X-Files vs Buffy...RANT
Soliloque
Forever I have been teased, nudged, and basically made fun of for being
such a phanatical X-Phile, esp by my best friend & seester. NOW... (ick)
she has become a 'Buffy' fanatic (complete with fanfic, video, comics,
books, and wav files. AND, when I pointed out her hypocrisy, she had
THE NERVE to say that 'Buffy' was heads above X-Files in (ahem)
everything including writing, acting, and plot. THE NERVE!!!
Buffy better than X-Files? ARGH! The only repose I got was that she
apologized for making fun of me all these years for being an X-Phile,
now that she has her own addiction. But, at least I got some REVENGE.
Her BF, and one of my best friends, is quickly becoming an X-Phile
himself. He (of course) told her that she was a fool to make such a
statement. *le sigh*
Can you believe it?
Slainte, Cyn
reynard muldrake
but an evil and soooo delicious revenge does leap into mind.
;>;-> >;-> nudge-nudge,
yappi
MattF212
their own ways, and both r really well written. its really a subject of taste
rather than which 1 is better. i believe they r both equally good as the other
matt
DFrickey
In article <36BB12B0...@mindspring.com>, Soliloque
<soli...@mindspring.com> writes:
>Buffy better than X-Files? ARGH!
IMHO, no way. I do get a big kick out of the movie, though (pun intended).
Paul Reuben is my hero.
Donna
"Does the word 'duh' mean anything to you?" -- Buffy
reynard muldrake
What ever became of that sexy Miss Yvonne?
yappi
Djinn
and go there in bizarre and interesting ways, both run by creators with a
strong (albeit pathological at times) interest in where their creation is
heading. Strong casts with great roles for both men and women. Laughs,
suspense, tears. They are both great, wouldn't want to be VCR-less and have
to choose between them. My $.02 worth.
--
I think I speak for us all when I say "huh?" - BtVS
**Remove the name of the Vampire Slayer to send e-mail to me**
Sean Carroll
>
> Gee, are you really (the artist formerly known as) Prince? Hey, I loved you in
> that movie Purple Rain. =)
Purple Rain? Great album. Deeply flawed movie, though.
:P
--
--Sean
http://freecenter.digiweb.com/science_fiction/Pendrell_Jr/index.html
"Nothing happens in contradiction to nature. Only in contradiction to
what we know of it." --Dana Scully
CrueFan44
Personal taste I guess. The X-Files has better storylines but Buffy is more fun
to watch. Personally I'm a big fan of both.
Crue...@aol.com
Look at my page: http://members.aol.com/CrueFan44/index.html
AlexaRat
Gee, are you really (the artist formerly known as) Prince? Hey, I loved you in
that movie Purple Rain. =)
(sorry, couldn't resist)
~Alexa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Newly-Obsessed Krycek Fanatic
In Denial Re: the Debacle That Was "Terma"
(but loving the stupid-ass haircut!)
Email me re: all things Krycek at Alex...@aol.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Boondoggler
> Gee, are you really (the artist formerly known as) Prince?
> Hey, I loved you in that movie Purple Rain. =)
Purple Rain was a seriously flawed movie. Great album though. (Or so
I've heard)
> (sorry, couldn't resist)
Me neither. :P
--
Boondoggler
ChiaCow9
show, but The X-Files is more of....freaky show. It mixes the real with the
supernatural and the writing and dialogue isn't shallow, but deep and moving.
Like in the episode Irresistable, there were no supernatural things and
monsters, but a monster that is real. Scully felt vulnerable, and her fears
began to come out once she saw all those women. Anyway, I have qipped my lips
before, I can do it again. **ZIPS lips** : )
AUNTIELIB
>HMMM.....Buffy(which I have never seen) must be entertaining and maybe a good
>show, but The X-Files is more of....freaky show. It mixes the real with the
>supernatural and the writing and dialogue isn't shallow, but deep and moving.
Since you admit you've never seen "Buffy", why would you bother to jump into a
discussion about which show is better? And, you may not have seen the show,
but the above description of "The X-Files" is also a very good description of
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
I am a fan of both shows. But, since "Buffy" is fresher, I think I like it a
bit more. If both shows were on at the same time, and I didn't have a VCR, I'd
watch "Buffy". That doesn't make me less of a 'phile, but "The X-Files", after
almost six years, has stopped surprising me. "Buffy" surprises me every week.
It's just the nature of the television beast that time makes us take a show for
granted.
