(no subject)

[doyle]

- this was the first thing Ultimate Drew wrote for TV, ever? Wow.

- he's such a fanboy. He points out all the stuff like Xander's Lie and the amulet from Something Blue, and David Solomon says that he was on every episode and doesn't know all that stuff.

- The First was supposed to appear to Anya as Halfrek in CWDP but Kali Rocha wasn't available.

- Anya's name and backstory came about because when Drew G was doing research for the episode he found a Viking King called Olaf whose wife, Aud, was known for her 'strange sense of humour and ability with money'.



CWPD

- Jane Espenson is adorable. As are Tom Lenk and Danny Strong.

- Jane loooves Jonathan. I think it's Drew Goddard who snarkily says "you could go in and pitch an episode about Spike and Jane'd be like, ooh! Can Danny play Spike's mom?"

- I shall maturely say nyah to the person on my friends-list or on BAPS (can't remember which) who said Tom was lying about making up some of his own lines. (Also Jane tells a story about watching TV with Tom in a hotel room in Britain and him getting too tense to watch a gameshow - "ohh, I can't watch these things, I get too nervous for the people. It's why I don't like ice-skating." - which is a line she wanted to use for Andrew)

- Xander wasn't in this episode because he's 'never known anyone who died'. Uh... Jesse? Larry? Snyder, which would fit with Restless?

- the actress who plays Cassie is apparently identical to Rebecca Rand-Kirshner, who created the character. Thinking about Help, Cassie's the definition of a Mary Sue, isn't she? Tragic background (she knows she's going to die), mystical powers. Plus she becomes best friends with Dawn, Buffy's obsessed with saving her, she uses her next-to-dying breath to encourage the Spuffy and her actual dying breath to give Buffy a morale boost, and everybody sits around weeping over her death. And yet I still like her a lot. Hm.

- Jane says yes, Joyce was The First, and that yes, the First can appear in more than one place at a time. Which I guess we saw in Bring on the Night when it was masquerading as a potential and appearing to Spike. Shame it didn't think to exploit this omnipresence a bit more considering that confusing your enemies might be a good idea (I have issues with the source of all evil being dumb as a rock, tactically speaking).

- the writers had next to no outline for this episode beyond "Buffy and Holden scene. Dawn scene." They had three days to write it and were majorly stressed. So Jane took off to Vegas. I want to be her when I grow up.

Comments

[electrcspacegrl.livejournal.com]

Buffy has always received help in saving the world. That's been a big theme from the beginning. The reason why she survived so long (despite being resurrected) was from the help of her friends.

The theme was female empowerment but there were other things going on also. I'm not saying that every single thing that happened in season 7 touched on that theme, I'm saying that that was what the Big Bad represented. The First was trying to destroy the Slayer line. The Slayer line represents female empowerment.

I understand that you have problems with the season and the way it was handled but every time I've watched it, the biggest thing I got from it was that female empowerment was threatened and in the end it was shared. I know people see the slayer power as a burden because that's what it represented to Buffy throughout the series but I think that the burden was actually that she was alone with the power, not that she had the power. The burden was that she alone had the responsibility to protect the world. Now that there are women everywhere who have the powers Buffy has, they don't have to be alone in it. Hell, they probably don't even have to use their powers if they don't want to (that's just speculation).

That's the way I see it, anyway. It's ok if you disagree though.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

I agree that that was the theme, what I have a problem with was the fact that these girls had no choice.

So... the first Watchers forcing the power on one girl? Bad and wrong.

Buffy via Willow forcing the power on *lots* of girls? 'Bloody brilliant'.

Sure, they can choose to not use their power, but I'm going to be a big geek and quote Spider-Man and the fact that he never asked for or wanted superpowers either and the 'with great power comes great responsibility' thing.

I was delighted Angel addressed something I'd been wondering, the fact that just by the law of averages some of the new Slayers would be in prison or mental institutions or would just use their new power badly.

Not going to go into the fact that there aren't even enough Watchers for these girls, since this is getting long...

[electrcspacegrl.livejournal.com]

I understand and it's too bad there wasn't a way they could have the potentials actually choose this. Buffy said "Here's where you have the choice..." but did they really? Could any of them have raised their hand and said, "You know, I don't really want to be a Slayer so can I just sit this one out?" I mean, this was an apocalypse, and a great battle strategy but in the long run, maybe they have been forced into it. I would say though that the girls that were at that house through Chosen wanted to be Slayers...except maybe Rona because she was complaining the whole time.

But yeah, it's flawed. Sigh. I still like it though.

[doyle_sb4.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I agree they had no choice (how could they? Was there any way Willow could have altered the spell to say 'oh, activate these girls but not the rest of them'? Because if so, yeah, that would have been better than calling *everybody*)

I like season 7, and I like Chosen. I just think a lot of it doesn't make sense plotwise (and Joss says as much himself in the commentary, that he's more about the 'magic' and the symbolism than the plot)

[ludditerobot.livejournal.com]

The was a way. Have Willow say "empower these girls who choose to stand beside the Slayer" instead of what she did say.

[ludditerobot.livejournal.com]

The theme was female empowerment but there were other things going on also. I'm not saying that every single thing that happened in season 7 touched on that theme, I'm saying that that was what the Big Bad represented. The First was trying to destroy the Slayer line. The Slayer line represents female empowerment.

The Slayer line represents female enslavement. That's what the Buffy part of "Get It Done" is all about.

I understand that you have problems with the season and the way it was handled but every time I've watched it, the biggest thing I got from it was that female empowerment was threatened and in the end it was shared.

I'm glad you got something out of it. I'm just not seeing it.

I know people see the slayer power as a burden because that's what it represented to Buffy throughout the series but I think that the burden was actually that she was alone with the power, not that she had the power.

But she wasn't alone with the power post-"What's My Line?". I could almost buy that if they didn't try to sell the "two powerful women must be in conflict" thing with Faith. Yes, there were big problems between those two, but it was never about them both being Slayer. That just forced them into a relationship where their other issues came to play. There were never Buffy/Kendra problems like that.

The burden was that she alone had the responsibility to protect the world. Now that there are women everywhere who have the powers Buffy has, they don't have to be alone in it. Hell, they probably don't even have to use their powers if they don't want to (that's just speculation).

Buffy had to use her powers because trouble came looking for her. Faith had to use her powers because trouble followed her around. There's been enough times where she's just taking a walk and wandering damage comes out at her. The girls brought up would be forced into this. And each one, if the Slayerness of things comes to the fore, will still be fighting alone. Buffy, even with a room full of Scoobies on her side, always fights alone. That's the contrast that I think was a key disconnect between Riley and Buffy. Riley's a soldier, and beyond the "Army of One" ads, a soldier works within a group construct, where one person's weaknesses are covered by another's strengths. Buffy always fought as if she was alone, and most of Xander's saves come to pass because the foe is too distracted by his nearly successful attempt at killing Buffy to notice that he's there. As much as I argue the non-canonical nature of the Two-Slayers thing being the key problem between Faith and Buffy, they seem to have made it canon, and thus empowering everyone ensures there will be superpowered catfights all over again. And, y'know, power corrupts, and quite a few of them will end up using that power to rob and kill, but then again, it isn't empowerment if you are not given the choice to do ill, is it?

That's the way I see it, anyway. It's ok if you disagree though.

I'm beginning to see some evidence in your favor when I think about it, bouncing between "Him" and "Selfless", but for neither does the circle quite close.