In Defence of Reboots

Nerdy nostalgia and a quick and easy way to produce a new show or film means reboots are becoming an increasing go to for media producers. After all, you already have a proven recipe for success and a presumed established fanbase that will already flock to the new creation. Win, win, right?

Well, let’s just say not every fan is quick to rush to praising a reboot - and there have been definitely poorly executed ones as well. But I think there’s also an almost reflexive resistance; that same nostalgia that can make reboots so attractive can also make devoted fans demand a level of purity which a reboot both can’t achieve - but shouldn’t. It’s similar to the same purists who turn out every time a book is turned into a film - just look a the Lord of the Rings fans who demand everything - including the endless, songs and Tom Bombadil added to the Lord of the Rings Movies. This should be proof that a dedicated purist is willing to suffer for their faithful adaptation

I am actually a fan of reboots. As a lover of long series - both in terms of books and television series. But eventually everything reaches an end - and we’ve all seen series that should have ended so very very long ago. A reboot gives the opportunity to explore this world and characters but without quite so much of the baggage that any long running series is dragged down; it gives these concepts chance to return, chance to be updated and chance to explored in new directions - after all, every storyline taken inevitably cuts off other possibilities. A reboot allows the exploration of the path not taken.

It can also be used directly to revitalise a long running series: like we just saw on Once Upon a Time trying to revitalise the series (albeit unsuccessfully), recognising when these characters’ storylines and this particular meta is done and it’s time to see what else can be done with this world.

But it has to be done well… and people have to approach them correctly.

Reboots are not Sequels

Or, aren’t usually. Sometimes they follow on from the original series, like the various Star Trek reboots (and I know there are people even now rushing to tell me that Star Treks are not reboots - but they rather clearly are. Taking the same world, the same concepts, even if not (necessarily) the same characters and building something new. The foundations are the same, the concepts are the same but the characters and plot is rebooted - and even if they take place in the same world there is enough time and space between each production of the franchise to make them decidedly separate entities. They’re not sequels - which seems to disappoint fans.

Whenever a reboot is proposed one of the regular complaints I see is fans of the original wanting a continuation of that. Look at the drama around the Charmed reboot, many people are upset because the new Charmed witches are not the Halliwell sisters and not continuing their story. And no matter what was produced, ultimately the fact they’re not those original sisters means fans rebel. We’ll see something similar with Buffy - they don’t need a reboot, they want the old story to continue. But I ask you to take off the rose coloured glasses of nostalgia and ask… really? Because, well, really? Do you remember late season Charmed and Buffy? These weren’t Firefly, cancelled before their time 

(never forgive, never forget)

No, these shows ran on and on and on and on and ended because WE STOPPED WATCHING THEM. If the ratings were still high, if the producers were still coining it in, if we were truly that excited about seeing their stories continue, then they’d still be on air until the sun explodes

It's the show that never ends, it goes on and on my friend

But they’re not. They were cancelled; clearly these original stories weren’t doing it for us. But maybe new stories in the same world could bring you the same joy that that nostalgia clings to without the crushing disappointment that an actual continuation of those storylines we apparently long since lost interest in could bring.

Which also brings me to another way reboots can go very wrong:

Don’t be shackled by the old

You’re making something new with this world/concept/characters - right. Do it. Make something new; because if you’re clinging too much to the old? Well, as I said, there’s a reason we stopped watching. A reboot shouldn’t look like a bad copy - it needs to be a fresh start; go big or go home. And this is one of the main issues that Once Upon a Time’s reboot had: we got a new story working on the same concept, new characters - Adult Henry, Jacinda, Lucy, Tiana, Alice, Victoria, Drizilla, Gothel with which to tell this story… and then you had to drop Regina, Rumple, Killian and Zelena in there

I love these characters, of course I do, they’re fan favourites. But this is a reboot and I’m supposed to be investing in Henry, Jacinda et al but they can’t possibly compete with the more compelling, more established characters. These new characters never had a chance to establish themselves or attract a following because the scene was stolen by these old favourites. The show wasn’t brave enough to do a true reboot; followed the fan favourites around while still maintaining the fiction that Henry and Jacinda are the protagonists.

This applies to the audience as well - as fans we need to approach these shows without all the expectations and demands of the previous incarnations of the show. Just as you can’t what Next Generation while also pouting that there’s no Spock and Kirk. No we’re not going to get the old Buffy or the Halliwell sisters and maybe no Willow can match Allison Hannigan for you - but the reboot is not the old show; and out memories of these old shows are fraught with our rose tinted nostalgia glasses. Especially when we talk repeatedly (as fandom often does) about how much these shows meant to us, how important they were, even how revolutionary they were: that is a bar nothing can compete with and we’re going to lose shows that could be as awesome - or revolutionary to someone else - because we refuse to accept this concept can be reworked unless it matches our skewed memories of the original show

And on being revolutionary...

Updates are Necessary

This is especially true of shows where one of their major selling points was how original and progressive they were. Being the first is important and, again, nostalgia makes us look back on a lot of shows with happy rose coloured glasses. But being the first ages really quickly- and just like a lot of millennials binge watching Friends have discovered, old beloved shows can come with a whole lot of really nasty, bigoted baggage with an overwhelming amount of homophobia.

We’ve all read the many many many pieces on how limited Joss Whedon’s feminism is and, looking back, there are definitely issues with Willow and the show’s pretty much non-existant racial inclusion.

And I can perfectly understand why Holly Marie Combes takes issue with the Charmed reboot being described as “feminist” Charmed implying that the old Charmed wasn’t. And clearly we had a story with 3-4 powerful sisters whose sister relationship defined them and was the overwhelming powerful theme of the show, of course that was central. But those sisters also spent an awful lot of time focusing on the men in their lives (my gods how sick was everyone of the Cole storylines or Phoebe desperate to get pregnant storyline by the end?), the show had pretty much one token POC who was there for utility more than characterisation and, despite being set in San Francisco, covering 8 seasons, 178 episodes and innumerable characters, still managed only one dead lesbian for LGBTQ inclusion.

This isn’t say these old shows are terrible - but just like the original Star Trek was hailed for it’s progressive nature in the 1960s but looked through a modern lens has several…. Rather glaring problems, so to do many of these revolutionary shows we remember with nostalgia. Rebooting can make take these concepts we fell in love with, bring them back for a new audience - and not just a younger audience but also a more diverse audience. I can’t think of many of my peers who didn’t watch Friends - but those who didn’t (myself included) were LGBTQ people who were just TIRED of the homophobic nonsense (and no, this wasn’t just young millennial outrage, there were plenty of LGBTQ people back in the day who were unimpressed as well - but no-one listened to us). What was revolutionary, personally defining and vitally important to you deserves a chance to be important to others - even tro be accessible to others who were previously driven away. You loved this show and it was defining? Well let’s have the chance to remake it so it is as defining and powerful and meaningful to others.

The Portrayal of Addiction in Urban Fantasy

Because urban fantasy is thought of as unimportant fluff, it often gets a pass on many of the isms that it perpetuates. It never ceases to amaze me that in a genre which is filled with fantastical elements that so many find it difficult to create a world in which serious issues and marginalisations can be discussed or included in anything approaching a realistic or inclusive manner. Appropriation is absolutely rampant in the genre and it is quite common to take serious issues and minimise them by equating them to fantastical creatures. The viewer or reader is meant to identify with the issues of the supernatural creature, even as the portrayal leaves so much to be desired that it ends up stigmatising the very issue that the genre is supposedly discussing.

One of the recurring topics which urban fantasy has sought to integrate is addiction. One of the most obvious examples in the genre is clearly Being Human (UK).  Vampirism in Being Human (UK) is clearly a metaphor for addiction because the vampires in this series can exist for extended periods of time without consuming blood; however, the moment they are turned, they develop an overwhelming desire to consume blood. Essentially, the battle for each vampire seeking to assimilate is to forgo the consumption of blood thereby; making the consumption of blood a moral failing. By making vampirism a metaphor for addiction, Being Human (UK) is essentially saying that addiction in and of itself is monstrous and so are the addicted. This is highly problematic because even though those who love and support the addicted individual suffer, no one suffers more than the addicted person themselves.

It is clear that Being Human (UK) is attempting to create an equivalency between an addicted human and a vampire. While to some degree the biological nature is explored because it is not coincidental that children of alcoholics are far more likely to become alcoholics themselves. However, a propensity for addiction does not make addiction an inherent part of any person’s nature, not even if they go on to become an addict. This contrasts sharply with the blood hunger of a vampire which, by definition, is an inherent, unchanging biological element of who and what they are.

