Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest - 1x01/2 (BtVS)

First aired: 10.03.97

This show starts with some modesty and self-doubt with Darla’s line; “Are you sure this is a good idea?”

Right from this very first scene we are shown what would make BtVS and Whedon especially (see Dr. Horrible for most recent example) famous. He never once lies to the viewers, but he uses our own assumptions in order to surprise and shock us. He gives us the expected (which we don’t expect, because it is expected), but in an unexpected fashion. Buffy herself is a brilliant example of that.

I had almost forgotten how dark this show is from a purely visual point of view. In this 40+40 minutes episode we only have a handful of scenes with actual daylight in them. Most of the show takes place during the dark hours and the main source of light is artificial. In this introductory episode we are also shown some of the sets which will be heavily used throughout both this and later seasons, all of them indoors.

The musical score and sound effects in this episode had me scrunching my nose in dislike. The score felt cheap, dated and intrusive. I had to shake my head at some of the stupid background noise/voices added. Personally I could definitely have survived without the random obnoxious “Kill him!” during Buffy’s final fight with Luke. The music selection when it comes to songs on the other hand is excellent. Just like with Nerf Herder’s opening theme they are a mixture of young attitude and action, and fit the show perfectly.

I was almost a little surprised at the amount of exposition involved. I know Giles became know as the King of Exposition, but I had forgotten that almost each line serves an informative purpose. Few lines exists in themselves, but rather set the table for future events. It almost made me feel a little overwhelmed.

Buffy
Our first meeting with the lead character of Buffy is through her dreams, or in this case nightmares. I find the intimacy of this “first contact” very interesting. There are no secrets between us and the hero of this show.

Buffy exists in a social setting. She has her mother’s support behind her and actively seeks out friendships. It becomes clear from the start that the social safety nets these relations provide are very important to her. Something we see further evidence of in her need to save Jessie whom she sees as a potential friend. In addition we have the scene between her and Angel in the crypt where she asks him “Do you know what it‘s like to have a friend?”, the tone and way she said this indicates the importance of friendships and friends in her life. She identifies herself through her existence in a social group. What then becomes interesting is that twice she seeks out Willow, both times knowing she is not part of the popular kids and therefore not a ticket to easy acceptance. This deliberate drift towards outsidership is fascinating in contrast to the importance she puts on social acceptance. Then again perhaps all she truly wanted was acceptance, something the outsiders would be quicker to give than the otherwise socially prominent group lead by Cordelia?

The character of Buffy is an intriguing mixture of experience and a quest for oblivion. It makes for a very sad picture; the 16 year old desperately wanting to erase her experience of the dark side of life. Despite her need to regain her innocence and leave this part of the world behind her (no matter the positive influence she can have) she is forced to stay. Because she is special and at this point not because she has made herself so. No, the “specialness” was forced upon her by an outside power.

Furthermore she might posses great physical powers, but otherwise this is a powerless young girl (as powerless as most teenage girls). Her life is controlled by others. The only thing she has ultimate control over is her body, and what 16 year old has true control of that!? No, her life is controlled by those in authoritative positions such as her mother, her Watcher (Giles), the school system personified through the patriarch of principal Flutie and the powerful amoeba that is social acceptance at a High School.

All of this makes for a very interesting hero and I can’t wait to see how she develops.

The Rest
Buffy the Vampire Slayer usually is placed in the category of an ensemble show, that means it is built around a display of characters all relevant and important to the plot and development. Despite this, this episode was all about Buffy. Not one of the other characters made me take notice and look forward to what they could have to offer.

Willow came the closest with two moments of importance, both took place during the second part of the episode (The Harvest). First she was able to provide Buffy with help through her computer knowledge. Then later on she stood up to Cordelia who in the first part had tormented her. Potential yes, but no true emotional complexity. Angel had one moment of interest when Buffy asks him about friends, otherwise he was flat. Giles provided exposition and served as a reminder of the patriarchy Buffy is supposed to oppose. Xander…what exactly was Xander’s purpose in this?

What I especially disliked was the lack of emotional response to Jessie’s death. Xander kicked a bin around, but that seemed to be born out of anger and failure rather than upset of having lost a close friend.

The Dialogue
The amount of lines I scribbled down as I watched is impressive. With the exception of the scene in the locker room;

Aura: Well, the chatter in the caf is that she got kicked out, and that's why her mom had to get a new job.
Aphrodisia: Neg!
Aura: Pos! She was starting fights!
Aphrodisia: Neg-ly!

Which according to me was an abysmal attempt at writing contemporary slang. Otherwise this episode provided some brilliant lines. However it should be pointed out that none of the younger generations (Buffy, Cordelia, Willow, Xander and Jesse) voices’ were particularly distinguishable. But this is not necessarily a bad thing, rather it works as a “living” example of how different "language groups" create their own versions of a language.

