Buzzfeed lists and a lot of Whedon links

So I love Buzzfeed lists. They can be the best thing on the internet and often get forwarded around. Like the 20-something vs 30-something party comparison, which was sent around multiple times between almost everyone I email with frequently because it was perfect.  We were like, that's totally us, and you've made references that we understand.  Well done. And even when the lists are ridiculous, they incite discussion. Like this comparison of random TV facts. http://www.buzzfeed.com/alexnaidus/truly-disappointing-facts-about-tv-shows

Mostly I just think it's kind of random. Sure, I dislike reality TV more than most and some of these facts make me cringe, but some of the others are stupid. I think Amy Poehler deserves 400 Emmys, just for being awesome, and another 12 million for the supreme being that is Leslie Knope. But I also think Jim Parsons deserves all of his Emmys and they don't compete against each other. So who made that decision. I understand that there are some who knock BBT's wide appeal and think it is more nerd-bashing than nerd-celebrating, and I could engage in a fight with you on that, but whatever your thoughts there, you cannot deny Parsons' brilliance.  The Wire also deserved all the awards, and Two & a Half men has definitely been on too long, but they aren't in the same category. General Hospital is a daytime soap and Twin Peaks is a bizarre cult drama. And perhaps my inability to get into Twin Peaks and my never-ending love for Sonny Corinthos makes me ill-suited to comment on this, but we are again comparing apples and oranges. I think they may have done just as well listing just the things on the right, because they are disappointing regardless of your thoughts about column A. 

Before we get to the Whedon portion of this post (the rest, basically), I'm just going to leave this here. 

http://hellogiggles.com/nick-miller-is-my-spirit-animal

Because who doesn't love Nick Miller?

But back to the Whedonverse.

Did you see who they are getting for the first of the new Netflix Marvel shows, Daredevil? Drew Goddard. 

http://www.thewrap.com/netflix-disney-marvel-daredevil-drew-goddard

Not ringing any bells? Because familiarizing yourself with names of writers/producers who work with your favorite creators is a life priority? Well, let me (and the link) help, Mr. Goddard's credits include Buffy, Angel, Lost, Alias, and he directed a little flick I still need to see called Cabin in the Woods. Speaking of things I need to see, he also wrote the screenplay for World War Z. Point here goes to the "you can never have too much superhero everything" camp.

Did we discuss how great this week's SHIELD was? I love Fitz and Simmons so much, and I am really starting to buy how this little family is coming together.  But that's not even my favorite thing from this week, my favorite thing is this amazing review that came in rhyming form on my favorite fandom site. 

http://www.hypable.com/2013/11/12/agents-of-s-h-i-e-l-d-season-1-episode-7-the-hub-recap/

You did watch Dollhouse, right?  This is another list, although not from buzzfeed.  I would probably tweak a little, but overall, pretty solid.   But spoilers for anyone who hasn't watched all the Whedon shows. 

http://www.charactergrades.com/exclusives/deaths-of-the-whedonverse-from-least-to-most-devastating

 

And my final link for the week brings us back to Buzzfeed, where someone ranked every Buffy episode from worst to best. http://www.buzzfeed.com/louispeitzman/ranking-every-episode-of-buffy-the-vampire-slayer

I can't say I agree across the board and they are much harsher to the bad than I would be, but in general I think their order is pretty good. Their top ten isn't exactly mine, but it's not far off. This may have to be a group project, creating our own list. What do you think? 

Sarah rolls a 3 and her oxen stage a coup.  Tired of dealing with a wagon full of dysentary, they redirect toward an old house in the woods.  They have heard a rumor that if find a wardrobe in a room of an old house, it is possible to escape the old west and travel to new lands. Proceed carefully.

The Men Kacey Trusts Completely...

I considered myself a feminist. I can’t wait for the day a female becomes president… I think Hilary Clinton is awesome, not a bitch… I don’t like it when men feel the need to explain sports to me… and I get annoyed when female leads are helpless and need to be saved by a man.

That being said… something has recently occurred to me.

My television viewing right now consist of finishing Battlestar Galatica (I’m about half a season away from completion) and catching up on the latest season of NCIS. Both shows have one major thing in common: a male lead that no matter what my real life views of old white guys in power are; I feel these men always know what the right thing to do is and I would follow them no matter what. I actually find myself getting really pissed off when people on these shows question these men. And the more I have thought about this, the more I realized there are several men in my fictional life that I just trust completely.

And upon reflection of these men, I think perhaps the best thing about all these men is that despite their old school ways they have the highest respect for strong woman and treat them as equals.

So here are the men I am compelled to follow:

Gibbs (NCIS): I trust his “gut” completely and pity any person who doesn’t. I mean, when does it ever steer him wrong? Plus he’s got rules he follows. He also know the Ziva is the scariest on his on his team and Abby is his favorite.

Admiral Adama a.k.a. “The Old Man” (Battlestar Galatica):   While The Old Man may have some old school military ideas about things, he always does what is best for the fleet and the people who rebel are stupid. He’s always protected the fleet. He always knows that Starbuck is one of the smartest pilots on the Battlestar and despite his early differences with the President, he ultimately recognized the fleet needs for her leadership.

Dumbledore (Harry Potter): Despite the things Dumbledore kept from Harry over the year, he knew the right thing to do. Everything he did, he did to protect people. We were all Dumbledore’s followers through and through, no matter what we discovered about him. He also always trusted Professor McGonagall with running of Hogwarts and he never doubted thatHermione was the brightest witch of her age.

The Doctor (Doctor Who): This needs little explanation. I mean, who doesn’t immediately trust The Doctor. And he would NEVER doubt the power and ability of a woman… actually I think it’s some men he questions.

