AOQ Review 4-2: "Living Conditions"
Arbitrar Of Quality
threads.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Season Four, Episode 2: "Living Conditions"
(or "He must be classified, sir." "A small boy, and a very
naughty one." "It will make a strange entry in the library
banks.")
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: David Grossman
This one really doesn't take itself very seriously, huh? If the
monsters o' the week don't convince the viewer of that (their
language sounds so silly, which I'm certain was deliberate), then
certainly the lovingly melodramatic close-ups (complete with ominous
chords) will.
The episode is built around the fact that Kathy, introduced in the
previous episode, is a nice, friendly person, yet annoys the shit out
of anyone with any sense. She's a good choice for a Roommate From
Hell, and the episode has a lot of fun with the little annoyances that
seem like such a big deal when you have to see so much of someone. And
she passive-aggresives like a pro too. Given that Willow isn't any
happier, this does raise the question of why Buffy and Willow didn't
request to room together - most universities will at least consider
requests like that before going to the computer. It'd have made it
much easier to be Secret Identity Girl too. (Yes, that issue came to
mind last episode too, but it was much more prominent here.)
But, and here's one way in which the very format of the show
sometimes leaves me behind, BTVS is never content to just be about the
foibles of life without also throwing in monster-y or Slayer-y stuff
into every single story. I don't know if that's why I started
getting more annoyed with LC, or whether I'd just had enough of the
whole premise by mid-episode. In any case, I definitely was cringing
at seeing Buffy become unhinged, collecting toenail clippings and
seriously talking about killing someone who was annoying her. And what
should we conclude from the fact that she's right? I guess no matter
how ridiculous she gets, our hero has the magical ability to never be
wrong about anyone being a demon (excepting "The Puppet Show," but
she was less wrong than everyone else). That part plays like a version
of "Ted" that's 138% suckier.
Having Kathy be the one to wake Buffy up from her first life-sucking
psudeo-nightmare is a nice touch, given what's actually going on.
Unfortunately, the soul-sucking also happens when Kathy is on the other
side of the room; it'd have been nice to see some consistency. And I
don't like the "soul" being so trivially extracted considering
how important it's been treated as elsewhere in the series, but the
thing about comedy episodes is that they defy nitpicking over the small
stuff. (They mock us with their funny parts.)
That's why I really can't complain too bitterly about "Living
Conditions" at all. It sets a mood and sticks with it, has no
illusions about being more significant than it is, and rarely becomes
outright offensive or unpleasant. This is one where I didn't
appreciate the humor (as we know, I am opposed to comedy in every
aspect and never derive amusement from anything that's funny), but
could say throughout that if one likes that sort of thing, it's done
pretty well.
So, what is funny in AOQ-world? A few examples:
"Stitch in time..." "Catches the worm."
"Okay, you're not having one of those mid-life things, are you? Cuz
I'm still going 'ick' from the last time you tried to recapture your
youth."
"Nobody deserves a mime, Buffy." "Hmm, Kathy does. She deserves
to be locked in an invisible box, and blown away by an imaginary wind,
and..."
Mrs. Q. enjoyed the whole thing, and I was having a good time until
about midway through. I can point to a few individual jokes as lame
(Xander and Oz with the ropes, and the painfully
telegraphed-faxed-and-emailed-in-triplicate final gag), but the episode
as a whole? If you like it, I understand why.
This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
- Individually labeled eggs
- The camera work when Buffy drinks the milk
Willow looks so cool in the early scenes. Our girl's come a long
way. She hurts the effect a little with the bizarre clothing choices
later, though.
I am going to have "Believe" stuck in my head for weeks. And
what's funny is that I actually thought it was an oldie until I
looked it up just now...
So...
One-sentence summary: It's not for me, but it's okay.
AOQ rating: Decent
[Season Four so far:
1) "The Freshman" - Good
2) "Living Conditions" - Decent]
George W Harris
<tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
:The episode is built around the fact that Kathy, introduced in the
:previous episode, is a nice, friendly person, yet annoys the shit out
:of anyone with any sense.
The actress who played Kathy (Dagney Kerr) has an
infrequently-recurring role on "Desperate Housewives"). Also,
Kathy's last name is listed in some credits as Newman, which
makes sense since she's New[ly hu]man.
