#btvs commentary

[marvellousinternethideout]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

Season 2

Ep 12 - Bad Eggs

Something is gonna happen in the mall, isnt it?

Welp. There you go I was spot on. The cowboy hat guy is supernatural. A vampire.

Yes, buffy save the poor girl.

Buffy always has something smartass remark before she kills a vampire. Everytime.

Xander and Cordelia. Kissing in the closet. Still hating each other. Still fighting, saying they dont need this but they can't stay away from each other so in reality, they in fact, need this. Back to snogging I guess.

Lmao, so they are having a sex banter in the classroom. What a foreplay. The sex is gonna be bed breaking.

Taking care of the baby (egg), the classic.

They massacred a village before they became a vampire!!? Buffy do not underestimate them.

"please, like angel and I are helpless slaves to passion, grow up", also buffy passionately makes out with angel on her job, doing absolutely no hunting.

Buffy girl do some hunting and slaying, they're literally sitting on the tree.

What's up with the egg?? What's in it?

Bitch, whatever it's ugly and creepy. Also, Buffy is in danger.

What's with this two killer vampires? They're weird.

What did that egg do to her!? She's fine(I mean not really) but what it did to her?

She's talking funny. Oh, it's both willow and buffy. So probably everyone.

Xander and Cordelia and they know just one word now, closet. Say closet and they're gone.

And its bangel make-out session again.

Ohhhh, its getting awkward and having hard talks. Babies, future. Damn you two poor stars crossed lovers.

Damn buffy. I love the passionate confession and It's lovely and sad but you can't have a life with angel.

It's either Cordelia and xander or a dead body or our security is gonna die.

Yup. Security just died. It's the professor isn't it?

Holy mother of God, the egg broke, in front of buffy and wtf was that? What the hell is that ugly spider thingy?

Yuck, she just killed it and yup, she just killed it.

Nah willow, check your egg. You're not safe, Oh fuck, too late for that. What did the egg do to willow!?

Joyce I get you but your daughter is the chosen one so get a life.

Cordelia just shut up.

Oh so xander got saved because he boiled it.

Oh no not everyone's egg. Xander is also yuck. It's everyone's egg.

Oh, so it's both Cordelia and willow and the rest of the school. Welp, it's a war from insects or whatever tf it's called.

Giles is also fine, right? Oh no he isnt. And neither is joyce anymore. Fuck! It's everyone now.

Oh thank God, buffy and xander are fine. Now go save everyone.

What exactly are these demon children building or well they're not building, they're collecting the eggs and setting their mummy free.

It's time to behave like them. Move like a zombie them. Blend in. Yes, go xander became one of them.

Oh cmon not the right time cowboy vampires, either help her or get the hell out.

Who made Willow the leader of mummy land.

Help buffy you freaky vampires.

YUCKS! WHAT KIND OF CREATURE IS THIS? GIRL RUN!

OH FUCK NOOOOOOO! DID THE MUMMY JUST TOOK BUFFY WITH HER?

Or wait did buffy killed the main mummy? You, she did. Good job slayer.

Joyce, there was a gas leak, ffs, give her a break, why aren't you more worried?

Grounded or not, buffy will get her Angel fix of the day. Alright, girl, we get it, you're horny and in love and he's good.

Also, now I've a question, well lots of it. Who gave schools the eggs?? Like, where did the eggs come from, did the teacher just collected them from the basement because the school is a cheap ass hoe Or did someone deliberately delivered these eggs for this purpose, if yes, then who is it? Damn, how it really happened? Someone tell me.

Well, another day, another episode and again, I loved it. This was a less intense episode then the last one and not the main plot focused, nevertheless I enjoyed it.

We had a lot of bangel, well more like bangel make out sessions, also xander and cordelia's make out sessions. I think this is the episode with most make out and kissing yet in BTVS. Not much of willow, which was weird as she was also possessed.

