AOQ Review 5-1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
Arbitrar Of Quality
threads.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
(or "My food is problematic...")
Writer: Marti Noxon
Director: David Solomon
Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
BvD wastes no time setting up, as promised, a confrontation between
Buffy and Dracula - the real deal. It takes a certain amount of
chutzpah to have your hero go up against such a legendary character,
and even more to have her win. I'm okay with it; I'm just saying.
It never turns into a show of disrespect, or anything, since the series
does give Dracula some powers that haven't been seen from any other
vamp, like turning into mist, turning into a bat, repeatedly coming
back after getting staked, and so on. Why? Because he's
motherfucking Dracula, of course. A good portion of BvD comes down to
devising a "real" version that has some of the qualities that
inspired Stoker and his successors but not all of them. Would it be
too pretentious (or stupid) to try to make a case for the
present-but-mild accent as a microcosm for the handling of the
character?
The initial appearance of our villain is played for a lot of fun,
since, seriously, how does one respond to meeting Dracula? Special
props to ending the teaser with the dramatic introduction, and then
Buffy's laughing "get out!" And also special props to Xander's
imitation of the Count. Cute stuff, and it serves nicely to disarm us
because despite all the light moments in the episode, he'll get into
our heroes' heads and ultimately be pretty threatening for a one-off
villain.
There are a bunch of places where things play out in a manner that
makes sense and keep the plot from getting too formulaic. For example,
Dracula makes one visit to Buffy's place, has a little taste of her,
and she tries to hide it. A more boring show would then basically
repeat this in the second act, whereas this show has ex-Agent Finn
quickly put together what's happening. The Slaypack then respond by
trying to keep Buffy away from Dracula whilst each working towards a
solution as befits their particular talents. This non-idiot plotting
only goes so far, though, as the gang leave Buffy alone with Xander,
who's equally obviously under the big D's thrall.
It's a bit hard to watch some of the early parts of the episode,
since it's not pleasant to see Dracula so easily get Buffy and the
others under his thumb. Uncomfortable; check out Buffy's sincere
"I'm not sure why I tried to hide it." Heroes are supposed to be
all strong-willed and stuff, whereas the Slayer (and Xander and Giles)
get ensorcelled immediately, and then the most they can manage is
vaguely threatening to oppose him at some point. It's bothersome,
but in this case, not too much so. After all, sometimes making the
viewer uncomfortable can serve the purposes of the show, as happens
here. And after all, this particular vampire is unusually good at the
mind-mushing, because, well, he's motherfucking Dracula.
The whole time he's working on Buffy, the Count seems fascinated by
her Slayer nature. We learn that he's interested in the Slayer thing
even before we learn that he definitely wants to eat her. I was
noticing the connection to "Restless" even before they started
going all out with the quotes and clips and such. He hadn't counted
on what happens when one feeds a Slayer's power; the ends of these
season premieres when the Buffster gets her groove back are always
reassuring. But BvD also conveys the vague sense that any powers tied
to the First Slayer are unsettling in a playing-with-fire kind of way.
And this of course ties the whole episode together since it sends Buffy
to Giles at the end to ask him to Watch her, bookending the early
"returning to England" scene. Giles's first scene makes sense
given the way the last year has gone; he's taking care of his
unfinished business and trying to move on. I'm proud of Buffy and
the other kids, but they don't need me, and it's getting depressing
trying to be part of their club. The followup gives Head a chance to
do some nice nonverbal things, but is mainly about Buffy. It's an
interesting mix for her of asking for help and taking charge. This is
her issue to deal with, but she realizes where others can be of use if
she lets them in. I'm not sure if she'd have done that so readily
in her younger it's-all-about-me days. A well-played quiet scene
overall, probably my favorite of the episode.
Random thoughts:
So is Joss too high-and-mighty (or too overworked, or too confident in
his partners in crime) to write/direct all the premieres and finales
now?
Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
thunderstorm at the beginning?
Buffy's making tentative efforts towards helping her mom feel less
lonely (i.e. at least an overture towards avoiding another year of not
seeing each other at all), but the job doesn't allow for much. Think
it'll be enough?
I liked the Riley/Spike scene, with the latter confronting the former
with how far out of his league he seems, and the former still having
enough violent tendencies to come out the clear victor in the battle
of the bluster.
I rather doubt that Xander will stop getting funny syphilis and so on
anytime soon. Four seasons of precedent and all.
Riley sharing Giles' experiences with everyone seems a little
dickish, doesn't it? Various people were affected by compulsions
that they couldn't control; does it not occur to him that they might
find those things embarrassing, or want to keep them to themselves?
This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
- "Buffy Slayed the football"
- The gag about giving up on men
- Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
- And okay, I mentioned it above, but it was stupid, and it was
hilarious, so: "No, we're not going to [mimicking] "leave you."
And where'd you get that accent, _Sesame Street_? Vun, two, three...
three victims. Mwa ha ha!"
And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
Between oddball episodes like "Hush," "Superstar," and
"Restless," and the strange ending here, I'm speculating that
BTVS is becoming a very different kind of show. More surreal, not so
linear. We've moved from superhero facing metaphorical monsters to
something stranger. I have no idea whether or not that's a good
thing - time will tell.
So...
One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
AOQ rating: Good
[Season Five so far:
1) "Buffy Vs. Dracula" - Good]
magista
> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
And oh, the kerfuffles over accusations of ignoring continuity and
sloppy writing that ensued. I only started watching in S6 and I _still_
heard about it all.
Now, between the many writers, of course there will be some errors and
out-of-character writing, but let's just remember that this is _Joss_
and that nothing is ever quite what it seems...
I'm very much looking forward to seeing your opinions on how this
particular wrinkle plays out...
Rowan Hawthorn
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
No kiddin'? Huh.
>
> BvD wastes no time setting up, as promised, a confrontation between
> Buffy and Dracula - the real deal. It takes a certain amount of
> chutzpah to have your hero go up against such a legendary character,
> and even more to have her win. I'm okay with it; I'm just saying.
> It never turns into a show of disrespect, or anything, since the series
> does give Dracula some powers that haven't been seen from any other
> vamp, like turning into mist, turning into a bat, repeatedly coming
> back after getting staked, and so on. Why? Because he's
> motherfucking Dracula, of course. A good portion of BvD comes down to
> devising a "real" version that has some of the qualities that
> inspired Stoker and his successors but not all of them. Would it be
> too pretentious (or stupid) to try to make a case for the
> present-but-mild accent as a microcosm for the handling of the
> character?
Dunno. When I first saw this episode advertised, it was the first one
that gave me a "What the HELL are they doing to my show?" moment. It's
still not one of my favorites, but it has its moments, didn't go where I
was afraid it would, had (I suspect, anyway,) an actual *purpose*, and
they never brought Drac back for a second go-round.
>
> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> thunderstorm at the beginning?
I'd be awfully damn surprised if she *wasn't*, all things considered.
But, in this case, I do give her some benefit of doubt, since storms and
things quite often tended to herald the presence of, y'know,
motherfucking **Dracula**.
>
> I rather doubt that Xander will stop getting funny syphilis and so on
> anytime soon.
So does Xander...
> Riley sharing Giles' experiences with everyone seems a little
> dickish, doesn't it?
Only in the donkey-sized sense.
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - "Buffy Slayed the football"
> - The gag about giving up on men
> - Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
> - And okay, I mentioned it above, but it was stupid, and it was
> hilarious, so: "No, we're not going to [mimicking] "leave you."
> And where'd you get that accent, _Sesame Street_? Vun, two, three...
> three victims. Mwa ha ha!"
GILES: (dazedly) Oh! My shoe. Silly me, I’ll just pop back—
>
> And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
> little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
>
> Between oddball episodes like "Hush," "Superstar," and
> "Restless," and the strange ending here, I'm speculating that
> BTVS is becoming a very different kind of show. More surreal, not so
> linear. We've moved from superhero facing metaphorical monsters to
> something stranger. I have no idea whether or not that's a good
> thing - time will tell.
>
>
> So...
>
> One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
I think that's a Good Thing, myself.
>
> AOQ rating: Good
>
> [Season Five so far:
> 1) "Buffy Vs. Dracula" - Good]
>
I didn't think that much of it OFV. Looking back, though...
--
Rowan Hawthorn
"Occasionally, I'm callous and strange." - Willow Rosenberg, "Buffy the
Vampire Slayer"
jil...@hotmail.com
Giles' face when Buffy asked him to be her Watcher again, in all
seriousness. It was one of "And I'd just about gotten away
scott-free," so to speak.
For me, one of the problems I had with taking Dracula seriously was
that the looks of the actor did not appeal to me at all. I thought he
was completely bland. Couldn't figure out why they hadn't chosen
someone better-looking or at least attractive to play the role. Mind,
that's all personal opinion.
Spike did point out something. For all the things Dracula could do, in
the end he's a normal vampire with a few tricks up his sleeve. As soon
as he could no longer influence Buffy, his behaviour turned to the
snarling, bullying of other vampires in the series. The only
difference being he could still re-configure himself after being
dusted. The "I'm standing right here!" will always live in my head as
a great Buffy-line because of its context.
Show-wise I'm always pretty easy-going. I accept and enjoy what I see
as long as it isn't badly written. "Cool, a little sister! What's
going to happen next?" was my reaction.
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 Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
>
> It's a bit hard to watch some of the early parts of the episode,
> since it's not pleasant to see Dracula so easily get Buffy and the
> others under his thumb. Uncomfortable; check out Buffy's sincere
> "I'm not sure why I tried to hide it." Heroes are supposed to be
> all strong-willed and stuff, whereas the Slayer (and Xander and Giles)
> get ensorcelled immediately, and then the most they can manage is
> vaguely threatening to oppose him at some point.
And check out her Pink Leather Pants of Enthrallment. Renfield Xander's
shirt was the exact same colour.
> And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
> little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
This is especially intriguing because they pointed out that Buffy was an
only child earlier in the episode.
--
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Visit the Buffy Body Count at <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/>
Don Sample
"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
> A good portion of BvD comes down to
> devising a "real" version that has some of the qualities that
> inspired Stoker and his successors but not all of them. Would it be
> too pretentious (or stupid) to try to make a case for the
> present-but-mild accent as a microcosm for the handling of the
> character?
There was also some stunt casting involved here. Rudolf Martin, who
played Dracula, had played opposite SMG as her romantic interest back
when she was on "All My Children" and had also just done a made-for-
TV movie "Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula" in which he played
Vlad the Impaler.
Mike Zeares
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
Heh. I think my first reaction, when I heard the title, echoed Buffy:
"Get out!" I thought it turned out really well, and it's one of my
favorite eps from S5. Still holds up pretty well, too.
> It never turns into a show of disrespect, or anything, since the series
> does give Dracula some powers that haven't been seen from any other
> vamp, like turning into mist, turning into a bat, repeatedly coming
> back after getting staked, and so on. Why? Because he's
> motherfucking Dracula, of course.
Right on.
> The whole time he's working on Buffy, the Count seems fascinated by
> her Slayer nature. We learn that he's interested in the Slayer thing
> even before we learn that he definitely wants to eat her. I was
> noticing the connection to "Restless" even before they started
> going all out with the quotes and clips and such. He hadn't counted
> on what happens when one feeds a Slayer's power; the ends of these
> season premieres when the Buffster gets her groove back are always
> reassuring. But BvD also conveys the vague sense that any powers tied
> to the First Slayer are unsettling in a playing-with-fire kind of way.
