|
|
Post by Clare on Sept 26, 2008 10:51:11 GMT -5
6.05 Life Serial - Episode #105
While Buffy attempts to readjust to life, the nerds secretly test her Slayer abilities.
Review (also post a score out of 10) and discuss this episode.
|
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on May 30, 2009 11:55:31 GMT -5
Life serial was one of the more enjoyable episodes of season 6. I loved the unique structure of the episode, showing each of the scoobies in turn. And the nerds were funny (I admit I laughed when jonathan got out his magic bone), though they sure did take up a lot of time, never before had the villain, even a big bad, had this much screen time during an episode.
There were a few things that didn’t make sense. Like during the time skips when buffy is with tara in college. Apparently tara was talking to buffy for 20 minutes before noticing buffy hadn’t looked up from the art book. And was buffy just standing still outside as all those people walked past?
Then there was that guy who believed a slug candle would be romantic. And kitten poker, who thought that up? The writers seem to have totally abandoned the concept of making demons scary.
This is also the episode that brought us giles’ huge, inexplicable cheque for buffy, demons that turn into horrible CGI blobs when killed, and the revelation that spike is the only person buffy can stand to be around. Despite these things however, the humour and unique structure of this episode made it above average overall. I give it a 6.
|
|
|
|
Post by partcynic on Nov 8, 2010 16:48:01 GMT -5
6x05 “Life Serial”
Episode Rating = 2
Watching this episode again, I’d say that this one has a greater sense of ‘specialness’ than the majority of its siblings, and whereas many S6 eps were unmitigated disasters, “Life Serial” is one that could probably have been really good if it had gotten some extensive rewrites. The bare bones are all there (interesting structure; the main character attempting to find herself; new villains carrying out a tricky plan; roles for all of the supporting players),but the execution is lacking, and ends up letting the side down. Still, “Life Serial” remains the most watchable ep of the season so far, and softens the imminent blow from “All the Way” ever so slightly.
What I Liked about “Life Serial”:
- This is easily the best paced and structured ep of the season. After the last four shows plodded about aimlessly, it was rewarding to have a story that actually went somewhere. Even though there was comparatively little plot, the framing was excellent, utilising the same ‘event per act’ style as “Restless” and “The Body”. This was a huge boon in making the episode entertaining, and prevented it from dragging as horribly as its predecessors.
- I sympathised with and understood Buffy’s lack of direction, and I liked the idea of an episode showing her trying to combat it and failing. Even though she didn’t succeed in ‘fixing’ her life, we got to see the character in a variety of different moods, and the things she learnt came as a result of action rather than chit-chat – definitely a good thing.
- The Buffy/Spike scenes were good, and their interactions are fun to watch. I like that the two have become closer after her resurrection, and enjoy their camaraderie.
- It’s nice to see Giles be there for Buffy, and there was some emotion to his presenting her with the cheque, and her gratitude upon receiving it.
What I Disliked about “Life Serial”:
- As in “Flooded”, too much time was dedicated to the nerds and their repetitive ‘we like Star Wars’ jokes. While I liked that they were actively doing something, little of their dialogue was funny or clever (it all sounds like the kind of thing anyone with a vaguely geeky personality could come up with), and spouted pop culture references in lieu of doing anything interesting. In the early parts of the episode, their scenes were at least connected to the plot, but I generally found that the story slowed down when they were featured, and multiple parts (the Death Star; horn; and the James Bond conversation) were hard to sit through.
- Buffy’s return trip to college didn’t make sense to me. I understand that she was just ‘trying on’ the identity, but wouldn’t her money worries (and mooching friends) automatically preclude that option? If she’s already in severe debt, why compound it by considering returning to university and adding tuition to her list of expenses?
- Warren’s time altering device wasn’t believable within the parameters of the Buffyverse. It seemed like some hybrid mix of magic and technology (which could work), but we got no real explanation as to its effects. Did it work by actually speeding up time, dulling Buffy’s perception of it, or increasing everyone else’s? It was also bizarre that Tara didn’t see anything weird about Buffy apparently being frozen in place for fifteen minutes, and chalked it up to being engrossed in an art book. Knowing Tara’s personality, wouldn’t she have been concerned when it happened again? Why did she head to class instead of making sure Buffy was okay, when for all she knows, this could be a delayed side effect of the resurrection spell?
- At the start of the second act, Buffy tells Xander that Giles suggested the time-slips she experienced were probably due to ‘nerves’. This is both ridiculous and out-of-character – shouldn’t the Scoobs have realised by now that if Buffy believes something supernatural is going on, it probably is? The last two times they doubted her, she was proved right (“Killed By Death”; “Living Conditions”), and it’s not like she’s cried wolf in the past. It’s especially bad knowing that such nonsense is coming from Giles, who should know both Buffy and the supernatural world better than anyone else.
