She saved the world. A lot.
May. 1st, 2017 06:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rogueslayer452Continuing the 20th anniversary love, here is a Buffy the Vampire Slayer meme.
01. Favorite season.
Season three, for many reasons. I was actually introduced to the show during its third season when I was in junior high, which I immediately became obsessed with. It was the introduction of Faith, who is essentially my favorite character of the entire series. The season probably had the best narrative and direction, some of the most fascinating character developments and conflicts, the season had many episodes I loved and rewatched ad nauseum because they were just that good, and the finale itself was the perfect way of concluding their high school arc. As a whole, the third season is perhaps the best season of the entire show for me, following closely by S2 and S5.
02. Favorite episode.
This is absolutely impossible considering the amount of seasons and episodes. So I'm going to answer with at least three episodes per season.
Season 1: "Witch", "The Puppet Show" and "Prophecy Girl".
Season 2: "Halloween", "Surprise"/"Innocence", and a tie between "I Only Have Eyes For You" and "Becoming, Part 1 and 2".
Season 3: "Faith, Hope and Trick", "Bad Girls", and "Amends". This one was particularly difficult because this season had the most episodes I either absolutely loved or consider my favorites.
Season 4: "Fear, Itself", "Hush" and "This Year's Girl"
Season 5: "Family", "Blood Ties", and "The Body"
Season 6: "Once More, With Feeling"
Season 7: "Showtime", "Dirty Girls", and "Chosen"
03. Favorite song used in an episode.
"Full of Grace" by Sarah McLachlan immediately comes to mind, because it was so beautifully and appropriately used, holding so much emotion for the end of the events that conspired in the second season finale. "Chinese Burn" by Curve in the episode "Bad Girls" will always be a favorite because Buffy/Faith dancing at the Bronze. To be honest, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has had a lot of amazing music from artists that I hadn't heard of prior.
04. Favorite female character.
Faith Lehane. She isn't just my favorite character, she is also the love of my life. ♥
05. Least favorite female character.
Willow Rosenberg. I didn't use to not like her, but in the later seasons and over the years after the show ended I came to really not stand her character for many different reasons.
06. Favorite male character.
Rupert Giles. ♥
07. Least favorite character.
Xander Harris and Spike. I preferred Spike in the earlier seasons than the later ones, and Xander just always was kinda on my shit list to be honest.
08. Favorite friendship.
I've always been fond of the Tara and Dawn friendship, and it saddened me that we didn't actually see enough of that on the show. Those little moments of them bonding, hanging out, Tara kinda being that cool aunt-like figure towards little Dawnie. And while we didn't see much of it, the friendship between Cordelia and Buffy is something often overlooked. I mean, it was something most don't really consider a friendship, but I like their moments of understanding and honesty with each other, which were small but still important.
09. Favorite romance.
Buffy/Angel.
10. Least favorite romance.
Spike/Buffy. I initially liked the idea of it when Spike was having his startled revelation that he had developed a crush on her, because that's an interesting concept in theory, but from how it was handled (the stalking and obsessiveness leading to him kidnapping her to convince her of his feelings, to the creepy robot replica of her for him to "play with") leading up to when it becoming canon (for all the wrong reasons, not to mention the attempted rape), I basically noped the fuck out of that. The fandom wasn't much better with the constant shipping wars.
11. Least favorite season.
Season six, because it was just so damn depressing and there were too many things I disliked and outright despised about the way they handled things, from the decisions characters made and the writing to just the whole direction of the season in general. Also, the fourth season to a lesser extent. I just wasn't that fond of the operative storyline, to be honest.
12. Least favorite episode.
Again, by season:
Season 1: "The Pack", "I, Robot...You, Jane"
Season 2: "Ted", "Go Fish"
Season 3: "Dead Man's Party", "The Zeppo"
Season 4: "The Freshman", "Wild At Heart", and "Where The Wild Things Are"
Season 5: "Into The Woods"
Season 6: Pretty much the entire season save a few episodes, to be honest.