The plot was cool, ofc couldn't predict it but still was surprise. Gotta say the killing of the mummy in the end was pretty anticlimactic, like that was too fast and easy. I get it that she's the slayer and all but still she just did it like nothing. Also, how did she kill it?

The massacre vampires were a useless addition, they brought nothing to episode and had no point of being there. What the hell was the point of them in this episode? I just kept thinking how would they tie to everything else and nothing, I thought they would help buffy in the end but nothing. Why exactly were they in there? Unless BTVS brings them(or well just him as one died) then I can see but other than that it was just useless.

Joyce is sometimes getting on my nerves. Like, a gas leak and her first thought would be if her daughter is okay, instead it's why weren't you where I told you to be? Like some concern would be good.

I guess that's it, loved the bangel in this episode, we finally have them. Xander and Cordelia are still happening. No spike or drusilla in this episode. No jenny either. No oz either.

Well, that's it, see ya in the next one, cheers 🥂

[layer-of-slayers]

Thinking about that ridiculous scene in s6 when Xander walks in on Spike and Buffy having some extremely noticeable sexual tension (and also some hand stuff going on i think?) in Buffy’s kitchen, where they are standing like 5 centimetres away from one another TOPS and yet still when Xander walks in his reaction is to obliviously snark at Spike about how he could “still be trying to mack on Buffy” and telling him to get it through his head that it’s “never going to happen”, which never quite made sense to me.

But now I am seeing it through the lenses of my new Xander realisation and noticing the parallel that Xander himself has (perhaps only subconsciously) traced between Spike and himself. He had a huge crush on Buffy and she rejected him and he knows she will never change her mind about it by s6 (though it sure took a while for that life lesson to sink in) and now he expects Spike to come to the same realisation. ‘Ugh, he’s still trying to mack on Buffy? Doesn’t he know she’s way out of their league? She’s already turned him down, told him so several times in fact, the next step is to accept it and move on, obviously, like Xander himself has had to do but trust Spike to be stubborn/annoying/bad at taking no for an answer.’

He’s seeing himself in Spike again, projecting his own attraction to Buffy and how that whole situation went down on Spike, assuming it must go the same way (except with Spike being Worse about it because of course as a vampire he’s inherently inferior to Xander himself in Xander’s eyes).

When it is revealed that Spike and Buffy had a thing in Entropy, Xander takes it as a personal betrayal. Xander bought into the Angel exception, into the story of Angel’s exceptionality. Yeah, Buffy loved him and dated him but he had a soul. It didn’t make him good enough in Xander’s eyes, but it did make him different. Spike doesn’t have that. Therefore, Buffy would never even consider him. And after Angel, Buffy dated Riley, normal human (mostly) who Xander loved. Riley was exactly the kind of guy Xander wished he could be, and therefore exactly the right guy for Buffy in his eyes.

Spike outright tells him and still Xander refuses to believe him until he sees Buffy’s expression of shame. Then she tries to explain herself to him as though who she has sex with is in any way Xander’s business or a subject in which he should have a say. And that’s how he feels like, he feels Buffy betrayed his image of her and her sacred duty by allowing Spike to touch her, because she is (should be) too good for Spike, too good for the both of them, otherwise why did he never get a chance with her?

[destiel-wings]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but what are your thoughts on angel x buffy? :)

Hii i don't mind, thank you for asking 😊

So, I used to love bangel sooooo much when i first watched the show. I was 100% into it, (with a crush for Boreanaz too) and i cried so much for them in s2 and when Angel left the show in s3. And I truly, sincerely, unironically hated Spike too (I thought he was a great character but i just loved hating him, you know? Lol). When we saw Spike's dream of kissing Buffy I swear i felt nauseous.

... and then they aired Fool for love.

By the end of that episode I was left in utter existential crisis in front of my tv because i felt my whole world shift. There was a part of me that still liked Angel and Buffy, but there was also this new part that wanted her to be with Spike now.

