maggie2

Standard disclaimer: I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

Standard spoiler warning: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtS. I'll be spoiling through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.

Standard Credits: I've written the material in black; Strudel (aka my Bro) writes in blue;

local_max writes in purple. Or at least, that's what they've done when I finish editing and formatting!

Buffy 1.12 Prophecy Girl, In Which Buffy Dies and the Series Concludes .... Not

( Read more... )

Standard disclaimer: I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

Standard spoiler warning: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtS. I'll be spoiling through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.
Standard Credits: I've written the material in black; Strudel (aka my Bro) writes in blue;

local_max writes in purple. Or at least, that's what they've done when I finish editing and formatting!

Buffy 1.11 Out of Mind, Out of Sight, in Which an Invisible Girl Helps Us See Many Things

( Read more... )

Standard disclaimer: I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

Standard spoiler warning: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtS. I'll be spoiling through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.
Standard Credits: I've written the material in black; Strudel (aka my Bro) writes in blue;

local_max writes in purple. Or at least, that's what they've done when I finish editing and formatting!

Buffy 1.10 Nightmares, In Which Dreams Come True!

( Read more... )

The last few days have been depressing, haven't they? I feel the need to ramble a bit.

( Read more... )

Needless to say (!) I'm really happy about the preview pages. It could get me to revert to being a Spuffy.

But aside from wanting (like crazy) to speculate about Buffy's smile and Spike's not-made bed, here are three things that Dark Horse has delivered us about Spike:

1. It's now text that Spike has a more sizeable package than the other vampire. Proof? You don't boast to your ex about your package when she's in a position to make a direct comparison with your rival unless you think that comparison works for you.

2. Spike went to college. OK, this was pretty much a given -- but now it's unmistakeable.

3. He's got some sophisticated tastes underneath that bad rude exterior.

How many ways can I possibly say how happy I am that he's back at DH and being written by folks who know that there's more to Spike that womanizing and brawls?

Allie deserves a shout out on this. So here's me, shouting out.

Finally: does that scene not reek of "Trust is for old marrieds, Buffy"? I'll take it over space boinking and bestest day ever shenanigans any day of the week.

Standard disclaimer: I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

Standard spoiler warning: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtS. I'll be spoiling through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.
Standard Credits: I've written the material in black; Strudel (aka my Bro) writes in blue;

local_max writes in purple. Or at least, that's what they've done when I finish editing and formatting!

The Puppet Show, In Which Buffy Connects with a Demon-Hunting Wooden Toy

( Read more... )

Standard disclaimer: I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

Standard spoiler warning: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtS. I'll be spoiling through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.
Standard Credits: I've written the material in black; Strudel (aka my Bro) writes in blue;

local_max writes in purple. Or at least, that's what they've done when I finish editing and formatting!

I Robot, You Jane, In Which Willow Finds Love and World Domination Through the Internet

( Read more... )

local_max writes in purple. Or at least, that's what they've done when I finish editing and formatting!

Angel, aka Buffy’s Love Life part 3, in which Angel Shows His True Face, and the Greatest Romance of All Time is Launched.

( Read more... )

It's not impossible that the last four issues could push me back over, but I'm now 99% sure that when all is said and done, I'm going to think Season 8 was great. I think there's a better than even chance that I'll think it's the best season ever.

One of my favorite images, which I use with my students, is from chemistry. Apparently you can supersaturate a liquid -- pour in so much powder that the substance really, really wants to gel. But you can keep it in liquid form somehow. Then if you tap on the container, a crystal will form instantly.

I use that image for my students about how the writing process should go. (I'm thinking here about academic writing -- when you're trying to make an argument or reach an insight). You pile in a bunch of thoughts and considerations. You pour in facts and theories until your head hurts. You let it all rattle around. And then you wait for the moment of 'tap' -- when it all crystallizes.

My willingness to stay open to the comics has been because I thought it might be a deliberate effort to supersaturate us with confusion so there'd be this moment of 'tap'. I love that moment. The 'tap' is one of my favorite parts of being a human being. I'm willing to pay a high price in patience to get it.

I got my 'tap'. See my piece on the Spuffy reading,angearia 's meta, and aycheb's musings on the Brain Overload thread at BF. See specially Emmie's latest meta on LWH #1. Everything that didn't add up was supposed to not add up. The world is skew. An effort to read the season as a linear story is bound to be frustrating. But once you tilt your head to the right angle, it pays out. At least it does for me. Spectacularly.

Emmie just reminded me of a short post I made about The Wild Bunch which had a totally not veiled subtext about season 8. This is 10,000 better.

I totally get that it's not everybody's cuppa. And I'm surely not saying it ought to be your cuppa. But I'm getting what I want. A text that is layered and complex. A story that tells a story cogent on its own level while commenting on stories and the role they play for us. This time we're adding in the extra spin that the commentary on story telling is actually part of the plot.

So I'm a happy girl! That doesn't happen too often, so I figured I'd pipe up and say so.

