On my Buffycation

[xparrot]

So, after avoiding it for some long years (mainly for reasons of Needing Another Fandom Like I Need a Hole in the Head) I am finally watching Buffy for the first time. It's a bit weird, seeing things that I've heard other fans discuss for years. But overall I am quite enjoying the experience!

The last ep I watched was the premiere of season 3. (So no spoilers beyond that ep, please!)

Transcript of Xparrot watching the average Buffy ep:

I love you, Giles!
Yay and/or hee, Buffy!
Awww, Willow!
Oh, Giles!
Poor Giles.
Xander, stop being a doofus.
Hee and/or WTF, Cordelia?
Oh, Giles!
Hee, Angel!
Hee, Willow!
Hee, Oz!
Awww, Oz!
Awww, Angel (and/or, OH, Angel...!)
Hee, Spike!
Giles~!
Don't be mean to Giles!
Yay, Buffy, you go girl!
Oh, Giles! <333333

In more detail:

GILES~!!! Giles makes me happy in my happy place which is happy. Anthony Head + glasses + librarian nerdery + awkwardly protective father-figuring + dash of black magic badassery = <333333333333333 Giles is tweedy hot-older-British-guy wonderfulness. I feel so sorry for him, having no one to relate to but teenagers. But he's so sweet with them! (Also him going postal on Angel and beating him with a flaming torch, zomg - and then there was hugs!)

I think I'm going to name my new computer Rupert ^_^

(I anticipate even more trouble watching Merlin, as I was already inordinately fond of Uther, and now...)

Angel! I'll confess, I was pretty sure I was going to be bored by Angel, what I knew of him, broody stalker vampire on the wagon, like that's anything new. But Angel is so self-aware of his broodiness and angst. And the forced-guilt cursed-soul thing is a really nice twist. Then there's Angelus, who surprised me in that's he's not just a sadistic sociopath but also a total dick, which I find inapropriately amusing. Definitely want to see Angel: The Series now. Also want to see more of him and Spike, as it's an interesting twist on the vampire sire relationship to have the sire be the one who reformed...

(Also Angel is pretty when he cries. Kind of odd-looking otherwise - not in a bad way, just odd - but yeah, he does angst very nice.)

Willow!! She is just so adorable and sweet and funny! Okay, I admit that I was already a little in love with Alyson Hannigan after mainlining How I Met Your Mother (one of the reasons I was willing to watch Buffy now was wanting to see more of her) and I still have moments watching Willow where I'm wondering when she's going to meet Marshall. (dude, she looks exactly the same! different hair, but I can't believe that there's more than 10 years from Willow then to Lily now!) But Willow is so smart and well-meaning and gaining in confidence and aww!

Oz! Is also adorable, plus nearly everything he says is hysterical. My favorite Oz line thus far is, "I have to ask you, is Geordi a werewolf? Uh-huh. And how long has that been going on?"

Spike!!! Want to see more of him. James Marsters is goooorgeous and his cheekbones are to die for and his sarcasm is awesome and he and Buffy working together in the season finale was a delight. And knowing what I do know about the future of the show, I am expecting that I am going to become one of Those Crazy Spike Fangirls, but I'm not there yet.

(My brother, otoh, watched the show already and is firmly one of Those Crazy Spike Fanboys, such that he tends to shout "Spike!" in a great excitement whenever he appears onscreen. It's very amusing.)

Buffy!! Gotta talk about the titular character sometime, no? I really do like Buffy; she's fun and funny and she kicks ass (admittedly with an exceedingly variable power level) and I'm interested where she's going as a character; she's developing in intriguing ways. And I find Sarah Michelle Gellar very appealing. But I feel like I need to see more of Buffy to define how I like her. (I do love her with Giles, though. Wait, I love everyone with Giles! But the mixed-up sort-of mentor-student father-daughter Watcher-Slayer relationship is just yays!)

Buffy/Angel: Slayer/Vampire, star-crossed lovers, blah blah blah tragedy-cakes. No, actually I rather like them, with their Miaka-Tamahome hopeless-teenagers vibe. And the denouement of season 2 was satisfyingly tragic, if a bit spoilered what with me knowing Angel gets his own show post-hell.

