Deutsche Version | Season 3: Disc 4

3×16 Doppelgangland

Synopsis: Anyanka/Anya wants to have her power center back that was destroyed by Giles in the alternate reality Cordelia accidentally created. She tricks Willow into doing a spell but it doesn’t work as expected. Instead they pull Vampire-Willow from there into this reality and she – after a short period of acclimatization – tries to make it as “fun” as her reality was.

My Opinion: “And I think I’m kinda gay.” Nice foreshadowing. I really like this episode, it’s fun to watch and Alyson is great in all four roles (Old Reliable Willow, Vampire-Willow, Pretend-Vampire-Willow, Pretend-Willow). I also liked Anya in all her scenes, especially when this 1120 year-old ex-demon tried to get a beer in the Bronze.
Too bad Vampire-Willow died in her reality, it would have been cool to have her back at a later time.

3×17 Enemies

Synopsis: A demon tries to sell the “Books of Ascension” to the Slayers. While the gang is discussing how they get their hands onto these books before the mayor does, Faith reports back to him and gets the books for him. They also try to turn Angel into Angelus again. First by seduction then by magic. But not everybody in the Scooby gang is fooled by Faith.

My Opinion: It was a bit too convenient that Giles knew the demon who was supposed to turn Angel but otherwise it was an interesting watch, especially since even the viewer didn’t know of Giles’s/Buffy’s/Angel’s plan to con Faith. And Pretend-Angelus was awesome once more, he has such a great malignity.

3×18 Earshot

Synopsis: When Buffy fights against two demons and kills one of them, some of his(?) blood splatters over her hand. At first it just itches but then she begins to hear voices. But she doesn’t hallucinate; she can hear the actual thoughts of the people around her. At first this is fun and could be a great advantage in combat but soon she can’t shut anything out anymore and on top of that she hears the voice of an unknown person who wants to kill all the students.

My Opinion: One of my favourite episodes, I love these kind of truth-telling episodes because at first it’s great fun but it’ll ultimately turn for the worse. I especially liked it how they characterized the thoughts of the characters (Cordelia: think = say; Xander: sex; Oz: deep thoughts yet silent) which matched them perfectly. I also really liked Buffy’s speech in the tower.
I believe this is the first time Jonathan was featured as a bit more than a “runs through picture” character. I really like that kind of continuity because it makes the show feel more wholesome in contrast to shows where the episode cast is exactly that.

3×19 Choices

Synopsis: Their time in High School is coming to an end and after that their ways will most likely part. Buffy has been accepted to Northwestern, Willow to every university with a stamp and Xander is going to backpack over the country. But first they have to literally survive graduation day and Mayor Wilkins’s ascension. They have to steal the “Box of Gavrok”. They don’t know what it contains but it seems to be important to him.

My Opinion: Mayor Wilkins is not among the best of the Big Bads but in episodes like this I really appreciate him. His talent to bluntly tell the truth (and let’s face it: he was not lying about the chances of Angel’s and Buffy’s non-existing be-together future) is what makes him a decent Big Bad.
I also loved it that they chose Willow over the box without even arguing (except for Wesley…). It’s what I expect from a “band of brothers“.
And of course the band won’t break up. As usual with these shows (Smallville, Veronica Mars, Gossip Girl) they found a way to keep the gang in town and together.

Categories: Buffy Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Gossip Girl · Smallville · Veronica Mars
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Deutsche Version | Season 3: Disc 3 | Season 3: Disc 5

Helpless

Synopsis: In a few days Buffy will turn 18 and she doesn’t really want to celebrate it due to the fear that it will be a crap-fest again. And she’s right. She has suddenly lost her Slayer powers and is a normal young woman again. The gang investigates in this – with the exception of Giles because it is he who must put her through an ancient and cruel Watcher’s Council ritual.

My Opinion: Between this and the last episode of Buffy I’ve watched, I watched a lot of other stuff, including four seasons of Bones, in which David Boreanaz plays the male lead. So I needed a bit of time to get used to the brooding Angel again. I never really liked the plot of that episode because IMHO it doesn’t make sense. The Slayer is always in constant danger of being killed and the more experienced she gets the better are her chances of survival. So why take the chances of her getting killed in this stupid test when the result would be that you end up with an inexperienced beginner Slayer again?
But I really liked the ending when Buffy wordlessly forgave Giles when Quentin fired him due to his fatherly love for Buffy.