Gandalf (Lord of the Rings):  Gandalf always sees the full potential of people. He always knows just what to do, but never actually seeks power for himself. And even though there aren’t many strong female leads in LOR, his faith in the hobbits shows that he doesn’t underestimate the heart and strength of all beings.

Captain Kirk (Star Trek): I am not really a “Trekky,” and have only watched a few old movies, but I recently become a huge fan with the latest movie reboot.  Now granted, Chris Pine as Captain Kirk is not hard on the eyes and he might be a bit arrogant and impulsive, but he does what he thinks is right. And he leaves no person behind… even if it is illogical as Spock often points out. Plus he knows not to mess with Lt. Uhura.

Captain Mal (Firefly/Serenity): I think Captain Mal’s loyalty to his crew is unmatched. Although he has thief like ways, he ultimately always does the right thing. And despite his crude words to Inara, he knows she is much more intelligent than he is and he hired Kaylee as his mechanic because he immediately recognized her skills far surpassed the idiot he originally was going to hire.  

Honorable Mention:

Giles (Buffy the Vampire Slayer): Okay, so ultimately I trusted Buffy to save to world every time and she really was the leader… and I got REALLY mad whenever people didn’t recognize that.  But in my opinion this made Giles all that cooler because he knew that too. What’s better than a guy that helps his daughter-like figure reach her full potential as a bad-ass, world-saving leader. Plus I always felt a bit better when Giles was around to answer questions and act as guidance.  

Coming Soon: After relocating to Portland, OR, Sarah recounts the exciting, yet frightening experience of getting lost in Powell's Books.

Jamie's Gateway Fandoms

So I was perusing tumblr, like I do. There was a great (super inside fandom) comment about LeakyCon and the Harry Potter fandom:

"At Leakycon we don’t say “I love you” we say “WE’RE WIZARDS WE’LL PARTY FOREVER TURN AROUND BRIGHT EYES HARRY I’M COMING HOME I THINK WE’RE GOING BACK!” which translates to “After all this time? Always” and I think that’s beautiful."

... and I started thinking about how it's time for a reread. Cause you know, it's been a year or two, and it's important to revisit your favorite things every so often. Or maybe just often. I mean, the Buffy prom episode is on in the background right now. If I pay too much attention, it'll make me cry. Cause I have embraced a great deal of nerdy things in the last several years, but Buffy and Harry, that's how it all started.

Speaking of tumblr (where you can be your nerdiest most awesome self), some time ago there was a thing posted that was so perfect. It said:

"Harry Potter is, like, the gateway fandom. You start reading the books, then all of a sudden you have a Sonic Screw driver, you're carrying salt everywhere and awkwardly in love with Sherlock Holmes and you don't really know how any of it happened, but you're pretty sure it started because Mr. and Mrs. Vernon Dursely of 4 Privet Drive were proud to say that they were perfectly normal thank you very much." 

And I thought two things. That is beautiful and that is me. All the things I have discovered that I love so much, from nerdfighters to Wootstock is a direct result of my HP and/or Joss Whedon love.  I could analyze for days why these particular stories are what pulled me in, are what I can read and watch time and time again, but ultimately, it doesn't even matter. They are brilliant and they opened the door to a world of so much awesome. Because of Harry, Ron, Hermione, Buffy, Willow & Xander, I found John & Hank Green, the Doctor and his companions, the fraking toasters, Felicia Day & the Guild, Wil Wheaton,  Eureka & Warehouse 13, Wizard Wrock, DFTBA Records, Jonathan Coulton, Paul & Storm, Molly Lewis, Hannah Hart, the Nerdist, The Lizzie Bennett Diaries, and so much more.

Hold on.  Pause. Jonathan, aka Danny Strong who is writing the screenplay to Mockingjay, is giving Buffy the Class Protector award, so I have to cry a little.

Okay, I'm good.

I don't know exactly what the point of this post is, other than to say, whatever your thing is, embrace it. And follow it down the rabbit hole. You won't be disappointed. I know I haven't been since Buffy became the slayer and Mr. & Mrs. Vernon Dursley were proud to be very, very normal.

 

Coming Soon: As we move toward 100 posts Sarah does her part by highlighting the nerdiest moments in the West Wing, which she has been documenting during her current Netflix-fueled viewing of the Aaron Sorkin masterpiece.

Kacey Takes "Roommates 101"

I have always struggled a bit with roommates (or flatmate for other English speakers)… and honestly it’s probably me. I like my space and my independence. Jamie found a solid roommate and hung onto her for as long as she could until they decided to be “grown-ups” and went their separate ways just a few short months ago. Only recently on my adventure to the other side of the world, have I finally found a roommate whom I love living with and can see myself spending the next year with. She’s awesome. But how I have come to a place that, finally at 28, I can deal with having a roommate? Well I can only accredit this to the years of watching television shows (mostly sitcoms) about roommates.

So what exactly have my favorite shows taught me over the years about sharing a living space?

Well let’s review:

Big Bang Theory: It’s important to have pre-arranged agreements and stick to them. Granted Sheldon’s “Roommate Agreement” might be a bit extensive, but there is a need for some rules/agreements right from the beginning.

Friends: It’s important at least one of roommate has a need for order and cleanliness. Some roommates might find this irritating if they are always cleaning, but the fact that Rachel didn’t do much cleaning never really bothered Monica. Monica thrived in getting to be the organized one. In fact, her competitive nature probably wouldn’t have enjoyed having someone else who wanted to control and clean everything. So maybe the real lesson here is the need for balance of personalities.  

