I love procedurals. Kinda like melodrama too, but I adore procedurals. They never seem to last, though. Even L&O is self-infatuated.

Never been a L&O fan. Far too much on the "ripped from the headlines!" thing.

See, but they weren't always quite as bad as all that. The best episodes are the old Matt Stone (Michael Moriarty) cases.

So it used to be a worthy but rather boring watch; these days (to the horror of many of its old fans) it's become over-the-top camp fun.

I love that it has become so campy since a friend of mine who hates all things BtVS with a vocal passion has developed quite the shame complex over watching it. Personally, I find just it all too unsettling, especially when the June Ackland character (who has been an authoritative older woman figure on The Bill since as long as I can remember) is suddenly participating in a lipstick smearing makeout session atop her office-desk. Not that she doesn't have the right to have as many such sessions as she wants, but my mum also has that right and it doesn't mean I wanna see either of them getting all "tongues in new places!" on my television screen.

This post is about Buffy 7.10, "Bring On The Night."

I liked the first part of the speech, because she was hurt and it was all about her ('cause stoic!unfeeling!Buffy is quite annoying for me), but then there was the rallying. And it just. went. on.

What kept me with it was the parallels to season five. They had said, "The First pre-dates everything we've ever known," reminding me of the line "That which cannot be named. So I'm thinking maybe she... predates language itself?" about Glory. The boarded-up windows on the house reminded me of the covered windows on the Winnebago. The whole situation recalls the despair at the end of season five and Buffy seems totally defeated again: "I'm beyond tired. I'm beyond scared," but this time she's not fleeing or going to coma. I perked up my ears for the rallying just because it wasn't what I was expecting from Buffy at that point. There was part of it that sounded like an even bigger change of direction:

They think we're gonna wait, like we always do, for the end to come but I'm done waiting. They want an apocalypse? We'll give 'em one.

I was wondering if they were going to not do the big finale with the explosions like we all expect, and instead put the First away halfway through the season, giving us time for some eps of denouement. The season seemed to be moving so fast right then.

They think we're gonna wait, like we always do, for the end to come but I'm done waiting. They want an apocalypse? We'll give 'em one.

Y'know I read that line and I like it so much more than I did when I was actually watching the show. Because really they do spend a lot of time waiting around for the final showdown, even in the best of seasons, and the idea of Apocalypse Right Now is appealing. I think what really killed that scene for me was my filthy spoiler-whore status, because I keep thinking, 'Yeah, Buffy, you say that now, but we've got half a season to go Missy, and I know it doesn't consist of you gloating about what you can achieve with a pro-active pep-talk' Eh, so it's probably my own fault, but I honestly don't have the strength of will to stay spoiler-free. I couldn't do it even if they offered me a bound-and-naked-Wesley as compensation, which sucks 'cause I'm sure Wesley would be *at least* as entertaining as spoilers.

I couldn't do it even if they offered me a bound-and-naked-Wesley as compensation, which sucks 'cause I'm sure Wesley would be *at least* as entertaining as spoilers.

You know, that's the one thing that could make me give up spoilers.

Mmmmm...Wesley. But no, couldn't do it. Sure, I'd be distracted for a while, but I'd eventually have to check my email and then WHAM! the slutting beings afresh. And I don't think I'd take them carting the boy-toy away again very well. It'd get unseemly.

Edit - damn double-posting tricky fingers.

I don't think I'd ever leave my bunk...

Sigh. Okay, and on that note, I head to my bunk for the night!

Any of our British Buffistas live in or near Sussex?

Not to my knowledge. Not me, any way, and Am's in London. Any other super seekrit English lurkers out there?