So far the show has been doing well with the pairings - none of them make me want to scratch my eyes out, most of them I find quite cute, but I'm not invested in any of them in that OTP way which could potentially ruin my enjoyment of the show, seeing as it's by Joss "I Don't Believe in Happy Endings" Whedon. It helps that I'm going into it knowing the love affairs never work out; then, too, they're all teenagers, and most of the relationships thus far feel like teen romance, passionately absolute but quick-burning. (Even Giles and Jenny felt that way, really, with Giles apparently being so inexperienced/out of practice in love. God knows why; I'd expect he'd have to beat off the suitors with sticks. Maybe the tweed is protective camouflage? He stands very still before a stack of books and no one sees him to pounce...)

Xander: hmm, Xander. See, I want to like Xander, and sometimes I do; but then a lot of other times I want to hit him with a fish. How he pines after Buffy is obnoxious - pining I tend to find tiresome anyhow, and the way he sometimes tries to sabotage her relationships out of jealousy is Not On. And then, he can be very cute BFF-y with Willow sometimes, but then he plays with her feelings, too, and sometimes it's like we're supposed to feel sorry for him, torn between all these girls, and just, argh.

Cordelia: I cannot make sense of Cordelia. When she's acting human I tend to like her, but then her unending shallow bitchiness will be played for comic relief and she gets flattened into such a two-dimensional character that I don't get her. At least she's better now than in first season, when I found her utterly baffling as a "popular girl" (in high school, at least in my high school, the most popular girls could be bitches, but not all the time; they were up-and-coming politicians, popular because they knew how to make friends, and took the effort to. First season, a lot of the dynamics of bullying and such felt more like the brutality of junior high than the social stresses of high school. Unless California high school works differently, which by most Hollywood portrayals seems to be the case?)

Xander and Cordelia also suffer from this problem that of their little group, Buffy and Willow got all the talent, and Xander and Cordelia are kind of useless most of the time, except when they need extra bodies. They can be gutsy, and moderately loyal, but that's about all they've got. It's a weird imbalance, and frustrating. They're kind of cute as a couple, but...

Buffy's Mother: urgh. I love parent-child relationships and I want to love this one, but the writing keeps screwing it up. Or maybe it's the acting, or some of both. I get what they're going for, I think, but we don't see enough of Joyce to really sympathize with her side, with what she's going through; instead we get her choosing robot men over her daughter and saying mean things to Giles (no, Giles~!) Again, frustrating.

The Monsters: mostly I like the monsters - I rather like the vampires being truly soulless, such that killing them is more black-and-white than it often is (with the exception of Angel, and I'm wondering how that will be handled now that they have a soul-restoring spell at hand?) And I like that when they're going up against other humans-turned-monster they strive for non-lethal solutions (unlike CERTAIN SHOWS which advocate murdering someone cursed to be a werewolf after one perfunctory attempt at a cure...) And I'm glad they seem to have moved off of the animal-inspired Monsters of season 1 which drove me nuts (mantises are not allergic to bat sonar! female laughing hyenas are the dominant, aggressive sex! (yup, Lion King got that one right...))

The Smallville Connection: oh man the creators of SV were watching Buffy. I'd heard that but I didn't realize how exactly the shows mapped the first couple seasons. Down to Clark skipping town at the end of season 2 and holing up in the Big City for a while. The most amusing thing about the parallel is that Angel = Lex - mysterious sexy older guy gets intimate with bold teen hero but it goes Tragically Wrong (as if we needed more evidence for Clark/Lex.) (and then if you go Buffy=>Smallville=>Merlin, Anthony Head goes from being Jonathan Kent to Lionel Luthor...)


So, yeah, those are my present thoughts on Buffy thus far. Definitely looking forward to more! Again, I would appreciate it if no one mentioned any spoilers in the comments - thanks to fannish osmosis I've picked up a fair bit of Buffy canon, but there's still a lot of things I don't know, and would prefer to discover them for myself - thanks!

Comments

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Ahahah I know, it took us long enough, no? ^^;;;

Am trying to convince them to get Angel now! (we have Buffy DVDs, no Angel yet...) The female M is slightly opposed to A:TS on account of that she loathes Cordelia, but I am really wanting to see it, as I find myself liking Angel a whole lot more than I expected...

