6 Episodes Down, 238 to Go
I successfully kept to my Buffy review schedule for a whole week! I've now written summaries/reviews/analyses for episodes through "The Pack". It's been a lot of fun so far, and I've definitely noticed more things than I did on passive viewings in the past. I'm trying to keep my mind open to new interpretations rather than being influenced by what I used to think, and I'm also avoiding reading or watching anybody else's episode reviews beyond the point I've gotten to, so that their ideas don't influence me either.
I think at this point the only significant change to how I saw things before is that I'm already disliking Xander in S1, where it used to take until S2 before he really started to bug me. I really love Buffy, though, and that's new. It's not that I didn't like her before, it's just that it was always hard for me to form an opinion of her one way or the other because I viewed the story and all the other characters from her perspective. When I turn the protagonist into a pair of glasses like that, it becomes really difficult to see them as a character too and figure whether or not I like them or if they're written well. I also do that with Harry Potter and The Vampire Diaries, and it's one of the reasons I didn't hate Twilight when I read it as a teenager. This approach, with the blog, is making that much less of a problem. I already love Buffy, and that alone is adding a ton to the enjoyment of watching. I also think I love Giles more than I used to. I've always liked Giles, but trying to break down exactly why I like him is making him even more enjoyable. And either I find Angel more attractive than I used to, or it's just been so long since my last rewatch that I've forgotten how attractive he is. *fans self*
I think at this point the only significant change to how I saw things before is that I'm already disliking Xander in S1, where it used to take until S2 before he really started to bug me. I really love Buffy, though, and that's new. It's not that I didn't like her before, it's just that it was always hard for me to form an opinion of her one way or the other because I viewed the story and all the other characters from her perspective. When I turn the protagonist into a pair of glasses like that, it becomes really difficult to see them as a character too and figure whether or not I like them or if they're written well. I also do that with Harry Potter and The Vampire Diaries, and it's one of the reasons I didn't hate Twilight when I read it as a teenager. This approach, with the blog, is making that much less of a problem. I already love Buffy, and that alone is adding a ton to the enjoyment of watching. I also think I love Giles more than I used to. I've always liked Giles, but trying to break down exactly why I like him is making him even more enjoyable. And either I find Angel more attractive than I used to, or it's just been so long since my last rewatch that I've forgotten how attractive he is. *fans self*