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mnemex where memes live, and he laughs. But this one I found on sdelmonte's page. It's the "Bye Bye Buffy" Meme.
First episode you saw:
The first part of the season two closer, The Becoming. I'm still not overly fond of that whole two part ep. I think this is because it is a lousy first ep to see.
Your first thought about the show:
"Don't have time." Upon seeing the first episode, "Eh."
Why do you love it:
The first 3 seasons do a good job of working on multiple levels. They use the rule explicated in Nancy Springer's Fair Peril that a thing is what it is, but is also something else. The writing is good; the dialogue is crisp and smart. And there is always a twist on what at first looks like an old cliche.
All of this is less true after the first 3 seasons, and I loved it less and less, finally watching, vaguely wondering why I bothered, despite the bright spot that was the beginning of season 7.
Top five episodes:
1. Earshot. I admit this is partly political. I am so pissed that the decision not to air it was made. This decision sent the message that not only was it all right, but that it was right to persecute the geeks, goths, freaks, and other outcasts. This is my clan, however much I may not get along with individual members of it.
Oh yes -- the scene with Larry and Xander was great.
2. Once More With Feeling -- still humming the tunes.
3. Hush -- It's amazing.
4. Superstar -- Great sendup, done to the hilt, right down to the frigging credits, man!
5. The Body -- Painful to watch, in a good way. Good use of negative space. Actual scene with Anya as a real person -- we got far too few of those and far too many "I'm funny because I say annoying things and love money" scenes. One of my all time favorite on screen kisses.
6. The Zeppo -- This, not "Once More With Feeling", was the first self-parody episode of Buffy. Beautiful timing, especially in the cutting between the End of the World that had me laughing my head off and the quiet confrontation in the basement.
Yeah, I know it's 6. And the ranking is amazingly close, so I don't know if the order is exactly right.
Least favourite episode:
Wreaked. Let's do an afterschool anti-drug episode and pretend it's a Buffy episode.
Best action episode:
Not my field. I liked Graduation Day, Part Two, and yes, most of the Angelus-Buffy fights. But nothing smacks me as "Wow, what a great action-packed ep!" This is, I think, one of the things that I liked about the show.
Episode that made you cry:
Not sure there's a Buffy ep in that category. The last minutes of the final episode of Babylon 5 made me cry both times I saw it.
Episode that kept you in suspense:
The end of Hush.
Favourite quote:
Hm. The Spike quotesdelmonte quoted from The Becoming is great. So is Xander's speech to Dawn in Potential. Hm. Right now, though, the one in my head is Buffy's, from Earshot, looking down from the belltower. "It looks quiet down there, but it's not. It's deafening."
Quote that made you cry:
None
Funniest quote:
Good lord, where to begin? I'm just going to type the first 3 that come to mind.
1. Larry: We're here because some dead ditz made a wish?
2. Buffybot: Hello, Anya! How are your monies?
Anya (touched): Fine, thanks.
Asacrobatty pointed out, Anya was delighted because someone actually cared about something important to her for a change.
3. The entire awkward conversation between Spike and Joyce at their second meeting.
Best 'speech':
While Xander's speech to Dawn in Potential is great, I'd give this to Buffy's speech to Jonathan in "Earshot", except I use that later. Ah heck, it's still great.
Most surprising moment:
Giles' appearance in the season 6 ender.
Moment you couldn't watch:
I'm an arachnaphobe. The spider scenes in "Selfless".
Saddest death:
Hm, okay, who died? Joyce -- well done, but not saddest. Larry -- I think that's one of the ones I was saddest about, but not in a heartfelt way. More in a "He was getting to be a cool character. Darn." Jenny -- 'Fraid not. Tara -- No, sorry. It was shot so oddly. Angel's at the end of The Becoming was heartrending, but not exactly a death per se. I'm going to have to go with Jonathan's.
Favourite character:
Hard to say, given that, by the end of the show, I didn't recognize most of them.
Least favourite character:
Glory. She was just amazingly annoying. Caleb's a close second.
Funniest character:
Xander.
Best looking character:
Spike or Giles, depending on my mood.
Bravest character:
Hm. Tricky call here. A lot of folks pick Xander, and there's something to that. Asacrobatty said, whenever someone is in trouble and screams, Xander runs -- in the direction of the screaming. But I'm also partial to Tara. She refuses to tell Glory who the key is, knowing that Glory is about to subject her to her worst nightmare. Okay, she's so scared that she is shaking and silently crying -- silently, because Glory will kill anyone who tries to help -- but, as whoever wrote up the ep on televisionwithoutpity said, "I would have crumbled like a wet toothpick." And Tara doesn't.
