Listen, Don't Watch

A long, long time ago (about 10 years) in a high school far, far away (about a mile from where I am), I wanted to be a musician. Not just any musician, I wanted to play the music of the silver screen and eventually compose said music of the silver screen. This career choice combined my two great loves: music and film.

Life obviously didn't turn out like that, and four years of political science dried up any and all creativity needed to write music, so that path isn't even a blip on my radar (even though it makes me sad that I can't think of a single female composer off the top of my head). I do however, still appreciate film scores as much as I did at the height of my musical career, which, if I remember correctly, was around age 17.

Music is one thing that I always notice when watching anything, and it can make or break a movie for me. Usually decent movies will have decent scores, but every now and then you get that gem that has a phenomenal score. Although, based on the length of the initial list I made, it might be more than every now and then. Either that or I'm not very critical. Or I only watch good film. Yeah, that's got to be it.

Because I can make arbitrary decisions like this, I'm going to keep scores heavy on the songs with words out of this list. That might be for another day.

Also I won't include anything composed by John Williams. "What?!" you ask? I know, but if I included John Williams this list would be at least twice as long and my posts are always long winded anyway. My next post will be dedicated exclusively to John Williams. Promise.

Now, for your aural pleasure, I give you examples of my favorite original scores written by someone other than John Williams.

Gone With the Wind - Tara's Theme, Max Steiner 

I've only seen this movie once. A couple years ago I was assigned to teach my fellow classmates about Histrionic Personality Disorder. While preparing my presentation, I read that Scarlet O'Hara is a perfect example of HPD. I saw a clip and decided to watch the entire thing. I had been meaning to for a very long time and watching a four hour movie was much more intriguing than homework.

I hated this movie. That being said, I'm going to watch it again because I don't think I gave it a fair chance. Listening to the music alone makes me want to watch it again, but I think when I watched it the first time I was so focused on Scarlet's HPD and how annoying she was that I missed pretty much everything else. I think I'll still find her to be a terrible person, but maybe with a bit more tenacity. After all, she rebuilds her life like eight times.

This is probably the most recognizable song from Gone With the Wind. Tara is the plantation Scarlet grows up on and eventually goes back to, and this is Tara's theme.

The Fellowship of the Ring - Lothlorien, Howard Shore

I love all three of these soundtracks. Howard Shore hadn't done any scoring like this until Peter Jackson hired him for Lord of the Rings, and I still think it was a perfect choice. Middle Earth is full of different races and cultures and different as real Earth and Shore does a fantastic job of giving each culture (not just race, but culture within a race) its own distinct sound. 

I was torn whether to post the theme for Lothlorien or Rohan here. I love both of them so much and I can never decide if I like Galadriel or Eowyn better. I go back and forth a lot when I daydream about who I would want to be. Tolkien didn't do much to promote the female gender in any race, but the two women who are actually in the story (cause let's face it, Arwen really isn't a real or memorable character in the book) are totally kick ass. Anyway, because I couldn't decide, I'm posting both. 

Braveheart - The Legend Spreads, James Horner

Ah, James Horner. Pick any memorable music score and chances are it was written by him (after excluding any John Williams music, that is). This guy did Braveheart, Willow, Apollo 13, The Wrath of Khan, and so many more that I can't think of right now. I love this guy. 

The score for Braveheart has always held a special place in my heart because I love Celtic music. Love so much. I have no idea why, but even as a kid I loved listening to the bagpipes and no kid likes that. I chose this particular piece because it not only features our hero's theme, but the uilleann pipes as well. The uilleann pipes are one of my very favorite instruments. I first noticed them when I saw Riverdance about 12 years ago and my obsession has only grown in recent years. Someday when I have a real job and I start playing music again, I'm going to buy myself a set of uilleann pipes. 

Lawrence of Arabia - Overture, Maurice Jarre

Let's just take a moment to appreciate how sexy Peter O'Toole was.

Confession, I haven't actually seen Lawrence of Arabia. At least not all the way through. I've seen bits and pieces growing up, but I never sat down and watched it from beginning to end even though I have wanted to for a very long time. Hmm. I've got time... maybe I'll do that now. 

Okay, DVD is in, Overture is playing. 

On that note, I'll let you listen too.

The Last of the Mohicans - Promentory, Trevor Jones & Randy Edelman 

This soundtrack as a whole isn't among my favorites, but it has some fantastic stand out pieces. This particular piece has been one of my favorites for as long as I can remember. As a teenager I remember going lazer tagging one evening and we were allowed to pick our own music. I can't remember who I went with, but someone chose the Last of the Mohicans soundtrack. It may have een been me for all I know. I can't remember being that scared in my life up to that point. For some reason playing lazer tag while music to wich people were slaughtered was played freaked me out. 

The Dark Knight - Why So Serious, Hans Zimmer (et al.)

Technically Hans Zimmer collaborated with others, but he kind of took the lead on this score, so I'm only going to credit him by name. Zimmer is another one of my favorites. I'd say maybe my third favorite film composer. Although maybe I only have three favorites... Anyway, he wrote all three of Nolan's Batmans, Inception, The Lion King, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Power of One, and Sherlock Holmes. 