[petronia.livejournal.com]

Dunno if you are looking for meta but koganbot had been doing some really thoughtful writeups thru S2 (also first time watch, no spoilers). I was reading him even though I don't expect to ever watch this show, though as you say I've gotten the main plot points via osmosis like everyone else. XD;

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Ahhh, I don't know if I'm in the mood for deep meta - am not in fannish phase (yet?), just whee~ fun mode. But will see, thanks for the link!

(if ever you are inclined, it is a beguiling way to pass the time...)

[snarkydame.livejournal.com]

Buffy! I should catch back up with that show. I was lamenting to someone recently over all the (really quite horrible) teen vampire romance books that are all over my bookstore, and thinking that Buffy did it SO MUCH BETTER.

(and I think I'm with your brother -- Spike is COOL with a side of awesomesauce.)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heh, yeah...Buffy beat out the vampire craze by a few years? Or maybe it was just the last wave? Vampires never seem completely out of style. I do like their take on them, though.

Hee, I want to see more Spike, I really am quite sure I will adore him ^^

[airairo.livejournal.com]

Oh, Buffy is wonderful!! I'm so glad you're watching it! How long until we're allowed to beg for fic? >_>

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Eheheh...no one is allowed to even mention "fic" until I've finished my help_haiti thing at the very least! And Buffy might end up being a Type A fandom anyway for me, will have to see how it goes...

[beadattitude.livejournal.com]

Joyce will always be annoying. Always. She pays too little attention and then she's WAY too interested in things.

Xander gets better. Honest.

Giles is pretty much the little black dress of this fandom.

OMG, you are going to have so much fun! EEEE!!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Joyce is...argh. Frustrating! because I adore parent-child relationships, and I haven't seen that many mother-daughter stories but would like to (hey, I watched all of Gilmore Girls, here!) But she's just not sympathetically portrayed...s2 finale, she finds out about vampires, and then tells her daughter to get out and don't come back - and then I'm supposed to feel sorry for her when Buffy does? You say that to your child, you cut them off like that, then you have no one to blame but yourself if they leave.

Will see about Xander! Right now, yeah, he's right on the edge...(my bro & SO are not big Xander fans, so they're biasing me a bit, too ^^;)

But Giles! Giles makes up for everything else! (even if there wasn't a lot else to like. Which there is. Such as the two in your icon ^^)

[ezazahaz.livejournal.com]

Yay Buffy! I think this is the first fandom that you've gotten to *after* me, instead of beating me there (or in some cases, drawing me into it). :)

My favorite part of Buffy as a whole is the relationships. Not really the romantic ones, but all the different relationships between people--Giles and Buffy, Giles and Willow, the Scoobies in general, even some of the antagonistic relationships are awesome--and other ones between characters you haven't met yet. I just love the way everyone interacts with everyone in unique, and often adorable, ways.

And yes, Giles is always awesome. :)

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, yes - I am way behind the curve on Buffy! It's one of the reasons I have wanted to see it; it's such a common point between most media fans that it's almost difficult to have discussions on general fannish trends without referring to Buffy.

So far I'm not actively fanning - but that might be just a matter of time. Will have to see how it goes! I am enjoying the chars, and their relationships, at least. ^^

[sholio]

Buffy is a show that I really enjoyed but never felt fannish about. However, I did really enjoy it; Buffy and Giles totally hit my "older mentor and young female protégé" sweet spot (and oh, my love for Giles is epic), and I adored the Buffy/Willow/Xander triad, and you haven't met my other favorite character yet. *iz mysterious*

I think I'm the only fangirl on the planet who really does not like Spike. And I was never that fond of Angel either; I always just wanted him to get over himself -- though he definitely has his moments, and I think the thing I like most is that David Boreanaz really looks more like a lumberjack than a typical effete vampire! I approve!

I've always meant to go back and watch season five someday, the one season that, for various reasons, I never saw.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I'm not sure if I'm going to actively fan on Buffy or not - it's still too early to tell. Even if I do, it might be a type A fandom for me, depending. Right now at least, I'm enjoying it, but don't have strong feelings...

...except maybe for Giles! <333 Librarians FTW!

Heh, I'd have been surprised if you liked Angel or Spike, really! They both seem to me to be the fangirl-bait type char that you have a particular aversion to. I know you're not alone in not liking Spike, though; I've witnessed virulent Spike-hate about the 'net (though I don't actually know the cause of it, not knowing the canon ^^;) He seems to be one of those love 'im or hate 'im chars. Me - well, I like Lestat! So.