Being Human (UK) is not the only Urban Fantasy to use themes of addiction when it comes to the supernatural. We’ve seen the same themes in Buffy, Secret Circle and even the latest season of The Vampire Diaries, have their addictive dark magic episodes and themes, Being Human (US) even had body hopping addiction with Sally. It’s common in books as well, with Chloe Neil’s Chicagoland vampires exploring magic addiction. Addiction, whether it be to blood, magic, forbidden arts or innumerable other supernatural elements continues to be raised in the genre - but in nearly all cases, addiction is linked to the damage it does to others. The addict is shameful and needs to be stopped not for their own sake, but because of the people they hurt. No-one is stopping Willow or Mallory or worried about Cassie’s dark magic because them living with addiction so much as they are afraid of the people their powers will hurt. No-one is concerned about the difficulties vampires must endure with their blood addiction, interventions are motivated by fear for their victims.

Billy the Vampire Slayer: A New Gay Male Vampire Slayer

This is something I’ll watch with interest and suspicion - not least of which because the comics media in general is probably the third worst culprit when it comes to erasing GBLT people (I’d put children’s literature/programming and computer games ahead) and there has been a whole lot of problems in the past (already both DC’s Green Lantern, with extra gay-death and Northstar’s wedding, now with marital problems, look like they’re getting shaky) so I’m disinclined to jump up and down just yet.

Still, I do like the idea of a strong gay male character - especially an action character which is very rare.

I’m just not sure why he’s “Billy the Vampire Slayer” it seems cutesy, and rather silly. Especially since, in the Buffyverse, “Slayer” has a meaning - it’s not just someone who fights vampires, it’s someone with these ancestral ancient powers - which, they’ve made clear, Billy (or any man) will not have.

Which I approve of - I actually would be against Billy having powers that are reserved for women as it would be degendering and happens so many times with gay men (hi Ann McCaffrey and your thrice be damned Green Riders) if you’re going to have gendered abilities then deciding that the gay characters cross them feels more than a little “they aren’t REAL men/women” to me. Though a trans slayer? That would be awesome.

But it does make this quote from Jane Espenson “What if someone in high school is looking up to Buffy as a role model, and we're saying: You can’t be a Slayer”

Face Off: Cliched Episodes We See Again and Again

If you are a regular viewer of urban fantasy, you are probably familiar with a few of the tropes that we are going to discuss today. Once a series makes it through the first two seasons and is receiving good ratings inevitably the following episodes will make an appearance. In some cases, the appearance of these episodes sounds the death knell for the show as it is a sure sign that the writers have run out of things to do.

The Body Switch

The spell goes wrong! The machine malfunctions! The bad guy casts a nefarious spell - and suddenly the protagonists are in each other’s bodies. Hijinks ensue. Warehouse 13, Lost Girl, Buffy and so many others. The entire episode then revolves around the characters learning each other’s shoes and the actors desperately trying to play each other’s roles (to mixed success). It rarely, if ever advances any kind of meta-plot and it’s the epitome of passing time in a series.

When they don’t swap bodies there’s a close second - change the character’s gender! Sudden spell and your male character is now female or female male and suddenly it’s like becoming a completely alien species!

The Musical

The musical episode for some fans is a favourite but in most cases actors become actors because they most certainly cannot sing. The Buffy musical episode is a favourite among many but beyond Anthony Head, not a single  member of the cast could actually sing.

In the case of the wildly popular Sanctuary, the musical episode was a preclude to the end.  When the characters had to converse in song because  Abby who was possessed by an abnormal could not communicate any other way.  The only saving grace in this episode is that we were spared the musical stylings of  Ryan Robbins, because it was torturous enough having to listen to Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne and Pascale Hutton.

Vampires: The Duty of Conformity

Many times in Urban Fantasy we see the various monsters and preternatural beings as a stand in for marginalised groups - and this is often extremely appropriative and skeevy in many kinds of ways as we have discussed.

But there is one message we see repeated in many of these TV series and books that certainly has parallels with both being marginalised or just different from the “norm”. The message of how to be appropriately “Other.”

So many of these stories cover supernatural beings integrating opening into a human society - and the measures they take to be accepted. In short, they are stories of how the alien Other manages to become part of society. And one message we see repeated in many of these is one of acceptability - one of conformity. The way the Other becomes part of the Mainstream is to become the Mainstream, to repress its otherness, even repress who and what they are.

