My Goodness, Buffy
May. 7th, 2002 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gurdonarkJust tonight on my way home I was thinking about how much more satisfying the television show Angel has been this year than this year's Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I'm an unabashed fan of both. I don't want to put any spoiler material in this post, as folks in different places get the show at different times, but tonight's Buffy was simply amazing. I should be sheepish that two fantasy shows can affect me that much, but they do. Both Angel and Buffy have that quirkiness which is like life to me, "real life".
In the US, May is a ratings "sweeps" month, when shows tend to air some of their "best" episodes, because ratings are tabulated in particular during "sweeps". I can't wait to see what else this show is going to do this month, and what Angel's going to do with its thread.
I know it's hip to dismiss television, but I have to admit that I've always been a big TV watcher. When a TV actually works, as those two do, I'm completely on board. Now if only they would actually reverse their decision to cancel Once and Again, and the world might return to spinning on a good axis in TV land.
The "real world", outside TVs and computers, seems to be spinning on the usual disturbing axis. Another sad bombing, another failed effort at peace, more harsh words, more people dying. The Middle East situation is too horrible for me to say anything insightful. I haven't forgotten the troops in Afghanistan, either.
Domestic news is more workaday, but not less disturbing.
Did anyone else notice that when Enron was funded enough to fight lawsuits and pay lobbyists, we didn't see the full court press that we're seeing now on the energy hoarding front in CA? Meanwhile, the Arthur Andersen financial document shredding trial is interesting theater--but when will real financial reform occur? No matter whether Andersen breaks down--and it looks like it will--the real question is when the SEC will actually require meaningful disclosure for the benefit of shareholders, and meaningful accountability when the true story isn't told. Punching a few individual accountants out may be a satisfying exercise for someone, but when will meaningful accounting reform occur? How long will investors permit those in charge of regulating financial disclosures to give the regulated a "free pass"? Within the normal left to right of our mainstream political parties, nobody has an incentive to allow this situation to continue. But lobbying dollars are still at work.
I'm bored of window-dressing, as investor protection isn't a left wing or a right wing issue. It's just a question of whether the institutional investors and the institutional players are going to
be allowed to withhold info from the public. The current paradigm--silly disclosures and perpetual class actions for financial failure--isn't working.
We need the Powers that Be to send a slayer and a vampire with a soul to solve all this for us--maybe toss in Spiderman, too--or else we'll actually have to all vote (or something) to do something.
At least we have this comfort--only 1 in 6 of the French vote for fascists. I am going to retreat into the cool article on outsider artist Darger that![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
asphalteden sent me. Maybe then I'll doodle some paperdolls in a wartime scene, as an alternative to
getting involved.
In the US, May is a ratings "sweeps" month, when shows tend to air some of their "best" episodes, because ratings are tabulated in particular during "sweeps". I can't wait to see what else this show is going to do this month, and what Angel's going to do with its thread.
I know it's hip to dismiss television, but I have to admit that I've always been a big TV watcher. When a TV actually works, as those two do, I'm completely on board. Now if only they would actually reverse their decision to cancel Once and Again, and the world might return to spinning on a good axis in TV land.
The "real world", outside TVs and computers, seems to be spinning on the usual disturbing axis. Another sad bombing, another failed effort at peace, more harsh words, more people dying. The Middle East situation is too horrible for me to say anything insightful. I haven't forgotten the troops in Afghanistan, either.
Domestic news is more workaday, but not less disturbing.
Did anyone else notice that when Enron was funded enough to fight lawsuits and pay lobbyists, we didn't see the full court press that we're seeing now on the energy hoarding front in CA? Meanwhile, the Arthur Andersen financial document shredding trial is interesting theater--but when will real financial reform occur? No matter whether Andersen breaks down--and it looks like it will--the real question is when the SEC will actually require meaningful disclosure for the benefit of shareholders, and meaningful accountability when the true story isn't told. Punching a few individual accountants out may be a satisfying exercise for someone, but when will meaningful accounting reform occur? How long will investors permit those in charge of regulating financial disclosures to give the regulated a "free pass"? Within the normal left to right of our mainstream political parties, nobody has an incentive to allow this situation to continue. But lobbying dollars are still at work.
I'm bored of window-dressing, as investor protection isn't a left wing or a right wing issue. It's just a question of whether the institutional investors and the institutional players are going to
be allowed to withhold info from the public. The current paradigm--silly disclosures and perpetual class actions for financial failure--isn't working.
We need the Powers that Be to send a slayer and a vampire with a soul to solve all this for us--maybe toss in Spiderman, too--or else we'll actually have to all vote (or something) to do something.
At least we have this comfort--only 1 in 6 of the French vote for fascists. I am going to retreat into the cool article on outsider artist Darger that
asphalteden sent me. Maybe then I'll doodle some paperdolls in a wartime scene, as an alternative togetting involved.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
glad
Date: 2002-05-07 07:07 pm (UTC)Bianca is a certified Buffy fanatic. I took a shine to Angel this year, myself. They are rather like the yin/yang of dark fantasy TV. I think it's perfectly natural to become "stuck" on these types of characters. They are all extremely, well, charismatic! Plus the humor helps a lot. Aside from Turner Classic Movies, Buffy and Angel are the only shows I watch with regularity.
Buffy
Date: 2002-05-08 09:24 am (UTC)I know TeeeVeeee really gets the bashing. We didn't have cable for a long time. Thought the money could be better spent elsewhere. Now we have said cable again and I am enjoying some new shows.
We watch reruns during the week. The Simpsons, King of the Hill, or Seinfeld, any one of those might be our dinner fun. We love comedy. I know people are probably gasping for breath. We as a family watch teeveeee during dinner sometimes.
It is not zombie watching that is portrayed by "turn your teeevee off week ppl". We laugh and are constantly in running commentary on the satire, especially in King of the Hill and The Simpsons. We are not slaves to our set. We have been outside of our house.
I think Jess is a more enlightened girl from watching the Simpsons. I know families that won't let their kids watch the Simpsons yet have the gorey news running constantly or let them watch incredibly inappropriate movies.
Watching Six Feet Under on the BO channel "It's not teeeveee they promote LOL, it's BO!" has been fun for hus and I. That is our non family guilty pleasure.
Watching teeeveee just shows what a well rounded individual you truly are :p
Re: Buffy
Date: 2002-05-08 02:24 pm (UTC)We don't have cable now, much as I like it, as our neighborhood is "new" and hasn't yet gotten it. I've been surprised at how much as I like it, I haven't really missed it. I'd like to have CNN and A & E and HGTV again, but the networks and the indie stations are much more attuned to the need to show "alternative" programming than they used to be.
The Simpsons is amazing, isn't it? How one show stays good so long is beyond me. It's like Mad Magazine used to be...good for years and years and years.
Re: glad
Date: 2002-05-08 02:25 pm (UTC)