Character/Actor Pairings: Lack of Chemistry

nerd4hire

nerd4hire

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On another thread LadyLavinia suggests she doesn't feel any chemistry between Wesley(Denisof), and Spike(Marsters).

I have to admit I didn't notice anything in that particular pairing I personally object to, but I'm thinking every fan probably has a pairing of characters/actors that they think of as a bad mix. What's yours?

Mine would be Cordelia(Carpenter), and Connor(Kartheiser).

I'm wondering is there really such a thing as bad chemistry between characters or actors. Is it a deficiency in the writing, or acting, or is it me and others projecting our personal issues onto what we're viewing? Perhaps it's a mixture of some, or all of the above.
 
I agree with the Cordelia/Connor thing. It was just weird. And the thing is Cordelia was only supposed to be about 22 at the time and Connor 18, but they looked so much more spread apart in age.

Illyria (Acker) and Lorne (Hallett) didn't really do much either.
 
Yeah I agree. It must be more the difference in the actors ages there, than the difference in the characters, because we don't mind Buffy/Angel.

Also with Connor/Cordelia, there's that whole "she used to change his diapers" thing. It's almost incestuous.

I wonder though...could it have worked if another pairing of actors with really great chemistry had portrayed the same kind of story? I mean the Oedipus story has been around for how long?
 
Yeah they had that theme down to a "T". Sleep with Mommy, Want to Kill Daddy...basically got it covered. Which again was another good reason why it seems most of Angel's audience were not receptive to the pair.

I never quite felt the chemistry between Spike & Darla and even in some instances between Spike & Angel. A lot of times it felt very forced.
 
That's odd you know. I felt a kind of unspoken chemistry between Spike and Darla. A "Grandma speaks. You shut your mouth and listen", kind of thing.

I kind of picked up the same thing you're talking about between Spike and Angel a couple of times in Season 5 though.
 
I saw nothing wrong with the Cordelia/Connor interaction. It seemed perfectly fine to me. A lot better than the Spike/Wes scene. As for Darla and Spike . . . I felt nothing between them. Nothing at all.
 
Yeah I think the Spike-Darla thing was mostly in my head, but that's kind of part of my point.

I think a lot of what we choose to think of as character or actor chemistry can often be explained by the way a particular viewer chooses to define the character in his or her own head.

On the other hand though, that's not necessarily true. I hated the Angel episode Girl in Question, yet I have to admit, to me the chemistry between Angel (Boreanaz) and Spike(Marsters) was the only thing that almost saved the episode for me. I thought it was pretty good there.
 
I always found the scenes between Cordelia and Oz rather awkward, although that may have been the point; theye are rather an awkward pairing. In which case, kudos to the actors.

I agree with the problematic relationship between Cordelia and Connor. I think that it just came down to there not being any chemistry between the two actors, because really, that kind of thing can come off as a pretty kinky kind of sexy if done right (admit it). And I don't think that it's for lack of trying, I just never felt anything between them. Which is odd, because I felt that at that point in the season, both of their performances, if taken singularly, were still top knotch (is that how you spell that? notch?).

As for Spike and Darla, I never thought that they had any kind of electric chemistry, but I thought that their few interactive scenes together came off well. It seemed to kind of click, I thought.

And my favourite has to be Giles paired with almost any other character. I have to give ASH his dues. There is almost no one that that man cannot appear to connect with. Even his few scenes with Riley worked. However, I never felt that same "click" between him and Faith. Anyone else have thouhgts on this?
 
Yeah Cordelia-Oz: I get that. Remember that bit in Haloween (I think it was), when she was dressed like a cat, talking to Oz by the locker about Devon standing her up. I also found that, like you say, awkward.

Cordelia-Connor: Already agreed.

Darla-Spike: I'm rethinking my interpretation of that, and thinking it's less like chemistry, and more like a dynamic I think I notice. When there's little or no interaction between Darla and another character I interpret that as an example of Darla's dominant personality. It's just the way my personal brain chooses to read it.

Ash plays well off every character: Absolutely. Agreed.

Giles-Faith: Wasn't that one supposed to be awkward. Giles is in the Buffy-zone. He doesn't connect with Faith. He's trying to keep it professional. That's part of the kind of thing that puts Faith on her downward spiral isn't it? In that case isn't the chemistry between the characters supposed to be professional friendly, yet superficial, and a little off-balance? I thought those two played off each other exactly the way they were supposed to.


Riley...Here's one. Riley-Buffy.

