Re: [Listmum's guide to 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer' Plotty Goodness]

[Mad Hamlet <Mad-Hamlet@xxxxxxx>]

Greetings,

> > Okay, here goes:

I could say the same thing here. However I'm going to take some things apart
as well. I don't think your wrong, Kimber(Well I do in a few things) but I
also think more information needs to be added to the mix.

> > This season is something that must be met with new eyes. Joss Whedon
in his infinite genius has created this lil ditty called Buffy The
Vampire Slayer for all of us to embark on with him.

Okay, I agree on this. Indeed despite how bad S6 was recieved and seemed tobe
I've always had this niggling little doubt that it wasn't deliberatly
manufactured this way. Including the 'public commentary'. I don't think anyone
in Hollywood particularly Joss and Co would be stupid enough to say anything
like 'We're over the whole gay thing, it's so pase'. 

Which they did.

I'm thinking it was manufactured, a sorta 'Proganda move'. If so it was risky
and it backfired like they couldn't have believed considering Red Eyes had the
lowest rating of almost any other Buffy ep.(Or nearlly)

Still I do have this, as I said, niggling belief that Joss has, dum dum da
dummmm...'A Plan'. 

I sincerly hope so. If he doesn't and this is all mad scrambling to 'Fix His
Mistakes' he's screwed beyond the capacity of the telling.

> > We learn of 'The First' in this episode.
We learn of the 'Harbingers of Death'. All very important stuff.
But we never hear about it again.

And I sincerly hope it STAYS that way. 

It is my belief that Joss realized pretty instantly the fatal error he made
with 'The First'. That being never, ever introduce anthromorphic concepts of
absolutes into a story. Never.

Use them as legend, use them as background, use them for a source of the evil
but never ever use them in the story itself. It's a lot like Lord Of The
Rings. Sauron(The Big Bad Frodo deals with) is and never was truly a dark
lord. That was Morgoth, Sauron was his second in command. Morgoth was
destroyed by Warriors of The Creator itself. Then they left. If Morgoth was
the enemy in LoTR everything and everyone would be vapor.

Same thing here; bringing in a Living Concept, one of the core pieces of
reality into a story is fatal. The story is instantly trapped between two
alternatives. One very doubtful, the other no fun at all.

The doubtful ending is somehow the 'Good Guys' win over against a very FACTET
of reality. That is Evil, the Concept, the Being itself. Yeah, right.
Something like that would eat black holes for lunch. The Slayer can't even
take on a semi.

The No Fun ending is of course this 'All Dark Power' thing smashes the earth
like a cumquat. Far more likely, far less fun. If the First does exist it
plays on a battlefield where it's moves vs those of the light send entire
realities spinning away into shadow or being lost to it's talons. 

Think of this way, SOMETHING had to start all those 'Demon Dimensions' going
just like SOMETHING had to start all the heavenly ones. In stakes like that
one little ball of dirt has no value. 

So why DID The First have a role to play in 'Amends'? 

Good question. My thoughts are that the idea somehow got born in the 'Wouldn't
This Be A Cool Thing To Do' stage of creativity and somehow slipped by all the
proofreading until it was too late. 

Afterwards they realized their error and promptly buried it. 

IF this is The First Evil in S7 than the beliefs that the story of BtVS being
fataly gut shot in S6 are true and we're just merely stuck with the death
spasms. Agents of The First I can believe, heck even a rather nasty follower
of The First I can believe. The First ITSELF? No. Never. Not unless they're
planning a Season Finale with Gabriel himself playing jazz tunes on that damn
trumpet of his.

> > Faith: "Oh yeah. - Miles to go - Little Ms. Muffet counting down from
7-3-0."

> > COUNTING DOWN FROM 7 - 3 - 0.

According to my understanding the 'Seven Three Oh' trick was used in
'Restless', at the end when Buffy is talking to Tara in the bedroom. Buffy
asks, 'What the time?' or some such and glances at a clock reading
'Seven-Thirty'. 

She says, 'I gotta go.'

Tara watches her leave and says quietly, 'Be back before dawn.'

Another mention of the All Annoying One.

It would be cunning of Joss to use the 7-3-0 trick TWICE but as they say,
'Fool me once, shame on me, fool me twice, shame on you.'

I think that grabag has been emptied.

Personally I think, even hope, that the horror for this year is
more...Lovecraftian than Machiaveillian. Would make for a nice change.


> > How about Buffy's dream? "The girls are gonna die." 

I havn't seen the eps, but I've heard a great deal. On this we agree.


> > All in all we're in for a hell of a ride this season. The Harbingers
of Death are out to kill the Slayers ONE by ONE. The First has moved
on from Angel to Spike. . .proof being the whole shape shifting deal
we saw in 'Lessons'. 

No. Never. As I said if the First has turned it's attention to that world the
script would read.

'Opening Credits. Focus on image of Earth from space.'

'Cue Dark Shadow falling over face of Earth.'

'Blow up Earth.'

'Closing Credits'.

The First is beyond Rules, hence why bother?


> > Anya has to have a storyline in there other than being wishbitch - I predict
an Anyacentric eppy where we see shots of her past. 

That's a fact really. Something like her top ten vengeance moments. Supposed
to be rather violent from what I heard.

> > And don't count Tara out yet - I'm sure Joss has a really interesting Aceup
his sleeve where she's concerned.

Yeah and it has teeth. Shapeshifter, emotionally frail magic using witch who
could be a powerful enemy. What do you do? Torture her emotionally and gosh,
you can look just like her lost love can't you? 

That's the card. And if you flip it over it'll read 'The Tower'.

That's what I'd do.

I remain, as always,
Mad-Hamlet


W.B. Yeats: What rough beast, its hour come at last, slouches toward Bethlehem
to be born?

Mad-Hamlet: Me.