David Boreanaz kind of looks like a prettified version of Frankenstein's monster to me; his face is very, hmm, square? Or jutting. Like a cliff-face. Not a bad way! But yeah. ^^

[sholio]

I think the more virulent Spike hate in fandom is largely a ship-war thing -- Buffy (as you're probably aware just through fannish osmosis) had some of the most spectacular ship wars of all time. I'm more like indifferent to him, and Angel as well ... don't really like, don't really hate, have others I care about a lot more. XD But you're right that the fangirl-bait aspect of Spike makes me predisposed not to like him, and unfortunately, I knew about that going in (I started watching the show late).

It's not completely impossible for me to like fangirl-bait characters -- see icon XD -- but it seems to help a lot if I get in on the ground floor, so to speak.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heh, yes, I've wondered before how Dean slipped under your radar, as it were... ^^

Yeah, the Buffy ship-wars might keep me shy of the fandom...I imagine they've cooled some, but in general I seem less inclined to get into the really 'ship-focused fandoms. (or perhaps I mean ship-focused series, since most fandoms have 'ships? Most of my major fandoms have mostly-gen canons; Smallville is the notable exception, but even then I was into the comic-book side and had no investment in the canon romances. There's quite a few series where I do enjoy the canon 'ships, but I'm unlikely to actively fan on them...)

[sholio]

Yeah, Buffy fandom always struck me as very contentious and unpleasant, and the show didn't really have anything that engaged me in that obsessive fannish way. I imagine, like any other fandom, it had its quiet pockets, and I know quite a few people now who were Buffy fans back in the day and are sensible, pleasant people. I just never looked hard enough to find a quiet place in the fandom to live.

I did watch vids -- actually, when you've seen more of the show, there's one I need to recommend if it's still online anywhere (or I could send it to you), because it's hilarious; it mashes together several well-known country songs (including "Goodbye Earl" by the Dixie Chicks) and reconstructs their stories using Buffy footage. But it spoils later seasons HUGELY, so you don't want to see it 'til you've gotten through season six.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I'm guessing Buffy fandom is a bit like Harry Potter - for a lot of the fans it was a first fandom, when they were pretty young; and then the conflicting canon ships increase the pressure. I might end up fanning but am not expecting to, especially; it's not the sort of show I generally fic to.

But I'd love to see vids, once I've seen enough canon! I enjoy vids regardless of my fanning. ^_^

[immicolia.livejournal.com]

Ahaha. Man. Buffy was like my first huge "I am participating in this" online fandom. And I didn't even get into it until partway through season 4 (as such, I'm really really fuzzy on the first three seasons because I didn't watch them until the DVDs started coming out so I can never keep straight what was season 2 and what was season 3 save for the major plot of each season itself so if I inadvertantly mention something you haven't seen yet I apologize)

I have to say, I have never seen the Willow appeal. She always really really irked me. Actually, a lot of the main cast irked me on some level save for Giles and Oz (and Anya... which, I cannot remember which season had her first appearance. I suck. ^^) Truthfully though, it was always the reccuring side characters that got me. Like Devon and Jonathan. Hell, I could list a good dozzen little one-off characters that stole my heart week after week. That little bit of extra depth is what kept me coming back even when the mains kinda had me tearing my hair out in annoyance.

And A:tS is just awesome. Okay, season 4 of that kinda sucked. I never did finish watching it. But S5 made up for it. XD

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Buffy was the first for so many people! I almost feel like I missed out, coming at it from an older and more, hmm, fannishly experienced perspective? (Well, my first was X-files, which is another biggie, so...and actually I got into X-files s4 myself!)

Willow I'm biased about, seeing as I love the actress in HIMYM. Though really right now if I'm fanning on the show, it's for Giles. He is just...so Giles! He dithers and worries so wonderfully, and then he's got all that hidden strength and yays! <333

And Oz, well, he would be very hard not to love. Haven't met Anya yet...

[jujuberry136.livejournal.com]

They didn't really know what to do with Cordelia the first seasons, but without getting into any specifics, S3 is definitely better.

S3 is awesome, the arc is well done and I'm almost jealous that you get to watch it for the first time. So many great moments.

