Buffy Came Back Wrong: As You Were and Hell's Bells
No clue what this is? Read the first post in the series.
"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."
- the Buddha
Yep. It's that time again. We're coming off the heels of Dead Things (and OAFA). Buffy has clued in to the fact that things ( Read more... )
"Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared."
- the Buddha
Yep. It's that time again. We're coming off the heels of Dead Things (and OAFA). Buffy has clued in to the fact that things ( Read more... )
Anyway, very interesting analysis of "As You Were." I've always felt that, execution issues in this episode aside, it is ultimately good for Buffy to have someone come in and jolt her out of her funk a little bit. And I hear a lot of complaints about "how dare Riley swoop in and judge her after being away for a year," but your analysis shows why it HAS to be Riley, it has to be someone outside her current life.
I know a lot of people (me included) find it very difficult to watch this episode because it does drag Buffy through the mud so much with the "let's remind Buffy how much she sucks" theme. Her embarrassment is so cringeworthy, even infuriating to those of us who love her - but is it necessary to show her depression? To get that uncomfortably tight POV? I am wondering if you think it would still work if it were a little less harsh on Buffy.
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Todd's a douchebag.
And I hear a lot of complaints about "how dare Riley swoop in and judge her after being away for a year," but your analysis shows why it HAS to be Riley, it has to be someone outside her current life.
Indeed. And, to Riley's credit, he doesn't judge her. At all.
I know a lot of people (me included) find it very difficult to watch this episode because it does drag Buffy through the mud so much with the "let's remind Buffy how much she sucks" theme. Her embarrassment is so cringeworthy, even infuriating to those of us who love her - but is it necessary to show her depression? To get that uncomfortably tight POV? I am wondering if you think it would still work if it were a little less harsh on Buffy.
I'm not sure. I do have a lot of issues with the execution of the episode. I feel, in particular, the Buffy Sucks theme is too hamfisted. I prefer more subtlety in themes, and I can't help but feel that there was a way to do this without the signposting.
I guess I'm left wondering why it was necessary to pile it all on in this episode. Ideally, we'd have had this theme all season long, so by this point, it's just a given that Buffy's life is going to suck when compared to Riley's. And while the depression theme has been consistent, we haven't gotten the reiteration of the Buffy Sucks theme prior to this episode.
In some ways, that makes it similar to my complaint about Bad Girls: not enough set-up. It feels too abrupt and too anvil-like. I dislike anvils in my themes.
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Yes. I definitely think that's where they went wrong. (Well, one of them, anyway...)
I dislike anvils in my themes.
Heh. You know, for all S6's brilliance and subtlety, there are an awful lot of anvils mixed in there. I think it makes it more painful when one conks you on the head.
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Hazarding a guess: They (the writers) knew they wanted Buffy making dramatic steps forward after this, but still had leftover mud that they had meant to drag her through and so they squeezed in as much as they could.
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Thank you! I know that guy is supposed to be a tool and all, but come on. Buffy doesn't even say anything under her breath about his stupid MBA or Machiavellian-fast-food principles. Which, I guess her lack of perspective/snark on Todd is supposed to show how far down she's sunk, but good grief. It seems a little over the top, even for Depressed!Buffy to just accept that kind of condescension from such a douche nozzle.
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