Tonight, we watched “Hush” again, and continued on with “Doomed”, and I’m considering asking the guy I do most of the watching with if we could start watching Angel season 2 when we’ve finished Buffy season 4. However, about an hour ago it struck me that perhaps we ought to watch a selection of the best and most important (for later) episodes of season 1 as well, so I sat down with an episode list to take a look at what we could/should watch. And man, if I wasn’t surprised with how many potential watchables there in here. (Which in itself is kinda surprising, as I’ve watched Angel three times before, all the way through…)
Let’s take a look ar the ones I was considering:
“City of”
Obviously. It’s the beginning, it’s the premise setter, it has that excellent finishing scene where Angel kicks the guy out the window and he meets Lindsey for the first time.
“In the Dark”
It’s got Spike, and everybody loves Spike, don’t we? Also, it’s his last appearance as unambiguous villain.
“I Will Remember You”
It has Buffy, it has stuff that makes me cry like a little girl, and it a tragedy. One of the great ones of the ‘Verse.
“Eternity”
Surprisingly, the next one. I chose to ditch “Hero”, because I really don’t like the package plot of this thing. It has its moments, of course, but no. Also, it doesn’t exactly do wonders for my image to be crying for two consecutive episodes, you know. I also cut “Somnambulist”, even though I really like that episode. “Eternity”, though… a drug-induced Angelus, and a Wesley who has to step up to the plate.
“Five by Five” and “Sanctuary”
Faith! Torturing of Wes! Buffster! Angel displaying his (most metaphorical) cojones! Yet another revelation of why this is truly fantasy — as the Watchers’ Council once again demonstrate their incapacity to do anything right. What is there not to like?
“War Zone”
First meeting with Gunn. Also, it’s generally a good episode.
I’ve considered adding “Blind Date” and “To Shanshu in LA” to the list, too, as well as most of the others, but while they both introduce the Shanshu prophecy and expand a bit upon the whole “Why We Fight” issue (which, I’d like to remind everyone, really started to be touched upon in the Buffy season 3 episode “Gingerbread” — recommended for a re-watch if you don’t remember), I have to admit I’m a bit unsure of how interesting they’ll be for people (most likely to be reduced to “person”, though) who, while liking Whedon’s stuff in general (or at least one of them does; another one has fallen out of my good graces after making the tasteless remark that he thinks CSI is a better show than Buffy), might not be as passionate about it as I am and you are, my core readers (I love you both, by the way 
).
Comments and suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Even ridiculously off-topic ones, nitpicking about my spelling, and whatnot.
Posts
I’m utterly and completely appalled at the thought of encouraging someone in watching a select number of any episodes of a tv-show - ANY tv-show - instead of introducing them to it starting with the first episode and working their way chronologically through it until they a. give up or b. are done, and will _in no way_ be affiliated with this abomination.
(That being said, on a completely and utterly off the records-note, I’d add at least Somnambulist and Blind Date in there.)
But honestly, the mere concept appals me.
12. April 2008 @ 02:32 ( Permalink )
In principle, I’m appalled, too. However, Kalle, with whom I’m watching stuff, has already seen Angel at least once, so for him it’s just a refresher, and Ingvild and Håvard join us too sporadically for me to care much about them. (Also, Håvard made that sickening comment about CSI…)
But if Kalle agrees to quit Buffy and pick up Angel, he might want to watch the whole thing, which’d make this whole thing a hypothetical exercise. Which might help to relieve your consciousness for partaking in this sordid business?
Also, if Ingvid or Håvard had been more consistent in their watching, and they’d agreed to watch Angel with me, I obviously would have started with the beginning and watched all the episodes. Anything else would have been selfish and stupid of me.
12. April 2008 @ 02:43 ( Permalink )
It might help. Somewhat.
Anyway, I’m unsure what your motivations are here. If you want to simply refresh good episodes, your list looks nice, but I’d personally add “Somnambulist”, “Blind Date”, and possibly “Hero” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin”. If you want to refresh the important plot-bits, I’d add “Blind Date” and “To Shanshu in LA” and remove “Eternity” and “I Will Remember You”, as well as possibly “In the Dark”. If you want to refresh the important character-bits, I’d add “Hero” (Doyle and Angel), “The Prodigal” and “Somnambulist” (Angel and Kate), “Blind Date” and “To Shanshu” (Lindsey and Angel) and possibly “The Ring” (Lilah).
Also, dude, why are you not on MSN when you sit up like this?
12. April 2008 @ 02:55 ( Permalink )
“If you want to simply refresh good episodes, your list looks nice,”
I won’t claim to have a perfect understanding of my own motivations, either, but to refresh good episodes sounds close, or should at least cover a lot of it. After all, I think the ones I’ve chosen are my favourites, and while it would be beneficial to include quite a few others, I think I won’t, primarily because I personally prefer the later seasons. Additionally, Kalle says he doesn’t like season one, or some such nonsense. But no matter how nonsensical it is, I take it into consideration.