(Buffy: "What if I can't? I've seen too much. I know what goes bump in the
night. Not being able to fight it... What if I just hide under my bed all
scared and helpless? Or what if I just become pathetic? Hanging out at the
Old Slayers Home talking people's ears off about my glory days. Showing them
Mr. Pointy, the stake I had bronzed."
Willow: "Uh HUH! Sorry. I just meant... uh HUH! There's big evil brewin'.
You'll never be bored here, Faith. 'Cause this is Sunnydale. Home of the Big
Brewin' Evil."
Giles: "Forgiveness is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's not done because
people deserve it. It's done because they need it."
Xander: "Excuse me? Who, at a crucial moment, distracted the lead demon by
allowing her to pummel him about the head?"
Cordelia: "What's going on? Oh, God. Is the world ending? I have to
research a paper on Bosnia for tomorrow, but if the world's ending, I'm not
gonna bother."
Angel: "Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love. The
clarity of hatred. And the ecstasy of grief."
elizabeth
emmett smith
life these days.
I wasn't an X-Files fan until about the end of the third season. Since
that time, I have gone from interested to obsessed to bored to
disinterested back to interested and if these new episodes are as good
as they have the potential to be, I'll be obsessed again.
I think the whole movie anticipation thing drove me over the edge on the
X-Files. I mean, I love the movie, but upon first showing it was
something of a disappointment.
Also, the quality of the Files, IMHO, is more uneven than on any show I
have ever watched. By that I mean everything can be brilliant on one
episode, but then by the next week all those things are absolute crap.
At it's best, X-Files is about the best show that's ever been on
television, but at its worst, it's unwatchable.
Buffy, on the other hand, maintains its level of quality week after week
after week. Sure, it slips every now and then, but overall I love every
episode. Even in its first few seasons (now that I've seen them) the
Files did not do that. The X-Files can work on many levels, but so can
Buffy, and in the context of a SINGLE EPISODE!
Sorry guys. For best tv show (IMHO and Entertainment Weekly and USA
Today and the London Guardian) Buffy wins stakes down.
- Paul
"I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections
and the truth of the imagination." John Keats
Sean Carroll
>
> Also, the quality of the Files, IMHO, is more uneven than on any show I
> have ever watched. By that I mean everything can be brilliant on one
> episode, but then by the next week all those things are absolute crap.
> At it's best, X-Files is about the best show that's ever been on
> television, but at its worst, it's unwatchable.
At its worst, it's still about the best show on television. I would
rather be forced to watch "Lazarus" or "Travelers" a hundred times in a
row than watch almost any sitcom on television, or any of those
emergency-room dramas, or soap operas, or "news" programmes, or TV
movies, or, yes, even "Buffy". The only show I can say that could ever
possibly be better than a bad episode of XF would be MST3K.
> Buffy, on the other hand, maintains its level of quality week after week
> after week.
Yeah, an inferior level! Okay, okay, sorry, I'm being prejudiced, since
I've never even watched it. But I severely doubt that it ever provokes
the kind of intelligent thought that XF does, or has the kind of
spectacular, realistic, subtly shaded acting that Gillian and David and
the rest of them put in, or can lead to so many interesting tangent
discussions about fascinating but obscure realms of scientific
investigation, or cause you to laugh hysterically at a one-liner in 1
minute and cry hysterically at Melissa Scully's graveyard scene in the
next. Other TV shows have 1 specialty that makes them popular: ER has
medical drama, Law and Order has police procedural and courtroom drama,
Buffy has the paranormal and spooky stuff, Millennium has conspiracies,
soap operas have raw emotional roller-coaster rides. The X-Files is the
only show I know that has *all* of these jam-packed into virtually every
episode, and then some.
> Sorry guys. For best tv show (IMHO and Entertainment Weekly and USA
> Today and the London Guardian) Buffy wins stakes down.
In case you can't tell, I disagree rather vehemently.
Boondoggler
> emmett smith wrote:
> >
> > Buffy, on the other hand, maintains its level of quality week after week
> > after week.
>
> Yeah, an inferior level! Okay, okay, sorry, I'm being prejudiced, since
> I've never even watched it. But I severely doubt that it ever provokes
> the kind of intelligent thought that XF does, or has the kind of
> spectacular, realistic, subtly shaded acting that Gillian and David and
> the rest of them put in, or can lead to so many interesting tangent
> discussions about fascinating but obscure realms of scientific
> investigation, or cause you to laugh hysterically at a one-liner in 1
> minute and cry hysterically at Melissa Scully's graveyard scene in the
> next. Other TV shows have 1 specialty that makes them popular: ER has
> medical drama, Law and Order has police procedural and courtroom drama,
> Buffy has the paranormal and spooky stuff, Millennium has conspiracies,
> soap operas have raw emotional roller-coaster rides. The X-Files is the
> only show I know that has *all* of these jam-packed into virtually every
> episode, and then some.