--
I'm not an actor, but I play one on TV!
George W. Harris For actual email address, replace each 'u' with an 'i'
KenM47
Sounds like you missed, and I think I did the first time as well, that
Buffy's Slayer sense was fighting the Demon de-souling Buffy. They
even have a few lines when Giles admits that Buffy was right. Nasty
Buffy was Buffy with less of a soul. Even so, she's STILL the Slayer.
"Giles <Rushing in>: Toenails! <He looks at them and shows
them the baggie.> Buffy was right. <He gives it to Willow>.
Kathy’s toenails not only keep growing after they’ve
been cut, they actually regenerate after they’ve been destroyed.
Willow <Examining the clippings>: And that’s a demon
thing?
Giles: Oh, unequivocally yes. So... where is Buffy? <Xander
shows him the rope>. Oh dear, we have even less
time than I feared. <He hurries into the kitchen and starts
gathering up items>. I’ve looked up all known regenerating
demons. Only one species practices the ritual
Buffy’s been seeing in her sleep. It’s used to steal the
soul from a human body.
Xander: W-wait, are you saying that Buffy’s been doing
a Linda Blair on us because Kathy’s been sucking her
soul?
<Giles sets items down on the table>
Giles: I believe so, yes. Excuse me please."
>
>Having Kathy be the one to wake Buffy up from her first life-sucking
>psudeo-nightmare is a nice touch, given what's actually going on.
>Unfortunately, the soul-sucking also happens when Kathy is on the other
>side of the room; it'd have been nice to see some consistency. And I
>don't like the "soul" being so trivially extracted considering
>how important it's been treated as elsewhere in the series, but the
>thing about comedy episodes is that they defy nitpicking over the small
>stuff. (They mock us with their funny parts.)
>
>That's why I really can't complain too bitterly about "Living
>Conditions" at all. It sets a mood and sticks with it, has no
>illusions about being more significant than it is, and rarely becomes
>outright offensive or unpleasant. This is one where I didn't
>appreciate the humor (as we know, I am opposed to comedy in every
>aspect and never derive amusement from anything that's funny), but
>could say throughout that if one likes that sort of thing, it's done
>pretty well.
I liked it better on the rewatching. I never had the college dorm
experience. Went from fair to good IMO on that earlier rewatching.
I think of this episode as Marti Noxon demonstrating shge can get
through an hour without blatant sexual obsession/perversion.
<SNIP>
>
>One-sentence summary: It's not for me, but it's okay.
>
>AOQ rating: Decent
>
>[Season Four so far:
>1) "The Freshman" - Good
>2) "Living Conditions" - Decent]
On first viewing, I would ve gone Decent (+). On reviewing, even now,
very close to Good, so Good (-).
Ken (Brooklyn)
KenM47
>On 9 Apr 2006 17:00:49 -0700, "Arbitrar Of Quality"
><tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
>
>:The episode is built around the fact that Kathy, introduced in the
>:previous episode, is a nice, friendly person, yet annoys the shit out
>:of anyone with any sense.
>
> The actress who played Kathy (Dagney Kerr) has an
>infrequently-recurring role on "Desperate Housewives"). Also,
>Kathy's last name is listed in some credits as Newman, which
>makes sense since she's New[ly hu]man.
Yes, she has one of those faces that allows her to be easily disliked,
like the character actress that was the nosy neighbor on Bewitched.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Rowan Hawthorn
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Four, Episode 2: "Living Conditions"
> (or "He must be classified, sir." "A small boy, and a very
> naughty one." "It will make a strange entry in the library
> banks.")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Grossman
>
> Willow looks so cool in the early scenes. Our girl's come a long
> way. She hurts the effect a little with the bizarre clothing choices
> later, though.
I posted this some time ago on that subject:
"Also, it seems to me that Willow's "unfortunate choice of clothes" in
the middle seasons was a perfectly executed riff on trial and error
experimentation by a not-too-sophisticated Willow suddenly taking charge
of her own shopping. (Willow's follow-up line to Cordy in "WTTH:"
"Well, my mom picked it out.")"
