ReadingLirael, As You Like It, The English Patient, Heart of Darkness, Suikoden III, Candidate for Goddess
Watching House, Rick Mercer's Monday Report, Gilmore Girls, Scrubs, Corner Gas, Aishiteruze Baby, Prince of Tennis, Hikaru no Go
Playing The Bard's Tale, Katamari Damacy, Curse of Monkey Island, Final Fantasy VI, Disgaea: Hour of Darkness, Pretty Barbie Dressup Party Final Fantasy X-2(group gaming)
Back-burner Star Ocean: Till the End of Time, Star Ocean: The Second Story, Final Fantasy Tactics: Advance, Baldur's Gate: Tales of the Sword Coast, Planescape: Torment, Final Fantasy VII
Obsessing Firefly, Erik and Ray, Impulse/Bart Allen, Ford Prefect, Monkey Island, Nostalgia.
Upcoming Things of Importance January 5 First day of classes January 14 Birthday party January 16 Jaryn and Matt Are Old Day
layout
Is by Meimi, that wonderful Goddess who brings joy and happiness to the hearts of Ingrids.
This time, Meimi brought joy by doing a layout of Isumi Shinichirou and Waya Yoshitaka, of Hikaru no Go. It is full of wub.
.
Fighting the good fight
5/24/2004 10:34:17 PM
"I want you, Lindsey. . . . I think I'd be more comfortable if I rephrased that." "Yeah. Me too." - Angel and Lindsey McDonald, "Not Fade Away", Angel
Today was Victoria Day in Canada which means Stat Holiday. For some reason, on holidays like this, Space likes to fuck their schedules up the ass and do 'special' things. Last time, it was a marathon of some series I don't watch and it KEPT ME FROM MY FIREFLY.
Not that I'm bitter.
This time, it was Fucktard, starting at 9 am with the pilot, then the top ten 'viewer's choice' (my ass) episodes, then the finale at 8 pm. Actually, it's 9 am, and the regular Fucktard repeat's on, and I'm -very- annoyed because it's ONE THE ASSHATS SHOWED DURING THE VIEWER'S CHOICE AND IT'S ONLY REDEEMING QUALITY IS THE MENTION OF FETAL PIGS!
~pant~
I was really unimpressed with the viewer's choice. I actually turned it off at a couple points, because they aired -four- episodes from season five. I'm not a big fan of season five. I can see showing "Smile Time" because you know the Fucktard viewers are going to be charmed by evil puppets ("Smile Time" actually ended up being in the number one spot - wtf?!), and maybe, maybe "You're Welcome", because Cordelia. But "Hole in the World" and "Damage"? Good lord, viewers, you have no -taste-.
I admit, I am glad they picked "Spin the Bottle", because I've never seen it before, and I enjoyed it (hehe "English") and okay, I guess all the romantic idiots in the audience or those who like to see Buffy jigglies would pick "I Will Remember You" because that's what they do (not my favourite episode, though, by a long shot). "Five by Five", however? The only good thing about it was there was Lindsey. I'm not a fan of Faith. "Waiting in the Wings" I'm 'eh' on. I love the ballet, was surprised to see that River from Firefly was the main ballerina (explains why she's so skinny), and I guess there were worse episodes to be chosen. But "Orpheus"?! Which is also the episode airing tonight in the 9pm repeat slot. Good lord, it's not even that interesting. It's not even that funny. It's not even that angsty. It's just kind of there. AGH! YOU PEOPLE!
About the only episode that was actually selected, though, that made me go 'Yeah, that's what made the series good' was "Heroes". Yes, I still cry at the ending, shut up. Apparently I put too much faith in the general viewing public, because I seriously thought "Dead End" would have made it's way in there. There's an evil hand, dammit! And I'm not just saying this because I'm a Lindsey fan, either. I really do think "Dead End" was a good episode.
Which brings us to the series finale, "Not Fade Away".
I liked it more than the Buffy series finale, for the record.
I wasn't expecting much from the episode, I really wasn't. I haven't been impressed with season five at all, a lot of things have happened that make my blood boil (from throwing Lindsey's characterization out the window to FRED IS OUR GODDESS), and since the series was cancelled without warning, I expected a rushed, botchy, ending.
And I think it would have been better if they'd had an entire season to build up to it.
But maybe not.
Because, really, it was good. It made me laugh, it had funny bits, really funny bits, not just Spike making stupid quips, which I've been missing, since this series used to be -funny-, it used to make me grin.
I really think it captured what was important about Angel, as a series, with it's message. It was hope, and fighting the good fight, and never giving up, even when it was hopeless, because if you give up, then they win.
I appreciate that every character got their little moment to do things. And it wasn't apocalypse sex, like on Buffy.
