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Nightmares

27 April 2016

In this episode!

Listeners—for this very unusual Buffy, the Vampire Slayer episode, we have a very unusual podcast. For this week’s show, we welcome Just Laurie as our special guest to discuss dream interviewing and dream incubation. IF you like the idea of Salons and dream groups, enjoy the discussion which lasts until 21:56, but the intense Buffy talk begins at 28:36.. We then talk about the nightmares of our main characters.

  • Mark provides a list of dream archetypes. Did we miss any? This is one of those episodes that needs a close look
  • Katherine says that many experts believe that this is the episode that Xander grows up. What do you think?
  • Mark says it is vital that one not accept the dream on its own terms. Don’t comply.
  • Laurie says that you must interrogate what terrifies you.
  • Mark notices that Whedon is playing with light throughout the episode, and that it is growing darker and darker until Buffy reveals the monster in the end. Did anyone else notice this playing with light?
  • Shout outs: To our fan in Germany! Heather Miles! Sheila Strong! Gabriella Sagnes! Becky Clark!
  • Mark points out that nightmares only work (in this episode) if others are aware of your discomfort
  • Laurie asked where the Hellmouth is in Cleveland, and Katherine said that as one of the podcast episodes we will all go in search of it. Laurie says it has to be done in daylight; Katherine said it would be so much more interesting at night. Who’s with me?!
  • Katherine wonders if Buffy Superfans caught the huge foreshadowing for Willow (Shhh. Mark didn’t get it).
  • None of us on this podcast are horror fans. How come we love Buffy so much?

Resources:

Breakthrough Dreaming by Gayle Delaney

The William N. Skirball Writers’ Center  at Cuyahoga County Public Library- South Euclid-Lyndhurst Branch

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The Puppet Show

15 April 2016

In this episode!

  • Katherine and Mark love that Whedon once again subverts our assumptions about horror tropes—Sid is NOT the demon! (And isn’t it cool that he knew a previous Slayer?)
  • Katherine likes that there is reaffirmation that there is good everywhere, and Mark points out that there are demons and vampires everywhere, especially Cleveland. Mark thinks this explains Voinovich, Katherine thinks it explains Kasich, and Mark argues Cleveland is not part of Ohio.
  • Shout outs to Warren Shaver, Becky Clark, Sheila Strong, and Bella Olivo.
  • Katherine thinks while this is clearly a Buffy episode, it also has a different feel. What do you podcast listeners think?
  • Willow and Xander had adlibs that were added to the episode. Did you spot them?
  • Katherine talks about Dante and Stephen King.
  • Giles said, “A person driven to kill is more complex than a demon.” Katherine questions if this is always true, and argues that humans can be evil. She doesn’t agree with Giles on this point. Mark suggests that the reason Buffy is allowed to kill vampires and demons is because they have no soul. Katherine and Mark argue over conscience and the ability to make choices and the philosophy of the Whedonverse. This is huge, people, and we would love your feedback. We’ll be talking about this a lot as the series progresses. Clearly, we now need a theologian (cool! I know one!) and a philosopher.
  • Mark did not want to discuss the Monroe Doctrine. Sigh.
  • Mark brings up race in Buffy, and Katherine shares that many academics are concerned with this issue and says that it will be addressed later. (Note to our listeners: we plan on at least two episodes with guests talking about issues of race in Buffy.)

Cleveland Hellmouth Listeners! Three more important points!

  1. Next week, we will present the episode “Nightmares” with special guest Laurie K. who is an expert on dream interviewing. It will be so fun!
  2. Also, we are still debating whether or not to rank episodes each season. We would love to hear how you would rate these episodes (or if you even have any desire to). Let us know what you think.
  3. Finally, Katherine has created a page on rules in Buffy. Check it out and feel free to suggest some of your own.

Resources

Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (not Shakespeare)

The Shining by Stephen King. Katherine prefers the novel to the movie.

Dante’s Inferno

The Monroe Doctrine

The Usual Suspects: a great movie

Chaos Bleeds: a non-canonical Buffy video game

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I Robot, You Jane

04 April 2016

In this episode!

Housekeeping

  • We’re concerned—did Katherine use the word “actually” enough times?
  • Is Bella our biggest fan?

The show itself!

  • Mark reminisces about old computers and computer programs.
  • Listeners—where is Sunnydale in Jenny’s internet circle? Is it in the middle or on the circumference? This could change everything!
  • Katherine and Mark debate Buffy’s comment about her hair. Mark thinks it’s either a joke or superficial. Katherine says there is nothing superficial about a teenage girl’s concern about her hair. We need our two listeners  to decide if Buffy is joking or not.
  • Mark likes Jenny Calendar in that she overturns the cliché of the anti-spirituality computer programmer.
  • Katherine is excited by the idea in Buffy that there have always been good people who fought and now fight against evil; it isn’t just our valiant cohort.
  • Mark asks: Why Buffy? Why is it important from the pop culture standpoint? Why is it important from a literary standpoint?
  • Katherine responds with: she loves the feminism and the female protagonists, but her favorite thing is the friendships. We’d love to know why you love Buffy.

Resources

Katherine commented about a terrific essay she read. She read it in the book Seven Seasons of Buffy:Science Fiction and Fantasy Authors Discuss Their Favorite Television Show, edited by Glenn Yeffeth, which has been referenced on this show before; however, the essay is available on line. It is called “A Buffy Confession” by Justine Larbalestier.

In this essay, Larbalestier creates what she calls “Buffy Mini-Festivals” for those times you want to watch Buffy but don’t feel like binging the whole show. Her suggestions for episodes to pull together is inspired. Perhaps it is needless to say (but I’ll say it anyway), this is for those of you who have watched Buffy already.

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