Friends Part 2: Roommates should probably have some shared interests. Joey and Chandler bonded over an enjoyment of Bay Watch, comfy chairs and foosball. It was the simple things that kept them together… and all the bro-mance.

HIMYM: Find a roommate that will also want to keep swords on the wall. In other words have similar ideas about décor and be able to share the space equally. Just be careful if the décor ever is used for a battle… someone might get stabbed.

New Girl: There will be some discovered quirkiness in roommates (or a lot)…embrace them anyways…or at least allow it to happen. Let’s face it… Jess, Nick, Schmidt and Winston epitomize quirkiness . But they don’t get hung up on it… it just makes the un-predictableness, predictable.

2 Broke Girls: It’s important that you both agree that a horse in the backyard is a welcomed idea. Or really, any pet needs to be agreed on beforehand. If Max didn’t want Chestnut hanging around, she would have put Caroline out on her ass with no hesitations.

Buffy: Sometimes your roommate really is a demon and it’s not just you. In Buffy’s case her roommate was a straight out of the Hellmouth sort of demon, but occasionally new roommate setups just don’t work. It’s often better to find someone you already know and love.

Once Upon Your Time: Get to know your roommate, they might turn out to be closely related to you. In Mary Margret and Emma’s case it turned out they were mother and daughter which isn’t probably likely to happen, but it is important to know a little about the person you are going to live to avoid major surprises.

Golden Girls: You’re really never too old to have roommates.

Coming Soon: After an adventure to Coachella Sarah bequeaths the 10 Commandments of musical festival going.

Kacey and the Art of Surprise....

This is a long over-due blog… I feel like so much has happen.

Jamie mentioned in her last blog that I was headed to Bali for my two week spring break. PSYCH! I snuck home like a ninja and surprised the crap out of my family. It was awesome! But now I’m back in Abu Dhabi until summer.

The second thing that has been happening just in the past week… I started watching Battlestar Galactica and last night I finished season one. Now thankfully I have Netflix and won’t have to wait for a whole summer to find out what happens…but the surprise ending of the first season, combined with my recent awesome surprise home got me thinking about all the other shocking moments… well in television.

And TA-DA I came up with a blog!

WARNING MAJOR SPOILERS (Granted slightly outdated spoilers…BUT STILL MAJOR SPOILERS)!

Now obviously this is totally my personal list regarding moments that I remember watching television and say “holy &#?%!” … and honestly this day in age with spoilers all over the internet it’s hard to do that (as I have recently discovered with Downtown Abbey because I have NOT watched season 3)…but here some moments from some of my favorite shows.

Friends… Ross’s wedding to Emily. Two things: Monica and Chandler in bed together and then Ross saying Rachel’s name at his wedding. Oops!

Alias… SOOO many WTF moments in this show, but perhaps the one that made me physically react the most because I was on the edge of my seat  was Vaughn starting to tell Sydney who he really was but then BAM! They are hit by a truck…end of season.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer… There are two here. Buffy dying was pretty shocking….but the show was returning so I knew it wasn’t permanent. Probably even more shocking was her mom dying. With all the violence and death on this show… her mom dying from natural causes ended up being the most tragic of all.

Doctor Who… surprises at every turn here and I could say either the separating of Doctor and Companion  or a regeneration is always a bit intense, but since I’ve started watching Doctor Who I always knew those were coming. However so much happened along the way that I didn’t see coming… Few moments I remember going “WHAT!”: River Song meeting the Doctor but he didn’t know who she was (and we didn’t know who River was)… Amy being fake Amy…Amy and Rory being River’s parents… Every time Rory died… and River being the Doctor’s wife. Yes most of those have to do with River. Overall Moffat just keeps me guessing.

Lost….lord we don’t have time for that.

Battlestar Galactica… Okay I’m only one season in, but the end of that first season when Boomer shoots the Old Man was a total heart stopper.

Torchwood… when everybody dies. First Toshiko and Owen die… at the end of season 2… than Ianto dies in mini-series “Children of Earth” which is possibly one of the most intense and most shocking mini-series ever. Jack sacrifices his own grandson to save the world... just... too much.

Grey's Anatomy… so the finale where Meredith realizes their unknown crash victim was George was honestly when I stopped watching. That was such an edge of the seat season ending and I had to spend the whole summer wondering if he died (or Izzy). The next season just couldn’t live up to it. (However, Sarah has informed me about later happenings as she is a dedicated fan and I hear the finale with the gunman tops all other season finales.)

Fringe… again another JJ Abrams creation full of crazy-ass shit. But it all really kicked off when I realized that Olivia had managed to cross over to another universe at the end of season 1 and Leonard Nimoy was waiting for her in the alternative universe. Crazy.

Sherlock the miniseries…I didn’t know much about Sherlock Holmes before this miniseries and the Robert Downey Jr. movie versions, but I knew enough to know that Sherlock falls and “dies” in the “Reichenbach Fall” (but doesn’t really die). However, the whole finale of the second season and all the twists and turns about Moriarty setting Sherlock up just blew me away…and I still found the end utterly shocking.

I wasn’t alive for it actually happening… but honorable mention goes to M*A*S*H and the announcement of the death of Col. Blake because story goes that not even the cast new it was coming. It still gives me shivers and brings me to tears just thinking about it.

Okay that’s enough for now… there might be more later because the surprises just continue, especially as I continue to watch new shows. But I don’t want to give too much away!

Coming Soon: Sarah composes an impassioned essay about the importance of pencil safety.