I love all three of the Batman scores, but The Dark Knight is probably my favorite. This may or may not be related to the fact that The Dark Knight is my favorite of the trilogy. The music draws you in and is perfectly tied to any emotion we're meant to feel. I'd say this is most prevalent in the Joker's theme. That one cello note that just goes on and on makes you immediately tense and kind of hate whatever that sound is tied to. This piece goes on to become more and more chaotic and there are points where I just have no idea what is going on. It's perfect.
  

Amelie - La Valse D'Amelie, Yann Tiersen 

My love affair with this movie and its soundtrack has lasted far longer than any relationship I've ever had. Probably put together, actually. I can't tell you why exactly, but I love this kind of Parisian cafe music. I don't even know what to call it. It's just awesome and I have a playlist dedicated exclusively to this kind of music. Amelie was the beginning of that playlist. Even when I go years without watching the movie, I'll listen to the soundtrack a few times a month at the very least. Generally when I'm reading on the train, I'm listening to that playlist (Sounds of France, I call it) and it never fails to make me in a better mood. 

And I'll leave it there. If you're at all curious, I watched the first half of Lawrence of Arabia the other day when I typed that paragraph and I fully intend on finishing it this weekend. Yes, it's a lot of walking through the desert, but if you know that before hand, it's not bad. Plus, Peter O'Toole! 

Let's all go to the lobby...

...and be back by the time the credits start.

I should stop trying to be clever when I come up with titles.

So remember my last post? About how it was about TV openings? And how I said I'd do a movie one later?

This is that movie one.

Skyfall

This movie is first only because I'm watching it as I type this. Now, I'm not the biggest fan of James Bond. Don't get me wrong, they're usually entertaining enough, but the whole uber-sexism thing is...distracting. I mean, come on. Pussy Galore? "Turning" a lesbian by raping her? Yes, I know I'm talking about the same woman with those two statements, but uber-sexism and the hyper-sexualization of women is more than a little bit common in Bond films.

Anyway, enough about Bond in general. This intro also gives some fun examples of hyper-sexualization, but besides that, it's awesome. Plus But mainly, Adele.

Sorry for the cut off half way through. There isn't an official version on YouTube and it was either this or something recorded in someone's living room.

The Great Escape

Probably my very favorite war film ever and one of the greatest theme songs of all time. Really, it's uncanny how perfect this song is. And even if you haven't seen this movie, I'd be willing to bet $50 that you've heard this song before. 

Please excuse the water mark. 

Midnight in Paris

You can quit watching after the song ends if you want because that's the part I love. This movie's soundtrack in general is phenomenal. One of my favorites of all time in fact, and this opening song is by far the best. It's called "Si tu vois ma mere" written and performed by Sidney Bechet, one of my favorite jazz saxophonists/clarinetists. Well, I guess my favorite jazz saxophonist/clarinetist. I can't think of any others off the top of my head who were famous for playing both instruments. 

I remember sitting in the theater with my two friends and smiling throughout this entire opening scene (I may have smiled through the entire movie, now that I think about it). About two years after this movie came out I went to Europe for a few weeks and spent about 5 days in Paris. I had heard horror stories of the people and the waiters and the smell, but I was still hoping for a Midnight in Paris kind of magic (without the time travel, of course). I was not disappointed. If people were rude or if it ever smelt like urine, I didn't notice because of the magic of the city. (Granted, we did have one rude waiter, but the food was so good I didn't care.) Watching this introduction reminds me of that trip and I still smile all the way through. Plus, you know, Sidney Bechet. 

Amelie

This movie has been in my top 5 (maybe even 3) since I first saw it and the soundtrack trades places for first with Midnight in Paris depending on the day. The opening credits are equally charming. We get to see the joy of being a child. 

A Hard Day's Night

No explanation needed.  

Thoroughly Modern Millie

Another one of those fantastic movies. One you must watch. Julie Andrews, Mary Tyler-Moore, and Carol Channing?! How could you not?! And if you haven't seen this before, you'll want to stick with the video until the end. Or at least about 20 second from the end. 

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

My reaction to the movie up to this point was pretty much exactly what Knives Chau's reaction is. There's a little bit of extra at the beginning of this clip, but it's a good little bit of extra so I saw no harm in posting it as is. Not that I'd be able to do anything about that anyway...

Psycho

Let's first of all agree that this is one of the greatest films of all time. Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, I'm going to share with you all something I learned. The guy who designed these credits, one Saul Bass, is apparently the king of opening credits. Before him credits were the boring things I used to skip as a child on movies like Christmas in Connecticut or Bambi. Saul Bass (from what little I've read on the topic since starting this entry) changed all that. I'd like to thank him. Thank you, Saul Bass. 

On to Psycho. These credits exude tension. A lot of that is due to Bass, but I'd also like to point out the obvious anxiety in the music. Another thanks to Bernard Hermann for that. These two brilliant creators set the perfect tone for the movie. My palms start to sweat even before we're introduced to the first character. Or at least they probably did the first time I saw it. I doubt they sweat at all anymore since I know what happens. 

