bitter about fandom, but loving the show

[timepiececlock]

You know, my reaction from this week's episode already seems to be so different form everyone who's read the wildfeed-- even to some degree the optimists. The ones who like episodes feeling like you have to apologize, and like you're watching with blinders on. Well, you are. But your blinders are the spoilers, not your shippy or non-shippy opinion.

Try watching it without hearing everyone else's opinion first.

That's how this show-- how ALL shows are meant to be watched. I'm fully confident that my opinions are valid, probably even more so than that of someone whose read the spoilers. Why? I get it straight from the source. The show is intended to be viewed by an unspoiled audience, and so the impressions your get and the opinions you form after seeing it are the most accurate and untainted reactions you can have. Because all that is influencing your views are Mutant Enemy, and yourself.

Every spoiler a person reads, the person who wrote the sentence is tainting the information that they give you. Even if they believe they're truthfully conveying it, they're creating their own bias from the first moment, and when you read the spoilers that bias is transferred to you.

I can't believe people keep reading wildfeeds or in-depth spoilers if it leaves them feeling they have to apologize for a show or make excuses for it.

Why do it if you don't like it, or the experience makes you unhappy? Are you masochistic?

Do I think spoilers are bad? No. And I think it's perfectly fine that people read them. I think it's unbelievably cool that we have something like the itnernet that allows such a high level of fan involvement with the production/release side of anything there's a fandom for. But I wish people would stop complaining about it when they're not even watching the show, they're watching someone else's commentary on it. They're not judging the show, they're judging what other people tell them.

I'm just sick of hearing "Oh, the wildfeed said it was so bad," or "Some people seem to like it but I don't know because the wildfeed spoilers didn't sound good" or "the spoilers look like it'll be just a bad and silly, so it must be this and this and this..."

Why don't people watch THE SHOW, and then comment. Stop whining. It's not what you read on the internet before hand. What you see on screen that matters. Whine about that, and then I'll listen to you.


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Get It Done spoilers ahead
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I guess some people are upset about Buffy's speech, huh?

Well, I think its about time.

She wasn't out of line at all. Refusing to tolerate the cowardice of Chloe or Annabelle.

All the seriousness we've been seeing on AtS-- the constant tensenes, the bone-deep knowledge of all the characters that the world will end if they don't act and they're holding on by their fingertips... that awareness is finally sinking in with the Sunnydale gang.

It's sinking in that this isn't a game for children, this is a horrible, evil, nightmarish world they're in, and it's going to kill them. They're really, really going to die. And if they want to prove their worth as human beings before they choke, they're going to do whatever it takes to ensure the survival of the the human world until their very last breath is ripped from their throats.

Buffy's realizing that confidence may give the potentials strength, but won't spur them into action. So--- maybe fear will. Buffy's live a life of fear and pain and harsh truth; she should know better than anyone. Her point was valid: this isn't summer camp or a witness protection program; she won't tolerate a house full of victims. To do so is not in the Slayer's interest (her concern is saving the world, and babysitting does not accomplish that), and moreover it's not in Buffy's personality. Buffy's a fighter who has spent her whole life surrounding herself with other fighters. The ones without usable supernatural power (Xnader, Oz, Dawn) still had the fighter spirit she has. And suddenly she's surrounded by victims, victims she's responsible for, and she's sick of it. Now she's going to do everything she can to make them fighters, because if they're too scared then she can't use them. Just like she has no use for a Spike who is too afraid of himself to be that kind of fighter again.

I really think that Buffy's speech showed that saving the world is more important to her than saving the lives of these girls. Which must be a hard lesson for them, because they came to Sunnydale believing she would protect them. This is an interesting change from season 5, when Buffy didn't care about the world, she only cared about Dawn. In GID, Buffy reminded me a lot of Giles. And that's to her credit.

So I probably pissed off someone with that first thing. Oh well. And you know, I probably should wait until AFTER Buffy has aired for everyone before I post my opinions on any of it.

Comments

[mrthursday.livejournal.com]

Well, if you waited for everyone to watch Buffy, and you counted me in everyone, you'd have to wait months! Curse my slow English networks!

On the Plus side I do tend to form my own opinions about episodes/character etc, even if they are in direct opposition to what everyone else seems to think (I wonder if this is because I am in my own "buffy fandom" ghetto, since I don't hangou out much with Online fans, I have opinions that are just mine, rather than that of a peer group?). And I also try hard not to look at spoilers, because nothing beats coming to a show without any expectations or pre-digested critical opinion.