Finally worked through the Buggering, I mean, Buffering archive (if I type too fast I hit ‘gg’ instead of ‘ff’.) Listened to all expect their look at Wonder Woman – I’ll wait until I’ve seen the movie. Hosts Jenny Owen Youngs & Kristin Russo have expanded the podcast, thanks to advertisers (who knew book of the month still existed) & Patreon supporters. Interviews with actors who have appeared on the show increased from those with episode appearances to those with full arc appearances.
I enjoyed the interviews with the mayor, with the deputy mayor, even one with Buffy’s mom. Fun stories, though one of the interviews was close to an infomercial for that actor’s current ‘empire.’ I was sad to see the mail-bag episodes become a bonus for their Patreon supporters.
Season 3 is the Faith season & has too many great episodes for me to pick a favorite. Band Candy is one standout. Vampire Willow is unforgettable, as is MOO (now that’s a t-shirt I’d buy). The Mayor has most of the best moments & lines with his ‘square Dad’ banality that barely contains his inner demon. The writers & the actor had a great time giving this villain so much character & personality.
The Faith and Buffy chemistry simmers with lesbian tension in nearly every scene they have together – even their final confrontation. The hosts are sure it boiled over in not-seen scenes between slayings. I don’t find it as daring as they do though. Lesbianism – girl-on-girl – has always been more allowable in entertainment, than man-on-man. If the writers had, say, Zander & Oz, display this same kind of sexual chemistry then the show would have been revolutionary as opposed to merely toying with the acceptable girl-on-girl trope.
Diversity increased with Mr. Trick – the first regular black character. Played with great panache, & out dressing even Cordelia, he is a commanding presence but remains underdeveloped & under utilized. Race is mentioned but not explored. Why are there so few poc in Sunnydale, even as background fillers?
In one podcast the hosts speculate on how Buffy would be made today – how would it be cast? Probably with the same formula now used in Hollywood that allows for limited but more poc. A black Willow with access to African spiritual energy; probably piss-baby Zander would be and Asian dude or perhaps Giles would be the Asian character as he so wise & serene.
The season ends with a resounding bang that destroys the high-school – which (spoiler alert) is revisited in mid-season 4 & remains in ruins. I guess when Sunnydale High blew up to seal the Hell Mouth the department of education opted not to rebuild. I suppose they are bussing the students to another county now.
My previous Buffering posts:
Buffy Buffy Buffering https://wp.me/p1RtxU-2P5
Buffering Season 2 https://wp.me/p1RtxU-2Sf
A Bite
one morning there was a bite
an arc on my forearm
almost on my elbow
clear distinct human
top row bottom row
teeth marks
skin not broken
bruised red ridges indents
not where I could have done it
it wasn’t there when I went to bed
there was another bite
on my left heel
it was tender to the touch
another spot my mouth could never reach
then a final bite mark
on my inner thigh
I could still feel a mouth there
a tongue warm and wet
as teeth sank in
as if someone had
tried to devour me in my sleep
all day I found myself
rolling up my sleeve
just far enough to see the first bite
it hadn’t faded into a pink rose
it was still there
an red angry smear
when I got home
the others were also there
as if something had a hold of me all day
I checked the mirror carefully
had I missed one
did they make a pattern
they didn’t glow in the dark
they didn’t throb
there was no pain
only the sensation of my hand
when I touched them
weeks later
years later
they are still there
and despite them
there is never less of me
every Tuesday
June 8-9 – Capturing Fire 2018 – Washington D.C. (flight & hotel already booked)
capfireslam.org
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