Season 7: "Him", and "The Killer In Me"
13. Favorite Potential Slayer.
Vi (because Felicia Day), Amanda (who deserved better), and believe it or not I actually liked Kennedy as a Potential Slayer, just not as the rebound love interest for Willow. I wished she hadn't been reduced to only that because I felt like there was more to explore with Kennedy as a person and how her character could've grown out of that attitude she arrived with. I'm someone who didn't mind that Potential Slayer arc, I thought it was fascinating, but it didn't allow a lot of time to fully explore their characters and the concept.
14. Favorite female villain.
Glory! She was absolutely fun and fabulous as a Big Bad. I would also like to add Drusilla, as well. I always found Drusilla intriguing, her backstory, her personality, and just everything about her character fascinated me. And while they're basically genderless, I really liked the concept of The First Evil, though I wished that they had interwoven its presence throughout the series to give more anticipation and weight upon its arrival in the final season.
15. Favorite male villain.
I quite liked The Mayor, he was enjoyable and fun to watch as the third season antagonist. But I think my ultimate favorite male villain would have to be Angelus. That transition honestly changed the game of the entire series, and David managed to make Angelus so utterly terrifying.
16. An episode you like that everyone else hates.
It's not really an episode, but I actually enjoyed the first season. I know that many in the fandom don't favor it as much because it was more of a filler season, it had ridiculous monster-of-the-week episodes that really didn't contribute much to the plot, but considering it was a mid-season replacement and it was more of an introduction to the character and the series, it did pretty well for what it was.
17. Character you relate to the most.
I always found myself strongly identifying a lot with Faith and Dawn, along with Tara as well. It's definitely a mixture of the three, which is probably why I love them so much. Also the more I think about it, I also relate to some of the things that Buffy herself went through, particularly with her depression.
18. Character who didn't get enough screentime.
I feel like they could've had Kendra appear a bit more. I also wanted more of Ethan Rayne, since there was still much left unexplained and unexplored regarding his character and especially the relationship between himself and Giles. I wanted to see more of that dynamic.
19. Character you like that everyone else hates.
Dawn Summers. To this day I'll never understand that hate her character got and unfortunately still gets from fandom. Her character who grew and developed beautifully and yet she still gets shitted on because when she was introduced she was a teenager acting like a teenager. And as someone who identifies a lot with Dawn in certain ways it makes me very sad.
20. Best Spike-centric episode.
His earlier episodes, specifically "School Hard" which was the introduction to both him and Drusilla and "Lover's Walk", because that had a hilarious team-up with him, Buffy and Angel.
21. Best Willow-centric episode.
"Doppelgangland", since it brought back Vamp!Willow.
22.Best Xander-centric episode. Best Giles-centric episode.
Since I don't really care enough about Xander and can't think of any episodes, I changed this to be more Giles-centric, since he didn't get one in this meme. With that being said, my favorite Giles episode would have to be "The Dark Age", because it gave us background to who Giles was before becoming a Watcher. I always found it so intriguing, especially in regards to his relationship with Ethan Rayne, and it makes me sad that we didn't go further into Giles' past. We got glimpses, but nowhere near as much as other characters re: their pasts. I mean, just think about what we could've gotten with the "Ripper" spin-off....
23. Two characters you wanted to get together but never did.
Faith/Buffy, but that's a given.Though who's to say they didn't.
24. Favorite example of 90s special effects.
The transitioning when the vampires vamped out (which is a great morphing technique, even though everything else kinda morphs too, like clothing they're wearing shifts as well, so it wasn't isolated a lot of the time to just the face, lol), and of course when they got dusted and the sound effects of it as well. The show actually aged quite well, considering its effects. And while not really a special effect, I kinda love revisiting the show for the fashions. Sometimes you just gotten marvel at how amazing or ridiculous some of the 90s/early 00s fashions were, lol.