>
Picket Fences. Not that I think that PF is better than TXF, but it did
manage to combine, the police, medical, law, and just plain weird ideas
(if not necessarily paranormal ideas), that challenged your beliefs and
forced you to reexamine the platform you were standing on.
--
Boondoggler
Meg: random groupie
Paul-...@webtv.net (emmett smith) muttered...
>This whole Buffy/X-Files thing is very central to my television vewing
>life these days.
That's just it. Why is there even a Buffy/X-Files thing? Who started
this thing? There should not be a thing! Damn the thing! Save the
Empire!
It *is* possible to like two shows. It's even possible to be obses-
FOUCSED with two shows. Although they have similarities, I belive XF &
Buffy should be judged on completely different plains. Personally, I'm
terribly fond of both shows, and I will fight, bitch, and laugh about
them to the bitter end. I'm a Vampire Slaying Phile. Come on. They're
on different days at different times. The only time you may find
yourself conflicted would be Saturdays when some people can choose
between a Buffy rerun and X2.
I'd like to see the thing die.
I am not who I am-
Meg
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
http://www.mindspring.com/~megadee/lair/
http://www.pine-scented.com/snerk/
"I'm going to rule the world." -Krycek, "Patient X"
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
S.A.D.S.
and my interest hasn't dropped at all! Sure there's a kinda bad ep every now
and then but I still love it and have remained interested since when I first
began watching. And wait a sec. I thought this Buffy show was kinda new? How
do you know you just might lose interest in that?
Anyways I say The X-Files is better because Buffy is (like many other people
have already pointed out) a show made especially for younger viewers, teens.
(I am a teen but I'm just never interested in teen shows like that) I just
want to see something. If you wouldn't mind would the buffy fans post their
ages and the x-philes post their ages? Call it an experiment but I'm just
curious.
Geez, I'm growing tired of this ongoing Buffy vs. The X-Files debate.
~Erin *who's 13 by the way. Don't any body dare call me too young or I'll
get violent!*
**The Pessimistic Princess**
realdana
and as someone who is an obsessed fan......
- I agree that Buffy is more relevant to a younger generation. I am 29, but
have trouble relating to the high school scenes.
- I think it takes too much time to be an obsessed fan of one show let alone
two! Obsession takes commitment - you have to choose!
- The attraction to the characters in Buffy is also different. I am
obsessed with Mulder and am getting close to obsession with Scully (yes - I
am bi for those of you who need me to spell it out). For the characters in
Buffy, they are too young for me.
-When I have watched the show (I'm not a regular TV watcher, but thought I'd
try it because of its similarities to XF) I just don't get the same level of
intellectual thought and stimulation I get from watching the XF.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but...XF is more relevant to my
own life, provides intellectual stimulation (for a TV show) and has two main
characters who I find breathtaking (and I didn't even touch on Skinner and
Krycek yet).
realdana
Sean Carroll
>
> I am
> obsessed with Mulder and am getting close to obsession with Scully (yes - I
> am bi for those of you who need me to spell it out).
If someone has trouble spelling out "bi", they *really really* need to
go back to kindergarten. ;Ş
emmett smith
>>>>At it's worst, it's still about the best show on television>>>>
Agreed. I hate most television, and XF really stands out. Not to
mention, at the time it came out, it really carved a name for itself out
of nothing. I hate the drama-cop-lawyer-doctor hybrid shows that are
just the same old recycled crap over and over. So yeah, even those
"unwatchable" XF eps are probably better than ErMcbealHomicide. But they
can't compare to Buffy.
>>>>But I seriously doubt it ever provokes the kind of intelligent
thought that XF does>>>>>
ROTFLMAO
Obviously you weren't in my senior seminar class when we were launching
into James Joycean themes prevalent in Buffy.
But - point taken. XF is a much more intelligent show than most. Except
Buffy.
And yes, most shows consist of "one" formula, and XF is extremely
elastic, but, as one NY critic pointed out, no show handles so many
levels as deftly as Buffy. Horror, humor, romance, comedy, action,
drama, etc. You name it, the show has got it. So does XF, but NOT in
every episode.
And Buffy is not just for young viewers. The age of fans ranges from 10
to 50. It works because those wacky teenage years are the most dramatic
times of anyone's lives. Still, they are somewhat of an intensified
microcosm for all of our entire existence, so everyone can relate.
