A Very Special Episode of Buffy

I apologize for blogging about Buffy again, but I’m watching an episode now, and it is absolutely one of the best episodes of the whole series.  In an attempt to not spoil anything, I will only tell you that it is toward the end of the 5th season, and it is the SADDEST episode EVER.  I’m sure if you’ve seen it, you’ll know what I’m talking about.

I haven’t cried this much while watching an episode of a tv show since…hmm…now I’m not sure.  Maybe I’ll think of some later and will edit this post.

What episodes of TV shows have made you cry?

EDIT:  I forgot to use my words to explain why this particular episode is so good.  First of all, it’s visually stunning.  Several scenes are in one-shot.  Camera angles place characters to the side instead of centering on them.  It’s like art.  Secondly, the acting has never been better.  EVERYONE from Buffy to Giles to Anya is INCREDIBLE.  Seriously, when you watch this episode, you could not love these characters more.  Thirdly, everything about the episode, from the dialogue to the characters’ actions, are perfect for the situation.  It is a fabulous episode.

– Jill

A Post About a Different Vampire Show

Happy BEDA!

Several months ago I decided to rewatch the entire series of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  It all began because I wanted to watch TWO awesome episodes, but I figured it would be better to watch them in order to get to them.  I finally hit the first one I’d wanted to see.

“Hush” Season 4, Episode 10*

*This will be spoiler-free for all of you who have yet to experience the greatness that is Buffy or if you’re Joanna who’s working her way through earlier episodes. (Right?)

The episode follows the basic formula – big bads come to Sunnydale, wreak havoc, and the Scooby Gang gears up to kick some butt.  However, the genious of this episode written and directed by Buffy creator Joss Whedon is that for about 40 minutes of the episode there are NO HUMAN VOICES. It’s a mostly quiet episode with the exception of things like fighting grunts and one computerized voice. The silence makes it unique and makes viewers (or just me) a little more uneasy.  Kind of like the movie with Audrey Hepburn I blogged about before.  (See: Post on Wait Until Dark)

Another aspect of the genious that is the Hush episode is the humor of the cast when silent. Xander, Giles, and Spike, especially, are all really great in this episode.  Of course, they’re usually great in every episode, but in this one, they’re fantastic at making gestures or being sarcastic even without speaking.

And finally, I just have to say that from what I can remember of the villains on the whole series, the big bads in this episode – “the Gentlemen” – are the scariest, creepiest villains on Buffy.

Creepy, no?

What do you think?  Have you seen this one?

– Jill

TV Shows on DVD

Putting TV shows on DVD is a fantastically brilliant idea.  I love being able to discover older tv shows I missed out on when they aired or getting to watch the beginnings of a show still on so I can catch up.  I’ve started or continued watching A LOT lately.  I thank Netflix DVDs, Netflix watch instantly, and Hulu for allowing me to do so — What would I do without them??  (Especially since I don’t currently have cable.)

Here’s what I’ve been watching.  Maybe you’ll find some you’ve already discovered or should watch!  In no particular order…

Leverage

A fairly new show on TNT – it’s currently in the middle of its 2nd season.  It’s a humorous, smart, sexy look at a team of criminals doing good.  Think Ocean’s Eleven + Robin Hood.  All of the actors, including Timothy Hutton in the lead, are fantastic, but my 2 favorite characters are “hitter” Eliot (played by someone you may recognize from Angel!!!) and “thief” Parker (who I was reminded of while listening to Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree). Have I piqued your interest yet?

Watch newer episodes at tnt.com or all episodes on Netflix watch instantly.

Pushing Daisies

A cancelled show that used to be on ABC, Pushing Daisies is one of the most visually stunning shows I’ve ever seen.  Seriously – check out that picture – gorgeous!  In this quirky crime-solving show that at times (like any good show) is like a soap opera, Ned has a gift to bring dead people back to life.  It comes with a few rules and he’s generally ok with that until he learns that his childhood love Charlotte aka Chuck has been murdered.  Rather than explain anymore of the plot & possibly confuse you, let me just say that Pushing Daisies has humor, quirkiness, mystery, love, stunning visuals, Jim Dale as a narrator and Kristin Chenoweth.  And holy crap, who doesn’t love Kristin Chenoweth?

You can watch the first 9 episodes at http://www.thewb.com!

Freaks and Geeks

I’m new to Freaks and Geeks, which aired briefly on NBC back in 1999.  I’ve seen about 5 episodes so far, and I can’t say I loved it right away, but it’s growing on me.  I think the main reasons I don’t love it yet is because I’m not a huge fan of Seth Rogen or James Franco and I hate the character of Kim with a fiery passion.  BUT I do love Nick aka Jason Segel aka HIMYM’s Marshall.  And I like seeing main character Lindsay struggle to find a new place for herself in high school.  Freaks and Geeks was ranked on top tv shows lists from Time and Entertainment Weekly, so it’s definitely worth a shot!

The Big Bang Theory

Just about to start it’s 3rd season on CBS, The Big Bang Theory is basically a story of beauty meets brains:  Penny moves in across the hall from Leonard and Sheldon, two genius/nerds who are socially awkward, and Leonard falls in love with Penny instantly but isn’t sure how to move past being friends.  It’s an interesting concept but add in A TON of nerd jokes about science, comic books, and general geekiness plus Sheldon, who is extremely cranky and lacks a sense of humor and an understanding of social cues but ends up being hilarious and steals every scene & you have a pretty good show.

