6.07: Once More, With Feeling

[obcooke]

[little smaug: I was very impressed at how good Emma, Amber and James were...]

Quite right. I especially liked watching Emma, besides being a real looker in a two-piece outfit, she moved very gracefully. I've watched this episode a bunch of time and she just moves like a dancer. If you get to see it again, watch her in the scene where Buffy sings and Anya & Tara back her up. It's a little embarrassing how much more fluid she moves than The Slayer. It's a very striking comparison.

You know we haven't talked a lot about the dancing in this show. The singing always gets the comments. But, I thought that Michelle did a good job considering her young age. She looked like a dance student in a recital, not a fully-trained stepper, but she definately has potential.

But it was kind of nice seeing her get a chance even though she isn't completely polished. All dancing on TV is so perfect, it's good to see some enthusiastic amateurs. It also reminds us just how much hard work and practice it can take to make it look easy.

[little smaug: ...and when Giles sang... I thought that was just so sweet.]

Yeah, I have a real weak spot for Giles, as if you can't tell from the picture at left. Maybe its just because I'm a little older, but he's my fav of the regulars - the coolest of the Scoobies.

[little smaug: And the kiss! Oh my god! ]

The question being, does it stop there? Tune in next week.

 

[angelle myst]

I've never really mentioned the dancing before because a) I wasnt too keen on Michelle's little dancing or singing piece and b) because i forgot about it, lol, but now that you mention it, i did notice that Emma was very fluid, at least compared to Amber, Nicholas Brendon, etc.

I love Giles's songs, Tony Head is a wonderful singer, and i especially love the little duet he did with Amber, they're voices match perfectly!

I love most these songs except for Michelle's so i think Joss did a wonderful job in that department!

xxx:fangs:

 

[obcooke]

UPN is going to replay this episode in a couple of hours.

Sadly, it appears to be the one-hour version.

I just watched the long version on videotape again about a week ago. I have only seen the short one once, when I was on a business trip. Tonight, I'll get a chance to record it so I can compare the short and the long version more closely.

I remember though, that after seeing the long version, the short one seems too compressed. I understand now why Joss did the very, very, very rare thing of producing an episode that ran over it's allotted time. The long version just seems right.

The most irritating change, IMHO, is the loss of the song "What Can't We Face", that Buffy starts as "I Have A Theory" ends.

 

[Aset]

I just saw OMWF, and wow!!! It's soooo cool!!!
Didn't really like the Sweet and Dawn-part, but as for the rest :smiliea: !! I was very surprised when I heard James Marsters sing...wow, that was great! And I just read in a magazine he gave a gig in paris last saturday! crying: missed it :crying with 'Ghost of the Robot' (or was it Ghost in the Robot?)
Does anyone know if this is his regular band?

 

[obcooke]

I don't think that I'll ever bother to watch the short version again. It was downright irritating. I said before it seemed compressed, but I change that - it's rushed.

It's hard to believe how much difference 8 minutes can make, but it's incredible. During the long version, the characters actually talk to each other. They have moments when they share a joke or have an exchange that has absolutely nothing to do with advancing the plot, therefore they are expendable.

But without those extra moments, the show seems almost empty.

I remember, Highlander II said that the short Musical was the first episode she saw and it got her interested in the show. It's kind of a shame, the long version is much more superior, I wish you had seen it first.

And it's really hard to sing along with the show, when songs abruptly end before they're over.

Oh, well, enough negativity.

 

[angelle myst]

I havent actually seen the short version, and by your accounts obcooke, i dont think i'll bother!

:fangs:xxx:smokin:

 

[Highlander II]

1st - to answer someone's question above - YES!! Ghost of the Robot is James Marster's band - and I forget who else is in it - I think David Greenwalt was for a time - check out http://www.jamesmarsters.com for more info - zero keeps a GREAT site!