In season 6, much though I disliked the magic-is-drugs plotline, Tara rocked. Standing up to and eventually walking out on Willow takes an entirely different kind of courage than standing up to (well, sitting down to) Glory took, especially for someone with Tara's lack of self-esteem.
Smartest character:
It so varies, and one of the things I hated from season 5 on was how character intellegence varied with plot needs. All of them have been capable of out of the box thinking on occasion.
Character you would most like to be in combat with:
Probably Xander, as he'd do his damndest to make sure I came out of it alive, whatever it cost him.
Character you most wanna hug:
You know, I've just not had that impulse.
Character who wasn't in season seven that you miss the most:
I agree with the smart-ass "Giles", but Tara's a close second. Actually, I miss most of the characters in season 7. Except for Dawn and Faith, they all seem to have been replaced with mindless androids.
Character with the best hair:
I don't really care.
Character with the biggest attitude:
Buffy in season 7, followed closely by Kennedy and Giles that same season. Then Wood.
Favourite scene of all time:
Here again, I may just list the first few that come to mind, leaving out, in all likelihood, any from my favorite 6 episodes. So, in no particular order:
1. Seeing the result of Glory having gone through the entire army of the Knights of Byzantium like a knife through butter. Chillingly effective.
2. Cordelia's freak out after standing up to her social circle and deciding not to break up with Xander.
3. Nearly anything with the Mayor in it, but especially the "Become invulnerable" gag.
4. The scene between Buffy/James and Angelus/Miss Newman right through to the end in "I Only Have Eyes for You". Wow.
5. Nearly anything with Ethan in it, especially "Yes, but you looked marvellous in it" and Giles on band candy telling Buffy, "You're -my- slayer! Kick him in the teeth!" Dang it, Ethan should have been the one who summoned Sweet in "Once More With Feeling", likemnemex said.
Least favourite scene of all time:
Drugged out on magic Willow driving in "Wrecked". Come to that, all of "Wrecked", with all of the icky Buffy motivational speeches of season 7 a close 2nd.
Quote that means the most to you:
From Earshot:
"Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy with their own. The beautiful ones, the popular ones, the guys who pick on you. Everyone. If you could hear what they were thinking -- the loneliness, the confusion. It looks quiet down there, but it's not. It's deafening."
mnemex where memes live, and he laughs. But this one I found on sdelmonte's page. It's the "Bye Bye Buffy" Meme.First episode you saw:
The first part of the season two closer, The Becoming. I'm still not overly fond of that whole two part ep. I think this is because it is a lousy first ep to see.
Your first thought about the show:
"Don't have time." Upon seeing the first episode, "Eh."
Why do you love it:
The first 3 seasons do a good job of working on multiple levels. They use the rule explicated in Nancy Springer's Fair Peril that a thing is what it is, but is also something else. The writing is good; the dialogue is crisp and smart. And there is always a twist on what at first looks like an old cliche.
All of this is less true after the first 3 seasons, and I loved it less and less, finally watching, vaguely wondering why I bothered, despite the bright spot that was the beginning of season 7.
Top five episodes:
1. Earshot. I admit this is partly political. I am so pissed that the decision not to air it was made. This decision sent the message that not only was it all right, but that it was right to persecute the geeks, goths, freaks, and other outcasts. This is my clan, however much I may not get along with individual members of it.
Oh yes -- the scene with Larry and Xander was great.
2. Once More With Feeling -- still humming the tunes.
3. Hush -- It's amazing.
4. Superstar -- Great sendup, done to the hilt, right down to the frigging credits, man!
5. The Body -- Painful to watch, in a good way. Good use of negative space. Actual scene with Anya as a real person -- we got far too few of those and far too many "I'm funny because I say annoying things and love money" scenes. One of my all time favorite on screen kisses.
6. The Zeppo -- This, not "Once More With Feeling", was the first self-parody episode of Buffy. Beautiful timing, especially in the cutting between the End of the World that had me laughing my head off and the quiet confrontation in the basement.
Yeah, I know it's 6. And the ranking is amazingly close, so I don't know if the order is exactly right.
Least favourite episode:
Wreaked. Let's do an afterschool anti-drug episode and pretend it's a Buffy episode.
Best action episode:
Not my field. I liked Graduation Day, Part Two, and yes, most of the Angelus-Buffy fights. But nothing smacks me as "Wow, what a great action-packed ep!" This is, I think, one of the things that I liked about the show.
Episode that made you cry:
Not sure there's a Buffy ep in that category. The last minutes of the final episode of Babylon 5 made me cry both times I saw it.