25. Favorite Buffyverse saying/Buffy-speak phrase.
There's honestly so many to pick from, but I think Buffy saying, "Your logic does not resemble our Earth logic" is probably one that I recite a lot since it is the most relevant in many cases. Same when Oz says, "This is making the kind of sense that's not" and Cordelia's "What? I can't have layers?" and "God, what is your childhood trauma!" I have also always adored the, "A doodle. I do doodle. You too! You do doodle, too!" BTVS was also the first place where I heard the word "wig" to describe being freaked out. Buffy-speak in general is such a wonderful play on words and phrasing, a lot which I have adopted/incorporated into my own vocabulary and way of speaking and I quote from it all the time.
26. Favorite Scooby moment.
I really do like it whenever they come up with a plan to fight and defeat the Big Bad, working together to get the task done by playing to each of their strengths. I also loved when they're all in research mode, whether it's in the Sunnydale High School library or elsewhere. But I think my favorite moment was in "Family" when they defended Tara and stood up against her abusive family. I've always been a fan of found family tropes and this one hit all the right marks. Tara was new to the group, and the Scoobies didn't know her that well besides Willow, but this episode made it clear that they would not only make the effort to get to know her better, it also demonstrated further that family doesn't always mean blood related. It was such an important moment and one that really made me very happy.
27. Cutest moment.
I know there were so many cute moments, but I honestly can't think of a singular one since they all kinda blend together. Like, it's the little moments, when one of them is being supportive of the other, for example when Buffy asked Cordelia to drive her home and she says, "of course" with no hesitation. I mean, it's not necessarily cute in a happy way because of the context of the scene itself, but it's cute in a way of a sweet gesture that it's such an overlooked moment of showing Cordelia's compassion and empathy. Like in the same episode at the end where Giles is tending to Buffy's wounds, no words spoken but there's an understanding between them. And just little moments like that, the ones where you wouldn't necessarily think much of but it says so much about these characters. It's more sweet and genuine than in terms of how one would normally define cute, but I definitely think it qualifies.
28. Character you love to hate.
I can't really think of a character that I loved to hate. Caleb, maybe? Especially since it's Nathan Fillion portraying him and it just gets funnier every time he appears on the screen.
29. An episode you hate that everyone else loves.
I can't really think of any, honestly? Perhaps "The Zeppo", because while character-centric episodes can be good I just wasn't a fan of it. I barely remember much of what happened in it besides the beginning, the moment with Faith, and the end.
30. What you think made Buffy the Vampire Slayer so great.
I think it's a series that transcended its genre. It not only subverted certain tropes that were commonly used within the horror genre itself, but it also had some pretty damn good messages along the way. It resonated with many people because it wasn't a mere teen show, it was a coming of age show that had plenty of amazing moments and the audience grew up along with its characters. Buffy and her friends went from teenagers in high school to young adults in college and dealing with real life issues. Every season had its own genre narrative which moved the story along beautifully. The show featured so many strong and capable women characters who were all memorable in their own right, and it's a show that is quite timeless no matter if you're revisiting it or just discovering it. Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains one of my top five favorite television series of all time, and with good reason. It was an important part of my formative years and I'll forever be grateful for its existence.
01. Favorite season.
Season three, for many reasons. I was actually introduced to the show during its third season when I was in junior high, which I immediately became obsessed with. It was the introduction of Faith, who is essentially my favorite character of the entire series. The season probably had the best narrative and direction, some of the most fascinating character developments and conflicts, the season had many episodes I loved and rewatched ad nauseum because they were just that good, and the finale itself was the perfect way of concluding their high school arc. As a whole, the third season is perhaps the best season of the entire show for me, following closely by S2 and S5.
02. Favorite episode.
This is absolutely impossible considering the amount of seasons and episodes. So I'm going to answer with at least three episodes per season.
Season 1: "Witch", "The Puppet Show" and "Prophecy Girl".
Season 2: "Halloween", "Surprise"/"Innocence", and a tie between "I Only Have Eyes For You" and "Becoming, Part 1 and 2".