We see this most strongly when there’s a romance in the air - usually with a human woman and a Musty Vampire. The Musty Vampires are nearly always contrasted against a vampire that is either evil or morally ambiguous at least - we have the vampire who is trying to be human, denying his vampirising against the vampire who embraces his own nature and doesn’t compromise to please the mainstream.

Obviously, many of these vampires have reasons to resist their nature - murder and mayhem being primarily among them - but the mustiness is taken to extremes and the contrast between them is large, almost exaggerated, to carry the full weight of the message - to be good, the Other most Conform.

Whether It’s Being Human U.S., or Being Human U.K., a good vampire is one who abstains from blood and associating with his own kind. The objective is to be as close to human as possible.  While being a vampire means a loss of control and most likely death to any human in the vicinity, to be truly understood as good one must maintain the model of conformity. In both of these series, Vampirism is an analogy for drug addiction, which in itself is problematic because of the appropriation of a human experience.

In Being Human U.K., Mitchell pays the ultimate price for his failure to conform by dying.  He commits suicide by werewolf by having his best friend George kill him.  Mitchell begs for death because he knows no matter how hard he struggles that he will always return to drinking blood and thus killing humans.  When you consider the analogy to drug addiction, what hope does this give those who suffer with the disease? It says that one is inherently damaged and that there is no hope.

Face Off: Vampire Villains

After looking at the ranks of Musty Vampires, we have to look at the flip side of the coin - our sexy vampire villains. With their cool accents, their disposable minions and their diabolical plans, these vampires remind us that the undead are, indeed, monstrous and dangerous and not to be trifled with. In this era of sparkling and musty vampires pursuing teenage girls with tearful eyes and tortured souls, it’s refreshing to find a vampire who is clinging to their horror story roots.

So, which one does it right, readers - who is bringing the evil back?

Russell Edgington: Russel made his appearance in season three of True Blood. When he was not mourning for his lost love, Russel made infamous television appearances (which managed to be both horrifying and amusing) and showed no pity, when it came to hunting and terrorising Sookie. Russel is ancient and not even remotely interested in dancing around with vampire authorities - even killing an inquisitor to prove his point. He aligned himself with the werewolves, hooking them on vampire blood ensuring that, like any self-respecting villain, he has minions. While he lacks the required menacing British accent, he is a British actor, so he still gets points. For his classic one line zingers and bold actions, Russel is a villian’s villan.

We last saw Russel encased in concrete - but what can be more villainous than a villain who is sure to return?

Klaus Mikaelsen:

In The Vampire Diaries, Klaus is one of the first vampires, one of the Originals, making him over 1,000 years old. He’s also a hybrid - a combination were-wolf/vampire and nearly impossible to kill. This also provides him with a necessary staff of minions. He makes long ranged schemes, and is willing to kill anyone and anything to get the job done. Like all good villains, he has a menacing British accent (an almost pre-requisite), so he sounds suitably malevolent when required.

Klaus, alas lives in Mystic Falls and, as such, is exposed to the Aura of Mustiness. He has now started to fall in love with Caroline and is, no doubt, being slowly drawn into Elena’s Mary Sue field and will soon be adoring her and serving her like everyone else. He has already started the angsting and the crying that is the first symptom of being thoroughly mustified. Enjoy him while you can, vampire villain fans, before the angst claims him forever.

Cover Snark: Who Needs Clothing to be a Badass?

Publishers rely on book covers to catch the eye of readers. We are far more like to pick up the book and read a synopsis, if we are attracted to the cover. This of course encourages publishers to engage in all manner of fuckeries. What is perhaps most astounding about the inexplicably naked or partially naked woman, is that these protagonists are supposed to be strong independent women and yet sex is what is used to sell them to the public and not some other aspect of their being.

 

Now, what’s wrong with these pictures? Let’s take them one at a time.


The first picture is Mercedes Thompson. Mechanic and werecoyote. Now there’s a lot wrong with this image, but today we’re going to focus on her... wardrobe malfunction. Now, I can’t say I’m particularly familiar with mechanical processes, but I’m pretty sure it doesn’t involve unzipping your jump suit down to the waist so you can show off your bra. Don’t you love how the image includes her holding a tool, because from her dress you would never know that she works in a garage.  It looks more like the beginning of a porn movie (I can’t afford to fix my car... maybe I can pay you some other way?” cue porn music!), than an image of a supposedly ass kicking independent woman.

