ithinkheknowsoutsold Posted October 1, 2023 Posted October 1, 2023 58 minutes ago, livelikemusic said: Very nice!! Glad you're liking it. Liking it? I'm loving it! Going through it makes me realise there will never be another Buffy. 58 minutes ago, livelikemusic said: I know, right?! Sorry, but Charmed never had those moments... aside from Phoebe choosing Cole over her sisters. They're very different shows, Charmed is a lot more character-focused than Buffy which is more interested in intricate plots, meticulous foreshadowing, and metaphorical representation of real life issues. Charmed (especially in its early seasons) had a strong focus on sisterhood and family and I think there's a lot to be appreciated about that too, since it gives a lot of heart that is very comforting to watch. It's like a mid-point between the more serious nature of Buffy and the outright sitcom that was Sabrina. Without Buffy's influence, it probably would've been a lot less interested in storytelling and huge, climactic battles.
ithinkheknowsoutsold Posted October 1, 2023 Posted October 1, 2023 Just finished Season 3, and I think this is the best season finale of the series yet. I think it could've worked wonderfully as the series finale too. I know this is Cordelia's last episode in the show, and I think she was woefully under-utilised. She should've gotten a lot more screentime and development, because more often than not she is the wittiest and most pragmatic of the Scoobies. On the other hand, I'm glad this is also Angel's final season because I just found him alternating between too melodramatic or too boring most of the time, and I would like to see Buffy paired up with more interesting characters from henceforth. Anne was an incredible premiere, but admittedly several episodes in and I felt like S2 was much stronger up to that point. Things took a turn for the positive with the second half, and after that point it was just consistent fantastic episode after fantastic episode. The final third was especially strong, and helped redeem the earlier weaker episodes like Dead Man's Party, Beauty and the Beasts, and Amends. Very excited to follow Buffy's adventures in college.
livelikemusic Posted October 1, 2023 Posted October 1, 2023 55 minutes ago, ithinkheknowsoutsold said: They're very different shows, Charmed is a lot more character-focused than Buffy which is more interested in intricate plots, meticulous foreshadowing, and metaphorical representation of real life issues. Charmed (especially in its early seasons) had a strong focus on sisterhood and family and I think there's a lot to be appreciated about that too, since it gives a lot of heart that is very comforting to watch. It's like a mid-point between the more serious nature of Buffy and the outright sitcom that was Sabrina. Without Buffy's influence, it probably would've been a lot less interested in storytelling and huge, climactic battles. Oh, definitely. Charmed wouldn't have had what it had had Buffy not existed. I would say season four is as close as Charmed got to being as serious as Buffy ever was, especially in comparison to the season of Buffy that was airing. But, unlike Buffy, Charmed went too much into "family friend" territory and got less about the sisterhood. On Buffy, the core friendships of Buffy, Willow & Xander always remained intact.
livelikemusic Posted October 1, 2023 Posted October 1, 2023 13 minutes ago, ithinkheknowsoutsold said: Just finished Season 3, and I think this is the best season finale of the series yet. I think it could've worked wonderfully as the series finale too. I know this is Cordelia's last episode in the show, and I think she was woefully under-utilised. She should've gotten a lot more screentime and development, because more often than not she is the wittiest and most pragmatic of the Scoobies. On the other hand, I'm glad this is also Angel's final season because I just found him alternating between too melodramatic or too boring most of the time, and I would like to see Buffy paired up with more interesting characters from henceforth. Anne was an incredible premiere, but admittedly several episodes in and I felt like S2 was much stronger up to that point. Things took a turn for the positive with the second half, and after that point it was just consistent fantastic episode after fantastic episode. The final third was especially strong, and helped redeem the earlier weaker episodes like Dead Man's Party, Beauty and the Beasts, and Amends. Very excited to follow Buffy's adventures in college. The beginning of the third season was definitely transitional, especially with Buffy not being in high school up to a certain point, so things had to be re-adjustment to re-integrate her back into that universe.