Vertigo

Another Saul Bass/Bernard Hermann masterpiece. And I'm wondering right now why I don't own any Alfred Hitchcock movies. I might have The Trouble with Harry, but then that might belong to my parents. Again, I'd like to point out the music. If dizziness were a melody, it would be this. And the eye...that eye freaked me out as a child and it's still getting the job done. 

Charade

This one was a man named Maurice Binder who, I have it on good authority (aka the Internet), is responsible for the Bond gun barrel openers. Again though, I have to point you toward the music. What can I say? I'm a music nerd and a film score can make or break a film for me. This score was written by one of the greatest composers of his time: Henry Mancini. 

Hope you enjoyed. I think I'm going to start a post about my favorite theme songs now. 

TV Openings One Does Not Simply Fast-Forward Through

If I made memes, I'd make a few "One does not simply" memes and put them onto one of my many geek boards on Pinterest. As it is, I'll just have to write a blog.

I started this post out by including opening credits for movies, but it started getting really long (not that taking out the movies made it all that much shorter) so that will have to be another post for another day. Or maybe today since I'm home sick with nothing better to do.

This doesn't need much of an introduction, nor will most of the actual videos need much explanation. So let's get started.

Game of Thrones

To me, this is quite literally one of the most perfect television opening credits in history. The fact that I love maps (especially fanciful maps) may or may not have something to do with that opinion. One thing that makes it awesome is the locations they show you on the map change as the characters travel. And don't even get me started on the music. Suffice it to say that the music is pretty freaking perfect.

Dexter

I haven't kept up with Dexter recently (season six was terrible and it left me with no desire to continue), but I still love this opening. If you aren't familiar with Dexter, he's a blood spatter analyst for Miami Metro police whilst moonlighting as a sociopathic serial killer who only kills serial killers/rapists/generally bad people. The opening credits take a new meaning once knowing that.

Veronica Mars

I can't tell you why I love this so much other than the fact that it's just so catchy and Veronica Mars is just so awesome. Every time I hear this song I do the same little shimmy in my seat. 

Don't ever watch the season 3 opening, though. If that catches your curiosity, I've included that below as well. Season three wasn't great, and the changes in the opening are there to warn you. Instead of shimmying, my face does the I-smell-something-nasty expression. 

It's just so bad!

Wonderfalls

Another one that I can't tell you why I love it so much. As much as I love Pushing Daisies and Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls might be my favorite Bryan Fuller show. Although, Mockingbird Lane was poised to replace Wonderfalls as my number one. That man has worse luck than Joss. 

Doctor Who

There are more Doctor Who opening credits than there are Doctors, but I love every one. Yes, some I love more than others, but they all have that quintessential sci-fi element.

This one is the most recent. It changed with the Christmas special and I assume this one will stick for a while (MARCH 30TH!!!)

This one is probably my favorite (although I am a big fan of the newest one). It's from season four, which I love more than any other David Tennant season. This opening was just a little more rock and roll than previous seasons and I love it. 

Parks and Recreation

Another catchy theme. Plus, watching Ron Swanson play with a gold plated replica of Hugo Chavez's gun always makes me happy. 

Mad Men

Presented to you without comment. 

Walking Dead

Nothing says post-apocalyptic society like this. 

Downton Abbey

Still one of my favorites, even if it does open on a dog's butt. 

United States of Tara

If you haven't seen this show yet, I very highly recommend it. The only reason one needs to watch something with Toni Colette is Toni Colette. Beyond that, however, this show is great. She plays a mother with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder. This woman really can do anything and the various roles she plays showcase her talent beautifully. 

Okay, I'll stop gushing over one of my favorite actors ever. Here's the intro.  

Flight of the Conchords

I first saw these guys (or rather, watched them on YouTube) long before the show came out. I still remember watching the intro for the very first time thinking how perfect it was for them. 

This is also a sneaky way to tell everyone (yet again) that I met them 5 years ago on my 21st birthday. I've got the picture and autographs to prove it. I will never get tired of bragging about that. 

Breaking Bad

I struggled over whether to include the short ones like this and I realized, why not? Cause some of them are fantastic. Like this one. 

Firefly

This is where I would put a video of the Firefly opening sequence. However, since Fox is manned by a bunch of douche bags, there is no such video to post. Just go watch the show. Right now. If you only watch one show from this list, watch Firefly. 

Sherlock

Although, you should watch more than one show on this list. Every time I hear this theme music I want to know what that instrument is - the harpsichord/piano sounding thing. It's kind of in the background so you have to listen to it. Either that or I'm totally hearing things. 

The X Files

You thought I wasn't going to put this in, didn't you? Oh, gentle reader, I would never forget The X Files. 

Previously On [Insert TV Title]...

I was catching up on Supernatural earlier today (the day I started this post, at least), and it got me wondering why I watch certain shows. Not watch, keep up with. And this thought, being a thought about television, of course made its way into the "I want to blog!" corner of my brain.

