[Mark]

Originally Posted by Not A Speck Of Cereal

I watch no broadcast TV anymore.

I never did to speak of, Speck. I had hobbies. I tore up stuff. I stopped watching TV after the age of ten or so. No more sitting around with the family staring at the tit. Only when I was able to start "Time-shifting" programs, well...that's when I watched some broadcast or cable network TV. Usually waiting around with other folks before we were supposed to go on a trip or do something.

I've only recently watched my own big television, and I don't even have cable. I don't do "Netflix". I do rent sometimes.

But I'm selfish and not easily pleased. I watch what I want to watch - usually on DVD, HD DVD, or Blu-ray. I've never been a slave to the TV. I mean, if I'm with a group of other people that want to watch something, sure, I'll sit there and watch it...and I fall asleep. I always fall asleep after dinner watching TV in a dark room. What a horrible guest to have. How rude I've been.

Originally Posted by Not A Speck Of Cereal

I have the entire Firefly on DVD as well as the Serenity film--love that stuff. I was so intrigued with Wheaton that I bought someone's collection of the entire 7 seasons of Buffy. But I couldn't finish it. I got 1/2 way through the seconds season, then sold it off.

Aw! I'm gonna cry, Speck, buddy!

Hey! I loved Serenity and Firefly too, but, but..you didn't like Buffy?!?!!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer has been my first foray into "TV addiction"! And now - at fifty farkin' years of age! How strange. I've decided to start wasting my life now, rather than earlier. Weird.

And no, I'm not a "dirty old man" just looking at the precocious children do their bouncing around and such. Buffy transcends (I'm using Present Tense here because I'm just now getting around to Buffy, okay?) the idiot mentality of Baywatch or...well, I'd better just stop here, because I've never even seen Baywatch or any other Prime-Time, uh, so-called "lurid" shows, so I don't even know the hell what I'm talking about...please ignore my unfounded criticisms.

Sex in the City? I mean, what the heck is that? If one lives in the city, doesn't the real thing just come up by itself?

Speck, I truly wish you had stuck it out with Buffy. Please give Buffy another chance. I'm gonna to now try and tell you why I think it might grow on you.

Okay. Sure, it's gets all kiddy-fun and teeny-bopper sometimes, but the writing! The writing!

And the chemistry of the characters. Pretty much flawless casting. Yeah, Buffy could work your last nerve sometimes, but she actually had some fantastic moments when the writing called for her get over herself.

Josh Whedon and Jane Espenson's collaborative writing and producing made this show a real winner in my book. In fact, it's probably some of the best TV Series writing I've ever seen.

Even Lost (I've now seen the first two Seasons/years of Lost, and I would survive just fine if I never ever saw another episode, frankly) could learn a few pointers on how to develop a seven-year story-arc from this talented group of writers and producers.

The Special FX of Buffy were top-notch for TV in their day, and they still look great!

I like the way the "dusting" of vampires is mostly bloodless. Now - at nine years later - the sets look great, the lighting, the costumes, clothes, hair - all of it still looks real nice.

The "monsters" and creatures were really damn good. You could tell that the entire cast and crew put their heart into their work throughout this series.

Think about it: seven years is a very long time for a main cast to stick together; stick it out - especially at their tender age. Those kids really worked their asses off - and it showed.

There are episodes you just cannot miss. Please don't. Give 'em another chance.

Like :

The Body (Season 5, Episode 16: a real tear-jerker)

Once More, with Feeling (Season 6, Episode 7: staged like an old Hollywood musical)

Selfless (Season 7, Episode 5: the old movie flashback scenes are unbelievably hilarious)

...and many other gems I won't get into here. Maybe some other Buffy fans will come forward?

Yeah, Buffy didn't grab me at first - and "at first" meaning: just a few months ago - October 2006 - I watched my first episode, starting with the First Episode, First Season/First Year, and I haven't seen them in sequence.

(Yes, I've been severely chastised for watching them out-of-order)

For example, I've seen Season One (the first year), but then I skipped all the way to Season Six (except for the occasional Episode - which turned out to be superb; the one I mentioned above, "The Body") when the kids were older, situations were getting more outrageous, and then I watched Season Seven - the very last year.

