Comments | delta_mai: Because I HATE anachronisms...

delta_mai

Because I HATE anachronisms...

Aug 13, 2010 14:25

Argh!

Ok, watching a Buffy episode (S5: Tough Love to be precise), and Giles said that Anya was born in America.

IMPOSSIBLE.

She is 1,100 years old! The only way she could have been born in America back in the 1100s would be if she were an American Indian, or possibly a Spanish conquistador (but even then there were very few settlers, mostly ( Read more... )

this is so going on my blog!, what the actual fuck, anya rules this school, rantish, btvs, lili is a history nerd, whedon

Comments 17

iluvroadrunner6 August 13 2010, 14:11:09 UTC

Who was he talking to when he said that? Because Anya does pass herself off as an American when she's talking to someone who doesn't know she was a vengeance demon.

delta_mai August 13 2010, 16:33:52 UTC

He was in the Magic Shop with everyone around, including Anya, who agreed with him. He said "well you are American, at least this is your mortal birthplace" (or something like that). And she nodded.

*annoyedness*

iluvroadrunner6 August 13 2010, 16:35:36 UTC

Ah. Huh. Well, I'm pretty sure they correct themselves later on? I'm just not sure when.

delta_mai August 13 2010, 16:43:06 UTC

I doubt they'll call attention to it. It was pretty big if you think about it, with everyone around and Anya agreeing and all. It's just nit-picking history geeks like me that notice (and obsess) about this stuff!

Thread 11

lost_in_dreamz_ August 13 2010, 15:06:47 UTC

I don't specifically remember that episode, but chances are Giles just doesn't have the correct facts on Anya. They specifically go into her history later in the series, and its very much not American.

Specifically, from Wikipedia:

Anya was born as Aud in the year 860 in Sjornjost, a small Scandinavian village, making her the oldest character in the series with a known year of birth.

delta_mai August 13 2010, 16:32:42 UTC

It's obviously just a mistake in the writing. He said it while Anya was around, and she agreed with him, so it's just a mistake. Which pisses me off. I hate bad continuity, and honestly did not expect to find it in Buffy! :P

entwashian August 14 2010, 00:30:57 UTC

No. There is Anya origin story. He's referring to her new life, post-vengeance-demonhood.

delta_mai August 14 2010, 00:47:27 UTC

Honestly I think that's sloppy. IMO she wasn't reborn! She just had her powers taken away. She's not been re-incarnated or anything. I never would have come to that conclusion, though I realise now that's what they meant. But I don't think it's obvious at all.

entwashian August 14 2010, 00:52:22 UTC

Well, yeah, she was. It wasn't just having powers taken away. She went from being a demon and all that entails, to being a human, and all that entails. A complete change on both physical and metaphysical levels.

delta_mai August 14 2010, 00:54:40 UTC

Still wouldn't call it a rebirth. And I didn't understand Giles referring to it as that as it had never (to my recollection) been called that before.

I dunno. It doesn't really matter. Just a kinda sloppy moment (which tbh wasn't needed at all - that line wasn't needed for the scene) that I misunderstood.