Yup. Early in the series, some of us speculated that the Slayer was
powered by a Mystical Force For Good. Now we've had two eps in a row
that have hinted that it might be more like Mae West's diamonds:
Goodness has nothing to do with it.
On the other hand, ol' Drac didn't understand the Slayer's power as
much as he thought he did. "That was gross" was right up there with
"I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and you are?"
> Random thoughts:
> So is Joss too high-and-mighty (or too overworked, or too confident in
> his partners in crime) to write/direct all the premieres and finales
> now?
Some of all of the above, perhaps. Actually, I think "overwork"
covered a lot of it. He was starting to hand things off to Marti
Noxon. He had heard of this thing called "sleep" and thought he might
try it.
> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> thunderstorm at the beginning?
I think it was coincidence. The storm announced Dracula's arrival,
because you have to have a thunderstorm for good gothic horror. There
was even a theory posted somewhere that all of reality was altered
(noting the sudden appearance of a big honkin' castle). It got a
little far out, though. Some fans have too much time on their hands.
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - "Buffy Slayed the football"
> - The gag about giving up on men
> - Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
> - And okay, I mentioned it above, but it was stupid, and it was
> hilarious, so: "No, we're not going to [mimicking] "leave you."
> And where'd you get that accent, _Sesame Street_? Vun, two, three...
> three victims. Mwa ha ha!"
I also loved Giles in the Chick Pit. And later on, when he basically
said that he could have tackled that lot single-handed. Those were
some hot Drac Babes, too. You know, Drac could have a cash cow if he
got into the lesbian vampire film genre. No special effects needed.
> And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
> little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
*Mike cuts his head off to avoid spoiling*
> Between oddball episodes like "Hush," "Superstar," and
> "Restless," and the strange ending here, I'm speculating that
> BTVS is becoming a very different kind of show. More surreal, not so
> linear. We've moved from superhero facing metaphorical monsters to
> something stranger. I have no idea whether or not that's a good
> thing - time will tell.
Joss was never content to just keep cranking out the same crap year
after year. He was constantly trying to come up with new crap.
-- Mike Zeares
Rowan Hawthorn
> I also remember the impression I had at that time, of the expression on
> Giles' face when Buffy asked him to be her Watcher again, in all
> seriousness. It was one of "And I'd just about gotten away
> scott-free," so to speak.
>
> For me, one of the problems I had with taking Dracula seriously was
> that the looks of the actor did not appeal to me at all. I thought he
> was completely bland. Couldn't figure out why they hadn't chosen
> someone better-looking or at least attractive to play the role.
Well, consider the times. These days, the few actors in Hollywood who
*aren't* just bland, pretty-boy types don't get a lot of work. Except
as second-stringers. That's why the last few "westerns" to hit the big
screen (and the small screen, for that matter, with "Deadwood" being a
notable exception) were pretty sad attempts at the genre. We've come a
long way from the days when a _lead_ character who's intended to be a
rough-and-tumble badass might be played by an actor who actually *looks*
like a rough-and-tumble badass.
Mike Zeares
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
I forgot to mention a couple of technical things, which you might not
find that interesting but which got a LOT of attention back then.
First, new composer Thomas Wanker (VAHN-kuh. He's German). I liked
his score to BvD. I thought it gave it some of that Hammer Horror
feel. Just the right amount of over-the-top, which was appropriate
since it's motherfuckin' Dracula. You gotta bring it.
Second, new stunt coordinator John Medlin and two new stunt doubles for
SMG. Their style is noticably different. It was also noted that one
of the new girls was a bit more posteriorly gifted than Smidge. One
review website dubbed her "Bubbles." Anyway, I liked their first
outing too.
-- Mike Zeares
Don Sample
"Mike Zeares" <mze...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> I think it was coincidence. The storm announced Dracula's arrival,
> because you have to have a thunderstorm for good gothic horror. There
> was even a theory posted somewhere that all of reality was altered
> (noting the sudden appearance of a big honkin' castle). It got a
> little far out, though. Some fans have too much time on their hands.
I think that the castle was just new construction. You don't need magic
to make one appear. A few hundred thousand dollars will accomplish the
same thing, in a few months. It just had to be in a place where none of
them would notice it being built.
(The castle was fairly modern construction. Despite the gothic touches
of torches and such, it also had light switches on the walls. The
torches were just there for atmosphere.)
Elisi
my way if explaining 'the thread that would not die' - also known as
discussing stuff we'll never agree on.)
Anyway, *very* glad you like this one - so many people (sadly) dismiss
it as pure fluff and comedy, when of course its underbelly is very
dark. Not sure I have anything to actually contribute, except to say
that there's a comic book series being published at the moment, that
actually deals with Spike and Dracula's past (including those £11!).
Probably spoilery for you though, but background history is always
nice. There has been much squeeing amongst my friends.
Finally - yes the show is changing. I hope you like the more mature
Buffy. (As it happens I just re-watched Ted the other night. It's a
wonderful episode, but my goodness Buffy is sulky!)
Mike Zeares
Don Sample wrote:
>
> I think that the castle was just new construction. You don't need magic
> to make one appear. A few hundred thousand dollars will accomplish the
> same thing, in a few months. It just had to be in a place where none of
> them would notice it being built.
Yeah, I agree. It wasn't really a castle anyway, it was just a house
that looked like a castle. There's one like that here in Dallas.
It seems likely to me that Drac commissioned its building in
preparation for his visit to Sunnydale. Maybe the Sisters got there
first and set the place up for him.
-- Mike Zeares
Elisi
> preparation for his visit to Sunnydale. Maybe the Sisters got there
> first and set the place up for him.
Now I have a very disturbing image in my head of the Sisters as
houseproud stepford wives!
mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges
> her Slayer nature. We learn that he's interested in the Slayer thing
> even before we learn that he definitely wants to eat her. I was
> noticing the connection to "Restless" even before they started
the implication in restless from adam
is that the slayer power is of demon origin
dracula is continuing on that notion
> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> thunderstorm at the beginning?
the storm coming out of nowhere (i believe willow this time)
and big honky castle they never saw before
its apparent someone is altering reality
the question is whether its story internal like superstar
or story external with whedon playing with his creation
(like in the freshman when the vamp stares at the weapons and runs away)
> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
im hoping that as soon as buffys back in classes
her sister will pretty much disappear like she did in the fourth season
after three seasons of her tagging along with buffy it got a bit much
arf meow arf - nsa fodder
ny dnrqn greebevfz ahpyrne obzo vena gnyvona ovt oebgure
if you meet buddha on the usenet killfile him
(Harmony) Watcher
news:1149222865.8...@j55g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
>
> It's a bit hard to watch some of the early parts of the episode,
> since it's not pleasant to see Dracula so easily get Buffy and the
> others under his thumb. Uncomfortable; check out Buffy's sincere
> "I'm not sure why I tried to hide it." Heroes are supposed to be
> all strong-willed and stuff, whereas the Slayer (and Xander and Giles)
> get ensorcelled immediately, and then the most they can manage is
> vaguely threatening to oppose him at some point. It's bothersome,
> but in this case, not too much so. After all, sometimes making the
> viewer uncomfortable can serve the purposes of the show, as happens
> here. And after all, this particular vampire is unusually good at the
> mind-mushing, because, well, he's motherfucking Dracula.
>
>
"mind-mush" (say, he had derivative Jedi training from another universe). He
said he was the legendary Dracula, and we're supposed to just take his word
for it? Not IRL, I hope, and certainly, not in a world of fiction. Ask
Remington Steele, or your average detective, say, Kate. Yes, evidence seemed
to bear him out on his claims, but that's all the conclusion we can draw
from it: he *said* he was.
==Harmony Watcher==
Paul Hyett
>
>BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
>Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
>
>Buffy and Dracula - the real deal. It takes a certain amount of
>chutzpah to have your hero go up against such a legendary character,
>and even more to have her win.
Sort of.
>
>There are a bunch of places where things play out in a manner that
>makes sense and keep the plot from getting too formulaic. For example,
>Dracula makes one visit to Buffy's place, has a little taste of her,
>and she tries to hide it.
More than one visit, since Joyce initially issued the invite.
>
>It's a bit hard to watch some of the early parts of the episode,
>since it's not pleasant to see Dracula so easily get Buffy and the
>others under his thumb. Uncomfortable; check out Buffy's sincere
>"I'm not sure why I tried to hide it." Heroes are supposed to be
>all strong-willed and stuff, whereas the Slayer (and Xander and Giles)
>get ensorcelled immediately, and then the most they can manage is
>vaguely threatening to oppose him at some point.
Buffy seems to develop a resistance over time, though.
>
>Random thoughts:
>
>Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
>thunderstorm at the beginning?
I assumed that was coincidental - more due to Dracula's arrival.
If magic is supposedly a matter of keeping the elements in balance, then
it seems unlikely that merely lighting a BBQ would cause a huge t/storm!
>
>This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
>- "Buffy Slayed the football"
>- The gag about giving up on men
>- Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
The Dark Master... bater. :)
>
>And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
>little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
>the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
>the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
>even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
Indeed.
--
Paul 'Charts Fan' Hyett
Rowan Hawthorn
> Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
>> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
>> threads.
>>
>>
>> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
>> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
>> (or "My food is problematic...")
>
>> So is Joss too high-and-mighty (or too overworked, or too confident in
>> his partners in crime) to write/direct all the premieres and finales
>> now?
>
> Some of all of the above, perhaps. Actually, I think "overwork"
> covered a lot of it. He was starting to hand things off to Marti
> Noxon. He had heard of this thing called "sleep" and thought he might
> try it.
It's seriously overrated. I'm running on about six hours total since
Monday, myself...
>
>> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
>> thunderstorm at the beginning?
>
> I think it was coincidence. The storm announced Dracula's arrival,
> because you have to have a thunderstorm for good gothic horror. There
> was even a theory posted somewhere that all of reality was altered
> (noting the sudden appearance of a big honkin' castle). It got a
> little far out, though. Some fans have too much time on their hands.
And some of us (me, f'r instance) just can't stand the thought of
actually doing something constructive with all that spare time I don't
have...
>
>> And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
>> little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
>> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
>> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
>> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
>
> *Mike cuts his head off to avoid spoiling*
>
I ha'oo bi' my 'ongue off for same 'eason. Damn, this is a rough game.
Rowan Hawthorn
> In alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer on Thu, 1 Jun 2006, Arbitrar Of Quality wrote :
>>
>> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
>> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
>>
>> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
>> - "Buffy Slayed the football"
>> - The gag about giving up on men
>> - Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
>
> The Dark Master... bater. :)
>>
The Dark Prince... bater. :-))
(Harmony) Watcher
news:d9OdnZj0fOq...@giganews.com...
