"Early" Bird Catches the Worm

Okay, so last post I rambled on and on about how much I hated Mal, and how I wasn't too fond of this show. This week however I am reluctant to admit that I enjoyed this episode alot more than the first episode, not because it was the final episode of the series but because of the character Jubal Early. We talked in class about the Asian aspect that is present within Firefly and we talked about characters in the show who we felt were the closest to the Asian culture within the series, and to me that would have to be the "Amazing Lion" Jubal Early. Early represents to me the closest to Asian "Mysticism" as it can get on this show. There is a Ninj-esque quality that he possesses as he boards the Serenity in the most stealthy of fashions and even disposes of Mal quickly in their minor skirmish. Early also has that philosophical aspect of asian culture that is perceived by western culture, as he lectures to Simon about "objects in space" and the simplicity in things that people seem to overlook. Early also possesses that enthusiasm that western culture sees in Asian movies. In the episode Early goes off on a tangent and rides his "high" horse for a bit when he mishears Simon thinking he's a "Lion" which excites him for a moment thinking someone is a fan of his work. Early, regardless of his limited time on the show is an amazing character. Within forty five minutes to an hour he has convinced me of the culture that this particular series tried so hard to portray to the rest of its audience, and even though he is a bad guy I feel nothing but respect for his character

Firefly...Up Up and Away

I am cutting this post rather close I know, but that is what happens during Spring Break I suppose. My post has nothing to do with Superman, however, I do think that the idea of what a hero is pops up in this show. Just as when we were talking about it for Angel, the heroes in this show are not really heroes at all. At least, I don't think they are heroes to the audience, but they are heroes to the brother and sister they rescue from the government. Mal and crew are "criminals" but that did not stop them helping out River and Simon.

This was the first episode of Firefly I had seen so I am eager to see what comes next but I feel the idea of heroes in this show is no different then the other Whedon works. The main characters may not show that they have the ideal hero qualities but they do heroic acts.

Express Yourself!!

I'm sorry I didn't get to experience this episode with all of you! I'm sure it would have been more fun! Unfortunately, I had to watch it on my own. I will say that 8 minutes into the program I had the impulse to turn it off. It was right after the guy (with a back up chorus) was in the street singing, "They got the mustard out!" As I was about to press the stop button I remembered that I HAD to watch this episode...and so I did. All I can say is that I don't know what drug Joss Whedon was on when he conjured up the idea of making"Buffy" a musical but he needed to "Just Say No!"

Okay, let's move on. The characters are very honest about their feelings when they sing. Xander and Anya sing about their fears within their relationship. Tara sings about how much Willow completes her (as she rises off the bed like the exorcist girl). Giles sings about worrying he's standing in Buffy's way and Spike just wants to "rest in peace". Then there are the wooden-headed dudes. What do they represent? They have wooden heads and are the only characters who don't sing in this episode. That had to be intentional but why? If singing is honesty then not singing would result in lies. Maybe the wooden-headed dudes are like Pinnochio...they both have wooden heads and lie.

I'm reaching and reaching for symbolism in this episode but coming up empty...I think I just got lost inside the corny music!

The Body hurts

"The Body" is an incredibly charged episode. It doesn't have action, it doesn't have intense fight scenes, it has intense character drama. The episode is packed with nonverbal loss and suffering, amplified by Whedon's excellent knowledge of camera techniques. The scene with Xander and Anya picking up Willow and Tara to go to the morgue and while talking Whedon sets up the scene magnificently. Alls of the characters are there, and they are talking to each other but they are all very much alone. each stands in a closed posture, arms hugging themselves, and there is significant space between them. Each character also displays a different kind of grief. Xander tries to find someone to blame, Willow is quiet and yells at Anya who disturbs her silence. Anya asks questions that children ask, wanting to know why; why Joyce can't get up, why she can't be alive. Anya's childishness is completely heartbreaking.

'Til death do us part

Death is always such a difficult topic to discuss, let alone face. Most people will face the death of a loved one at least once in their lives. As much as we are aware of this we are still unprepared when that time arrives. There are many different emotions that must be dealt with: Shock, denial, grief, devastation, anger. All emotions come at the right stage and at the right time for the person suffering the loss. Allowing these emotions to come freely in an atmosphere of non-judgement is crucial to moving forward. Remembering the loved one is how their spirit lives beyond the limitations of their physical body.