And whoever pointed out later in this thread about loyalty and obsession
to a show, IT'S Tough! I take my fan stuff seriously. Not stalking
actors and actresses and using a show as a replacement for life
seriously, but I am devoted. To work in two and have time to do all the
reading and re-watching and internet discussing is hard work!
But, I guess I'll just have to manage.
Paul ( who thinks the only people who don't like Buffy are the ones who
don't know what metaphors are )
Jeb J. Card
>
> The only show I can say that could ever
> possibly be better than a bad episode of XF would be MST3K.
You can sit through the new skits (Pearl, Brain Guy, etc.)? The theater
banter hasn't suffered too much over the years (I caught one recently
involving a sunken city in the wilds of Canada which had me nearly in
tears), but I really miss the sketches from the Joel days.
> > Buffy, on the other hand, maintains its level of quality week after week
> > after week.
>
> Yeah, an inferior level! Okay, okay, sorry, I'm being prejudiced, since
> I've never even watched it.
This exchange speaks for itself. But I felt the same way for awhile, and
missed much of the first season of Buffy. During the first season or so
of the X-Files, I would encounter a similar attitude "Isn't that like
Unsolved Mysteries?" (not a good thing)
> But I severely doubt that it ever provokes
> the kind of intelligent thought that XF does, or has the kind of
> spectacular, realistic, subtly shaded acting that Gillian and David and
> the rest of them put in,
Surprisingly, it does. The biggest difference in the handling of
characters between TXF and Buffy is that Buffy has a higher
soap-opera/serial quotient. Many of the plots are stand-alone stories
(some quite good, some not so good), but rarely does an episode go by
where subplots of recurring character interaction and development are
not present.
This of course comes with the downside of being a newbie. Not knowing
the history of events and uncovered data in the X-Files can make the
mytharc difficult for newbies (well not this season, when 1013 has
decided to either ignore the past or spell things out to the point of
shaming Hooked on Phonics). The same can be said for not knowing the
histories of the characters on Buffy.
> or cause you to laugh hysterically at a one-liner in 1
> minute and cry hysterically at Melissa Scully's graveyard scene in the
> next.
Disagree wholeheartedly. The dialogue on Buffy sparkles, and the
emotional impact can be quite high. I missed the finale of least season
when it ran, and just caught it. Try that on for size to test your
statement.
> > Sorry guys. For best tv show (IMHO and Entertainment Weekly and USA
> > Today and the London Guardian) Buffy wins stakes down.
>
> In case you can't tell, I disagree rather vehemently.
For myself, the first 3-4 seasons of X-Files stand out. Buffy IMHO is
better than the X-Files currently are, but those two plus the Simpsons
(also beginning to run out of steam) are the only network TV I'll watch.
--
Jeb J. Card
Anthropology Department
Tulane University
Magpie
>I don't agree! I've also been a fan from the beginning of the third season
>and my interest hasn't dropped at all! Sure there's a kinda bad ep every now
>and then but I still love it and have remained interested since when I first
>began watching. And wait a sec. I thought this Buffy show was kinda new? How
>do you know you just might lose interest in that?
>Anyways I say The X-Files is better because Buffy is (like many other people
>have already pointed out) a show made especially for younger viewers, teens.
>(I am a teen but I'm just never interested in teen shows like that) I just
>want to see something. If you wouldn't mind would the buffy fans post their
>ages and the x-philes post their ages? Call it an experiment but I'm just
>curious.
>Geez, I'm growing tired of this ongoing Buffy vs. The X-Files debate.
Great post! (meaning, of course, I agree with it;). Thanks for bringing
up the fact that Buffy is the younger show, too. The debate would be
very different if we were having it just after the Anasazi trilogy, imo.
I've tried to watch Buffy and just couldn't get into it, while
it sounds like a good show for some people (also, the acting on the
shows I saw struck me as *very* soapy, so I kept expecting Buffy to say
something like, "Why should I marry you, Branch? whenever she spun
around").
It really did just seem very high school-ish in a way that I didn't
like when I was in high school--focused on things that in the
long run didn't seem important to me (only the show blows them up
into life/death struggles). I'm 30.
A few weeks ago I was talking to a friend who is 50. She was telling
me about a horrible visit with friends she had, and one of the worst
things was that she "was forced to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer."
I was surprised, because I'd heard good things about the show. It
turns out she had seen it several times, and despised it. I brought
up the strange X-files vs. Buffy debate and she couldn't believe it.
She said something like, "Buffy reminds me of everything I hated about
being a girl in high school. It's all about feelings. Everybody's
feelings. Everybody's feelings about other people's feelings. How
everybody's feelings about other's feelings makes them feel! It's
everything I hated about high school in a tv show!" So there's
another opinion, FWIW.