Nurz. Creuncf vg fubhyq unir orra yrsg gb NbD gb svaq bhg gur ynfg yvggyr
ovg ol uvzfrys? :)
V guvax gung ynfg yvggyr ovg vf vzcbegnag: Qenp qvq abg er-nccrne ntnva ol
gur raq bs obgu frevrf. Znlor ur jnf uhzvyvngrq, znlor ur unq fbzrguvat
orggre gb qb, be znlor ur jnf npghnyyl cneg bs gur zbaxf' fcryy naq
qvffvcngrq bapr uvf checbfr jnf freirq. V jba'g fb rnfvyl gnxr Qenp'f jbeqf
sbe vg, be Fcvxr'f jbeqf, sbe gung znggre. V guvax bs vg nf n cbvag bs
qrcnegher jvgu erny cbgragvny sbe fgenatre svpgvba.
> >
> > Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> > thunderstorm at the beginning?
>
> I'd be awfully damn surprised if she *wasn't*, all things considered.
> But, in this case, I do give her some benefit of doubt, since storms and
> things quite often tended to herald the presence of, y'know,
> motherfucking **Dracula**.
>
Vs gur fgbez jnfa'g gur ol-cebqhpg bs Jvyybj'f "Vtavf vapraqr" fcryy, vg
jbhyq qvzvavfu gur gurbel gung Qenp jnf ernyyl jub ur fnvq ur jnf. :)
<rest snipped>
==Harmony Watcher==
Don Sample
Both Spike, and Anya backed up his claim. Anya first met him about 400
years ago, when she was only 700 or so, long before he was made famous
by Stoker. From what they said, it was pretty clear that this was the
vampire that Stoker wrote about.
Don Sample
Paul Hyett <p...@nojunkmailplease.co.uk> wrote:
> In alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer on Thu, 1 Jun 2006, Arbitrar Of Quality wrote :
> >
> >BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> >Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> >
> >BvD wastes no time setting up, as promised, a confrontation between
> >Buffy and Dracula - the real deal. It takes a certain amount of
> >chutzpah to have your hero go up against such a legendary character,
> >and even more to have her win.
>
> Sort of.
> >
> >There are a bunch of places where things play out in a manner that
> >makes sense and keep the plot from getting too formulaic. For example,
> >Dracula makes one visit to Buffy's place, has a little taste of her,
> >and she tries to hide it.
>
> More than one visit, since Joyce initially issued the invite.
She invited him, but we don't know if he came to visit. He might have
talked to her at her gallery or something, and she invited him to come
over for coffee sometime.
Don Sample
"\(Harmony\) Watcher" <nob...@nonesuch.com> wrote:
> "Rowan Hawthorn" <rowan_h...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:d9OdnZj0fOq...@giganews.com...
> > Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> > > A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> > > threads.
> > >
> > >
> > > BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> > > Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
>
> > Dunno. When I first saw this episode advertised, it was the first one
> > that gave me a "What the HELL are they doing to my show?" moment. It's
> > still not one of my favorites, but it has its moments, didn't go where I
> > was afraid it would, had (I suspect, anyway,) an actual *purpose*, and
> > they never brought Drac back for a second go-round.
> >
> >
>
> Nurz. Creuncf vg fubhyq unir orra yrsg gb NbD gb svaq bhg gur ynfg yvggyr
> ovg ol uvzfrys? :)
>
> V guvax gung ynfg yvggyr ovg vf vzcbegnag: Qenp qvq abg er-nccrne ntnva ol
> gur raq bs obgu frevrf. Znlor ur jnf uhzvyvngrq, znlor ur unq fbzrguvat
> orggre gb qb, be znlor ur jnf npghnyyl cneg bs gur zbaxf' fcryy naq
> qvffvcngrq bapr uvf checbfr jnf freirq. V jba'g fb rnfvyl gnxr Qenp'f jbeqf
> sbe vg, be Fcvxr'f jbeqf, sbe gung znggre. V guvax bs vg nf n cbvag bs
> qrcnegher jvgu erny cbgragvny sbe fgenatre svpgvba.
Be znlor gurer jrer bayl fb znal gvzrf ur pbhyq pbzr onpx sebz orvat
fgnxrq. Ur qvffvcngrq ng gur raq, abg orpnhfr Ohssl jnf fgnaqvat evtug
gurer, ohg orpnhfr ur qvqa'g unir rabhtu cbjre gb chyy uvzfrys onpx
gbtrgure n frpbaq gvzr.
Elisi
> that gave me a "What the HELL are they doing to my show?" moment.
I remember skipping this one when it was first shown. When I finally
saw it years later I fell in love straight away! :)
It's
> still not one of my favorites, but it has its moments, didn't go where I
> was afraid it would, had (I suspect, anyway,) an actual *purpose*, and
> they never brought Drac back for a second go-round.
Hz... V gubhtug gur cbvag bs gur rcvfbqr jnfa'g Qenphyn cre fr, ohg gb
snpvyvgngr (be xvpxfgneg) Ohssl'f wbhearl gelvat gb svaq bhg zber nobhg
ure Fynlre ebbgf. Vapyhqvat dhrfgvbavat gur fbhepr bs ure cbjre
(Qenphyn pnyyf ure 'n xvyyre'. Nf qvq Evyrl va 'Erfgyrff'.)
Naq jung orggre jnl gb rzcunfvfr gur Fynlrearff bs bhe tvey guna ol
univat ure onggyr gur zbfg snzbhf inzver?
Apteryx
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> Buffy and Dracula - the real deal.
Though there is a lot of fun even before his intro, with Buffy getting
out of bed to go hunting to fill a need that sex obviously didn't
satisfy. And Willow the computer wisperer.
>
> And this of course ties the whole episode together since it sends Buffy
> to Giles at the end to ask him to Watch her, bookending the early
> "returning to England" scene. Giles's first scene makes sense
> given the way the last year has gone;
It didn't quite make sense to me. Despite his isolation for most of
season 4, Giles was still needed at the end. Why wouldn't he think he
still was?
>
> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> thunderstorm at the beginning?
Reasonable grounds for suspicion at the time. But once Drac is
introduced, well, it is his trademark.
> Buffy's making tentative efforts towards helping her mom feel less
> lonely (i.e. at least an overture towards avoiding another year of not
> seeing each other at all), but the job doesn't allow for much. Think
> it'll be enough?
Won't it have to be? Because, as they make clear in this scene, she's
the only daughter Joyce has :)
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - "Buffy Slayed the football"
> - The gag about giving up on men
> - Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
Yeah, but it possibly went on too long.
> - And okay, I mentioned it above, but it was stupid, and it was
> hilarious, so: "No, we're not going to [mimicking] "leave you."
> And where'd you get that accent, _Sesame Street_? Vun, two, three...
> three victims. Mwa ha ha!"
Now that was good.
> And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
> little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
That has to be one of the great WTF moments.
>
> One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
>
> AOQ rating: Good
I'd agree with Good. It was a lot of fun, but with a serious core
promising greatness to come. Will the show keep that promise? For me
its the 45th best BtVS episode, 4th best in season 5
Apteryx
Apteryx
But neither Spike nor Anya get to meet this vampire claiming to be
Dracula. Not that there is much point in doubting that he is Dracula,
I'm just saying.
Apteryx
Michael Ikeda
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these
> review threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
>
> BvD wastes no time setting up, as promised, a confrontation
> between Buffy and Dracula - the real deal. It takes a certain
> amount of chutzpah to have your hero go up against such a
> legendary character, and even more to have her win. I'm okay
> with it; I'm just saying. It never turns into a show of
> disrespect, or anything, since the series does give Dracula some
> powers that haven't been seen from any other vamp, like turning
> into mist, turning into a bat, repeatedly coming back after
> getting staked, and so on.
Of course that's just "showy gypsy stuff"... :)
>This non-idiot plotting only
> goes so far, though, as the gang leave Buffy alone with Xander,
> who's equally obviously under the big D's thrall.
At least it would be obvious if they were watching Xander carefully.
Sometimes it's almost as if he's invisible or something. :)
>
> It's a bit hard to watch some of the early parts of the episode,
> since it's not pleasant to see Dracula so easily get Buffy and
> the others under his thumb. Uncomfortable; check out Buffy's
> sincere "I'm not sure why I tried to hide it." Heroes are
> supposed to be all strong-willed and stuff, whereas the Slayer
> (and Xander and Giles) get ensorcelled immediately, and then the
> most they can manage is vaguely threatening to oppose him at
> some point. It's bothersome, but in this case, not too much so.
Don't think Giles ever actually got "ensorcelled". He just fell
down.
> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> thunderstorm at the beginning?
I tend to suspect that Willow's spell triggered something Dracula had
already set up.
Speaking of Willow, she was adorable in her attempts to make Giles
feel needed. Not that any of the others (aside from Giles) realized
that was what she was doing...
>
> I liked the Riley/Spike scene, with the latter confronting the
> former with how far out of his league he seems, and the former
> still having enough violent tendencies to come out the clear
> victor in the battle of the bluster.
Then there's this sequence at the end of the scene:
SPIKE: (calls out as Riley is at the door) You're never gonna find
him.
Riley leaves.
SPIKE: (to himself) Not before he gets to her.
Not sure right now of the right word to describe Spike's tone as he
says the last line. Wistful? Regretful? But it's ... interesting.
>
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - "Buffy Slayed the football"
> - The gag about giving up on men
> - Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
> - And okay, I mentioned it above, but it was stupid, and it was
> hilarious, so: "No, we're not going to [mimicking] "leave you."
> And where'd you get that accent, _Sesame Street_? Vun, two,
> three... three victims. Mwa ha ha!"
>
Oh. Well, not that I wouldn't be all ears if you wanted to tell me a
secret about you two. Even if it was very, very naughty.
Of course not! I was in complete... (the others have walked off)
control.
--
Michael Ikeda mmi...@erols.com
"Telling a statistician not to use sampling is like telling an
astronomer they can't say there is a moon and stars"
Lynne Billard, past president American Statistical Association
MBangel10 (Melissa)
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
This is one of my guilty pleasure episodes and a great season opener. My
reaction at the end was pretty much, "huh?". I loved it, and Xander wins
the award for making Renfield so darn amusing. I especially give props
to the "Master".... "bator" and then the "Unholy Prince"......"bator"
jokes. It still makes me laugh even when I now finish the sentence
before him.
>
> BvD wastes no time setting up, as promised, a confrontation between
> Buffy and Dracula - the real deal. It takes a certain amount of
> chutzpah to have your hero go up against such a legendary character,
> and even more to have her win. I'm okay with it; I'm just saying.
> It never turns into a show of disrespect, or anything, since the series
> does give Dracula some powers that haven't been seen from any other
> vamp, like turning into mist, turning into a bat, repeatedly coming
> back after getting staked, and so on. Why? Because he's
> motherfucking Dracula, of course.
Damn Straight. I mean you can't have a show titled "Buffy the Vampire
Slayer" and not have at least one episode that pays homage to the
infamous villain.
A good portion of BvD comes down to
> devising a "real" version that has some of the qualities that
> inspired Stoker and his successors but not all of them.
At least we find out that it's all "flashy, gypsy stuff" that he uses to
change into a bat or turn into mist...
Would it be
> too pretentious (or stupid) to try to make a case for the
> present-but-mild accent as a microcosm for the handling of the
> character?