From what I've heard (but not seen, because I haven't seen Seasons Two, Three, Four, or Five) the best Seasons - from what everyone tells me - have been Seasons One, Two, Five, Six, and Seven.

Here's the only ones I am able to make comment:

Season One (which I saw first), then I skipped to Season Six (and really got hooked), and then totally spoiled and cheated and watched the final year, Season Seven.

Sure, there were some characters I loved more than others:

Angel: hated him at first, but grew to tolerate him. Glad he went away (but he returned later to help Buffy and friends in some of the most frightening, dynamic, and suspenseful episodes late in the show). "Angel" got his own Series later - called (Duh!) Angel.

Cordelia: what a perfect Hollywood snob with self-loathing issues that she didn't even realize she had! Grew to adore her. She went over to the Series Angel for reasons I am unaware - because I haven't seen Angel at all.

Spike: what a punk! Hated him at first, but then he turned out to be one of very best characters. Funny actor. He stayed around to the very end.

Giles: gotta have the "Older Mentor" character, don't we? "Giles" was shy, kind of uncomfortable around the kids, but I learned to love him, too. His favorite domain was running the library at Sunnybrook High School, but later he opened a Magic Shop. Just full of old magic-y junk. It was a perfect move for him (and a chance for that wacky "Anya" - who was 1000 years old but never aged and was a total nutjob - to figure out what she liked - handling other people's money. But more on "Anya" later...)

Glory (!): from what I've seen of "Glory" so far, she's great! A very powerful demon goddess that even Buffy is frightened of, and every time Glory is around, she chews the heck out of the scenery. Literally! And never musses her perfect hair, nails, or lovely skin. I really like this actress that played "Glory".

Willow: liked her character from the start. A wallflower, she found herself (and love through her girlfriends when she discovered she was gay) and she got really wild 'n' wicked later! Whoa!

Tara: Willow's loving and wise lover, she was a real sweetheart. "Tara" was exactly what Willow needed to help her develop her talents.

Xander: gotta have the "Xander". He's the home-spun-educated, clumsy and oafish guy of the bunch - but he "Saves the day" quite often. And in Season Seven...well, what happened to him was a real shocker. But I'm not going to spoil anything for ya.

Buffy: great. Sarah Michelle Geller was perfect for this role of "The Slayer". She handed her scripts wth aplomb, really. I mean, she was a kid when she took the role, and...well, who else would have been better for the role of "Buffy"? I can't think of anyone else off-hand.

Buffy's Mother: perfect. A loving, but clueless and ever-worried "Mom". The actress chosen for this role was perfect.

Dawn: Buffy's little sister (of sorts). If you've watched the show you know who, uh, what "Dawn" really is. Irritating at first. I couldn't understand why the role of "Dawn" been had to be created, but later it made perfect sense: to attract younger viewers, and to open the show up for more storylines. Towards the end (in the last season), "Dawn" had grown on me and she became quite watchable.

Anya: If I had to pick one, my favorite character was "Anya", who hadn't yet been introduced in the episodes you've seen, Speck. "Anya" was a "Vengeance Demon" - and a real hoot! What a dangerous ditz! I love Anya! She brightened the screen every time she had a line - and Anya had some of the best lines in the whole show.

This is one Series I'm going to finish - even if I'm watching them terribly willy-nilly and out-of-order.

See, like I said in an earlier post - I love the monsters. I love the humor (it is just enough), I love the Period set pieces they inserted, I loved the situations, the way the vampires lived, the "rules" that the show set up for itself...

I've never enjoyed network TV so much as I have Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, but, okay - enough of "The Buff".

Did anyone enjoy Carnivale? This was one Series that ended too quickly. I thoroughly enjoyed most of it. Extremely barbaric at times, with religious/demonic scary stuff and inhumane situations in the setting of a traveling carnival during the Great Depression (I think it was set during the Depression).

Disturbing and yet touching at times, Carnivale is another favorite of mine. One of the best HBO offerings yet - and I'm including The Sopranos (which I've seen my share of episodes at friend's homes and when I didn't fall asleep ).

Thanks for reading all this pap I've written here. I do have my moments of "Help! I'm talking and I can't shut up!"