The Winner of The Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus

Okay folks, today is the big announcement.  The winner of our latest giveaway

 is......

Jennifer Shaw

Congratulations and thanks for entering.  You will be contacted via email and from there have 48 hours to respond with mailing address.  If we don't here a response from you within 48 hours we will be forced to choose a new winner.  Please stay tuned for our next exciting giveaway.

Buffy vs Edward

Okay, I simply couldn't resist. You know that you have thought about what would happen if these two were to ever meet.

Enter to Win Buffy The Vampire Slayer Omnibus Vol. 1

That's right everyone, it's time for another exciting giveaway.  This month we are giving away Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume 1.  We know that even though it has been many years since the last episode, there are plenty of people are still in love with the Buffyverse. This graphic novel is based on the television show, but begins before the very first season.

Scott Allie writes in the introduction:

The old Buffy the Vampire Slayer #1, and the story in DHP, are not in this volume. When we started work in early 1988, we set the stories in the then - current Season Two. These stories, set at the very start of Buffy's career came later. A few months into our initial run, Buffy novelist Chris Golden suggested adapting Joss's original film script - faithful adaptation as opposed to the tongue-in-cheek 1992 film. This led to Buffy: The Origin, reprinted here. Soon afterward, Golden proposed a Spike and Dru Comic, co-written with James Marsters, who (of course) played Spike on the show. There were to follow-up comics written out of chronological order, so this volume reprints the last of them, set long before Spike and Dru had ever heard of Sunnydale.

Toward the end of the original series - of both show and the comics - Scott Lobdell was writing the comic. He proposed a sort of Buffy: Year One story.  For those of you who didn't grow up on comics, Year One is a term that, like so many things, we owe to Frank Miller. It's not so much an origin story, as a story set at the beginning of a characters career - in this case, between the burning of Buffy's highschool and her arrival in Sunnydale. Joss's plans for Season Seven, the final season of the show, were so tight, it was impossible for us to set stories parallel for those episodes. So we looked to Buffy's past. There were the loose ends with Pike, her boyfriend from the film; a trip to Las Vegas; and her time in an institution, referred to in the 2002 TV episode "Normal Again."  The year one stories from the majority of this book and will conclude in volume two.

If you are feeling nostalgic for Buffy, and want something that feels new, this is the giveaway for you. This contest is open to Americans and Canadians.  All you have to do is follow us (not like) on Facebook (underneath the word networked blogs, there's a big blue button marked "follow"), Goodreads  or Google or Tumblr  If  you already follow us, on one of the aforementioned sites, simply send us a short to note to let us know that you would like to enter, and where you already follow us.  When you are done, leave your email address in the comment section of this post, along with where you have chosen to follow us, or send us an email at fangsforthefantasy (at) gmail (dot) com. Without contact information, your entry will be deemed invalid.  EVEN IF YOU SIGN UP BELOW WE STILL NEED YOUR CONTACT DETAILS IN THE COMMENTS OR BY EMAIL. This contest closes October 31, 2011. We allow only one entry per person. The winner will have 48 hours after being selected to contact us, or a new winner will be selected.  Good luck everyone and stay tuned for our next exciting give away.

Contest Is Now Closed

Thoughts on Season Seven of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

 

It was a long journey, but I have finally come to the end of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I am going to miss sharing this experience with my twitter family and your often challenging remarks.  Out of all seven seasons, I would have to say that this was among my least favourite.  I believe that the show peaked between seasons  4-6.  I loved the character development of Willow and Spike, but as for Buffy herself, her selfish irritating ways, were only surpassed by Dawn.

Okay, I was not enthused with Spike having cognitive difficulties throughout most of the season.  I know that Whedon thought he was covering his ass blaming it on the woo woo, but really enough already.  When we consider that almost every second word coming out of Buffy's mouth is the word lame, it was just another sign of the disableism that has plagued the show from the very beginning. Also, can we possibly be more trope filled than neurologically atypical equals violent?

This episode also brought us the dueling mothers.  Spike was triggered by a song his mother sang to him and Principal Wood, was desperate to get revenge for the murder of his mother.  They ended squaring off in a battle and Spike declared that his mother loved him, and that Wood's mother chose the job over him.  So much for the supposed feminist slant of Buffy.  The treatment of Wood's mother suggests that one cannot possibly be a good mother and have a job. It is further problematic that the White mother was cast as ultimately loving, though she is the one who said hateful things to Spike after he changed her.

