[BVS Anyone?] Joss Whedon I'm Surprised at You!

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Are there any other Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans out there? I just learned something about the new season and must admit I’m a bit disappointed. If you’re a fan and you’ve heard nothing of the new season–casting elements, etc., and AREN’T interested in knowing until it unfolds, don’t read any further. Its a spoiler that I had, until just this afternoon avoided, when I got an email that said, “As you probably already know…” <No, but thanks for not putting any spoiler space or anything, dumbass!>

I guess this could be considered a mini-rant, but I never think of myself as too venemous a person, so I don’t consider my threads or posts “pitworthy.” (If this gets moved there I guess I’ll learn differently.) Without much further ado, I’ll get to my point…

Spoiler
Like
Space
Just in
case and
to Avoid
Anyone
Getting
Pissed
at me! :slight_smile:

Sometime last year I created a page on my Buffy fansite called Casting Couch with that note that it, the tv/Hollywood script gimmick I was using to create an interesting (I hope) websection to my site was cheap and below Joss Whedon and his marvelous cast of writers. It apparently was not. And, with all the people he COULD have used the gimmick on and mostly gotten away with due to less than defined pasts (Giles being my TOP choice for this type of plot twist where it would be more appropriate and easier to explain), he chooses instead to use the lead character. This season, I’ve learned, Joss gives Buffy a little sister.

Now, I know there were lines in a couple episodes last year making reference to “little sister is coming” and even read some fan speculation. Most though it was a metaphor or had a deeper meaning…like another new slayer or something.

It appears it was more literal than that and, BAM! Outta no where, Buffy has a little sister named Dawn. Now, since I’ve only seen the brief spoiler announcing her arrival and haven’t (because I like to be surprised) sought out any more details, am disappointed.

I just told PLD, they better do some damn fine writing and explaining since I think Buffy as an only child has been pretty well established since series day one (and even the original movie).

I’ve always applauded Joss doing the unexpected in his scripts and barked very little about continuity-type conflicts…which he IS actually pretty good at avoiding, most of the time, but this seems really strange. I guess I’ll have to wait and see how it plays out this season and try not to second guess the writing until I’ve seen what they do with it, but still…I’m a little disappointed.

Hey, if you’re a fan and don’t see this as a ploy, I’d like to hear from you, too…

Peta T.
who does HAVE a real life, but enjoys a little fantasy for a couple hours on Tuesday nights.

p.s. You don’t think Joss visited my website, do you? :wink:

2

Peta, I’m a fan of the show too and I think you’re worrying over nothing. At least I hope so. Look at it this way. Even if it is a plot gimmick, so what? Look at all the other plot gimicks BtVS has gotten away with. Paralell Universes. Evil Twins. Soap Opera type relationships. Sudden Death. Giant Snakes (OK, not so much Giant Snakes).

The real test is how this twist is incorporared into the show. I’d feel safer if Joss himself were writing all the episodes. But heck, I’m willing to wait and see. Talk to me Wednesday. :slight_smile:

3

Of course, I’m not a great fan of Buffy - I just rearrange my classes, so I can get home to watch it :smiley:

Meanwhile here in England we’re not so up-to-date. Remember Buffy’s graduation? Just watched it! Remember Angel, the spinoff? Yep, it’s just started showing…

4

Dude, stop watching it soon. The fourth season was pretty lousy.

Hopefully he’ll manage the little sister thing a bit better than Riley/Initiative/blahblahblah. I love BtVS, but if it doesn’t start getting better and soon I’ll just have to give it up.

5

Well, I thought there were some rough spots in Season Four, but didn’t leave it with as negative a feeling. Angel rocked all season (with, for me, the exception of ONE episode that contained BAD logic). I think he and Cordelia have really come into their own.

I doubt that I’ll stop watching Buffy as long as they’re running new episodes and I don’t want to become one of those hypercritical fans who picks apart each line of dialogue…I’m just hoping Joss can pull this off. And, I concur, I wish Joss were writing more/all the episodes.

Hopefully they’ll figure out what to do with Giles and Xander (not together, of course, but…) more these season. Maybe let Xander enroll in college already or something…

Thanks for the comments–keep 'em coming? :slight_smile:

6

Diehard Buffy fan checking in…

I have every single episode on tape. (Sadly, though, I can’t get it here… my dad is taping them at home for me,though.)

Season four wasn’t that good in terms of the villian, but it did bring us the wonderful W/T relationship. And there were definately some high moments. Can’t top last year’s Faith arc, or the impact of season 2, though.

About the Dawn thing- I’m a hopeless spoiler slut, and I’ve been reading about what they’re going to do with it. Apparently, Dawn has some sort of interesting mystical thing going on. I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re going to do with it. I have faith in Joss.

damnit, I want it to be thanksgiving so I can watch… <sob, sob>

7

I’m not so much a Buffy fan as I am a Willow fan. All the same, I’m gonna watch (and probably tape). Gimmick or no, I love the show.

8

I second, TheNerd. I might not watch if it wasn’t for her character. <gazes adoringly at her Willow magnet>

Um… back now. Yeah.

9

Willow is the main reason I watch the show. sigh

Andygirl, we have way too much in common. If we’re not careful I’ll end up falling for quietgirl. :wink:
General comments (aka buffy rave) season 4 certainly lacked something. While I didn’t mind the general idea of the government identifying the demon existence (and surely they would if there were this many attacks) and taking measures to address it, the Initiative sucked. Undercover college students? Why bother? And why did they suddenly stop wearing masks after buffy discovered their secret?