So I'll take The X-files, thank you.
-m
Alisoun
> Okay, okay, sorry, I'm being prejudiced, since
> the kind of intelligent thought that XF does
Sean, watch an ep before you start making ignorant remarks.
--
Alisoun
FEB, LOON, MM, CotHP, GABAL grrrrl
Slayerette-in-training
h e r b t i e h @ u s a . n e t
Sean Carroll
>
> > The only show I can say that could ever
> > possibly be better than a bad episode of XF would be MST3K.
>
> You can sit through the new skits (Pearl, Brain Guy, etc.)? The theater
> banter hasn't suffered too much over the years (I caught one recently
> involving a sunken city in the wilds of Canada which had me nearly in
> tears), but I really miss the sketches from the Joel days.
I watch it for the parts with the movies. The rest is just filler, like
the commercials.
M.Smyth
The UK has just started showing BtVS. I enjoy it but it does not compare to
TXF. It is cheesy and too American high-school teen angst drama. Sure the
plots are original but hardly convincing (Xander possesed by a hyena). With
TXF you are convinced by the characters and their experiences and personally
I care for M&S and what happens to them. If Buffy and co died tomorrow I
would not care. Of course I have only seen 7-8 episodes so this is a first
impression.
How old is the Buffy show? Remember it is a bit younger that TXF so the
novelty factor is still with it - that has long gone with TXF!
Also if there was no TXF would there have been a Buffy?
Sean Carroll
>
> How old is the Buffy show? Remember it is a bit younger that TXF so the
> novelty factor is still with it - that has long gone with TXF!
> Also if there was no TXF would there have been a Buffy?
Buffy, as far as I know, is only 1 or 2 years old. But the movie that
came 1st was much older, perhaps even before XF.
Sean Carroll
>
> And Sean, there's been some nice f/f subtext with the
> addition of Faith... you might like it. <g>
<gasp> I'm appalled that you think so little of me as to assume that I
would flock to a show simply because of f/f subtext.
<blink>
So, is either of these f's a redhead?
Jeb J. Card
>
> Jeb J. Card wrote:
> >
> > > The only show I can say that could ever
> > > possibly be better than a bad episode of XF would be MST3K.
> >
> > You can sit through the new skits (Pearl, Brain Guy, etc.)? The theater
> > banter hasn't suffered too much over the years (I caught one recently
> > involving a sunken city in the wilds of Canada which had me nearly in
> > tears), but I really miss the sketches from the Joel days.
>
> I watch it for the parts with the movies. The rest is just filler, like
> the commercials.
Some of the sketches with Joel were really good (think what Manos, the
Hands of Fate would be like without them). But Mike doesn't seem to be
into them as the Mike character (he was Torgo, after all).
philboyd
>M.Smyth wrote:
>>
>> How old is the Buffy show? Remember it is a bit younger that TXF so the
>> novelty factor is still with it - that has long gone with TXF!
>> Also if there was no TXF would there have been a Buffy?
>
>Buffy, as far as I know, is only 1 or 2 years old. But the movie that
>came 1st was much older, perhaps even before XF.
The movie was in '92. The TV show is in its third season. The first season
was cheesier than it is now, (much like XF was) but it gets better. 'Cept I
miss Spike. *sob* And Sean, there's been some nice f/f subtext with the
addition of Faith... you might like it. <g>
Beth
==
"Our love... and I mean this in a nice way... is like taking Lassie to
the desert, removing her teeth with a hunting knife, and shooting her
in the head with a gun that you and she built together."
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
philboyd
>philboyd wrote:
>>
>> And Sean, there's been some nice f/f subtext with the
>> addition of Faith... you might like it. <g>
>
>would flock to a show simply because of f/f subtext.
<snicker>
><blink>
>
>So, is either of these f's a redhead?
<bg> Weeeeell Willow's a redhead. I think you'd like her, she's kind of
what Scully might've been like in high school. If you're really looking I
guess you could see Willow/Buffy subtext. But I was referring to Faith/Buffy
(brunette/blonde, sorry!). Really though... all lesbian subtext is a good
thing! Let's not be *picky*. :-)
AUNTIELIB
>emmett smith wrote:
>>
>> Also, the quality of the Files, IMHO, is more uneven than on any show I
>> have ever watched. By that I mean everything can be brilliant on one
>> episode, but then by the next week all those things are absolute crap.
>> At it's best, X-Files is about the best show that's ever been on
>> television, but at its worst, it's unwatchable.
