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Buffy-Verse Guilty Pleasures, Part 3
Continued from Buffy-Verse Guilty Pleasures Part 1 and Part 2.
I just want everyone to know: It's a hoot to see everyone share their shameful Buffy loves. You've got me giggling and nodding along. We all have some sekrit shames. YAY!
This one will probably have you looking at me a little weird, because "The Replacement" is actually a well-liked episode. But a guilty pleasure is kind of a personal thing. "The Replacement" is a guilty pleasure for me because I actually don't like it as much as many people do. You might say I like it despite itself.
See, I loved this episode when the show was called Red Dwarf and the episode was called "Confidence and Paranoia." "The Replacement," while good, is a very pale immitation of true comedic genius.
ETA: To see a 10-minute clip from Confidence and Paranoia, check out this post.
So, for now, I'll just have to give you a taste with this little earworm from YouTube. It's a little number called Tongue Tied:
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I blame![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
janedavitt for planting this earworm in me earlier today and I also thank her for pointing me to software that let me rip "Confidence and Paranoia."
Anyway, on to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode"Confidence and Paranoia" "The Replacement."
S5: The Replacement
I hate to say it, but the second I saw rubber-Xander waking up in the dump, I immediately figured out that it was more a case of Lister's Mutated Germs and less a case of Good!Kirk and Bad!Kirk. In fact, whenever they focused on Confident Xander, I would yell at the television screen in my best Rimmer voice, "Where's Paranoia?"
I so wanted Confident Xander to declare somewhere near the end, "Oxygen is for losers!" It would've made the whole episode for me.
As a result, I had and still have a hard time dealing with the episode on its own merits, despite the fact that everyone is on their comedic game.
NB in his dual role (with help from his not-exactly-identical twin Kelly) acquited himself pretty well. He pulled off Paranoia Xander to a T — which is not surprising since up until S6 he did play the "funny one" in the Scooby gang. What I had a hard time dealing with is that Paranoia Xander acted so much like an anime cartoon for so much of the episode that when the pathos started coming in, I had a pretty difficult time actually buying it.
NB was was also proficient at playing Confident Xander with a touch of creepy, obviously so the audience would either think he was Toth or that Xander had been split into good and evil. Well, it sort of worked, but I don't think in the way it was intented. Confident Xander apparantly doesn't have much of humor, and what there is of it is kind of on the mean side. That, more than anything, is what what creeped me out about him.
What's also interesting (to me) about this episode is that there's a lot in here that's actually very sad, but you wouldn't know it if you didn't have the character of Riley reacting to or commenting on it. MB actually pulls off a subtle job for most of the episode, until his closing confession to Xander which sounded like he was reading off cue cards. For example, in the opening scene in the basement when Xander's parents come home and have a drunken fight, Xander covers up with bitter jokes, Anya looks uncomfortable, and Buffy is engrossed in the kung fu movie. Only Riley keeps looking up and then at Xander with this expression of both horror and sympathy, like he has no idea what to do. Then later when he's with the gang while Xander scouts apartments, Riley is being a buddy and joking around.
Awwwwww.
I still like Spike in this episode while he struggles with his crush on Buffy by setting up and beating up a blonde mannequin. Ahhh, Spike. Back when you still had your balls and were bad. I miss you, man.
Even Willow is not-annoying and, in fact, raises yet another red flag of Xander-and-Anya-are-doomed by pointing out that Paranoia Xander had just spent the day watching Confident Xander take away his life and doesn't even think of Anya (in fact, she's the last thing Paranoia Xander worries about) until after dark. Worse, the first words out of Xander's mouth isn't that he loves her, but that he "needs" her. I hate to say it, but I'm on Willow's side here.
However, I have to say the Scooby scenes are great and full of banter. Riley gets in a few really good lines and pulls them off well enough that he made me laugh at least three times in the episode. Buffy is at her healthiest and Slayer best, even though the fight scenes can't hold a candle to earlier seasons. We get a brief glimpse of how Xander and Willow used to be best friends. And Xander gets an apartment that I'd take in a heartbeat.
The disappointments: MB's ability to play serious or pathos falls flat when compared to his better skills at either playing the straight man or coming out with the witty bon mot. Once more, we have evidence that Buffy's boyfriends have better chemistry with her friends than with her. And finally, this is the episode that pretty much convinced me that while NB can do comedy, he needs to be put on a pretty tight leash to keep him from stepping a little bit too much into cartoonville. IMHO, he's better with the quick line when he's grounded in drama. Hell, he's better at drama, period.