Trivia: Three regulars of Roseanne are on/have been on this show.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Ok, this one’s really a RE-discovery because I used to watch it when it was on tv.  I’ve been really wanting to rewatch the “Hush” and “Once More with Feeling” episodes, but I decided to go in order.  The first 3 seasons are currently on Hulu, so I’ve been going through them.  I’d forgotten how awesome Buffy is!  It’s so witty, and snarky, and teenager-y in a fabulous way.  Plus, hello Giles is one of the best fictional librarians of all time!  Actually, now that leads me to ponder what the list of best fictional librarians of all time would look like – but let’s save that for another time.

Buffy – hulu – go!

Next up for me:  Psych, Wonderfalls (more from the creator of Pushing Daisies and ngtJen promised me it is delightful), Sports Night (created by Aaron Sorkin & all I have left from him since finishing The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip).  So what are YOU watching?  I love adding new shows to my “to-watch” list!

– Jill

Because we all know libraries make the hormones go wild….

I saw this post on EW.com (which if you can’t tell, I visit a lot) called “18 Sexy Trips to the Library.”

You should definitely check it out, but I am a little confused by what they mean by sexy (Ghostbusters, Goblet of Fire……really???).  But of course I do agree with Atonement, Beauty and the Beast, and Indiana Jones being included.

It got me thinking about what my favorite library scenes from movies and tv are………..

Since I had to compose this list on the fly, I am sure that I am missing lots and lots of library moments.

5.  Nova Lee meeting Forny in “Where the Heart Is.”  Because I wish there was a librarian like Forny working at my library with his curly hair and love of children (in the GOOD way, not the bad way).

4.  I am sure I should include a Buffy moment in here somewhere, since they spend half their time in the library.  Giles is a pretty sexy librarian if you ask me.

3.  Edward and Eleanor debating the position of the Nile in “Sense and Sensibility.”

2.  The scene in “Becoming Jane” where Tom shows Jane the ‘dirty’ book (that happens in a library doesn’t it?).

1.  Ephram’s dream sequence in “Everwood.”  In the very first episode of this phenomenal show, Ephram has a dream sequence where Amy is lookin’ all cute in a red dress and speaking French while roaming through the school library.  If only everyone could walk into a library and morph into a French-speaking Goddess.

Can you guys think of any more “Sexy” library scenes??

Jen

Not to Bum Everyone Out…

Well, on Thursday my hamster, Buffy, passed away.

She was pretty old for a hamster (18 months) and she lived a good life even though she was blind.  I found her by the dumpster in Iowa City on one of the hottest days of the summer.  She was just a little baby and her eyes had been clawed out.  We’ve had a great time since then……..she was kind of the perfect hamster for me to have, since she couldn’t see the two giant cats hovering outside her cage waiting to pounce.

She wasn’t the cuddly type because I never could get her to stop biting.  But I guess if I couldn’t see anything I would bite everything that came into my range as well.

I knew she wasn’t doing well because she had stopped eating her treats.  At least she didn’t suffer long.  Fortunately, my dad was visiting when she died, so he took her home with him and buried her in the yard.

So here’s to Buffy, the little hamster that could, and did, live a long and happy life even without eyes.

Jen

Just Another Way to Waste My Time….

So I was casually reading Entertainment Weekly today (the actual magazine, not the website) and there was an article about hulu.com. It sounded so amazing that I almost couldn’t believe what I was reading……..it is a website where you can watch tv shows and movies for FREE!!!!

Now, I know there are like 10,000 other websites where you can do the same thing, but on this one, you just have to sign up with a username (nothing scary like a credit card number or anything) and then you are free to watch clips or entire episodes. There are some commercials sprinkled in here and there, but the quality is so much better than YouTube will ever be. This is actually supported by the studios and networks so it isn’t like some of those shady operations (RIP tvlinks, sniffle)

Most of the shows on there now are from Fox and NBC so that means there are full episodes of “The Simpsons,” “The Office,” “30 Rock,” and “Arrested Development.” Anyone who has not seen “Arrested Development” needs to go to that website right now and watch every single one, no excuses accepted.

I am pretty pumped about “Buffy” and “Major Dad.” Yes, that is right, “Major Dad”!!!!!!!! I used to watch that show all the time when it was on. I can’t wait to watch it again and realize, What was I thinking?

I am pretty much going to be wasting my time on this for the next few weeks, so if you don’t hear from me for a while, I am catching up on my Buffy watching.

Jen

Did I ignore the Chosen One?

So this is Jen, writing my first post on here………..I have a feeling my posts will be filled with oodles of library stuff, updates on my cats, and lots and lots of …………….. (because I can’t help doing it, it is like a reflex whenever I type now!).

So over the weekend at the library a little girl came up to me and asked if I had a book with “real” pictures of vampires. Now this girl was probably in about second grade and she came off as completely serious. I took her to the section on scary stories/monsters and showed her the vampire books. She did not seem impressed. I told her that was what we had and I was sorry it wasn’t what she was looking for. At the time I thought it was amusing that she believed there are real vampires, but then I started thinking…………..

As a huge fan of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (my hamster is even named Buffy) I should have recognized a call for help when I saw one. Buffy spent most of her high school career hanging out in the library with Giles, her Watcher, who gave her advice and guidance………..maybe this young girl was born to slay vampires and she came to the library in search of her own Giles!!!

Oh man, another awesome opportunity down the drain. Sigh. I guess I will have to settle for being a regular librarian instead of an butt kicking, stake wielding, demon killer.

Jen