Thoughts on Season 6 of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

 

When I first started watching Buffy, fans promised me that I would adore the series given my love for urban fantasy.  The first five seasons were hard for me to watch and quite honestly if I didn't have a project which required me to watch Buffy, I would have stopped.  Season 6 however was a game changer.  Buffy left behind much of the teen angst with the exception of Dawn (can we drop a house on her?) and was much darker and far more adult.

Since season five, I desperately wanted Spike and Buffy to get together and that desire was met by an abusive relationship that culminated in rape. I know that some fans don't see the abuse in the relationship prior to the rape, and that is why I think a discussion is absolutely necessary.  Even though Buffy was more than capable of defending herself against Spike's physical assaults against her, he continually hit her to provoke sex.  He prayed upon her vulnerabilities using shame, and then systematically attempted to isolate her from her friends.  These are the hallmarks of abuse and should never be seen as some sort of romantic interlude. 

As much as season six was adult, it was also more problematic.  After waiting for Tara and Willow to finally kiss and share the same sort of romantic screen time as heterosexual couples, viewers were rewarded with watching them break up due to Willow's abuse of magic (more on that later) and finally Tara's death.  Really Whedon?  It's bad enough that Tara died, but to kill her after she and Willow had sex, makes it seem as though death is the penalty for same sex love. How many times have we seen this trope carried out in the media?  After witnessing Tara's death, I don't understand how this show could be seen in any way as a positive representation of the GLBT community.  I know that some will defend Tara's death behind Whedon's nasty habit of breaking up couples, but when it comes to gay/lesbian relationships, the fact remains that violent death is often how they are ended in the media. Tara's death is an absolute reflection of lesbophobia and can be seen as nothing else.

Thoughts on Season Five of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

 

This season was the first season of Buffy that I would say was somewhat enjoyable. It felt for the first time that the characters had evolved into who they were meant to be.  Buffy was still as annoying as ever, and seemed to be the only one who could not live without angst. All of the other characters matured and only Buffy remained stagnant. Her death at the end of the season did nothing to change my opinion of her. I have to say, I hate the whole kill of the protagonist routine for a season ender, because we all know that they are just going to have to bring her back.  I don't understand why writers believe that this is shocking or suspense inducing,

To add to my irritation, this season gave us the addition of Dawn.  I don't understand what the writers were thinking with this character, because there certainly was not a shortage of angst before her arrival. I understand that she is a 14 year old girl, but the played out drama of bickering siblings is simply boring. Centering the plot around making Dawn the key, just felt like a justification for throwing more angst at the viewer.  If I were Buffy, I would have just handed Dawn over to Glory and been done with it, to be perfectly honest.

For the first four seasons, I felt as though Spike and Buffy had a lot of unresolved sexual tension, which stopped him from being the vampire he was meant to be.  Spike is at his best when he is not making Buffy the sun and moon of his existence, but alas, this season he was reduced to creepy stalker guy.  There were several things wrong with Spike's love of Buffy.  I didn't like the fact that no one validated his feelings, because he didn't have a soul. No matter what creature or person we can talk about, no one should ever have their own emotions denied.  It was so obvious that he cared about Buffy, even if it was not directed in the most healthy way.  The Buffy robot was absolutely horrendous. 

In Fool For Love, Spike told Buffy how he had killed two slayers of colour.  He sought them out specifically to kill them.  I know that we are meant to see this as an example of how much Spike has changed, but all I saw was that once again two women of colour were callously killed to prove a ridiculous point.  When he killed the Black slayer, he stole the iconic Black leather trench coat that he now wears, thus treating her like rubbish.  When he killed the Chinese slayer, she begged him to give a message to her mother and he outright refused.  These women that he killed had the exact same skill set as Buffy, and yet it is Buffy that drew his devotion.  How many times is Whedon going to kill off slayers of colour?  Even though Faith was cast as evil, she was allowed to escape with her life, however the slayers of colour are given no such accord.  Not only are they highly disposable, apparently, they are also unlovable. 

