sanctuary

[ironymaiden]

pixxelpuss got me started again on trying to watch Angel. i've made it through Sanctuary thus far. my gripes with the series remain; it's not bad television, it's simply not as well-crafted as BtVS. (for example, a regular character dies and his replacement appears in the very next episode and immediately begins uttering his lines. ew.)
still, the end of Sanctuary is exceedingly well-crafted. in context that scene is brutal. C put his finger on it... they aren't lying, and every statement is correct. when placed in a situation where they could collapse into a weepy heap of love, longing, and self-pity they bludgeon each other in a perverse act of self-preservation. years ago, i would have been unable to understand why they would do something so stupid (you love each other, say you're sorry and the separation's been horrible, bummer about that curse, big hugs. duh.) today, i see why it happened. in the future, i hope to learn...something else. i kept deleting different versions of the line, but how can i expect to know what that situation will mean to me in five years?
the trappings of the fantastic let us enlarge the mundane into monsters that our dramatic proxies can slay. i don't know what it means that our invincible heroes can destroy a giant wyrm or pull a psychopath back from the brink, but have no control over their hearts.

Comments

[buhrger]

now trying to remember which one was Sanctuary...

as to the regular character dying in season 1, if Joss is to be believed, that was planned from the beginning.

Sanctuary

[ironymaiden]

Faith appears in LA, badass watchers and Buffy close behind. the addiction/recovery themes get pulled to the front. it's the resolution of the two-parter with the body-switching in BtVS season four.

as for the dying and the replacement, i can believe that someone planned it, i just don't think it was done well. it felt like Three's Company - insert archetype, continue as if nothing happened.

Re: Sanctuary

[buhrger]

it felt like Three's Company - insert archetype, continue as if nothing happened.
basically agree, although if you tell an irishman that an englishman is the same archetype, be prepared for fisticuffs...

Re: Sanctuary

[mrdorbin.livejournal.com]

I thought Doyle was cool and all but I really liked the dynamic of the last half of season 1 where all three main characters were people you had spent a fair amount of time detesting earlier.

An all-just-Angel-and-Cordy episode would have been neat to watch though.

[solcita.livejournal.com]

You should come watch it with us, if we ever get back on track. ;) We just started Angel Season 3 and Buffy Season 6.

[pixxelpuss.livejournal.com]

Just say When, sweetie. I am ON vacation.

[pixxelpuss.livejournal.com]

Okay, so here's the thing. The death of Doyle was supposed to be super-meaningful. We were supposed to have a sense of this Dark Past, and that his death was his atonement, and that Cordy admired his strength and courage, and the tragedy of it all... But I don't think they built up to it enough. It was just jarring and then kinda sad. Even given time to mourn it didn't achieve full impact. But then, we weren't given much time. I think that was pretty obviously replacing the character. Not that they were exactly equivalent, but I liked Doyle and I think they could have done better in respecting his death.

If I have one complaint about the Whedonverse in general, it's this: he seems to think that sudden deaths=tragic deaths. Sometimes it's true and the more meaningless the death the more it hurts us. But if he doesn't give US time to mourn, we don't have time to absorb the death before being swept away. And it bothers me. I think I just need more from major character deaths than that. The deaths that moved me most were the ones he spent the MOST time on (Season 2, Season 5 of Buffy), and then another that shall not be named. Am I alone in this?

And in Sanctuary? I acutally just liked seeing Buffy and Angel fight. I didn't really like either character much after about season 3 when they turned into Bitchy, cold Buffy and Moping jerk Angel. So I kind of liked seeing them so mean to each other. Because frankly, they irritate the hell out of me. I watch for Willow and Wesley, to be perfectly frank.