As for that last question, I don’t know, but I suspect it’s ‘cos I never get any work done when I’m on MSN. As this last hour or so has examplified; I’ve been so busy talking to you, Lotta and Ida, it’s taken me 1,5 hours to write this reply.
13. April 2008 @ 20:52 ( Permalink )
I always think I don’t like Angel season 1 as much as the rest, and whenever I rewatch it, I go “damned, this is EXCELLENT”. Ser’sly. You should expand on that list with a couple of ’sodes.
And heck, man, I was on the phone for most of that time, don’t blame me.
13. April 2008 @ 21:03 ( Permalink )
“Additionally, Kalle says he doesn’t like season one”
This ‘Kalle’ character sounds like he’s got his wits about him. I’d only watch the first episode and the last couple of ones if I was giving it to someone totally new to the series.
..Though I’ll readily admit that I’m *this close* to downloading ‘I Will Remember You’, because I seem to remember enjoying that one a whole lot.
13. April 2008 @ 22:07 ( Permalink )
“I always think I don’t like Angel season 1 as much as the rest, and whenever I rewatch it, I go “damned, this is EXCELLENT””
I know, I get that, too, but… this’ll be like the third time I watch Angel in the last year, so… :\
13. April 2008 @ 22:22 ( Permalink )
“I’d only watch the first episode and the last couple of ones if I was giving it to someone totally new to the series.”
Remind me again why I don’t disown you?
In the Dark, Hero, Parting Gifts, Somnambulist, I’ve Got You Under My Skin, The Ring, Eternity, Five By Five, Sanctuary, War Zone, Blind Date… heck, two third of the season go on a must-see-list even if you look away from the need to get every episode in the right order to get the background needed to properly pay off several good episodes of character arcs in later seasons - which should be the main priority by any road. But even without that… three episodes out of the entire season. Tasteless freak.
13. April 2008 @ 22:56 ( Permalink )
13. April 2008 @ 22:57 ( Permalink )
So, pretty much done with season 1 now, and I think I’ve stuck to the plan. we watched City of, In the Dark, Somnambulist, Eternity, Five by Five, Sanctuary, War Zone and Blind Date, and will add To Shanshu in LA to the list, possibly tomorrow.
Then it’s on to season 2, which we’ll watch in it’s entirety. Will by interesting to see how far we’ll get before Kalle moves out in early June.
21. April 2008 @ 00:36 ( Permalink )
Oooh, so much goodie in that list. Five By Five… *pseudodrool*
By the way, seen the preview of Dark Horse’s upcoming Buffy Tarot-deck? Looks pretty seriously done, which I think is cool. They’re going to bake it into the story as well, apparently, claiming its a centuries-old deck of Tarot cards that somehow prophecises several of the events of Buffy seasons 1 through 8 in its motifs. Cheesy, probably, but pretty and kinda interesting.
21. April 2008 @ 01:49 ( Permalink )
Yeah, Five by Five is pretty damn awesome. Might be the best of the season, actually.
As for the Buffy tarot deck, I just googled it, and while I didn’t really read anything (I merely looked at the pictures), I wasn’t too impressed with the art of the four or five cards I saw. Sure, they had some spiffy details, and I guess it really was a bitch to make up vague hints for things that’s already happened (okay, so maybe I might be projecting some of my extreme contempt for the whole concept of tarot onto these things — maybe), but I just can’t seem to make myself care too much.
But cheesy, yeah. That some painter painted Buffy, Angel, Spike and what looks like Faith pretty much as with photographic accuracy, but that her or his premonition for some reason stopped dead in its tracks in Buffy’s ninth (or would that be tenth?) year as Slayer — I don’t think I can find any other way to describe it than as “cheesy”.
Oh Gods, I think I’m projecting again.
22. April 2008 @ 00:36 ( Permalink )
I like tarot. I’ve never actually used it, but it strikes me as something that could be (and probably is) av very neat way for someone to order their thoughts, consider their options, map out their choices. (I obviously feel very much my old agnostic self towards a directly divination-related use though) Plus, I think they look cool. I’ve always loved the deck of cards - Gaarder’s Solitaire Mystery was my favourite book growing up before I started reading fantasy, and I think it segmented a fascination that was already there - and the tarot-deck is like the normal one, only cooler.
It’d probably be tenth. She’d been a slayer for, what, about a year before season 1? Plus the seven seasons equals eight years, plus the about a year that seems to have passed since “Chosen”, plus the story they’ve obviously mapped out for season 8. And if Joss is involved, there could be clues to season 9 in there too.