The Problem with Fandom in Urban Fantasy

As you know, I have been watching and reviewing Buffy The Vampire Slayer for a project that I am working on. I have written a review for each season, and each time I do so, some silly fan nonsense occurs.  I am of the belief that because we live in an imperfect world, that you simply have to say fuck it I like it from time to time, otherwise you would never be able to listen to music, read a book, or watch a movie or television for that matter.  There is however a line between saying fuck it I like it, and ignoring the multitude of isms that are perpetrated daily in our mainstream culture. It is more than possible to think critically about a text and still enjoy it. Warts should never disappear, because when they do, it means that we are internalizing an ism that is harmful, or we are openly and passively denying our various privileges.

On a post I wrote regarding the chaste lesbian relationship in season four of Buffy the vampire slayer, quite a few of the people who follow us on tumblr were upset, but one response really stood out to me.

Uh just so you know, the network that Buffy was airing on at the time, the WB, wouldn’t allow them to do anything more than hold hands. They weren’t allowed to kiss, they weren’t allowed to be shown in bed together. Joss Whedon wasn’t the culprit in that area, and what he did with their relationship with the boundaries set, was absolutely amazing to the point where Alyson and Amber got letters from fans saying they didn’t kill themselves because they were in that relationship in Buffy.

What the flying fuck.  Yes, to defend the fact that two meters of air were kept between Alyson and Amber throughout the season, except when it encouraged the sexual fantasies of a straight male, the author decided to invoke gay suicide.  My head began to spin. The rate of gay teens committing suicide is absolutely horrendous, and to invoke this to defend Buffy is unconscionable.  Something this serious should never ever be used as a ploy.

Even if I were to believe in the veracity of the above statement, how exactly does this change the fact that the relationship between Willow and Tara is unreasonably chaste in comparison to the heterosexual relationships on Buffy the Vampire Slayer? If people embraced the relationship, it was not because it was good, but because it was the best of the bad at the time.  Buffy the Vampire Slayer may have been progressive in terms of the GLBT community for its time, but it is far from progressive.

Thoughts on Season Four of Buffy the Vampire Slayer

As I have previously mentioned, for a project that I am working on, I have to watch all seven seasons of Buffy.  I have written a review for each season that I have watched thus far:  one, two and three respectively. In previous seasons, the teen angst has certainly been an issue for me.  I know that it is to be expected with a teenage protagonist; however, that does not mean that I have any real tolerance for it.  With Buffy and the Scooby gang in college, and Angel across the country, the angst level finally began to tone down, and I began enjoying it somewhat. 

From a social justice perspective, by far the most troubling episode that I have viewed to date was episode 8 of season four entitled Pangs.  It begins with Willow quite matter of factly stating why she and her mother have a problem with celebrating Thanksgiving.  All of the guilt however, is quickly overshadowed when the Chumash warrior Hus runs amok in Sunnydale -- after their grave site is disturbed, because of an attempt to build a Cultural Center at UC Sunnydale.  The Chumash warrior Hus rightfully want revenge for what was done to their people, but all Buffy can do is respond with White guilt and angst.  When she finally gets her slayer on, they sit down at a table to have Thanksgiving dinner, thus proving that they didn't learn a damn thing.  Whedon made a point of having Willow explain why Thanksgiving is a problematic holiday at the beginning, but dismissing that, after once again letting the White people defeat the supposedly bad Native people, and then eat a meal in celebration, was disgusting to say the least.

After being unable to control himself around a female werewolf, Oz leaves Sunnydale.  During his absence, we begin to see a budding romance between Willow and Tara.  Of course, it is all rather chaste and other than some hand holding, the audience is left to assume there is more going on.  If Whedon can film Buffy making out and having sex with both Angel and Riley, why is a kiss between Tara and Willow forbidden?  It hardly feels progressive when straight characters are highly visible and LGBT characters are not.  I know this was made in the 90's, but I am not going to give it a pass on that basis.  Whedon had a chance to be progressive and he blew it big time.

Thoughts On Season Three of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

 

As I mentioned earlier, for the purposes of a project that I am working on, I have been compelled to watch all seven seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I didn’t watch Buffy when it was on the air, so my impressions are completely fresh.

I had hoped by season three that Whedon would have given up on the teen angst however, he intensified it.  I don’t understand how people could find the whole Buffy and Angel love each other, but can never be together theme in the least bit compelling. When Angel finally walked away at the end of the season, I was filled with a huge sense of relief. Even Spike the so-called bad calculating vampire returned to whine because Drusilla left him. For a show that seems highly dependent on relationships, there is little growth and a triple helping of angst.