--
Rowan Hawthorn
"Occasionally, I'm callous and strange." - Willow Rosenberg, "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer"
MBangel10 (Melissa)
same time. It reminds me of my first roommate in college. At first I
just found her particularly odd. She was the shy, stay inside type and I
was the outgoing, come in at all hours, party type. We didn't mesh at
all. One day, I learned that this odd, quiet girl was a little on the
mental side as well. I had forgotten my keys one afternoon and came back
to the studio apartment we were forced to share, a few hours early to
grab them since I knew she would be in. Well, she answers the door
wearing a black robe. I was taken aback for a second but made my way in,
and went to snag my keys off the kitchen counter. Lo and behold, I find
a small pot on the stove with wax and a whole bunch of odd things mixed
in it along with strands of my hair.
I kindly told her to stay away from my hairbrush and left. So, Buffy had
a demon as a first roommate and I had a girl who thought she was a
witch. Heh.
Oh, and the witch wanna-be moved out a week later. I guess that spell
she was casting didn't take. LOL
mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges
> previous episode, is a nice, friendly person, yet annoys the shit out
celine dion
you know shes evil
> seriously talking about killing someone who was annoying her. And what
> should we conclude from the fact that she's right? I guess no matter
> how ridiculous she gets, our hero has the magical ability to never be
> wrong about anyone being a demon (excepting "The Puppet Show," but
its being established that buffys intutions of supernatural danger
are spot on regardless of what others say
saw that early on with the pack when she knew something was wrong with xander
even though giles pooh poohed the idea
arf meow arf - nsa fodder
al qaeda terrorism nuclear bomb iran taliban big brother
if you meet buddha on the usenet killfile him
Apteryx
news:1144627249.1...@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> monsters o' the week don't convince the viewer of that (their
> language sounds so silly, which I'm certain was deliberate), then
> certainly the lovingly melodramatic close-ups (complete with ominous
> chords) will.
>
> The episode is built around the fact that Kathy, introduced in the
> previous episode, is a nice, friendly person, yet annoys the shit out
> of anyone with any sense. She's a good choice for a Roommate From
> Hell, and the episode has a lot of fun with the little annoyances that
> seem like such a big deal when you have to see so much of someone. And
> she passive-aggresives like a pro too. Given that Willow isn't any
> happier, this does raise the question of why Buffy and Willow didn't
> request to room together - most universities will at least consider
> requests like that before going to the computer. It'd have made it
> much easier to be Secret Identity Girl too. (Yes, that issue came to
> mind last episode too, but it was much more prominent here.)
You'd think they would have thought of that. Maybe another example of how
Buffy wasn't on her game first up. But Willow should have thought of that.
> But, and here's one way in which the very format of the show
> sometimes leaves me behind, BTVS is never content to just be about the
> foibles of life without also throwing in monster-y or Slayer-y stuff
> into every single story. I don't know if that's why I started
> getting more annoyed with LC, or whether I'd just had enough of the
> whole premise by mid-episode. In any case, I definitely was cringing
> at seeing Buffy become unhinged, collecting toenail clippings and
> seriously talking about killing someone who was annoying her. And what
> should we conclude from the fact that she's right? I guess no matter
> how ridiculous she gets, our hero has the magical ability to never be
> wrong about anyone being a demon (excepting "The Puppet Show," but
> she was less wrong than everyone else). That part plays like a version
> of "Ted" that's 138% suckier.
Well, as far as recognizing demons is concerned, it was at least established
back in WTTH that slayers have "special powers" for recognizing vampires, so
maybe it works for demons too. Otherwise Buffy would have to fall back on
the standard special powers of title characters.
>
> So, what is funny in AOQ-world? A few examples:
> "Stitch in time..." "Catches the worm."
>
> "Okay, you're not having one of those mid-life things, are you? Cuz
> I'm still going 'ick' from the last time you tried to recapture your
> youth."
>
> "Nobody deserves a mime, Buffy." "Hmm, Kathy does. She deserves
> to be locked in an invisible box, and blown away by an imaginary wind,
> and..."