Conclusion
This was a good introduction to the verse and a very interesting look at the main character. Buffy is a fascinating combination of ultimate power and complete lack thereof, and this episode gives us a complex portrait of a vivid and ambivalent character. Mucho gusto. What I don’t like is the lack of depth from the rest of the characters on the show. This episode didn’t really spark my interest in anything besides Buffy herself, but her I’m greatly interested in.

Randomness & Memorable
-“The fun part of the Black Plague is, what…?”
- “Morbid much.”
- Buffy’s fascination with James Spader.
- Buffy and Angel’s first meeting where she literally knocks him on his butt and would have left him breathless if he had been breathing.
- The Brit-bashing; “They’ve got that royal family and all kinds of problems.”
- Harmony in a pink unicorn t-shirt.
- The scene where the vamps advance on the Bronze with Darla in the lead while the perfect song is playing.
- Darla getting holy water burn courtesy of Willow.
- Final line; “The earth is doomed.”

Next up;
Chariots of War (XWP)

Sins of the Past - 1x01 (XWP)

First release: 09-04-95

Now this is a straightforward way of kicking off a show, first line of the show, and by the lead character Xena, is “Hello”. Simple is good.

What jumps me from the first scenes and follows me throughout the episode is the scenery. New Zealand really is ridiculously beautiful something which is take advantage of from the start. I can’t think of another show that uses as many panning nature shots in between scenes, show-casing the varied nature with no actual purpose beyond sharing the beauty.

Second thing to notice is the music, which consists of a delicious mixture of cultures and styles creating an impressive and epic feel. In between the music and nature one could easily mistake this for a straight-faced drama show taking itself very seriously. However, in great contrast to this we have the almost cartoonish violence and fight scenes. The fight scenes in this first episode bear no elements of realism (at all), but are rather amusing romps in unbelievable Hong Kong action mixed with He-Man Masters of the Universe. I appreciate on screen violence and personally, realism is not something I am looking for or need in order to find a fight scene satisfying. But I can definitely understand why more puritan action lovers scorn this show.

Gabrielle
Now lets talk about Gabrielle for a few paragraphs. I remembered her character as the young naïve and virginal peasant girl who was the complete innocence in contrast with Xena’s blemished past and present. I was actually surprised at what I found when I watched this again with analytical eyes. If you fight to look past the adorable smile and the gorgeous flickering eyelashes, what you see is something a lot more complex and darker than the pure and wholesome image she’s been slapped with. Her reasons for leaving home were not simply because of her need to see the world or to get away from a potential and unwanted loveless marriage. Instead she tells her sister “I am going to be a warrior.” I was with this intention she set out from home. Not once during this episode is her spoken intention to become a bard. She certainly has the gift of gab, but it is only used in order to get Xena to take her on as a "warrior apprentice".

On her way to Xena she doesn’t think twice about lying to serve her purposes. We’re not talking about artistic licence here, but pure and simple lies. Both towards those trying to take advantage of her (the blind Cyclops), but also those whom she tries to take advantage of (the old man with the carriage). Furthermore she seems to have no qualms about fighting dirty in order to help Xena (and ultimately herself), by tripping Draco’s guard during the final fight.

Finally I want to go back to the first scene in the clearing, where she is overpowered by one of the ruffians. Xena helps her by bashing the guy with the staff, but it is Gabrielle on her own who breaks free by taking out the guy with a well placed knee. This in no ways an helpless and morally lily white virgin. No, this is a young woman with a lot of drive and a purpose. She only needs for someone to help her take that first step to self-fulfilment. She is us, she is every woman out there. Seeing this again I have to wonder who is the true symbol of female empowerment in this show. Is it Xena, or is it perhaps Gabrielle?

Draco
My memory of the character of Draco has been severely clouded by the way in which he was used later in the series. This Draco however…wow! He is an emotionally complex character with a lot of skill and even more attitude. Personally I think this was a bloody brilliant way of starting the show by having a “villain” such as him. Not only does it show good quality writing and interesting stories, but also early on presents, what I loved about the earlier seasons, the moral ambiguity of all on screen characters. I wish we would have seen more of this competent warlord and skilled actor.

Xena
Xena herself feels very tired in this episode. You can easily imagine the weight of the world on her shoulders. This Xena is one of the most tragic characters I’ve ever seen. She wants nothing more than to “go home”, to feel and be at peace. At the same time it is so painfully clear that this person will never forgive herself and therefore never allow herself to find her own peace. I sigh deeply just thinking about it. Other than that, the Xena character isn’t very interesting in this episode. Until that final fight scene it really feels as if she’s not even there. What we see up until that point is merely a broken shell forced to go through the motions.

