tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post3278947657197887094..comments2024-03-28T23:03:57.917-04:00Comments on Doux Reviews: Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Goodbye IowaBillie Douxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17141769005175631213noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-59584068841996766472014-01-20T19:33:37.064-05:002014-01-20T19:33:37.064-05:00Adam is by far my least favorite BtVS Big Bad. Sea...Adam is by far my least favorite BtVS Big Bad. Season 4's arc is by far my least favorite. A part of that is the huge speed up that comes here and then stops for the next like six episodes. It feels poorly paced.<br /><br />I love the slumber party scene. It comes to mind every time I'm watching TV in bed with friends.<br /><br />I've never noticed it before this last time, but the shirt Anya's sleeping in is one we've seen Xander wear. Awww. And realism.<br /><br />Sunnydale's shaped in an exact square? I find that highly unlikely given that it's on the California coast.sunbunnyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08553429350476841139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-30179383200482242702013-12-05T21:12:36.285-05:002013-12-05T21:12:36.285-05:00This was a mixed bag, so let’s see...
The Good:
...This was a mixed bag, so let’s see...<br /><br />The Good:<br /><br />Riley’s dilemma, even though was rushed, was nice to watch. I can relate to the guy since I was raised to be a good Christian boy, and once I was hit with questions and uncertainty about what I held dear my mind went to crap. That final shot of Riley holding Buffy’s head scarf got to me. Buffy’s the new important something in his life, the thing that led him to question, and now it’s pretty much all he has left.<br /><br />Willy’ bar! The scene at the bar was awesome, fun and then it became tense. I loved it. Willy is such a fun guy, it’s always a treat to have him around.<br /><br />All the Scoobies at Xander’s basement. Ha! Hilarious! The girls were so cute together on the bed (there was genuine chemistry between the actresses), and Anya in particular won my heart. Her honesty really shows how much she cares for Xander. Aw.<br /><br />The Bad:<br /><br />The Initiative. Good God, those guys were lost without Maggie Walsh, weren’t they? I hated when Forrest suggested Buffy had killed professor Walsh. Don’t they have cameras and stuff over there? Maybe room 314 doesn’t, but the other places certainly do, and yet Forrest and co. didn’t check them to get clues or whatever... He just accused. Idiot. And how easy is it to infiltrate and escape the Initiative? Come on, it’s a secret military operations center, it’s supposed to be very difficult to break in or out. Yet, Adam got out and in very easily. Maybe that’s a thing with Whedon shows and their secret organizations, I had the same problem with the Dollhouse.<br /><br />Adam. He’s an interesting character, but not good enough to be a Big Bad.<br /><br />The final act. Yes, the episode was disjointed but up until the final act it was pretty decent. Then those last minutes were all over the place. Suddenly we were getting answers very quickly, first through the doctor (who simply gave Buffy all the answers she asked for), then through Adam who had some convenient disks left by Maggie. That endless exposition took nearly all of the fun away from the story. And the fight scene did nothing to show Adam as a great danger. Come on, Buffy, you’ve defeated The Judge and The Mayor. Just explode Adam already.<br /><br />Regarding whatever happened behind the cameras, there’s a great interview with Doug Petrie here (http://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/buffy/interviews/doug/index.shtml), and apparently they had planned from the get go to kill off Maggie and have Adam take the reigns as the season’s Big Bad. “The I in Team” and “Goodbye, Iowa” do feel rushed, though, so maybe they thought they’d have Lindsay Crouse for a little longer.Lamounierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00225447169375363236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-58044990398941265462013-12-05T10:36:29.461-05:002013-12-05T10:36:29.461-05:00This episode seems a bit disjointed to me. Seeing...This episode seems a bit disjointed to me. Seeing from the comments above that Joss & Co. had to shift gears suddenly makes sense, but (alas) not to the plot.<br /><br />The whole Adam and Riley on drugs things really seem to come out of left field. If Riley were truly hooked on such powerful chemicals, shouldn't there have been some sort of hint previously?<br /><br />I agree with paul B that Adam looks pieced together, but not in a good way. It tends to distract me from worrying about his being the Big Bad.ChrisBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10843864158239536750noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-35007173692846660572013-12-05T06:33:24.568-05:002013-12-05T06:33:24.568-05:00Hi Billie, Thanks for clearing that one up!
