Mark here... this episode is called "Witch" and it establishes that there's another supernatural world out there that Buffy needs to fight. As Giles describes, Sunnydale (the town Buffy lives in) is a hotbed of supernatural mischief. It sits atop a Hellmouth, a sort of vortex of evil. So in this episode Buffy is looking to try out for the cheerleading squad as a way of maintaining a normal life. Of course, cheerleading is evil, so we know that can't end well... We're introduced to Amy, whose Mom is pushing her to make the squad. Turns out Mom is a witch casting spells to get Amy on the squad. The episode also serves to show us the role Buffy's friends will playing in fighting evil. Giles shows himself to be adept in understanding spells and ends up casting one to break the witch's.
Laurel here... I like this one. For one we really see how Willow is going to be a valuable aid for Buffy, in this one she makes a potion that verifies that Amy is a witch...You assume it's Amy's mom casting spells and causing bad things to happen to cheerleaders who stand in between Amy and making the squad, then Willow proves it is Amy herself, then it tuns out AMY IS HER MOM because her witchy mom thought she was wasting her youth and made her switch bodies. Good twist actually.
Quotes of note:
Giles saying "Pardon Me for finding the glass half full"...it was funny when we heard it...
Saturday, August 4, 2012
The Harvest
Mark here... this episode, "The Harvest" is a continuation of the last, basically a two-part pilot. I'd like to note the fun theme song here. Good tv shows have a theme song that makes you look forward to what's coming, and the rockin' totally 90s theme here fits the bill. This episode's not quite as fun as the last but serves to lay some groundwork. For one, the school library serves as team headquarters for Buffy and her friends. Which brings to another, Buffy's friends are in on her being the Slayer from the beginning and by the end of the episode, so is school bitch Cordelia. The premise of the episode is Buffy preventing Head vampire "The Master" who's trapped in another dimension, from being able to enter ours. The character stuff is way more relevant...Cordelia making fun of Willow while in computer class, then asking how to finish her assgnment. Willow responds, "hit Deliver"...meaning Delete.
Laurel here...I continue to be surprised/impressed by how the characters who I know from later are introduced in these early episodes. They all acknowledge the importance of Buffy's mission (even if she doesn't) and are all down with keeping her secret. The only one who has been introduced so far that we dont know about yet is angel, who seems to understand about buffy's role as the slayer and it is unclear to us at this point what his role is...but the sexual tension between him and Buffy is already building...
As a side note it is interesting to me how many actors playing vampires on this show I have met as extras working on commercials. For those of you who don't know, I make my living as a teamster/set dresser on tv commericals and it is nice to see so many extras that I have worked with on commercials being cast as principal (vampires) in this early stage of the show. It means way more money for them as working actors, right on!
Quotes of note this episode...
Cordelia to Willow: "Who gave you permission to exist?"
Cordeila to her shitty friends regarding not dating high school guys: "It's like when I go shopping, I have to have the most expensive thing, not because it's more expensive, but because it costs more."
I love what a bitch she is.
Laurel here...I continue to be surprised/impressed by how the characters who I know from later are introduced in these early episodes. They all acknowledge the importance of Buffy's mission (even if she doesn't) and are all down with keeping her secret. The only one who has been introduced so far that we dont know about yet is angel, who seems to understand about buffy's role as the slayer and it is unclear to us at this point what his role is...but the sexual tension between him and Buffy is already building...
As a side note it is interesting to me how many actors playing vampires on this show I have met as extras working on commercials. For those of you who don't know, I make my living as a teamster/set dresser on tv commericals and it is nice to see so many extras that I have worked with on commercials being cast as principal (vampires) in this early stage of the show. It means way more money for them as working actors, right on!
Quotes of note this episode...
Cordelia to Willow: "Who gave you permission to exist?"
Cordeila to her shitty friends regarding not dating high school guys: "It's like when I go shopping, I have to have the most expensive thing, not because it's more expensive, but because it costs more."
