UNEDITED: Buffy the Vampire Slayer 4x14 Reaction
Added 2023-07-19 01:12:42 +0000 UTC
Comments
I think the problem with the Initiative is that it’s just too goofy, which is kind of the show’s brand but doesn’t work well for something that presents itself as the adult, organized alternative to the Scooby Gang’s way of demon hunting. It should have been a realistic military outfit, not Buffy’s psych professor and boyfriend together with some grad students playing dressup around the campus.
Bernhard
2023-07-19 21:02:20 +0000 UTCOf course it shouldn’t be forced, it wasn’t a critique only a suggestion, I’m enjoying her reactions otherwise I wouldn’t be here, I was just pointing out that I would be very much interested in hearing more of her thoughts.
Marty
2023-07-19 17:49:45 +0000 UTCTotally agree. To be honest at least every episode for me has some highlights, even the worst ones, but again, it’s more about the characters, like little moments like in this episode when they’re watching cartoons, or the previous one when they’re playing poker, and the dialogues, and the humor. It does have some masterpiece episodes though, the season finale for me is it.
Marty
2023-07-19 17:04:45 +0000 UTCTo each their own. I think she's doing fine with her reactions. Yes it can be interesting when a reactor gives their own analysis of what they just watched (although some in my opinion go on for way too long). Ultimately, though, I'm just here to watch other people give honest reactions to a show that has meant so much to me over the years. Anything beyond the reaction itself is just extra. And while deepdive analysis can be great, I wouldn't want it to feel forced.
Steve Quast
2023-07-19 17:01:06 +0000 UTCIt's a shame because, as a concept, having an underground organization like The Initiative was a really interesting idea. If it had been well-executed, season 4 may have been a much better season. Instead, for me, it remains a season which has some really great highlights (I thoroughly enjoy episodes 10-12), but the overall storyline is just kind of a drag. And yeah, Adam is just not a very good villain, although again if done differently, he could have been.
Steve Quast
2023-07-19 16:56:53 +0000 UTCMy favorite part of the episode though gotta be xander trying to make out with buffy thinking it would be a good under cover and they would just blend in in the lab, like why the fuck did he think that would happen😂😂
Marty
2023-07-19 11:49:53 +0000 UTCI don’t care much for this episode, everything with the gang, spike and Tara and willow worked, but I really don’t care about Adam, Riley and this whole initiative thing. Season 4 for me is more about the characters than the actual main storyline, it’s a character study, you can see all of them feeling isolated in some way, or left behind, like Giles feeling not needed anymore and not knowing what do with himself, xander feeling an outsider because all his friends have powers or knowledge about supernatural and go to college, willow trying to define her own person and figuring out who she can be without buffy and the gang and oz, even spike that doesn’t fit in the demon world anymore, and doesn’t exactly belong with the humans either, doesn’t know who he is anymore, he’s evil, it’s his nature but he has been restrained and considered siding with the good guys even though that means going against his own nature, and buffy, who’s been desperately trying to live a normal life since season 1 and struggled and felt out of place over and over, her friends keep her grounded but she’s the slayer after all, she can’t exactly have a normal life, and her slayer nature pushes her to be alone and isolated over and over again as we saw in previous seasons too. Every character has some sort of identity crisis, and that’s what makes season 4 interesting for me.
Marty
2023-07-19 11:43:52 +0000 UTCI agree, I would love to see more of her thoughts, and engage in discussions in the comments, the good thing about this show is that it opens up so many topics and discussions and still to this day. There are literally studies and university thesis about it, because of its deep meaning, taking away the supernatural element the themes explored are universal and timeless, it’s a show that redefined television as it is, that broke barriers, it takes stereotypes and twist them, and it’s more obvious as the show goes on. There has been a lot of scholarly work done on BtVS and the deeper meanings behind each monster, every plot development. So it’s worth the discussion and analysis, and hearing different prospectivez
Marty
2023-07-19 10:37:56 +0000 UTC“I'd say most of us are less interested in watching the show again …” While I’m always interested in any kind of extended critique or analysis, in my case the main reason for being here actually is just to rewatch a favorite show after more than a decade and I enjoy the feeling of watching it together with someone else.
Bernhard
2023-07-19 09:09:10 +0000 UTCHey, recently found and caught up on you're buffy/angel reactions. Really enjoying it but if I could offer some feedback. It would be nice if you spent more time after the episodes discussing you're specific thoughts. Offering analysis on the themes. Giving you're perspective on character developments etc. You tend to spend less than 3 minutes after each episode giving you're thoughts where as a lot of the more successful and interesting reaction channels can spend between 10 and 20 minutes after each episode discussing various aspects of what they just watched. Most of us have watched the show multiple times and watched maybe a dozen or more reactors. I'd say most of us are less interested in watching the show again and more interested in hearing the reactors detailed thoughts and analysis and their personal interpretation of the events of each epsisode. A lot of people like watching these channels as almost like a book club thing or something. We all watch the same thing and then discuss the specifics of it afterwards but if you're leading it and don't offer up any significant thoughts or opinions afterwards its hard to have any kind of robust discussion. For example back in season 2 you ended up disliking a fairly popular villain in drusilla. An interesting take, but all you ever said was you find her annoying. It would have been interesting to get into the particular archetype (the mad prophet, which is a type of character that is generally enjoyed in these kinds of stories. But whereas that character type is usually nueteral they are a villain here) and see why it didn't land for you but you never really went into more detail making it hard to leave detailed commenys. Anyway just a suggestion, loving the actual reaction but would just enjoy more discussion/analysis afterwards. You know give people a reason to leave comments. Nothing will get people to engage faster and more frequently than offering an opinion slightly different from the one they have!
Kyle Junge
2023-07-19 04:10:28 +0000 UTC