Hmmm, considering that the "Primevil" thread has surpassed the one for
"Dead Man's Party", in this newsgroup starting a thread like that could
be a record breaker. LOL
>
> The initial appearance of our villain is played for a lot of fun,
> since, seriously, how does one respond to meeting Dracula? Special
> props to ending the teaser with the dramatic introduction, and then
> Buffy's laughing "get out!" And also special props to Xander's
> imitation of the Count. Cute stuff, and it serves nicely to disarm us
> because despite all the light moments in the episode, he'll get into
> our heroes' heads and ultimately be pretty threatening for a one-off
> villain.
I'm also glad they explained how the heck Drac got into Buffy's house
because when he came misting through Buffy's window I was yelling, "hey!
you weren't invited!" At first I thought it was the special powers of
Dracula and not a lonely Joyce that gave him a full access pass to Casa
Summers.
>
> There are a bunch of places where things play out in a manner that
> makes sense and keep the plot from getting too formulaic. For example,
> Dracula makes one visit to Buffy's place, has a little taste of her,
> and she tries to hide it. A more boring show would then basically
> repeat this in the second act, whereas this show has ex-Agent Finn
> quickly put together what's happening. The Slaypack then respond by
> trying to keep Buffy away from Dracula whilst each working towards a
> solution as befits their particular talents. This non-idiot plotting
> only goes so far, though, as the gang leave Buffy alone with Xander,
> who's equally obviously under the big D's thrall.
Yes, but I don't think the Scoobies were paying that much attention to
Xander. His actions do seem obviously out of the ordinary but this IS
Xander so.... Also it led to the funny scene where Xander stuffs Anya in
a closet and asks Buffy to go see the Master. Did I mention how much I
loved Xander in this episode? Heh.
>
> It's a bit hard to watch some of the early parts of the episode,
> since it's not pleasant to see Dracula so easily get Buffy and the
> others under his thumb. Uncomfortable; check out Buffy's sincere
> "I'm not sure why I tried to hide it." Heroes are supposed to be
> all strong-willed and stuff, whereas the Slayer (and Xander and Giles)
> get ensorcelled immediately, and then the most they can manage is
> vaguely threatening to oppose him at some point. It's bothersome,
> but in this case, not too much so. After all, sometimes making the
> viewer uncomfortable can serve the purposes of the show, as happens
> here. And after all, this particular vampire is unusually good at the
> mind-mushing, because, well, he's motherfucking Dracula.
Riley's also extremely jealous and obviously threatened by Drac's
appearance. The way Buffy (and others) were talking about him and then
him discovering that she let him bite her. Even if he understood she was
under thrall, it still hit him hard with the insecurities he'd already
been feeling. How many Angel comparisons can one guy make?
more thoughts later, must get ready for work now....
>
> The whole time he's working on Buffy, the Count seems fascinated by
> her Slayer nature. We learn that he's interested in the Slayer thing
> even before we learn that he definitely wants to eat her. I was
> noticing the connection to "Restless" even before they started
> going all out with the quotes and clips and such. He hadn't counted
> on what happens when one feeds a Slayer's power; the ends of these
> season premieres when the Buffster gets her groove back are always
> reassuring. But BvD also conveys the vague sense that any powers tied
> to the First Slayer are unsettling in a playing-with-fire kind of way.
>
> And this of course ties the whole episode together since it sends Buffy
> to Giles at the end to ask him to Watch her, bookending the early
> "returning to England" scene. Giles's first scene makes sense
> given the way the last year has gone; he's taking care of his
> unfinished business and trying to move on. I'm proud of Buffy and
> the other kids, but they don't need me, and it's getting depressing
> trying to be part of their club. The followup gives Head a chance to
> do some nice nonverbal things, but is mainly about Buffy. It's an
> interesting mix for her of asking for help and taking charge. This is
> her issue to deal with, but she realizes where others can be of use if
> she lets them in. I'm not sure if she'd have done that so readily
> in her younger it's-all-about-me days. A well-played quiet scene
> overall, probably my favorite of the episode.
>
> Random thoughts:
> So is Joss too high-and-mighty (or too overworked, or too confident in
> his partners in crime) to write/direct all the premieres and finales
> now?
>
> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> thunderstorm at the beginning?
>
> Buffy's making tentative efforts towards helping her mom feel less
> lonely (i.e. at least an overture towards avoiding another year of not
> seeing each other at all), but the job doesn't allow for much. Think
> it'll be enough?
>
> I liked the Riley/Spike scene, with the latter confronting the former
> with how far out of his league he seems, and the former still having
> enough violent tendencies to come out the clear victor in the battle
> of the bluster.
>
> I rather doubt that Xander will stop getting funny syphilis and so on
> anytime soon. Four seasons of precedent and all.
>
> Riley sharing Giles' experiences with everyone seems a little
> dickish, doesn't it? Various people were affected by compulsions
> that they couldn't control; does it not occur to him that they might
> find those things embarrassing, or want to keep them to themselves?
>
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - "Buffy Slayed the football"
> - The gag about giving up on men
> - Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
> - And okay, I mentioned it above, but it was stupid, and it was
> hilarious, so: "No, we're not going to [mimicking] "leave you."
> And where'd you get that accent, _Sesame Street_? Vun, two, three...
> three victims. Mwa ha ha!"
>
> And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
> little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
>
> Between oddball episodes like "Hush," "Superstar," and
> "Restless," and the strange ending here, I'm speculating that
> BTVS is becoming a very different kind of show. More surreal, not so
> linear. We've moved from superhero facing metaphorical monsters to
> something stranger. I have no idea whether or not that's a good
> thing - time will tell.
>
>
> So...
>
> One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
>
> AOQ rating: Good
>
> [Season Five so far:
> 1) "Buffy Vs. Dracula" - Good]
>
I'm glad you enjoyed it. I posted my first thoughts but my RL beckons
me. I'll continue this when I get home this evening. I've been waiting
for you to start S5 w/ much anticipation and very happy that this
episode rates a "good" for you (especially since it's one that contains
large doses of the 'funny haha' stuff).
Rowan Hawthorn
>>
>
> Nurz. Creuncf vg fubhyq unir orra yrsg gb NbD gb svaq bhg gur ynfg yvggyr
> ovg ol uvzfrys? :)
>
NHHHTU!! Lrf, lbh'er evtug. Qnzzvg, V fubhyqa'g cbfg jura V'z pyrneyl
nfyrrc...
> V guvax gung ynfg yvggyr ovg vf vzcbegnag: Qenp qvq abg er-nccrne ntnva ol
> gur raq bs obgu frevrf. Znlor ur jnf uhzvyvngrq, znlor ur unq fbzrguvat
> orggre gb qb, be znlor ur jnf npghnyyl cneg bs gur zbaxf' fcryy naq
> qvffvcngrq bapr uvf checbfr jnf freirq. V jba'g fb rnfvyl gnxr Qenp'f jbeqf
> sbe vg, be Fcvxr'f jbeqf, sbe gung znggre. V guvax bs vg nf n cbvag bs
> qrcnegher jvgu erny cbgragvny sbe fgenatre svpgvba.
>
>
>>> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
>>> thunderstorm at the beginning?
>> I'd be awfully damn surprised if she *wasn't*, all things considered.
>> But, in this case, I do give her some benefit of doubt, since storms and
>> things quite often tended to herald the presence of, y'know,
>> motherfucking **Dracula**.
>>
> Vs gur fgbez jnfa'g gur ol-cebqhpg bs Jvyybj'f "Vtavf vapraqr" fcryy, vg
> jbhyq qvzvavfu gur gurbel gung Qenp jnf ernyyl jub ur fnvq ur jnf. :)
>
Gehr. Juvpu vf jul fur bayl trgf *fbzr* orarsvg bs gur qbhog. (V qba'g
tvir hc zl gurbevrf *gbb* rnfvyl... :-)
Rowan Hawthorn
Vg'f whfg gung Qenphyn fubjf hc ba fb znal "inzcver" fubjf gung vg'f
orpbzr n ynzr tvzzvpx, fb V cersre gb guvax bs vg nf n zrnavatshy
nccrnenapr. Naq V'z bar bs gubfr jub fhfcrpgf gung vg jnf eryngrq va
fbzr jnl gb gur zbaxf' yvggyr fcryy.
Elisi
>orpbzr n ynzr tvzzvpx, fb V cersre gb guvax bs vg nf n zrnavatshy
>nccrnenapr.
Vg n shaal rcvfbqr, ohg V arire fnj vg nf tvzzvpxl. Nf n znggre bs snpg
V unir gur bhgyvarf bs na rffnl fng ba zl uneqqevir, sbphffvat ba jung
Qenphyn fnvq naq yvaxvat vg gb F6 naq 7, naq ubj vg vf Fcvxr jub
orpbzrf gur bar gb grnpu ure nobhg ure qnexre fvqr. Qenphyn _ybbxrq_
evqvphybhf, ohg jung ur fnvq jnf irel frevbhf vaqrrq. V'ir bsgra
gubhtug gung vs gurl unqa'g tbar jvgu gur pnzc gur rc jbhyq unir orra
irel qnex naq perrcl vaqrrq.
Elisi
>Naq V'z bar bs gubfr jub fhfcrpgf gung vg jnf eryngrq va
>fbzr jnl gb gur zbaxf' yvggyr fcryy.
V'q ybir gb urne n gurbel nobhg gung ng fbzr cbvag. :)
kenm47
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
>
<SNIP>
>
> One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
>
> AOQ rating: Good
>
> [Season Five so far:
> 1) "Buffy Vs. Dracula" - Good]
It occurs to me that too much that happened after colors my perception
of this and certainly other early episodes of the season. Many of my
comments would require spoilers (or could go that way by accident) or
need to be in ROT 13 which I know I'm currently sick of.
Briefly, yes it was a "Good" episode. A lot of strangeness even before
the ending. Many open questions about vampires generally, like how come
The Master or Kakistos never mentioned Drac or have anything like his
special powers.
Maybe something is happening and we don't know what it is?
"Intriguing" is a perfect word for it.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Stephen Tempest
>One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
Pretty much my reaction at the time... except that 'Buffy v Dracula'
was the first episode of the show I ever watched. I'd caught parts of
a couple of previous ones, but this was the first I sat down and
watched from start to end.
I remember being completely baffled by who all the characters were.
During the middle part of the episode, I was thinking for a time that
the redhead must be the eponymous 'Buffy' since she was in centre
stage far more than that short blonde woman. The revelation that
Buffy has a sister in the final scene went completely over my head,
since as far as I knew, why *wouldn't* she have a sister? On the
other hand, the fact that two of the characters were clearly a lesbian
couple, but the show made no big deal or even comment on this, was
something of a huh? moment at the time. (In a good way, but still
surprising).
However, for all my bafflement, the one thing I *did* understand was
the Dracula plot. After all, I'd read Bram Stoker's book, I'd seen
Christopher Lee playing _Dracula, Prince of Darkness_. I knew that in
the book he first arrived in a coastal town on the wings of a huge
storm; I knew that he could turn to mist and enter young women's
bedrooms, I knew about the Three Sisters, the changing to a bat or
wolf, the enthrallment. And I just loved the subversion of all that
classic Gothic horror achieved by transferring it to a modern setting
with a bunch of irreverant American teenagers. "I... am _Dracula_"
"Get out!" pretty much summed up the episode for me. I was hooked.
