JM Interview on TWOP

[tessarin]

Just noticed that James Masters has done an interesting interview recently. Now I can take or leave him and thought he was one of the weaker performers amongst the ensemble and some of the adoration that goes his characters way leaves me cold but the interview is very revealling particularly in this portion.

JM talks about what Buffy was about?

JM

Comments

[ludditerobot]

I read a little. Want to read more, but I'm at work.

After a certain point, that being roughly Riley's exit, the show is roughly devoid of vampires who aren't love interests or too pathetic to live. I don't mind a mix of monsters. It adds variety. But she's the vampire slayer, and she's protecting against vampires.

When, exactly, did the character of Spike get marginalized? I must've missed that.

[tessarin]

"When, exactly, did the character of Spike get marginalized? I must've missed that."

True that's what I thought although I think JM may be talking about being ostraciszed from both the monsters and scoobies here which is sort of right when you think about it. Of course he hogged the limelight in terms of screentime.

[jgracio]

Yeah, that's pretty much what he was talking about.

For the first 3 seasons BtVS was about a bunch of uncool outsiders, but then, as the show's connection to the outside world faded, our characters stopped being the outsiders because there wasn't much for them to be outside of, there were only our characters pretty much.

And Spike was an outsider then, even though half the show was about him.

[tessarin]

Yep the loss of the outside world was one of the things I disliked, maybe it was budget driven due to the cast bloat. Plus I remember at some point they moved from on location to set driven it may have been around S5. I think the sidelining of the adults did this.

[xandzfaith]

JM has to me always come of very full of himself. This interview for me is no different. He says what the audience he is talking to wants to hear and then changes his tone the next interview. I have nothing personal against him and wish him all the best, but have never thought he came off very well in interviews or whenever he talked about his time on Buffy or Angel

Yeah I've Heard This Lie Before

[keith5by5]

Spike fans spout it out a lot.

'Whedon hated Spike and didn't like giving him lines, but was forced to by fan demand."

Why did he corrupt canon and logic so much to keep him and central then? Nothing made sense Post S3 (Buffy not staking Spike, Xander\Giles not objecting etc etc), thanks in large part because of him. If that doesn't stink of desperation to keep a char in, I don't know what does.

If there's a writer who cares less about what his audience thinks, it's Whedon. If he didn't want Spike around, he'd have gotten rid of him and screw the fans.

Re: Yeah I've Heard This Lie Before

[tessarin]

I thought it was interesting as only recently have I seen JM and JW talking at slightly cross purposes. I remember Fury disliking Spike intensly for these very thematic reasons and having a rant and then there was a 180 which was odd.

Spike was best served as a villain. I think really it is another example of Joss liking the actor and keeping them around even when it didn't fit I think this was a cause of the cast bloat of later seasons.

Re: Yeah I've Heard This Lie Before

[keith5by5]

"I thought it was interesting as only recently have I seen JM and JW talking at slightly cross purposes. I remember Fury disliking Spike intensly for these very thematic reasons and having a rant and then there was a 180 which was odd. "

Mutant Enemy are more Kremlinesque than new Labour, stay on message or else.

"Spike was best served as a villain. I think really it is another example of Joss liking the actor and keeping them around even when it didn't fit I think this was a cause of the cast bloat of later seasons."

I blame JW entirely for the mess that Angel Season 5 was. He gets partial blame for the ending of Buffy (after all, he gave the job to Noxon).