So many people have ripped off Buffy over the years, once you watch the show through you'll see it. Personally, my favorite is the X-men movies ("have you tried not being a slayer" S2 finale/"have you tried not being a mutant" X2), the S2 finale scene with Angel/Buffy and the sword and X3 the wolverine/jean scene.... yeah. It's cool.

Looking forward to the rest of your thoughts on BtVS!

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I'm curious about s3, I must say! All I know about it is that Spike's not in it much but it has my bro's favorite villain of the show.

And ahahah yes, I did catch the "have you tried not being a slayer/mutant?" line! (not the X3 bit but only because I've blocked the movie from my memory. What do you mean there was a 3rd X-men movie? XP)

[jujuberry136.livejournal.com]

Spike has a scene in S3 that features one of the best monologues of the show's history. I'll keep my fingers crossed your brother gives S3 long enough of a shot that he gets to see it (I'm sure he'll love it too).

Yeah, X3? What X3?

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Oh, my brother's seen s3 already - he's seen the whole show, he's rewatchinng it with me ^^ (He hasn't seen Angel:tS yet, though, so want to watch that with him!)

Have seen the Spike ep in s3 - hee!

[lukita.livejournal.com]

heee! Buffy! I have to confess I haven't watched all the seasons or every episodes even. Also, Angel. :D You're going to love it when [spoilers] happen and hate it when [spoilers] happen, then there's the cabbage patch kids dolls. :p

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Heee, your not!spoilers are very curiosity-evoking! Definitely have to get Angel, then...

(also icon = XDXDXDXDXD)

synchronicity

[beautifuljoe.livejournal.com]

I too have been watching Buffy for the first time -- my daughter is amazed -- while watching Stargate Atlantis for the first time. Now those are bizarre parallel universes! Agree with Merlin notice above.

Re: synchronicity

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

As you can witness above, she's thrilled we're watching it at long last... ^^

Wraith vs Vampire, steel cage match! (if you have any interest in reading SGA fanfic, I have links...)

Re: synchronicity

[beautifuljoe.livejournal.com]

I'm catching up in advance of Jo Graham and Melissa's books but yes that would be great!

Re: synchronicity

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

I figured that's why you were watching! Very curious about those books myself...

Don't know where you are in the show, but "Freedom's Just Another Word...." was written post-second season, and is widely considered one of the Best of Fandom. It's on the tragic side, though whether it's heartbreaking or hopeful is a matter of debate.

[katheli.livejournal.com]

I LOVE that show. Joss Whedon is a genius.

Also: Not Xander's biggest fan either. He's very funny and he has good scenes and then I do like him a lot - but when he's being a jerk he goes ALL OUT.
He can be somewhat...hypocritical, I guess. But funny.

Willow is THE BEST. Right next to Spike, who is, in my opinion, one of the best characters EVER.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

It's fascinating to see everyone's likes and dislikes, who are people's favorites and not-favorites. Yeah, Xander's hypocrisy in relationships annoys me - I don't find it unrealistic for a teenage boy, but hey, teenage boys tend to annoy me, so...! But Willow is very sweet. And Spike, yeah, need to see more of him!

[tringasolitaria.livejournal.com]

Yay! xparrot on Buffy! :) Fair warning - I'm afraid this will be a long comment.

I was a latecomer to Buffy myself - I watched the whole series on DVD a few years ago. My brother talked me into it, although ironically, the character he used to convince me to watch it (Xander) is the character I ultimately ended up liking least. I don't hate him (he does have some hilarious lines), but there are times I really really do want to slap him. :(

Buffy herself is probably one of my favorite female characters ever (yep, I've still got that list sitting on my desktop to work on). The S3 premiere is one of my favorite episodes in the series actually. "I'm Buffy. The Vampire Slayer. And you?" And I loved Spike and Buffy working together in the S2 finale. I am probably one of Those Crazy Spike Fangirls. ;)

Actually, though, for me Buffy is a show where I'm mainly focused on the female characters - Buffy, Willow, Cordy, and others who you haven't met yet. Even Joyce. I do enjoy most of the male characters. I adore Spike, I love Giles and Oz (Oz is so awesome). But they're interesting to me in relation to the female characters, if that makes any sense.

