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gwynI've been capturing (for what feels like years, but has really only been over the past month or so, in between weeks of not being able to capture at all) clips for an all-Buffy-and-Angel cast vid. It's been a long time since I revisted these shows to such a degree -- I've done a fair amount of vidding in the Jossverse the past couple years, but I haven't had to look at so many eps, scan through so many whole chapters, in ages. Maybe even ever, because most of the vids have had a specific story and focus and I knew where to grab those clips I wanted.
I'm amazed at how much I remember of Buffy's first seasons, and how little I remember of Angel's. I don't know why this is. It's weird. But there are other things that really strike me as I go through these eps with the sound off.
- Buffy used to have a body, before SMG caved in to that emaciated look that is the only thing that counts among young actresses today. She had actual boobs (enough so that at one point I wondered if she'd gotten reduction surgery) and hips, and that soft roundness to her face in S1 and S2 made her look so lovely, made that whole deception of the little blond girl with superpowers even more amazing. I kind of stopped capturing after S5, in fact, because I just like looking at my girl when she seems less haggard and starved and scrawny. I adore Buffy, but I had a really hard time watching her get scrawnier and scrawnier toward the end; it made me sad.
- It took them three seasons to figure out that Anthony Stewart Head was sexay, and to use that. Even with his relationship with Jenny, and even after the Ripper revelations and his interactions with Ethan, he's still stuck in the tweedy English professor type at the start of S3, which he does well. But anyone who ever watched VR5 or any of his other roles knew that he was a lot cooler and sexier than they were allowing him to be. Weirdly, when he really starts to get out of that box is when Faith arrives. She's the one who comments right away about Buffy having a hot watcher, she's allowing us to see something else in him that we haven't before, looking through the eyes of the Scoobies. And then they start allowing him to do other things, wear other clothes (behold the power of a casual sweater with the sleeves pushed up), and once he's officially out as Buffy's watcher, act more powerfully independently of his role. When they bring Wes in as an even tweedier, dorkier, sillier contrast, Giles has officially broken out of that box. I love it.
- It's fun to see all these young faces again, before they were on everything else you watch on TV. Same thing with X-Files, which I have been watching on Sci-Fi regularly in an effort to remember more of the series for a vid.
- Out of all the people who changed the most physically over the years, I think David Boreanaz went through the most dramatic physical changes (not hair changes, a la Anya and Cordy). He's so unbelievably young in those early eps, and then he seems more solid and mature, and then he beefs up a little, and then he's back in fighting form... it's really interesting to chart. Still, as long he has hair that stands up, I'm okay! (I'm thoroughly convinced that this is why I think Rob Morrow's so hot now -- his standup Angel hair.)
- Before James Marsters started showing his age, my god, was he creamy-dreamy. That porcelain skin! Those insanely blue eyes! Yum.
- I never thought much about Riley -- he seemed like dead space to me and he didn't seem to have any chemistry with anyone (except James, who has chemistry with everyone). But he's really in a lot of ridiculously slashy situations throughout his run on the show. I mean, at one point he's even manhandling Giles, whose shirt is mostly off, and all I could think was, wow, this would be slasher heaven for most people on a show. I mean, most slashers would kill to get the kind of male-male interactions for vidding that Marc Blucas had.
- I liked Cordelia a lot more when she was a shallow bitch. When they made her more saintly in Angel, I was way less interested in her. I can see the need to have her grow, but I think they had her grow too far in the other direction. Late Angel season one is the last time she was really fun for me (well, with the exception of Billy and the whole shoe show-down with Lilah).
- But out of all the people who grew and changed emotionally on both series, it's Wes who is still the champeen for me. Man, what an incredible journey he went on, and how amazing Alexis Denisof was in portraying that. When you watch him in those early days on Buffy S3, and then the way he begins to transform in S2 Angel... it's really incredible to watch him. If you compare visually the Wes of S3 Buffy with just a year later, when he's been tortured horribly by Faith and then rises up and helps her because he cares about what Angel cares about is just... wow. I'm looking for all this silly stuff, but it reminds me now that I need to do the serious Wes vid I've always wanted to do (though I have to find a different song now).