Gunn went to help out Anne. I loved that so much. I love whenever Anne popped up in an episode. Gunn was fighting for people like Anne, that's why he fought, that's why he did it, so they could be safe.
Angel going to see Connor? Yeah, I appreciate that too. I know not everyone did, but I like that that was what was most important to Angel, in his very possible last day on earth, was that he spend time with his son. And I think it was doubly important that Connor showed that . . . it was okay. What Angel did, he understood, and he was happy. Despite the strangely erotic nightmares, hah! Connor, for Angel, is very much a symbol of what he wanted to protect.
Lorne sang. And I don't think they've used Lorne well since he became a regular, but singing? Yeah. In another character, it wouldn't matter, it would almost be frivolous, but for Lorne, music is what LA -has- that makes it so important to him, makes it beautiful and special, because it's what his home didn't have, and so because it's Lorne, that worked.
Spike went out, got drunk, and RECITED POETRY. Oh, god, Spike, the writers don't even take you remotely seriously. "The follies of my wonton mum." Dude. But you know, the poetry was one of those things that connected Spike to his human self, made him seek redemption. Symbolic like. It's what made people see more into him, what made Spike fans love him (I'm not a Spike fan). I liked his bit too.
Wesley . . . I really wish he'd called his parents. Stupid, maybe, but I'm so goddamn tired of 'Fred is the centre of my universe and without Fred there is nothing'. If I was going off to probably-die, I'd call my parents, even though I don't get on with them that well. I'd call them -because- I don't get no with them that well.
And Lindsey and Eve? Damn, it was sappy (and maybe, just maybe, when Lindsey asked Eve what she was thinking about, and she answered "Angel", I was kind of expecting him to say "Me too"), but it made me like Eve. It made me feel -sorry- for Eve. In the end, I was actually kind of pissed off at Angel for giving her false hope about how things would turn out. I kind of wish she hadn't been around for . . . all of the season, but for whatever reason, she really loved Lindsey. She gave up a lot for him.
And, randomly? Harmony sleeping with Jayne Marcus Hamilton? Lucky bitch. ^_^
The fight scenes were mostly impressive, although my word, Angel gets thrown through a lot of windows in this series. Connor coming to help him? Yeah. I'm proud of you, little guy. I forgive you for being the root of many problems in season three and four, and technically the source of all badness in season five. You done good.
But then we come to the deaths, because you knew -someone- was going to die, and wouldn't you know it, they killed off the characters we wanted to star in our "Bear the Idiot Eater" spinoff.
Sigh.
Wesley - Wesley was never my favourite character, but I always liked him, and always felt for him. I think a lot of what I loved about the show left when he kidnapped Connor and got basically got the boot, and I think his life's been full of a lot of misery. I'm irritated that they filled his death scene with Wes/Fred muck, because it just seems to try and simplify a very complicated character. But still, I'm kind of glad Wes died (he probably wouldn't have if the show hadn't been cancelled, I'm pretty sure) because honestly? The poor guy deserves the rest. I teared up during his death scene, I really did, even though I knew it was coming.
As For Lindsey . . . What is with my favourite characters in the Buffyverse getting killed? Jonathan in Buffy, and now Lindsey . . . I have a lot of issues with Lindsey's return, but if he was going to die, it should have been at the hands of Angel. It's just . . . how it should have been. If nothing else, do him the credit of the awesome dynamic they had together. I kind of wish Lindsey had been killed off in "You're Welcome" . . . but I'm also glad he was there for the finale. Because he was in the first episode, and he was in the last, and it's sort of, I dunno, connecting. But being killed by Lorne just seemed like the final blow to the poor guy's pride. Whether you thought he was sincere in fighting the good fight with Angel and co. or not, he deserved a death at the hands of Angel. Not to mention poor Lorne. Lorne who doesn't like killing and fighting, who likes music, who likes partying, who likes seeing people happy, shouldn't have killed Lindsey for Angel. He shouldn't have killed Lindsey, and it shouldn't have been in that way. That was just . . . dirty. I knew Lindsey was toast when I saw Lorne just standing there while Lindsey was washing his hands and just . . . Sigh.
Maybe, if they hadn't been cancelled, Lindsey would have been explained.
Probably not, though.
The ending itself, while ambiguous, and maybe frustrating for some, fit the series. symbolically and stuff. The fight's eternal, the fight doesn't end, and it doesn't matter if they won or lost. It matters that they fought.
Definitely went better than I thought it woudl. Some good lines, too.
"You are not unpleasant to look at."
Heh.
Now I'm going to miss the series, though. If it had just continued on it's mediocre tone of the season, I wouldn't have minded it's ending, but now . . . Yeah. I'm going to miss it.
Mourning the loss of a series and the potential for a cracked out spinoff, Almighty Ingrid, Signing Off