The good girl/bad girl binary that was a theme for much of the season and it was highly anti-woman.  Though both Buffy and Faith are both White women, Buffy the blonde (the typical manifestation of the girl next door) was cast as good to Faith’s darker bad. We also had two different Willows.  The Willow from the second dimension was a power hungry, sadistic vampire, who was brimming with self confidence. It would seem that to be respected, liked or even loved, a woman dare not step out of the sickeningly sweet good girl paradigm. When Oz and Cassandra found Xander and Willow kissing, Willow’s solution was to offer Oz her virginity. This of course was to prove her true love for him for daring to sexually experiment. 

Fangs for the Fantasy Podcast - Episode 18

New episode of Fangs for the Fantasy. This week we discuss Kevin Hearne's awesome Iron Druid Chronicles and the amazing glory that is Hounded (which we fanpoodle together). We also touched on Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Cassandra Clare's Clockwork Angel and Mortal Instruments series and Anya Bast's Elemental Witches, Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake series as well as bad sex in paranormal romance

We also discuss erasure vs dubious portrayals, and what it takes to write a decent portrayal

Thoughts On Season Two of Buffy The Vampire Slayer

 

As I mentioned last week, I am watching all seven seasons of Buffy for a project that I am currently engaged in.  Yesterday afternoon I finished season two.  First, let me say that this season they gave Whedon a budget to work with and the special effects are much better than the first season, though I seriously doubt that Buffy hit anyone with a single punch or her over used roundhouse kick. I seriously do not buy Sarah Michelle Gellar as the ass kicking type, though she is supposed to inspire shivers of girl power.

This season I learned that going to a frat house with older boys will lead to trouble.  See that girls, if you are attacked, it is all your fault for putting yourself in that position in the first place.  Good girls never date or are attracted to older men.  This is once again played out in Buffy’s relationship with the ever so musty Angel.  It is no accident that the moment that she decides to sleep with him, that he lost his soul.  Are you paying attention kids, there is a cost to teenage sex, no matter how much you lurve him. The very fact that Angel’s first act as a non feeling vampire is to slut shame the hell out of Buffy is telling.

Angel would then go on to stalk Buffy for the rest of the season.  The fact that he had lost his soul was enough for Buffy to empathize with him for much of the season, though he was clearly violent and a threat to her friends. This screamed of the old, he just can’t help himself mode that we often see attached to violent male behaviour in this genre. Excusing it in no way makes it healthy. I know that some believe that Buffy was redeemed because she finally got the guts to knife him at the end of the season, but from what I have heard, her pinning for him continues into the next season.  Stalking is illegal for a reason, and to justify this with the claim that he is just not himself, belies the fact that in many of these cases, real harm and even death occurs.  A more pro woman attitude would have been for Buffy to reject him outright, than to continue to express feelings of love for an entire season.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season One

Okay, because of the project that I am currently engaged in, I have been forced to watch all seven seasons of Buffy.  Since I know that there are plenty of urban fantasy fans reading this blog, I thought that I would share my impressions of each season with you.

While I was into vampires when Buffy originally aired, it was something that I never got around to watching.  Now that I have seen the first season, I am convinced that I didn’t miss a thing.  The original Star Trek had better special effects than Buffy. For all the punches and kicks that Buffy threw, it didn’t look look like she actually connected with a single one. Filming the fight scenes in bad lighting certainly did not fool me.  The title of the first season should have been shoestring budget.

What I find interesting about the series is that Buffy truly is the archetype for unlikeable female protagonist, who is filled to the brim with spunky agency. I get that she is the chosen one — the slayer— but really, is caution really such a bad thing?  Gotta vampire to kill, why not bring your date along? Then there is Angel. Mmmm Angel, the archetype for the musty vampire.  He denies who is, drinks blood from bags and so he is one of the rare good ones.  I know that Anne Rice started this trend in 1976 when she wrote the character of Louis de Pointe du Lac, In Interview With the Vampire,  but I am convinced that had Whedon just left the mustiness alone, it might have died the slow painful death that it deserved.  For me, the musty vampire, (see Louis, True Blood’s Bill etc) just needs to be gone for good.

Fangs for the Fantasy Podcast - Episode 16

This week we talk Season 1 Buffy the Vampire slayer, Mark del Franco's Connor Grey, Anya Basts' Elemental Witches, Marjorie Liu's Dirk & Steele and Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire Mysteries