So anyway, that's when i decided to switch teams and i became team spuffy, and for as much as i had been obsessed with bangel before, it was nothing compared to how deep i was caught into the Buffy and Spike relationship. I never looked back. They were just much more complex and real and compelling. And it made me reevaluate Angel and her relationship with him too. Angel never really knew Buffy, always treated her like a child, and let's be honest--and that's something that hit me only years later when I got older--she was a child when they were together. He was spying on her and falling in love with her when she was just fifteen years old and he was a 240-year-old vampire who had been sired at like 26 years old, and they got together when she was 16/17 and he broke up with her when she turned 18... I don't think that's something the writers did intentionally of course, because (as everything else in buffy) it's just meant to be taken as a metaphor for the ideals and struggles and the intensity of drama of a girl's first love, but it still comes off as icky.

And before anyone comes at me, I know spuffy isn't healthy either, but that's kinda the point and the appeal. First of all, it's fiction and a metaphor, and secondly, it's about two broken people that are supposed to be mortal enemies but are actually two sides of the same coin, so different and yet so much the same, who can understand each other as a whole, light and darkness, in a way that no one else ever could, who yes, hurt each other along the way, but whose love saved them from the deepest darkness, ultimately bringing them into the light.

This is what spuffy is to me, and this is why i think it's not only the superior ship, but one of the best ships of all time (thee best, until i saw destiel, now they're sharing the podium).

So anyway, to get back to your question, the moment i became obsessed with Buffy and Spike (and i have been ever since 2005, lmao, they've been my first real obsession, alongside btvs, until spn and destiel) Angel sort of became the enemy 😅. And I hated him so so so so so much when he appeared in 7x21 and kissed Buffy (pure fanservice, but okay) and brought the medallion that ultimately killed Spike. So i spent years very maturely holding my vendetta against Angel (like, rooting for every demon that fought against him when I watched Angel, lmaoo). In most recent years, I've (sort of) made my peace with the character, after rewatching Angel. I mean he's still the enemy (of course, duh!! Who am i if not eternally petty??) but i appreciate him in his own show.

So i don't ship Angel and Buffy anymore, but I can understand why someone would (as i myself used to), and more importantly, i respect other people's right to ship them.

If we're joking, I'm going to insult Angel and keep saying he's the enemy. But on a mature serious note, I think Buffy and Angel were a great first love (for Buffy), but they were supposed to be just that, the impossible teenage girl's dream of a first love, eternal but doomed to end and break your heart.

I think Angel was much more well paired with Cordelia (which is something I'd never think I'd say), and i found myself shipping them so much when I rewatched the show. It felt so much more mature and profound than what we saw with Buffy and Angel (and that's probably due to the fact that we got slow burn for them - as we did for Buffy and Spike- and could actually see the feelings growing, while Buffy crushed on Angel in the pilot and she was madly in love (as teenagers do) in 0.5 seconds for no apparent reason than the fact that he was hot and mysterious.

So when I say the kiss in btvs 7x21 makes zero sense, I'm not just talking about spuffy, but also about cangel. I feel like both characters parted ways and lived on in their own shows to grow and become their own persons, developing other relationships that were more adult and meaningful, and that kiss was just disrespectful for both (but anyways, it doesn't change anything).

I have so many thoughts about all this honestly, and I hope I haven't gone too much off the tangent with my reply, but i couldn't just give you a simple reply because that would've had to be something like "angel is the enemy and i don't like bangel" but as you can see my thoughts are a little more complex than that 😅

[diaryofateenageslayer]

I was rewatching my Buffy DVDs and found the JW commentary. Even though his views on women/feminism tainted this show, he does explain his directing decisions.

If you don't believe the Spuffy fans, at least believe the writers and actors who created their story!

It's the "wait...Bangel was a big deal?" for me.

JW actually admits that Angel reappearing in the last episode and the Bangel kiss was, in fact, "fan service."