Jamie's Top Five "OMFG They Kissed!" Moments on TV

I don't know if you watch the New Girl or not. It has its horrifically awkward moments. For me, the fact that all the characters are ridiculous and awkward together is what makes it work. And it really does work; I have been known to laugh so hard while watching this show that there is a danger of choking to death. When we watch it during dinner (thank you ‘on demand’), it's a bit of a safety hazard. But, in addition to being hilarious and awkward and ridiculous, I also like the characters. And like everyone else, I have been shipping Nick & Jess since episode one. Because it's just so perfect and obvious. We know it, hell, even they know it. It was inevitable. I had even seen enough spoiler reports to know that something was coming up soon. But I did not expect the kiss that happened last night. Holy, wow. You know when the grandpa in the Princess Bride reads the end of the story – “Since the invention of the kiss there have been five kisses that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. The End.”, and then the kiss, which while very nice, is a bit of a letdown? (I mean, I love that movie and even that part, but that kiss isn't anything to write home about) Well, I think this Nick and Jess kiss is the one that may have wiped them all off the map. Of course, being the TV-phile that I am, I had to give some real thought to what they were wiping off the map. So, without further ado, leaving out Nick & Jess, here are my top 5 omfg they kissed TV kisses:

 

5. Castle & Beckett (Castle) - I know that these two were more when will they as opposed to will they or won't they, but that didn't make last season's finale any less awesome. Because it's Castle and Beckett. And that was one steamy scene when Beckett showed up back at Castle's after their fight and the trauma and her turning in her gun and badge...

4. Buffy & Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) - I don't know how this happened, but it's Joss, so we'll just go with it. Sure, this was a part of depressing season six Buffy coming back from a pleasant afterlife to a relatively hell-like existence and hating everyone and everything a little bit, but no one more than herself… But, that kiss at the end of Once More with Feeling, some serious chemistry folks. 

3. Pacey & Joey (Dawson’s Creek) - He bought her a wall. And then he drove to pick her up because some stupid college boy broke her heart. And when he pulled the car over and we held our breaths and when he said we are not talking about Dawson, cause seriously, Dawson who? There is a reason we took to calling it The Creek in college, and then he just kissed her, it was kind of perfect.  Because he bought her a wall.

2. Sydney & Vaughn (Alias) - Not unlike Castle & Beckett, and probably even more so, this was a matter of when, not if. We all knew it was coming, cause who didn't want to jump Vaughn the very first time he showed up, and Sydney Bristow was the coolest most badass spy ever. Not chick spy, not lady spy, just spy.  Yeah, I said it, deal with it.  And because she was that awesome, only someone as hot and awesome as Vaughn was worthy of her (and even he faltered a little when he had that evil wife).  But before the evil wife, they took down the bad guys and finally got their moment.

1. Logan & Veronica (Veronica Mars) - Like Veronica & Logan, who had spent all previous episodes despising each other, except in flashbacks, we were not expecting this. But as soon as it happened, we pretty much never wanted it to stop.  

So, I don't know if Nick & Jess really wiped these 5 away, but just to be on the list is impressive. This list is full of hour long dramas, which had time to build up the tension and in some cases add some serious life and death stress. Plus, Buffy, Veronica, & Syd are among my all-time favorite characters, in TV, film, literature, etc. And the gentlemen on this list, well, let's just say most of them make my sexiest TV men of all-time list. (Pacey cannot be on the list because he belongs to Kacey, and there are rules).

So, anyhow, Nick & Jess, well done.

 

Books read: 2 (Dear Veronica Roth, please write your 3rd book and get it published immediately, Insurgent was amazing)

 

Coming soon: Sarah writes a response to this that laments the complete lack of Ross & Rachel on this list, with a small complaint about the lack of Kurt and Blaine.

 

Jamie's Favorite Buffy Moments (All the feels!)

So sometimes I re-watch episodes of Buffy.  When I say sometimes, I mean a lot.  Usually in order, although I might skip episodes based on mood or if they are just not my favorite.  Generally the DVD gets popped in when I am going to bed and so I only watch the beginning, and then the next time I just move along to the next episode.  I'm mid-season five right now, which can be a little emotional.  In fact right now I'm deciding whether or not to watch the Body or just skip a few episodes.  It's hard because it's such a brilliant episode with some of the best performances in all seven seasons, but it's so sad and intense.  But I'm getting off track, what motivated this little post is the episode Checkpoint that I started a couple nights ago.  In this episode the Watcher's Council (who fired Giles and Buffy later quit in season 3) has come to town because they have information on the season's big bad (namely that Glory is actually a god), but before they will share they are putting Buffy through a series of tests to make sure she's worthy.  Just when you think that maybe Buffy isn't up to it, she pulls it together at the end to call them out on their own uselessness.  Sure, she needs information from them, but who are they without her?  Their whole purpose in life to watch and aid her (and her predecessors and successors, but until she dies, again, it's pretty much just her) so if she doesn't let them in, what do they really have going on beyond their books.  It is a fantastic monologue where she stands up for her friends and yet again demonstrates her leadership.  I love this scene, it makes me want to keep watching the rest of the season even though I know it is going to end with me in a pile of tears.  So, I started thinking, since I have watched this a million times now what are my favorite emotional/empowering moments?  And since I mentioned the Body at the top, I am going to throw out that I'm not including when people die.  Those episodes are always handled well, and kind of go without saying.  But what else makes me, as the internet would say, feel all the feels.  (And I promise, I'll do a humor one some day soon that consists mostly of Spike moments)

1) Season one finale - Buffy learns she is supposed to die.  Season one of Buffy is, well, less awesome than the rest of the series.  It is not without its moments of entertainment, and if you start watching it after viewing the film, you'll probably find it to be a work of genius in comparison, but it's not the best.  The season finale is when, in my opinion, we first glimpse that this is a show that could be something special.  Also, Sarah Michelle Gellar is her usual brilliant self, tearfully laughing, and then adding in a way that pulls our heartstrings along with Giles & Angel's "I'm 16 years old, I don't want to die."  With that, we remember what the show balances so well, that our supernaturally powerful slayer is also just a teenager.  

