Buffy the Vampire Slayer (Seasons Six through "Eight")

[Jeff of Earth-J]

This is a continuation of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer thread I started over on the “old board” last April. Alan and Mike convinced me that the show’s move from the WB to the UPN and the start of season six is a logical time to move this discussion to the board’s new home. For those of you who might be new to the discussion, I am in the process of watching this series, start to finish, for the first time. I don’t provide much in the way of recap because I’m working under the assumption that most of you reading this thread have at least a passing familiarity with the series. The ground rules of this discussion are simple: I can (and will) spoil anything I want to, but you can’t spoil anything I haven’t seen yet. Ready? Okay, let’s begin.

SEASON SIX: EPISODES 1/2: “BARGAINING—PARTS 1/2”

I actually don’t have much to say about the two-part season opener. Most of it was spent resetting Buffy’s apparent death at the end of season five. Shouldn’t her death have triggered a new Slayer to have been called up? Judging from the opening credits it looks as if Giles is going to be out of the cast on a permanent (or at least semi-permanent) basis. I’m really enjoying the development of the “relationship” between Buffy and Spike thoughout last season and into this one. Apparently even vampires are subject to classical conditioning!

[The Baron]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

There's a vampire child (of about six years) who which does not age in Anne Rice's vampire mythos (played by Kirstin Dunst in the movie version, IIRC).

I never seen the picture, but I remember the kid vampire from the book.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

Oh! Some station has been rerunning episodes of Angel on TV and I found out last night that Tracy's been recording them. I consulted an online episode quide today, and if she's picked 'em up from the beginning I may start a "Jeff Watches Angel" thread much sooner than anticipated.

[The Baron]

I just thought of another Amalgam TV show: Touched By Angel.

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

Baron, I am curious is this person a movie-fan or book fan?

Because in the final book of the Twilight series they address this very question.
{more than you want to know follows....}

Apparently in their universe, there was once a fad among vampires to create young vampires, which were referred to as "immortal children". They were often babies or young toddlers, turned and frozen in age. They were beautiful and extremely deadly because they had worse impulse control than your average hungry vampire. The Vampire ruling coven (in the Twilight books: The Voluturi), banned them, and destroyed them all and those who had created them.

This is a huge plot issue in Breaking Dawn, due to a big misunderstanding and the confusion over a half-vampire hybrid child: (Has heartbeat, higher than human temps (not cold like vampires), breathes...grows (very fast), but does have a taste for blood, but can also survive on human food, and was born not turned...and also doesn't have venom (so no ability to turn others into Vampires or half-vampires...etc). and the long banned Immortal Children.


{ And that is all the useless knowledge I have to share for now...}

The Baron said:

I overheard somebody two rows over, here - she's a big Twilight fan - discussing whether if a baby got vampirized, would they stay a baby or would they grow like a mortal. Vampire babies - that's a pretty creepy thought.

[Figserello]

Sounds like our old friend Blade in many ways...

Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui) said:

Baron, I am curious is this person a movie-fan or book fan?

Because in the final book of the Twilight series they address this very question.
{more than you want to know follows....}

Apparently in their universe, there was once a fad among vampires to create young vampires, which were referred to as "immortal children". They were often babies or young toddlers, turned and frozen in age. They were beautiful and extremely deadly because they had worse impulse control than your average hungry vampire. The Vampire ruling coven (in the Twilight books: The Voluturi), banned them, and destroyed them all and those who had created them.

This is a huge plot issue in Breaking Dawn, due to a big misunderstanding and the confusion over a half-vampire hybrid child: (Has heartbeat, higher than human temps (not cold like vampires), breathes...grows (very fast), but does have a taste for blood, but can also survive on human food, and was born not turned...and also doesn't have venom (so no ability to turn others into Vampires or half-vampires...etc). and the long banned Immortal Children.


{ And that is all the useless knowledge I have to share for now...}

The Baron said:

I overheard somebody two rows over, here - she's a big Twilight fan - discussing whether if a baby got vampirized, would they stay a baby or would they grow like a mortal. Vampire babies - that's a pretty creepy thought.

[Alan M.]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

Oh! Some station has been rerunning episodes of Angel on TV and I found out last night that Tracy's been recording them. I consulted an online episode quide today, and if she's picked 'em up from the beginning I may start a "Jeff Watches Angel" thread much sooner than anticipated.