>
> Mrs. Q. enjoyed the whole thing, and I was having a good time until
> about midway through. I can point to a few individual jokes as lame
> (Xander and Oz with the ropes, and the painfully
> telegraphed-faxed-and-emailed-in-triplicate final gag), but the episode
> as a whole? If you like it, I understand why.
Most of the dialogue humour is background humour, for smiles rather than
belly laughs. But I liked the "Nobody deserves mime" the "Wish me monsters",
and especially Willow's "Giles, I just talked to Buffy and I think she's
feeling a little... insane. No, not bitchy crazy, more like homicidal
maniac crazy. So I told her to come to see you. K?"
But a lot of the humour is in the camera work and facial expressions, which
are harder to quote.
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - Individually labeled eggs
> - The camera work when Buffy drinks the milk
>
> So...
>
> One-sentence summary: It's not for me, but it's okay.
>
> AOQ rating: Decent
Not too far from my rating. I'd say it just limped over the border into Good
territory. Its my 75th favourite BtVS episode, 12th best in Season 4
--
Apteryx
One Bit Shy
news:1144627249.1...@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> So...
>
> One-sentence summary: It's not for me, but it's okay.
>
> AOQ rating: Decent
Too bad.
For what it's worth, the rationale for Buffy's behavior - and for
legitimately capturing her - was that the soul sucking had altered her.
Xander: W-wait, are you saying that Buffy's been doing a Linda Blair on us
because Kathy's been sucking her soul?
Giles: I believe so, yes.
As for "trivial" extracting of the soul, it didn't seem that trivial to me.
A pretty extravagant ritual that takes at least 3 efforts to complete - by a
demon that specializes in it.
And as for needing to throw in monstery and slayery stuff, this is S4's
version of MOTW, where life's difficulties manifest as literal monsters.
But instead of the "heavy" themes of the past (Internet predators, date
rape, gangs, etc.) we get a bad roommate.
Which is to say it's a comedy and either you laugh or you don't.
I think the episode is hysterical myself. I love the toenails. And the
slo-mo close-up of the catsup dribbling onto Buffy's sweater. And the
close-up of Buffy's eyes narrowing. And the shifty park bench. And Kathy
bouncing around the room. (The Kathy role is performed really well I
think.)
Pretty much all of it.
Not much more to say.
Except noting one more brief appearance by the mysterious masked stalkers.
This time preceded by an equally strange Oz stare of puzzlement at a
likewise staring girl.
Bottom line for me is a solid Good.
OBS
One Bit Shy
news:74i_f.12114$JZ1.4...@news.xtra.co.nz...
> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1144627249.1...@t31g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
> Given that Willow isn't any
>> happier, this does raise the question of why Buffy and Willow didn't
>> request to room together - most universities will at least consider
>> requests like that before going to the computer. It'd have made it
>> much easier to be Secret Identity Girl too. (Yes, that issue came to
>> mind last episode too, but it was much more prominent here.)
>
> You'd think they would have thought of that. Maybe another example of how
> Buffy wasn't on her game first up. But Willow should have thought of that.
It's funny, but I didn't spend a moment thinking about what my roommate
would be like until he literally walked in the door. He turned out to be
kind of a demon himself, but how do you prepare for that?
Anyway, maybe Willow and Buffy thought other roommates would be a good way
to get to know people on campus. Not such a good idea in retrospect, but
hey, they're freshmen.
ObS
jil...@hotmail.com
her native soul.
Don Sample
"One Bit Shy" <O...@nomail.sorry> wrote:
> Except noting one more brief appearance by the mysterious masked stalkers.
> This time preceded by an equally strange Oz stare of puzzlement at a
> likewise staring girl.
And how about that Parker guy?
--
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Visit the Buffy Body Count at <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/>
Mike Zeares
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
>
> This one really doesn't take itself very seriously, huh? If the
> monsters o' the week don't convince the viewer of that (their
> language sounds so silly, which I'm certain was deliberate), then
> certainly the lovingly melodramatic close-ups (complete with ominous
> chords) will.
Yeah, a "roommate from hell" was pretty much obligatory, and they
obviously decided to have fun with it. Or, for you, "fun." The whole
thing is TIRSBILA for me.
> thing about comedy episodes is that they defy nitpicking over the small
> stuff. (They mock us with their funny parts.)