They...Hi Billie, Thanks for clearing that one up! <br /><br />They must have been miffed to have to lose Maggie like that - just after losing Oz and everything. <br /><br />Maybe they literally only had a couple of days to cobble together a new Big Bad from old demon costumes, gaffer tape and staples.<br /><br />Poor Adam. :(paul Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-8116753525271871482013-12-04T20:02:56.052-05:002013-12-04T20:02:56.052-05:00Welcome to the site, paul B! You're right that...Welcome to the site, paul B! You're right that Maggie Walsh wasn't supposed to die in the previous episode -- the actress suddenly had another commitment, and Whedon and company had to go in another direction. I'm sure they were not amused. :)Billie Douxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17141769005175631213noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-37320984618571390672013-12-04T19:58:05.804-05:002013-12-04T19:58:05.804-05:00I managed to finish my own Buffy re-watch just be...I managed to finish my own Buffy re-watch just before finding your site. So having just caught up with the reading - and enjoying all the comments -I couldn't resist chipping in now that I have caught up with you all...<br /><br />Sadly I have to say that this particular episode doesn't bring back too may happy memories - only:<br /><br />sushi pajama speech - (smiley face)<br /><br />Willow and Tara's magical continuation - (smiley face)<br /><br />but then there's:<br /><br />..poor old Adam - (grumpy face - with all that flash military technology he seems to have been put together with a carving knife and a staple gun - maybe that's what happens when you put a psychology lecturer in charge of Monster Construction - he's not even supposed to be a monster but a sleek new super-soldier - oh dear).<br /><br /><br />My other grumpy face goes to the sorry shambles that is the initiative - post Maggie Walsh<br /><br />It really does look like Maggie wasn't supposed to leave the series at this point . Surely the actor was suddely called away for more lucrative film work or something. Adam must have been intended as some kind of minion - But Adam wants to learn about the world, yet he skewered the person best equipped to give him his education in the previous episode. That really made no sense. The initiate are all panicky and there is nobody to give trooper Riley his medicine.<br /><br /><br />Hmmm those script writers may have to break out an emergency plot measure to get themselves back on the rails next week......paul Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-42877152364193079152013-12-03T18:08:14.235-05:002013-12-03T18:08:14.235-05:00Adam is creepy - the Frankenstein scene with the k...Adam is creepy - the Frankenstein scene with the kid was disturbing. But I was a little let down by his willingness to monologue when he had Buffy and Riley cornered at the Initiative HQ. Is that what he went there for - exposition?<br /><br />I haven't made any secret of my boredom with Riley. As further proof - I'm actually interested to see Faith come back even though I thought her story had played out - it's worth it just to divert the story away from him and his military buddies. <br /><br />I'd really like to see more Willow/Tara explanation and a real story for Giles. He and Spike are fun together. Also, where is Joyce? Janehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11966759921022568638noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-91325681798678520832013-12-01T15:16:17.248-05:002013-12-01T15:16:17.248-05:00I find Adam to be really quite chilling, I hadn...I find Adam to be really quite chilling, I hadn't considered that the scene with Adam and the Boy is a nod to Frankenstein. I also find that scene quite disturbing, its not usual for children to be the victims in Buffy and I was surprised the first time I saw this episode that he met such a gruesome end.Anniehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08348075897600518734noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-87101915377624987412013-11-29T16:24:27.220-05:002013-11-29T16:24:27.220-05:00I feel like I want to comment, but can't think...I feel like I want to comment, but can't think of anything to say. This is a big arc-plot episode but... eh. I like the way Riley clings to Buffy's headscarf at the end. Though the headscarf dates it a bit.Juliettehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00203399623895589924noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13727952.post-35990386714905861652011-09-04T18:33:18.000-04:002011-09-04T18:33:18.000-04:00I've been enjoying season four a lot more now ...I've been enjoying season four a lot more now than when it first aired. However, I still think the Initiative arc wasn't that interesting and bringing in Adam only made things worse. <br /><br />And then there's Riley. Watching this season again I find I'm even less convinced by the Buffy/Riley relationship than I was the first time around. To me, Sarah Michelle Geller and Marc Blucas just never seem to click with each other. There is just no chemistry between the characters or the actors.Mark Greighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12984193299389764649noreply@blogger.com