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Conference ljsrv1::tv_chatter

Title:	The TV Chatter Notes Conference
Notice:	Welcome to TV Chatter :-)
Moderator:	PASTA::PIERCE

Created:	Wed Dec 16 1992
Last Modified:	Thu Jun 05 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	498
Total number of notes:	5416

492.0. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" by ODIXIE::MOREAU (Ken Moreau;Technical Support;Florida) Fri Mar 28 1997 14:28

This is a good show, that my entire family enjoys.  It may not be for
everyone, but if you liked the movie I believe you will like the show.

The best thing about it is the writing.  They go out of their way to 
make as many characters as possible be real people with real motivations,
and don't just create cardboard background characters.  They also have
sub-plots which don't relate to the main plot in any way: gee, just
like real life where multiple things are going on that have nothing to
do with each other.

They have gone out of their way to make it "reasonable".  The standard
question is why are all these bad monsters showing up just where Buffy
happens to be, and the ordinary show would ignore this, requiring a
severe case of "willing suspension of disbelief".  But this show states
that after Buffy was kicked out of school for burning down the gym (which
happened in the movie), they had to move, and her mother was drawn to
this new town and doesn't understand why she was drawn there.  Buffy
understands: this is the location of the HellMouth, where the evil 
creatures are attempting to break out of their world into ours.

In another example, Buffy was chasing a monster, when the monster ran
across a woman walking down the street.  The monster took one look at
the woman, froze, and then ran screaming in panic from her.  This put
Buffy on the track of the shows *real* monster.  Or as Buffy put it
later "You are an undead beast with razors for hands: what makes you
run in terror?"

The show keeps you guessing.  In the one with the witch, I predicted the
plot at least 3 different ways during the show, and was wrong all 3 times.
Good job on the writers part, since the ultimate revelation made by far
the most sense...

The show has an internal logic, well drawn characters, humor, and they
do a fair job of keeping the gore down.  It also has it's fair amount
of cheesecake and beefcake for those among us who like that kind of thing.
Buffy herself (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is quite attractive, and the
supporting cast seems to be chosen well in that regard, both male and
female.

I think the advertising campaign for this show is doing it a dis-service.
The show is very funny.  Lots of quips, lots of humorous situations, and
lots of Buffy reacting as a Valley Girl to horrible monsters.  The ads
emphasize the horror of it, which is really a minor part of the show.

-- Ken Moreau

T.R	Title	User	Personal Name	Date	Lines
492.1	I agree	PASTA::PIERCE	The Truth is Out There	`Fri Mar 28 1997 14:30`	6
	I to liked this one. When I first saw it advertised, I said "oh gawd" this will be terrible. but their was nothing on, so I tried it. I was very surpirsed, I relly enjoyed it. Lou
492.2	eps	PASTA::PIERCE	The Truth is Out There	`Fri Mar 28 1997 14:34`	89
492.3	more	PASTA::PIERCE	The Truth is Out There	`Fri Mar 28 1997 14:35`	21
	"There's a reason why you're here, and there's a reason why it's now." For each generation, there is only one Slayer. And in this generation, the Slayer is Buffy Summers, 16 years old and a new student at Sunnydale High. Her experiences at her last school have persuaded Buffy to retire from vampire-slaying, and to try to resume the life of a normal teenager. Rupert Giles, the school's librarian and Buffy's new Watcher, thinks it is no coincidence that Buffy has come to this town. The influx of the undead, the supernatural occurences - it's been building for years. Although some times she'd rather be on a date, or hanging out with her friends, Buffy takes her slaying very seriously. Using a combination of mental and physical agility, she is up for the challenge. Anything from a pool cue to a chair leg becomes a lethal weapon in her hands. Being a high school student is occasionally as hard as being a Slayer, and Buffy tackles both roles with aplomb.
492.4	Sarah	PASTA::PIERCE	The Truth is Out There	`Fri Mar 28 1997 14:37`	26
	Buffy's a study in contrasts. She has all the outward signs of being a normal teenager: school problems, mom problems, boyfriend problems. But she also has vampire problems. As The Slayer -- the one girl in all the world with the strength and skill to hunt and kill vampire -- she faces life-threatening struggles on a daily basis. But still she reminds a kind friend, a loving daughter, and an eager student. Although she's only 20 years old, Sarah Michelle Gellar has already had an illustrious career. A 15-year veteran of show business, Sarah won an Emmy Award for the role of Kendall Hart on ABC's daytime drama, "All My Children" in 1994. The native New Yorker has also had memorable roles on prime time TV and in movies. She portrayed a young Jackie Kennedy in the mini-series "A Woman Called Jackie." She also starred with Valerie Harper and Jeff Daniels in the movie "An Invasion Of Privacy." Some of Sarah's other credits include guest appearances on "Spenser: For Hire," and the daytime drama, "Guiding Light." She was featured in several films, including "Funny Farm" with Chevy Chase, "Over The Brooklyn Bridge," and "High Stakes." Not only has Sarah been an accomplished screen actress, but she has performed on the stage as well. Her credits include the New York theater productions of "The Widow Claire," opposite Matthew Broderick, and Neil Simon's "Jake's Women."
492.5		DREGS::BLICKSTEIN	The moment is a masterpiece	`Fri Mar 28 1997 18:44`	11
	I like the show, but what some of you see as, shall we say "juxtaposition" of "teenage girl" and "vampire slayer", I see as plot contrivance and inconsistency. At least in the pilot, she flips inexplicably between between confident and non-confident, strong and weak, etc. But, I'm a sucker for anything having to do with vampires (no pun intended) so... I'll watch. db - who greatly preferred "Forever Knight"
492.6		ODIXIE::MOREAU	Ken Moreau;Technical Support;Florida	`Fri Mar 28 1997 20:57`	10
	RE: .-1 > At least in the pilot, she flips inexplicably between between confident > and non-confident, strong and weak, etc. To each their own: as the father of an 11 year old girl, I see this instantaneous switch every single day, so I saw it as more realistic than you saw it. Oh, well, YMMV and all that... -- Ken Moreau
492.7		CLUSTA::MAIEWSKI	Braves, 1914 1957 1995 WS Champs	`Mon Mar 31 1997 12:50`	8
	Throughout the history of monster films there have always been the <z> meets <y> spinnoffs. The book/movie I'm waiting to see is "Buffy meets Lastat". Wonder what the Las Vegas line would be for that contest? George
492.8		DREGS::BLICKSTEIN	The moment is a masterpiece	`Mon Mar 31 1997 18:46`	11
	Something tells me the sudden and unexplained swings in Buffy's behavior wasn't an attempt to realistically portray the mood swings of a teenage. The fact that they are needed for plot contrivances seems like more than a coincidence, at least to me. ;-) But hey... whatever. This ain't really "art" we're talking about, and like I said, I "enjoy" the show and that's what counts. db
492.9	I hope we never see "Buffy Meets Barnabas" ;-)	DREGS::BLICKSTEIN	The moment is a masterpiece	`Mon Mar 31 1997 18:47`	6
	re: .7 Just so long as Buffy stays away from my buddy and absolute favorite vampire Barnabas Collins (from "Dark Shadows"). ;-)
492.10		JULIET::CORDES_JA	Eight Tigers on My Couch	`Thu Apr 03 1997 00:27`	6
	I watched this on Monday night after seeing the reviews here. This was fun stuff. But then, I'm a fan of anything remotely related to vampires. I haven't seen the movie yet. I guess I need to rent it so I'll know how Buffy became the Slayer and the other guy the Watcher. Jan