So here it is. All the shows I currently keep up with. Shows currently on season break are fair game, but shows that I watch all at once when the season has ended are not. And who knows. Maybe writing my thoughts down like this will allow me to break away from shows I watch out of habit.

As always, these are in no particular order.

1. Parks and Rec

I'll admit, I wasn't on board with this when it first aired. I wanted it to be great, but it wasn't. Neither was the next episode. In fact, those first two episodes were so unimpressive, I didn't start watching it again until the middle of season two. At that point I'm pretty sure I was won over by the first episode I watched and immediately went home and caught up (I still didn't watch the first season then. Every now and then I'll give it another try, but I just can't do it). I've been caught up ever since.

This show has it all: it's consistently funny, it has (it seems) the perfect amount of absolutely hilarious moments (especially the last couple of seasons), it's got heart without cheese, and it has some of the best characters on television right now. Or at least network television. Actually, if we're going with network television, I'd say the best characters right now. Seriously, there is no one in this cast I don't like or who I feel like is wasted space. They all serve a purpose, they're all layered (except maybe Jerry), and they all just make me so freaking happy.

Case and point. This scene demonstrates the qualities of two great characters: Ben Wyatt (Adam Scott) and Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman). Ben is one of my favorites because I want to marry him (although I'm still happy for him and Leslie, and yes, I do realize I'm talking about them like they're real people) and Ron is one of my favorites because he is simply one of the best characters in a sitcom that I have had the pleasure of watching.

I'm also including this because it's one of my favorite quotes of all time. 

And of course, Leslie Knope is my favorite woman on TV these days. A large part of that is probably the fact that Amy Poehler is my favorite don't-know-her-in-real-life woman these days. 

2. Community

Yes, I'm still keeping current with Community. However, if things don't change soon (and there's no reason they will - also, notice my lack of chang usage in that sentence), I won't. One critic described it well when they said Community had lost its soul (its soul being creator Dan Harmon). It looks the same, it tries to act the same, but it's not. Granted, Community wasn't perfect before, it had a lot of ups and downs episode to episode, but at least when they were down, they were still creative. This new Community feels like a mainstream comedy like Two and a Half Men or Big Bang Theory just without the laugh track or the ratings. I know I sound like a snob right now, but I kind of am one when it comes to television. And other things.

The Community of yore is gone. Not only was it innovative, it made fun of its poor rankings while keeping the spirit of giving the finger to television executives alive. Although, in hind sight, its soul is gone probably because said soul gave television executives (and Chevy Chase, but he probably deserved it) the literal finger too many times. 

Point being, scenes that would bring out my old man laugh were fairly common on Community. So far I've chuckled a handful of times. I'll never get to see things like these again: 

Later in the episode the previous scene comes from, we see Troy huddled in a corner of the bathroom singing the Reading Rainbow song and crying. It's a gem of a moment.

Instead, all we've got so far is this (the clip is from Ellen, hence the hesitant laughter):  

Sigh...

3. Doctor Who

Need I explain? 

I think not. Mostly because I've dedicated a lot more than a few paragraphs to this show. The second half of series seven starts at the end of this month and I'm pretty freaking excited. 

4. Downton Abbey

I wish I simply enjoyed this show. But no. Actors decide they want to leave and torture the show's viewers. Yes, not one, but two characters above are dead with one more not returning for season 4. At least Maggie Smith decided to sign on...

This show started out strong. I'd go so far as to say very strong indeed (what, I'm not a thesaurus). The second season started feeling a bit lazy, and the third continued down that spiral and has a lot of just plain bad storytelling. Yet still I'm riveted. While the third season was airing I was glued to my TV every Sunday evening despite the lackluster writing. But it got pretty ridiculous to be honest. Oh! The estate's in trouble but, oh! Matthew randomly inherited enough money to keep it forever. Oh! Matthew might not keep the money but, oh! Matthew will keep the money. Oh! Matthew and Mary aren't pregnant yet and, oh! Maybe it's some leftover baby making failures from Matthew's fake paralysis but, oh! It's Mary and she's got it covered. 

There are more of those types of story lines in both seasons two and three and they're all resolved within a single episode. While there's not much of a story arc anymore, I still can't help it. I was sucked in and I will stay there against my will until Jullian Fellowes gets too busy writing his knockoff for NBC (which will either be amazing and get canceled after a few episodes, or it will be terrible and long outlive its welcome). 

5. New Girl

This is one show I didn't even give a chance when it started. I'm always wary of watching anything on Fox (that network has burned me too many times!) and I've had Deschanel fatigue for a while now, mainly because all I've ever seen her play are Manic Pixie Dream Girls. Not a trope I enjoy, and I assumed she'd be the same character in this show. Boy was I wrong! And not only is Zooey (I always say her name with a long O when I see it spelled out) hilarious, every character is. Mostly Schmidt and Nick, but also everyone. 

Really, with the comedic goldmine that is this show, how can you not love it? And don't you want to find out what this picture is? 

6. Once Upon a Time

I feel like I've written about this before, so I'll be brief. It's sometimes cheesy, more often than not you have to get past the over-acting, and one can only wonder why all the bad CGI in the Enchanted Forest (is that what the fairy tale land is called?) is necessary. But it's still kept my interest with new revelations, new characters, and as always, it's still a show centered around women and there are too few of those. 