The Zeppo

Synopsis: After being pummelled by a demon again, Buffy and Giles seriously advise Xander to stay out of future fights. But without being in the midst of it he feels useless and decides to become the “wheel man”. This doesn’t really work out either and he suddenly finds himself being the driver for a bunch of dead-yet-not-in-the-ground former high school jocks who want to have some fun.

My Opinion: That was a great Xander episode. I really liked it that there was a big Hellmouth fight – but that it wasn’t really the plot of the episode. I also liked how they pointed at the danger Angel had to face (and survived of course) without ever explaining or showing what he was up against – because that it wasn’t really the plot of the episode. This way they could create a cool Xander-based story without making the others his sidekicks (which would never work) or make them disappear for the entire episode.

Bad Girls

Synopsis: The new Watcher has arrived: Wesley Wyndam-Pryce, a young stiff Englishman on a high horse who isn’t taken seriously by neither Buffy nor Faith. Because both have better things to do: Want. Take. Have. Faith shows Buffy her philosophy of what it means to be a Slayer and together they party and slay and party and break into a weapons store and party … until Faith makes a horrible mistake.

My Opinion: When I saw him enter the library I had a hard time imagining that this man is the husband of Alyson Hannigan and father of her child. It’s just a role, but still… But back to the episode: When I first watched this episode I didn’t know what was going to happen in the end but I was quite certain that something would bring the party crashing down. It was inevitable from the moment they broke into that weapons store. But I didn’t recognize who Faith had killed (Bad with faces, remember?) until it’s explained in the next episode. Still, I liked this episode, Faith and Buffy partying and playing bad girls.

Consequences

Synopsis: Faith has accidentally killed the Deputy Mayor but she has no intentions of facing the consequences and is trying to cover everything up. When that doesn’t work she tries to blame Buffy who has already a hard time to cope with what had happened. When Wesley gets wind of this he tries to deport Faith back to England which makes matters only worse.

My Opinion: This episode I really, really liked. It was great to see Buffy struggle with her secret and how she tried to convince Faith to come clean and how she sobbed in Willow’s arms. She is a warrior, but she still remains human. I also liked how Xander honestly tried to reconnect with Faith even though he failed. But this is his quality: He does not give up on his friends and one day it will save the world.
What I honestly didn’t understand was Willow’s breakdown in the bathroom. Granted, she had always feelings for Xander, but after Lovers Walk she wanted to get back with Oz and Xander was single again. What did she expect?

Season 3: Disc 5

Categories: Buffy Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Bones · Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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Deutsche Version | Season 3: Disc 2 | Season 3: Disc 4

The Wish

Synopsis: “I wished Buffy had never come to Sunnydale!” – After being humiliated by Mercedes and her gang about her break-up with Xander, Cordelia tracks down the source of her misery: Buffy’s arrival. Unfortunately she makes that wish in front of the vengeance demon Anyanka. And she grants her wish. Suddenly Cordy finds herself in a Sunnydale that has never seen the Slayer and is ruled by the Master and his two most vicious Vampires: Willow and Xander.

My Opinion: Alternate timelines, universes, realities. I always like them on my plate. This was no exception, especially with Vamp-Xander and Vamp-Willow who were really great and I can’t wait to see Vamp-Willow again in a few episodes. I also liked that Larry had become a member of the “White Hats”, a role he will reprise in the season finale.

Amends

Synopsis: It’s nearly Christmas in Sunnydale and it’s unbearable hot. Angel is getting nightmares from victims that he has killed (among them: Jenny Calendar) and somehow Buffy is sucked into these nightmares. The First (Evil) reveals to him that it brought him back into this dimension for a reason and that Angel will become again who he was born to be: Angelus.

My Opinion: With the exception of Whistler’s cryptic statements there haven’t been much hints towards the fact that Angel might play a bigger role in the ultimate fight good vs. evil. But now it has become evident. The First Evil has released him from the hell dimension and The Powers That Be have saved him from becoming a pile of ash. I really liked that. I also really liked that Xander offered his help to help Angel.

Gingerbread

Synopsis: Joyce accompanies her daughter on one of her nightly patrols to bond with her but it is she who finds two small children that were slaughtered on a playground. Enraged my this merciless murder that was most likely done by a cult and not a demon she forms a group: MOO – Mothers Opposed to the Occult. They fight against those who have taken over the town: monsters, witches and Slayers.

My Opinion: The was a story I didn’t care for much. While I liked the idea that “fairy tales are real” (after all: why shouldn’t they be?) I didn’t care much for Hänsel und Gretel and the MOO.