fridayteenage Posted October 1, 2023 Posted October 1, 2023 outside of the core-est four, the other cast members' importance depends on their relationship with said core. so after cordelia/xander broke up, they didn't have much for her to do. she's the second lead of spinoff angel though.
ithinkheknowsoutsold Posted October 1, 2023 Posted October 1, 2023 13 minutes ago, fridayteenage said: outside of the core-est four, the other cast members' importance depends on their relationship with said core. so after cordelia/xander broke up, they didn't have much for her to do. she's the second lead of spinoff angel though. How important is Cordelia in Angel? I might watch it after Buffy, but Angel is such a dull character that I don't want to sit through 5 seasons of him brooding and moping around (David Boreanaz is not very good in this role either, a more convincing/charismatic actor would've made me consider watching it). Cordelia would be pretty much my only reason to watch it since I love Charisma Carpenter.
livelikemusic Posted October 1, 2023 Posted October 1, 2023 1 hour ago, ithinkheknowsoutsold said: How important is Cordelia in Angel? I might watch it after Buffy, but Angel is such a dull character that I don't want to sit through 5 seasons of him brooding and moping around (David Boreanaz is not very good in this role either, a more convincing/charismatic actor would've made me consider watching it). Cordelia would be pretty much my only reason to watch it since I love Charisma Carpenter. My thoughts on Angel, as a series: Spoiler The creatives definitely poured a lot into the first season, which is why I felt like the fourth of Buffy lacked A LOT. A lot of character development happens on Angel for reasons I don't want to specific, out of avoiding spoilers... for me, it's a watch if you watch it in-companion to Buffy, like a lot of reactors do. But it is not necessary to continue... but things do happen in both series that opposite each other.
The Man Who Posted October 2, 2023 Posted October 2, 2023 On 10/1/2023 at 7:33 AM, ithinkheknowsoutsold said: Yes, I love Faith too! I do think the show tried a little too hard to make her villain by showing her absolutely no remorse over her killing that man and then going to the mayor straight up. I wish they had set her up in a way that could give her a redemption arc later on in the show. To be fair, she did show remorse, she just didn’t do it in front of other characters. When she went back to look at the body you could tell she was riddled with guilt. I just don’t think she knew how to deal with it and I don’t think allowing herself to be vulnerable is really her shtick. Regardless of what she did in S3, I never viewed her as a villain. I think she was just deeply broken and misunderstood and represented who Buffy could have been if she didn’t have such a strong support circle around her.
chosensparkles Posted October 2, 2023 Posted October 2, 2023 47 minutes ago, The Man Who said: To be fair, she did show remorse, she just didn’t do it in front of other characters. When she went back to look at the body you could tell she was riddled with guilt. I just don’t think she knew how to deal with it and I don’t think allowing herself to be vulnerable is really her shtick. Regardless of what she did in S3, I never viewed her as a villain. I think she was just deeply broken and misunderstood and represented who Buffy could have been if she didn’t have such a strong support circle around her. basically
Venom Posted October 2, 2023 Posted October 2, 2023 To be honest, Angel should be watched at the same time as Buffy, not after. Unless you wanna skip it altogether, then you don’t have to watch it, I guess. Angel is a good show though and sometimes rivals Buffy in storylines. However, season 1 is very slow and that makes it hard to get into but the second half is good. The rest of the seasons are great as well. Even season 4, controversial storylines and all.
ithinkheknowsoutsold Posted October 4, 2023 Posted October 4, 2023 I have been reading a little bit about Angel and the reason Cordelia wasn't in Season 5 seems to be the sour relationship between Charisma Carpenter and Joss Whedon? Apparently she was only told that she wasn't being asked back after everyone else had been told about it.