What is interesting to note is in the stoning scene at the Inn, where the villagers show up and demand vengance. What made me take note is the person who threw the first stone, a young girl cannot possibly remember Xena’s past sins against the village and its people. It is a powerful image to have a young girl throw the first stone and the guilt on Xena, a character who would become an impressive symbol both for female power, but also as the champion of a minority group such as the Queer community. We really are our own worst enemies aren’t we?!

It should also be pointed out that right from the start the two main characters voices are completely different and distinct from both each other and any other guesting characters.

Subtext
And finally a note on that sweet thing called subtext. Episode one and we already have comedic subtext in the form of an innuendo which comes out of the mouth of Gabrielle; “She’d never let a man close enough to do her -- at least not that kinda doing her. A young thing like me on the other hand.” This line takes on more depth in the light of what I mentioned earlier about her character, and I have to admit I have previously seriously underestimated her in this season. Another lovely thing from a slightly subtexty point of view is their first meeting. With a first meeting such as this, the meeting of glanzes across a crowded clearing, there really should have been no surprise when they eventually upgraded the looks to something beyond friendship, and that they also further down the series adapted the concept of soulmates to fit these two. Because that really was a classic first meeting of epic proportions.

Conclusion
I absolutely adore this episode. Not only is it a good preview of what the show would look like, but it is an enthralling story about three very different individuals and the influence and impact they have on each others lives at one particular moment in time. In my opinion Draco and Gabrielle stands out in this episode and are actually more interesting to watch than the tragic Xena. Still I now can’t wait to see Xena’s character develop into the complex anti-hero is became. I’m also looking forward to watching this season without the purity binoculars when it comes to Gabrielle.

Randomness & Memorable
- Argo the boy.
- “I’ve blocked off the flow of blood to your brain!”
- “You picked the wrong woman to be rough with.”
- Despite future indication of Lyceus as one of the most important persons in her life, she did not go see him until after her second talk with her mother, where she with brutal honesty was reminded of her past sins towards her family.
- The Chakram was the final thing Xena threw onto the pile to be buried at the beginning of the episode.
- Final word of the episode; "Friend".

Next up;
Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest (BtVS)

Pre-Re-Watching

My initial thought before the re-watching is that I have more respect for XWP. I think this may partly be because of the underdog status of XWP, and I will almost always root for the underdog. The fact that the XWP fandom also provides me with more intellectual debate as well as an incredibly high standard of fanwork e.g. fic, vids & graphics, also works to it’s advantage. Plus it should be mentioned that the Xena fandom is the one I’ve been most active in lately (as in the past year or so). It’s been a very long time since I actually watched any BtVS seriously.

It should be mentioned that right now I feel a certain amount of contempt for Joss Whedon. I cannot deny the man has streaks of brilliance in him, but there are certain aspects of him and his work that I’ve lately found do not mix with my perception of the world. Specifically the way in which (granted this is not all his fault) BtVS have been attributed to him alone and the following individual worship of Whedon himself. Though Whedon might be the man behind the genius that is BtVS you seldom feel the celebration and acknowledgment of the team standing with and behind him through the seven seasons. BtVS has in many ways become one big celebration of the individuals, Whedon and Sarah Michelle Gellar in particular. Whereas XWP on the other hand does have it’s stars, but has always felt like a team effort. Though some of them might shine a little brighter than the others, inside the fandom you never single one of them out and attribute the success to them individually. This feeling of team effort and praise is something that fits more comfortably with my ideology.

Furthermore at this time I also appreciate many of the XWP characters a lot more than any of the ones found in BtVS. My perceived difference between the two shows pre-re-watching is that Whedon (in general, but also in this specific case) provides interesting spins on old and well used stereotypes, whereas Xenaverse provides a larger display of truly original characters based on archetypes (yes there is a difference between stereo and archetypes).

At this point I also feel that the dialogue on XWP at times was more than a little clunky and rather cliché filled at times. "Buffyspeak" on the other hand, though heavily influenced by for example Heathers, really is original and so brilliantly funny it cannot not be worshipped. BtVS dialogue and Buffyspeak often find its ways into the most mundane of my sentences. As the grammar rapist I am, I love and adore the bending, twisting and twirling of expressions, sentences and words, the gang behind BtVS provided us with. Though there are some awesome lines on XWP (It’s all about me, and what I know!) they are not nearly as dynamic and vivid as the ones on BtVS.

To summarise, I at the moment prefer Xena over Buffy for a whole slay of reasons. The main one being the underrated nature of the show and the fact that the brilliance of the show stems from the effort we as a viewer and fan put into analysing it. My current disdain for Buffy mainly centres around the individualistic and somewhat pretentious elements of the show and its creators.