Season 3: Disc 4

Categories: Buffy Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
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Deutsche Version | Season 3: Disc 1 | Season 3: Disc 3

Homecoming

Synopsis: Buffy has decided to run for Homecoming Queen in order to prove that “she’s still got it”. But she runs against Cordy and it won’t be easy since both Willow and Xander are helping Cordy out of a feeling of guilt for kissing one another. But Mr. Trick has also something planned: He creates “SlayerFest ‘98″, a hunt where both Humans and demons are the hunters and the Slayers are the hunted.

My Opinion: I liked the assortment of hunters because everyone hunted in his own way (but naturally they all lost), especially the mix of the types “Daniel Boone” and the german high-tech hunters. And I loved it when the “second Slayer” (Cordy) scared the Vampire off just by threatening him. It’s a talent she will use in Angel again.

Band Candy

Synopsis: Principal Snyder forces everyone to sell candy bars to finance new uniforms for the school band. But suddenly all the adults start to behave like teenagers and don’t acknowledge their proper age. As it turns out, Ethan Rayne is the producer of the bars – but he’s only a subcontractor for Mr. Trick who works for the mayor now.

My Opinion: Ethan is back and the episode is fun. Snyder reminded me a lot of Quark (Star Trek DS9) when he tried to chase after the women and couldn’t be discouraged in any way. And Giles and Joyce were also great in reliving their youth. What we’ve learned so far about the mayor also explains some of the put-it-under-the-rug events of the second season.

Revelations

Synopsis: Faith has gotten a new Watcher, a stiff english woman who expects nothing less than the best. And Buffy is still hiding the fact that Angel has returned. And a new demon is in town and he wants the Glove of Myhnegon, a very powerful artefact. In the end, all their paths will cross in Angel’s hideout place. And Xander and Willow have a hard time denying their feelings or refrain from showing affection to each other.

My Opinion: Xander has never really liked Angel, even before he knew that he was a Vampire. But in episodes like this he shows pure hatred towards the guy and except for the Angel-Buffy thing I never understood why his emotions towards Angel are that strong. But it was great to once again see a real Slayer vs. Slayer fight. They both kicked ass!

Lovers Walk

Synopsis: Spike is back in town, but he’s a wreck. Dru has left him for a chaos demon and he wants her back. Buy chance he runs into Willow who is just buying ingredients for an anti-love spell for Xander and her and he considers the general idea of a love spell a good one. So he kidnaps her and Xander and forces her to make one for him and Dru. Meanwhile the rest of the Scooby gang is looking for them.

My Opinion: Spike – Phase II has just begun. First he was the villain, now he will be the comic relief for quite some time. But in the end, he will take his rightful place as one of the heroes. Too bad this will be his only appearance in this season. And from a retrospective POV I liked Xander’s and Willow’s little affair. First of all because it didn’t feel forced, there have been hints towards this since the pilot. And second of all it ultimately leads to the introduction of Anyanka in the next episode. I also liked how Spike could look right through Angel’s and Buffy’s we-are-only-friends charade.

Season 3: Disc 3

Categories: Buffy Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Angel · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Daniel Boone · Star Trek DS9
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Deutsche Version | Season 2 | Season 3: Disc 2

Anne

Synopsis: After being expelled from school, thrown out by her mother and having to kill Angel, Buffy has left Sunnydale and lives now in L.A. under her middle name “Anne”. She’s not the Slayer anymore, she’s just a waitress in a diner. Meanwhile her friends try to fill her shoes and hunt Vampires at night. And Giles is looking in any place where rumours about a girl fighting Vampires exist.

My Opinion: What I really liked about this episode was that the decision was not forced upon her. She decided to help Lily and return to the fight she was born to fight. She had no contact with any kind of (obvious) demon until she decided to make it her business which then ultimately led to the decision to return home. But it was also funny to watch the attempts of the others to hunt Vampires on their own.

Dead Man’s Party

Synopsis: Buffy has returned to Sunnydale and while her mother and her friends are glad to have her back, nobody really wants to touch the subject of what happened in the last three months and in the final fight against Angelus. Additionally Buffy is still expelled from school. But everything (mostly) returns to “normal” when Joyce invites Buffy’s friend to a Welcome Back party and a lot of (uninvited) Zombies also show up.

My Opinion: While I didn’t care much for the “death mask” storyline I liked how the tension between all parties involved was building up during the course of the episode and how it erupted during the party. This air-cleaning storm was necessary and was nicely concluded by the fight against the invading Zombies. And I loved Xander’s quote “Generally speaking, when scary things get scared, not good.”.