The Interesting: Is it me? Or does Confident Xander actually have some of Xander's worst traits? His tendency toward being controlling was definitely brought to the fore in this version. I also thought he was slightly condescending when he dealt with other people, which is generally not a Xander trait.
The Hunh: This is the episode that does mark a slight change in Xander's characterization, too. In seasons 1 through 4, he was more "pop culture sponge" who could pretty much regurgitate everything from Freud to movie lines at a moment's notice. In this episode, Xander is subtly turned into SciFi geek with the comic book collection (beievable) and the Babylon 5 commemorative plates (not so much, especially since such plates did not and do not exist).
However, the biggest problem of all I had with this episode, like I said above, was that I never for a second thought that Confident Xander was Toth (which is what the characters thought, but I don't think the audience bought it even when the episode was in the middle of airing) nor did I think for one second that Confident Xander was Evil Xander. I'm not sure if it's because something Red Dwarf-y about the whole set-up pinged off my skull almost from the start. I'm just kind of curious what you thought at the time, since I wasn't all that involved in the online portion of Buffy fandom yet beyond the Televison Without Pity (then called Mighty Big TV) recaps.
And now it's time to play...spot the plot hole!
So, Xander's been at his construction job for three months. He's pretty sure he's going to get laid off, but instead he's offered a permanent position. That's fine as far as that goes. However, we are told in the episode that his employers figured out that he had lied on his resume. In the real world, especially a job like construction where there's potential safety issues, it's not very likely that day laborer Xander would be offered a full-time position. Worse, in the episode he's offered a position of straw boss for the interior carpentry crew, despite the fact that his experience in construction is limited and he lied on his resume.
Say it with me, "Bwuh?"
The ME writers apparently know as much about the building trades as they do the military. There's a training, licensing, and insurance track that needs to be followed. They've also never worked in a union shop. Someone like Xander who is so new to the trades would never be promoted over someone who'd been there longer. Can you say union grievance, boys and girls? And know what? The union would be right here.
The only way this could possibly be fanwanked is if Xander was preternaturally good at carpentry (possible), if Xander kept outliving all the other viable candidates (this is Sunnydale, so possible), if the construction company was hiring him for that position because he was cheaper than someone with more experience (less likely, but still possible), and if he wasn't working in a union shop (not at all possible, especially since Xander mentions the union on his worksite in S6).
I'll be over here in the corner. Grinding my teeth.
And what have we learned from today's episode? There are better ways to play with yourself.
What, you don't think I'm done with these, right? Because this is actually a lot of fun.
I just want everyone to know: It's a hoot to see everyone share their shameful Buffy loves. You've got me giggling and nodding along. We all have some sekrit shames. YAY!
This one will probably have you looking at me a little weird, because "The Replacement" is actually a well-liked episode. But a guilty pleasure is kind of a personal thing. "The Replacement" is a guilty pleasure for me because I actually don't like it as much as many people do. You might say I like it despite itself.
See, I loved this episode when the show was called Red Dwarf and the episode was called "Confidence and Paranoia." "The Replacement," while good, is a very pale immitation of true comedic genius.
ETA: To see a 10-minute clip from Confidence and Paranoia, check out this post.
So, for now, I'll just have to give you a taste with this little earworm from YouTube. It's a little number called Tongue Tied:
I blame
janedavitt for planting this earworm in me earlier today and I also thank her for pointing me to software that let me rip "Confidence and Paranoia." Anyway, on to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode
S5: The Replacement
I hate to say it, but the second I saw rubber-Xander waking up in the dump, I immediately figured out that it was more a case of Lister's Mutated Germs and less a case of Good!Kirk and Bad!Kirk. In fact, whenever they focused on Confident Xander, I would yell at the television screen in my best Rimmer voice, "Where's Paranoia?"
I so wanted Confident Xander to declare somewhere near the end, "Oxygen is for losers!" It would've made the whole episode for me.
As a result, I had and still have a hard time dealing with the episode on its own merits, despite the fact that everyone is on their comedic game.
NB in his dual role (with help from his not-exactly-identical twin Kelly) acquited himself pretty well. He pulled off Paranoia Xander to a T — which is not surprising since up until S6 he did play the "funny one" in the Scooby gang. What I had a hard time dealing with is that Paranoia Xander acted so much like an anime cartoon for so much of the episode that when the pathos started coming in, I had a pretty difficult time actually buying it.