2nd - <jumping up and down screaming at UPN and the stupid weather!!!>

okay - I think I expended enough energy there -

Watching OMWF - and lo and behold - what happens? a big fat stupid WEATHER ALERT! for a county who-knows how far away right smack in the middle of "I Have a Theory"! Imagine how livid I was!! <really - it's probably a hilarious image>

Oh - how annoyed I was -- THEN UPN continues to run weather alert stuff at the bottom of the screen - even AFTER the time of the alert had passed -- grrrrr (oh - not to mention the storm had been OVER for like 15 minutes by then!)

so - <sigh> got to see it - sort of - but had to suffer through a bunch of garbage during --

And I know where most of the 'cuts' in the ep are, as I've both read the transcript/shooting script and located MP3 versions of the songs - so YES, I know they cut 1/2 of Spike's "Rest in Peace" - which sounds SO much cooler on tv than over compy speakers ----

okay - done w/ the rant -- and yeah - I wish I'd seen the longer version 1st too -- but, it was James' voice that intrigued me enough to watch the show -- so, guess it's all good in the end.

 

[angelle myst]

Poor H2 I love I Have A Theory as well, one of my favs

I'm intrigued to hear that they cut Rest In Peace in the shortened version, which bits did they cut?!

:fangs:xxx:smokin:

 

[Highlander II]

ummm - obcooke would know for sure -

but I know they cut "What Can't We Face" and the middle section of "Rest In Peace" -

They but the tail end of "Under Your Spell" (it cuts off quite abruptly)

I think they cut a small bit after "I'll Never Tell" - ie: I think there is some conversation btwn Anya and Xander after the song, but I'm not sure - it seemed like something was missing.

There are probably other bits too - but w/o the transcript in front of me, I couldn't say for sure.

*********************************************

Now - onto other stuff -

Dancing -- Emma Caufield and Michelle Trachtenberg are both very good --

actually - Nicholas Brendon didn't do so bad himself in the number w/ Emma -- he was moving pretty smoothly there --

Singing - all-around not bad - tho Allyson and Michelle didn't have much in the way of 'lines' - tho that could have been by the actresses' choice --

Giles and Spike are still my faves as far as singing voices go - but "Walk Through the Fire" is my fave 'number' -

This is one of the top 5 on my list of fave eps, but still doesn't slide into the #1 spot - tho the originality of it keeps it 'up there' - b/c the character usage was 'off' - as usual -- therefore - "Intervention" maintains it's hold as my Favorite episode -

 

[angelle myst]

Sorry to be OT but is there a thread where we can put our top 5 eps? There should be if there isnt

:fangs:xxx:smokin:

ps - it sounds like half the ep was missing in the shortened version lol

 

[Sidhe]

Originally posted by Sammy O'Neill
Sorry to be OT but is there a thread where we can put our top 5 eps? There should be if there isnt

Sounds like a good idea! It's probably been done, but while slow, I say go for it!

:rolly2:

 

[obcooke]

I'll try to come up with a list of all the differences, but it may take a while, since there are a lot of little one.

I'll see if anyone else has written up one that they have made available.

I did have a question that I always ask myself when I watch the Musical and then forget later.

ANYA: When I get so worn and wrinkly that I look like David Brinkley?

Now, I remember David Brinkley, but is he really enough of a household name to use in this song? Do people in other countries know who he is? Or is it just the only thing that Joss could come up with that rhymed with "wrinkly"?

 

[angelle myst]

lol, i've been meaning to ask that, kept slipping my mind. I've never heard of David Brinkley, i always thought the name sounded like some sort of American chat show host though *shrugs* there arent many things that rhyme with wrinkly. Crinkley?

:fangs:xxx:smokin:

 

[obcooke]

Well, for those who don't know -

David Brinkley was a co-host of a network news show (NBC Nightly News) back in the Sixties when there were only three networks in the US. In the Seventies, he hosted the news solo. He was on-screen five days a week for a half-hour for years and years. When he grew older he switched to ABC and became a senior correspondent, doing a weekly political commentary show and whatever other projects interested him.

His TV career was quite long and he did look old and wrinkly when he finally retired from working full-time, which was quite a few years ago.

Now, I have to run an Internet search and find out who ''Yma Sumac" is.