Heh.
> "Okay, you're not having one of those mid-life things, are you? Cuz
> I'm still going 'ick' from the last time you tried to recapture your
> youth."
I loved "Right, you caught me out. I'm a mod jogger."
> Willow looks so cool in the early scenes. Our girl's come a long
> way. She hurts the effect a little with the bizarre clothing choices
> later, though.
You ain't seen nothin' yet. My eyes still bleed from some of Willow's
clothes. People used to refer to the Evil Fashion Nazi, and how she
obviously hated the cast (that would be costumer Cynthia Bergstrom, who
looks like a nice, normal person in her DVD featurettes. A cunning
disguise for EVIL).
-- Mike Zeares
One Bit Shy
news:dsample-CE7F57...@news.giganews.com...
> In article <123jd7h...@news.supernews.com>,
> "One Bit Shy" <O...@nomail.sorry> wrote:
>
>> Except noting one more brief appearance by the mysterious masked
>> stalkers.
>> This time preceded by an equally strange Oz stare of puzzlement at a
>> likewise staring girl.
>
> And how about that Parker guy?
Oh, yes. Slayer swoon worthy Parker. And he likes hockey too.
OBS
Apteryx
news:123jdnk...@news.supernews.com...
I guess that works for Willow with what we've seen of her enthusiasm for
soaking up the whole college experience. And Buffy, well she just wasn't
thinking.
--
Apteryx
Rowan Hawthorn
Also, they're freshmen. A lot of colleges don't really give freshmen
their choice of roommates. Mine didn't.
chr...@removethistoreply.gwu.edu
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Four, Episode 2: "Living Conditions"
>
Nope. Hard to argue with the person who said that the whole episode was
TIRSBILA. Usually when I think of Marti Noxon I remember her darker
episodes like IOHEFY, but this one is full of laughs.
A few quick notes:
-Once again ME introduces what looks like a recurring character, only to
quickly elminate her. Never forget, any character can die at any time.
(Though of course Kathy didn't die, but the result is the same for the
audience.)
-So now Buffy apparently has two new guys to lust after. But paying for
cafeteria food using punch cards? Come on. I started college 12 years
before Buffy, and even back then we had an electric system for paying for
our meals. Surely a UC campus in 1999 would too. Are the writer and
producers showing their age here?
-New catchphrase: "Sid the Wily [x] Gnome."
-Did you notice what Oz was wearing?
> she passive-aggresives like a pro too. Given that Willow isn't any
> happier, this does raise the question of why Buffy and Willow didn't
> request to room together - most universities will at least consider
> requests like that before going to the computer. It'd have made it
> much easier to be Secret Identity Girl too.
At my school (for the second time this post), they had a deliberate policy
of NOT assigning freshman from the same home town as roommates. They
wanted to broaden our horizons or something. Presumably UCSunD has a
similar policy.
> So, what is funny in AOQ-world? A few examples:
I love Willow's phone call to tell Giles Buffy is going homicidally crazy:
"So I told her to come see you, okay?"
And earlier, introducing Giles to Kathy: "He's our grown-up friend, but
not in a creepy way."
> "Okay, you're not having one of those mid-life things, are you? Cuz
> I'm still going 'ick' from the last time you tried to recapture your
> youth."
See? His little fling with Joyce is not forgotten.
> about midway through. I can point to a few individual jokes as lame
> (Xander and Oz with the ropes, and the painfully
> telegraphed-faxed-and-emailed-in-triplicate final gag),
I thought that last gag was hilarious, and OFV I didn't see it coming.
Of course I don't think too fast.
> I am going to have "Believe" stuck in my head for weeks. And
A song that I would normally hate, or at least tune out; but thanks to the
Buffy association, now I'm actually kind of fond of it. (Kind of like the
Cranberries' version of "Wild Horses," though that song isn't as
inherently loathsome as "Believe.") A month or two ago it was playing in
the deli where I get coffee on the way to work, and it actually brightened
my whole morning.