I love what a bitch she is.
BUFFY!
Mark here...Laurel and I are switching gears again and watching Season 1 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer. I've made us Steak with Bernaise, French Fries and a Beet Salad, to keep with a "blood" theme. This first episode is called, "Welcome to the Hellmouth" and I was surprised at how entertaining this show is right out of the gate. We're introduced to Buffy who has just moved to town after being involved with burning the school gym down at her previous school. She's also a Slayer, the one girl in all the world who is given extra abilities to slay vampires and demons. She also has to attend high school. We're also introduced to her supporting cast...bitchy Cordelia, nerdy Willow, and outcast Xander...and mysterious Angel. Also, we meet the school librarian, Giles, who coincidentally is her Watcher. Each Slayer is given a Watcher who trains and guides her.
This episode deals with a coming disaster called the Harvest, but more importantly shows the wit of the show. There's a whole lot of 90s going on here, but its not as annoying as Dawson's Creek was and holds up in a more fun, nostalgic way.
Hi Laurel here...I agree with Mark, this show is super 90s in a fun way, not in an annoying existential teenage Dawson's way. I have only watched Buffy sporadically before. It's interesting to see how some of the different characters are introduced and what roles they play in the very beginning compared to how things pan out later. I like in this episode how Buffy wants to move on and be a normal kid but she is sort of reluctantly forced into being the slayer again. I love a reluctant hero. Also I like how perfectly nerdy Willow is, and Buffy still seeks her out as a new friend anyway.
Mark here...its also interesting to note how this show was sort of on a cusp of a teen renaissance in tv and movies, and making the WB the go-to station for a while. It's easy to see why with the snappy writing. But I remember how odd the pickup of this show was in the beginning, basically a spinoff of a B-movie on a station no one watched...but whoever made the decision, it was the right one.
Quotes of note this episode: Cordilia to Buffy when she see's her talking to Willow and Xander: "I don't mean to interrupt your downward mobility but..."
Also Buffy to Giles when he questions her ability to "sense" vampires when she ends up judging a book by it's cover, a supposed vampire who has clearly been underground for several years wearing a super dated cub outfit: "I mean, deal with that outfit for a minute, it's like he's from El Debarge."
This episode deals with a coming disaster called the Harvest, but more importantly shows the wit of the show. There's a whole lot of 90s going on here, but its not as annoying as Dawson's Creek was and holds up in a more fun, nostalgic way.
Hi Laurel here...I agree with Mark, this show is super 90s in a fun way, not in an annoying existential teenage Dawson's way. I have only watched Buffy sporadically before. It's interesting to see how some of the different characters are introduced and what roles they play in the very beginning compared to how things pan out later. I like in this episode how Buffy wants to move on and be a normal kid but she is sort of reluctantly forced into being the slayer again. I love a reluctant hero. Also I like how perfectly nerdy Willow is, and Buffy still seeks her out as a new friend anyway.
Mark here...its also interesting to note how this show was sort of on a cusp of a teen renaissance in tv and movies, and making the WB the go-to station for a while. It's easy to see why with the snappy writing. But I remember how odd the pickup of this show was in the beginning, basically a spinoff of a B-movie on a station no one watched...but whoever made the decision, it was the right one.
Quotes of note this episode: Cordilia to Buffy when she see's her talking to Willow and Xander: "I don't mean to interrupt your downward mobility but..."
Also Buffy to Giles when he questions her ability to "sense" vampires when she ends up judging a book by it's cover, a supposed vampire who has clearly been underground for several years wearing a super dated cub outfit: "I mean, deal with that outfit for a minute, it's like he's from El Debarge."
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 2
Mark here... bam! This episode is the season finale and leaves on quite a cliffhanger. Spoiler alert for anyone who doesn't know...we're about to talk about some revealing moments!
