But I think that's what Goldberg means about the Christianity being entirely in subtext. The show employs ideas common to Christian theology, but they are not uniquely Christian. I could say Angel was the most Buddhist show on TV, because it's all about karma and how desire leads to suffering. The show dealt with good and evil a lot, and most religions have a lot to say about those subjects, so it's not hard to find any philosophy you feel like looking for.
I prefer to think that the letter-writer seriously misunderstood the Jasmine arc.
But I think that's what Goldberg means about the Christianity being entirely in subtext.
I agree, Strega. I haven't followed the whole conversation--just the NRO page Allyson linked. I didn't think Goldberg was holding the letter writer up for ridicule, so much as saying, "Valid POV, as long as you're talking about subtext." That Goldberg saved the reader's letter for the end of the entry left me uncertain of his point in quoting the reader. Is there more, elsewhere?
Flowers in the Wasteland. I had to go via Google Cache to get it but it's a look at Angel from a Christian POV.
Oh, I hadn't looked into the background either. Having done so now, it just gets dumber the more you look. It came up because Goldberg was blah blahing about culture wars and said
Traditional religion is often treated as a farce, but ghosts and goblins are all about. I'm a huge fan of Joss Whedon's, but he has some pretty serious skepticism toward religion, but not to the supernatural.
Which, if I understand correctly, suggests that creating TV shows about demons and mosters means you believe they actually exist. So the letter was a response to that offhand comment, and manages the neat trick of disagreeing completely while being just as idiotic.
I found it after I asked and once I realized it all started as a response to another writer's mention of Sam Harris and his book, I think my brain dribbled out my ears. What is that--something like a posting board for the NRO writers?
Which, if I understand correctly, suggests that creating TV shows about demons and mosters means you believe they actually exist.
And which, of course, is completely stupid. I'm inclined to think (this is only about me, personally) that I was so moved by Buffy as messiah (as example of a religious theme) because of a weird combination of my personal beliefs and Joss's atheism. In other words, because he doesn't believe what I do, his using that sort of theme in fantasy made it safer for me to look at as fantasy and feel as truth. That probably makes no sense to anyone who isn't me.
Simon, thank you for that link to the Flowers piece.
Greensilver on Livejournal says "Drive" wasn't picked up. Isn't this wrong? Isn't it too early for this decision to have been made, since "Drive" was never intended as a fall show?
[link]
Gina Torres has a steady job, so yeas!
Why does that filll me with beat down rage?
Oh.
Yeah.
It's total bullshit.
We don't even start shooting the pilot until Monday -- a huge highway 2nd unit for five days. Real start is mid June for us, what with actors and all. The soonest an actual series would be on the air would probably be January, which isn't really "mid season" in the usual sense, I don't think. The network's pretty enthusiastic about the project so far, though.