The Pack, aka Buffy’s love life, Part 2, in Which Xander Becomes a Possessed Hyena in a Pack.

( Read more... )

Big Announcement: I'm happy to report that

local_max has agreed to join in with Bro (Strudel) in commenting/dialoguing with these notes. If y'all haven't read Max's stuff yet, get thee to his Live Journal immediately. Go! Now! (OK, maybe read this post first, and then go).

A second announcement is that because of developments in season 8, I'm shifting to a twice a week posting schedule so we can get to Prophecy Girl before #37 comes out. I'll be posting notes on Mondays and Thursdays.

( Read more... )

Warning: Because I want to be an optimist in any case, I cannot resist a tide when one starts -- even if it's small.

The Small Tide: Here's

angearia's latest. She links to

ladyofthelog and

me_llamo_nic both of whom write optimistic spins. They spawned optimistic thoughts below the cut.

I respect the pessimistic view. I wouldn't even bet against it. But maybe y'all could read the following in the spirit of "wouldn't it be cool if..."

( Read more... )

Full spoilers below the cut. Read at your own risk.

There's a recap up at Whedonesque,reposted by

sueworld2003 . I will take up the points in the order they are raised by the issue.

( Read more... )
ETA: The blurb refers to Spike as a former vampire. This may be a misprint -- but I thought it was worth mentioning. We see him in space -- so if he's a former vampire, it may have happened on re-entry the way that Angel's powers did. But I'm still more incined to call it a misprint. Stay tuned for further developments....

ETA2: Further development -- it was a misprint. Spike's still a vampire.

Standard disclaimer: I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

Standard spoiler warning: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtVS. If they become relevant I'll spoil through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.

( Read more... )

I find other people's indexes useful, so here's mine!

( List and Links below the cut )

So with four days left to go before #36 finally comes out, I figure I'd waste some time pondering the preview pages. They came out on a pretty crummy day, so I was grumpy when I first read them. Random thoughts below the cut.

( Read more... )

Standard disclaimer: I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

Standard spoiler warning: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtVS. If they become relevant I'll spoil through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.

( Notes below the cut )

Apologies to those tired of comic wank; but I continue to be interested.

Disjoint thoughts about the first big comic day we've had in a while.

( Read more... )

I forgot that I'd intended to post the first two together, since it's a two-part opener.

Standard disclaimer: I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

Standard spoiler warning: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtVS. If they become relevant I'll spoil through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.

The Harvest, in Which the Scoobies Sign On as Slayer Sidekicks, Xander Bravely Helps Buffy While Angel Lurks Non-Commitedly, and Buffy Slays the Vessel, Saving the Day (and Cordelia).

( Read more... )

I've long had the ambition to write up notes on the whole series. The idea for the project was born from an intensive conversation my brother and I had episode-by-episode covering the first four seasons (and more loosely about the last three). It was fun going back and forth with him. I invited Bro to co-write these notes with me, and he sort of agreed. Alas, he's intensely overcommited with the full time job, the three kids, and the wife who is rather demanding. I'm about a third of the way into season two, and Bro (who unaccountably wants to go by the moniker 'Strudel') is only through episode six of season one. I finally told him I needed to start posting -- if I don't do this now, it's never going to happen. So, I'll post once a week until I hit the Bro-less patch, and assuming he's still too overcommitted to write up his reactions, I'll carry on from there posting twice a week.

The project isn't a set of reviews. Although I value reading reviews that give lots of quotes or pics, it's not my own style. What I've got are a set of observations that inform my reading of the themes of the show as they develop. It's pretty much my write-up of a show that has consumed far too much of my energy over the last several years. I'll often speak of foreshadowing, but that doesn't mean I'm at all committing to the idea that there was some fixed design from the word go -- it's a short hand for talking about the resonances that end up in the text as it unspools.

NOTE: The notes are written for folks who have seen all of BtVS and AtVS. If they become relevant I'll spoil through the comics as well. Basically -- if you are a spoiler-phobe and haven't seen or read it all, read further at your own risk.

The first set of notes are below the cut!

( Read more... )

S	M	T	W	T	F	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

Notes on Buffy 1.12: Prophecy Girl

Notes on Buffy 1.11: Out of Mind, Out of Sight

Notes on Buffy 1.10: Nightmares

State of Confusion Prompts Stream of Conscience Rambling

3 fanon things confirmed

Notes on Buffy 1.09: The Puppet Show

Notes on Buffy 1.08: I Robot, You Jane

Notes on Buffy 1.07: Angel

Off the Fence about Season 8

Notes on Buffy 1.06: The Pack

Notes on Buffy 1.05: Never Kill a Boy on the First Date

A Spuffy Reading of Season 8

#36: Initial reactions

Notes on Buffy 1.04, Teacher's Pet

Index to some of my Posts

8.36: The Preview Pages

Notes on Buffy 1.03, The Witch

This Day in Comics

Notes on The Harvest

Notes on Welcome to the Hellmouth

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September 2010

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