Faith, Hope & Trick

Synopsis: There’s a new Bad in town: Kakistos, a Vampire so old that his hands have formed into cloven and his associate Mr. Trick. There’s also a new Slayer in town: Faith, successor of Kendra. But Faith is nothing like Kendra or Buffy. She’s a free spirit, untamable. And she seems to take over Buffy’s life. But she’s also the reason why Kakistos is here and he wants her dead.

My Opinion: When I watched the show for the first time, I didn’t really like or care for Faith. I can’t really put a finger on the time when that has changed. Maybe when I watched her in Angel, maybe when I watched Eliza Dushku in Dollhouse. Anyway, when she appeared this time on screen I was delighted to see her again. And I liked it how Mr. Trick walked out on Kakistos with a comment on his lips that guys like Kakistos don’t fit in this time anymore.

Beauty and the Beasts

Synopsis: It’s full moon again but Xander who was supposed to guard Oz slept the whole night and someone has let the window in Oz’s “cell” open. As it so happens, a fellow student was mauled in the woods in that very night and Oz naturally fears that he might have done it. But something else happened, too: Someone rescued Angel from whatever hell dimension he was trapped in. But he’s not really Angel, he’s merely a wild animal.

My Opinion: While I don’t mind that Angel is back I am a bit uncertain about this plot twist in general. It makes the concept of “death” a bit less irreversible. Many of the deaths in this show are great emotional moments and some of the dead remain that way but it gets a bit cheapened when you know that everyone can be brought back if the writers want it badly enough.
But still, I am glad that Angel is back because his return will make this season a lot more interesting.

Season 3: Disc 2

Categories: Buffy Marathon, DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon
Tags: Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Dollhouse
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Deutsche Version

Let me start this post with a constraint. This post is not about science-fiction shows or shows that portray obvious über-equipment (like K.I.T.T.). This is about shows that at least try to pretend to display “reality”. I am of course aware that there’s a thin line but I hope than I can show my point during this excursus.

But first this College Humor video:

Technical equipment has always been part of TV shows that play in the “here and now”. And why shouldn’t it? It’s part of our every day life, so it should play a part in the TV shows we are watching. The questions are, what part, how big a part and how realistically the equipment is used. And – to give my conclusion at the beginning – I think the more modern a show is and the more real-world technologies there are the more unrealistic becomes its portrayal.

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Categories: Thought Storm
Tags: 24 · Alias · Bones · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · CSI · Hackers · MacGyver · Riptide · Smallville · T.J. Hooker · The A-Team · The Fall Guy · The Net
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Deutsche Version | CW 41

Since I am watching a number of TV shows via community means, I decided to give a short opinion of said episodes.

The season began a few weeks ago, so here comes a bulk review:

Bones 5×01 Harbingers in a Fountain
While it was a nice start into the season it bothered me that they showed an actual fortune-teller without exposing her as a fraud. Especially Bones should have never accepted this fact.

Bones 5×02 The Bond in the Boot
Except for the fact that they played with the James Bond theme it was average.

Bones 5×03 The Plain in the Prodigy
I am totally agnostic and don’t really care for any religion. But I didn’t like how they portrayed the Amish’s reaction to the victim’s piano playing: “Oh that sounds so beautiful, why would God forbid playing instruments?”. The Amish are obviously very strong in their faith, I can’t imagine them questioning their believe just because they hear one musical instrument.

Castle 2×01 Deep in Death
One of these “We have to resolve our differences that came up by the end of last season by the end of the first episode of this season” episodes. He apologized and all was well. But it was cool how Castle played Poker with the Russian mob and how Beckett got him out of there.

Castle 2×02 The Double Down
I’ve seen this kind of plot recently (without Castle’s betting pool of course ) on Bones IIRC. But on Bones it had been 3 victims/murderers, not just two. Normally I wouldn’t watch such a show at all but Fillion/Castle makes it totally worthwhile.

(more…)

Categories: TV Season 2009/10 Diary
Tags: Bones · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Castle · Cougar Town · Desperate Housewives · Dollhouse · FlashForward · Gossip Girl · House M.D. · How I Met Your Mother · Smallville · Stargate Universe · Supernatural · The Big Bang Theory · Two and a Half Men
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Deutsche Version | Part 5 | Part 7

Since I’ve purchased quite a number of new TV shows, I thought to resurrect this marathon.

