Buffy Blogthrough: 1.12 "Prophecy Girl"

Parenthood has slowed both my TV watching and my writing. It's way past time to get back into both habits!

1.12 “Prophecy Girl”
broadcast:  June 2, 1997
writer:  Joss Whedon
director:  Joss Whedon

The season finale is early Whedon at his best―not incidentally, it's also his directing debut. He manages the climax of the romantic rectangle with particular elegance: Willow turns Xander down in one emotionally fulfilling scene, and later Xander invites his rival Angel to help him rescue Buffy. Their actions mirror Buffy's maturity in facing the Master despite a deadly prophecy. Her reaction upon hearing that fate is the episode's peak, and her subsequent resurrection feels like a reward. But to evaluate “Prophecy Girl” honestly, the battle royale of the back half feels anticlimactic. The witticisms pale (“Oh look, a bad guy!”?), the combat is hard to follow, and the tentacles that wave from the Hellmouth suggests that the budget has been exhausted. Maybe the over-earnest heroics need more time than they're given. Instead, Whedon spends that time resolving character conflicts, a gesture that sets Buffy apart.

Buffy Blogthrough: 1.11 "Out of Mind Out of Sight"

Parenthood has slowed both my TV watching and my writing. It's way past time to get back into both habits!

1.11 “Out of Mind, Out of Sight”

broadcast: May 19, 1997

writer: Joss Whedon (story) and Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swindon (teleplay)

director: Reza Badiyi

Non-linear television is rare enough that this episode's black/white flashbacks are noteworthy. But otherwise, where the last episode succeeded by abandoning Buffy's established structure, this one works mostly because it follows the blueprint so well. “Out of Mind” applies the monster-rific metaphor of invisibility to a high school wallflower. The student aims to avenge her condition by mutilating Cordelia for her haughtiness and narcissism, which, coupled with the Hellmouth, has caused her condition. Her motivations are relatable but ostracism renders her psychotic (a classroom allusion to Shylock fits in here). But this episode excels in its characterizations. Buffy remembers her pre-Slayer popularity as May Queen and feels like a third wheel in Xander and Willow's long friendship. And Cordelia, finally centerstage, admits to her own streak of alienation but (again like Shylock) uses it to justify her cruelty. In a bonus subplot, a prophecy sets up next week's finale.

Buffy Blogthrough: 1.10 "Nightmares"

Most mornings, to warm up my brain I write & edit 150 words on yesterday's entertainment — a TV episode, movie, news item, or whatever. Now that I've got Lady Hotspur watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I've decided to post these exercises so you & she can enjoy them too!

1.10 “Nightmares”

broadcast: May 12, 1997

writer: Joss Whedon (story) & David Greenwalt (teleplay)

director: Bruce Seth Green

Buffy has already flirted with dream-states—think of the fake-out that opens “Teacher's Pet”—but it makes a commitment in “Nightmares.” The plot is an afterthought, almost a means to an end: a comatose Little Leager accidentally conjures dreams into reality. The episode's tension, and it gets intense, is seeing what the characters truly fear. Some of their arcs are conventionally cathartic, like Xander punching a scary clown. Then there's Buffy's absentee father visiting Sunnydale to explain her role in her parents' divorce. Their conversation is staged without even a touch of surrealism; it's hard to tell whether it happened or not. The scene may be Gellar's strongest performance in all seven seasons. Plotwise, on the other hand, “Nightmares” is one of the series' slackest. It's a mirror image to the rest of Season One, abandoning the formula of well-made, socially-driven metaphors for a more formally adventurous style.

Buffy Blogthrough: 1.9 "The Puppet Show"

Most mornings, to warm up my brain I write & edit 150 words on yesterday's entertainment — a TV episode, movie, news item, or whatever. Now that I've got Lady Hotspur watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I've decided to post these exercises so you & she can enjoy them too!