Season 3: "Faith, Hope and Trick", "Bad Girls", and "Amends". This one was particularly difficult because this season had the most episodes I either absolutely loved or consider my favorites.
Season 4: "Fear, Itself", "Hush" and "This Year's Girl"
Season 5: "Family", "Blood Ties", and "The Body"
Season 6: "Once More, With Feeling"
Season 7: "Showtime", "Dirty Girls", and "Chosen"
03. Favorite song used in an episode.
"Full of Grace" by Sarah McLachlan immediately comes to mind, because it was so beautifully and appropriately used, holding so much emotion for the end of the events that conspired in the second season finale. "Chinese Burn" by Curve in the episode "Bad Girls" will always be a favorite because Buffy/Faith dancing at the Bronze. To be honest, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has had a lot of amazing music from artists that I hadn't heard of prior.
04. Favorite female character.
Faith Lehane. She isn't just my favorite character, she is also the love of my life. ♥
05. Least favorite female character.
Willow Rosenberg. I didn't use to not like her, but in the later seasons and over the years after the show ended I came to really not stand her character for many different reasons.
06. Favorite male character.
Rupert Giles. ♥
07. Least favorite character.
Xander Harris and Spike. I preferred Spike in the earlier seasons than the later ones, and Xander just always was kinda on my shit list to be honest.
08. Favorite friendship.
I've always been fond of the Tara and Dawn friendship, and it saddened me that we didn't actually see enough of that on the show. Those little moments of them bonding, hanging out, Tara kinda being that cool aunt-like figure towards little Dawnie. And while we didn't see much of it, the friendship between Cordelia and Buffy is something often overlooked. I mean, it was something most don't really consider a friendship, but I like their moments of understanding and honesty with each other, which were small but still important.
09. Favorite romance.
Buffy/Angel.
10. Least favorite romance.
Spike/Buffy. I initially liked the idea of it when Spike was having his startled revelation that he had developed a crush on her, because that's an interesting concept in theory, but from how it was handled (the stalking and obsessiveness leading to him kidnapping her to convince her of his feelings, to the creepy robot replica of her for him to "play with") leading up to when it becoming canon (for all the wrong reasons, not to mention the attempted rape), I basically noped the fuck out of that. The fandom wasn't much better with the constant shipping wars.
11. Least favorite season.
Season six, because it was just so damn depressing and there were too many things I disliked and outright despised about the way they handled things, from the decisions characters made and the writing to just the whole direction of the season in general. Also, the fourth season to a lesser extent. I just wasn't that fond of the operative storyline, to be honest.
12. Least favorite episode.
Again, by season:
Season 1: "The Pack", "I, Robot...You, Jane"
Season 2: "Ted", "Go Fish"
Season 3: "Dead Man's Party", "The Zeppo"
Season 4: "The Freshman", "Wild At Heart", and "Where The Wild Things Are"
Season 5: "Into The Woods"
Season 6: Pretty much the entire season save a few episodes, to be honest.
Season 7: "Him", and "The Killer In Me"
13. Favorite Potential Slayer.
Vi (because Felicia Day), Amanda (who deserved better), and believe it or not I actually liked Kennedy as a Potential Slayer, just not as the rebound love interest for Willow. I wished she hadn't been reduced to only that because I felt like there was more to explore with Kennedy as a person and how her character could've grown out of that attitude she arrived with. I'm someone who didn't mind that Potential Slayer arc, I thought it was fascinating, but it didn't allow a lot of time to fully explore their characters and the concept.
14. Favorite female villain.
Glory! She was absolutely fun and fabulous as a Big Bad. I would also like to add Drusilla, as well. I always found Drusilla intriguing, her backstory, her personality, and just everything about her character fascinated me. And while they're basically genderless, I really liked the concept of The First Evil, though I wished that they had interwoven its presence throughout the series to give more anticipation and weight upon its arrival in the final season.