2) Giles tells Buffy he is not disappointed in her after she has sex with Angel, causing Angel to lose his soul.  It used to be that Becoming (the two part season two finale) was what killed me emotionally from this season, and I don't know if it's age or just what stands up on repeat viewings, but it is now this episode, Innocence that brings on the emotional overload.  The episode is filled with gut-wrenching moments as Angelus taunts Buffy, but the best is the seemingly subtle end scene with Giles dropping Buffy off after they have defeated the Judge and assures her "But if it's guilt you're looking for Buffy, I'm not your man.  All you will get from me is my support. And my respect."

3) Prom - Buffy gets a special award from the student body.  This sets up the epic season three finale where the entire student body is armed to fight the mayor and his army of vampires by finally indicating that the students at least aren't completely oblivious to all the weird crap that is constantly occurring in Sunnydale.  Or all the people that die.  They give Buffy a class protector award as Jonathan's speech notes they have the lowest mortality rate of any class in Sunnydale history. (Can you imaging what prior years must have been like?).  It's Giles (why is it always Giles?) that sums it up nicely, noting he had "no idea that children, en masse, could be gracious."

4) Buffy & Co. explain to Tara's family, that she is part of their Sunnydale family now.  When Tara's conservative, paranoid, crazy family comes to town to take her back home - presumably to get her barefoot and in the kitchen - she is at a bit of loss as she doesn't quite feel at home with the Scooby gang yet.  But this episodes brings her fully into the fold when they stand up for her at the end, realizing that her spell and lies were a result of emotional abuse and a need to protect herself, not anything malicious toward them.  When Tara's father asks them who they think they are, Buffy responds with the simple but perfectly stated "we're family."

5) Checkpoint monologue where Buffy puts the council in its place.  This is described in my introductory paragraph, and my favorite line (besides when she throws the sword at the guy's head as a reminder that she said no interruptions) is in reference to Xander when Buffy notes that " 'the boy' has clocked more field time than all of you combined. He's part of the unit." 

6) One more from season five (a season that is just full of intense feelings, even more so than the uber-depressing season six), because I can't make a list about Buffy without a Spike moment or two.  At the end of Intervention when Buffy pretends to be the Buffy-bot to make sure that Spike didn't tell Glory that Dawn was the key, Buffy realizes that while Spike is a creepy disturbed demon, he does seem to have some seem to have some actual feelings for her and has not betrayed her secret.  She reiterates that the robot was creepy and not real, but adds "What you did for me and Dawn... that was real. I won't forget it." 

7) Xander saves the world by telling Willow that if the world is going to end (at her hand), then he can't imagine any place he'd rather be than with her, his oldest friend.  Of course it's Xander that is only person who can make Willow human again when her grief over Tara envelops her.  Buffy's strength and Giles' borrowed magic were nice, but Willow had to make the choice to stop the destruction, and only Xander could remind her of who she really was.  She was the girl who "First day of kindergarten. You cried because you broke the yellow crayon, and you were too afraid to tell anyone."  But even though she's out to destroy the world now, he still loves her, which is what leads to her finally breaking down and crying over the loss of Tara.  And opting not to destroy the world.

8) Xander tells Dawn how special she is, and even more so for doing all that she does despite not having super powers.  Much like most Buffy fans, I can't stand Dawn in seasons five and six.  This is nothing against Michelle Trachtenberg who nails the whole annoying little sister thing, I just found the character highly annoying.  But as she grows up and becomes more capable (and when Buffy kind of lets her) in season seven, I am a much bigger fan.  So much so that this scene following the realization that it is Amanda and not Dawn who is the potential slayer makes me tear up.  Plus, Xander as the wise observer always gets me.  He tells her "They'll never know how tough it is Dawnie, to be the one who isn't chosen. To live so near the spotlight and never step in it. But I know...I saw you last night.  I see you working here today. You're not special.  You're extraordinary."  

9) Buffy gets kicked out of the house and on her way out gives Faith some advice.  When the potentials and the Scooby gang vote Buffy out of her own house, I get so angry.  I know they are scared and frustrated, but come on, she's Buffy.  You ungrateful little twits.  But even when she's down, she keeps trying, telling Faith on the porch "don't be afraid to lead them."  

10) Since this is my list, I get to end with two things I love: season seven and Spike.  From the tortured, crazed Spike seeing the First as all the villains from all the previous seasons in the opening episodes to Buffy lying and telling Spike she loves him before he dies to save the world, there are many great choices.  However, it's this monologue when he tells us why he loves Buffy, that so perfectly highlights why we all love Buffy that is my favorite:
"You listen to me. I've been alive a bit longer than you, and dead a lot longer than that. I've seen things you couldn't imagine, and done things I prefer you didn't. Don't exactly have a reputation for being a thinker. I follow my blood... which doesn't exactly rush in the direction of my brain. So I make a lot of mistakes. A lot of wrong bloody calls. A hundred-plus years, and there's only one thing I've ever been sure of. You... Hey, look at me. I'm not asking you for anything. When I say I love you, it's not because I want you, or because I can't have you. It has nothing to do with me. I love what you are. What you do. How you try. I've seen your kindness, and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you, and I understand, with perfect clarity, exactly what you are. You're a hell of a woman. You're the One, Buffy."