Emphasis on the VOCAL MINORITY that leads to the fan service. Something iconic enough (The Bangel kiss) to "give people hope( 😂) that Buffy and Angel might one day work out" - purple

I don't know what was going through that brain of his, but Parker was NOT "the most important relationship of her life." Like sir, where did that come from? - green

The chemistry between both David/Sarah and James/Sarah is insane. However, I like how both relationships have their own distinct chemistry. - yellow

Spike is more on Buffy's level. he understands her, both physically and emotionally, something Angel struggles with. - orange

The relationship is more nuanced, we witnessed the development, and we watched it build from the ground up. We can point out pivotal moments in the relationship. Spike has more dynamic, he's not just "the tall, dark and handsome vampire" that seduces Buffy.

Buffy tells Spike things she wouldn't tell anybody else.

"These two" (Sarah/Buffy & James/Spike), yes, I agree 🤗- blue

Angel is described as an object of desire. Buffy falls in love because of his looks. If Angel wasn't attractive, would she have fallen for him? It's his body that "becomes the object of her gaze."

He really has his looks to offer. "He's tall, dark, and handsome" so he must be a love interest. "Otherwise what else would his purpose be?"

The analysis states that Angel functions as Buffy's "homme fatal," (An ultimately seductive and dangerous man; a womanizer) which gives a nod to Liam's character, his human self.

Joss explains the comparisons between souled and soulless Spike and his behavior/change. Soulless Spike didn't recognize boundaries.

JW still highlights that Spike needs development before he and Buffy become "lovers" again.

The writer of the character and the story states that this man can be redeemed.

[bloomfish]

It's so funny how everyone in Buffy acts like the "good" vampires drinking animal blood is soooo disgusting like bruh u literally eat meat. U eat the flesh. Giles I know you love black pudding don't lie to me

[inkcovens]

btvs making magic a metaphor for queerness but then later making it a metaphor for drugs/addiction was stupid. but also like... have you seen the damage toxic yuri does? that shit IS addictive and WILL lead to you making irrational decisions and cause you spin out of control.

[searchingweeds]

just rewatched graduation day and omg i love the mayor as a villain because of how human he is compared to other antagonists, he is evil but that is not ALL that he is. he still retains parts of his humanity, like his genuine care for faith, his politeness, humour, and his dislike of germs, all these traits make him a much more real villain. he is more than just a monster. the mayor is the evil that no one can see, hidden behind a guise of friendliness and charm, the evil that lives within those corrupted by power and greed, the evil that is enabled by institutions (i.e. education, law enforcement, capitalism) and unquestioned by the population, his biggest power lies within his humanness. the mayor is manipulative, hiding his true nature and intentions behind good manners, which is true for so many evil men in real life, they are not so easily distinguished as bad, unlike some other villains in the show who are uncomplex (*cough cough* the master, adam) and that fits in with a big theme of s3 which is the fight against oppressive systems hidden in plain sight,,, in the season premiere buffy literally leads an underground worker's uprising wielding a hammer and sickle like cmon, so the big bad of the season being a corrupt bureaucrat that seems pretty normal at first makes so much sense, its about the hidden evil, its about institutions restricting and harming adolescent lives. which makes the finale episode so juicy, because the youth collaborate and take up arms to overthrow an evil oppressive government, the big fight scene is about solidarity and unity of teenagers revolting against tyrants,,,,,

like YEAH maybe it IS possible to start a revolution and change our fates in this corrupt system if the youth unite to fight the evil TOGETHER,,,,,, i could talk about season 3 and the institutional antagonists for AGES, but in conclusion the mayor is one of the best villains because of his humanity, his closeness to real life, the mayor is scary because of his power and status in human world,,, and like truly theres nothing more terrifying than a politician

(dont even get me started on the mayor as a symbol for white supremacy)

[angelinthefire]

Still on the topic of the bunker debacle from a couple of days ago.

I think there's a certain analogy to be made between Cas being kicked out of the bunker in s9 and the episode Helpless in btvs.

