"Buffy" Breakthroughs: A Love Post - Part II

Welcome back, loyal blog readers! This week, as promised, I'll be finishing up my discussion of Buffy the Vampire Slayer's top 5 "breakthrough" episodes.

Here we go, with #4 and 5 (and some honorable mentions)!:

4. "The Body" (S. 5, Ep. 16)

"The Body" screenshot.

The above image, in conjunction with the episode's title, basically reveal the premise of this episode. But I'll drop a spoilers! warning here anyway.

The episode previous to this ends with Buffy entering her house and calling her mother. Her mom's been dealing with a brain tumor throughout the season, but lately she's seemed to be doing fine - until Buffy walks into the living room and notices her mother, dead, on the couch. It's a shock to Buff and the audience.

"The Body" deals with the aftermath of the event. Buffy's sister, Dawn, is told of the event; friends also react; and the family heads to the hospital and makes funeral plans. It's a powerful episode, and one character's reaction to Joyce's death just about brought me to tears.

But this episode isn't only important for its emotion; what makes it stand out is that it has no musical score. The only music is diegetic (that is, played by the characters, on camera - no background tracks.) The move perfectly fits the hollowness that the characters are feeling, and heightens the sense of sudden grief for viewers.

5. "Restless" (S. 4, Ep. 22)

"Restless" screenshot.

Probably the best word to describe this episode is trippy. The episode is comprised of dream sequences, full of strange lighting effects and camera angles. For example: in the shot above, most of the frame is empty, the focal point in one corner.

"Restless" doesn't follow with an arc. Joss Whedon, the series' creator, called it a "grace note" to season 4. Because it follows the dreams of several characters, this episode acts as an interesting character study, marked by the series' signature wit. At Slayage.com, "The Online Journal of Buffy Studies", author Daniel Erenberg placed the episode as the 2nd best of the series. As he put it, the episode "lends itself to infinite interpretations. No one watches it the same way. That's the mark of a true masterpiece." 

This girl is in agreement.

Honorable Mentions

"Passion" screenshot.

1. "Passion" (S. 2, Ep. 17): This episode is marked by (spoilers) the killing of popular character Jenny Calendar. She's a schoolteacher, Buffy's mentor's sweetheart and all-around nice gal. What makes her killing worse it that it's performed by Angel, Buffy's former beau, made evil after a curse rips away his soul. Jenny's death is meant to serve as a notice to fans: that none of the characters are safe, and that death is scary and real. Television shows often kill off characters for dramatic effect, but I felt this one was especially well-executed. It was definitely a shock.

2. "Normal Again" (S. 6, Ep. 17) and "The Wish" (S. 3, Ep. 9): These 2 episodes explore two different, very freaky, alternate dimensions. In "Normal Again", Buffy is injected with hallucinogenic venom that causes her to believe she's been catatonic in a mental hospital for the past 6 years. In "The Wish", Buffy has never come to Sunnydale, and vampires control the streets at night. And they've invented a machine to industrialize the harvesting of blood... 

3. "The Gift" (S. 5, Ep. 22): All right, I'm cheating with this episode. "The Gift" doesn't contain an original format, unusual score, or alternate dimensions. What it does contain are some very cry-tastic moments. I don't want to spoil the plot for any future Buffy fans, but I will say this: a song featured at the episode's climax, "The Sacrifice," sends chills down my back and tears to my eyes whenever I listen to it.

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So! That wraps up my discussion of Buffy's breakthroughs. Enjoyed it? Comment below!

What great/groundbreaking TV have you watched?

"Buffy" Breakthroughs: A Love Post - Part I

* You can check out Buffy's Wikipedia page for background on the series.

It's no secret that I'm an uber-fan of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (as this post proves.) When first watching the series about a year ago, I zipped through all 7 seasons in under three weeks. (That involved at least one all-nighter.)

Today and next week, in a 2-part discussion, I want to highlight five of Buffy's greatest "breakthough" episodes - episodes not only entertaining and emotional, but ones that brought something new to the series (and, in some cases, television in general.)

So - without further ado - I give you #1-3!:

1. "Once More, with Feeling" (Season 6, Episode 7)

"Once More with Feeling" screenshot.

