My Love/Hate Relationship With Cable's FX - Buffy

FX always cuts some lines or parts of scenes out of the show in order to fit in an extra commercial or two. This is standard practice when shows are syndicated, and sometimes even when they are rerun on the original network. I remember a couple of years ago when I purchased a Star Trek video being pleasantly surprised to see Mr. Spock doing calculations on a slide rule – whenever I’d seen the syndicated version that scene was always cut out.

–Cliffy

Dammit! Dammit! Dammit!

I have never seen this episode! I keep tyring to catch it whenever it’s on and I always miss it!

Dammit!!!

I just checked the original. The cut is right after the third “You make me…”

Every Buffy ep on FX is edited. Which drives me batshit.

“Sometimes I’m callous and strange…”

“Well, actually…” (Buffy nudges Angel to stop him from saying a person’s personality doesn’t change all that much when they become a vampire)

“Though probably not from your point of view” (or something like that, from “Becoming, Part Two”)

These are just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Not really scene-breakers, but it’s very annoying when you know the line is supposed to be there. And Spike’s line in “Becoming, Pt. 2” is particularly aggravating that you can tell the scene was cut even if you didn’t see the original uncut version. You can almost feel the glitch in the videotape.

Sorry for the hijack, but I can’t resist. Which episode was that, Cliffy?

“They simply aren’t in the shorter version and you will have to wait until the US release of Season 6 on DVD to see the full, uncut version again.”

Uh, well, you know, some of us happen to have it burned to CD.

Well I’ll be damned. I checked the uncut version I have recorded and you (and The Gaspode) are correct – the original cut is after the final “me.” I think the reason I misremembered is that, since the cut is so abrupt, when you’re singing along in your head it takes you a syllable to realize the music has stopped. I still think Whedon did this on purpose – I don’t recall any other number being cut away from like that.

–Cliffy

I agree that he did it on purpose. The question is whether he did it on purpose to make people think of the sex joke or whether he did it because it’s funny to leave the line incomplete when the word to complete it is “complete.” I lean toward the latter because the former is hardly subtle and Joss is ready with Xander’s “singing” line next and two jokes on the same premise so close together is overkill.

Well, you’re all lucky. Where I am the bloody cable went winky and all I saw was pixellated blips and pops of sound. Only about 10-15 minutes of the episode came out clearly.

And it was *only[/i[ FX, no other channels. Dangit.

There is very little about that particular scene that I would describe as “subtle.” :wink:

–Cliffy

Or subscribe to Variety, and got it on DVD around Emmy voting time. Yay me!