Both incidents -- Cas being turned out from a place where he thought he was safe with little to nothing, Buffy's bodily autonomy being violated by a trusted friend -- would be majorly traumatic in real life. They would be psychology-altering, relationship shattering events. And there’s fans who want to treat them that way. Which entirely makes sense.

But that's not what those events are on their respective shows. They just aren't.

It could be because the writers don't understand the gravity of what the characters experience, or they just don't want to deal with the implications for an extended period of time. But in both cases the characters just don't experience those events as the degree of trauma that one would think. (The execution on btvs is significantly better than on spn, but the fact remains that the implications for Buffy herself from Helpless are wrapped up in a single episode).

And in both cases, Cas' relationship with Dean, and Buffy's relationship with Giles, those relationships end up in a good, if not in fact stronger, place. The viewer can think whatever they want about the severity of the events, but that doesn't change how the relationships exist on-screen. Which is that the characters moved past those events with their relationships intact.

I do think that it’s a worthwhile exercise if fans want to revisit those events and give them their due weight, drawing out all of the necessary implications and reinterpreted the characters and relationships to fit. But those takes remain reinterpretations of canon, not accurate reflections of canon.

That's part of what makes fandom what it is, that it's a transformative engagement with the text. That's what's cool and interesting about it. It also means that different fans will take their transformative engagement in different directions than the most popular interpretions, with less or just as much or sometimes even more textual support.

[auroracalisto]

hi all! hope everyone is well. i turn 22 in six days :’) thought i’d let you know that i’m actually alive, just not posting.

here’s a little run down if you wanna know where i’ve been!! i should be able to graduate with my masters degree this december, and i’m currently off from work for the summer, so i’m focusing on a few different classes rn. i’ll be traveling to europe on the 15th, and i won’t be back until the end of june, so i’ll be equally busy for that. i’ve been a lot better recently, but i really hope to get back into the groove of posting again. when i left, i was in a really bad place, mentally. remember to take breaks, and that it’s important to listen to your mind and your body!! miss you all and hope you’re well. ♡

[wikiangela]

this post got away from me and it's basically a commentary/rant about the last 10-ish minutes of s6e18 😂😂😂

if Spike and Anya kiss and/or hook up I'm gonna throw up

noooo don't, I hate this 🤮

I love Spike and I hate Anya and wtf nooo I can't look at this scene

aw is Xander hurt because of this? maybe Anya and Spike hooking up is not so bad after all 😂😂 since apparently he won't get any fun tortures or anything 🙄🙄

also, as much as he might be hurt and jealous, he has no right to be this angry lmao if he goes there now and makes a scene or tries to kill Spike, that's really low - he left her at the altar and now they're broken up, she can fuck whoever she wants as she should

okay, I have enough, he really thinks he has any right to beat up Spike now? 🙄😂 that whole anger thing is just fucking annoying because seriously, what right does he have to be angry now??! he's the one who majorly fucked up 😂😂😂 God he's fucking annoying as fuck 🤣

and she's explaining herself now oh my god

my opinion - she's single and heartbroken and if she wants a rebound one-night-stand, she damn well has the right to it (and I'm saying this as a person who completely dislikes Anya)

YES EXACTLY - she doesn't owe him anything!!! that's none of his business who she bangs and where and when fuck you Xander

she didn't even know she was being recorded, she didn't do it to hurt you, you egomaniac, she did it for herself 🙄🙄

and they know about Buffy and I'm glad because the games were enough 😂😂

also, where does Xander get off caring so fucking much about Buffy's love/sex life 😂 I know he'd rather be the one banging her but like, it's her choice 😂😂 jfc

what is it with the "good"/human guys in this show being so fucking terrible 😂😂 and women are left feeling guilty as if they did sooo much to hurt them specifically and intentionally 😂 god sometimes I forget this is a 90s show but then shit like this happens 😂😂 Xander is such an entitled baby oh my god (entitled specifically to Buffy tbh)

BUT OMG TARA AND WILLOW ARE BACK TOGETHER!!!!!😍 😍 😍 😍 just for that watching this episode was worth it lol

btw Jonathan Warren and Andrew had quite the set up huh observing the whole town on cameras wow - as I'm watching for a few episodes now I've been realizing that they're honestly more competent than I gave them credit for (still a weak villain but much better than the initiative and Adam 😂)

[marvellousinternethideout]

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER

Season 2

Ep 4 - Inca Mummy Girl.