--Chris
______________________________________________________________________
chrisg [at] gwu.edu On the Internet, nobody knows I'm a dog.
chr...@removethistoreply.gwu.edu
>
> A song that I would normally hate, or at least tune out; but thanks to the
> Buffy association, now I'm actually kind of fond of it. (Kind of like the
> Cranberries' version of "Wild Horses," though that song isn't as
> inherently loathsome as "Believe.")
And it's even more like the Sundays' version of "Wild Horses."
Proofreading after the fact is better than not proofreading at all,
Opus the Penguin
> I am going to have "Believe" stuck in my head for weeks. And
> what's funny is that I actually thought it was an oldie until I
> looked it up just now...
I was just blown away that it was Cher. I always thought that was a guy
singing.
--
Opus the Penguin
The best darn penguin in all of Usenet
Don Sample
"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Four, Episode 2: "Living Conditions"
> (or "He must be classified, sir." "A small boy, and a very
> naughty one." "It will make a strange entry in the library
> banks.")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Grossman
I went back into the wilds of google groups, and dug up my first post on
this episode:
-----
Living Conditions -- Points to ponder
I think that Buffy has her groove back. This episode was a lot of fun.
Giles' garden: Looked like a redressed version of the garden at
Angel's house.
Parker Abrams -- Another potential boyfriend, or just a one episode
wonder?
"More cash from Dad that you get to use for yourself" - implies that
Buffy's dad is kicking in to pay for her education.
Gone but not forgotten: Willow describes Buffy's behaviour as
'Cordeliaesque.'
Who was that blonde girl who caught Oz's eye? He seemed to catch hers
too. And it looked like the 'special ops' guys may have been tracking
her. A vampire? Another werewolf? Maybe they are hunting down more
than vampires.
I'm having trouble classifying Kathy on the evil scale. She wasn't as
unequivocally evil as most of the bad guys Buffy meets. She was just
trying to get away from home to go to college. And she did say that
she was only borrowing Buffy's soul. Maybe she planned to give it back
to her again later. It shouldn't have taken her parents, or whatever
those guys chasing her were, to figure out that they grabbed the wrong
girl, and maybe they would have let Buffy go, and come right back to
look for Kathy again. I doubt if they would be fooled twice by the
soul thing. Next time they would check more carefully.
Since Kathy got sucked back to her home dimension, who gets her iMac?
-----
Looking back now, I don't think I like this episode as much as I did
when I first saw it. I think it's one of the weaker episodes of season
4. AOQ's "decent" rating is about right.
Opus the Penguin
> chr...@removethistoreply.gwu.edu wrote:
>>
>> A song that I would normally hate, or at least tune out; but
>> thanks to the Buffy association, now I'm actually kind of fond of
>> it. (Kind of like the Cranberries' version of "Wild Horses,"
>> though that song isn't as inherently loathsome as "Believe.")
>
> And it's even more like the Sundays' version of "Wild Horses."
>
> Proofreading after the fact is better than not proofreading at
> all,
>
Funny thing is, I didn't even notice the mistake. I read what you
meant, not what you wrote.
William George Ferguson
Okay, let's see how I saw it, from the Google vaults.
---begin quoted---
Subject: Living Conditions - Random Comments - Spoilers
Date: 1999/10/12
Message-ID: <DR0EOOVVg7Ndzw...@4ax.com>#1/1
Actually, I kind of sympathized with Kathy. Except for that whole soul
sucking thing, of course.
We get another cameo from the UC-Sunnydale commando unit, but you have to
look quick.
What was up with Oz and that girl on the walk when he was looking for
Buffy? Lycanthropic senses kicking in?
Loved Oz and Xander going to check the ropes. You, I, Buffy, Xander, and
Oz all just knew what was going to happen.
Two eps, two guys Buffy has thrown herself at (but no catching yet).
Looks like this year, we're going to have the main arc set up by cryptic,
seemingly unconnected flash-bys (Professor Walsh, the commandos, Oz'
reaction to that girl on the walk, I'm pretty sure they're all connected).
---end quoted---
I wouldn't disagree with the 'decent' rating.