And so since I wanted to understand all the background, like who the
regular characters were, how they knew each other - and, for that
matter, exactly what a "Slayer" was anyway, the next weekend I went
out and bought the Season 1 DVD set. :)
Stephen
(Harmony) Watcher
"Elisi" <eli...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1149251323.8...@y43g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
Urer vf fbzr "erprag" qvfphffvbaf ba guvf gbcvp va guvf AT juvpu gbhpurq ba
gung gbcvp fbzrjung gnatragvnyyl:
Guernq Gvgyr: "Qnja fubhyq unir orra Snvgu'f fvfgre."
uggc://tebhcf.tbbtyr.pbz/tebhc/nyg.gi.ohssl-i-fynlre/oebjfr_guernq/guernq/6r
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e&eahz=1#8no46176o3786qon
==Harmony Watcher==
vague disclaimer
"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
I think this might be my favourite of all of your reviews.
I tend to see BvD as a combination of Restless Part II and an episode
long exercise in misdirection, as well as an exercise in homage. Pretty
sophisticated stuff. And it follows into the micro level: we have a
sharp reminder that Willow might not be fully in control of her mojo
which also serves as a way cool transition to the arrival of the
Darkprincebator. Who'd have thought that a silly show about teens
fighting monsters could be so rich?
You think you know what you are, what's to come....
--
A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend
kenm47
You are assuming true, non Jonathan-verse for example, memories.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Elisi
Thank you. I might look that up.
kenm47
Gur Zbaxf pnfg n havirefny ernyvgl nygrevat fcryy. Qenphyn, nzq
zrzbevrf bs "uvz" jrer n fvqr rssrpg. Gurer ernyyl jnfa'g n fgbel
gurer.
:-)
Ken (Brooklyn)
Espen Schjønberg
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Writer: Marti Noxon
> Director: David Solomon
>
> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
> It's a bit hard to watch some of the early parts of the episode,
> since it's not pleasant to see Dracula so easily get Buffy and the
> others under his thumb. Uncomfortable; check out Buffy's sincere
> "I'm not sure why I tried to hide it." Heroes are supposed to be
> all strong-willed and stuff, whereas the Slayer (and Xander and Giles)
> get ensorcelled immediately, and then the most they can manage is
> vaguely threatening to oppose him at some point. It's bothersome,
> but in this case, not too much so. After all, sometimes making the
> viewer uncomfortable can serve the purposes of the show, as happens
> here.
I am not gonna comment on this.
> And this of course ties the whole episode together since it sends Buffy
> to Giles at the end to ask him to Watch her, bookending the early
> "returning to England" scene. Giles's first scene makes sense
> given the way the last year has gone; he's taking care of his
> unfinished business and trying to move on. I'm proud of Buffy and
> the other kids, but they don't need me, and it's getting depressing
> trying to be part of their club.
Yeah, but this is writing to the needs of the actor: ASH doesn't really
want to play anymore.
> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> thunderstorm at the beginning?
Of course it wan't her! It was Drrrracula.
> Riley sharing Giles' experiences with everyone seems a little
> dickish, doesn't it?
I didn't react. But then again, I excpect Riley do to behave like an
idiot, 'cause I don't like him.
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - "Buffy Slayed the football"
No, but that is the kind of thing I react to. Why didnt he say "_we_
slayed the football?" This is the kind of things that make me think
Riley is an idiot. It's like he always wants to make sure everybody
knows Buffy makes the mistakes, not him.
> [Xander]
I liked Xander in this one.
> One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
>
It was nuts, but now it is nuts in a new way.
> AOQ rating: Good
>
> [Season Five so far:
> 1) "Buffy Vs. Dracula" - Good]
Ok then. But I would hope it turned back to being nuts the old way.
--
Espen
peachy ashie passion
>>It seems likely to me that Drac commissioned its building in
>>preparation for his visit to Sunnydale. Maybe the Sisters got there
>>first and set the place up for him.
>
>
> Now I have a very disturbing image in my head of the Sisters as
> houseproud stepford wives!
>
And you just HAD to share it!!!
peachy ashie passion
Why was that Rot-13'd?
rrh...@acme.com
Rowan Hawthorn wrote:
> jil...@hotmail.com wrote:
> > I also remember the impression I had at that time, of the expression on
> > Giles' face when Buffy asked him to be her Watcher again, in all
> > seriousness. It was one of "And I'd just about gotten away
> > scott-free," so to speak.
> >
> > For me, one of the problems I had with taking Dracula seriously was
> > that the looks of the actor did not appeal to me at all. I thought he
> > was completely bland. Couldn't figure out why they hadn't chosen
> > someone better-looking or at least attractive to play the role.
>
> Well, consider the times. These days, the few actors in Hollywood who
> *aren't* just bland, pretty-boy types don't get a lot of work. Except
> as second-stringers. That's why the last few "westerns" to hit the big
> screen (and the small screen, for that matter, with "Deadwood" being a
> notable exception) were pretty sad attempts at the genre. We've come a
> long way from the days when a _lead_ character who's intended to be a
> rough-and-tumble badass might be played by an actor who actually *looks*
> like a rough-and-tumble badass.
Off topic, but... I've been watching season 2 of Deadwood, which just
came out on DVD. (What? Me too cheap to get HBO? You betcha!) It's
been a let-down. Season one had absolutely terrific characters:
Bullock with his severe anger management issues, who becomes a lawman
because the law is a way for him to control himself; and Swearingen,
the sociopath who finds himself in the position of civic-minded leader,
rather to his disgust. That's before we even get to the doctor or the
preacher with the brain tumor. Season 2 is more mundane political
intrigue, and not very plausible political intrigue at that. It's not
bad, but it is not nearly what season 1 was.
Richard R. Hershberger
kenm47
I generally agree, although season 2, IMO, was still pretty damn good,
just not as good as season 1. Word now is season 3 will be the end of
it; HBO is too busy wasting its money on "Rome," and/or the well went
dry creatively on Deadwood faster than was expected.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Horace LaBadie
Espen Schjønberg <ess...@excite.com> wrote:
>
> No, but that is the kind of thing I react to. Why didnt he say "_we_
> slayed the football?" This is the kind of things that make me think
> Riley is an idiot. It's like he always wants to make sure everybody
> knows Buffy makes the mistakes, not him.
Because Riley no longer has the strength to crush a football? And he
isn't a Slayer? And this grammar-joke-revisited only works if Buffy is
the subject?
HWL
Don Sample
Harmony Watcher included references to gur zbax'f fcryy in her post, and
my post pretty much says gung jr jba'g frr Qenp ntnva and the extremely
spoiler-phobic might consider that to be one.
One Bit Shy
news:1149222865.8...@j55g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> BvD wastes no time setting up, as promised, a confrontation between
> Buffy and Dracula - the real deal. It takes a certain amount of
> chutzpah to have your hero go up against such a legendary character,
> and even more to have her win. I'm okay with it; I'm just saying.
> It never turns into a show of disrespect, or anything, since the series
> does give Dracula some powers that haven't been seen from any other
> vamp, like turning into mist, turning into a bat, repeatedly coming
> back after getting staked, and so on. Why? Because he's
> motherfucking Dracula, of course. A good portion of BvD comes down to
> devising a "real" version that has some of the qualities that
> inspired Stoker and his successors but not all of them. Would it be
> too pretentious (or stupid) to try to make a case for the
> present-but-mild accent as a microcosm for the handling of the
> character?
Everytime I see this episode, a part of me stubbornly goes, huh? Dracula?
You've got to be kidding me. Could they possibly go for a cheaper stunt?
Even the title reminds of the worst kind of horror movie when the ideas for
great characters are exhausted, and all that is left is to exploit them. So
there's this negative bias dragging on me...
Which really isn't fair. It's not like the series has shied away much from
silly monsters or pop culture references or monster movie homages. They
made an episode out of Hansel and Gretal for heavens sake. At least Dracula
is on topic. And with all the homages they've performed, how could they
possibly pass up Dracula? One might say BtVS could never even have been
conceived of without Dracula as a foundation.
One might say that there is a little cognitive dissonance running through my
brain here. Heh.
So, I'm really rather impressed by your initial take on using Dracula in
this episode. A heck of a lot more level headed than I managed.
In the end I think the show does a remarkeble job of integrating Dracula
into their world. The homage is substantial and rather well done.
(Starting with being a fine looking Dracula.) But with a nice balance of
usual BtVS humor. (Xander is a stitch throughout. "Like any of that's
enough to fight the dark master....... bator." And I like how Spike fancies
himself Drac's rival and airily dismisses his powers as, "Nothing but showy
gypsy stuff.")
The kicker is that when the show turns to their usual trick of the monster
showing greater insight into the charachters than they have themselves, it
really delivers with disturbing thought provoking stuff about the true
nature of the slayer. My heavens, there's actual purpose to the episode
beyond the Transylvanian accent.
Buffy: Do you *know* what a slayer is?
Dracula: Do you?
> Dracula makes one visit to Buffy's place, has a little taste of her,
I really like that scene. The mist sliding in is pretty neat, but I'm more
struck just seeing her alone in bed in her room at home again. Mommentarily
flashes me back to the earlier seasons and an aspect of her life missing
from S4.
> This non-idiot plotting
> only goes so far, though, as the gang leave Buffy alone with Xander,
> who's equally obviously under the big D's thrall.
Well, *we* know that. I think some allowances ought to be given to the gang
first having to get past how used they are to Xander just saying ridiculous
stuff. Of course now they're all on notice that he's done being everybody's
butt-monkey, so they won't make that mistake again.
> It's a bit hard to watch some of the early parts of the episode,
> since it's not pleasant to see Dracula so easily get Buffy and the
> others under his thumb.
There's a lot of this, and it's one of the places the show does a nice job
of mixing the Dracula mythos with the BtVS way. I get a kick out of Xander
locking a complaining Anya in the closet and matter of factly telling Buffy
that he's supposed to take her to Dracula. "There's this whole deal where I
get to be immortal. You cool with that?"
> The whole time he's working on Buffy, the Count seems fascinated by
> her Slayer nature. We learn that he's interested in the Slayer thing
> even before we learn that he definitely wants to eat her. I was
> noticing the connection to "Restless" even before they started
> going all out with the quotes and clips and such. He hadn't counted
> on what happens when one feeds a Slayer's power; the ends of these
> season premieres when the Buffster gets her groove back are always
> reassuring. But BvD also conveys the vague sense that any powers tied
> to the First Slayer are unsettling in a playing-with-fire kind of way.
I don't think it's clear exactly what the mechanics are of Buffy breaking
the thrall. ("I really think the thrall has gone out of our relationship."
heh) But something awfully similar happened to her with the Master in S1.
This sense of an almost physical connection between The Slayer and her demon
foes hasn't been explored much in a while (not so directly anyway), but it's
not new. So, yes, there's a touch of uneasiness to her victory.
> The followup gives Head a chance to
> do some nice nonverbal things, but is mainly about Buffy.
Maybe. But it's still a lot about Giles too. His world is rocked - but in
a good way this time. Buffy doesn't just save him from the awful choice he
so much didn't want to make, she hands him a gift beyond what he dreamed of.
Before this moment he could only imagine being of use if Buffy stopped
growing. Now he's been given the chance to grow right along with her in a
kind of personal soul search. Slayer graduate studies. How many watchers
and slayers ever have the chance to get to this point?
Love Head's performance here.
