6 Jan 2014 07:33 pm
TV Meme: Day 4
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frayadjacentDay 04 - Your favourite show ever:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here's some reasons why:
The characters: Buffy herself is my favourite character of all time. I'll save the why of that for Day 14, but suffice to say I've never seen a character that seemed as fully realised to me as Buffy Summers. And the love doesn't stop there: I'm still in awe of the coherent, multi-dimensional characterisation that show drew -- across seven seasons -- for Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya, Joyce, Spike, and many others. Their complex relationships, their love and loyalty, their fights and insecurities -- never has a collection of characters felt so real to me.
The heart: it's not just about feeling real though. The Whites and Schraders are also complex, multi-faceted characters with interesting, strong, very authentic relationships. But something Buffy has in spades that many shows of similar quality lack is an attention not just to their characters' failings, but also to their strengths, their capacity to love and to give to each other. The fact that, even if they fail, they try to do better. The show has hope, and heart. In the last year or some I've come to realise that shows have to have this kind of heart for me to truly love them.
The many different relationships among women. And, relatedly, the way it explores women's power. I don't always agree with the positions it seems to be taking, but it poses the questions in ways that I still really enjoy.
Out of sheer laziness, for the rest of BtVS's many attributes, I refer the reader to Mike Marinaro's spoiler-free meta: 10 Things Buffy Does Best. I'm not sure I agree that Buffy is as singular in its quality as he makes out here -- i.e., I agree it does these things well, but I'd argue there are a handful of other shows that also do. I think it's a mix of the high quality elements he lays out here, my own personal taste, and the fact that Buffy came before most of those other shows, that puts it on top for me.
Day 01 - A show that never should have been cancelled:
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching:
Day 03 - Your favourite new show (aired this TV season):
Day 04 - Your favourite show ever:
Day 05 - A show you hate:
Day 06 - Favourite episode of your favourite TV show:
Day 07 - Least favourite episode of your favourite TV show:
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch:
Day 09 - Best scene ever:
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving:
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you:
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times:
Day 13 - Favourite childhood show:
Day 14 - Favouritemale character:
Day 15 - Second [f]avouritefemale character:
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show:
Day 17 - Favourite mini series:
Day 18 - Favourite title sequence:
Day 19 - Favourite TV show cast:
Day 20 - Favourite kiss:
Day 21 - Favourite ship:
Day 22 - Favourite series finale:
Day 23 - Most annoying character:
Day 24 - Favourite quote:
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new):
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale:
Day 27 - Best pilot episode:
Day 28 - First TV show obsession:
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession:
Day 30 - Saddest character death:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Here's some reasons why:
The characters: Buffy herself is my favourite character of all time. I'll save the why of that for Day 14, but suffice to say I've never seen a character that seemed as fully realised to me as Buffy Summers. And the love doesn't stop there: I'm still in awe of the coherent, multi-dimensional characterisation that show drew -- across seven seasons -- for Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya, Joyce, Spike, and many others. Their complex relationships, their love and loyalty, their fights and insecurities -- never has a collection of characters felt so real to me.
The heart: it's not just about feeling real though. The Whites and Schraders are also complex, multi-faceted characters with interesting, strong, very authentic relationships. But something Buffy has in spades that many shows of similar quality lack is an attention not just to their characters' failings, but also to their strengths, their capacity to love and to give to each other. The fact that, even if they fail, they try to do better. The show has hope, and heart. In the last year or some I've come to realise that shows have to have this kind of heart for me to truly love them.
The many different relationships among women. And, relatedly, the way it explores women's power. I don't always agree with the positions it seems to be taking, but it poses the questions in ways that I still really enjoy.
Out of sheer laziness, for the rest of BtVS's many attributes, I refer the reader to Mike Marinaro's spoiler-free meta: 10 Things Buffy Does Best. I'm not sure I agree that Buffy is as singular in its quality as he makes out here -- i.e., I agree it does these things well, but I'd argue there are a handful of other shows that also do. I think it's a mix of the high quality elements he lays out here, my own personal taste, and the fact that Buffy came before most of those other shows, that puts it on top for me.
Day 01 - A show that never should have been cancelled:
Day 02 - A show that you wish more people were watching:
Day 03 - Your favourite new show (aired this TV season):
Day 04 - Your favourite show ever:
Day 05 - A show you hate:
Day 06 - Favourite episode of your favourite TV show:
Day 07 - Least favourite episode of your favourite TV show:
Day 08 - A show everyone should watch:
Day 09 - Best scene ever:
Day 10 - A show you thought you wouldn't like but ended up loving:
Day 11 - A show that disappointed you:
Day 12 - An episode you've watched more than 5 times:
Day 13 - Favourite childhood show:
Day 14 - Favourite
Day 15 - Second [f]avourite
Day 16 - Your guilty pleasure show:
Day 17 - Favourite mini series:
Day 18 - Favourite title sequence:
Day 19 - Favourite TV show cast:
Day 20 - Favourite kiss:
Day 21 - Favourite ship:
Day 22 - Favourite series finale:
Day 23 - Most annoying character:
Day 24 - Favourite quote:
Day 25 - A show you plan on watching (old or new):
Day 26 - OMG WTF? Season finale:
Day 27 - Best pilot episode:
Day 28 - First TV show obsession:
Day 29 - Current TV show obsession:
Day 30 - Saddest character death: