Buffy and Supernatural

[Skanky Vamp]

if I were to discover the shows now, as an adult, I would see Buffy as inferior.

Why?

 

[RoxySilver]

@Mr. Pole It's a little weird to explain. I feel that I'm more entertained by Supernatural (seasons 1-7 roughly) that I am by Buffy. A lot of things bother me in the show but overall, I find it funnier, a tad more well written, with good characters and all. Over the past years I watched SPN way more often than I did Buffy. When I want to kill some time with an episode from a show I pick SPN and not Buffy anymore.

I love Buffy but it's different. It's kind of a commitment, a relationship that started when I was a kid and I grew up with, and I'm faithful to it. But weirdly enough, I'm not sure I would be that much into the show if I were to discover it now. Of course, I'll never know for sure, but it's a feeling I have.
Does that make any sense at all?

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Does that make any sense at all?

It makes perfect sense. I think the biggest issue with Buffy is the overtness and heavy handed story telling. Especially when it comes to humor. Whereas I think the SPN humor is more natural and organic. But SPN also has the benefit of much better actors throughout the course of it's run.. which I think helps as well.

 

[Silverspike]

Better actors? Seriously?

 

[Skanky Vamp]

Better actors? Seriously?

Yes, seriously. You look at a supporting cast like:
Jim Beaver
Mitch Pileggi
Amanda Tapping
Lauren Cohan
Tahmoh Penikett
Steven Williams
Benito Martinez
Kurt Fuller
Mark Sheppard
Jeffrey Dean Morgan
Curtis Armstrong
DJ Qualls

Of course they had better actors. And if you wanted to really stretch it you could add
Chad Lindberg, Felicia Day & Misha Collins .. though calling that better actors might be viewed as a stretch.

 

[Silverspike]

Oh god due to outright boredom I've watched quite few SPN episodes now, and well, I find most of the acting to be pretty average at best. Particularly the leads I'm afraid.

God I find them so dull. I just don't get what people see in this, I really don't. Sorry.

 

[RoxySilver]

I don't find the lead actors bad, but they're not excellent either, I agree. But the characters are (imo) well written, good lines and attitudes. It can get a bit repetitive though.
However, I find the supporting cast ace, always well incorporated, well written, useful. The villains are my faves, all shows combined, and are well delivered.
I'm frustrated with how women are written and depicted though. They can do way better in that area.

 

[Skanky Vamp]

However, I find the supporting cast ace, always well incorporated, well written, useful.

Episodes like Monster Movie, Tall Tales and Mystery Spot really illustrates how the writing and pacing is better. Mystery Spot could easily be compared to Buffy's Life Serial episode, but in my opinion it tells a much tighter story and it seamlessly weaves the comedy elements into the story whereas Buffy seems to be focus solely on the comedy.

Those episodes mentioned above seemed, to me at least, to be owe more to some of the standalone X-Files episodes than Buffy.

 

[Silverspike]

Episodes like Monster Movie, Tall Tales and Mystery Spot really illustrates how the writing and pacing is better. Mystery Spot could easily be compared to Buffy's Life Serial episode, but in my opinion it tells a much tighter story and it seamlessly weaves the comedy elements into the story whereas Buffy seems to be focus solely on the comedy.

Those episodes mentioned above seemed, to me at least, to be owe more to some of the standalone X-Files episodes than Buffy.

I think I must have watched a completely different series to you then. 😀

 

[bespangeled]

I don't know what it is about this show, but it doesn't engage me on any level and the only character I even vaguely find likable is that Angel guy.

Misha Collins and James Marsters have the same birthday - I have a tumblr. While I will watch the show it is getting very long in the tooth. But check out Misha Collins on You Tube. He has a series of cooking shows with his son who's about 4. His kid picks the food and they mix it the way he wants. It' really hilarious and a good glimpse of life.

 

[Silverspike]

The Angel bloke I rather like. Sadly I find both the leads a complete bore. As I said I'm amazed the shows lasted as long as it has. But then look at Bones....

 

[Mr Trick]

I don't know, never seen Supernatural so can't really comment, but would be surprised if its anyway near as good as Buffy just because very few things are. The premise doesn't appeal to me that much. That does sound like an impressive cast list though I will admit. Thing is about 90% of good acting is in the casting, so having good actors isn't always enough. In Buffy I think the lead actors tend to hit a home run just about all the time, but the crucial thing is they are cast in roles which suit their talents. Very few actors can overcome bad casting.

 

[bespangeled]

The problem with SPN at this stage is there are two main characters and they have done it all. Well, not all - they still have a little brother who is satan's bitch boy that they haven't even talked about in years. So now it's mostly external tension. And I miss Bobby.

 

[Taake]

The problem with SPN at this stage is there are two main characters and they have done it all. Well, not all - they still have a little brother who is satan's bitch boy that they haven't even talked about in years. So now it's mostly external tension. And I miss Bobby.

For me the problem is that both shows should have ended around season 5 before things started to go off rail.

Seasons 6-8 of SPN (that's as far as I've seen) are repetitive and they're scrambling to make the overall arcs more and more imposing (and they fall flat on their faces, kind of like with The First). The stand-alones are often still excellent, but the bigger pictures stories have lost all quality. They really have done it all and they should have bowed out gracefully around season 6 or 7, just like BtVS did, because of this. (Judging by the comics and Joss' mindset of where to take the story, even if you put monetary constraints on it, the later seasons of Buffy would have had just as outlandish and ludicrious as the later SPN.)

In general I don't feel like I need to expound the superiority of one over the other, I can enjoy both shows for different reasons and prefer one over the other at different times. There are things I feel that SPN do better (like comedy), and there are things I think that BtVS did better (like cultural sensitivity if only through vagueness), but for the most part I felt like they were/are both entertaining and witty pieces of television that at least started out original. If only SPN had had the wisdom to quit as well...


oh, and, I miss Bobby too!

🙂

 

[Silverspike]

Personally I found SPN's attempt at humor very leaden compared to BTVS's more clever style of both writing and delivery.

But then BTVS always had a strong undercurrent of comedy running though it. It was only in the latter two seasons that element diminished.

But millage varies of course. 🙂

 

[Taake]

Mr. Pole: Kripke left after season 5... so that was the end of the show. The other seasons are just like "The Further Adventures of Sam and Dean" to me.

Interesting, I'm not surprised I was just wondering whether he had or not.

I don't consider the shows a one-man effort of course, but I considered it the other day - reading about Gilmore Girls season 7 from one of the actor's pov's - that when the creator leaves a distinct voice and tone is always lost. So it was for BtVS, for SPN and for the aforementioned GG... they lose that distinct voice it seems and become a different entity.