NB was was also proficient at playing Confident Xander with a touch of creepy, obviously so the audience would either think he was Toth or that Xander had been split into good and evil. Well, it sort of worked, but I don't think in the way it was intented. Confident Xander apparantly doesn't have much of humor, and what there is of it is kind of on the mean side. That, more than anything, is what what creeped me out about him.
What's also interesting (to me) about this episode is that there's a lot in here that's actually very sad, but you wouldn't know it if you didn't have the character of Riley reacting to or commenting on it. MB actually pulls off a subtle job for most of the episode, until his closing confession to Xander which sounded like he was reading off cue cards. For example, in the opening scene in the basement when Xander's parents come home and have a drunken fight, Xander covers up with bitter jokes, Anya looks uncomfortable, and Buffy is engrossed in the kung fu movie. Only Riley keeps looking up and then at Xander with this expression of both horror and sympathy, like he has no idea what to do. Then later when he's with the gang while Xander scouts apartments, Riley is being a buddy and joking around.
Awwwwww.
I still like Spike in this episode while he struggles with his crush on Buffy by setting up and beating up a blonde mannequin. Ahhh, Spike. Back when you still had your balls and were bad. I miss you, man.
Even Willow is not-annoying and, in fact, raises yet another red flag of Xander-and-Anya-are-doomed by pointing out that Paranoia Xander had just spent the day watching Confident Xander take away his life and doesn't even think of Anya (in fact, she's the last thing Paranoia Xander worries about) until after dark. Worse, the first words out of Xander's mouth isn't that he loves her, but that he "needs" her. I hate to say it, but I'm on Willow's side here.
However, I have to say the Scooby scenes are great and full of banter. Riley gets in a few really good lines and pulls them off well enough that he made me laugh at least three times in the episode. Buffy is at her healthiest and Slayer best, even though the fight scenes can't hold a candle to earlier seasons. We get a brief glimpse of how Xander and Willow used to be best friends. And Xander gets an apartment that I'd take in a heartbeat.
The disappointments: MB's ability to play serious or pathos falls flat when compared to his better skills at either playing the straight man or coming out with the witty bon mot. Once more, we have evidence that Buffy's boyfriends have better chemistry with her friends than with her. And finally, this is the episode that pretty much convinced me that while NB can do comedy, he needs to be put on a pretty tight leash to keep him from stepping a little bit too much into cartoonville. IMHO, he's better with the quick line when he's grounded in drama. Hell, he's better at drama, period.
The Interesting: Is it me? Or does Confident Xander actually have some of Xander's worst traits? His tendency toward being controlling was definitely brought to the fore in this version. I also thought he was slightly condescending when he dealt with other people, which is generally not a Xander trait.
The Hunh: This is the episode that does mark a slight change in Xander's characterization, too. In seasons 1 through 4, he was more "pop culture sponge" who could pretty much regurgitate everything from Freud to movie lines at a moment's notice. In this episode, Xander is subtly turned into SciFi geek with the comic book collection (beievable) and the Babylon 5 commemorative plates (not so much, especially since such plates did not and do not exist).
However, the biggest problem of all I had with this episode, like I said above, was that I never for a second thought that Confident Xander was Toth (which is what the characters thought, but I don't think the audience bought it even when the episode was in the middle of airing) nor did I think for one second that Confident Xander was Evil Xander. I'm not sure if it's because something Red Dwarf-y about the whole set-up pinged off my skull almost from the start. I'm just kind of curious what you thought at the time, since I wasn't all that involved in the online portion of Buffy fandom yet beyond the Televison Without Pity (then called Mighty Big TV) recaps.
And now it's time to play...spot the plot hole!
So, Xander's been at his construction job for three months. He's pretty sure he's going to get laid off, but instead he's offered a permanent position. That's fine as far as that goes. However, we are told in the episode that his employers figured out that he had lied on his resume. In the real world, especially a job like construction where there's potential safety issues, it's not very likely that day laborer Xander would be offered a full-time position. Worse, in the episode he's offered a position of straw boss for the interior carpentry crew, despite the fact that his experience in construction is limited and he lied on his resume.
Say it with me, "Bwuh?"
The ME writers apparently know as much about the building trades as they do the military. There's a training, licensing, and insurance track that needs to be followed. They've also never worked in a union shop. Someone like Xander who is so new to the trades would never be promoted over someone who'd been there longer. Can you say union grievance, boys and girls? And know what? The union would be right here.
The only way this could possibly be fanwanked is if Xander was preternaturally good at carpentry (possible), if Xander kept outliving all the other viable candidates (this is Sunnydale, so possible), if the construction company was hiring him for that position because he was cheaper than someone with more experience (less likely, but still possible), and if he wasn't working in a union shop (not at all possible, especially since Xander mentions the union on his worksite in S6).