The episode picks up where the last left off and there's a crew stranded on Kobol with the Cylon basestar above. Back on Galactica, the plan is to infiltrate the basestar using a Cylon device Lt. Gaeta crafted from the captured Cylon Raider. The device allows Cylon Sharon to get onboard the basestar to deliver a nuclear weapon. But while onboard she encounters several versions of herself...
Meanwhile on the fleet a civil war is happening after Roslin's decision to send Starbuck back to Caprica. Adama sends troops to invade Colonial One and arrest Roslin. Apollo backs the President and they both end up arrested to avoid bloodshed. Starbucks mission on Caprica ends up with her fighting with another Cylon Six over the Arrow of Apollo. She's rescued by Helo only to recognize the Caprica Sharon...
On Galactica, Adama is congratulating that version of Sharon on successfully destroying the basestar...only to have her pull out a gun and shoot him in the chest! End of episode and a perfect cliffhanger...leaving you wanting more! and not knowing what will happen to Adama? Roslin in the bring? Starbuck and Helo on Caprica? and the crew members left on Kobol?
Laurel here..nothing much to add except OMG! Sharon shoots Adama?!?! I thought when Sharon encountered, like, 27 versions of herself it was going to increase her resolve to reject her Cylon side and commit completely to the humans but then she shoots her human leader?!? It makes me wonder whether this was the Cylon plan all along, or if she has a change of heart when it is confirmed for her that she is in fact a Cylon. Then maybe turning against the human race seems and inevitable conclusion for her as an individual?
I also think it's awesome that Apollo goes against command in order to defend the President. Earlier in the episode Adama tells him that he needs to follow his instincts, which he sites as his reason for his personal mutiny against the military.
OMG what a cliff hanger!! It's going to be really hard to wait until we cycle through the rest of the 1st seasons of shows we want to do before we finally get into season 2 of Galactica to find out what happens!
The episode picks up where the last left off and there's a crew stranded on Kobol with the Cylon basestar above. Back on Galactica, the plan is to infiltrate the basestar using a Cylon device Lt. Gaeta crafted from the captured Cylon Raider. The device allows Cylon Sharon to get onboard the basestar to deliver a nuclear weapon. But while onboard she encounters several versions of herself...
Meanwhile on the fleet a civil war is happening after Roslin's decision to send Starbuck back to Caprica. Adama sends troops to invade Colonial One and arrest Roslin. Apollo backs the President and they both end up arrested to avoid bloodshed. Starbucks mission on Caprica ends up with her fighting with another Cylon Six over the Arrow of Apollo. She's rescued by Helo only to recognize the Caprica Sharon...
On Galactica, Adama is congratulating that version of Sharon on successfully destroying the basestar...only to have her pull out a gun and shoot him in the chest! End of episode and a perfect cliffhanger...leaving you wanting more! and not knowing what will happen to Adama? Roslin in the bring? Starbuck and Helo on Caprica? and the crew members left on Kobol?
Laurel here..nothing much to add except OMG! Sharon shoots Adama?!?! I thought when Sharon encountered, like, 27 versions of herself it was going to increase her resolve to reject her Cylon side and commit completely to the humans but then she shoots her human leader?!? It makes me wonder whether this was the Cylon plan all along, or if she has a change of heart when it is confirmed for her that she is in fact a Cylon. Then maybe turning against the human race seems and inevitable conclusion for her as an individual?
I also think it's awesome that Apollo goes against command in order to defend the President. Earlier in the episode Adama tells him that he needs to follow his instincts, which he sites as his reason for his personal mutiny against the military.
OMG what a cliff hanger!! It's going to be really hard to wait until we cycle through the rest of the 1st seasons of shows we want to do before we finally get into season 2 of Galactica to find out what happens!
Kobol's Last Gleaming Part 1
Mark here...Laurel and I are settling in with some steak, a pear, arugula and bacon salad, and a butternut squash and kale dish, all courtesy of Laurel.