> I'm not sure if she'd have done that so readily
> in her younger it's-all-about-me days.
I think she might have been willing to approach Giles that way. But I don't
think she was near ready to formulate an objective like this. Perhaps this
is what a year at college has done for her - expanded her ability to think.
> Anyone clear on whether or not Willow was responsible for the
> thunderstorm at the beginning?
I think it's the storm accompanying Dracula to town.
> Buffy's making tentative efforts towards helping her mom feel less
> lonely (i.e. at least an overture towards avoiding another year of not
> seeing each other at all), but the job doesn't allow for much. Think
> it'll be enough?
Being rhetorical are we?
> I liked the Riley/Spike scene, with the latter confronting the former
> with how far out of his league he seems, and the former still having
> enough violent tendencies to come out the clear victor in the battle
> of the bluster.
Battle of the bluster. Heh.
Riley: You've helped Buffy before, so she has a problem with killing you now
that you're helpless.... I don't.
There's a lot of information in that line, and... well, I'll just leave it
as a weightier line than it might appear.
This reminds me (through an obscure process that I won't relate). You might
find it mildly entertaining to compare the teaser's initial slaying to that
in the teaser for Never Kill A Boy On The First Date. Just for a little
snapshot of how things have changed and stayed the same over the years.
Anyway, speaking of some slightly disturbing undercurrents, how about the
notion that Buffy can't get a good night's sleep without a slay to relax
her? Did you catch the expression on her face after that slay - and
especially after the slay just before meeting Dracula? She's looking kind
of predatory herself.
> I rather doubt that Xander will stop getting funny syphilis and so on
> anytime soon. Four seasons of precedent and all.
More rhetorical remarks? You're going to feel pretty silly when Xander runs
for mayor, wins, and then transforms the Sunnydale police into the kind of
fighting force that the Initiative only dreamed of.
> Riley sharing Giles' experiences with everyone seems a little
> dickish, doesn't it? Various people were affected by compulsions
> that they couldn't control; does it not occur to him that they might
> find those things embarrassing, or want to keep them to themselves?
After Xander's butt-monkey pronouncement, somehow Giles doesn't come off
that badly.
> This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> - "Buffy Slayed the football"
> - The gag about giving up on men
> - Most of the stuff with Xander as Renfield, especially the bugs
> - And okay, I mentioned it above, but it was stupid, and it was
> hilarious, so: "No, we're not going to [mimicking] "leave you."
> And where'd you get that accent, _Sesame Street_? Vun, two, three...
> three victims. Mwa ha ha!"
"Now that I know there's something to know, I can't *not* know, just because
I'm afraid somebody'll know I know, you know?"
> And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
> little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
Well, there's a couple elements to a WTF moment. There's the information -
which is kinda odd (WTF) - and, hopefully, to be explained. Then there's
the way the information is delivered. This one makes me guffaw every time.
Aside from being funny, it's also very effective at simply demonstrating
that the world is different. To my tastes this is among the very best
surprise ending depictions I've ever seen on TV.
> Between oddball episodes like "Hush," "Superstar," and
> "Restless," and the strange ending here, I'm speculating that
> BTVS is becoming a very different kind of show. More surreal, not so
> linear. We've moved from superhero facing metaphorical monsters to
> something stranger. I have no idea whether or not that's a good
> thing - time will tell.
Each season has its own highly unique character. That in no way negates the
last sentence though.
> So...
>
> One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
>
> AOQ rating: Good
I agree. And good review too. You did a lot better with the substance of
this show than I did the first time I saw it.
OBS
Rowan Hawthorn
>> Vg'f whfg gung Qenphyn fubjf hc ba fb znal "inzcver" fubjf gung vg'f
>> orpbzr n ynzr tvzzvpx, fb V cersre gb guvax bs vg nf n zrnavatshy
>> nccrnenapr.
>
> Vg n shaal rcvfbqr, ohg V arire fnj vg nf tvzzvpxl.
Abe qvq V - ohg ng svefg cerivrj, gung'f jurer V jnf nsenvq gurl jrer tbvat.
Rowan Hawthorn
Nybat jvgu fbzr bgure cbfgref, V fgnegrq jbaqrevat vs "Qenphyn" jnf na
vyyhfvba hfrq ol gur zbaxf gb trg n fnzcyr bs Ohssl'f oybbq sebz juvpu
gb trarengr Qnja'f uhzna obql. Ab bgure inzcver va gur ragver frevrf
unq Qenphyn'f punenpgrevfgvpf, naq gur ragver rcvfbqr vf whfg fheerny.
Rowan Hawthorn
I actually haven't seen any of Season 2. I don't have HBO, either, so I
was downloading a few low-quality episodes to watch from Season 1, but
after missing a few I lost interest.
vague disclaimer
Rowan Hawthorn <rowan_h...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Elisi wrote:
> > Grr. Something ate the last bit of my reply:
> >
> > >Naq V'z bar bs gubfr jub fhfcrpgf gung vg jnf eryngrq va
> > >fbzr jnl gb gur zbaxf' yvggyr fcryy.
> >
> > V'q ybir gb urne n gurbel nobhg gung ng fbzr cbvag. :)
> >
>
> Nybat jvgu fbzr bgure cbfgref, V fgnegrq jbaqrevat vs "Qenphyn" jnf na
> vyyhfvba hfrq ol gur zbaxf gb trg n fnzcyr bs Ohssl'f oybbq sebz juvpu
> gb trarengr Qnja'f uhzna obql. Ab bgure inzcver va gur ragver frevrf
> unq Qenphyn'f punenpgrevfgvpf, naq gur ragver rcvfbqr vf whfg fheerny.
Naq eneryl unf fb zhpu ubg nve orra trarengrq ol Ohssl'f vanovyvgl gb
rkcerff n zrgncube cebcreyl :).
Arbitrar Of Quality
mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges wrote:
> im hoping that as soon as buffys back in classes
> her sister will pretty much disappear like she did in the fourth season
> after three seasons of her tagging along with buffy it got a bit much
She never really annoyed me before - actually, she didn't register much
at all. I can't even think of her name at the moment, which is weird
considering how long the show's been going.
-AOQ
Arbitrar Of Quality
MBangel10 (Melissa) wrote:
> This is one of my guilty pleasure episodes and a great season opener. My
> reaction at the end was pretty much, "huh?". I loved it, and Xander wins
> the award for making Renfield so darn amusing. I especially give props
> to the "Master".... "bator" and then the "Unholy Prince"......"bator"
> jokes. It still makes me laugh even when I now finish the sentence
> before him.
Oddly, that one didn't do much for me. Didn't dislike it or anything.
> Damn Straight. I mean you can't have a show titled "Buffy the Vampire
> Slayer" and not have at least one episode that pays homage to the
> infamous villain.
Well, there's plenty of room for homage (we've had multiple homages to
the Frankenstein story, for instance), but actually using Dracula as
character seems like a surprising and unusual choice, not inevitable at
all.
> Hmmm, considering that the "Primevil" thread has surpassed the one for
> "Dead Man's Party", in this newsgroup starting a thread like that could
> be a record breaker. LOL
I was a little sad to see the DMP thread finally get overtaken, but
(unlike the "The Initiative" debacle) the discussion seemed to be
mostly about the episode and the series. At least the un-ROT13'd parts
were. I had hopes when I started the project that people would want to
rewatch and discuss, but had no idea it'd work so well.
> I'm also glad they explained how the heck Drac got into Buffy's house
> because when he came misting through Buffy's window I was yelling, "hey!
> you weren't invited!" At first I thought it was the special powers of
> Dracula and not a lonely Joyce that gave him a full access pass to Casa
> Summers.
Works for me either way; Dracula's pretty well known for his ability to
get into places people want him to stay out of.
-AOQ
Rowan Hawthorn
Uru. Ab xvqqvat. Ohg, vs bar *zhfg* or oyvaqvatyl yvgreny be yvgrenyyl
oyvaq (gb gur zrgncube,) gura zl gurbel fubhyq jbex. Va, re, gurbel...
Arbitrar Of Quality
> > And this of course ties the whole episode together since it sends Buffy
> > to Giles at the end to ask him to Watch her, bookending the early
> > "returning to England" scene. Giles's first scene makes sense
> > given the way the last year has gone; he's taking care of his
> > unfinished business and trying to move on. I'm proud of Buffy and
> > the other kids, but they don't need me, and it's getting depressing
> > trying to be part of their club.
>
> Yeah, but this is writing to the needs of the actor: ASH doesn't really
> want to play anymore.
Do we know that it was the actor's needs for a fact? All I can say is
that Giles's progression through S4 and into this episode looks natural
enough that it could have easily been planned out in advance.
> > This Is Really Stupid But I Laughed Anyway moment(s):
> > - "Buffy Slayed the football"
>
> No, but that is the kind of thing I react to. Why didnt he say "_we_
> slayed the football?" This is the kind of things that make me think
> Riley is an idiot. It's like he always wants to make sure everybody
> knows Buffy makes the mistakes, not him.
I think you're reading too much into that. He's just reflecting the
fact that Buffy's the one capable of doing the wanton destruction,
which he seems simultaneously proud of and intimidated by.
-AOQ
Rowan Hawthorn
Well, of course, she's obviously considerably younger, so she couldn't
hang out with the gang at places like the Bronze (except when she could
sneak out,) and wasn't at the same school during the day. No wonder she
didn't have a chance to get on your nerves.
Steve Schaffner
> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1149222865.8...@j55g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
>
> > So...
> >
> > One-sentence summary: This show is nuts. I'm intrigued.
> >
> > AOQ rating: Good
>
> I agree. And good review too. You did a lot better with the substance of
> this show than I did the first time I saw it.
I took a strong dislike to this episode when I first saw it, without
knowing exactly why -- probably Dracula's appearance more than
anything. Being a slothful sort, I've never changed my opinion. Now
you guys are forcing me to go and reevaluate it. (Grumble grumble)
--
Steve Schaffner s...@broad.mit.edu
Immediate assurance is an excellent sign of probable lack of
insight into the topic. Josiah Royce
mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges
Rowan Hawthorn <rowan_h...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> > mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges wrote:
> >
> >> im hoping that as soon as buffys back in classes
> >> her sister will pretty much disappear like she did in the fourth season
> >> after three seasons of her tagging along with buffy it got a bit much
> >
> > She never really annoyed me before - actually, she didn't register much
> > at all. I can't even think of her name at the moment, which is weird
> > considering how long the show's been going.
dawn
> Well, of course, she's obviously considerably younger, so she couldn't
> hang out with the gang at places like the Bronze (except when she could
> sneak out,) and wasn't at the same school during the day. No wonder she
> didn't have a chance to get on your nerves.
im glad dawns infatuation shifted from angel to xnader
arf meow arf - nsa fodder
ny dnrqn greebevfz ahpyrne obzo vena gnyvona ovt oebgure
if you meet buddha on the usenet killfile him
Arbitrar Of Quality
I never have much to add to stories like this, but thanks for sharing.
