tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438969139466502388.post8098634730730505480..comments2024-03-26T11:17:40.890-04:00Comments on Cultural Wormhole: “The Harvest”Paul Steven Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18392153757274116397noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438969139466502388.post-20191015010592401352010-06-04T00:48:55.710-04:002010-06-04T00:48:55.710-04:00I think the explanation about "people rationa...I think the explanation about "people rationalizing... what they don't understand" works out pretty well. I mean, yeah, on the surface, it's kind of a lame excuse, but we're talking about a high school sitting on a portal to hell in a town overrun with Vampires whose primary enemy is a teenage girl. It also helps accommodate how seemingly easily Xander and Willow slip into their roles as part of Buffy's support team and backup.<br /><br />Angel, in this episode, definitely plays as that strong, mysterious, dark, sexy stranger... but honestly, I think it probably could have been toned down a bit. Still, I do like the chemistry between the two characters... you can feel the pull that Angel has on Buffy.<br /><br />Regarding my boy Xander, you get to see how, despite his outward demeanor as the overcompensating and lily-livered jokester, he has a courageous streak in him that will either serve to get him in trouble (or dead), or possibly even win Buffy herself. He really is willing to go to hell to get her to really notice him.<br /><br />Willow, of course, is great. She's mousy, cute, and nerdy in kind of non-sexy but interesting ways. And despite the inaccurate or unbelievable computer/internet related tech talk, I was begrudgingly able to buy her as an accomplished hacker.<br /><br />And with Luke's permanent demise and the massive body count--including some people close to our main characters--you get the feeling that the stakes (ba-dum) are occasionally going to be personal and fairly high.<br /><br />You also get the sense that Buffy's life as a slayer is going to continue to be a source of irritation. She's a slayer because it's her destiny, not because she wants to be, and you understand that she is going to fight it if she can, until it kills her or until she learns to accept and embrace it. Whether that makes her more of a hero or less I couldn't say, but it does humanize her a bit, I think. Who would really want that kind of responsibility, especially if it wasn't a choice?<br /><br />Obviously, your and my feelings about the pilot (for really, these first two episodes really should be taken as one) are pretty divergent. It convinced me that the show was worth watching because of the strength of the writing, and the thematic content, not just because there are cute girls in it.<br /><br />It's definitely worth sticking with, though I can't promise that the jokes get any better.coffeemonkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17035058219257020902noreply@blogger.com