Episode that kept you in suspense:
The end of Hush.
Favourite quote:
Hm. The Spike quote
sdelmonte quoted from The Becoming is great. So is Xander's speech to Dawn in Potential. Hm. Right now, though, the one in my head is Buffy's, from Earshot, looking down from the belltower. "It looks quiet down there, but it's not. It's deafening."Quote that made you cry:
None
Funniest quote:
Good lord, where to begin? I'm just going to type the first 3 that come to mind.
1. Larry: We're here because some dead ditz made a wish?
2. Buffybot: Hello, Anya! How are your monies?
Anya (touched): Fine, thanks.
As
acrobatty pointed out, Anya was delighted because someone actually cared about something important to her for a change.3. The entire awkward conversation between Spike and Joyce at their second meeting.
Best 'speech':
While Xander's speech to Dawn in Potential is great, I'd give this to Buffy's speech to Jonathan in "Earshot", except I use that later. Ah heck, it's still great.
Most surprising moment:
Giles' appearance in the season 6 ender.
Moment you couldn't watch:
I'm an arachnaphobe. The spider scenes in "Selfless".
Saddest death:
Hm, okay, who died? Joyce -- well done, but not saddest. Larry -- I think that's one of the ones I was saddest about, but not in a heartfelt way. More in a "He was getting to be a cool character. Darn." Jenny -- 'Fraid not. Tara -- No, sorry. It was shot so oddly. Angel's at the end of The Becoming was heartrending, but not exactly a death per se. I'm going to have to go with Jonathan's.
Favourite character:
Hard to say, given that, by the end of the show, I didn't recognize most of them.
Least favourite character:
Glory. She was just amazingly annoying. Caleb's a close second.
Funniest character:
Xander.
Best looking character:
Spike or Giles, depending on my mood.
Bravest character:
Hm. Tricky call here. A lot of folks pick Xander, and there's something to that. As
acrobatty said, whenever someone is in trouble and screams, Xander runs -- in the direction of the screaming. But I'm also partial to Tara. She refuses to tell Glory who the key is, knowing that Glory is about to subject her to her worst nightmare. Okay, she's so scared that she is shaking and silently crying -- silently, because Glory will kill anyone who tries to help -- but, as whoever wrote up the ep on televisionwithoutpity said, "I would have crumbled like a wet toothpick." And Tara doesn't.In season 6, much though I disliked the magic-is-drugs plotline, Tara rocked. Standing up to and eventually walking out on Willow takes an entirely different kind of courage than standing up to (well, sitting down to) Glory took, especially for someone with Tara's lack of self-esteem.
Smartest character:
It so varies, and one of the things I hated from season 5 on was how character intellegence varied with plot needs. All of them have been capable of out of the box thinking on occasion.
Character you would most like to be in combat with:
Probably Xander, as he'd do his damndest to make sure I came out of it alive, whatever it cost him.
Character you most wanna hug:
You know, I've just not had that impulse.
Character who wasn't in season seven that you miss the most:
I agree with the smart-ass "Giles", but Tara's a close second. Actually, I miss most of the characters in season 7. Except for Dawn and Faith, they all seem to have been replaced with mindless androids.
Character with the best hair:
I don't really care.
Character with the biggest attitude:
Buffy in season 7, followed closely by Kennedy and Giles that same season. Then Wood.
Favourite scene of all time:
Here again, I may just list the first few that come to mind, leaving out, in all likelihood, any from my favorite 6 episodes. So, in no particular order:
1. Seeing the result of Glory having gone through the entire army of the Knights of Byzantium like a knife through butter. Chillingly effective.
2. Cordelia's freak out after standing up to her social circle and deciding not to break up with Xander.
3. Nearly anything with the Mayor in it, but especially the "Become invulnerable" gag.
4. The scene between Buffy/James and Angelus/Miss Newman right through to the end in "I Only Have Eyes for You". Wow.
5. Nearly anything with Ethan in it, especially "Yes, but you looked marvellous in it" and Giles on band candy telling Buffy, "You're -my- slayer! Kick him in the teeth!" Dang it, Ethan should have been the one who summoned Sweet in "Once More With Feeling", like
mnemex said.Least favourite scene of all time:
Drugged out on magic Willow driving in "Wrecked". Come to that, all of "Wrecked", with all of the icky Buffy motivational speeches of season 7 a close 2nd.
Quote that means the most to you:
From Earshot:
"Every single person down there is ignoring your pain because they're too busy with their own. The beautiful ones, the popular ones, the guys who pick on you. Everyone. If you could hear what they were thinking -- the loneliness, the confusion. It looks quiet down there, but it's not. It's deafening."