I was not at all involved in fandom and was a casual viewer of Buffy back when it was on the air. I know nothing, and really don't want to know, about the ins and outs of the rumor mill. The stuntman fiasco that I have heard bits about really doesn't interest me.
Just speaking from what I saw last night, everyone seemed very close to Sarah. Sarah spoke at length about season 6 and how it was so hard for her. She wasn't bitchy or petulant. She was just factual about her feelings and she seemed to be on the exact same page as Marti and Joss since they nodded along in agreement with everything she said.
Of course, season 6 is my absolute favorite and I think every part of it is brilliant so it was interesting to hear what was so disturbing for her, but it all seemed so genuine and out of concern for her character.
This is the first I've heard about the stuntman fiasco
Oh, count your lucky stars. The meltdown happened in realtime on the show's official Bronze message board just before Season 4 finished airing, IIRC. It wasn't pretty.
The Parable of the Knight!!!
heh. i can't believe somebody didn't archive that for the masses. last time i looked it up it was still active. not so anymore.
Quoted from the Futon Critic recap, on the lack of Emmys:
Sarah: "You know, we have the fans, and that's better than any award from some panel that sits in a room...."
Oh yeah. Real bitch there.
The Parable of the Knight is available on archive.org
Before I was a fan of the show, I was a little, piddling extra on one of the episodes. SMG was sick, the shoot was delayed elevnty-billion hours because of a casting call time, it was outdoors, it was FREEZING, and the shoot lasted for freaking ever (until 3 am IIRC), and there was a group of fucktard extras that were just screwing around and being ridiculous. But SMG *still* signed stuff for people
on set, between takes.
So totally not a bitch.
The Parable of the Knight
by J.P.
Once there was a young man who trained himself to be a Knight...
Others around him said, "You cannot become a Knight. There are no Knights here in this God-forsaken village. Knights live in a far away land into which you must be born. It is a fantasy. You are a young fool."
And they laughed at him. But his Mother said to him, "Try son. This village is worthless and nothing good will come of you should you stay here." So he did try. He had no other choice. For around him was nothingness.
After countless battles across many lands the young man did indeed become a real Knight - just as he had dreamed. Yet he wandered and had no home of his own. He merely fought each battle as they came and lived from day to day. And he was alone.
One day a brilliant young King (that until recently had only been a Prince in a Royal Family) called upon him. Many glorious plans had the King and he needed a Knight to fulfill them. The overjoyed Knight went forth and battled with all his heart. And the King, seeing this, looked around and said to his other servants, "Why didn't I have this guy from the start?"
The Knight had never fought for a King so young before. He seemed to know the things the Knight knew. The Knight saw that this King could be one worth serving and he made a vow that he would never take off his helmet until every battle had been won for this King. And it was good.
Yet there was trouble brewing beneath the surface in the Kingdom. The Generals felt that only they should give commands on the battlefield and seethed with jealousy inside themselves at every commandment put forth by the Knight. The young Knight continued to win every battle. What could they say to the King against him? So they plotted and waited.
The King's Blacksmith had always made swords for the battle. But the Knight saw that they were unwieldy and unreliable. The King's friend, Sir David, called upon the Knight himself to make swords that he felt were good for his battles. For after all, was not the Knight the one who made the battle plans? Who should know better, he thought, the Knight who fights with the sword or the Blacksmith who merely watched battles from the sidelines? Besides, did the Blacksmith not have much better skills at building the King's devices and such? And was the Blacksmith not overburdened with tasks? "Then let the young Knight build the swords for his own battles," he said.
The Blacksmith did seethe with rage at this and quietly plotted. Sword making was his domain, he felt. The Carpenter also was upset. For every time he built a beautiful house, the Knight and his fellow Knights would battle and destroy it. Often the Knights would move aside the works of the Carpenter so that they could make a great battle for the King. The Carpenter was indignant. For he was a Master Carpenter. "Who does this young Knight think he is?" they grumbled among themselves. But the King was pleased. For all of the people in the Land of Bronze saw the battles and appreciated the work of the Knight. And it was good.
Even the spoiled Princess saw that it was good. And she was known for hating all things. The young Knight had her twin, the Handmaiden, performing all the Royal duties in her place. The people of lands far away who saw this were amazed, thinking the Princess truly skilled at performing the Royal duties when in fact it was her Handmaiden all along. Though the Princess despised all other women in the Kingdom, she could not fault the Knight, for his use of the Handmaiden proved good for her and she was made to seem great in the eyes of the people. And so she tolerated the Handmaiden.
Then the Blacksmith did build a new device for the Royal duty of the Handmaiden. Seeing that it was not good, the Knight requested that it be changed. The Blacksmith replied with anger that this was his device and he knew best. Then while performing the Royal duty, the Handmaiden was nearly slain by the faulty device. The Knight had been right all along.
Seeing (continued...)