--
HERBERT
1996 - 1997
Beloved Mascot
Delightful Meal
He fed the Pack
A little
Arbitrar Of Quality
> It reminds me of my first roommate in college. At first I
> just found her particularly odd. She was the shy, stay inside type and I
> was the outgoing, come in at all hours, party type. We didn't mesh at
> all. One day, I learned that this odd, quiet girl was a little on the
> mental side as well. I had forgotten my keys one afternoon and came back
> to the studio apartment we were forced to share, a few hours early to
> grab them since I knew she would be in. Well, she answers the door
> wearing a black robe. I was taken aback for a second but made my way in,
> and went to snag my keys off the kitchen counter. Lo and behold, I find
> a small pot on the stove with wax and a whole bunch of odd things mixed
> in it along with strands of my hair.
>
> I kindly told her to stay away from my hairbrush and left. So, Buffy had
> a demon as a first roommate and I had a girl who thought she was a
> witch. Heh.
>
> Oh, and the witch wanna-be moved out a week later. I guess that spell
> she was casting didn't take. LOL
Well, we don't know exactly what she was trying to do...
-AOQ
~maybe she turned herself into a rat by mistake~
Arbitrar Of Quality
> I think of this episode as Marti Noxon demonstrating shge can get
> through an hour without blatant sexual obsession/perversion.
I know this'll open a can of wors, but this got me thinking before I
could stop myself about Marti episodes with blatant sexual strangeness.
There's some type of S&M imagery or kink (and a lot of it involves
Angel In Chains...) in: WML2, BATB, "The Wish," and "Consequences." If
you include any juxtopositions of lust and violence, then 3B and "Eyes
For You" also qualify. And if you're really including everything, "The
Prom" might qualify because of one non-verbal joke.
I wouldn't count "Surprise" in this list for its vanilla sex (or its
flippant reference to spanking). Also kink-free to the best of my
recollection are WML1, BE, DMP, and now LC.
So, thus far, depending on your criteria, her sexual
obsession/perversion percentage is between 33% and 58%. I wonder what
the percentages would be for the other writers? Fury might be pretty
high up too, JW himself would be somewhere in the middle...
-AOQ
~haven't seen anything that's bothered me yet on that front~
Rowan Hawthorn
Well, just off the top of my head, from "Doppelgängland," written by Joss:
BUFFY: It was exactly you, Will, every detail. Except for your not being
a dominatrix. (beat) As far as we know.
WILLOW: Oh, right. Me and Oz play ‘Mistress of Pain’ every night.
Then there's Joyce and the handcuffs in "Band Candy," written by Jane
Espenson.
kenm47
episode of Buffy. We'll see what's slithered away, and what's still
writhing in the can then. :-)
PS: even LC had it's little moment of ineffectual bondage, just not the
focus of things.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Mel
KenM47 wrote:
>
> I liked it better on the rewatching. I never had the college dorm
> experience. Went from fair to good IMO on that earlier rewatching.
Oh, you poor thing. Never had to live with a stranger in a room the size
of a closet? I was fairly lucky in that I only had a roommate my
freshman year. After that, I was single occupancy for 2 years and then
moved off campus. Let me tell you, that dorm room was soooo much bigger
without the other bed there. Of course, lugging the darn mattress and
spring down and then back up to the third floor was not fun! (No, there
wasn't an elevator.)
I've never been good at the whole roommate thing. Comes from being an
only child I have no doubt. My space is mine and I want no part of
"share time." I could totally relate to Buffy even though I was jealous
of the room. I think our common area was about that size.
Mel
hopelessly devoted
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Four, Episode 2: "Living Conditions"
> This one really doesn't take itself very seriously, huh? If the
> monsters o' the week don't convince the viewer of that (their
> language sounds so silly, which I'm certain was deliberate), then
> certainly the lovingly melodramatic close-ups (complete with ominous
> chords) will.
>
> The episode is built around the fact that Kathy, introduced in the
> previous episode, is a nice, friendly person, yet annoys the shit out
> of anyone with any sense.
Unfortunate for me, I have had this roommate. And yes, to this day, I
still believe she was EVIL! EVIL! EVIL! Log the calls, the name on the
food, the music that simply annoys. On first viewing, the ep was
hilarious and drove me insane. Ugggghhhhh!