>
>At its worst, it's still about the best show on television. I would
>rather be forced to watch "Lazarus" or "Travelers" a hundred times in a
>row than watch almost any sitcom on television, or any of those
>emergency-room dramas, or soap operas, or "news" programmes, or TV
>movies, or, yes, even "Buffy".
I'd rather have all of my teeth pulled without anaesthetic than sit through
"Teso Dos Bichos", "Hell Money" or "El Mundo Gira" again. There are others,
but I've blocked them from my mind. OTOH, there isn't a single stinker, out of
48 episodes (so far), of "Buffy". But, give it time. By the time it reaches
its sixth season, I expect to have viewed a few clunkers. (The main difference
is that Chris Carter doesn't have a bible. He's boasted that he never has.
That means the show has been all over the place, and we've all picked up on
that. "Buffy" knows where it's going, and it shows.)
>> Buffy, on the other hand, maintains its level of quality week after week
>> after week.
>
>Yeah, an inferior level! Okay, okay, sorry, I'm being prejudiced, since
>I've never even watched it.
Again, my question is why someone would join this discussion when they haven't
seen "Buffy"? It makes your opinion on the subject worthless because, how can
you have an opinion on something you've never seen?
>But I severely doubt that it ever provokes the kind of intelligent
>thought that XF does, or has the kind of spectacular, realistic, subtly
>shaded acting that Gillian and David and the rest of them put in, or can lead
>to so many interesting tangent discussions about fascinating but
>obscure realms of scientific investigation,
"I doubt your doubt." (Cordelia on "Buffy") On the contrary, the acting is
across-the-board great. The writing is witty, wry, relevant and dramatically
satisfying. Come visit alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer sometime. There are some damn
literate people over there debating all kinds of interesting issues brought
about by the show. You'll find discussions on rites of passage, the use of
teenage girls to fight grownup battles, religion and magic, sex, morality, what
constitutes courage, science, domestic violence, issues of trust etc. etc. One
of the most fascinating characters, Angel, who is a demon whose soul was
restored to him, has evoked a furor of debate over just what constitutes a
human being; what it is that defines our human soul, and what role the demon
inside him (and all of us) plays in his actions. It's fascinating stuff.
(Just ignore the "Faith is Bi" thread. You don't want to go there.)
>Buffy has the paranormal and spooky stuff, Millennium has conspiracies,
>soap operas have raw emotional roller-coaster rides. The X-Files is the
>only show I know that has *all* of these jam-packed into virtually every
>episode, and then some.
Add "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" to your list, alongside "The X-Files".
>> Sorry guys. For best tv show (IMHO and Entertainment Weekly and USA
>> Today and the London Guardian) Buffy wins stakes down.
I'd have to call it a close (*very* close) call but, in the end, I'd have to
agree.
elizabeth
AUNTIELIB
As for the show appealing to a younger audience, the fans of the show (and
those who obsess about it on the newsgroup) range in age from teens to
mid-fifties.
>It really did just seem very high school-ish in a way that I didn't
>like when I was in high school--focused on things that in the
>long run didn't seem important to me (only the show blows them up
>into life/death struggles). I'm 30.
Can you say METAPHOR? It's all related. What happened in high school shaped
the way you are now. Shaped all of us in some way. Turning teen-age conflict
(taking driver's ed, trying to fit in, first love) into a literal "life/death
struggle" is its brillliance.
And as to why we're comparing the two shows here? Because it's *fun*?
(Besides, "Buffy" is struggling for ratings on a fifth-rate network. As has
been shown by this thread, an appreciation for good television means we can
love "The X-Files" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" at the same time. We're
trying to convert the unconvinced. Does no one remember the good old days back
in 1995 or so? When one was looked down on for liking that geeky sci-fi show?
Now the tables are turned. "The X-Files" is a solid hit but likely to run out
of steam by next season. We want to know that "Buffy" will still be around to
take up the slack.)
elizabeth
Houng Te
ChiaCow9 (chia...@aol.com) writes:
> HMMM.....Buffy(which I have never seen) must be entertaining and maybe a good
> show, but The X-Files is more of....freaky show. It mixes the real with the
> supernatural and the writing and dialogue isn't shallow,
mixture of spookiness and real life as well.
Currently, I like Buffy better than X Files, but they're both good.
Meg: random groupie
<phil...@my-dejanews.com> muttered...
><bg> Weeeeell Willow's a redhead. I think you'd like her, she's kind of
>what Scully might've been like in high school.