I should end this there, that would be a good choice, but I can't help myself.  Here are a couple honorable mentions:
Oz not kissing Willow in the van while they are waiting for Cordelia & Xander to come back with the weapon because she is clearly still into Xander and he wants her to want to kiss him, not just get even with Xander for his Cordelia relationship.  This is when we all fall in love with Oz.
Cordelia falls on the rod running up the stairs away from Xander & Willow's infidelity.  I try to stop this episode before I get to this part.  The earlier parts of the episode with Spike, Angel & Buffy makes this one of my favorite episodes ever (and "I may be love's bitch but at least I'm man enough to admit it" is my favorite Spike line, actually, my favorite line from the entire series), but I can't watch Oz & Cordelia come in to rescue Xander & Willow only to discover them making out. 

Books read: 45

Coming soon: Sarah heads to Spain to audition for Operacion Triunfo, which is their version of American Idol.  Given that she sings like the rest of us, it probably won't go well.

Jamie Advises: You are that guy, just embrace it

I read a small little blurb recently in an article where Mark-Paul Gosselaar expressed some minor irritation at still being called/referred to as Zack Morris. The little blurb, and I’m sure it was just an off-handed comment, had a quote from Gosselaar basically saying he didn’t understand the continued fascination with Saved by the Bell because it was kind of a ridiculous show with bad writing. Well, duh. I think I’d take it as a compliment if I were him because he transcended the cliche-ness that was SBTB to give us one of the most memorable characters of our formative years. And let’s face it, you weren’t really sure who I was talking about until I got to the Zack Morris part of that first sentence. Don’t get me wrong, I love his new show Franklin & Bash, but (because?) it’s kind of like Zack Morris grew up and became a lawyer named... Franklin? No, wait, he’s Bash and Breckin Meyer is Franklin. I think. It’s a little irrelevant, because when I watch I pretty much just think of them as Zack Morris & Breckin Meyer (who will never be referred to by a character he plays’ name because “Breckin Meyer” is one of the most fun names to say out loud. Say it right now. See??).
I know that Zack is not a real person (even if he did play along on Jimmy Fallon that one time), but there is a lot of pop culture knowledge rolling around in my brain and it’s just easier to refer to him that way. But I want Zack, er, I mean Mark, to know that he’s not alone. Here are some more people that my brain will refuse to acknowledge as anyone other than their most memorable roles:

Ferris Bueller - Matthew Broderick is an immensely talented actor of both stage and screen. And he’s married to Carrie Bradshaw, I mean, Sarah Jessica Parker. But all of that means nothing because John Hughes wrote a little movie in the 80s called Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Broderick was cast in the title role for the film, and subsequently the rest of his life. Most of this list comes from TV, which makes a little sense, as you watch them week after week playing the same character. That makes Ferris all the more impressive of a role and a performance.

Mr. Spock - Does anyone not? Even Mr. Nimoy has accepted his fate after a rebellion in his younger days.

Dawson Leary - And really, let’s just drop the last name. James Van Der Beek is always referred to by us as Dawson. I think he understands that and mocks it a little while playing an alternative version of himself on Don’t Trust the B* in Apartments 23. At least from what I understand, I’ve only watched parts of a couple episodes. [Creek related side note: we do refer to Joshua Jackson as Pacey, which I think confuses our dad a little when we’re watching Fringe. Next time maybe he should try a character whose name doesn’t start with P.]

Urkel - Not even being pretty hot can keep us from referring to Jaleel White as Urkel. When Charles Barkley got in trouble (DUI) and it involved drinking wine coolers with White, all I could think was Charles Barkley was drinking wine coolers with Steve Urkel. As if Sir Charles drinking wine coolers wasn’t ridiculous enough, it was with Urkel. Oh boys.

Mikey/Rudy/Samwise - Not many people can pull off multiple iconic characters, but Sean Astin not just anyone. He is one football playing goonie of a hobbit. Like my father, I kind of wanted to shout “Rudy, Rudy..” when Sam was running up that hill to get rid of the ring. I once attended a Democratic fundraiser and glanced over to see that he was a couple people over from me. When relaying the story to others later, I had to change the character name depending on who I was talking to as each character has its own audience. Regardless of who it was, they needed a little more information than “Sean Astin” to know who I was talking about.

Josh Lyman - It might be because Bradley Whitford tends to play characters that are either sleazy (see Billy Madison or Adventures in Babysitting) or a variation on Josh Lyman. And we don’t want to dwell on the sleazy. But I think he should embrace the fact that all West Wing fans will forever call him Josh Lyman, because all West Wing fangirls were a little bit in love with Josh Lyman. We are a nerdy bunch.

Buffy - A few things on this. First off, Sarah Michelle Gellar is a fantastic actress. I thought that pre-Buffy when she was on All My Children as Erica Kane’s horrible daughter Kendall Hart. She was so good on that. I’ll give you a minute to judge me for that sentence. Not only that, but she wasn’t the first person to play Buffy. But SMG’s Buffy is iconic. And because of that, she’s always going to be Buffy. Better to be remembered as a badass vampire slayer than the live action version of Daphne from Scooby Doo. Those movies are terrible.

Uncle Jesse - Sorry John Stamos, I’d like to say the cast of Full House, but it’s kind of just you. And maybe a little bit Aunt Becky. I mean, if Bob Saget’s comedy wasn’t so dirty I’m sure we’d call him Danny. And if the Olsen twins weren’t, well, the Olsen twins, maybe we’d call them Michelle. Or maybe if there had just been one of them? I guess we’ll never know. We do know that Dave Coulier can’t be referred to as Joey. Partly because he hasn’t really done enough post-Full House for us to say hey, it’s Joey. But mostly because if you say hey, it’s Joey, we expect to see Matt Le Blanc. Speaking of which...