15. Favorite male villain.
I quite liked The Mayor, he was enjoyable and fun to watch as the third season antagonist. But I think my ultimate favorite male villain would have to be Angelus. That transition honestly changed the game of the entire series, and David managed to make Angelus so utterly terrifying.
16. An episode you like that everyone else hates.
It's not really an episode, but I actually enjoyed the first season. I know that many in the fandom don't favor it as much because it was more of a filler season, it had ridiculous monster-of-the-week episodes that really didn't contribute much to the plot, but considering it was a mid-season replacement and it was more of an introduction to the character and the series, it did pretty well for what it was.
17. Character you relate to the most.
I always found myself strongly identifying a lot with Faith and Dawn, along with Tara as well. It's definitely a mixture of the three, which is probably why I love them so much. Also the more I think about it, I also relate to some of the things that Buffy herself went through, particularly with her depression.
18. Character who didn't get enough screentime.
I feel like they could've had Kendra appear a bit more. I also wanted more of Ethan Rayne, since there was still much left unexplained and unexplored regarding his character and especially the relationship between himself and Giles. I wanted to see more of that dynamic.
19. Character you like that everyone else hates.
Dawn Summers. To this day I'll never understand that hate her character got and unfortunately still gets from fandom. Her character who grew and developed beautifully and yet she still gets shitted on because when she was introduced she was a teenager acting like a teenager. And as someone who identifies a lot with Dawn in certain ways it makes me very sad.
20. Best Spike-centric episode.
His earlier episodes, specifically "School Hard" which was the introduction to both him and Drusilla and "Lover's Walk", because that had a hilarious team-up with him, Buffy and Angel.
21. Best Willow-centric episode.
"Doppelgangland", since it brought back Vamp!Willow.
22.
Since I don't really care enough about Xander and can't think of any episodes, I changed this to be more Giles-centric, since he didn't get one in this meme. With that being said, my favorite Giles episode would have to be "The Dark Age", because it gave us background to who Giles was before becoming a Watcher. I always found it so intriguing, especially in regards to his relationship with Ethan Rayne, and it makes me sad that we didn't go further into Giles' past. We got glimpses, but nowhere near as much as other characters re: their pasts. I mean, just think about what we could've gotten with the "Ripper" spin-off....
23. Two characters you wanted to get together but never did.
Faith/Buffy, but that's a given.
24. Favorite example of 90s special effects.
The transitioning when the vampires vamped out (which is a great morphing technique, even though everything else kinda morphs too, like clothing they're wearing shifts as well, so it wasn't isolated a lot of the time to just the face, lol), and of course when they got dusted and the sound effects of it as well. The show actually aged quite well, considering its effects. And while not really a special effect, I kinda love revisiting the show for the fashions. Sometimes you just gotten marvel at how amazing or ridiculous some of the 90s/early 00s fashions were, lol.
25. Favorite Buffyverse saying/Buffy-speak phrase.
There's honestly so many to pick from, but I think Buffy saying, "Your logic does not resemble our Earth logic" is probably one that I recite a lot since it is the most relevant in many cases. Same when Oz says, "This is making the kind of sense that's not" and Cordelia's "What? I can't have layers?" and "God, what is your childhood trauma!" I have also always adored the, "A doodle. I do doodle. You too! You do doodle, too!" BTVS was also the first place where I heard the word "wig" to describe being freaked out. Buffy-speak in general is such a wonderful play on words and phrasing, a lot which I have adopted/incorporated into my own vocabulary and way of speaking and I quote from it all the time.
26. Favorite Scooby moment.
I really do like it whenever they come up with a plan to fight and defeat the Big Bad, working together to get the task done by playing to each of their strengths. I also loved when they're all in research mode, whether it's in the Sunnydale High School library or elsewhere. But I think my favorite moment was in "Family" when they defended Tara and stood up against her abusive family. I've always been a fan of found family tropes and this one hit all the right marks. Tara was new to the group, and the Scoobies didn't know her that well besides Willow, but this episode made it clear that they would not only make the effort to get to know her better, it also demonstrated further that family doesn't always mean blood related. It was such an important moment and one that really made me very happy.