Xander still has a thing for buffy...? I thought we were over it, but apparently not lol.

Don't worry xander I am pretty sure there would be a real human sacrifice don't worry.

Is mummy is gonna wake up!? Is she alive or...yup she did, and killed our blue shirt guy.

Damn xander. Willow baby move on, he's an idiot.

The breaking of the 4th wall in this show lol. How casually they're like, 'I hope he didn't wake up with mommy and break the glass(or something)' and then just connect the dots that this is what happened. Alright lmao.

Stop with jealousy xander.

Not the south America stereotypes. Also he just died. Damn that was fast. Also, became into a girl, which I am guessing is the princess mummy.

Ah, the classic 'you speak very good English'.

Wait, WAIT, WAIT, IS THAT OZ!? YES, IT IS. OH FUCKING MAN, HE'S HERE.

He's also a lead guitarist. DAMN!!!

Yes, babe oz, your type is willow, she is coming.

Willow baby, Xander isn't worth it.

Jesus, how many chosen ones does this show has?

She just killed the BODYGUARD!? Damn.

Oz and Willow have to meet in this episode. I am so fucking excited!!!!

Xander STFU. Oz you better hurry up.

YESSSS OZ JUST ASKED WHO IS THAT GIRL! YESS. That's your girl willow and also one of your love lives (not your future wife tho).

OZ fell in love with her at first sight. Damn boy.

Okay, the princess mummy is a bad person. Is she gonna try to kill xander...

Don't kiss her Xander...welp, he did.

Willow, oz is behind you, don't run, who cares about the supernatural, stay with him.

LMAO, the Princess mummy just broke. Wtf!

So, I loved this episode. Wished Angel was in but no problem we got OZ baby. Finally, we have someone for willow. My guy fell in love at first sight. Knowing how it ends between oz and willow, I am still excited to see them and watch their chemistry. Although little heartbroken that *spoiler alert* he will not end up with her and well...get married to someone else but I'll take what I can get.

Nothing much happens, another supernatural but not connected to the main plot. Still a great episode.

That's it for this episode, see ya in the next one. Cheers 🥂

[layer-of-slayers]

Anya should have thought she was engaged to Spike in Tabula Rasa

Think about it. Spike would have been immediately devoted to her, romantic to a fault, and Anya would have eaten that shit up, while all the Scoobies get to see that Spike is, at his core, a devoted, loving partner (not that they’d have any trouble denying any significance in his behaviour as Randy, the Scoobies excel at denial).

And the situation could fester in Xander’s head afterwards, feeding his jealousy and inferiority complex by making him wonder if Anya wants someone who can treat her like that, if she would be happier with a demon, if he wants to get married to a former demon who obviously had no trouble whatsoever attaching herself to the nearest attractive baddie the second she forgets who he is. It would have worked towards explaining Hell’s Bells if he brought it up a couple of times after, seemingly casual. A joke here, an annoyed comeback there, Xander’s typical quips, so Anya wouldn’t think twice about it, and neither would the audience. Not until it all implodes and Xander is walking away.

And then, later, in Entropy, it would lend some more weight to Xander’s reaction. He’d be wondering if Anya secretly wanted Spike the whole time. Better yet, he might have seen it as proof that she did. 

[destiel-wings]

watching Angel (the series), I feel like is really interesting, specifically in s3 cause I think in some ways it was good but they did Cordelia SO dirty. I feel like there were some aspects where I was like yeah that was totally written by a man e.g. when Angel gives her a necklace after being away cause of Buffy’s death and she’s like it brings out my boobs 🙄.