I see that particular aspect as not so cheesy, though. All prophecies end somewhere. The idea what it has to follow someone to their grave seems odd to me - especially since this one already has. Twice. And it’s not about Buffy in particular, but her era and the myriad of Slayers. Buffy is just a pivotal person in that.
And I loved the paintings. They look exactly like real (and pretty) medieval tarot cards, but happens to make use of the Slayerverse’s by now rather vast access to symbols and ideas. Having Buffy and Spike’s relationship from season 6 portrayed on the Devil-card, for instance, is sheer genious.
I’m really puzzled by the Death-card, though. Seems odd to me that they’d “waste” an iconic card like that on an anonymous Slayer, despite it looking *really* good. Is that really Faith, you think? I didn’t really think it looked like her, but… I kind of just assumed that if it had been her, her wound would be in her stomach, not in the chest and throat.
22. April 2008 @ 10:25 ( Permalink )
“neat way for someone to order their thoughts, consider their options, map out their choices”
Granted, that might be a decent function for a deck of tarot cards. But it is not the primary, intended purpose of one, so I’d rather reserve my respect or what have you for the person who thought of using it this way, rather than the deck itself.
Unless, of course, it was extremely pretty, in which case I’d probably admire the artist a bit too. Unfortunately, I didn’t really find the artwork to be moer than decent, so….
“All prophecies end somewhere. The idea what it has to follow someone to their grave seems odd to me - especially since this one already has. Twice. And it’s not about Buffy in particular, but her era and the myriad of Slayers. Buffy is just a pivotal person in that.”
As usual, you make a good point, and I’ll modify my last opinion by it. But there’s some more stuff bugging me. Prophecies generally end with a rather grand event, — generally the most significant one in the time they detail, and with at least a sort of concluding note. Now, obviously this season 8 plot arc by all measures seems to be rather grand, but will it truly be the most significant one in the era of Buffy?
It’s not impossible, of course, and this whole comment might be more of a reservation than an objection, but there it is.
“Having Buffy and Spike’s relationship from season 6 portrayed on the Devil-card, for instance, is sheer genious.”
If you say so. Just about the only thing I know of tarot card meanings is that Death symbolizes change or something.
And as for the Death card, I agree. Thought it looked like Faith at first glance, but don’t any longer. It could of course just be an anonymous Slayer, meant to represent that the empowerment of the Potentials is coming to its end, but it doesn’t strike me as Whedonesque to return to the status quo of yesteryear like that…
24. April 2008 @ 19:17 ( Permalink )
“Now, obviously this season 8 plot arc by all measures seems to be rather grand, but will it truly be the most significant one in the era of Buffy?”
As it seems to be tied into the in the Fray-era mythical disappearance of magic, I’d say that’s very likely, yes, at least from a prophetic perspective.
“If you say so.”
A quick wikisearch backs up my vague memories of what it stands for, listing these common key phrases in connection to the Devil-card:
Materialism —– Ignorance —– Stagnation —– Self bondage
Lust —– Egoism —– Obsession —– Anxiety
Anger —– Hedonism —– Passion —– Animal instincts
Sexuality —— Temptation —– Lack of faith —– Vice
Futility —– Physical attraction —– Pessimism —– Mistakes
With the possible exception of “Ignorance”, that, to me, seems like the best condensate of the relationship Buffy-Spike in seson 6 I’ve ever seen - and it works from both of their perspectives too. If the other cards are as clever, I’ll be very impressed. (They might not be, though - if the Death-one is, it’s going way over my head, I’ve no idea what that’s supposed to be beyond the obvious change-metaphors with the sunset and the road into it and the river in the back)
“And as for the Death card, I agree. Thought it looked like Faith at first glance, but don’t any longer. It could of course just be an anonymous Slayer, meant to represent that the empowerment of the Potentials is coming to its end, but it doesn’t strike me as Whedonesque to return to the status quo of yesteryear like that…”
Hm. Maybe it’s about the death of magic that’s (very likely to be) coming? That would fit rather well I think. Or it could be Kennedy, we still don’t know how she died during the inter-season-7-8-period.
24. April 2008 @ 20:00 ( Permalink )
Wow, yeah, that Devil card was uncannily spot-on the Buffy-Spike relationship. o.O
Also, thanks for reminding me to re-read Fray! Only read it once, in a hurry, two years ago or so, before I’d even watched all of Buffy. And all four reads like a clear indication that a re-read might be advantegous.
27. April 2008 @ 19:15 ( Permalink )
I think you should. I’ve read it thrice, and I will surely re-read it before the new upcoming Fray-arc starts up with Buffy 8×16 in July.
And yup. The Devil card - and to a less extent the portayal of Angel on the Temperance - is what makes me so positive to this project. I think they seem to really know what they are doing, both Tarot- and Buffy-wise.
27. April 2008 @ 20:18 ( Permalink )