This is possibly Buffy's most original and influential episode, concept-wise. It's a miniature musical - complete with witty lyrics, orchestral backing, and some pretty cool choreography. It received critical acclaim after airing in 2001 (despite some actors' limited vocal ranges), and its musical format has been copied in several TV shows since. (Scrubs, anyone? Grey's Anatomy? Even Glee, possibly?) Yet even forgetting the strength of its influence, "Once More" can definitely be labelled Buffy at its finest. 

Other interesting points:

- "Once More with Feeling" is Buffy's most technically complex episode. The cast had to take extra voice and dance training, which was interspersed with the production of four other episodes. 

- From 2004 to 2007, "Once More" was shown in theaters (with the audience invited to sing along), before a financial dispute ended public showings.

- "Under Your Spell" received attention from Buffy studies writers for its frank depiction of lesbian romance. Previous television shows had never gone beyond kisses and coming-outs - small bits of affection (definitely no erotic material.) Actually, Buffy was the first show in U.S. TV history to portray a long-term lesbian relationship among the core cast of characters. 

(So... musicals & social advances? Not a bad way to spend a Tuesday evening..)

2. "The Zeppo" (Season 3, Episode 13)

"The Zeppo" screenshot.

"The Zeppo" takes spot #2 because of its complete focus on a minor character (Xander Harris.) The title of the episode refers to Zeppo Marx, who was the straight man among the Marx Brothers and long considered to be the most unexceptional member of the act. From Wikipedia:

"The Zeppo" is a twist on the show format, which normally consists of an action-packed "A-story" and a character-development "B-story". Here, Xander's feelings of inadequacy develop into the A-story while a stereotypical epic episode of Buffy and the others saving the world is pushed to the background to become the B. Most of the apocalypse story elements come across as background events, happening offscreen, only in small bits, or being talked about afterwards by the characters.

"The Zeppo" has proved influential on later television writers, including Doctor Who executive producer Russell T. Davies. He has cited the episode along with Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Lower Decks" as an influence on his 2006 Doctor Who episode "Love & Monsters." The television format came to be known as the "Doctor-lite episode", an annual tradition for Doctor Who since 2006.

3. "Hush" (Season 4, Episode 10) 

One of the Gentlemen - "Hush" screenshot.

Personally, I consider "Hush" to be one of Buffy's creepiest episodes. Firstly, it introduces a terrifying new villain: the Gentlemen, a group of demons that levitate from town to town, served by a group of demonic footmen in straight jackets. (One can already wonder about the monsters' symbolism.) But what's scary about this episode is its silence: 27 minutes of the episode are free of dialogue, after Sunnydale, CA citizens wake to discover that they are unable to speak. Their voices have been stolen by the Gentlemen, who cut out human hearts at night... their voiceless victims unable to scream for help.

This episode received high praise after airing, and was the only episode in the entire series to be nominated for an Emmy in Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. As Wikipedia states, "Hush" addresses the limits and assets of language/communication, and the disruption to society when communication breaks down.

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All right, that's it for now! I'll be discussing Buffy's top 4 and 5 breakthroughs next week, along with some honorable mentions. Until then...

Ever watched Buffy?  What television do you love and admire?

A Note of Love: Zeffirelli's "Romeo & Juliet"

This isn't going to be much of a post, but more of a note for love for Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 production. I watched it because my English class is covering the play, and I'm grateful I checked it out. This is a great example of how stunning Shakespeare can be when performed.

The movie is by no means perfect; after all, it was made in the '60s, which implies at least a few bad shots and effects. (R&J's fight scenes can be a tad horrible.) However, the performances of Leonard Whiting (Romeo) and Olivia Hussey (Juliet) are gorgeous. The pair were 17 and 15 at the time of filming, respectively, but did brilliantly. In fact, Hussey's performance as Juliet is often cited as one of, if not the, very best. (John McEnery was also great as Mercutio.)

To let you understand my enthusiasm, I'll show you what is probably the very best scene (featuring a song that's become classic itself):

What are your favorite play- or novel-to-film adaptions?
Know any other Zac Efron look-a-likes?