In the early part of the relationship I kind of liked it, but that was pretty much a white bread relationship in the beginning. There wasn't really much to it. Later on when the relationship becomes complicated it becomes harder to watch. A little icky. Again is that bad chemistry, bad acting, bad writing, or is it just that I don't get it.

How do you know when it's bad chemistry anyway?
 
I think that what I had noticed between Giles and Faith is that I didn't notice anything at all, kind of like what Lady Lavinia was talking about. The only scene that even stands out as the two of them having any real kind of interaction in my mind is the one in "Consequences" right as Buffy is going to "confess" to Giles. Other than that they just seemed to sometimes be in the same room. And on looking at it this way, I attribute this more to the writers than to either ASH or Eliza Dushku.

Back to Spike and Darla. I like the word dynamic as applied here. They did have a dynamic and it seemed effectice (at least to me). While there wasn't an overabundance of scenes between the two, they did have some (Fool For Love, Darla -was there anything in Lies My Parents Told Me?) and they always seemed to work just right. You didn't notice them and think "Wow, that was brilliant" or alternately "eh, that just didn't seem right". They managed to just slip in there unobtrusively, which to me, means they serve their purpose pretty well. The dynamic works.

Riley and Buffy, there's a subject. While you say you didn't mind it at first, that's exactly when it bothered me. It seemed so forced and contrived at that point. And Marc Blucas had stupid hair that invaded every single scene, there was just no living with it. Ehgm. I liked better later on when the two of them actually bothered to show some emotion in their scenes together.

I don't know about "Bad" chemistry, I suppose that it evokes some kind of negative response. At least it's some kind of chemistry though. At least you react to it. In my opinion, there's nothing worse than NO chemistry, when you're bored and feel nothing at all when watching interaction.
 
I enjoyed this scene between Faith and Giles:

Cut to the library. Giles stands at the end of the table with his hands
in his pockets, reminiscing about the gatherings.

Giles: There's a Watchers' retreat every year in the Cotswolds. (walks
to the other end of the table) It's a lovely spot. It's very s-serene.
(everyone listens) There's horse riding and hiking and punting (smiles)
and lectures and discussions. It-i-it's... it's a great honor to be
invited. (a tad bitter) Or so I'm told.

Faith: Oh, it's boring. Way too stuffy for a guy like you.

Buffy: Um, maybe I should introduce you again. Faith, this is *Giles*.

Willow smirks.

Faith: I see him. If I'd've known they came *that* young and cute, I
would've requested a transfer.

Giles takes off his glasses.

Buffy: (grossed out) Raise your hand if 'ew'. (raises her hand)

Xander raises his, but hides it by scratching his cheek.

Giles: (chuckles) Well, um, uh, leaving aside for a moment my, uh,
youth and beauty, (goes to the copier) I'd-I'd say it was, um, (grabs
the newspaper) fortuitous that Faith arrived when she did. (comes back
with it)

But I see what you mean. They don't actually interact. But do you see what I mean? Giles is aloof and professional, yet a little off-balance, and uncomfortable. Faith is trying to connect, but she's not going to. It's different than the unmistakeable connection between Giles and Buffy. I'm suggesting that in this case, no chemistry is chemistry.

It's written to portray a distance between the two characters, and I think the two actors play it flawlessly. In fact it's done with such ease between the 2 of them that you hardly notice.
 
For me, the biggest one has to be Buffy and Willow in Season 7.

They resemble nothing of their former friendship. Although Buffy and Xander seem to have some kind of quirky cute parenting thing going on. And it worked well. They should have hooked up.

But chemistry doesn't mean the you have to interact with the characters in a positive way.

Like the way Buffy was towards Giles in the middle of Season 7, after Lies my Parents told me. It was brilliant, perfected. The whole door in the face did it for me.

The greatest pairing of chemistry to me is Buffy and Angel in I Will Remember You and just in general Buffy and Dawn. Seemed like a real sisterly bond.

And Spike and Buffy definately had their moments, but it was just to awkward in Season 7.
 
Slayer said:
For me, the biggest one has to be Buffy and Willow in Season 7.
Click to expand...
I actually do agree with you.. Don't know if it has to do with the actors though.. of if it's just the fact that the characters have drifted apart and all that..

I don't think Dawn and Buffy has that good chemistry. I know Buffy loves Dawn so mush, I mean she sacrifices her life for her sister, but I can never see that shea loves her that much. I mean we are told that she does but I cald see or feel that bond between them. The only scene I can think of in which I really like Buffy/Dawn together is in Bargaining part 2, when Dawn has taken Buffy back to the house.. and leads her around showing her the house, helping her with her sweater.. Dawn is the only one who really understands Buffy in that scene, which I like..
 
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