-AOQ
Rowan Hawthorn
> In article <1cadncWwtOJ...@giganews.com>,
> Rowan Hawthorn <rowan_h...@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
>>> mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges wrote:
>>>
>>>> im hoping that as soon as buffys back in classes
>>>> her sister will pretty much disappear like she did in the fourth season
>>>> after three seasons of her tagging along with buffy it got a bit much
>>> She never really annoyed me before - actually, she didn't register much
>>> at all. I can't even think of her name at the moment, which is weird
>>> considering how long the show's been going.
>
> dawn
>
>> Well, of course, she's obviously considerably younger, so she couldn't
>> hang out with the gang at places like the Bronze (except when she could
>> sneak out,) and wasn't at the same school during the day. No wonder she
>> didn't have a chance to get on your nerves.
>
> im glad dawns infatuation shifted from angel to xnader
Yeah, I mean - *Buffy* and Angel is one thing, but Dawn? That's just
squicky...
Elisi
> (unlike the "The Initiative" debacle) the discussion seemed to be
> mostly about the episode and the series. At least the un-ROT13'd parts
> were. I had hopes when I started the project that people would want to
> rewatch and discuss, but had no idea it'd work so well.
Go into a room full of Buffy fans and shout 'Spike'. They'll still be
arguing 10 years later... *g*
Scott Lurndal
>> And then as is becoming a tradition, the episode throws in a last
>> little WTF moment unconnected with everything else, designed to leave
>> the viewer wondering, well, WTF is up with it. In this case we have
>> the introduction of a sister for our protagonist, whom she doesn't
>> even seem surprised to have suddenly picked up. To Be Explained...
>
>Well, there's a couple elements to a WTF moment. There's the information -
>which is kinda odd (WTF) - and, hopefully, to be explained. Then there's
>the way the information is delivered. This one makes me guffaw every time.
>Aside from being funny, it's also very effective at simply demonstrating
>that the world is different. To my tastes this is among the very best
>surprise ending depictions I've ever seen on TV.
Up there with the second Bob Newhart show final moments.
Upon reviewing season 4, one would find at least three subtle
references to Buffy's sister during various dream sequences.
scott
Scott Lurndal
>
>> > And this of course ties the whole episode together since it sends Buffy
>> > to Giles at the end to ask him to Watch her, bookending the early
>> > "returning to England" scene. Giles's first scene makes sense
>> > given the way the last year has gone; he's taking care of his
>> > unfinished business and trying to move on. I'm proud of Buffy and
>> > the other kids, but they don't need me, and it's getting depressing
>> > trying to be part of their club.
>>
>> Yeah, but this is writing to the needs of the actor: ASH doesn't really
>> want to play anymore.
>
>Do we know that it was the actor's needs for a fact? All I can say is
>that Giles's progression through S4 and into this episode looks natural
>enough that it could have easily been planned out in advance.
If anyone here remembers ASH appearance on So Graham Norton, IIRC
ASH talked about his time on Buffy (along with a rather funny skit
with Graham).
scott
Elisi
> ASH talked about his time on Buffy (along with a rather funny skit
> with Graham).
Poofy!
And I just *had* to go find it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dIlMYuszY_Y&search=graham%20norton%20anthony%20head
Not spoilery, but... you might never look at the show the same way
again!
(And here I was going to make some serious points about Riley... ah
well, this was all I had time for!)
(Harmony) Watcher
"Elisi" <eli...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1149282971.0...@c74g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...
ROFL!!
And, yes, it has almost ruined it forever for me <LOL> Sorta like this skit
might ruin "the Exorcist" for you permanently:
http://www.angryalien.com/0204/exorcistbunnies.html
Any SNL skits on BtVS at all over the years?
==Harmony Watcher==
MBangel10 (Melissa)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_2WOw3UyaM&search=MAD%20TV%2C%20buffy
One Bit Shy
news:LQ0gg.33813$fb2...@newssvr27.news.prodigy.net...
In retrospect, Faith's, "Little sis coming," isn't even all that subtle.
But it's easy to get away with blatant when nothing makes sense.
OBS
jil...@hotmail.com
Rowan Hawthorn wrote:
> Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> > mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges wrote:
> >
> >> im hoping that as soon as buffys back in classes
> >> her sister will pretty much disappear like she did in the fourth season
> >> after three seasons of her tagging along with buffy it got a bit much
> >
> > She never really annoyed me before - actually, she didn't register much
> > at all. I can't even think of her name at the moment, which is weird
> > considering how long the show's been going.
> >
>
> Well, of course, she's obviously considerably younger, so she couldn't
> hang out with the gang at places like the Bronze (except when she could
> sneak out,) and wasn't at the same school during the day. No wonder she
> didn't have a chance to get on your nerves.
And, you know, Joyce was always taking the little sister with on trips
(because you don't leave such a younge home in what is effectively
alone with your slightly older teenage daughter for a few days). A
couple of times wasn't she staying with a friend? Maybe they didn't
bother to clarify that part.
Rowan Hawthorn
Or her grandmother. She was always complaining about the way Gramma's
closets smelled...
mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges
"jil...@hotmail.com" <jil...@hotmail.com> wrote:
it was amusing watching dawn get knocked off the counter
from the rocket recoil when buffy blew up that big blue smurf
vague disclaimer
Rowan Hawthorn <rowan_h...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> vague disclaimer wrote:
> > In article <-8WdnbG2gqL...@giganews.com>,
> > Rowan Hawthorn <rowan_h...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> >> Elisi wrote:
> >>> Grr. Something ate the last bit of my reply:
> >>>
> >>> >Naq V'z bar bs gubfr jub fhfcrpgf gung vg jnf eryngrq va
> >>> >fbzr jnl gb gur zbaxf' yvggyr fcryy.
> >>>
> >>> V'q ybir gb urne n gurbel nobhg gung ng fbzr cbvag. :)
> >>>
> >> Nybat jvgu fbzr bgure cbfgref, V fgnegrq jbaqrevat vs "Qenphyn" jnf na
> >> vyyhfvba hfrq ol gur zbaxf gb trg n fnzcyr bs Ohssl'f oybbq sebz juvpu
> >> gb trarengr Qnja'f uhzna obql. Ab bgure inzcver va gur ragver frevrf
> >> unq Qenphyn'f punenpgrevfgvpf, naq gur ragver rcvfbqr vf whfg fheerny.
> >
> > Naq eneryl unf fb zhpu ubg nve orra trarengrq ol Ohssl'f vanovyvgl gb
> > rkcerff n zrgncube cebcreyl :).
>
> Uru. Ab xvqqvat. Ohg, vs bar *zhfg* or oyvaqvatyl yvgreny be yvgrenyyl
> oyvaq (gb gur zrgncube,) gura zl gurbel fubhyq jbex. Va, re, gurbel...
V unir na ratntvat (jryy, V guvax fb) gurbel gung gubfr jub trg va n
greevoyr gvmml nobhg gur oybbq guvat graq gb or nyfb gur barf jub guvax
Ohssl fubhyq unir puhpxrq Qnja bss gur gbjre. V fhfcrpg gur fbhaq bs
qvzrafvbany jnyyf pbzvat qbja jnf, gb gurz, n terng ovt JUBBFU.
vague disclaimer
Rowan Hawthorn <rowan_h...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> > And, you know, Joyce was always taking the little sister with on trips
> > (because you don't leave such a younge home in what is effectively
> > alone with your slightly older teenage daughter for a few days). A
> > couple of times wasn't she staying with a friend?
>
> Or her grandmother. She was always complaining about the way Gramma's
> closets smelled...
Pnershy abj :). Yrnq hf abg vagb grzcgngvba naq nyy gung.
--
Wikipedia: like Usenet, moderatred by trolls
Eric Hunter
> In article <yjRfg.221764$P01.36040@pd7tw3no>,
> "\(Harmony\) Watcher" <nob...@nonesuch.com> wrote:
>
>> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote in message
>>> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
>>> threads.
>>>
>>>
>>> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
>>> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
>>> (or "My food is problematic...")
>>>
>>> Um, okay. That wasn't what I was expecting at all.
O-h yeah.
>>> this particular vampire is unusually good at the
>>> mind-mushing, because, well, he's motherfucking Dracula.
>>>
>>>
>> He was? Or, in the alternative, how about because he was just good at
>> "mind-mush" (say, he had derivative Jedi training from another universe).
>> He said he was the legendary Dracula, and we're supposed to just take
>> his word for it? Not IRL, I hope, and certainly, not in a world of
>> fiction. Ask Remington Steele, or your average detective, say, Kate.
>> Yes, evidence seemed to bear him out on his claims, but that's all the
>> conclusion we can draw from it: he *said* he was.
>
> Both Spike, and Anya backed up his claim.
Both Spike and Anya confirm that Dracula was a real vampire
in the 'verse. Neither one of them see him in Sunnydale, so
they have no way to tell whether this is the REAL Dracula,
or a fan-boy with delusions of grandeur and a good set of
"gypsy tricks" of his own, or a mystical creation of some
sort like the sudden thunderstorm, the castle, and Buffy's
sister. Any one of the three explanations fits the
observed facts.
Eric.
--
MBangel10 (Melissa)
Wow! There is a debate about this? Seriously?
Does it matter?
Eric Hunter
> Grr. Something ate the last bit of my reply:
>
> >Naq V'z bar bs gubfr jub fhfcrpgf gung vg jnf eryngrq va
> >fbzr jnl gb gur zbaxf' yvggyr fcryy.
>
> V'q ybir gb urne n gurbel nobhg gung ng fbzr cbvag. :)
You will, you will. Wait a couple of weeks
and we can discuss it in plain-text. ;-)
Eric.
--
Arbitrar Of Quality
No.
-AOQ
Eric Hunter
> MBangel10 (Melissa) wrote:
>> Eric Hunter wrote:
>>> * Don Sample wrote, On 6/2/2006 4:02 AM:
>
>>>> Both Spike, and Anya backed up his claim.
>>> Both Spike and Anya confirm that Dracula was a real vampire
>>> in the 'verse. Neither one of them see him in Sunnydale, so
>>> they have no way to tell whether this is the REAL Dracula,
>>> or a fan-boy with delusions of grandeur and a good set of
>>> "gypsy tricks" of his own, or a mystical creation of some
>>> sort like the sudden thunderstorm, the castle, and Buffy's
>>> sister. Any one of the three explanations fits the
>>> observed facts.
>>>
>>
>> Does it matter?
>
> No.
Nope, not at all. (Unless it does. ;-) ) The
newsgroup will debate most anything, but, as is
common on BtVS, what seems like a one-shot,
Monster-of-the-week episode, can have influence
later in the season or the series. Does BvD?
Obviously, yes, since it leads to Giles becoming
Buffy's Watcher again, and leading her on an
exploration of what it means to be a Slayer, and
suddenly, Buffy has a sister. Is there anything
more here? Well, maybe. Dracula isn't dusted,
we saw him start to reform, so he could have
misted out of the room and reformed. Will he
be back? Will he be the Big-Bad for the season?
(Those questions have been spoiled already,
unfortunately.) Is his oddness and sudden
appearance explained by the fact that he is
Dracula, or is it related to the equally odd
sudden appearance of Buffy's teenaged sister?
We don't know at this point, but things are often
related in unexpected ways in the Buffyverse, so
perhaps we should keep an open mind.
Eric.