The episode, "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1" starts off with a whole lot more Baltar than I remember and he's super annoying. First we see, out of the blue, he and Starbuck are hooking up. Clearly she's a bit damaged and he's a bit narcissistic in this hook up. She mistakenly calls out "Lee" (Apollo) in the midst of it, pissing off Baltar.
Also in the episode, Galactica discovers planet Kobol, a legendary home of the gods. The shows history states that humanity left Kobol to found the 13 colonies, including Earth. So, in theory, Kobol could lead them to Earth. Roslin's visions, from the drug she is taking to treat her cancer, further this theory. Of course Adama and her aide Billy find this crazy talk. Roslin however is convinced this will lead them to Earth. We know from the pilot though that Earth is a myth. One that the fleet believes, but that Roslin and Adama know to be just that. If Kobol is to lead them to Earth they will need "the Arrow of Apollo"...the god not the character. Way confusing and not well established yet...essentially this arrow is a sort of compass back on Caprica. It took some time and I needed to explain to Laurel that it was a physical thing. In any case, Roslin persuades Starbuck to steal the captured Cylon Raider and jump back to Caprica to get it. The only way she can persuade Starbuck is by revealing that Adama has lied about knowing where Earth is...so at the end of the episode Starbuck, seemingly testing the raider, jumps away.
The other plot point is that Kobol has a Cylon basestar orbiting around it and Cylons shoot down the Raptor force sent to investigate Kobol. Baltar is in this crew and aboard the surviving Raptor that crash lands on Kobol. His acting is so over the top and crazy-eyed its a wonder anyone listens to him!
There's also a bit going on with the 2 Cylon Sharons...Galactica version tries to kill herself and fails...Caprica version is with Helo, who claims he's only staying with her to find a way off Caprica...
Laurel here...thank god Mark was here to explain this one to me because I would have totally lost!!
Just a couple of little details I noticed...One is that in the opening of this episode Adama and Apollo are litlerally having a boxing match with each other (well ok they are sparring partners but still) metaphor much?
Also Apollo figures out that Starbuck and the crazy doctor have hooked up, because the doctor acts like a total freak (of course) when he sees her. Apollo and Starbuck get into an argument about it - at one point Starbuck loses her shit and punches Apollo in the face, and he responds by punching her, in the face, right back. Hard. So awesome! I love this idea of men and women being on equal footing without anybody being worried about how men are "supposed" to treat women or vice versa. Listen if a bitch punches you in the face her face is fair game!
The episode, "Kobol's Last Gleaming, Part 1" starts off with a whole lot more Baltar than I remember and he's super annoying. First we see, out of the blue, he and Starbuck are hooking up. Clearly she's a bit damaged and he's a bit narcissistic in this hook up. She mistakenly calls out "Lee" (Apollo) in the midst of it, pissing off Baltar.
Also in the episode, Galactica discovers planet Kobol, a legendary home of the gods. The shows history states that humanity left Kobol to found the 13 colonies, including Earth. So, in theory, Kobol could lead them to Earth. Roslin's visions, from the drug she is taking to treat her cancer, further this theory. Of course Adama and her aide Billy find this crazy talk. Roslin however is convinced this will lead them to Earth. We know from the pilot though that Earth is a myth. One that the fleet believes, but that Roslin and Adama know to be just that. If Kobol is to lead them to Earth they will need "the Arrow of Apollo"...the god not the character. Way confusing and not well established yet...essentially this arrow is a sort of compass back on Caprica. It took some time and I needed to explain to Laurel that it was a physical thing. In any case, Roslin persuades Starbuck to steal the captured Cylon Raider and jump back to Caprica to get it. The only way she can persuade Starbuck is by revealing that Adama has lied about knowing where Earth is...so at the end of the episode Starbuck, seemingly testing the raider, jumps away.
