defensive fluff

[mamajoan]

I am so, so unbelievably depressed about yesterday's elections. This entire country is going to hell, and I don't mean later.

I'm so upset about it that I don't even want to talk about it, so instead, here's a fluff post.

First: the evil threesome fic-off! jennyo started it ... well, okay, I started it, but then she egged me on, so I committed a fic-and-run in her journal, and then she committed another one of her own. Angel/Lilah/Wesley; it just seems so obvious!

Second: comments on Buffy "Him." I liked it overall; there was much silly, which I'm in favor of, and much referencing of past stuff, which I also like (although the actual flashback to BBB was overkill). I'm happy that they're still referencing Willow being gay, especially the part where Xander was freaking over having found Dawn sexy, and Willow leans over and goes, "Right there with ya." That was nice and understated, unlike the rest of the ep. ;)

Overall the ep was a throwback to the first few seasons, where a common teenage issue (in this case, the jock who's more popular than he deserves, and the girls who damage themselves and their friendships for his sake) is depicted as something supernatural, in a broad analogy with anvil-to-the-skull subtlety. I both like and doubt this. I like it because it was kind of cool to see the show remembering where it came from, and using Dawn as a lever to go back there. But I doubt it because I don't think that Buffy (the show, or the character) can, or should, go back there on any kind of permanent basis. So, in other words: cool for one episode, but won't be cool if it becomes a recurring thing.

I also heartily disliked the use/abuse of Spike in this one, basically turning him into Xander's butt-monkey. Not cool, people. Sure, the idea of Spike living in Xander's closet is funny, and we knew something like that would have to happen after Spike's anvilicious "I got nowhere else to go" line in the previous ep, but they dropped the ball with that plotline after setting it up. It could have been cool and funny, with Spike and Xander snarking at each other throughout the episode, causing S/X shippers across the nation to leap up screaming as their panties spontaneously combusted, but instead it was just ... dull. Although now I'm wondering whether there's a subtle point being made, like, Souled-Spike doesn't do snark? Oh, now that would be *sad*. :(

Things to like a lot about the ep included the little touches, like the look of horror on Anya's face when she realized she had put the idea of changing RJ's gender into Willow's head; the fact that love-spelled Anya still loves money (and the subtle reference to James Bond in the music during that scene); Dawn getting upset because Xander used her inside-my-head name for RJ; and the whole Charlie's Angels bit with the split-screen. So this is why Anya went back to brunette: so that they'd have one girl of each hair color for their Charlie's Angels bit! LOL. Less silly, but equally likeable, was the look on Anya's face when Buffy implied that she was a friend (I think the line was something like, "when something bad is coming, you want to know that your friends are safe"). I liked how Anya sort of stuttered a bit, showing how touched she was, but didn't directly address it. Very Anya.

At first I was really annoyed by the whole "girls fighting over a guy" thing despite knowing it was a spell. Upon reflection, though, I see that the message actually was positive. Buffy actually breaks out of the spell *before* the jacket is destroyed, when she realizes that Dawn was about to kill herself over it. This shows that sisterly love and chick friendship are stronger than lust/crush/puppylove/spells. (Okay, you *could* argue that as soon as Buffy got Dawn away from the train she reverted to the spell's effects, but since we didn't see that, why would you?) Also, it's a sign of things to come, now that Buffy is including Dawn more and more; eventually there's going to come a point where Dawn goes against the plan, wants to do her own thing, thinks Buffy is doing things the wrong way, and Buffy won't be able to just dismiss it as dumb little Dawnie. That could get interesting.

So, overall, a pretty good ep with a lot of laughs and a few clunky spots. I see that there's already an LJ community dedicated to guessing how much longer Principal Wood has to live. LOL. Poor Wood, he does seem pretty doomed. I like him though. (Of course, if he turns out to be evil, it could be a different story.)

Oh, BTW, is it me, or was the whole bit of dialogue where they told the cheerleader with the broken leg that they'd replace her lifted directly out of "Bring It On"??? I swear I recognized those lines. I'm gonna have to check my DVD. (Yes, I have "Bring It On" on DVD. It's ALL about Eliza, baby.)

Third: in case anyone missed it because it was hidden behind lj-cut yesterday, I said that y'all should feel free to AIM me (chlaal16).