I feel like there are some scenes that are kinda ironic considering how Joss treated Charisma like when Cordelia was doing that commercial? Like was that a dig at Joss? But also that’s 90s early 2000s writing as well.

Oh, yeah, absolutely.

I don't know if you're watching the show for the first time or not, so I won't give you direct spoilers, but what they did to Cordelia gets so much worse in season 4.

There is one storyline specifically that happens that season that we as a fandom collectively pretend never happened.

And I actually like season 4 (i love the way that it's built, the plot twists, the epic tones of the main villain coming, the way that some characters develop and the main theme/metaphor that relates to the big bad of the season), but what they did to Cordelia will always be one of the greatest faults of the show. And now that all the rumors about Joss are out, we know why that happened too. 😔 That's when Charisma was pregnant and Joss threatened to fire her. And he did.

I mean, I can see the casual misogyny you're mentioning in the first three seasons as partly being due to the 90s/early 2000s writing (definitely a factor), and partly as a sad realistic depiction of what real actresses in the business like Cordelia (or generally women everywhere) had to endure at the time, when they couldn't even speak up. And i think there's a distinction to be made here, because there's two types of misogyny (or any other problematic behavior) that can be shown in media.

The scene where Cordelia is posing in a bikini and the photographer is a complete jerk for example is a harsh depiction of what society used to be (and still is), and so, in my opinion deserves to be in the show, because stuff like that is a slap in the face that should outrage us. Shows nowadays are excessively tiptoeing around real life issues. And i don't think it's helping anyone. I think we should be able to see stuff like that in fiction so we can say "this is horrible. It shouldn't happen in real life," and hopefully we can learn from it and get better as a society. In this sense, it's useful misogyny, because it exists to outrage the viewer and sensitize them to the issue. And there's tons of other examples of this in the show (I'm thinking about Lilah's storyline for example).

And then there's the pointless misogyny. Lines like "it brings out my boobs!" or other examples that i can't think of right now that won't really teach you anything if not make you cringe thinking "a woman would never say something like that", or "this is a disservice to the character for no valid reason" (like what they did to Cordy in season 4). That type of misogyny outrages us, but for different reasons, because it's gratuitous and completely unnecessary, and should be rightfully cut out.

Unfortunately the show does both. It is the product of its time, and that needs to be taken into consideration. In the end, I think the good it did outweighs the bad, and it managed to tell stories that are still strong and powerful today because it never shied away from speaking about human weakness and visceral struggles in a way that's raw. And people can relate to that (generally speaking).

And you're right, it is ironic, Joss became a feminist icon for creating Buffy, a show where strong (and yet human, flawed, imperfect) characters always stole the scene (with a few male characters exceptions)-- and then he created Angel. A different show, more adult, darker, with some noir touches, and a male lead. And I think, the vibe being so different and more focused on a male lead like Angel (who represents an anti-hero version of the knight in shining armor, which is, per se, an anti-feminist trope) the slope was slippery and so some misogyny slipped through. I'm not saying that misogyny was inherent to the basis of this show but... it kinda was. One could even say that Angel is the anti-Buffy (literally, one show being about a frisky young female lead who is a hero pledged to rid the world from evil vampires, and the other one being about a brooding 200+ year old male lead that is a former(?) evil vampire always ready to save a damsel in distress). The cool thing though, is the show itself is aware of that, and brings it out at text level (for example with Spike mocking Angel for it, in one of the very first episodes of season 1). So what I'm saying is... it's complicated. It's a show that uses its female characters to cater to its male characters' arcs sometimes. But it's also a show that gives us great female characters. Strong, powerful, intelligent, human, unapologetic. There's the good and the bad.

Back to Joss Whedon, personally, I can see him putting a lot of his own personal struggles into the show. Like, the theme of Angel season 5 is literally about the heroes trying not to get corrupted by the power, and that's kind of what Joss did. Guess he wasn't as good and righteous as most of his characters in the end.