The other plot point is that Kobol has a Cylon basestar orbiting around it and Cylons shoot down the Raptor force sent to investigate Kobol. Baltar is in this crew and aboard the surviving Raptor that crash lands on Kobol. His acting is so over the top and crazy-eyed its a wonder anyone listens to him!
There's also a bit going on with the 2 Cylon Sharons...Galactica version tries to kill herself and fails...Caprica version is with Helo, who claims he's only staying with her to find a way off Caprica...
Laurel here...thank god Mark was here to explain this one to me because I would have totally lost!!
Just a couple of little details I noticed...One is that in the opening of this episode Adama and Apollo are litlerally having a boxing match with each other (well ok they are sparring partners but still) metaphor much?
Also Apollo figures out that Starbuck and the crazy doctor have hooked up, because the doctor acts like a total freak (of course) when he sees her. Apollo and Starbuck get into an argument about it - at one point Starbuck loses her shit and punches Apollo in the face, and he responds by punching her, in the face, right back. Hard. So awesome! I love this idea of men and women being on equal footing without anybody being worried about how men are "supposed" to treat women or vice versa. Listen if a bitch punches you in the face her face is fair game!
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Colonial Day
Mark here...so this episode, "Colonial Day" was a switch, from being sort of an action episode to an episode where the action was more political. The fleet decides to reconstitute the Quorum of the Twelve, essentially the Senate/Congress, which has been missing since the cylon attack. In doing so Tom Zarek from a previous episode shows up again. He is a former terrorist/political radical and his first move is to become nominated for Vice President. Roslin switches into political mode and refuses to allow him a role in her administration. First she nominates her aide as a nominee. When he proves to be not popular enough she promptly dumps him. This shows us her political savvy, as does her new nominee, Baltar. He ends up winning the role in a tight vote. Clearly, this is a writing device to once again give Baltar a role in the show. While it makes sense he's popular, this gives a reason for why Roslin and Adama put up with him. As Roslin says, "the devil you know."
On Caprica, Helo starts to figure out the Cylons can take human form and in a cliffhanger finds out Sharon is a Cylon...
Laurel here...not much to add except to elaborate on a point that Mark explained to me... We already know Roslin is a capable leader. She's fair, just, moral, and capable of making hard choices. But in this episode we find out that she is a super good politician too. Hopefully her gamble of picking a vice president to hitch her wagon to who she knows is a sketchy character will pay off politically so she can be in a position to do more good for the people in the long run. We also are lead to suspect that colonel Tigh's wife is quite the politician, and that she may be in league with Zarak in some way. Some heavy looks are exchanged.
OMG! The way Helo finds out that Sharon is a cylon is that he witnesses her killing one of her replicas!! I was hoping this would make him realize that this robot he is in love with is rejecting her program but when he realizes what's up runs away from her...
Side note, there is a political ball where we see many of the main characters dressed up in civilian party clothes. Starbuck by her own claim is supposed to "clean up well" and when Apollo encounters her in a dress and makeup at the ball he seems stunned by how awesome she supposedly looks. In reality she looks like an inexperienced drag queen. I feel like this may be the only time during the whole series that we will see her in civilian clothes, and she is in the most unflattering dress and the most unflattering hairstyle possible. Boo on the wardrobe department! Boo on hair and makeup! She is a perfectly good looking woman and they could have actually made her look stunning instead of just making Apollo act like she looked stunning. Poor thing.
On Caprica, Helo starts to figure out the Cylons can take human form and in a cliffhanger finds out Sharon is a Cylon...
Laurel here...not much to add except to elaborate on a point that Mark explained to me... We already know Roslin is a capable leader. She's fair, just, moral, and capable of making hard choices. But in this episode we find out that she is a super good politician too. Hopefully her gamble of picking a vice president to hitch her wagon to who she knows is a sketchy character will pay off politically so she can be in a position to do more good for the people in the long run. We also are lead to suspect that colonel Tigh's wife is quite the politician, and that she may be in league with Zarak in some way. Some heavy looks are exchanged.