A little bit of realism in my escapism please.

10

dpr-

Mess with my girl and I’ll beat you up. :wink:

Season 4 had some problems behind the scenes. They didn’t expect for Professor Walsh to be killed off so soon, but Lindsey Crouse was told that she only had X amount of time. They had to do a bit of writing around that one.

Even Joss admits that the Initiative didn’t turn out like they planned. I wasn’t entirely crazy about it, but it worked well enough. It wasn’t the big sucking hole that Xena turned into, at least.

There are apparently big things coming next season, though. I can’t wait to find out what Tara’s secret is.

Okay, I’m not obsessed. Really, I’m not.

11

Yes, T’s secret will be an intriguing one (hopefully). She obviously knows so much more than she lets on so I guess the question is: is she there with good or bad intentions?

I hope her motives are pure. Aside from the lesbian/negative association which would truly destroy any writing credibility, I’ve enjoyed the way she’s been portrayed as insecure. Of course it could all be an act but I tend to hope that she does indeed love our Willow (damn her).
And I’d never mess with a friend’s girl.

Even ** without ** the threats. :wink:

12

Die-hard BtVS fan, here. Or at least I used to be. This season has been a disappointment for me. I miss the library. I miss the secrecy. I miss GILES, for crying out loud! I generally live to be spoiler-free, but now I just don’t care as much. Angel is good, much better last season than Buffy. I have many trepidations about this season, especially since Jeff Pruitt and Sophia Crawford were canned.

StG

13

Another fan checking in…

I think it’s a ploy. I hate it. It just screams Family Ties to me (where they added a new kid nearly every season for a while there - or was that Growing Pains?). I’m cynical, but I will watch and see what happens. Perhaps I will move solely to the “geared to older viewers” Angel.

So far, I gathered that the things Tara has been doing haven’t been nice. Didn’t she mess up one of Willow’s spells once, on purpose?

I miss Giles, too. And Spike had better show up again.

14

I’m a big Buffy fan, although I agree that Willow is the key to getting me to watch the show.

There’s definately something about Tara. Jean Grey, I also remember her deliberately messing up a spell. She also made a really cryptic statement about her mother having a lot of power in the first episode or two in which she appears.

Adding a child to the show…I don’t know. It has the potential for major fromage if it’s not done right. And it’s extremely hard to do right, judging from every other show that’s tried it.

I have faith, though. They’ve done a pretty good job of writing so far, and an excellent job of character development, so I’ll reserve judgement until I see the finished product.

15

You have Faith? Lucky guy.

16

You know, TheNerd, I almost capitalized that when I wrote it, and then I thought, Nah…Too obvious. Let’s see if anyone catches it.

I loved Faith, though. I like bad girls. They’re so much more fun than good girls.

17

Guys, the spell Tara messed up was a demon detecting spell. Therefore: Tara has demon ancestry. I suspect she’s hiding out from the demon half of her family and is trying out the human gig.

Do we know for sure that Dawn is Buffy’s sister by blood? I was under the impression that Dawn was a youthful Slayer - one not called into battle yet. That would explain Buffy and Faith referring to her as a sister.

Gads, I hope they get Giles a job. I want to see more - lots more! - of him.

Also, Angel rocks.

18

That, at least, that Tara had something at risk–something she didn’t want brought to light in messing with her spell that way. I’d have to check, but I think it was not limited to demons, but “darkness” or dark entities or something.

Well, her name is Dawn SUMMERS so I’m guessing she’s at least a half sister. Still, it seems to me to keep continuity that she’d have to be a half sister that Buffy never knew about because Buffy sure acts like an only child and Joyce treats her that way (think back to the Halloween eps Fear Itself when Joyce got all misty sewing Buffy’s costume).

See the thing with adding a relative like that (especially a younger one) is that its hard to take back or explain away if the character is unsuccessful(unless they kill her off or send her “back to her father” or something).

Well, I’m trying to keep positive thoughts. Just picked up the new “Buffy: The Monsters” book and am awaiting the new version of “The Watcher’s Chronicles.”

Peta T.

19

Ahhh … Buffy gets a sister, it all starts to make sense. Brittney Spears has a role in BtVS Season 5.

Any guesses?

But seriously for a second I have to agree with the consensus around the board. Season 4 was way below par and even I - fan above fandom found myselves hoping the Scooby Gang would be killed off at the end of the season so they could leave with a modicum of our affection.

Hopefully Season 5 will make up for Season 4.

Though I have no illusions that anything could top Season 2. The whole Angel/Angelus and Buffy sending him to hell plot was fantastic.

I remember an interview with Joss Whedon where he said:

“I like to kill off a major character once in a while. It keeps the audience guessing and in suspence and the cast don’t get too comfortable or misbehave.”

20

Well, the spoiler I got in my email told that…ready?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
V
Harriet the Spy!

See, I did like MOST of the season though it did seem to be missing a little something. I was disappointed by how quickly Buffy…um…jumped in the sack, but I guess they wanted to prove she could make mistakes like a regular college kid or something. Unlike some dedicated Angel-Buffy fans, I liked Riley.

Also, it got a little frustrating towards the end because if they had just had a complete, normal conversation, most of the misunderstandings could have been cleared up. (I miss Oz too!)

That I have to agree with–actually, end Season 2 and early Season 3 when he returns (although I still think he should’ve left Buffy in LA for at least a whole episode).

Giles definitely needs to get more into things (and sing a bit more!).

Peta T.