7. Supernatural

Speaking of too few shows centered around women (or shows with women for that matter)...

This is the show that prompted this post in the first place. I watched three mediocre episodes last night and I wondered if it was worth keeping up with. I started this show last year and flew through the first five seasons. Well, the first two were a slow start, but there was one episode in season three that made me fall in love with the show, so then I flew through seasons three through five. 

Watching the season finale was a little disappointing because it was a fantastic ending, but I knew there were still one more season completed, and another on the way. Honestly, it should have ended at season five. There is one phenomenal episode in season six, but the season on the whole is meh and probably the worst up to that point. 

Then I watched season seven. If I had been watching it while it was on TV I would have quit. I might have gone back for the one episode with Felicia Day, but just for that episode. However, with the season being complete, I was able to blaze through the painfully dull season and watch it at 1.5 speed while I did other things so I kept going. 

The outcome of season eight will tell me whether that was worth it or not. So far it is leaps and bounds better than seven, but for the most part it's still meh. A couple of gems, but the last few episodes have been lackluster despite moving the plot along. I'll probably last out the season, but if it keeps up like this, I'll probably quit. Sorry, boys. 

8. Breaking Bad

This might be cheating a little because it took me a very long time to watch the last few episodes of the most recent half season. But other than that I've kept up with it for a couple of years. 

Walter White. His face should be in the dictionary under antihero. Cause good grief the man is a dick. I watched the first couple of episodes because it was fascinating watching him nose dive into dickishness and now I can't look away because he is such a dick. He's the protagonist I'm rooting against either by death or prison. And I love rooting against him. 

9. Spy

I wouldn't be me if I wasn't into at least one British comedy at any given time. Right now, that British comedy is Spy. 

Quick synopsis for those who haven't seen it: Tim is a single dad fighting for custody of his son who is both a pompous ass and a genius (I suppose those two generally go hand in hand). He went in to apply for what he thought was a data entry job with the government and ended up taking a test for MI5. He passes (mostly because he's great at sudoku) and gets a job in the Secret Service. That's the first episode minus all the funny. The subsequent episodes are all about the shenanigans and hilarity that ensue. I highly recommend checking it out on Hulu or anywhere you can find it. You won't regret it. That is, until they make the US version (it's in the works now) and it sucks (five camera sitcom...) and you wish American TV execs had never seen this show and you realize it's because of the appeal it has here that suits decided to ruin it for you. 

10. Mad Men

Sorry, I couldn't find a picture without the dead character (piqued your interest, have I? I should watch Star Wars soon). 

I got into this I think in season two or three. It had to have been 2009, so whatever season that was. And for some reason every new season seems like it's been more than a year since the last. I know it was that one time, but every other time it's been pretty close to a normal break. It begins next month and I swear it was more than a year since I last saw this show. Maybe because the last two years were the worst of my life (that was only partly a joke). 

I'll tell you a huge reason I love this show so much. Peggy and Joan. I would have quit watching the first half of the first season without them. I can only take so much Don Draper mystery and clandestine affair making. They did eventually go easy on that score as well, so I've been happy with the show for some time now. Sure, it's a soap opera disguised with a big budget, but so is Downton and a lot of dramas if you look not that closely at them. 

Sometimes I feel conflicted liking this show because I identify as a feminist. Retro sexism is still sexism and it's pretty painful to watch sometimes. However, I also identify as a realist. Society had (and has) a certain way of running. That's probably why I love Peggy and Joan so much is because they are real women. They are both products of their time and trying to navigate their roles in a male-centric world. They ultimately both choose roughly the same basic goal, but pick starkly different paths to get there. I won't go further since I'm sure there are numerous academic articles written on that subject (I think I found my weekend activity). 

So there you go. The ten shows I keep up with. I would include two more if I didn't do the "watch it all at once" thing with The Walking Dead and if the last season of Dexter didn't suck SO much (not the most recent season, the one before. Nothing about that season made me want to watch this season. Not even the last moment in the last episode). 

In Which I Talk About Buffy

A while ago I posted the 30 Days of Supernatural and Doctor Who or something similar. I've had a Buffy one saved for such a time as this. Meaning I've been slowly coming back to this now and then for a couple months.

Now that I actually think about it, I don't know if I've actually published an entire post about Buffy (besides the recasting post). I've started a few, but I don't think I've ever published them because I feel like I write about Buffy a lot. That may be true, but I probably don't write about it enough. Because it's awesome.

So here it goes. Quit reading now if you have no interest in Buffy and go watch Buffy.

1. Favorite Season

This is already hard... I'll have to narrow it down. Not 1-3 because "Angel's lame. His hair sticks straight up and he's bloody stupid."

Not 4 because besides Hush and Spike coming back as a regular, nothing really sticks out to me.

5 is a contender even though Dawn is the worst in that season.