The cast of Friends - Sorry guys, 10 years is a long time to be one of the most popular shows on television. No matter if you drop off the face of the planet or become A-listers, you will always be Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe & Joey.

Honorable mentions (they need a few more roles so that we can see them and go, hey, it’s [insert character name here]):
Sheldon (Jim Parsons), Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), Captain Jack (John Barrowman), Abby Scuito (Pauley Perrette)

Coming Soon: Recently we had to pull out the intervention banner for Sarah’s Dawson Creek, um, problem. She didn’t take it well and has left the country.

Jamie's June Fave Five

We can’t stop now, we are on a roll!  Kacey got a post up on Saturday AND we went to see Les Miserables at the 5th Ave. Which was brilliant, for the fourth time.  I think it’s my favorite, and I don’t say that lightly.  I love musical theatre in general, and I have a number of favorites (Rent, Hairspray, Wicked, Spring Awakening, Avenue Q, etc). But I think that Les Mis may top even RENT.  And that is saying something for someone who will be seeing RENT for the seventh time in August.

But anyhow, another month has come and gone so it’s time for another internet fave five.  Here’s what I loved in June (and, okay, the first couple days of July).

1)        No White Noise: Buffy Re-Watch – I have not been participating in the Buffy re-watch that this blog is doing, for a couple reasons.  1) The “live” re-watch is Monday nights, which interferes with Eureka and 2) I just did a full Buffy re-watch a few months ago.  That said, the hilarious recaps from a first time watcher (see what I did there) are inspiring me to want to catch up, or at least join in.  Reading someone’s initial reactions to one of my all-time favorite shows, complete with hilarious screen shots/captions is priceless.  Even if you don’t join the re-watch (or first time watch), I recommend reading their recaps, which generally get posted on Tuesdays. ,

2)        Nerds Fixing Internet Errors – Back to the Future – Speaking of screen shots, if you were anywhere on the internet on June27th, you probably saw the screenshot of dates from Back to the Future?  It was posted around with people making comments that we were supposed to be in the future and where the hell were our hover boards.  Generally this is a valid question (along with jet packs, I mean, why don’t I have a jet pack yet??) However, the true nerds and BTTF fans spoke up to note that this was just a little photo shop and we really have another 3 and a half years until we should panic about the lack of hover boards.  The true date from Back to the Future 2 where they travel to the future to check out Marty & Jennifer’s less than awesome future is October 2015.  I just loved how quickly the internet nerd community policed itself, because we certainly wouldn’t want to put too much pressure on ourselves if we are not living up to the promises of the future from a 1980s time travel comedy.  An iconic film, yes… but a film nonetheless.

3)        Top Ten Sherlock Quotes – I read a lot on the website Hypable (which I mention on here a lot) because instead of being an entertainment site that is obsessed with the details of the TomKat divorce of who is getting the first pictures of the newest oddly named celebrity baby, it focuses on the kind of nerdy fan stuff that I really care about.  Whether it’s leaking spoilers or casting news for my favorite show or a highly anticipated film, or starting a lively debate over the best TV theme songs of all time, Hypable never fails to keep me coming back for more.  Multiple times a day usually.  This little piece on the top ten quotes from the brilliant BBC Sherlock series was one of my favorites.  Not only did the author pick out some of my favorite Sherlock quotes, but they also used the word plethora in the opening paragraph.  Bonus points for that.

4)      Paul & Storm - Write Like the Wind - Now, I am only halfway through book 3 of the amazing Song of Fire & Ice series, but I'm fairly confident that I will catch up before George gets another book done.  So I'd just like to say that I totally support this plea (which, for those who have not read/watched Game of Thrones, is totally spoiler free) from Paul & Storm that he get on it with writing more books.  They posted this fabulous song on the brilliant Geek & Sundry YouTube channel. 

5)        Lego Settlers of Catan – Well, let’s just make this post as nerdy as possible and round off my fave five with this link that a friend sent to me of this awesome lego version of the game board/pieces.  I didn’t learn to play this game until a few months ago, and now I’m not certain where it has been all my life.  Not only that, but I left the game with my parents and apparently my mother is a little obsessed.  We might have to make an intervention banner. 

Books Read: 31 (Only a few hundred pages left, but A Storm of Swords is so good… and intense… and emotionally devastating.  I might have been cursing George R.R. Martin in a manner I typically reserve for Joss Whedon after a particularly upsetting character death)

Coming Soon: Sarah analyzes what will need to happen for us to get to a future where we don’t need roads.

When Television Does Good….

I’ve been recently inspired by the latest happenings on GLEE to take a moment and discuss that while yes, television might be slowing rotting my brain and as I continue to see the rise in crap television *cough-reality T.V.*(*pauses for laughter*) there are still some pretty great moments in television that take on important issues head-on. And in those moments I have hope that people are still using their powers for good and attempting to bring a little awareness to things that may otherwise might go unacknowledged or un-discussed by many.

Many shows have had their moments and have briefly brought awareness to social issues, but there are some that have just gone above and beyond a “special episodes” and will weave important topics and themes into an ongoing storylines proving that not all television is mindless. There are arguably many shows like, but here are some of my personal favorites:

M*A*S*H:

Okay, I wasn’t alive when M*A*S*H originally aired and there are many episodes I haven’t seen. But M*A*S*H is one of my dad’s favorite shows and I have spent many hours watching reruns with (and sometimes without) him. It has occurred to me as I have watched M*A*S*H just how ground breaking it was. Besides the obvious topic of a war, there was often something Hawkeye needed to fix (with the help of Trapper or Hunnicut) because other people were being stupid (usually Frank).
Granted war is a lot less funny than this show made it out to be, but in face of such tragic things sometimes people just need to laugh.