TNT airs Angel Monday-Friday, and they just started back at season one...yesterday, actually. So if that's what she's been recording, you should be all set. :)

(Of course remember, those episodes are going to be edited for syndication, and so have probably 30 seconds to a minute (or more) less footage to allow for more commercials.)

[Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui- mod)]

At any rate this will give you some idea if you want to get into the series.

Alan M. said:

Jeff of Earth-J said:

Oh! Some station has been rerunning episodes of Angel on TV and I found out last night that Tracy's been recording them. I consulted an online episode quide today, and if she's picked 'em up from the beginning I may start a "Jeff Watches Angel" thread much sooner than anticipated.

TNT airs Angel Monday-Friday, and they just started back at season one...yesterday, actually. So if that's what she's been recording, you should be all set. :)

(Of course remember, those episodes are going to be edited for syndication, and so have probably 30 seconds to a minute (or more) less footage to allow for more commercials.)

[KSwolf]

Alan M. said:

Jeff of Earth-J said:

Oh! Some station has been rerunning episodes of Angel on TV and I found out last night that Tracy's been recording them. I consulted an online episode quide today, and if she's picked 'em up from the beginning I may start a "Jeff Watches Angel" thread much sooner than anticipated.

TNT airs Angel Monday-Friday, and they just started back at season one...yesterday, actually. So if that's what she's been recording, you should be all set. :)

(Of course remember, those episodes are going to be edited for syndication, and so have probably 30 seconds to a minute (or more) less footage to allow for more commercials.)

I think it's closer closer to four minutes isn't it? I seem to recall reading an article a few years ago stating that when shows go into syndication, they lose about two minutes per half hour.

[Alan M.]

KSwolf said:

I think it's closer closer to four minutes isn't it? I seem to recall reading an article a few years ago stating that when shows go into syndication, they lose about two minutes per half hour.

I think for older shows that's the case, because they used to have running times upwards of 24 minutes per half-hour, versus modern shows which are 21-22 minutes per half-hour (first run). And syndication shows are always about 20-21 minutes per half-hour.

[The Baron]

Ana Canino-Fluit (Anacoqui) said:

Baron, I am curious is this person a movie-fan or book fan?

I'm not sure, but I think both.

[Jeff of Earth-J]

SEASON EIGHT: ISSUE #11: “A BEAUTIFUL SUNSET”

In this chapter, Buffy meets this season’s Big Bad face to face. I hadn’t really thought of Twilight as an individual (I thought it was the collective name of an organization), but it works for me. The issue begins with a close-up on the girl little league batter’s face, evoking the season seven finale. Like the TV show, the comic book doesn’t drag out its sub-plots but rather continually moves them forward. This issue brings Satsu’s attraction to Buffy out into the open and the two characters will have that to deal with going forward.

The artist I was referring to yesterday was series cover artist Jon Foster, not collection cover artist Jo Chen (although her art is very good, too). If I could figure out how to post cover images on this site I’d show you exactly what I mean about Foster covers being similar to to Steve Rude and Alex Ross’s (that’s similar, not derivative).

Last week I was talking about how certain scenes play on television vs. comics, and I have a further example from this story that could play equally well in either medium if handled well. I’m thinking of the scene in which Twilight addresses his followers and his dialogue hints that her may have some prior connection to Buffy: “However hapless she may be about her personal life, this girl has always firmly believed she was on the side of right. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned about the Slayer…”

At this point, Twilight grabs the lower part of his mask and begins to lift it up in what at first appears to be a dramatic reveal. Then he scratches his neck, puts the mask back in place and continues, “Sorry. Itchy neck. Where was I?” Comedic timing is difficult in any medium, but in the comic book, he begins to remove his mask in the bottom panel of a right hand page, then scratches his neck in the top panel of the following left hand page, causing anticipation to build in the reader in the time it takes to turn the page. Then that stored energy is humorously released as the reader learns that Joss Whedon isn’t quite ready to reveal that particular bit of information.

That’s what good comics do. The end of every page should make the reader want to turn it in order to find out what happens next. That’s only one hallmark of good comic book storytelling, but in general, the more times per issue the writer and/or artist makes the readers eager to turn that page, the better the comic book.

[Alan M.]

Jeff of Earth-J said:

The artist I was referring to yesterday was series cover artist Jon Foster, not collection cover artist Jo Chen

???

Jo Chen is the series cover artist. She and (generally) Georges Jeantey (sp?) both do a cover, that are shipped 50/50 split.

I...don't recognize the name Jon Foster?