I'll be over here in the corner. Grinding my teeth.
And what have we learned from today's episode? There are better ways to play with yourself.
What, you don't think I'm done with these, right? Because this is actually a lot of fun.
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When I'm done cursing you for reviving the ear worm I'd just about managed to squish ::glares::
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This makes me wish I'd somehow watched the episode with you, because I'd have been in that helpless laughter state where no actual noise (and very little air--oxygen is for losers, after all!) comes out.
(And Jane, curse her, has me remembering that I need Red Dwarf icons. After all, I own most of the DVDs, four novels, a script book or two, The Man in the Rubber Mask, and a handful of pledge drive shirts from my local PBS station.)
(If there were collectable plates for Red Dwarf, I'd probably have them.)
if he wasn't working in a union shop (not at all possible, especially since Xander mentions the union on his worksite in S6).
::waves hand frantically:: Maybe it became union over the summer?
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And oooo, I have the DVDs up to S6, but I have no idea how to rip them. I could do it, if you could point me to a little program that'll let me, I'd be most grateful. :-)
By the way, YouTube has both the first and second U.S. Red Dwarf pilots. Ahhh, Internet! I love you.
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(Actually, one of my Guilty Pleasures thing is the way MB delivers "But she doesn't love me." He does it so simply, so beautifully, so plainly. And then it's just cut to black. I already liked Reilly -- and hated what happened to him later -- and that moment just sealed it for me. Even if it did lead to the Buffy As Emotionally Closed-Off Woman and It's Her Fault stupid-ass plotline.)
Yeah. I'll be over here, in the corner. By myself.
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But I like Riley, just... not his storyline.
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I only have a trial version of this one which lets me rip ten mins at a time; which is plenty for vids where you only need a few seonds or so for each bit.
http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/Multimedia_and_Graphics/Misc__Sound_Tools/AoA_DVD_Ripper.html
It's worked great for me; you put the DVD in, load it, select the 'clip' option and input the exact bit of the DVD you want to copy. Warning; what Real Player etc say is the time doesn't always match up exactly so you need to allow for that.
Then I import it into Windows Movie Maker which comes free with Windows and cut it to exactly what I want, save it, load it into YSI or similar and post the link.
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Honestly, I still watch the episode and shout, "Where's Paranoia?"
Of course, now, when Paranoia Xander wakes up in the dump, I also say, "They're germs, Lister, and they're dangerous!"
Ooohhhh, I was such a Red Dwarf geek myself. I hung out of the Usenet newsgroup back in the day and discussed this show seven ways to Sunday. I read all the books (I still own the first two), I read Man in the Rubber Mask, I would tape the Red Dwarf marathons back in the day.
I'm so with you and Jane on the geek-y Red Dwarf love.
By the way, the icon I'm using is gakable if you want it. Just credit
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*does the Snoopy dance then looks for toast*
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*is guilty of having Tongue Tied on her iPod*
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I have Son of Soup, Better Than Life, Red Dwarf and Last Human.
Do so love this show :;pets it:;
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But I was in the middle of the whole Hugh Laurie paradigm shifting without a clutch (I can't believe I Dilbert quoted) at the time, as well as pregnant, so it mightn't have been that amusing outside my head.
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sigh. I liked THAT Riley.
(I so, so, so hated the Physically Strong/Emotionally Closed-Off Woman storyline. I hate it every time I see it elsewhere, and it just did not belong on Buffy.)
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I remember sitting for hours with my remote control, pausing record for pledge breaks on my precious little tapes with each new series the station got in. (I did it for Black Adder, as well. As my tapes were lost long ago, I'm very glad for DVDs.)
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....recently, they've now been doing How To Get Wealthy marathons during pledge week. sigh. At least it isn't Deepak Chopra.
stoke me a clipper
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Did that storyline actually end?
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Then again, ME never seemed able to make up its mind whether love was going to redeem Spike, whether or not Spike was redeemable, or he was some kind of Evil Thing and his love was some sick obsession. I think the Riley storyline might've been redeemed (ha) if it had been more like Liz said -- the inevitable end of the college romance, where you deeply care for and even love the other person but it's not Forever. Esp since it would have made a nice contrast with the Angel/Buffy Forever huge romance. (And it also pissed me off some that Angel apparently got that, with Nina, in his series, but Buffy was never allowed to have a normal love life.)