Buffy:

Maybe vampires and demons aren’t everyday occurrences for everyone, but much of Buffy’s (and the Scooby Gang’s) fighting was clearly a representation of things people fight daily in reality, particularly in high school. Teen suicide, feeling socially invisible, parents trying to live their children’s life, school shootings, being careful what you drink at frat parties, teen runaways…

Yes, many of these were one episode only, but it was ongoing. Joss Whedon created a show that tackled valid life things by creating actual demons and monsters to fight. Plus it created one of the most awesome, strong, bad-ass chick characters ever. The creation of a female character that all girls could see as a role model- in itself made this show worth a mention.

My-So-Called Life:

Oh the angst of Angela Chase! However, despite her middle class, nuclear family upbringing this show did bring up some issues that many “typical” high schoolers faced in the mid 90s when they left the house. One was having a best friend who seemed sort of wonderful and had far less boundaries than you, but facing the reality that this friend’s life was spinning out of control and she had way more problems than known. However, the best ongoing story was Ricky. Ricky admits in one episode he is gay, which is news to no one (but in the mid  90s somewhat controversial), but as it turns out Ricky is hiding a lot more than that. As seen in by-far the best episode of this short-lived series, “So-Called Angels,” Ricky’s home life is not good and hardly exist. Angela has her eyes opened to reality of teens without homes or home lives that are so much different than her own. It would have been a beautiful thing to see this show continue, but perhaps it’s better that we only saw a glimpse of the lives of these great characters.  

Jamie kept mentioning 90210 when I told her what I was writing about. Of course she means early 90210. I have a hard time buying into the fact that 90219, one of the most popular television dramas/soap operas ever, was trying to get a message out, especially since it was about a bunch of rich, spoiled kids. But I think she makes a valid point about all the “issues” they brought up on that show (abuse, gambling, drugs) and it is valid to mention the attention it may have brought light to some of these issues. And I honestly just don’t remember very much of it (nor have I watched it much in reruns).

GLEE:
As mentioned my inspiration for this blog was the latest episode of GLEE. Despite the wackiness of GLEE, it has continually taken on the topic of gay teens and what sort of reality high school can be for them (both good and bad). With the huge popularity of this show I can’t help but applaud that it has not deserted this issue, but instead tried to bring about more awareness. I feel like its creator Ryan Murphy is to thank and for him I give standing ovation.  *stands and applauds*

And in case you don’t believe television can actual make an impact, Jamie sent me this:

http://www.hypable.com/2012/02/28/glee-and-dan-radcliffe-get-results-record-number-of-traffic-calls-to-trevor-project-following-episode-and-psa/

Sitcoms are silly, dramas are filled with one unrealistic happening after another, and reality TV will ultimately the down fall of our society. And maybe it is all just a ratings and money game and I am naïve… but I like to think that some writers/creators/actors really are using their powers for good.

Coming Soon: Sarah analyzes whale migration patterns and likens it to the multiple reappearances of the Daleks.

Jamie's Top 5 ways Sark is like Spike

Now that Kacey has finished Alias, here it is, the top 5 ways in which Sark (Alias) is like Spike (Buffy).  I spent some time thinking about this because, well, these two deviants are among my favorite television characters of all time.  There are some Buffy season 6 issues that complicate some of this as tortured, in love with Buffy, but still doesn’t have a soul Spike is complex… to say the least.  (minor spoilers in the list, significant spoilers in the last paragraph)

1) Blonde. Thanks to a weekly dye job for Spike (or Captain Peroxide as he as been called), both are blonde.

2) Neither actor is actually British. Seriously. I was surprised too.  Especially since David Anders (Sark) is also British in his role as Adam on Heroes.

3) Flexible Loyalties. In other words, they are survivors. Sark flat out says that his loyalties are flexible. He is constantly changing sides to save his own ass and come out on the winning side.  Plus, I think he gets bored and just likes to change things up.  While Spike is very loyal to his lady love of the moment, after that he is certainly all about survival. If he needs to team up with the slayer to make sure Angel doesn't end the world or steal Dru, he has no problem with that.

4) They like to cuddle. Arguably the best line in all of Alias (at least as far as lines not said by Marshall), definitely of season 5, when Rachel makes clear, just in case she dies, that it was Sark who wanted to cuddle after their ill advised but very hot one night stand. And come on, we know that Spike is a cuddler. Between the poetry and his manly admission that he is love’s bitch, he is clearly not opposed to some serious cuddle time.

5) Respects the skills of their female nemesis. They often belittle their male nemeses, but seem to prepare more for the ladies, who can kick their asses. This probably says more about the creators/writers of these shows (than the characters themselves) that one characteristic of their most beloved villains is that they never underestimate the skills of their opponent just because she is female. Evil, selfish, sadistic, yes.  But they are practically feminists. 

Both of these shows are so wonderfully done, and have such brilliant, badass leads that it makes me appreciate even more the complexity of their nemeses.  And unlike some (many?), I love the end of both of these shows.  Now, the penultimate seasons of each show can be a little challenging to stick with, but I think it’s worth it to make it to the last season and their respective finales.  Sydney lives happily ever after, and Buffy, well, she lives on to fight another day.  [Coming soon: a look at the Buffy Season 8 Comic because the story there is too awesome to end.]