I believe that Joss Whedon did an excellent job covering all aspects of death in 'The Body'. He covered the affects of death from the beginning, when Buffy discovers the body of her mother, until the last scene when Dawn reaches out to touch her mother in the morgue. One moment that stuck out to me was when Buffy was on the phone with 9-1-1 and commented "She's cold" and the dispatcher asked "The body's cold?" and Buffy responded, "No, my mother". She was still her "mom" at that point. Then after rescue pronounced her dead and Giles arrived Buffy instructed him, "We're not supposed to move the body". It seemed the moment the words left her mouth she appeared shocked she had spoken them. I think the reality of what those words meant hit her hard because she knew then that what was left behind was not her "mom"... just her body.

Death affects every person in an individual, personal way. I love that Joss Whedon allowed each character in Buffy to express themselves individually in response to Joyce's death (ex//Xander punching a hole in the wall and Willow trying to find the right shirt to wear). Whedon displays successfully how life goes on around you even though it might feel as if it has stopped for you when a loved one dies. For me, this was a very depressing episode and one I don't think I'll ever have the desire to watch again.

Hush Little Baby Don't Say a Word: I mean you can try but...

In class this past Tuesday we watched the Buffy episode "Hush" and I was ridiculously freaked out by the demeanor as well as the appearance of the "Gentlemen". The entire episode was disorienting to me, although it was still entertaining, because of the lack of verbal speech used in the episode. The lack of spoken speech was still really effective and showed to me the importance of communication (strongest particularly between the Gentlemen, and weakest between the characters of the "scoobies"). After watching this episode I was able to distinguish the difference between talking between people and communication. When one talks with another individual, they just exchange words, which doesn't necessarily mean that those in the conversation understand what is being said. When people communicate, like in the case of the Gentlemen, with their hand gestures and head nods, the individuals in the conversation not only understand the words being said but the intent of their conversation.

Killing Things Just Made It Better

Ok so this week we watched "Innocence" and I couldn't help but notice the trend of the teeenager's life that is represented throughout the media over and over again. Boy meets girl (in this case undead boy who is cursed meets girl, they fall in love, they do "it", he gets in , gets off, gets out and leaves.). Don't get me wrong I understand that it was needed for the plot of Buffy to move along and it was an inevitability, however it all moved a little too fast. When Angel says to Spike "to kill this girl you gotta love her" I find that to create more pain you draw it all out in one nice unbearably sweet... well you let it go on for a very long time, instead of just telling her "it's over" the day after.

The effect that this has on Buffy forces her to act faster towards the destruction of Angel, just as fast as he was to break her heart. Don't misunderstand however that what they did have seemed genuine before the events that took place, but when you force someone into the corner they either cower or fight back and let's face it he picked the wrong teenage girl to F*$# with.

This episode, through the quick break up of Buffy and Angel, also demonstrated a higher symbolic meaning for the essences of "being human". After the breakup Buffy is devastated and like all teenage girls who lose the man they lost their virginity to she cries a wholehearted cry. This shows that despite living out the destiny of a slayer and having the weight of humanity of her shoulders, Buffy is still just a teenage girl with problems of her own. She experiences heartbreak from losing boyfriends, and joy from being with her buddies. But with that pent up aggression of being who she is, killing things just makes life a bit easier.

Who Knew Sarcasm had Some Meaningful Function? (Xander)

Being fairly new to the world of Whedon (especially the world of Buffy) The Character of Xander stands out in my mind; not because he is a good looking guy but because every word that comes out of his mouth is layered with a sweet coat of "smartass" that is hiding a deeper layer of concern for the wellbeing of his friends . Xander's tendency to act as if every event that happens over the hellmouth, is in my opinion, a clever coping mechanism with the world of the supernatural in opposition to the lifestyle of the average teenager. In the episode that we watched during class Xander's attitude towards the other characters, especially Giles is very show offy and to some extent even arrogant, which brings some annoyance to the other characters facial expressions. However despite his constant careless demeanor Xander is able to show an even stronger dedication to helping Buffy and the rest of the group knowing when to act seriously and having no problem lying to his own family to provide his contribution to discovering the mystery of "The Judge". The character of Xander himself is a clever tool in providing the rest of the characters with a sense of calm by using his own attitude to create an environment in which Buffy and friends can focus on the task at hand when otherwise they may be most frantic