Zen's on the other side, where emotions aren't even in the picture, mastery instead of abandonment -- that's where Buffy wants to be.

Are we sure of that, though? In season 2, Buffy forced Kendra to get angry and her anger actually helped her fight better, as Buffy claimed it helped her. Yet, in season 5, I would have said that Buffy was going for a more Zen approach (mastery through detachment), to the detriment of her fighting skills and effectiveness. However, I often felt that Buffy was seeking a balance. To be focused and effectual, while drawing on her emotions, her ties to her family and the world, for strength. It's not necessarily what may be espoused by real world martial arts programs, but it was what I saw in Buffy.

You could make the argument, though, that it's the events (particularly of seasons 2 and 5) that would make Buffy want to be detached. Also, watching Faith may well have soured her on using emotions to fuel power.

See my edit, SailAweigh. Being cut off isn't Zen -- being Zen is being awash with everything, but not fighting it, not submerged in it.

Kendra was never Zen -- she was remarkably brittle.

I don't see the striving for Zen in S5, so I can't really comment on that. The fight choreography was too random for me to extrapolate from it.

Thanks for the clarification, ita. Hmmm, so Zen is using emotions in a controlled manner, then? Like the ten ox-herding pictures of the way. You start with technique and conscious thought which gives way to technique becoming nature and unconscious mastery.

I felt they were maybe starting this in Buffy in season 5 where at the end of BvD when Buffy told Giles she still needed him to train her, but she seemed more concerned with the technical aspects of her calling. Although, when I think about it, there was that scene in the training room where she was doing the one-armed handstand while focusing on the crystals that makes it seem as though meditation was also a part of her training. But they never seemed to take it farther than that. In fact, as season 5 went on it seemed like they were trying to show Buffy as being more and more divorced from her feelings, particularly love. They broke her up with Riley and she had a hard time accepting that the First Slayer said she was full of love. She didn't feel it. And I gotta agree, though, if you try and judge things on the fight scenes shown in season 5 there's no way to judge. The fights were lame and in no way relate to the real world. I never got the feeling that she was using her abilities at her best. If she had, she never would have had to take the dive off the tower.

An article from the Toronto Star on the academic conference in Nashville. I note that they had a OMWF singalong too. Geeks.

t grins

Scholars flock to Nashville conference

Freaks and Geeks love made me seek out the TWOP recap of the first episode where Millie plays a big role, and read it.

I didn't enjoy it.

Thanks, guy, I understand that you hate Dawn. Dawn gets under your skin and annoys you with her self-centeredness and just makes you hate this show. That's great.

But shut UP about it. I read the recaps for a humorous look at the episode, not a humorous repeat of your former jokes about a character you hate. And more repeats. And MORE repeats.

So you constantly have visions of monkeys beating the shit out of Dawn. Good to know. DON'T TELL ME ABOUT IT AGAIN. I get the idea already!

Reading people dog on a character I personally don't hate (and sometimes like, depending on my mood) simply makes me uncomfortable. I'm fine with you expressing your opinion, but if somebody posted on this board with the message "I hate Dawn, she was in this episode, and it sucked!" every single time such an episode was mentioned or brought up for discussion, I would hate him.

And just so, I hate you.

(disclaimer: I would be just as annoyed if it were a character I hated. Say, Kennedy. Promise. Want to read about EPISODE, not personal issues.)

(And yes, I know I don't have to read TWOP recaps. I don't, often. But they can be very funny and thought-inspiring when they're well done, like some of Strega's Angel recaps, and the JoA recaps, and I wish I could trust the same to be true of Buffy - even episodes within seasons that the recappers didn't particularly enjoy. Writing a recap from the perspective of "I didn't enjoy this" is fine, but be cool about it. Lighten up a little. Writing it from the perspective of "This was a horrible piece of crap with horrible characters and none of you should enjoy it or, if you did, reading my recap should totally make you realize the error of your ways, plus I hate Dawn!!!!" is not fun or entertaining. To be fair, writing it from the perspective of "best episode of television ever made I love love love love love it and you'd better love it too, person" can also be annoying, though, in my opinion, less so. Even when I disagree.)

I think Ace and Sep used to be fans of BtVS. They were bitter with most of seasons 6 and 7, and they allowed their bitterness to shade their recaps, but not in a funny way. I find TWOP entertaining when 1) a recapper good-naturedly embrace the show even in its cheesiness (Omar and Smallville), 2) a recapper has a good deal of affection for the show it used to be, despite the slide in quality (Jessica and latter-seaons X-Files--man, I adored her recaps and her madcap action figure adventures) or 3) a recapper genuinely love the show, which is rare (Deborah and JoA, and uhh, MissAllie(?) with Amazing Race.) I've learned to avoid reading the recaps of the shows I loved unless the recappers loved them as well. On the other hand, it's fun to read them when you enjoy something without being too emotionally invested (say, The O.C., for me) and snark along with the person doing the recap.

They were bitter with most of seasons 6 and 7, and they allowed their bitterness to shade their recaps, but not in a funny way.

I *did* like the way they called lovesick Spike "Brad."

And I adored the Dawson's Creek re-caps, because it deserved every last bit of snark.

2) a recapper has a good deal of affection for the show it used to be, despite the slide in quality (Jessica and latter-seaons X-Files--man, I adored her recaps and her madcap action figure adventures)

Jessica subbed for Ace & Sep once, for BtVS 5.3, The Replacement. I only remember this, because she wrote what was—to me, anyhow—the funniest Buffy outfit description, ever.

On the other end of the phone, Buffy, in her bedroom at home, looks perplexed and hangs up. Turning to Riley, she...Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Holy...My...Sweet...um. This outfit? I really don't think...I mean...wha? That's blood coming from my eyes. I'm crying tears of blood because of this outfit. And I can't move my arms because I'M TURNING TO STONE BECAUSE OF THIS OUTFIT. I don't know what Sarah Michelle Gellar did to the stylist this week, but I think it must have been along the lines of killing her family and burning down her house, because this is the worst outfit I have ever seen on television. Ever. And that includes two years of the original Donny and Marie Show. Buffy is wearing (brace yourself -- seriously) a green, lavender, peach, and brown beaded halter top, skintight flared brown pants with a white tie-dyed pattern thing on them, and a full-length (as in, to the ground) lavender hooded sweatshirt. A FULL LENGTH SWEATSHIRT? God, why hast thou forsaken me?! Buffy says something to Riley about being fully equipped to kill this demon, and that he shouldn't worry about her, and they start to make out, and I still can't really see because of the BLOOD coming out of MY EYES, because I just saw that Buffy is also wearing a giant purple ring made entirely of shiny, shiny beads and a bracelet with a matching huge green beady flower thing on it. And then there is this gurgling noise in the background and I think maybe Riley is choking to death on Buffy's tongue, but it's just Dawn, grossed out by all the kissy stuff. Dawn tells Buffy that she knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who died because she choked on her boyfriend's tongue. What did I tell you? Buffy rolls her eyes and tells Dawn, predictably, to get out. Dawn points out that she's in the hallway and can stand there if she wants. Bicker bicker bicker, Buffy slams the door in Dawn's face. And that's it for Dawn this week, kids.

I *did* like the way they called lovesick Spike "Brad."

Heh. Yeah, that was pretty funny. I think it was actually Strega who came up with that joke when she was guest-recapping one of the early S6 episodes.

DC recaps were priceless. I've never followed the show during its original run, then became mad addicted to the show during the crash syndication on TBS last year in preparation for the finale despite the horrible badness. The recaps were often the only things that kept me from throwing a shoe at my TV.