I've not ever really gotten into the Buffy fandom myself. At the time I first watched the series I wasn't really in fandom at all, and then later I've done a little digging around off and on for fic, but sadly can't really find much to my interest. And also I'm not much of a Xander fan, and he seems to be the fandom woobie, from what little I've seen.

As far as shipping, I ship everyone and no one in Buffy, and by that I mean I enjoyed nearly all of the canon pairings in the show, even if they conflicted with each other. I never had an OTP for the show. Fanon pairings I'm not nearly as on board with - there's a couple of them I don't mind, but mostly it's canon only for me with this show.

I'll stop rambling now - enjoying your commentary on the show, and looking forward to more.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

It seems like there's a bunch of chars I have yet to meet - need to watch more. And Spike and Buffy working together was awesome, definitely want to see more of that!

The female characters are interesting - I wish there were more female-female relationships, but that might change as the show goes along, too.

Xander is the fandomm woobie? Huh...I don't see it! People have been saying he gets better, so trying to keep an open mind, but...

I don't know if I'll end up reading much fic myself - I don't have any sort of OTP right now (romantic or platonic), and that tends to be what gets me into fic. Like you, I've been enjoying the canon pairings well enough, and don't have any particular fanon pairings...but we'll see what happens. ^^

[tringasolitaria.livejournal.com]

I'm commenting again because I meant to comment on this part and then I got to rambling and forgot about it -

And I like that when they're going up against other humans-turned-monster they strive for non-lethal solutions (unlike CERTAIN SHOWS which advocate murdering someone cursed to be a werewolf after one perfunctory attempt at a cure...)

hahaha! Absolutely yes! I'm assuming you're talking about SPN? In which case I remember thinking the same thing when I watched that episode - I was very annoyed with that.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Yeah, the werewolf ep of SPN drove me NUTS. To the point that I tend to start raving about it whenever I see anything with werewolves (it came up a lot when I watched Being Human ^^)

[tringasolitaria.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it drove me crazy. I couldn't help thinking about Oz. I was like "Winchesters, Buffy would kick your asses right now."

[sara-tanaquil.livejournal.com]

EEEEE! At last!

I hope you'll post updates now and again as you power on through the series. It would be so fun to see your impressions as you go along. (As it is, I'm all "Aww, the high school years, I remember those!" I was a bigger fan of seasons 4 and 5 and tend to rewatch those more often.)

Season 3 is fabulous, though regrettably low on Spike, from what I remember. (It gets better later.) I'm in the Spike fangirl camp, in case you can't tell. =P

I think Joyce was mainly irritating in the beginning because she's trying so hard to be a normal mom to a Not Even Remotely Normal kid. Once she gets her head wrapped around the slayer concept, she's pretty awesome.

Cordelia does get better in season 3, I think, but I liked her far better in A:ts. Angel, too, for that matter. (Not a Buffy/Angel fangirl, nope. Though their storyline was well written, I'll give it that.)

Have FUN! I am feeling tempted to watch the whole series over again.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

We marathoned a bit last night and am now about halfway through s3 - should post my impressions! Have overall enjoyed it much...I admit I don't find the high school stuff anywhere near as interesting as the vampire stuff, except when the juxtaposition of both allows for classic comedy. I also admit I like Angel rather more than I should, and am very interested in A:tS. And Spike's single-ep return = XDXDXD

It is a fun series, and I can totally get why it was a lot of people's first fandom; it pushes buttons and hits chords all over the place ^_^

[e313.livejournal.com]

yes! big big all capital letters YES on you watching 'Angel the Series' *nod*

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Definitely planning on it - everyone seems to recommend it! ^_^

[katheli.livejournal.com]

If you watch Angel, don't let the first season scare you away. I know many people (including me) who didn't like it much.
Angel has some very good episodes but IMO more bad ones than Buffy. And some weird season arcs.

[crashtestskater.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you're enjoying Buffy. And Hey, embrace the dark, go for it, become a crazy Spike fangirl.

Hit Xander with a fish!?! That's a very interesting mental image.

I love Joyce, but yes she was weakly written in the earlier seasons. Oh, and remember she was druged to like the crazy robot.

Keep on enjoying.

[xparrot.livejournal.com]

Hee, wanting to hit people with fish is one of my default ways to express annoyance! mainly because I do enjoy the mental image...

Don't love Joyce yet, but she has been better lately. And Spike, I'm just waiting for him to join the main cast! ^^