- I know Spike is famous for the black leather coat, but no one -- NO ONE -- wears a coat like Angel. He is peerless at the outerwear.
- My goodness, the sexual innuendo and visual metaphors they got away with.
I'm amazed at how much I remember of Buffy's first seasons, and how little I remember of Angel's. I don't know why this is. It's weird. But there are other things that really strike me as I go through these eps with the sound off.
- Buffy used to have a body, before SMG caved in to that emaciated look that is the only thing that counts among young actresses today. She had actual boobs (enough so that at one point I wondered if she'd gotten reduction surgery) and hips, and that soft roundness to her face in S1 and S2 made her look so lovely, made that whole deception of the little blond girl with superpowers even more amazing. I kind of stopped capturing after S5, in fact, because I just like looking at my girl when she seems less haggard and starved and scrawny. I adore Buffy, but I had a really hard time watching her get scrawnier and scrawnier toward the end; it made me sad.
- It took them three seasons to figure out that Anthony Stewart Head was sexay, and to use that. Even with his relationship with Jenny, and even after the Ripper revelations and his interactions with Ethan, he's still stuck in the tweedy English professor type at the start of S3, which he does well. But anyone who ever watched VR5 or any of his other roles knew that he was a lot cooler and sexier than they were allowing him to be. Weirdly, when he really starts to get out of that box is when Faith arrives. She's the one who comments right away about Buffy having a hot watcher, she's allowing us to see something else in him that we haven't before, looking through the eyes of the Scoobies. And then they start allowing him to do other things, wear other clothes (behold the power of a casual sweater with the sleeves pushed up), and once he's officially out as Buffy's watcher, act more powerfully independently of his role. When they bring Wes in as an even tweedier, dorkier, sillier contrast, Giles has officially broken out of that box. I love it.
- It's fun to see all these young faces again, before they were on everything else you watch on TV. Same thing with X-Files, which I have been watching on Sci-Fi regularly in an effort to remember more of the series for a vid.
- Out of all the people who changed the most physically over the years, I think David Boreanaz went through the most dramatic physical changes (not hair changes, a la Anya and Cordy). He's so unbelievably young in those early eps, and then he seems more solid and mature, and then he beefs up a little, and then he's back in fighting form... it's really interesting to chart. Still, as long he has hair that stands up, I'm okay! (I'm thoroughly convinced that this is why I think Rob Morrow's so hot now -- his standup Angel hair.)
- Before James Marsters started showing his age, my god, was he creamy-dreamy. That porcelain skin! Those insanely blue eyes! Yum.
- I never thought much about Riley -- he seemed like dead space to me and he didn't seem to have any chemistry with anyone (except James, who has chemistry with everyone). But he's really in a lot of ridiculously slashy situations throughout his run on the show. I mean, at one point he's even manhandling Giles, whose shirt is mostly off, and all I could think was, wow, this would be slasher heaven for most people on a show. I mean, most slashers would kill to get the kind of male-male interactions for vidding that Marc Blucas had.
- I liked Cordelia a lot more when she was a shallow bitch. When they made her more saintly in Angel, I was way less interested in her. I can see the need to have her grow, but I think they had her grow too far in the other direction. Late Angel season one is the last time she was really fun for me (well, with the exception of Billy and the whole shoe show-down with Lilah).
- But out of all the people who grew and changed emotionally on both series, it's Wes who is still the champeen for me. Man, what an incredible journey he went on, and how amazing Alexis Denisof was in portraying that. When you watch him in those early days on Buffy S3, and then the way he begins to transform in S2 Angel... it's really incredible to watch him. If you compare visually the Wes of S3 Buffy with just a year later, when he's been tortured horribly by Faith and then rises up and helps her because he cares about what Angel cares about is just... wow. I'm looking for all this silly stuff, but it reminds me now that I need to do the serious Wes vid I've always wanted to do (though I have to find a different song now).
- I know Spike is famous for the black leather coat, but no one -- NO ONE -- wears a coat like Angel. He is peerless at the outerwear.
- My goodness, the sexual innuendo and visual metaphors they got away with.