I like 6 more than most people I know. I like how dark it is and seeing Buffy deal with issues the way imperfect people would. Then there's Dark Willow and you meet Andrew. Plus it's got two of my favorite episodes (Once More With Feeling and Tabula Rasa) and one of three most heartbreaking episodes (Hells Bells [the other two are New Moon from season 4 and The Body from season 5, just FYI]).

7 is up there. Spike kind of blows my mind, Principal Wood is pretty awesome, it's got a fantastic story arc, The First is crazy creepy, we're introduced to Nathan Fillion and one of my favorite vilains in the Buffyverse, it's got the Scythe, Felicia Day, Light Willow (!!!), and the show Joss created to be a feminist show comes to the perfect feminist conclusion. I'm getting chills right now just thinking of Buffy's final speech.

Maybe 7 is my favorite? But just barely, because I really do like 6. They might be tied so I'll put the trailers for both seasons below.

2. Favorite Episode

It's a three way tie between Once More With Feeling, Tabula Rasa, and Hush. One musical, one hilarious, and one terrifying. The perfect trifecta.

Once More With Feeling:

Tabula Rasa (not the best clip, but the only one I could find):

Hush (also not the clip I would have picked, but apparently copyrighted material is hart to come by on YouTube. Still though, gives me chils). Seriously, this episode won an Emmy and that's huge for genre shows:

3. Favorite Song Used in an Episode

The earlier seasons of Buffy generally featured an up and coming band, but I'm too lazy to try to remember those. I'm using the musical episode for this one.

I'll Never Tell sung by Anya and Xander. I really wanted to show the scene and this is the best I could find. I guess Fox doesn't really like their property up for free on the internet. And apparently this one you have to watch on YouTube. But it is the karaoke version so you can catch all the wit.

Tell me you're not curious. I dare you.

4. Favorite Female Character

I love Anya, I really do, but my favorite female character award goes to Willow.

Willow. I always felt like a spaz as a teenager. I still do (I just have awesome self esteem now). One line in the first episode has always rung true with me: 

"When I'm with a boy I like, it's hard fo me to say anything cool, or witty, or at all. I can usually make a few vowel sounds, and then I have to go away."

Now, maybe I didn't dress this dorky in high school, but I still sure did identify with her. 

We were kindred spirits from the very beginning and I love watching her change. Just look at season one above versus season seven below. But so many other things make her a phenomenal character. 

There's Eskimo Willow (consequently the same Willow that stole the heart of Oz [aka Seth Green]),

Vampire Willow, shown here breaking another vampire's fingers, 

Willow pretending to be Vampire Willow,

Doppelganger Willow (she thinks she kinda gay),

Flying Willow (that's right, I'm pulling from the comics here), 

Dark Willow, 

and (one of my favorite scenes), Light Willow. 

 I just love everything about her. Everything she starts out as and everything she becomes.

5. Least Favorite Female Character

I really don't like Dawn in season 5. Really, not at all. However, Dawn is I think 14 in season 5 which is a perfectly valid excuse to be so freaking annoying. Kennedy, on the other hand, is in her 20s and should not be so insufferable. She's only in season 7 as far as the show is concerned, so that's a bonus I guess, but I still don't like her in the season 8 comics. I haven't started reading season 9 yet, but I have a feeling I still won't like her. And I know Willow broke up with her at the end of season 8, but come on. When has an ex of any Scooby stayed out of the picture for good? Answer: Once. I have a feeling they'll keep with the trend they've generally been on.

6. Favorite Male Character

No question. Spike. Although Andrew takes a close second. I love Spike's story (especially seasons four through six), he's the only vampire I've ever been attracted to, and he's just all around awesome. Here are some of those awesome moments. And trust me, they're all worth watching.

This one is from Angel, but it's still a fantastic moment.

7. Least Favorite Male Character

Angel. Don't get me wrong, I love the show Angel and David Boreanaz (I spelled that right on the first try!) is great in his own show. He's just not great in Buffy. Their relationship is the worst and he's unbelievably broody. That's another thing I like about Spike: when he gets his soul, he doesn't spend 200 years sulking over everyone he killed when he was a soulless demon. Angel, on the other hand, does. It gets old real quick. Except when he's Angelus (soulless Angel). I love it when he's Angelus. That's the only time I can handle him in Buffy. To be fair, this happens in Angel and makes up for three seasons of lame Angel in Buffy:

8. Favorite Friendship 

Buffy and Willow. From beginning to end, their friendship is perfect.

9. Favorite Romance

Willow and Oz. They were just so freaking cute and tragic. Although Willow and Tara have grown on me over the years as a couple. Despite their both being witches, their relationship always seemed the most real. Willow and Kennedy, however...

10. Least Favorite Season

No such thing.


11. Least Favorite Romance

Ugh, Buffy and Angel for sure. It's all drama-y and they're both so moody and blah, blah, blah... It's a pretty toxic relationship. I'm in the minority here though, because SO many people love Buffy and Angel (aka Bangel). I couldn't find a video of a scene with the two of them without it being a tribute video to their eternal love. Bleh.