--
(Harmony) Watcher
"mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges"
news:mair_fheal-DCC6C...@sn-ip.vsrv-sjc.supernews.net...
of Challenger? It wasn't little Buffy. It was Mr. Freeze gbtrgure jvgu gubfr
fnzr qrzbaf sebz NgF jub jnagrq gb fgbc gvzr. But Superman came to the
rescue. In fact, he saved Buffy, but he did not succeed in saving the crew.
==Harmony Watcher==
mariposas rand mair fheal greykitten tomys des anges
actually -innocence- from season 2
buffy calls the judge a blue smurf
(Harmony) Watcher
"MBangel10 (Melissa)" <mban...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:wuednQqmrcjpeB3Z...@comcast.com...
Count.
V yvrq naq fnvq "vg qbrf abg znggre" bayl gb qrsyrpg gur pbairefngvba sebz
urnqvat gbjneq n pyrne fcbvyrel gnetrg.
Va snpg, vg nofbyhgryl znggref va gur sbyybjvat frafr. V'q yvxr nyy "hagbyq"
fgbevrf gb or vzntvarq va fhpu n jnl gung vg cbvagf gb bar naq bayl bar
vzcbegnag HAGBYQ "snpg":
<vzntvar>Qnja jnf znqr sebz Ohssl'f QAN (ivn ure oybbq juvpu Qenp bognvarq
ba orunys bs gur zbaxf). Va fubeg, Qenp jnf whfg n zlfgvpny oybbq pbagnvare
perngrq ol gur zbaxf gb qenj Ohssl'f oybbq. Guvf jbhyq fvyrag gubfr crbcyr
jub xrcg fnlvat gung Qnja jnf abg Ohssl'f fvfgre. Jul? Orpnhfr V yvxr Qnja.
Naq Ohssl jvyy xvpx nalbar'f oruvaq sbe jnagvat ure gb qb bgurejvfr. Be fb V
ubcr. V pna ubcr, pna'g V? :)
</vzntvar>
==Harmony Watcher==
(Harmony) Watcher
No, nay, never? :)
==Harmony Watcher==
(Harmony) Watcher
"One Bit Shy" <O...@nomail.sorry> wrote in message
news:1281dka...@news.supernews.com...
"little like a new born baby", so I was absolutely amazed and shocked that
it was a teenager. And I was absolutely glad that I did not follow any media
tidbits about MT being cast to play that role until much later.
==Harmony Watcher==
DysgraphicProgrammer
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Five, Episode 1: "Buffy Vs. Dracula"
> (or "My food is problematic...")
> Director: David Solomon
>
<snip>
> The initial appearance of our villain is played for a lot of fun,
> since, seriously, how does one respond to meeting Dracula? Special
> props to ending the teaser with the dramatic introduction, and then
> Buffy's laughing "get out!" And also special props to Xander's
> imitation of the Count. Cute stuff, and it serves nicely to disarm us
> because despite all the light moments in the episode, he'll get into
> our heroes' heads and ultimately be pretty threatening for a one-off
> villain.
>
I would imagine that Buffy slays at least 2 or 3 "Dracula"s every
month.
<snip>
> AOQ rating: Good
>
> [Season Five so far:
> 1) "Buffy Vs. Dracula" - Good]
Elisi
> ==Harmony Watcher==
Gurer'f crbcyr bhg gurer jub qba'g guvax Qnja vf Ohssl'f fvfgre? ::zvaq
obttyrf::
Gung fnvq V guvax gur Qenphyn/oybbq gurbel vf vagehvtvat, ohg
pbzcyrgryl obaxref.
Naljnl, V qvqa'g ernyyl jnag gb nethr ng nyy. V yvxr Qnja gbb! :)
And I'm veeeeeeeeeeery tired of rot-13!
vague disclaimer
Eric Hunter <hunt...@comcast.net.invalid> wrote:
Actually, rather more than a couple (think about it).
rrh...@acme.com
> rrh...@acme.com wrote:
> > Rowan Hawthorn wrote:
> >> jil...@hotmail.com wrote:
> >>> I also remember the impression I had at that time, of the expression on
> >>> Giles' face when Buffy asked him to be her Watcher again, in all
> >>> seriousness. It was one of "And I'd just about gotten away
> >>> scott-free," so to speak.
> >>>
> >>> For me, one of the problems I had with taking Dracula seriously was
> >>> that the looks of the actor did not appeal to me at all. I thought he
> >>> was completely bland. Couldn't figure out why they hadn't chosen
> >>> someone better-looking or at least attractive to play the role.
> >> Well, consider the times. These days, the few actors in Hollywood who
> >> *aren't* just bland, pretty-boy types don't get a lot of work. Except
> >> as second-stringers. That's why the last few "westerns" to hit the big
> >> screen (and the small screen, for that matter, with "Deadwood" being a
> >> notable exception) were pretty sad attempts at the genre. We've come a
> >> long way from the days when a _lead_ character who's intended to be a
> >> rough-and-tumble badass might be played by an actor who actually *looks*
> >> like a rough-and-tumble badass.
> >
> > Off topic, but... I've been watching season 2 of Deadwood, which just
> > came out on DVD. (What? Me too cheap to get HBO? You betcha!) It's
> > been a let-down. Season one had absolutely terrific characters:
> > Bullock with his severe anger management issues, who becomes a lawman
> > because the law is a way for him to control himself; and Swearingen,
> > the sociopath who finds himself in the position of civic-minded leader,
> > rather to his disgust. That's before we even get to the doctor or the
> > preacher with the brain tumor. Season 2 is more mundane political
> > intrigue, and not very plausible political intrigue at that. It's not
> > bad, but it is not nearly what season 1 was.
> >
> > Richard R. Hershberger
> >
>
> I actually haven't seen any of Season 2. I don't have HBO, either, so I
> was downloading a few low-quality episodes to watch from Season 1, but
> after missing a few I lost interest.
>
> --
> Rowan Hawthorn
Netflix is your friend. Well, at least it is my friend... But
seriously, the service is good, the selection is pretty much everything
other than outright porn, and the price is reasonable. If it is within
your financial means, it is well worthwhile.
Richard R. Hershberger
Stephen Tempest
>I never have much to add to stories like this, but thanks for sharing.
I suppose my point (if I have one) would be: BvD is often criticised
for being cheesy; putting Buffy up against such a well-known figure
from popular culture seemed to a lot of regular viewers to be more
like a parody of the show thatn an actual BtVS episode.
But to me, as a first time viewer, it was ideal. Even if I didn't
understand the _Buffy_ references, I could get, understand and laugh
at the _Dracula_ references. Plus, here in season 5 the actors,
writers and directors are at the top of their game, and the episode is
far more slick and professional than 'Welcome tro the Hellmouth' -
making it possibly the ideal introduction to the series.
Stephen
Eric Hunter
Well, AoQ has 65 eps. of Buffy left to watch.
At the rate he's reviewing, that is about
seven months, so that is the upper-bound on
ROT-13. I used "a couple of weeks" to be
intentionally imprecise. ;-)
Eric.
--
vague disclaimer
Eric Hunter <hunt...@comcast.net.invalid> wrote:
Heh. Fair enough.
James Craine
One Bit Shy wrote:
>>Up there with the second Bob Newhart show final moments.
>>
>>Upon reviewing season 4, one would find at least three subtle
>>references to Buffy's sister during various dream sequences.
>>
>>scott
>
>
> In retrospect, Faith's, "Little sis coming," isn't even all that subtle.
> But it's easy to get away with blatant when nothing makes sense.
>
> OBS
>
>
Between Faith's foreshadowing and accurate NG speculation I
was expecting to see Dawn. And when she appeared here I knew
instantly who she was and that she had been 'prophesied'. I
wish no foreshadowing had occurred at all.
Opus the Penguin
> Elisi wrote:
>> Grr. Something ate the last bit of my reply:
>>
>>> Naq V'z bar bs gubfr jub fhfcrpgf gung vg jnf eryngrq va
>>> fbzr jnl gb gur zbaxf' yvggyr fcryy.
>>
>> V'q ybir gb urne n gurbel nobhg gung ng fbzr cbvag. :)
>
> zrzbevrf bs "uvz" jrer n fvqr rssrpg. Gurer ernyyl jnfa'g n fgbel
> gurer.
>
That's an excellent fanwank. (I mean that as a compliment, even if it
sounds a little snooty.) If Joss had really intended that, though, I
think it would have come up at some point in season 5.
--
Opus the Penguin
The best darn penguin in all of Usenet
Don Sample
KenM47 <Ken...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
> V znxr ab cergrafvbaf gb bevtvanyvgl ba guvf.
>
> V nyfb svaq gur vqrn V'ir orra ernqvat urer gung Qenp jnf arrqrq gb
> fnzcyr O'f oybbq sbe Qnja na vagrerfgvat vqrn.
Na vaperqvoyl pbzcyvpngrq jnl bs tbvat nobhg vg, gubhtu. Gurl pbhyq
unir whfg frag n ohapu bs zbfdhvgbf. Bar jbhyq or obhaq gb trg guebhtu.
--
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Visit the Buffy Body Count at <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/>
Don Sample
WARNING! Ken's post contained massive spoilers.
(Harmony) Watcher
"KenM47" <Ken...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:2pp482dm5oao0t7r4...@4ax.com...
>
>
> <spoilery material snipped>
>
>
> Ken (Brooklyn)
Ahem. You're supposed to WHISPER.
==Harmony Watcher==
KenM47
>In article <2pp482dm5oao0t7r4...@4ax.com>,
> KenM47 <Ken...@ix.netcom.com> wrote:
>
> WARNING! Ken's post contained massive spoilers.
Ah crap. Sorry. Forgot the ROT 13 thing. Really sorry.
Ken (Brooklyn)
KenM47
Yes. I meant to. Just forgot to. Very, very sorry about that. Too late
at night I guess.
Again, Sorry
Ken (Brooklyn)
KenM47
FWIW, I'm trying to "Remove" it, but doubt that will work.
Ken (Brooklyn)
KenM47
OK. Maybe Google "Remove" got it before AOQ got to it. Crossing my
fingers. Once again, sorry.
Here's what I said with the ROT13:
V znxr ab cergrafvbaf gb bevtvanyvgl ba guvf.
V nyfb svaq gur vqrn V'ir orra ernqvat urer gung Qenp jnf arrqrq gb
fnzcyr O'f oybbq sbe Qnja na vagrerfgvat vqrn.
Nf sne nf abg trggvat onpx gb guvatf, V qba'g frr gung znggrevat.
V nz n ovt bowrpgbe gb gur Zbax'f fcryy fheivivat Gur Tvsg, naq shyyl
raqbefr gur vqrn gung Qnja'f "qrngu," abg O'f, fubhyq unir pybfrq gur
cbegny naq gur fcryy haqbar, NAQ VZB erfgbevat Wblpr (jub V fgvyy
oryvrir jnf xvyyrq ol orvat n aba-Fynlre yvivat va fhpu pybfrarff jvgu
gur vzzrafr cbjre fbhepr gung jnf Qnja).
Ken (Brooklyn)
KenM47
I hope so.
Ken (Brooklyn)
EGK
Too late. That's it. You've ruined the whole thing, Ken. You're now the
one to blame for everything that goes wrong in seasons 5-7. :)
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There would be a lot more civility in this world if people
didn't take that as an invitation to walk all over you"
(Calvin and Hobbes)