She's a good choice for a Roommate From
> Hell, and the episode has a lot of fun with the little annoyances that
> seem like such a big deal when you have to see so much of someone. And
> she passive-aggresives like a pro too. Given that Willow isn't any
> happier, this does raise the question of why Buffy and Willow didn't
> request to room together - most universities will at least consider
> requests like that before going to the computer. It'd have made it
> much easier to be Secret Identity Girl too. (Yes, that issue came to
> mind last episode too, but it was much more prominent here.)
>
> But, and here's one way in which the very format of the show
> sometimes leaves me behind, BTVS is never content to just be about the
> foibles of life without also throwing in monster-y or Slayer-y stuff
> into every single story. I don't know if that's why I started
> getting more annoyed with LC, or whether I'd just had enough of the
> whole premise by mid-episode.
Yeah, but if we took out the monster-y stuff and the Slayer-y stuff,
then we'd just have Buffy the..........and what kind of title is that
for a tv series.
In any case, I definitely was cringing
> at seeing Buffy become unhinged, collecting toenail clippings and
> seriously talking about killing someone who was annoying her.
Your roommates have not been annoying enough.
And what
> should we conclude from the fact that she's right? I guess no matter
> how ridiculous she gets, our hero has the magical ability to never be
> wrong about anyone being a demon (excepting "The Puppet Show," but
> she was less wrong than everyone else). That part plays like a version
> of "Ted" that's 138% suckier.
She was EVIL I say. EVIL! EVIL! EVIL!.........Oh, we're talking
about LC. Sorry, I digress. Every time Kathy hit the screen, it
brought back so many memories, even the sound of her voice. She even
sounds like my ex-roomy. That HIGH PITCHED, SQUEEKY, WHINY, NASALY,
EVER SO FRIENDLY, SMILING ALLLLLLLLL THE TIIIIIIME EVEN WHEN SHE'S
NOT........Sorry, again, sorry.
> Having Kathy be the one to wake Buffy up from her first life-sucking
> psudeo-nightmare is a nice touch, given what's actually going on.
> Unfortunately, the soul-sucking also happens when Kathy is on the other
> side of the room; it'd have been nice to see some consistency. And I
> don't like the "soul" being so trivially extracted considering
> how important it's been treated as elsewhere in the series, but the
> thing about comedy episodes is that they defy nitpicking over the small
> stuff. (They mock us with their funny parts.)
There is so much to love about this ep, it's difficult to become
annoyed about the little discrepancies.
The new cute guy, possibly a replacement for Angel. He has that Scott
Hope look. Very self confident and friendly. Although I don't
remember punch cards in college. This Parker looks like a real winner,
if he doesn't turn out to be a 240 year old vampire.
> That's why I really can't complain too bitterly about "Living
> Conditions" at all. It sets a mood and sticks with it, has no
> illusions about being more significant than it is, and rarely becomes
> outright offensive or unpleasant. This is one where I didn't
> appreciate the humor (as we know, I am opposed to comedy in every
> aspect and never derive amusement from anything that's funny), but
> could say throughout that if one likes that sort of thing, it's done
> pretty well.
Oz's look to the girl in passing, the masked marauders, this season is
going to be very interesting.
> So, what is funny in AOQ-world? A few examples:
> "Stitch in time..." "Catches the worm."
>
> "Okay, you're not having one of those mid-life things, are you? Cuz
> I'm still going 'ick' from the last time you tried to recapture your
> youth."
>
> "Nobody deserves a mime, Buffy." "Hmm, Kathy does. She deserves
> to be locked in an invisible box, and blown away by an imaginary wind,
> and..."
>
> Mrs. Q. enjoyed the whole thing, and I was having a good time until......
> (Xander and Oz with the ropes, and the painfully
> telegraphed-faxed-and-emailed-in-triplicate final gag)
Very clearly Broadcast, yet still..........
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - Individually labeled eggs
> - The camera work when Buffy drinks the milk
>
> Willow looks so cool in the early scenes. Our girl's come a long
> way. She hurts the effect a little with the bizarre clothing choices
> later, though.
>
> I am going to have "Believe" stuck in my head for weeks. And
> what's funny is that I actually thought it was an oldie until I
> looked it up just now...
Oz: On the plus side you've killed the bench, which was looking shifty.