livelikemusic Posted October 5, 2023 Posted October 5, 2023 14 hours ago, ithinkheknowsoutsold said: I have been reading a little bit about Angel and the reason Cordelia wasn't in Season 5 seems to be the sour relationship between Charisma Carpenter and Joss Whedon? Apparently she was only told that she wasn't being asked back after everyone else had been told about it. Here it goes (SPOILER HEAVY!): Spoiler Whedon got incredibly crude and cruel to Carpenter when she revealed her pregnancy at the beginning of the fourth season. He went as far as to call her fat on set, and she recalls being called into his office and being asked if she were going to "keep" the child, as well as mocking her religious beliefs and accused her of sabotaging the show. There was also tension, due to a tattoo she had gotten and her desire to cut her hair (hence the super long extensions, then two haircuts during S2). So, when she exited at the end of the fourth season, she was asked back for the fifth season (as a step-in for Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was unavailable). Carpenter recalls being asked back and was promised Cordelia would not be killed off. And, after getting the script, realized Cordelia was being killed off, despite the promise she would not. She did not want to do the episode, but had to, which resulted ultimately in Cordelia's death.
ithinkheknowsoutsold Posted October 5, 2023 Posted October 5, 2023 1 hour ago, livelikemusic said: Here it goes (SPOILER HEAVY!): Hide contents Whedon got incredibly crude and cruel to Carpenter when she revealed her pregnancy at the beginning of the fourth season. He went as far as to call her fat on set, and she recalls being called into his office and being asked if she were going to "keep" the child, as well as mocking her religious beliefs and accused her of sabotaging the show. There was also tension, due to a tattoo she had gotten and her desire to cut her hair (hence the super long extensions, then two haircuts during S2). So, when she exited at the end of the fourth season, she was asked back for the fifth season (as a step-in for Sarah Michelle Gellar, who was unavailable). Carpenter recalls being asked back and was promised Cordelia would not be killed off. And, after getting the script, realized Cordelia was being killed off, despite the promise she would not. She did not want to do the episode, but had to, which resulted ultimately in Cordelia's death. Oh yeah I read all about this, it's so crazy to me how much Joss disliked Charisma, and that is even visible during her time on Buffy. There were several instances where she could have had major character development (i.e. The Wish), but Joss found some excuse to not bring her into the scene or make her come across as shallow or vapid. I know this was done for comedic effect, but Xander and Willow were used for comedic relief too yet they consistently got moments to flesh their characters out whilst Cordelia didn't. Apparently Charisma requested the writers to give her a scene staking someone, but they never gave it to her until her final Buffy episode, and it's also a major shame that she never appeared in the show after that.
livelikemusic Posted October 5, 2023 Posted October 5, 2023 18 minutes ago, ithinkheknowsoutsold said: It's also a major shame that she never appeared in the show after that. I hate to say it, but knowing what happens on both shows, I don't see where Cordy would fit in within Sunnydale again. I really don't.
Venom Posted October 7, 2023 Posted October 7, 2023 Just finished “Birthday” (Angel s3e11) and even though I wouldn’t have wanted it to be Cordy’s last episode, it would have served as a cute temporary goodbye to Cordelia and we wouldn’t have had to experience the season 4 Cordelia we got .
New Edition Posted October 8, 2023 Posted October 8, 2023 I'm curious because I used to love this show and I see it as one of the great cult classics but i'm so confused as to why there's this resurgence? What happened to make people want to watch this show in 2023?
chosensparkles Posted October 9, 2023 Posted October 9, 2023 14 hours ago, New Edition said: I'm curious because I used to love this show and I see it as one of the great cult classics but i'm so confused as to why there's this resurgence? What happened to make people want to watch this show in 2023? timeless
livelikemusic Posted October 10, 2023 Posted October 10, 2023 On 10/8/2023 at 5:46 PM, New Edition said: I'm curious because I used to love this show and I see it as one of the great cult classics but i'm so confused as to why there's this resurgence? What happened to make people want to watch this show in 2023? It's timeless; plus, I think the 2020 pandemic, and YouTube reactors really brought the series back to the forefront. 1
The Man Who Posted October 10, 2023 Posted October 10, 2023 1 hour ago, livelikemusic said: It's timeless; plus, I think the 2020 pandemic, and YouTube reactors really brought the series back to the forefront. I was going to say that I think the pandemic helped as I’ve seen a lot of classics being watched recently. I only recently deleted my Twitter but I used to see some pretty viral Buffy tweets as it seems like it has a new gen z fanbase. 1
Venom Posted October 12, 2023 Posted October 12, 2023 The financial issue in season 6. Buffy having to work is so ridiculous. Watcher’s Council should have started paying her once she graduated High School, especially after losing her mother. If they can write Giles a check, then Buffy should get one also. Never had a slayer live this long? Well, pay up. I get season 6 was trying to be Depression City and deal with real issues but there was never any pay off, at least from what I remember.
