Buffy: I'll say one thing for that Whedon chap, he knows how to go out with a bang. Angel's appearance amounted to nothing but a deus ex, delivering a powerful amulet out of nowhere and then vanishing again. Would have preferred to see him fight alongside Buffy. Willow had a nice moment. Anya met her foreshadowed death. Liked the interplay between Wood and Faith. Spike disappeared, so he can be brought back next season on Angel. And Buffy solved her loneliness issues by empowering an unknown number of slayers and creating infinite spinoff potential. The plot made little sense. We're never told, for example, how the collapse of the hellmouth in any way stops The First. After all, as Giles pointed out, there's another hellmouth in Cleveland. As Apocali go, this one was pretty much a bust. It proves that intimate stories are more affecting than grandiose ones. Remember the end of season 2, where Buffy had to send Angel back to Hell to save the world, just as he regained his soul? There's a finale. This one left me kinda cold.
Smallville: Not sure I like how they've changed the mythology to make Jor-El kinda evil, with Machiavellian plans for ol' Clark. Definitely didn't like the complete mishandling of Jonathan Kent tonight. I just didn't buy his cold shoulder. We know Clark will come back to Smallville at the start of next season, so his pained exodus isn't much of a cliffhanger. But I'm quite curious to see what happens with ol' Lex. Seemingly drugged by his new wife and left for dead on a crashing plane, things don't look good. As for Lionel Luther, he's become tiresome and I find myself wishing they'd just kill the bastard and let Lex embrace the dark side already. Since Smallville's the WB's biggest hit, I doubt they'll muck with the formula overly much.
24: Not nearly as good a finale as last season's. In fact, the last few weeks were more fizzle than sizzle. It looks like they're setting up next season to chronicle the very next day, which is something of a surprise. Seems like they'd be telling much the same story. Curious to see where they'll go.
Posted by Peter at May 21, 2003 02:46 AMMy wife's take on one of the issues raised in your review of the Buffy finale:
The First's plans were based on a strategic opportunity created by the anomolies in the Slayer line, indicating a possible weakness. Now that the rules on Slayer succession have been changed forever, and that there will never be (presumably) any shortage of capable Slayers, The First must at least strongly reconsider its plans. Up to this point, it had never found an opportunity to mount such an assault. With so many Slayers walking around, it may never find it again.
Just one possible explanation.
(We were on vacation and had the finale on TiVo.)
I only watch the show occasionally, while she's watching. But my question is, what happens in Angel next season when hundreds or possibly thousands of newly empowered Slayers awaken in Los Angeles and find out about him? Or do I not know enough about the show for that to be an informed question?
Posted by: David Waldman on June 4, 2003 03:02 PMThe logic behind how Buffy's resurrection(s) made it possible for the First to launch an attack was never really explained, either. Seems to me that all Buffy did was keep pace in the arms race. Now she's got a potential Slayer army to fight the First's ubervamp army, if it arises again. Back to detente?
As for Angel, you're overlooking the even bigger question. Buffy's unleashed the power of the Slayer in EVERY potential Slayer on the planet, but she's provided absolutely no guidance on what that power is for. They have no Watchers, no mentors. I predict a wave of kick-ass girl gangs, sports champions, and career criminals. Buffy may have stopped an apocalypse, but she created a huge mess in the process. I hope next season's Angel deals with that aftermath.
Posted by: Peter Sarrett on June 4, 2003 03:40 PMYes, we were talking about that last night, actually. Thousands of new Slayers, no Watchers. As you note, this may possibly explain the tennis dominance of the Williams Sisters.
I think it'd be fun to start next season's Angel with a visit to wherever Sunnydale's residents are now living, to lodge a formal complaint with Willow. "Thanks, Wil. That was great. Los Angeles is now swarming with hundreds of confused, hyperhormonal Slayers. Vampire Slayers. Know anyone for whom that might pose a problem?"
As for the logic behind the disruption in the Slayer line, I can only take my cues from Ellen, who actually followed the show devotedly. To her, it is eminently sensible that when a Slayer power that's designed to accomodate only one chosen Slayer at a time is now forced to parse itself among two, one of whom has actually been dead, there's no telling whether either one or both of them are really at full strength and capable of containing a jailbreak.
Of course, there have been two Slayers around for a while now, and they both seemed fully capable to this casual observer.
So at best, I'd say it was a gamble on The First's part. But if you're sitting in Hell for all eternity, what's the incentive for caution?
Posted by: David Waldman on June 5, 2003 09:03 AMYes, we were talking about that last night, actually. Thousands of new Slayers, no Watchers. As you note, this may possibly explain the tennis dominance of the Williams Sisters.
I think it'd be fun to start next season's Angel with a visit to wherever Sunnydale's residents are now living, to lodge a formal complaint with Willow. "Thanks, Wil. That was great. Los Angeles is now swarming with hundreds of confused, hyperhormonal Slayers. Vampire Slayers. Know anyone for whom that might pose a problem?"
As for the logic behind the disruption in the Slayer line, I can only take my cues from Ellen, who actually followed the show devotedly. To her, it is eminently sensible that when a Slayer power that's designed to accomodate only one chosen Slayer at a time is now forced to parse itself among two, one of whom has actually been dead, there's no telling whether either one or both of them are really at full strength and capable of containing a jailbreak.
Of course, there have been two Slayers around for a while now, and they both seemed fully capable to this casual observer.
So at best, I'd say it was a gamble on The First's part. But if you're sitting in Hell for all eternity, what's the incentive for caution?
Posted by: David Waldman on June 5, 2003 09:03 AMOne other comment:
I seem to lack the patience to simply hit POST once and trust the machine to do its work.
I seem to lack the patience to simply hit POST once and trust the machine to do its work.
Posted by: David Waldman on June 5, 2003 09:05 AM