Except for the whole witch thing. <g>
I am not who I am-
Meg
--
http://www.mindspring.com/~megadee/lair/
"Watch where you point that." (Krycek)
http://www.pine-scented.com/snerk/
Sean Carroll
>
> <bg> Weeeeell Willow's a redhead. I think you'd like her, she's kind of
> guess you could see Willow/Buffy subtext. But I was referring to Faith/Buffy
> (brunette/blonde, sorry!). Really though... all lesbian subtext is a good
> thing! Let's not be *picky*. :-)
LOL. Okay, I'm easy.
Sean Carroll
>
> > > You can sit through the new skits (Pearl, Brain Guy, etc.)? The theater
> > > banter hasn't suffered too much over the years (I caught one recently
> > > involving a sunken city in the wilds of Canada which had me nearly in
> > > tears), but I really miss the sketches from the Joel days.
> >
> > I watch it for the parts with the movies. The rest is just filler, like
> > the commercials.
>
> Some of the sketches with Joel were really good (think what Manos, the
> Hands of Fate would be like without them). But Mike doesn't seem to be
> into them as the Mike character (he was Torgo, after all).
I wouldn't know. I never saw the show when Joel was on. I've only
started watching in the past few months. Although I did see the feature
film a couple of years ago; I just don't remember any of it.
Sean Carroll
>
> Again, my question is why someone would join this discussion when they haven't
> seen "Buffy"? It makes your opinion on the subject worthless because, how can
> you have an opinion on something you've never seen?
The only reason I'm here is because I can't stand to hear anyone say
unopposed that some other show is better than The X-Files, because by my
standards *nothing* could be. It doesn't matter how good this show is,
or whether it's BtVS or anything else. That's all I mean to say.
> Come visit alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer sometime.
Thanks for the offer, but my free time is already screwed out of
existence. ;)
> (Just ignore the "Faith is Bi" thread. You don't want to go there.)
Actually, that sounds like somewhere I would want to go. ;D
Sean Carroll
>
> We're
> trying to convert the unconvinced. Does no one remember the good old days back
> in 1995 or so? When one was looked down on for liking that geeky sci-fi show?
I *always* liked that "geeky sci-fi show", from the moment it aired. And
I'm on the newsgroup for it and not for any other TV show because it's
the only one I like enough to analyse that way. And I don't want to be
"converted" to thinking Buffy is better, any more than I want to be
converted to shipperhood or Christianity or conservatism.
I'll leave it at this: I'm sure Buffy is a good show. But there is
nothing I have heard about it to indicate that it is the kind of show
that I would enjoy watching regularly.
> Now the tables are turned. "The X-Files" is a solid hit but likely to run out
> of steam by next season.
Some of us still haven't given up this way. The shameful thing is, those
who have seem to have convinced CC, and DD, and GA, and 1013, that
there's no point to going on because no one cares anymore. They've all
started watching "Buffy" instead -- and as a result, those of us who are
still sticking around are going to lose the best show that ever was.
Sean Carroll
>
> *mouth drops open*
>
> <stage whisper>
>
> You know, Sean, you can RENT some Joel episodes. I recommend it...do
> it, quickly! Now! Shoo!
Now? At 10:47 at night? I have to get up early tomorrow ...
> I am not who I am-
> Meg
> who loves old and new MST3K dearly and has always refused to
> choose...want me to sing the bouncy upbeat song?
Yes.
Barbara Ruef
>
> I wouldn't know. I never saw the show when Joel was on. I've only
> started watching in the past few months. Although I did see the feature
> film a couple of years ago; I just don't remember any of it.
Oh, you have to see the show with Joel in it. I still
think it was best then, although I continue to watch and
enjoy. The skits just seemed funnier and I liked Joel
as host more than Mike. Go watch Joel's last episode,
Mitchell, my all-time favorite MST3K. It's one of the
ones out on video.
Barbara (a Daktari stool!!)
ATXF NewsGrouper - XF News Parody
http://members.xoom.com/ruef/
Meg: random groupie
<se...@phoenixat.com> muttered...
>Jeb J. Card wrote:
>> Some of the sketches with Joel were really good (think what Manos, the
>> Hands of Fate would be like without them). But Mike doesn't seem to be
>> into them as the Mike character (he was Torgo, after all).
>
>I wouldn't know. I never saw the show when Joel was on. I've only
>started watching in the past few months. Although I did see the feature
>film a couple of years ago; I just don't remember any of it.
*mouth drops open*
<stage whisper>
You know, Sean, you can RENT some Joel episodes. I recommend it...do
it, quickly! Now! Shoo!