[mayaofthemountain]

tonight my notes told me at one point I cared enough about the Vampire Diaries? to have posted commentary on it? 

[btvspolls]

Silly commentary aside, I'd genuinely love to know any headcanons or storyline ideas you guys may have inre: a big bad's potential reverse heel turn away from evil

[salarta]

I Saw The TV Glow Thoughts

So I saw the movie, and I wanna talk about several things within it. I'm gonna put it under a cut because spoilers are involved.

I thought it was a great movie, though I don't think it'll have the same impact on streaming.

The whole scene of Mr Melancholy speaking to Owen is a prime example. It feels very encompassing when it's on a huge screen taking up your attention, vs on a smaller screen when you can easily just look at your phone or get distracted. I LOVED the effect on his face. But yeah, "you won't even know you're dying" hits hard.

By the end, it very much feels like one of those popular 90s episodes where the main characters are tormented by a monster of the week that tries to convince them their actual reality is pure fiction and they're just "crazy." Except, in this case the movie all takes place from the perspective of the characters inside the fake reality.

I've seen mostly comparisons between Pink Opaque and BtVS. I can see that, both due to the director's comments and certain elements. But honestly, I feel Charmed is a better comparison point. The Pink Opaque focuses on two young girls who use the astral plane to communicate, and involves fighting demons, both of which do apply to both shows. But it's the implied sisterhood aspect, paired with the astral plane, that feels very Charmed in nature. The power of the pink opaque feels very much like it fits power of three.

More importantly, Owen's dad refers to Pink Opaque as a "show for girls." That attitude more closely mirrors Charmed because of its protagonists all being female, and very strong girl power emphasis of the show.

Then there's the fact Pink Opaque comes on during a "young adult" block even though it's talked about as being "for kids," yet the show comes on too late for kids to actually watch. And somehow lasts 5 seasons like that. That was the first indication to me something wasn't quite right.

I think just how different Pink Opaque is on streaming makes very clear that Owen's in the midnight realm. Aside from simply how cheesy it is by that point, if it was really that cheesy originally, why would it be on at 10:30 PM instead of during the day like with Power Rangers. The Mr Melancholy game at the arcade goes further into this matter by suddenly making it more "childish."

Now, within this whole framework, with Pink Opaque being the real world and Owen being one of its characters, Owen's midnight realm circumstances work perfectly both to keep the character trapped in the realm and to show division with Maddy. Maddy's two years older and a white lesbian, while Owen's trapped in the realm presenting as a black man. You get the effect of this on their relationship when Maddy starts out calling him a "baby" for being two years younger than her, and later with Maddy feeling she needed to make clear she's a lesbian.

Along with this, it helps get across to the audience how difficult it can be to "escape" the pressures of masculinity. How Owen feels the need to sneak around with "girly" interests and connections. Never considers asking to stay over at Maddy's. Also Owen cleaning off the pink ghost drawn on his neck. We know he loves the show, so that decision must come from fear of public stigma if people saw it on him. It's very much a "I'm wiping away this power of mine, this thing that gives me life, from public view so I can fit in" case.

Fred Durst is also someone I would not have expected starring in this. Yet he was a perfect choice for the character he played. He's one of several people who had a pop culture masculine image out there in the 90s, so it fits for Owen to have that affecting him.

Oh, and I very much saw the AYAOTD reference for what it was.

Wrapping up, I can understand the point of the ending after seeing commentary by the director. It's a very valuable ending and I certainly wouldn't say it should "change" in any way from the director's vision. However, I will say that I didn't get the impression the director intended while viewing. "This is gonna be a process Owen needs to go through, it's gonna take time" is something that makes sense once explained. Taken as-is, it ended up feeling like Owen saw the truth but then decided to run away from it again, like Owen has no hope of breaking free of the midnight realm. It felt like a very "if that's not enough for Owen to change, nothing will make it happen" situation.

That's all I have at the moment. Again, good movie!