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”.

Buffy Blogthrough: 1.6 "The Pack"

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!

1.6 "The Pack"

broadcast: April 7, 1997
writers: Matt Klein & Joe Reinkemeyer
director: Bruce Seth Green

Xander gets a second chance to take center stage in another episode based on high school “issues”. On a zoo trip, he and a gang of bullies get zapped with an animal-possession spell. Their violently feral actions culminate in the gang devouring the principal! As juicy and hardcore as that twist is, the hyena behavior and its use as a metaphor for cliques are both a bit silly (especially the stoner giggles). It only really works when Xander is the focus. His transformation into an asshole is stronger as a real teen concern than simple cliquish bullying — and one that the show will return to. It also takes good advantage of the Buffy-Xander-Willow triangle, especially since it finally gives Willow a substantial role and emotional stakes. And the outcome — that Xander is ashamed at acting on his more caddish impulses, even inadvertently — feels as authentically true to life as anything on Buffy so far.

Theater: Title Bout (June 27)

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'm reviewing their titles now. Not the shows (I haven't seen them yet) just the titles. To read about the content of each show, click through its link to my listings on Metromix NY.


ALL NEW PEOPLE
Ambiguity usually adds to a title, but here it detracts. Maybe it means “All-New” (as in “All-New, All-Different X-Men”)? Or does the title mean to invite only new people, and all of them at that, as if it were a barker? The more it's examined, the less sense this dull title makes.

TRYST
An odd word, mostly because it looks archaic but it's not. It's got the very specific meaning of “romantic rendezvous," which works in this one-word title's favor by setting up a pair of lovers and a clandestine tone. As a title, “Tryst” encourages you to imagine the beginnings of a story, which is what a good title should do.