Gosh, that last post was a lot of rambling. Sorry about that. I'm still trying to put together my thoughts for the finale (sniff!), but at some point (eventurally), I'll post them here.

This past weekend, Anne and I drove down to LA to visit Justin and Brian. We pretty much did jack shit - Justin purchased an ice cream machine the day before, so most of the time, we just sat around the apartment with Sonia and Carrie, constantly drinking champagne, making and eating ice cream and bread. Oh, and cheese, of course. Isn't that awesome? Although, if it hadn't been overcast, I would've insisted on going to the beach. We did manage to leave the apartment twice (other than walking Rusty the dog). On Sunday, we moseyed on down to the Third Street Promenade and window shopped, but on Saturday... well, on Saturday, after a trip to the Cheese Store, Anne and I uh, ventured out to Hollywood and uh... enjoyed a Ghost of the Robot show at the Knitting Factory. I was kinda ashamed to fess up to purchasing tickets beforehand, but you know, we actually had a pretty good time. When Zack learned of our plans, he shook his head and tsked me. Justin raised his eyebrows, and gave me his "you've got to be shitting me" laugh. Not that I blame either of them. But you know, they weren't nearly as bad as I thought they would be. Then again, I was expecting them to be nails-on-a-chalkboard-have-to-leave-the-room-godawful heinous. And the libations consumed before, after and during probably helped. Yes, it's Spike's band. Kinda like a poor man's (or woman's) Dogstar. Yes, there were mostly female Buffy fans in attendance. I suspect some may have been throwing uhhh... articles of clothing on stage. There were only about 4 men... and they all had bleached hair. No, he can't sing. But he tries. It was actually kinda endearing. He seemed really embarrassed and shy about all the female attention and screaming. One of the bandmembers brought up the insanity of the ebay auction, and he actually ducked behind the bassist to hide. Okay, it was really endearing. Throughout the show, Anne and I kept turning to each other and giggling. "Look! It's Spike! He's not really dead! He looks exactly the same as he does on Buffy! Wow, he's really 41? He's rocking out. God, he can't sing, can he? Geez, he's really kinda dorky... but it's kinda cute!"

After the show, we teased the shit out of each other about it. "You have a crush on him! You looooove him. You looooove Spike!" "Shut up! I sooooo do not! It's you! You want to marry him and have his babies!" Of course, the gin and tonics we pounded during the show probably contributed to our maturity level and state of mind, but sod it all, we had a blast. We wound up purchasing the cd and t-shirts ("they need water and new drumsticks!), and would consider seeing them again, but not for more than 15 bucks. ('Cause if it's 20 bucks, that's like, a show and a drink!)

"Into every generation, a Slayer is born. One girl, in all the world, a Chosen One. One born with the strength and skill to hunt the vampires..."
Oh no, here she goes again... (c'mon, you didn't really think I'd let today pass without saying anything other than some idiotic blurb, didja?)
Today is a sad day for television. If you've been keeping up with the popular media, and if you've interacted with me at all you know why. Tonight, the last episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer ends. Most people, unless they're fellow Buffyphiles, write off the show as some Saved By the Bell/Dawson's Creek/X-Files abomination. With a name like "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", it's not hard to figure out why. I've already written a paean to the show, but since there are so many aspects to it that I love, I can't help but write another. It's show that's changed television. Huh? you ask, scratching your head. A low-ranking cult show, that began on the WB then moved to UPN as an influential show? Yes, that's right. Without Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there would never have been Alias and Dark Angel, or even (shudder) Charmed and Birds of Prey. Sure, there was Charlie's Angels, the Bionic Woman and Wonder Woman before her, but the show was never simply about "hot chicks with superpowers". Joss Whedon (the show's creator) took the notion of the helpless female victim in a horror story, imbued her with superpowers and presented her as a post-feminist role model. She was no one-dimensional latex-clad Amazonian on a pedestal, but a tiny blond Valley girl armed with a razor-sharp wit and a gaggle of geeky friends and a desire to fit in.
" It's always different. It's always complicated and at some point someone
has to draw a line and that is always going to be me. You get down on me for cutting myself off, but in the end the Slayer's always cut off. There's no mystical guidebook, no all-
knowing council -- human rules don't apply and Father doesn't know best. There's only me. I am the Law.”
Whedon doesn't allow his blond Valley girl to simply be an idealized female role model. The nature of power, what it means for a woman to be empowered, and how it changes an her comes into play. Slayers typically have short life spans - it's the nature of the gig, but Buffy has been able to succeed where her predecessors have failed. When crunch time came, it was her friends that pulled her through, and her friends that kept her grounded. (The bonds of family and friendship is an aspect of the show to explore... another day) Despite her ties to the world, her calling still separates from her friends. As the Chosen One, and the one with the power, Buffy must lead the group, make the hard and sometimes heartbreaking decisions, then pay the price for her mistakes. For the most part, she been able to make the right choice - she's never been one to abuse her status as Slayer for her own means. This season, however, when confronted with failure to protect those around her, she isolates herself further, unable to open up to her friends. They recognize this isolation, and even force her to relinquish her leadership. But when they needed her, she took charge again and came to their rescue, but she did not assign blame.
"It's about power."
This season's premiere was bookended with the above quote, and several of the past season's episodes have dealt with
issues of power intermingled with the isolation of the Slayer. In her most candid moments, she admitted that the power she wielded resulted in a superiority complex, and cutting herself off from those around her. I found this to be poignantly ironic, given that she started at Sunnydale High School with a wish to belong, and to fit in with other kids. Now that she has been reinstated as their leader, Buffy, with her friends and potential Slayers behind her, faces off against their most dangerous foe. I can't wait to see how she uses that power.

Last Buffy ever. Cannot cope.

Yes Jen, I totally hear you about Buffy. And the speech - sigh. Sniff. But you know there's gonna be angst and heartbreak, especially if Joss is at the helm.