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I watched a really funny episode "Beyond A Joke" on YouTube. And somewhere, I have a Red Dwarf T-shirt: You have been Judged!
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To me, this scene pretty much defines the later issues that drive Spike to get a soul. He can *try* to be something, but he's just incapable of doing it. The demon part of him is sabotaging his every promise to Buffy, his every expectation of himself. He can say stuff like 'I don't hurt you.' and, IMO, he *means it* completely, and *believes* that he can be that sort of person.
And every time, it turns out to be a lie, and while Xander can sit back and snark, 'Spike betrayed us!! Oh, never mind, I can't even *pretend* to be surprised...' Spike himself *is* surprised.
He's hidden behind the 'I'm evil!' excuse for so long that he's never admitted to himself that he's not capable of making a promise, or being the sort of man he's always thought he was.
[quote] Worse, in the episode he's offered a position of straw boss for the interior carpentry crew, despite the fact that his experience in construction is limited and he lied on his resume. [/quote]
They play it pretty fast and loose in Hollywood, and, frankly, I don't think that intellectualist Joss would hold the average construction worker in high esteem...
Apparently, NB's own resume (CV? whatever) was a complete work of fiction, and here he lands the 'leading man' role on a show that lasts seven years. I'm sure it didn't occur to the writers that construction unions might have stricter work / employment ethics than they do. :)
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That opening sequence makes me absolutely cringe. Not because it's bad, but because I feel Xander's pain. It's a double ow when he tries to emulate Riley rubbing Buffy's shoulders and gets the pained response from Anya. Damn it woman, you're making me think things about Xander/Anya I didn't want to. :)
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I've always enjoyed The Replacement as a fun, standalone. And, of course, The Snoopy Dance. Classic. That one scene brilliantly demonstrated the uniqueness of Xander and his deep relationship with Willow. One of the things that got lost in the later seasons was their special vibe. Through season 5, I was a devout W/X shipper. Ah well. Count me one of the four.
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I love fan explanations for writers screw ups... they're always fun and whacked out.
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It was? I always thought it was just another follow-up of the insecure-Xander plots they'd been repeating since the success of The Zeppo.
A nice episode, but didn't expect it to be liked that much.
And you just made me realize it aired exact 2 years before I got involved in the internet department of the shows.
[i]
However, the biggest problem of all I had with this episode, like I said above, was that I never for a second thought that Confident Xander was Toth (which is what the characters thought
[/i]
Huh? The
characters thought Xander was Toth? Wow, you learn something new every day! And I thought I knew all the trivia of the show. :-P
[i] Confident Xander apparantly doesn't have much of humor, and what there is of it is kind of on the mean side. That, more than anything, is what what creeped me out about him.
...
For example, in the opening scene in the basement when Xander's parents come home and have a drunken fight, Xander covers up with bitter jokes, Anya looks uncomfortable, and Buffy is engrossed in the kung fu movie- ...
[/i]
It's interesting that you bring this up, because I felt that
between season 3 and season 5 (I guess it was in S4 though I don't notice it in that season) the humor in Buffy started shifed from verbal (insults aka quick witt)to physical (public embaresment).
[i] Even Willow is not-annoying and, in fact, raises yet another red flag of Xander-and-Anya-are-doomed by pointing out that Paranoia Xander had just spent the day watching Confident Xander take away his life and doesn't even think of Anya (in fact, she's the last thing Paranoia Xander worries about) until after dark. Worse, the first words out of Xander's mouth isn't that he loves her, but that he "needs" her. I hate to say it, but I'm on Willow's side here.
[/i]
Funny, because it is (in retrospect) the first episode where I began to understand (Like? accept?) the purpose of Anya in X/A.
Willow loved Clumsy!Xander (and indeed he goes to her in the episode), Cordelia liked the Confident!Xander version (the one that gets Anya and still flirts with his landlady), Buffy was interested in neither, but Anya wanted to sleep with both.
-> the movie methaphore of: 'Anya accepts him completely as he is'
I also think it's completely in character for him: He thinks about his friends first, and for himself only at last. So he believes that the 'new' Xander is better for his friends so he has no objections about stepping aside.
But Anya is only there for him, and he doesn't think about her (himself)
untill he realises he'd be giving up her (his own happyness) as well
And to relevate the term 'needing her by putting it in perspective:
I think by then Xander has learned from his experience that a girl does not need to be with him for him to love her (Buffy, Willow, Cordy), but loving like that won't fullfill his need to be appreciated for what he does for them; that's where Anya comes in.