1.9 “The Puppet Show”

broadcast: May 5, 1997

writers: Rob Des Hotel & Dean Batali

director: Ellen S. Pressman

Buffy already has shown a gift for final scenes, but the one in this episode—Buffy and pals performing Oedipus very poorly—is especially winsome. This coda typifies the tone of “The Puppet Show”, the series' first episode to go all-out for comedy without compromising on action and thrills. “Show” even cheerfully undercuts Buffy's triumph over this week's monster by showing us the baffled reaction of the new principal (Armin Shimerman as a perfect martinet) to the typically gory scene. The light touch eases the potential silliness of the titular puppet, who's not the predictable demon-doll but a demon-hunter cursed to inhabit a ventriloquist's dummy. That twist is one of the plot's many red herrings, which get turned so deftly they cover for the lack of a social theme. Taken alone, “The Puppet Show” is forgettable fun, but the success of its execution points ahead to better episodes.

Buffy Blogthrough: 1.8 "I Robot, You Jane"

Most mornings, to warm up my brain I write & edit 150 words — a TV episode, movie, news item, or whatever. Now that I've got Lady Hotspur watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I've decided to post these exercises so you & she can enjoy them too!

1.8 “I Robot, You Jane”
broadcast: April 21, 1997
writer: Ashley Gable & Thomas Swynden
director: Stephen Posey

So far, Willow has gone woefully underdeveloped. But rather than reveal new facets to her personality, this episode simply leverages her established mousiness and tech savvy into a story. The plot follows the template set by “Teacher's Pet”, subbing a paranoia about computer dating for the earlier episode's sexual anxiety. Of the show's social issues, this one has dated worst all around: in concept, special effects, and in its stereotypical computer geeks. But as shaky and cliché as “I Robot” is, on balance it's slightly stronger than “Pet.” The show's voice is more confident, so that Buffy and Xander have a goofy camaraderie as they snoop around a factory. And while Giles extols the value of books in a fine speech, his viewpoint is balanced by his potential love interest, “technopagan” Jenny Calendar. Oh, and this was the first episode of Buffy I ever watched!

Theater: Title Bout (July 19)

Every week, I compose listings on the week's new plays for Metromix NY. I'm often disappointed by the titles that playwrights choose for their work, so I review their titles. Not the shows, just the titles. To read about the content of each show, click through its link to my listing.


THE PARTING GLASS
It's not a glass that sets apart, it's a glass drunk when people part. The key is that the reference is Irish, and so it has a poetic style that more literal English-speakers might miss. It's actually the title to a 18C folk song that you might recognize; it was interpreted by the Clancy Brothers, Bob Dylan, and the Pogues.

THE SILVER TASSIE
Sean O'Casey came up with this title and drama. I haven't read the play (yet), but I'd guess the title refers to a significant prop or metaphor. A “tassie” is a cup or bowl; it's one of those British words with a whiff of archaism. “Silver” adds value, & conjures the image of something like a grail. As titles go, this is a little vague without context but it's unique and therefore memorable.

THE TEMPLE OF THE GOLDEN PAVILION
Even if you don't know this existential novel by Mishima―or the masterpiece of Kyoto architecture that it refers to―you might suspect it's set in Japan or at least the far East. The title has that non-European structure that doubles up on nouns (it's a temple and a pavilion) and ornaments the subclause delicately. The image is lovely, isn't it?

Buffy Blogthrough: 1.7 "Angel"

Most mornings, to warm up my brain I write & edit 150 words — a TV episode, movie, news item, or whatever. Now that I've got Lady Hotspur watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I've decided to post these exercises so you & she can enjoy them too! 

 

1.7 “Angel”
broadcast: April 14, 1997
writer: David Greenwalt
director: Scott Brazil

Despite its ugly score and the uncharacteristic gunplay at its climax, “Angel” is the first episode to suggest the level of storytelling that Buffy would reach. That's not just because it's the first to complicate the slayer/vampire relationship, to delve into backstory, or to kill a major character. It's not the minor moments like Giles' hospital conversation with Joyce. Partly it's that the driving metaphor is more than a “teen social issue” this time around, it's one actually freighted with stakes (Angel must get over his ex before he can date someone new). Geller's portrayal of Buffy's calf-love for her Byronic stranger makes shocking the otherwise predictable revelation that he's a vampire. Then there's the episode's portentous final beat, where her kiss literally tortures him. Best of all, the episode shows characters who grow and relationships that change, which is why Buffy finds its voice with “Angel”.