Fourth: Have I mentioned my squash obsession? I have become obsessed with squash. Not the sport, the food. Did you know there are like a zillion different kinds of winter squash? So far I have tried acorn, delicata, dumpling, and of course butternut which is a favorite of mine from way back. I also have a carnival squash that I haven't tried yet and another one whose name I can't remember at the moment. (Edit: Oh yeah. It's buttercup, not to be confused with butternut.) Squash yummy. I've been downloading all kinds of recipes, from the simple to the bizarre. :)

I think that's all the fluff I can stomach for now. It's lunchtime anyway. Sigh.

Comments

[tiggrrl.livejournal.com]

ummm.... delicata....

[fox1013.livejournal.com]

Oh, completely. As soon as she said "I hurt my leg [however]", I immediately said "When clearly it was the angle at which she slammed into the ground."

Buff It On, table for one.

Squish

[calligrafiti.livejournal.com]

I love acorn squash. Here's my mom's recipe for it.

Ingredients:

1 acorn squash.

2-3 eggs.*

1 cup flour.*

salt and pepper to taste.*

(*These are kind of approximate, and depend on how much you want to batter the squash.)

Mix salt and pepper with flour in one bowl. Mix eggs in another bowl.

Cut the squash in half and remove the seeds and stringy bits. Leaving the skin on, slice the squash into strips about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Dredge in flour mixture. Dredge in egg. Dredge in flour again. If you cut the squash thick you might want to go through the dredging cycle a couple of times, but one round of dredging will usually get it done for the 1/4 inch thick strips.

Put enough oil in a frying pan to cover the strips of squash. Heat it until a drop of water flicked in it sizzles. Carefully, avoiding hot oil splatter, put the battered squash in the oil. Cook until golden-brown, turn, and cook until the other side is golden-brown. Remove from the oil and put on paper towels to drain. Eat 'em while they're hot. The squash should peel away from the skin easily.

Re: Squish

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

yum!! Thanks for the recipe! I'll have to give it a try next time I buy acorn. :)

I also forgot to mention that I really need a better knife. I don't have a knife that's really up to the task of cutting those thick squash skins.

[jrosehale.livejournal.com]

Poor Wood, he does seem pretty doomed. I like him though. (Of course, if he turns out to be evil, it could be a different story.)

Hell, I think being evil would only make him better. I like him, too.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

My bad, I wasn't clear. I didn't mean to say that I'll stop liking him if he becomes evil. I meant that his being evil might change his doomed-ness. Temporarily, anyway. :)

[jrosehale.livejournal.com]

My bad, I wasn't clear.

Nah--between this and my misreading your "lesbians in a gay bar" comment, I think I need an upgrade in my English Chick translation software.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Nah, Victoria musesfool read it the same way, so it was probably just my vague phrasing. :)

[musesfool.livejournal.com]

Poor Wood, he does seem pretty doomed. I like him though. (Of course, if he turns out to
be evil, it could be a different story.)

Oh, I think I'd still like him if he were evil.

Of course, I waver between "He's evil!" and "He's a Watcher!", and then I remember all the speculation about Snyder, who turned out to just be a power-hungry toady who wasn't in on any of the big bad's plans...

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'll still like him if he's evil too, I'm sure! See above (my response to jrosehale).

[ladyvyola.livejournal.com]

Hey, loved the drive-by porning in jennyo's lj. Rather like watching a couple in a restaurant who think that the tablecloth hides the fact that everyone can see that he's got a hand up her skirt and she's got one down his pants. Hot, hot, hot.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

thanks! It remains to be seen whether I'll ever get around to, like, finishing it. ;)

[buggery.livejournal.com]

I did see your bit about AIM yesterday, but for some reason thought at the time you were already on my Buddy List. That's now been remedied, and I'll have my eye out for you.

I'm also a big lover of all kinds of squash -- winter, summer, melon, cucumber, loofah, etc. There are all kinds of ways to make or enhance soups, stews and curries with winter squashes, in addition to baking them with butter and seasoning.

[mamajoan.livejournal.com]

I'll have my eye out for you.

yay! Um ... or eek? ;)

There are all kinds of ways to make or enhance soups, stews and curries with winter squashes

Yeah, I haven't had the time or courage to get any more adventurous with them yet, but it's on my agenda. Soup sounds especially appealing this time of year.