V

(1983)

What’s the show about?
A group of underground rebels fights against an alien race who have invaded Earth without making it appear as such. The resistance cell is a motley crew with all kinds of backgrounds and their goal is it to expel the aliens again. And their sign is the “V” – for “Victory!”.

“V”
One day a number of huge space ships appear all over the world. But they don’t come as enemies, but as friends. In exchange for a certain chemical the aliens give us cures for all kinds of diseases and improve our technology. But the aliens and their intentions are not what they appear to be.

My Opinion
The show comprises of the two mini-series V (1983), V: The Final Battle (1984) and the one-season-show V (1984). It has aged quite well, the storytelling stands out for a show of its time and the special effects don’t look that bad, either. It’s still very watchable and that the subject is still interesting is proven by the fact that a remake of the show will come to television land this fall.

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Categories: DVD / Blu-ray, DVD Marathon, Pilot Marathon
Tags: Alias · Angel · Beverly Hills 90210 · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Chuck · Doctor Who · Early Edition · Friday Night Lights · Friends · Gossip Girl · Hackers · House M.D. · M*A*S*H · Scrubs · Smallville · Supernatural · The O.C. · V · Veronica Mars
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The Guild is a web series which claims to be “for gamers, about gamers, by gamers”. The main role is played by Felicia Day (Buffy, Dr. Horrible). It’s basically about the members of a MMORP game guild which meet for the first time in RL.

I found it by watching this music video by and with the main characters:

There’s already a second “season”, but here’s the first episode:

And here it continues: Youtube

Categories: Short Review, Web
Tags: Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog · The Guild
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Deutsche Version

I can’t remember how it started but I can’t seem to stop it now.

Every time I watch a movie or a TV show I think about what could be the earliest time one could premiere this without destroying the pop culture references.

I am not talking about stylistic means, I am talking about visual or textual references to the real world or other movies/shows.

To make an easy example: In the opening of Dirty Dancing baby makes a reference to JFK’s murder. Thus you couldn’t premiere this film before 1964 without making that comment a un-funny aneurysm.

Yesterday evening I watched Kill Bill Vol.1 and apart from the indirect references to eastern movies in general (and to Hattori Hanzo) there were two references that stood out: The owner of the restaurant is referred to as “Charlie Brown” and Sophie looks like a “villain from Star Trek” with ST being the later time anchor (Charlie Brown strips have been around since the 50s).

Interestingly there are only a few main anchors that pop up all the time: Fixed anchors like JFK’s murder, the moon landing in 1969 and it recent movies 9/11 and variable anchors like Star Trek and Star Wars. The latter ones are variable because if I can move a movie back in time I surely can move the referenced movie, too.

Luckily both Stars are basically endpoints, especially Star Wars. Since it plays in a galaxy far, far away it does not contain textual references to our real world and can be moved back in time to the dawn of cinema. Star Trek makes historical references to the 2nd World War and the Chicago of the thirties but I tend to play that game only until the beginning of the 50s.

The more references a movie/series uses the more fun it is to think about but the more likely it is that it will be “anchored in time”. To move Buffy as a whole back in time is a sheer improbability even if you accept to lose a third of the references. So I break it down to an episode level (so when Spike mentions that he fed of a flower person, it makes Woodstock the fixed anchor for that episode).

Once I’ve established the earliest premiere date I try to imagine how the movie would look like in the eyes of that year’s people. For example, premiere Back to the Future in the actual year 1955. That would work since people would assume that Marty’s car and the music and everything from the “future 1985″ were invented by a writer. Like the same writers imagined a year 2015 with hover cars and a holographic Jaws movie.
Although there is a reference to a “John F. Kennedy drive” it mentions nothing specific and JFK was already a senator at that time, so that wouldn’t be a problem.

This way my mind keeps active even if I have seen that movie several times. Imagine Top Gun in the early 50s where the US military was testing their first jet engines. Imagine Armageddon (with all its special effects) shortly after the founding of NASA (although that would be prevented by the actual naming of Neil Armstrong as the first man on the moon -> fixed anchor; Armageddon also mentions Star Wars (several times), the Kennedy murder, Evel Knievel and some other things which have to be taken into consideration).

Somehow it can be a lot of fun.

Categories: Thought Storm
Tags: Armageddon · Back to the Future · Buffy the Vampire Slayer · Dirty Dancing · Jaws · Kill Bill · Peanuts · Star Trek · Star Wars · Top Gun
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