OMG! The way Helo finds out that Sharon is a cylon is that he witnesses her killing one of her replicas!! I was hoping this would make him realize that this robot he is in love with is rejecting her program but when he realizes what's up runs away from her...
Side note, there is a political ball where we see many of the main characters dressed up in civilian party clothes. Starbuck by her own claim is supposed to "clean up well" and when Apollo encounters her in a dress and makeup at the ball he seems stunned by how awesome she supposedly looks. In reality she looks like an inexperienced drag queen. I feel like this may be the only time during the whole series that we will see her in civilian clothes, and she is in the most unflattering dress and the most unflattering hairstyle possible. Boo on the wardrobe department! Boo on hair and makeup! She is a perfectly good looking woman and they could have actually made her look stunning instead of just making Apollo act like she looked stunning. Poor thing.
The Hand of God
Mark here... Laurel and I are watching the next episode, called "The Hand of God". Laurel made us a delicious nicoise sandwich with tuna and an arugula and corn salad. This episode finds the fleet running out of fuel, so they are searching the galaxy for a source of tylium (fuel). When they find some, of course its on an asteroid with a cylon base. They craft a plan of destroying the cylon base. There are a few twists in the episode...first the original plan is a fake out. More importantly, the key pilot is not Starbuck but Apollo. Starbuck is still recovering from a leg injury which renders her benched for the attack. It's a nice action episode which shows us Apollo is a good pilot as well. Starbuck is left to helping plan the attack. As it's a tv show with limited budget, the space scenes are few but awesome.
Separately, Roslin is starting to have visions as a side effect of the kamala extract she is taking to treat her cancer. We've already been told this is a side effect of this alternative treatment, hallucinations. Her visions, however, tie in to the predictions from the scriptures of the twelve colonies, adding a bit of mystery to them. The scriptures predict a dying leader who leads them to a new home...and we know Roslin has untreatable cancer...
Back on Caprica, Helo and the cylon-Sharon he is with are still on the run from the cylons. Cylon-Sharon has not checked in so the search is on...and so is the romance between them...
Laurel here...this episode is sort of like a mini-movie in an awesome way. They have a clear dangerous mission, which at one point you are sure is going to fail, then...plot twist! They overcome and are triumphant.
One of the things I really like about this one is that we see another side of Apollo. He is normally super straight laced, by the book...but in this episode we see that he can also make the tough choices and take risks when necessary. During the attack against the Cylons he does a super sketchy move and flies through a Cylon tunnel in order to get to their fuel supply and bomb it, and in turn the whole Cylon base blows up. Way to go Appollo! Anyway it was refreshing to another side of him, to see that he is not always such a goodie goodie and can take risks when necessary.
Separately, Roslin is starting to have visions as a side effect of the kamala extract she is taking to treat her cancer. We've already been told this is a side effect of this alternative treatment, hallucinations. Her visions, however, tie in to the predictions from the scriptures of the twelve colonies, adding a bit of mystery to them. The scriptures predict a dying leader who leads them to a new home...and we know Roslin has untreatable cancer...
Back on Caprica, Helo and the cylon-Sharon he is with are still on the run from the cylons. Cylon-Sharon has not checked in so the search is on...and so is the romance between them...
Laurel here...this episode is sort of like a mini-movie in an awesome way. They have a clear dangerous mission, which at one point you are sure is going to fail, then...plot twist! They overcome and are triumphant.
One of the things I really like about this one is that we see another side of Apollo. He is normally super straight laced, by the book...but in this episode we see that he can also make the tough choices and take risks when necessary. During the attack against the Cylons he does a super sketchy move and flies through a Cylon tunnel in order to get to their fuel supply and bomb it, and in turn the whole Cylon base blows up. Way to go Appollo! Anyway it was refreshing to another side of him, to see that he is not always such a goodie goodie and can take risks when necessary.
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