First of all, this whole negativity thing really isn't me. I am a Polly-Anna, even trying to find the hidden gems in AYW... I really, truly wish I enjoyed s8. But...
If this is Season 8 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then please pray tell me - where are the vampires? Every single season (except for s1, but that's different) has opened in a cemetary with the slaying of vampires. The teaser always told us a great deal about what to expect from the year ahead, and how things had been during the summer.
Now I get the fact that s8 is new and different - and we still open with a fight scene (nasty demons, ritual sacrifice, strange markings), and technically I can't fault it. It does a great job and of course we have to move on. We're not in Sunnydale anymore... but surely there are vampires everywhere? Have we even *seen* a stake?
I feel like something's been lost.
And again this is where there's a difference between BtVS and AtS - BtVS is about Buffy: Who she is (Slayer, comma, the. Chosen One) and what she does (She who hangs out in cemeteries a lot). If she's not fighting - if she isn't a vampire Slayer - what's the point? But AtS is about Angel. Full stop. The entire show is inherent in his character (vampire with a soul).
It's very early, so I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. I think it comes down to the fact that I don't think BtVS is complete without vampires. (And no, those in Buffy's subconscious do not count.) [ETA: I also am not thinking about Spike and Angel. I mean vampires that need staking!] I know they might turn up later - but this is the opener! This is the ep. that spells out the themes of the season. And there is not a single vampire.
We have pretty logos all over the place, but so far it feels a little like Disney - when was the last time you actually watched Mickey Mouse?
If this is Season 8 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, then please pray tell me - where are the vampires? Every single season (except for s1, but that's different) has opened in a cemetary with the slaying of vampires. The teaser always told us a great deal about what to expect from the year ahead, and how things had been during the summer.
Now I get the fact that s8 is new and different - and we still open with a fight scene (nasty demons, ritual sacrifice, strange markings), and technically I can't fault it. It does a great job and of course we have to move on. We're not in Sunnydale anymore... but surely there are vampires everywhere? Have we even *seen* a stake?
I feel like something's been lost.
And again this is where there's a difference between BtVS and AtS - BtVS is about Buffy: Who she is (Slayer, comma, the. Chosen One) and what she does (She who hangs out in cemeteries a lot). If she's not fighting - if she isn't a vampire Slayer - what's the point? But AtS is about Angel. Full stop. The entire show is inherent in his character (vampire with a soul).
It's very early, so I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. I think it comes down to the fact that I don't think BtVS is complete without vampires. (And no, those in Buffy's subconscious do not count.) [ETA: I also am not thinking about Spike and Angel. I mean vampires that need staking!] I know they might turn up later - but this is the opener! This is the ep. that spells out the themes of the season. And there is not a single vampire.
We have pretty logos all over the place, but so far it feels a little like Disney - when was the last time you actually watched Mickey Mouse?