BtVS was mainstream original. XWP was independently original. One show created a female hero based on society’s perceived notions of femininity. The other show created a complex anti-hero that exists outside of contemporary gender roles. Both shows have become known as promoters of female empowerment. Then the question becomes, does either one of these shows live up to that reputation? Which show provided us with more original entertainment and messages? How much influence did they have on each other? What messages, if any, did they present? Where do these two stories fit into present day Western society?

And finally, how will my perceptions and preconceived notions have changed once I’ve watched my way through both shows?

Xena: Warrior Princess - Introduction

The following introduction lifted off of Wikipedia;

Xena: Warrior Princess is an American television series that aired from September 15, 1995 until June 18, 2001. Produced by Pacific Renaissance Pictures Ltd (owned by Robert Tapert and Sam Raimi) in association with/distributed by Universal Studios, Xena was created as a spin-off from Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. It stars Lucy Lawless as Xena and Renee O'Connor as her companion Gabrielle. The show chronicles Xena's quest to seek redemption for her past sins as a ruthless warlord by using her formidable fighting skills to help people. Gabrielle becomes Xena's greatest ally; her initial naïveté helps to balance Xena and assists her in recognizing and pursuing the "greater good."

In addition to Xena and Gabrielle, the show also features a wide assortment of recurring characters, including adversaries Ares (Kevin Tod Smith), Alti (Claire Stansfield) and Callisto (Hudson Leick), and trusted friends Ephiny (Danielle Cormack), Virgil (William Gregory Lee), Autolycus (Bruce Campbell), Eli (Tim Omundson) and Joxer (Ted Raimi).

Influence
Xena: Warrior Princess has been credited by many, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon, with blazing the trail for a new generation of female action heroes such as Buffy, Max of Dark Angel, Sydney Bristow of Alias, and the Bride in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill.

A subject of much interest and debate among viewers is the question of whether Xena and Gabrielle are lovers. The issue is left deliberately ambiguous by the show's writers. Jokes, innuendo, and other subtle evidence of a romantic relationship between Xena and Gabrielle is referred to as "lesbian subtext" or simply "subtext" by fans.

Source.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer - Introduction

The following synopsis lifted off of Wikipedia;

Buffy the Vampire Slayer is an Emmy Award-winning and Golden Globe-nominated American cult television series that aired from March 10, 1997 until May 20, 2003. The series was created in 1997 by writer-director Joss Whedon under his production tag, Mutant Enemy Productions with later co-executive producers being Jane Espenson, David Fury, and Marti Noxon. The series narrative follows Buffy Anne Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar), the latest in a line of young women chosen by fate to battle against vampires, demons, and the forces of darkness as the Slayer. Like previous Slayers, Buffy is aided by a Watcher, who guides and trains her. Unlike her predecessors, Buffy surrounds herself with a circle of loyal friends who become known as the "Scooby Gang."

The series usually reached between four and six million viewers on original airings

Writer Joss Whedon says that "Rhonda the Immortal Waitress was really the first incarnation of [the Buffy concept], just the idea of some woman who seems to be completely insignificant who turns out to be extraordinary." This early, unproduced idea evolved into Buffy, which Whedon developed to invert the Hollywood formula of "the little blonde girl who goes into a dark alley and gets killed in every horror movie." Whedon wanted "to subvert that idea and create someone who was a hero.” He explained: "The very first mission statement of the show was the joy of female power: having it, using it, sharing it."

Main characters
Buffy Anne Summers (played by Sarah Michelle Gellar) is "the Slayer", one in a long line of young women chosen by fate to battle evil forces. This mystic calling endows her with dramatically increased physical strength, as well as endurance, agility, accelerated healing, intuition, and a limited degree of clairvoyance, usually in the form of prophetic dreams.

Buffy receives guidance from her Watcher, Rupert Giles (played by Anthony Stewart Head). Giles, rarely referred to by his first name, is a member of the Watchers' Council, whose job is to train and assist the Slayers. Giles researches the supernatural creatures that Buffy must face, offering insights into their origins and advice on how to kill them.

Buffy is also helped by friends she meets at Sunnydale High: Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan) and Xander Harris (Nicholas Brendon). Willow is originally a bookish wallflower; she provides a contrast to Buffy's outgoing personality, but shares the social isolation Buffy suffers after becoming a Slayer. As the series progresses, Willow becomes a more assertive character, a powerful witch, and comes out as a lesbian. In contrast, Xander, with no supernatural skills, provides comic relief and a grounded perspective. It is Xander who often provides the heart to the series, and in Season Six becomes the hero in place of Buffy who defeats the "Big Bad". Buffy and Willow are the only characters who appear in all 144 episodes; Xander is missing in only one.

Influence
Buffy's success has led to hundreds of tie-in products, including novels, comics, and video games. The series has received attention in fandom (including fan films), parody, and academia, and has influenced the direction of other television series.

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