I apparently like "Anne" a lot more than fandom does - and in fact I might even love it (1/?))

[red_satin_doll]

The first time I watched "Anne" a few months back (which I apparently enjoy more than the general fandom does?  With possible exception of norwie2010, I dare say) I remember seeing a blink-and-you'll miss it image of Buffy with a hammer and sickle and thought "Did I just see what I thought I saw?"



I didn't take it to mean that JW was espousing communism, but in the context of the imprisoned workers throwing off their masters in the factory, it was simply a clever steal and a bit of a joke.  (Or painfully obvious and on the nose, depending on your POV.) But I still love that ridiculously and I think Buffy's fight in that factory is one of her most awesome, kick-ass battles in the entire series. I hadn't been able to find a screencap of that moment until today, from http://twitter.com/whedonesque/

Of course there's the emotional context of the episode, that of Buffy is fighting to reclaim her identity after the tragedy/trauma of Becoming: "I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer.  And you are?" SMG is wonderful in that episode, parsing through all the layers of Buffy's emotions: numbness, grief and despair giving way to fierce determination, hope and love, leaving behind a self-imposed hermitage to reconnect with friends and family. "Anne" packs into a single episode what Season 6 takes 22 episodes to unspool; the final image of Joyce embracing her prodigal daughter will be called back in Buffy and Dawn's embrace in "Grave".

Glorious Buffy, indeed. (With apologies to norwie for stealing the phrase, and to readerjane for finding the photo.)



I have so much love for this episode I cannot contain it to one post, so....Part two of my "Anne" meta HERE.

Comments

[infinitewhale.livejournal.com]

I never see Anne talked about much.

I quite like it. It's not perfect, but the Buffy sections of it are pretty great, IMO. What I've always noticed is the way it sort of undermines Buffy's opinion of herself demonstrated through the rest of the series (until S7). The scene where she automatically darts out in front of the car in particular.

I agree with Norwie; I think it works a lot better than its mirror ep at the end in GD, but that could be because the High School=Hell stuff never worked very much for me.

[red-satin-doll.livejournal.com]

it sort of undermines Buffy's opinion of herself demonstrated through the rest of the series (until S7). The scene where she automatically darts out in front of the car in particular.

I just watched Him again, which is another one I quite like, though it's not as deep as Anne; more light and frothy, and Buffy isn't depressed but she's under a love spell (and in the Buffyverse, being bespelled and being depressed are much the same things in terms of cognitive impairment); and similarly her love for Dawn and her instincts override the spell and she saves Dawn from the train tracks.

I agree with Norwie; I think it works a lot better than its mirror ep at the end in GD, but that could be because the High School=Hell stuff never worked very much for me.

The tone of the show shifted so profoundly from PG on, and esp with Passions, that I think they were never able to really go back to the "high school is hell and we're playing with horror and high school movie tropes" in the same way again. It became a genuine drama and character study, rather than a tongue-in-cheek homage. So that's probably part of it.

ON the other hand, they seemed to have a better handle on the high school setting than college (as in S7, where the high school setting felt more confident again); maybe that's because there are few movies about college, and high school has a limited and restricted setting where everyone does the same thing every day; college is more about options and choices and is more chaotic on a storytelling level.