 

[Tabitha]

Just caught this for the first time a few nights ago. Very enjoyable I must say, I spent equal amounts of time marvelling at JM & ASH's voices, laughing, weeping, and wondering why all the cuts seemed so abrupt at the end of the songs...
I suppose the two different versions thing would cover it. I figure I have a one year wait for the dvd's to hit the UK before I can see it in its full glory.

[Highlander II: b/c the character usage was 'off']

H2 - I don't really understand what you mean by this? The comment caught my eye because I was just about to write that I thought a suprising amount of development occurred in this episode. I think I mean story development rather that character development though. So many revelations and turning points:
Tara finding out about Willow's 'forget' spell
Xander and Anya both begin to have doubts about their impending nuptuals (sp?)
Buffy and Spike take a big step towards, something...
Buffy reveals the team brought her back from Heaven, not Hell

I am sure there are others - but that is quite a lot to cover when everyone is singin' and dancin'!

 

[angelle myst]

Originally posted by obcooke
Now, I have to run an Internet search and find out who ''Yma Sumac" is.

Another one i was wanting to ask about but completely forgot

Thanks for that David Brinkley thing. It might have some significance to Joss personally and maybe thats why he included the name but then again it might just be because, as you said, there was nothing else that rhymed with wrinkly.

:fangs:xxx:smokin:

 

[Highlander II]

(this is my last post before I sign off and go to bed - and I just spent the last 1/2 hour coding a fic for html, so if some of this doesn't make sense - that would be why)


Okay - the character usage being 'off' -

Yes - there was a great deal of "STORY" development in this episode - however, as always, they use the same 3 characters to develop everything. Characters like Tara, Dawn, and Spike get used to 'push' the Buffy story along. Now, I know the show is called 'Buffy TVS' - however, if you listen to Joss talk about the show and the way he created it, it's meant to be an ensemble show - meaning, that all the characters listed in the opening credits, and any recurring characters in the 'guest' credits should be fairly prominent in any given episode. But, for some reason, in so many of these 'ensemble' shows, this is not the case - the show still focuses on one character, in this case Buffy. Now, I like Buffy, and she's a lovely character, but the others could use some development time.

This may be part of the reason that Buffy wasn't 'up to par' this season - not enough focus on the other characters, and too much on Buffy - we already know so much about her. They can't do too many more 'character-driven' stories about her w/o mucking up existing canon. So, instead of having a Buffy-plot each week, they could have Buffy plot one week, Dawn plot the next, Whole cast plot, Spike plot, Tara plot. We know almost nothing about Tara. And Spike - considering he's over 120 years old, we know very little about him.

So, basically - the same rant I've been using for a while - it's just a big peeve of mine and probably part of the reason I jumped into writing Buffy fic after seeing only about 12 episodes. (probably why I jumped into fic writing period).

The characters were all 'in character' - that wasn't the problem, but Dawn is always - 'get into trouble girl' and Spike is always - 'gee, we need something guy' -

Buffy even says in the episode - "Oh, Dawn's in trouble. Must be Tuesday." - big glaring hint that Dawn's character is only around to 'get into trouble'.

And when Buffy goes to see Spike - she's only there to ask him if he knows anything about what's going on. (Though that shot of him coming up the ladder, then the stepping through the hole - very very nice!) With his 'own' storyline - there could have been much more - now, yeah, that would have made the episode longer - but why is Spike ALWAYS in his crypt when Buffy goes to look for him? Like he's just hanging around waiting for her to show up --- which, he might be, and that would explain why he's not doing anything else, but that's pretty lame and I'm SO hoping he has more to do w/ his time than to sit around and hope Buffy shows up.

Okay - it's 0005, and I'm *so* going to bed now...

 

[Tabitha]

I see what you mean. I have always found it odd the Joss makes like this is an ensemble show, when it blatantly isn't. Well, recently anyway.
I think way back in season two and three you could have called it an ensemble, but definitely not lately. Which is a pity, because IMO the other characters are just as interesting as Buffy herself, in some cases moreso.

 

[obcooke]

Rounder Records Corp is offering the "Once More With Feeling" soundtrack on CD for $13.99.

-->Here is the link.<--

 

[Gizzymo]

COOOOOOOOOl will be looking out for that one in UK ofcourse