- Andrew summoning demons with panpipes looked silly. It’s not that it’s unbelievable, but I didn’t like how it was done.
- Xander’s behaviour after the demon attack is ludicrous. His insistence that no such thing could happen at his workplace was stupid (the guy’s been aware of the supernatural for over five years, and knows that monsters don’t respect professional boundaries), and firing Buffy was a bad move. Even if the monster fight caused time delays and extra costs, Buffy could help them rectify things (or use her super strength to get them ahead on a different part of the project, freeing up time and men to fix the damage), and do so for free (or have the damages she caused taken from her pay). As I’ve said before, if this season is supposed to be about adulthood, it would be good for the characters to approach things like adults.
- Buffy should have been smarter when dealing with the workers following the demon attack. Knowing that 1) people in Sunnydale usually respond to monsters with denial and 2) the guys are a bunch of obnoxious sexists, she could have come up with something slicker than stating that they were curled up in the corner and crying.
- The spell at the Magic Box is troublesome (as time kept looping inside, but passed normally outside), and it would have been better to avoid replicating the type of trial that was used by Warren, which involved a similar manipulation.
- Why is an animate, expensive mummy hand left out in the open instead of placed in a cage? Wouldn’t that be preferable to it potentially strangling someone or scurrying away?
- Sarah Michelle Gellar’s acting is ropey towards the end of the Magic Box sequence (the awful fake crying).
- Kitten poker was a stupid concept (I miss the days when demons were scary, and not just cheesy comic relief devices), and the joke with Buffy’s ‘blech!’ after drinking was repeated far too often.
- I might be mistaken, but did the nerds’ data collection serve any real purpose? I know they say that they have info on Buffy’s abilities (etc), but did this ever inform their subsequent plans in any meaningful way?
- As is the show’s current tendency, the episode closed with a downer ending (of sorts), and it’s one that wasn’t needed. I didn’t get why Giles was suddenly looking so concerned, and while I know that this is set-up for his eventual departure; it doesn’t make sense for the character. There’s no need for consternation just because Buffy told him that his presence made her feel secure – after all, he’s seen that she’s trying to make things work, and has little reason to believe she’ll use him as a crutch (though even that shouldn’t be a huge issue, since he knows she’s only recently suffered multiple, major traumas, and said himself that they’ve no way of knowing just what happened to her).
Do I like this episode more or less than the last time I watched it?
I actually enjoyed it more, but the bit of extra positivity I felt dissipated when I sat down and thought about its long list of problems. With minimal plot; questionable characterisation; the substitution of pop culture refs and slapstick for wit; and little development, “Life Serial” doesn’t have a huge amount to offer, and a cool structure can only go so far when its content is lacking. I will say that I’d rather watch this again than either “Bargaining” or “After Life”, but neither of those eps are quite as problematic in terms of character behaviour or story. As such, I can’t rate “Life Serial” as their equal, and have thus settled for giving it a two out of ten (albeit a much higher one than for “Flooded”).
|
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Nov 19, 2010 17:56:23 GMT -5
Still, “Life Serial” remains the most watchable ep of the season so far.... This is easily the best paced and structured ep of the season. After the last four shows plodded about aimlessly, it was rewarding to have a story that actually went somewhere. Even though there was comparatively little plot, the framing was excellent, utilising the same ‘event per act’ style as “Restless” and “The Body”. This was a huge boon in making the episode entertaining, and prevented it from dragging as horribly as its predecessors. Agreed. The unique structure of this episode is the best thing about it. - Warren’s time altering device wasn’t believable within the parameters of the Buffyverse. It seemed like some hybrid mix of magic and technology (which could work), but we got no real explanation as to its effects. Did it work by actually speeding up time, dulling Buffy’s perception of it, or increasing everyone else’s? It was also bizarre that Tara didn’t see anything weird about Buffy apparently being frozen in place for fifteen minutes, and chalked it up to being engrossed in an art book. Knowing Tara’s personality, wouldn’t she have been concerned when it happened again? Why did she head to class instead of making sure Buffy was okay, when for all she knows, this could be a delayed side effect of the resurrection spell? It's best to just turn your brain off.  - At the start of the second act, Buffy tells Xander that Giles suggested the time-slips she experienced were probably due to ‘nerves’. This is both ridiculous and out-of-character – shouldn’t the Scoobs have realised by now that if Buffy believes something supernatural is going on, it probably is? The last two times they doubted her, she was proved right (“Killed By Death”; “Living Conditions”), and it’s not like she’s cried wolf in the past. It’s especially bad knowing that such nonsense is coming from Giles, who should know both Buffy and the supernatural world better than anyone else. Good point. Though it's entirely possible buffy didn't accurately explain what happened to her. It's not like she knew there was a time-altering spell affecting her. - Xander’s behaviour after the demon attack is ludicrous. ....and firing Buffy was a bad move. I didn't think he fired her, I thought he just let her know that his boss would have fired her, or he was told to tell her. I didn't think he had the authority yet to fire people. - The spell at the Magic Box is troublesome (as time kept looping inside, but passed normally outside), and it would have been better to avoid replicating the type of trial that was used by Warren, which involved a similar manipulation. I did like how they pointed out that this kind of story had been done before on TNG and the X files. It was also done on groundhog day and a few other tv shows, I liked that they drew attention to the cliche. But yeah, another time-manipulation test after we already had one was a bit repetitive. The first test should have been something else. And I thought the whole world was looping, except for buffy and the trio. If the outside was normal, how could that lady keep walking into the shop? - Why is an animate, expensive mummy hand left out in the open instead of placed in a cage? Wouldn’t that be preferable to it potentially strangling someone or scurrying away? I thought the hand was part of the test, like the trio took it out of it's cage, or put a spell on it to make it alive, or something. - Kitten poker was a stupid concept (I miss the days when demons were scary, and not just cheesy comic relief devices) Agreed. - I might be mistaken, but did the nerds’ data collection serve any real purpose? I know they say that they have info on Buffy’s abilities (etc), but did this ever inform their subsequent plans in any meaningful way? Nope. And if they wanted to see what her strengths and weaknesses were, they could have just watched her with the cameras they put everywhere. ...... I stand by my 6. It's one of the most watchable episodes this season. |
|
|
|
Post by partcynic on Nov 22, 2010 13:51:25 GMT -5
Agreed. Yes. The episode didn't even try to have it make sense. To be fair, I don't think the guy knew what the candles' scents were - that's why he asked for help. Oh yes. How's it inexplicable? He's a single guy who lives on his own, with no wife or dependents. He seems to have always had a decent amount of money (enough so that his being unemployed throughout S4 caused him no financial problems whatsoever, and that he was still able to splash out on a sports car at the start of S5). He's also got the profits from the Magic Box, and got given a bumper paycheque post-"Checkpoint" when Buffy had him reinstated as a Watcher with his salary made payable back to "Helpless" - a good two year's worth in one sweep. I doubt he'd fritter away the money, so why not use it to help out the woman he considers his daughter, who is going through a very tough time? Improved.  I'm sure she could say that something weird seemed to be happening with time. Even if Giles thought it was strange, the fact that he knows a mercenary demon was sent after her last episode should prompt him to listen to what she said, instead of just dismissing it. I'm pretty sure he is the boss, or at least the head of the current project. And he indeed fired her - he just doesn't say the exact words. That makes it even harder to believe. If everyone in the world was looping, then Jonathon must have quite some power - enough to do a Dark Willow of his own. Good point. |
|
|
|
Post by cyclica on Dec 12, 2010 17:52:54 GMT -5
How's it inexplicable? He's a single guy who lives on his own, with no wife or dependents. He seems to have always had a decent amount of money (enough so that his being unemployed throughout S4 caused him no financial problems whatsoever, and that he was still able to splash out on a sports car at the start of S5). He's also got the profits from the Magic Box, and got given a bumper paycheque post- "Checkpoint" when Buffy had him reinstated as a Watcher with his salary made payable back to "Helpless" - a good two year's worth in one sweep. I doubt he'd fritter away the money, so why not use it to help out the woman he considers his daughter, who is going through a very tough time? I keep forgetting about the retroactive pay from Checkpoint. I still find it odd that an 'unemployed' man is able to financially support not only one person, but everyone living in that house, since buffy was made responsible for everyone's bills. I guess being a watcher must be an extremely well paid job. Improved.  I'm pretty sure he is the boss, or at least the head of the current project. And he indeed fired her - he just doesn't say the exact words. But he's by far the youngest one there. And besides, it's xander. I still don't get what makes you think he's the guy in charge. |
|
|
|
Post by partcynic on Dec 14, 2010 13:51:38 GMT -5
Why would youth impede his being in charge? And yes, it's Xander, but we were shown back in "The Replacement" that his old bosses were highly impressed by his skill on the job, and they even asked him to lead a future project:
BOSS: I was thinking that I'd have you head up our interior carpentry crew... see how it goes. It's more responsibility, but the pay is better.
I'm more surprised that you don't think he has some sort of leadership/management role there. If he didn't have some sort of sway, how on earth would he have convinced the bosses to let a 20-year-old young woman with no construction experience (and who doesn't look particularly physically strong or possess any job-relevant skills) temp there?
|
|