I can't embed this video from Angel where Cordelia and Wesley are showing Fred and Gunn what Buffy and Angel's relationship is like, but it's well worth a watch:

http://youtu.be/Bzr7JSUIIQE

12. Least Favorite Episode

Teacher's Pet. The substitute teacher turns out to be a giant praying mantis and uses teenage virgins to fertilize her eggs before eating them (the teenage virgins, not the eggs). It's really not entertaining. Although that's where we first learn about Joss Whedon's love of schwarma. Ah, season one.

13. Favorite Potential Slayer

Pff, no question. Vi played by none other than Felicia Day. If you don't know how much I love Felicia Day, read any other post I've written on the subject of anything remotely geeky. I'm sure I mention her because I love her so much.

The picture below is of her right after she receives her Slayer Power. She's looking down at a pit full of hundreds of Ubervamps saying, "These guys are dust." SO AWESOME! I'm bummed she's only shown up once very briefly in the season 8 comics.

Since there aren't any clips of Vi on YouTube (part of that could be that she is a very minor character), I'm putting the first episode of The Guild here. Felicia Day created, writes, and stars in the only web series I watch regularly. In fact, her channel (geek and sundry - check it out here) creates my favorite videos in general.

The production quality goes up, as well as the episode lengths, and this show has gotten so popular that one season when the guild goes to Mega-Game-o-Rama-Con we get cameos by CRAZY people including, but not limited to: Nathan Fillion, Eliza Dushku, Zachary Levi, Tom Lenk, Neil Gaiman, STAN LEE (!!!) and others. Seriously, watch it.


14. Favorite Female Villain 

Glory. Who wouldn't want to see the Slayer fighting a god?

15. Favorite Male Villain

Caleb. There is nothing Nathan Fillion can't do. Too bad he was only in a few episodes.

16. Episode You Like That Everyone Else Hates

It's got to be something from season 6... Probably Normal Again. I don't know too many Buffy fans in real life, but there was some message board where a lot of people didn't like this episode and I was very surprised. I love it. 

The Trio (Warren, Jonathan, and Andrew) unleash a demon on Buffy that has a poison that causes hallucinations of another life. In this other life she's in a psychiatric hospital and her life in Sunnydale as the Slayer is a prolonged delusion. She spends the episode going back and forth between the two trying to figure out which is real.

17. Character You Relate to the Most

See above, re: Favorite Female Character

18. Character Who Didn't Get Enough Screen Time

Again, this is Caleb. Seriously, one of my favorite villains and I think he's only in 5 episodes. He also makes my favorite exit from the show - Buffy cuts him in half with a scythe balls first. It's pretty awesome. 

19. Character That You Like That Everyone Else Hates

The only characters I know a lot of people hate are Dawn and Kennedy and we've already talked about them. I don't think I'm against the tide on this one. 

20. Best Spike-centric Episode

Um... all of them? Remember how his story is my favorite? If I had to pick one, it would probably be Fool For Love. There's a lot of fun Spike history in there (not only do we see how he killed two slayers, but we get to see him as William before he was turned) and there's a moment at the end after he's done telling Buffy his story that just gets me every time. The clip below isn't it ("You're beneath me.") but it's still a very interesting look at Spike. He's on his way to kill Buffy but sees her crying and decides to sit with her. There's a whole story about how he loves her, but he can't really love her since he's a vampire and therefore has no soul. His progression in this season (juxtaposed to the stark reminder of what he really is at the end of season six) is just fascinating to me. 

21. Best Willow-centric Episode

For a second I was thinking of Two To Go/Grave. Willow goes dark and evil and kills Warren by flaying him and tries to kill lots of other people and eventually the world. But the Xander comes in and saves the day. It's kind of awesome.

Anyway, as good as those two episodes are, Doppelgangland is definitely the best Willow episode. Vampire Willow gets teleported from an alternate reality into the actual reality. Everyone thinks she got vamped and are super sad, then Willow pretends to be Vampire Willow and shenanigans ensue. It's fantastic. And the two Willows have more in common than you'd expect.

22. Best Xander-centric Episode

The Replacement. Xander is split into two, each holding different attributes of the same person. Hilarity ensues. It's a great episode.

23. Two Characters You Wanted to Get Together but Never Did

Everyone got together with everyone except Buffy and Xander. And Xander and Spike. And Spike and Willow. And Buffy and Willow. Okay, not everyone got together. But there was enough getting together that there's no one I felt like should have gotten together. Cause really, there was a lot of getting together. Although, do Jenny and Giles count? They dated a little but they never got that far...


24. Favorite Example of 90s Special Effects

The werewolves. They started out terrible, and they stayed that way. It's just a person in a hairy suit running around on all fours with a very non-wolfy face. I think the very first werewolf you see had a wolf face, but they deviated from that and never got better. I don't know how they'd do it differently given the time and budget, but it's still hard to get past.

25. Favorite Buffyverse Saying

Gotta love the Buffybot:

26. Favorite Scooby Moment

I don't think I could pick one moment... Maybe when they realize that they all dreamed about the weird cheese man in Restless at the end of season four. Also a fantastic episode.

