Thursday 30 May 2002

Just finished watching the second part of the Buffy season finale (because Sky0ne didn't show parts one and two back to back as in the US, so I had to wait a whole week going aaaaaaaaahhhhh over Giles) and wow. I'm still sniffling a little (yes we all know I'm a sap, now hush) but at the same time I'm going, huh? and oh no ....

Anyway I'd gone cold turkey on spoilers for the last six episodes or so, and while it is undeniably more fresh that way, it's not good for my blood pressure. I though Dark Willow was just great, a really good version of the character, but honestly believe the writers could have done better to have either wiped the whole Willow-as-Magical-Crackwhore plot from early in the season entirely, or had a much longer build-up to Dark Willow. That way, it would have been even more powerful, and a more painful viewing, that descent into the self-loathing and self-hatred Dark Willow had for "loser Willow".  That scene at Rack's where DW was first talking to Dawn, trying to make her go back to being a ball of energy again and yes I did love the "aw poor Dawnie, wah" lines - don't care if it makes me a bad person, good writing and it had to be said. So yeah, DW was mean, but she was such fun. In a bad way, I mean.

As for my boy Giles - I'm sure the entire neighbourhood heard my WOOOOOOO-HOOOOOOOOO. Oops. He is so yummy when doing the intense-scary thing, plus, without glasses. Loved his cracking up when Buffy reeled off the list of disasters (including sleeping with Spike) - very infectious (Sam loved that bit too but then he thought Giles was the best part of the whole episode - you can see why I married this guy, right?). Ooh, apparently ASH has been signed for 13 episodes for S7 so yay! I missed Giles so much, things kinda lost direction without him (yes I know that was partly the point but things also lost a lot of charm), and of course I hatehatehated the whole Spuffy thing, ew.

One of the best bits in the finale, for me, was Dawn and Buffy's bit at the end, where Dawn yelled at Buffy for always protecting her blah blah, and then they end up sword fighting back to back with root-monsters and Dawn does some Slayer moves, yay.  So that was a nice end of season for those two. I could see S7 having a little "Buffy training Dawn" arc, which would be cool so long as they avoid Karate Kid cliche-ness.

But I was still kind of disappointed. You could tell Joss hadn't written it or directed it, it lacked the oomph and intensity of other finales, and it was actually (ooh! blasphemy!) kinda lame in places. See my point above in re: to how the writers could have handled the Dark Willow thing - and I went "eh, blah" at how easily she gave in to Xander's "I love you" etc etc. Okay we know Xander's the heart of the scoobies, we got that in "Primeval" in S6, now shut right up. THEN there's the whole hey Spike's a vampire with a soul - hmmm haven't we seen that somewhere before?  If they turn Spike into a pseudo Angel I will stop watching - no brooding angsty King of Pain for me. The only way Spike can come back as far as I'm concerned is eeeevil and even then, *yawn* because we've seen that before too.

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Other 'shippy stuff:  I can totally see Anya and Giles together. Giles' other relationships (that we've seen) have failed because of his involvement with the Slayer and the Hellmouth - who better to cope with that than a demon?  I really really hope (apart from no more Spuffy) that they don't put Willow and Xander together. Too obvious and would also make a bit of a mockery of the whole "wow an openly gay relationship on primetime" thing, if Willow went back to the Only True Love - That of a Man. Now, Buffy and Xander would be nice - he could be right for her because he's not threatened by her a la Riley or Spike even and would be supportive of the Slayerness being a scoobie and all.  Maybe a bit incestuous though?  Personal I prefer Buffy without a guy - I mean, doesn't she have enough to worry about??? Yeesh.  Just buy the girl a vibrator and let her get on with the Slaying. 

Um yeah, I do realise these are just imaginary characters on a TV show, really I do.

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I've also just finished the long awaited (11 years, for heaven's sake) fifth book in the Earth's Children series; Jean Auel's Shelters of Stone. And oh, what a horrible, horrible, horrible, truly dire letdown. How that ever got past an editor like that is beyond me.

1. No plot at all. No advancement of the story arc. It was pure set-up and exposition for the final book - everything that happened we already knew would happen (Ayla and Jondalar getting back to Jondalar's people; Ayla's baby (gender - obvious; name - goddamn awful, obvious and stupid); Ayla and Jondalar getting hitched; Whinney's baby)

2. It was full, I mean full, of repetition. Pages and pages of it. And a few chapters later the same thing all over again, practically word for word. Really dreadful editing

3. Really dreadful editing (2) - absolute crackers along the lines of "...He put her arms around her and Ayla felt like it had been a long time since he had held her like this. Then she thought, it had been a long time..." Gah.

4. It was overly descriptive and narrative - pages and pages about the houses, and fittings, and artefacts. Yes, Mammoth Hunters had lots of detail too, and I do admire Auel for her research, but this was just outstandingly boring.

5. Did I mention the repetition? And the F*&%ING Mother's Song crunchy earthy mythical garbage? YES all cultures have a creation myth, get over it and stop repeating the goddamn thing, especially when its so boring and just, well, bad. Ew.

What an awful disappointment. So, so glad I didn't buy a copy (borrowed Sam's dad's copy). Not sure if I'll even bother buying it in paperback when it comes out, and you all know what I'm like about having complete series of things. Ah well, here's hoping something interesting will happen in Book Six, except it's pretty obvious where it's all going (the usual - Ayla faces off against people in the Clan/Camp/Cave who hate her, win over everybody or they are somehow conveniently killed off or written out, makes/discovers ten other important human innovations - probably the wheel and the compact computer, she becomes First Zelandonii yaddayadda).

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