27. Cutest moment.
I know there were so many cute moments, but I honestly can't think of a singular one since they all kinda blend together. Like, it's the little moments, when one of them is being supportive of the other, for example when Buffy asked Cordelia to drive her home and she says, "of course" with no hesitation. I mean, it's not necessarily cute in a happy way because of the context of the scene itself, but it's cute in a way of a sweet gesture that it's such an overlooked moment of showing Cordelia's compassion and empathy. Like in the same episode at the end where Giles is tending to Buffy's wounds, no words spoken but there's an understanding between them. And just little moments like that, the ones where you wouldn't necessarily think much of but it says so much about these characters. It's more sweet and genuine than in terms of how one would normally define cute, but I definitely think it qualifies.
28. Character you love to hate.
I can't really think of a character that I loved to hate. Caleb, maybe? Especially since it's Nathan Fillion portraying him and it just gets funnier every time he appears on the screen.
29. An episode you hate that everyone else loves.
I can't really think of any, honestly? Perhaps "The Zeppo", because while character-centric episodes can be good I just wasn't a fan of it. I barely remember much of what happened in it besides the beginning, the moment with Faith, and the end.
30. What you think made Buffy the Vampire Slayer so great.
I think it's a series that transcended its genre. It not only subverted certain tropes that were commonly used within the horror genre itself, but it also had some pretty damn good messages along the way. It resonated with many people because it wasn't a mere teen show, it was a coming of age show that had plenty of amazing moments and the audience grew up along with its characters. Buffy and her friends went from teenagers in high school to young adults in college and dealing with real life issues. Every season had its own genre narrative which moved the story along beautifully. The show featured so many strong and capable women characters who were all memorable in their own right, and it's a show that is quite timeless no matter if you're revisiting it or just discovering it. Buffy the Vampire Slayer remains one of my top five favorite television series of all time, and with good reason. It was an important part of my formative years and I'll forever be grateful for its existence.
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no subject
Date: 2017-05-02 01:54 am (UTC)I am fond of Dawn, and name Faith as my 3rd favorite character, if that helps.
I think the problem with the potential slayer arc was that it was dropped into the middle of a show that was full of characters and history, and there just wasn't any space. All that ended up happening was that already beloved characters lost screen time to the potentials, but the already beloved characters were still so numerous and important that we didn't have much chance to get attached to the new potentials.
Reading your favorite Buffyverse sayings reminds me of something else that made the show so great: It was consistently funny and quotable, every episode. Other shows tried. Buffy succeeded.
no subject
Date: 2017-05-02 02:27 am (UTC)I think the problem with the potential slayer arc was that it was dropped into the middle of a show that was full of characters and history, and there just wasn't any space.
Agreed. I liked the seventh season better than most, however I do think it suffered from squeezing in things that should've been introduced prior to the show. There should've been more preparation with The First Evil and the Potential Slayers in previous seasons so the final season could have more of an emotional punch from that build up. The Potential Slayers is a good concept, but sadly as you mentioned there wasn't enough space with everything else going on. I just felt like they held so much promise as a concept, if only we'd spent a little more time developing them and getting to know them as individuals rather than just gathering them up for the final battle, y'know?
Reading your favorite Buffyverse sayings reminds me of something else that made the show so great: It was consistently funny and quotable, every episode. Other shows tried. Buffy succeeded.
That's something I've noticed, as well, and it's one of the things that I appreciate Buffy the Vampire Slayer so much because there was a fluidity with the way characters spoke which was unique in and of itself, it just seemed natural with how everyone communicated that it didn't seem forced or stiff, which many shows since have tried doing those obvious witty one-line zingers yet most fall flat in their delivery. I remember watching a BTS video of BTVS where they talked about the writing and how characters spoke, and it's just so fascinating how it just worked so well. They found their own language that isn't seen much on television these days.