27. Cutest Moment

Well, pook. This video doesn't allow embedding. It's season 7 (Touched) when Spike gives his speech to Buffy. Knowing their history makes this a lot cuter, but still. It's all sorts of tender.

http://youtu.be/w6cWagC3IXI


28. Character You Love to Hate

Again, Caleb. Nothing like seeing a crazy misogynist being sliced in half balls first.


29. Episode That You Hate That Everyone Else Loves

Once more, I don't know many Buffy fans in real life and I don't go against the tide much. Although it's probably an episode that involves Angel when he's not Angelus.


30. What you Think Made Buffy So Great

Joss Whedon. Specifically, his philosophy and the way he writes women. Skip to about minute 3 if you want to bypass Meryl Streep's introduction and get to the meat of his speech.

Why I Don't Care About the Current Gun Control Debate or: Let's Take a Deep Breath

This is for the extremes and the very loud people on both sides. I suppose I take a position on this whole thing, but just barely. To me, it's kind of a wash. I'll give you the reasons why.

1. The Intent 

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

Admit it. That could go either way. It could be about individual people or it could be about people belonging to a well regulated militia.

The Supreme court ruled it was the former, so let's go with that definition and quit worrying about what the Founding Fathers meant (cause really, the Founding Fathers meant for the Constitution to change a lot more than it has, but then I always was a true Jeffersonian in that respect).

2. The Practicality

My career military brother explained it to me this way: "The second amendment isn't about letting people hunt. It's about being able to overthrow a tyrannical government if we need to and you can't do that with rifles."

It's the argument for high capacity clips and "assault weapons" (cause we still haven't really defined that phrase).

Gun lovers love this argument, gun haters call it crazy. Back up from the name calling and think about the context. The men who wrote this had (about a decade before) finished overthrowing a tyrannical government. Those pesky things were very real for them. It's understandable they'd want to put in a fail safe in case their government ever went that direction too. Makes sense and I absolutely buy into this argument.

Except when I really think about it. We don't have a tyrannical government. It would be really difficult for our government to become a true tyrannical government (although it seems we're getting close to that in a few areas... privacy, anyone?).

You say President Obama is a tyrant? Well, can Congress still impeach him? Could we have voted him out of office? Do we still have free elections? Could we have changed Congress this last election?

If you answered "Yes" to all of these (if you didn't, you might be a conspiracy theorist with shaky arguments), we don't really live under a tyrannical government. You may think the government acts like a tyrant, but in a couple of years you have the ability to change that.

Hence my thinking that we probably won't need to overthrow the government in the near future. Also, assuming the military will be on the government's side, could we really do that with random gun owners with high capacity clips? I guess it could be a military coup and the general theory still makes sense to me, so wash.

3. The Death Toll

According to the UNODC, the U.S. has 2.97 firearm homicides per 100,000 people. Compare that to the Western Europe (cause where else are we going to compare it to?) where any country there doesn't get to one person murdered by firearm per 100,000. Italy comes in second at .71 people per 100,000 and just about anywhere else in the region doesn't even come close to that.

Call me crazy, but I'm thinking that's not a coincidence. The U.S. has the highest gun to person ratio in the world (also from the UNODC) at 88.8 guns for every 100 people. The simplest form of reason will say, fewer guns, fewer gun deaths.

However, while the U.S. has the highest gun to person ration, it doesn't have the highest homicide rate per 100,000 people by any stretch of the imagination. The simplest form of reason would say this is because the vast majority of gun owners in the U.S. are responsible and don't murder people and I absolutely agree with that.

Still, our rates are comparable to places like Peru and Zimbabwe and that's enough to give me pause. At the very least it's something that we should look into.


So there you go. I really don't think anything in that was inflammatory, but then I do want to punch both extremes in the face right now, so I may not sympathize with either side. Here are just a few stray observations to finish up:

1. The government is not going to take away your guns. If they do, it won't be until public opinion decides on that route. That won't be until the gun culture in this country has all but petered out. That won't be for a very long time. You'll be dead. Chill.

2. If someone wants to sell their gun to some anti-gun group that will melt them down or whatever they do with guns, who cares? It's their freaking gun. They can do whatever the hell the want with it.

3. Mass shootings are a tiny percentage of the death toll, so high capacity clips probably matter less than some are saying. Plus, it really is fun to shoot a bunch of rounds off really fast.

4. Oh yeah, I enjoy guns. I don't hunt, but I like shooting. I want to own a pistol someday when I have $400 to spend on the one my brother picked out for me (and yes, I am a self-proclaimed liberal).

5. Research, research, research. Why are there more gun deaths here than Europe? How many of those could have been prevented by access to mental health services? How many could have been prevented by decent schools? How many could have been prevented by trying to lessen poverty? Where do these killers get their guns? What percentage of these killers are in gangs, live in poverty, or have mental health issues? As a researcher it is staggering to me how little the causes of gun violence have been studied.

That's all. If this upsets you in visceral way and you decide to comment on it, know that I'll probably just roll my eyes at you.

If this upsets you because I haven't investigated fully or I got some facts wrong and you decide to comment on it, know that I'll take your comments seriously and take them into consideration as I form my opinion (because opinions should always change as you find new evidence).