest hour of the former series, but surely it's not in the same
> > > low category as Angel episodes like "The Ring"?
> >
> > Don't get too hung up on the ratings. If an episode keeps me
> > entertained enough but doesn't really excite me, it'll probably get a
> > Decent. Sure, I could sub-classify and say that SS gets a high Decent
> > while TR gets a low Decent or whatever, but I'm going for a pure
> > how-much-did-I-like-it evaluation. I'm not interested in comparing
> > episodes, particularly after having only seen them once. It's cool if
> > others want to, but I won't be doing the "based on a rigorous set of
> > criteria, I have objectively determined that 'Who Are You?' is 0.36%
> > better than 'Hush'" game.
> >
> > -AOQ
>
> How can you say that?! Clearly Who Are You? is at least 0.375% worse
> than Hush! Or to be more accurate, the first should rate ABB - (High),
> while the second is at least AAB + (Mid)!
>
> >- The repetition of the shrimp example (and not the rest)
>
> Anya: "Sure, alternate realities. You could uh, could have like a world
> without shrimp. Or with, you know, nothing but shrimp."
>
> Ah yes, the world with nothing but shrimp. :-)
Miller: A lot o' people don't realize what's really going on. They view life as
a bunch o' unconnected incidents 'n things. They don't realize that there's
this, like, lattice o' coincidence that lays on top o' everything. Give you an
example; show you what I mean: suppose you're thinkin' about a plate o' shrimp.
Suddenly someone'll say, like, plate, or shrimp, or plate o' shrimp out of the
blue, no explanation. No point in lookin' for one, either. It's all part of a
cosmic unconciousness.
Otto: You eat a lot of acid, Miller, back in the hippie days?
Miller: I'll give you another instance: you know how everybody's into weirdness
right now?...
lets get shrimp tempura and not pay
One Bit Shy
news:Xns97C68C7D7B087op...@127.0.0.1...
> One Bit Shy (O...@nomail.sorry) wrote:
>
>> How terrible it would be for this world to have no shrimp. For
>> we're all prawns in the Wheedonverse.
>
> I am going to come to your house and gut you like a mackerel for that.
You can't mussel me that easily. I'll snail you to the wall first.
OBS
drifter
Yes, Apteryx already has the rights to that.
--
Kel
"I reject your reality, and substitute my own."
Mel
Apteryx wrote:
The coffee thing reminded me of when Jonathan presented Cordy with her
(defective) cappuccino.
Mel
DysgraphicProgrammer
And here I was accused of Hate Crimes for my puns in the other thread!
Don't even try to say that it wasn't on porpoise.
Apteryx
news:04Oag.308$Pp....@fe07.lga...
Nah, can't be me he's talking about. He's talking about someone objectively
determining the ratings, whereas to me an "objective evaluation" is an
oxymoron, and so is anyone who believes in them. I'm just a guy who knows
what he likes, and also knows what he likes 1% better. And his hypothetical
reviewer thinks "Who Are You" is 0.36% better than "Hush" (a difference that
would be pretty difficult even for me to determine), whereas, as much as I
like "Who Are You", I rate "Hush" as a clear 32% better :)
--
Apteryx
Arbitrar Of Quality
Apteryx wrote:
> "drifter" <ne...@home.net> wrote in message
> news:04Oag.308$Pp....@fe07.lga...
> > Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> >>It's cool if
> >> others want to, but I won't be doing the "based on a rigorous set of
> >> criteria, I have objectively determined that 'Who Are You?' is 0.36%
> >> better than 'Hush'" game.
> >
> > Yes, Apteryx already has the rights to that.
>
> determining the ratings, whereas to me an "objective evaluation" is an
> oxymoron, and so is anyone who believes in them. I'm just a guy who knows
> what he likes, and also knows what he likes 1% better. And his hypothetical
> reviewer thinks "Who Are You" is 0.36% better than "Hush" (a difference that
> would be pretty difficult even for me to determine), whereas, as much as I
> like "Who Are You", I rate "Hush" as a clear 32% better :)
All hypothetical reviewers are fictional. Any resemblance to NG
posters, past or present, is entirely coincidental.
-AOQ
Arbitrar Of Quality
Rowan Hawthorn wrote:
> Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> > Opus the Penguin wrote:
> >> One Bit Shy (O...@nomail.sorry) wrote:
> >>
> >>> How terrible it would be for this world to have no shrimp. For
> >>> we're all prawns in the Wheedonverse.
> >> I am going to come to your house and gut you like a mackerel for that.
> >
> > That's your response to one comment you didn't like? Don't be so
> > shellfish.
> Y'know, I've noticed puns are like that - those who don't like them
> either turn crabby or krill over with disgust...
But we punsters keep going. Just for the halibut, sometimes.
-AOQ
Arbitrar Of Quality
Just realized that this sub-thread hadn't moved to non-shellfish yet;
my apologies. (Oy... ster-ring up trouble...)
-AOQ
Rowan Hawthorn
Quite all right; bad as I hate to, it's time for me to clam up and try
to get some sleep, anyway - I'm about to conch out...
kenm47
And now you're letting aquatic mammal puns mussel in?
Ken (Brooklyn)