Comments | rebcake: 20 Years Ago...

rebcake

20 Years Ago...

Feb 28, 2017 21:48

Buffy the Vampire Slayer first aired on television 20 years ago this month. I did not watch it at the time, because I had seen the movie - which sounded right up my dark comedy alley - and it did not live up to expectations. Also: very small child in the house led to very little TV viewing. Back then, we didn't have such high expectations for TV ( Read more... )

btvs

Comments 20

trepkos March 1 2017, 10:05:58 UTC

Yeah, Rutger Hauer did not shine in this film! I found the Willow in the pilot too wet, but I'm not sure that's why they changed her. I seem to remember Harmony was in the pilot, too. I think Danny might have pulled it off, but he's so small (I've met him - he is really small), it might have been a problem when he was involved in fight scenes. You'd be expecting him to get injured or abducted every five minutes.

rebcake March 1 2017, 20:21:02 UTC

Interesting point about the fight scenes with tiny!Xander. I think my disbelief was so thoroughly suspended for other things in the show that it wouldn't have mattered. It's just...I went to see this drag version of Buffy last year, and all the "girls" were towering over scrappy little Xander and it made certain things about his character work SO MUCH BETTER. The yapping puppy thing was v. v. clear. The guy playing Angel wan't exactly hulking either, FWIW. And we know that Danny can pull off suave and commanding, so "The Pack" would've played much the same, I think ( ... )

thenewbuzwuzz March 1 2017, 10:49:13 UTC

"menstrual cramp-vamp-radar" Do I want to know how exactly that worked?... :D

rebcake March 1 2017, 20:25:20 UTC

You do not. However, I'll tell you anyway! The "spidey sense" vaguely referred to the show - and that's a whole discussion in itself - was explicitly shown in the movie as the Slayer clutching her abdomen and doubling over in pain whenever vampires were near. *sigh*

I'm so glad to see they didn't keep that particular piece of business.

thenewbuzwuzz March 2 2017, 03:33:03 UTC

Because what better way to ready her for the fight... it's not like pain would be distracting and dangerous.
Thanks for expanding my mind!

snogged March 1 2017, 13:15:12 UTC

I'm really glad they changed the Willow. I adore Aly Hannigan's portrayal so much.

rebcake March 1 2017, 20:30:30 UTC

I do think Alyson did an amazing job, but it's a little hard for me to buy her as an outcast. Except inasmuch as all people see themselves as misfit outsiders.

That's a bit of an issue with mass media in general: everything gets prettied up and you've got Aileen Wuornos played by Charlize Theron and that's just the way it is.

baudown March 1 2017, 13:28:11 UTC

I ADORE Alyson Hannigan as Willow. But I have to say, my reaction on seeing PilotWillow was, "Huh. What a surprise. They replaced the chubby, frizzy-haired girl with a thin, very attractive girl who has to play against type in order to portray a nerd." The fact of it really bugs me, despite my love of Hannigan's wonderful performance.

rebcake March 1 2017, 20:39:55 UTC

That is it precisely.

It sort of echoes my rage at them killing off Fred, and yet loving the character of Illyria. You can't have one without the other.

eurydice72 March 1 2017, 19:15:28 UTC

I did not know Danny auditioned for Xander. Huh. That would've been interesting, to say the least. Completely changing all the dynamics, because would Willow have been crushing on him then? And so much more.

I didn't end up watching BtVS until the end of S5 because the movie is one of my mother's favorite movies of all time. (Because she has the dumbest sense of humor, and an obscene level of adoration for Rutger Hauer.) I had to put up with her mimicking Paul Reubens' death scene for months afterward, and it completely soured me on giving the show a chance.

rebcake March 1 2017, 20:55:43 UTC

Okay, that is hysterical! I seriously do not know a single person who LOVES the movie like that. I sort of did before I saw it...but loving the concept is not the same as loving the real thing. (Oh, I think I just came up with some deep dating advice on the fly.) But yeah, as much as I enjoyed Paul Reubens performance, I don't think it can be recreated by just anybody. No wonder you stayed away.

I don't see why Willow couldn't have a crush on Danny!Xander. She ends up going for Oz, after all, so height isn't her trigger. And we know that Danny can bring the charming like whoa! If I were Willow and he was twinkling at me, right at eye level, I'd probably be gonzo for him, too.

All this is colored by seeing a Buffy drag show last year, in which Xander was much smaller than everybody else, and his yearning and yappiness were totally understandable in that context. Nick, like Alyson, is really too much of a hottie, in some ways. Of course, it's hard to imagine Cordelia with Danny!Xander...