Venom Posted October 12, 2023 Posted October 12, 2023 Just finished episode 1 of Slayers and ngl I’m so hyped!😭 Usually I like to read along or drive while I listen to audiobooks but since there’s no book and it’s the Buffyverse, I gave it my full attention and just laid in bed listening. It’s good to hear some familiar voices again and I can picture everything so well. Recommend so far. mild spoilers Cordelia and Anya being good friends? My dream come true. And the person that I feel did the best stepping back into their role so far? The Big Bad
livelikemusic Posted October 12, 2023 Posted October 12, 2023 10 hours ago, Venom said: The financial issue in season 6. Hide contents Buffy having to work is so ridiculous. Watcher’s Council should have started paying her once she graduated High School, especially after losing her mother. If they can write Giles a check, then Buffy should get one also. Never had a slayer live this long? Well, pay up. I get season 6 was trying to be Depression City and deal with real issues but there was never any pay off, at least from what I remember. My two cents: Spoiler I never saw why the Council would pay a Slayer. I really don't. Or why it would start with Buffy. I don't see Buffy needing to work as "ridiculous," either. It counter, it shows how little the Council thinks of the Slayer and her value. I wouldn't necessarily say the sixth season needed a payoff; it was more-so a full circle season for Buffy herself. She started by digging out of her grave and going through the several stages of grief and realization, and then it ended with her crawling out again, but this time into the light, fully becoming herself again (which she was not during the whole of the sixth season). 11 hours ago, Venom said: Not Amber being such a Cordelia stan! IKTR! This is why we love Amber/Tara! She knows what's up!
The Man Who Posted October 12, 2023 Posted October 12, 2023 @ithinkheknowsoutsold Your avatar is reminding me of: Buffy: Your basic spells are usually only about 50-50. Willow: Oh yeah?! Well... so's your face. Buffy: What?
Venom Posted October 12, 2023 Posted October 12, 2023 6 hours ago, livelikemusic said: My two cents: Hide contents lI never saw why the Council would pay a Slayer. I really don't. Or why it would start with Buffy. I don't see Buffy needing to work as "ridiculous," either. It counter, it shows how little the Council thinks of the Slayer and her value. I wouldn't necessarily say the sixth season needed a payoff; it was more-so a full circle season for Buffy herself. She started by digging out of her grave and going through the several stages of grief and realization, and then it ended with her crawling out again, but this time into the light, fully becoming herself again (which she was not during the whole of the sixth season). I only say ridiculous, not because she gets a job, but because of how The Watcher’s Council expected her to slay vampires and somehow have time to take on a real job to make a living. As she told them in s5e12: “You guys didn’t come all the way from England to determine whether or not I was good enough to be let back in. You came to beg me to let you back in, to give your jobs, your lives, some semblance of meaning.” With that in mind and their demand for her, they could’ve agreed to a partnership somehow, but they didn’t, aside from paying Giles. But you make a great point too that the Watchers Council didn’t value her enough so Buffy had to do things on her own, and in turn, it played well with the theme of the season. I just wish we would have got pay off eventually. Not in season 6, obviously, but maybe in season 8 if we got one. But tbh I haven’t read the comics and idk if people consider them canon or not. I’m definitely getting the comics after I finish 7.
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