I am not who I am-
Meg
who loves old and new MST3K dearly and has always refused to
choose...want me to sing the bouncy upbeat song?
reynard muldrake
were funnier when Joel was there.
Think "Peabody". Remember when they fired that pastry out of the cannon?
I miss fat Frank.
(nostalgic) yappi P.S. "Kolchak" was better.
Rae D Stabosz
AUNTIELIB <aunt...@aol.com> wrote: >Sean Carroll
<se...@phoenixat.com> wrote: >> >>But I severely doubt that it
ever provokes the kind of intelligent >>thought that XF does,
or has the kind of spectacular, realistic, subtly >>shaded
acting that Gillian and David and the rest of them put in, or
can lead >>to so many interesting tangent discussions about
fascinating but >>obscure realms of scientific investigation, >
>"I doubt your doubt." (Cordelia on "Buffy") On the contrary,
the acting is >across-the-board great. The writing is witty,
wry, relevant and dramatically >satisfying. Come visit
alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer sometime. There are some damn >literate
people over there debating all kinds of interesting issues
brought >about by the show. You'll find discussions on rites
of passage, the use of >teenage girls to fight grownup battles,
religion and magic, sex, morality, what >constitutes courage,
science, domestic violence, issues of trust etc. etc. One >of
the most fascinating characters, Angel, who is a demon whose
soul was >restored to him, has evoked a furor of debate over
just what constitutes a >human being; what it is that defines
our human soul, and what role the demon >inside him (and all of
ignore the "Faith is Bi" thread. You don't want to go there.)
X-Files".
I am a recent convert to "Buffy", and now I look forward to
Tuesdays at 8:00 with the same anticipation I look forward
to Sundays at 9:00. More anticipation, to tell you the
truth. "X-files" might deliver a ho-hum show, but "Buffy"
has never failed to entertain me mightily.
I started watching it after EW did a spread on it which
included an up to the minute plot summary, just like they
did for X-Files a couple of years ago, so that newbies could
jump right in watching and know what's going on.
I happen to like the serial nature of it, it's something that
I've always wished X-files would do. Even if they don't
follow the plot threads and character developments quite as
detailed as "Buffy", at least they could be consistent and
refer to previous developments more than they do.
I laugh more at the Mayor character on "Buffy" than just
about any character in recent TV memory. He just gets
better and better.
It also continues to amuse me to hear Buffy, Giles and
the others talk about Slayer duties the way you'd talk
about drama rehearsals or some other high school task.
Rae
--
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Rae D. Stabosz (302) 831-8812 http://udel.edu/~stabosz
Foreign Language Media Center University of Delaware
"You can't get what you want until you don't want it." - Ishmael Stabosz
Meg: random groupie
<se...@phoenixat.com> muttered...
>Meg: random groupie wrote:
<snip>
>>...want me to sing the bouncy upbeat song?
>
>Yes.
All right. But just a verse for now, the whole thing might negate this
on-topic kick I've had going all week (weird, eh? I think I'm doing it
to make up for my upcoming absence this weekend...I won't be back
until Tuesday after leaving Friday noon, so spork knows what 1S
discussion I'll be able to get).
Oh whenever I want to cry and bawl
Because I'm feeling sad
I think of ironing boards and drywall
And then I don't feel so bad.
I am not who I am-
Meg
next time, the tribute to pants! "Pants...pants...pants..."
AUNTIELIB
>> Now the tables are turned. "The X-Files" is a solid hit but likely to run
>>out of steam by next season.
>
>Some of us still haven't given up this way.
I haven't, either. I still love it and have no problem with where season six
is going so far, but giving up has nothing to do with it. All of those
involved in its production have indicated that next season is probably the
last.
>The shameful thing is, those who have seem to have convinced CC,
>and DD, and GA, and 1013, that there's no point to going on because
>no one cares anymore. They've all started watching "Buffy" instead --
>and as a result, those of us who are still sticking around are
>going to lose the best show that ever was.
Just how much power do you think we have? Not that much, I'll tell you. The
fact is that *anything* gets old after awhile. The producers are not going to
cease production because a few whiners on a newsgroup think the show now sucks
and are watching something else. It is still consistently a top-ten show and
Twentieth Century Fox would give each and every one of them a solid gold
Mercedes Benz to continue. But contracts are up after seven years. And
writers run out of stories. And actors run out of ways to make a character
interesting and fresh. And producers get sick of the weekly grind. It's a
fact of life, it has nothing to do with whether we all watch "Buffy" and/or
"The X-Files". They're not in competition with each other. They're not on at
the same time so there's no "instead" about it. I can watch both. And I do.
elizabeth