(no subject)
I've been rewatching the early seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, mostly because it was the Halloween season but also because I truly love the show. (Else, why have all the seasons on DVD?)
I noticed something, however, that I never did before. And that is that I think the show cheated, cheated, cheated, cheated viewers by bringing Angel back after an absence of just two episodes. And it cheated, cheated, cheated, cheated viewers by having Willow and Xander fall in love just after Willow fell for Oz.
Frankly, I never liked the whole "I love Oz" bit. It seemed nothing more than a cheap, stupid-ass way of adding Seth Green to the show. And just as quickly as they added him, they deleted him. In fact, Willow's transformation into a lesbian was a far more believable story arc, and something which seemed to have some basis in the character. Indeed, it expanded and grew the character in ways that made great sense and which added additional depth and possibilities. (This is so unlike the Xander story arc with Cordelia and Anya. Neither went anywhere. Neither added to Xander's character. Neither allowed the character to grow or change.)
But the Angel thing really bugs me today. Buffy supposed goes through this intense grieving process which leads her to run away from home for three months, and she continues to grieve through two more episodes. But wait! -- just as she gives up on Angel, he comes back. Deus ex machina comes back, but he comes back all the same. And despite about 2,700 years of torture, he's pretty sane after just 12 hours of being around Buffy. Huh? Wha'?
In retrospect, the whole "Angel returns" thing smacks of a big ratings move.
Increasingly, I can't watch those episodes with him in it because they are such cheats.
Cheat, cheat, cheat.
I noticed something, however, that I never did before. And that is that I think the show cheated, cheated, cheated, cheated viewers by bringing Angel back after an absence of just two episodes. And it cheated, cheated, cheated, cheated viewers by having Willow and Xander fall in love just after Willow fell for Oz.
Frankly, I never liked the whole "I love Oz" bit. It seemed nothing more than a cheap, stupid-ass way of adding Seth Green to the show. And just as quickly as they added him, they deleted him. In fact, Willow's transformation into a lesbian was a far more believable story arc, and something which seemed to have some basis in the character. Indeed, it expanded and grew the character in ways that made great sense and which added additional depth and possibilities. (This is so unlike the Xander story arc with Cordelia and Anya. Neither went anywhere. Neither added to Xander's character. Neither allowed the character to grow or change.)
But the Angel thing really bugs me today. Buffy supposed goes through this intense grieving process which leads her to run away from home for three months, and she continues to grieve through two more episodes. But wait! -- just as she gives up on Angel, he comes back. Deus ex machina comes back, but he comes back all the same. And despite about 2,700 years of torture, he's pretty sane after just 12 hours of being around Buffy. Huh? Wha'?
In retrospect, the whole "Angel returns" thing smacks of a big ratings move.
Increasingly, I can't watch those episodes with him in it because they are such cheats.
Cheat, cheat, cheat.