The preferred Buffy? - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992) Discussion

[–] pioneergrrrl 14 years ago

Kristy Swanson does not look anorexic. She looks like she could easily kick butt in a fight.

This would be important for being a slayer. You'd have to be physical.

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[–] jaywensley2004 9 years ago

Her tiny size was both an element of the character and a running joke in the show. The bad guys often didn't see her coming.

And the Slayer is a mystical character. Her strength is not a function of her mass, it is magically imbued. The iconic depiction of this comes in the shows finale. When Buffy, through Willow, activates all the potential Slayers, there is a shot of a pre-teen girl batting in a Little League game. Imagine how humiliating it would be for a vampire to get staked by HER!

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[–] jim_buttram 14 years ago

Gellar, precisely because her Buffy doesn't look intimidating. That's the point ... she's vamp-bait AND a whole can of whoop-ass in one package.

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[–] 14 years ago

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[–] pinkspatzi 14 years ago

Swanson, simply because she embodied the shallow, valley girl persona so well. SMG seemed a little less vapid. I preferred the idea of this totally clueless blonde having to get her hands dirty killing vampires and learning the world is not all about shopping and getting mani/pedis.

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[–] black_serenade 14 years ago

Swanson, simply because she embodied the shallow, valley girl persona so well. SMG seemed a little less vapid. I preferred the idea of this totally clueless blonde having to get her hands dirty killing vampires and learning the world is not all about shopping and getting mani/pedis.

It's a tough choice. Gellar's Buffy had moments were she was either overly sappy or a little bit too business like...

What people also need to remember is that the TV show is a continuation of the movie. When she moves to Sunnydale it's after all of what has happened in the film, so she has already learnt that the world is not all about shopping and being a valley girl, as much as she tries to disprove this in the first episode. It shows character growth.

What Happens In The Emerald City Stays In The Emerald City

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[–] PrincessTalia2 14 years ago

[quote]What people also need to remember is that the TV show is a continuation of the movie. When she moves to Sunnydale it's after all of what has happened in the film, so she has already learnt that the world is not all about shopping and being a valley girl, as much as she tries to disprove this in the first episode. It shows character growth.[quote]

No the movie isn't. Joss Whedon maintains the movie should be considered stand-alone and that any of the events, characters or character traits in the movie should not be referred to as canon for the television series of the same name. (Taken from BtVS movie trivia section)

If you have watched the series you will see in the beginning that the Watcher lets Buffy know who and what she is and starts to help her train. Buffy from the series at the beginning knows nothing about being a slayer. Besides the Buffy of the movie was a senior in HS and the Buffy of the TV series is a sophomore.

That's just my two cents. Take it or leave it. IMHO

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[–] PrincessConsuelaBananahammock 14 years ago

No the movie isn't. Joss Whedon maintains the movie should be considered stand-alone and that any of the events, characters or character traits in the movie should not be referred to as canon for the television series of the same name. (Taken from BtVS movie trivia section)

If you have watched the series you will see in the beginning that the Watcher lets Buffy know who and what she is and starts to help her train. Buffy from the series at the beginning knows nothing about being a slayer. Besides the Buffy of the movie was a senior in HS and the Buffy of the TV series is a sophomore.

WTF? The show is absolutely a continuation of the movie, well not an exact continuation, because there are some continuity errors like with regards to what grade she was in. Technically, it wasn't an error so much as an adjustment so that the series could have Buffy spending three years at Sunnydale High rather than going to college right away. The show references that Buffy got kicked out of her high school in LA and how being a vampire slayer negatively affected her life. In the first episode of the series, she's reluctant to continue to be a slayer and knew right when Cordelia described the dead body in the locker that the body had been attacked by a vampire and when Buffy saw the body for herself, she knew that he wouldn't rise because he was just dead. The only time when Buffy's Watcher tells her about who she is and starts helping her train is in a flashback from the season 2 2-part finale when Merrick is played by a different actor. When she meets Giles at the start of the series, she's been a slayer for probably a year or so.

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[–] FairlyTwisted 14 years ago

I agree with you. And (I haven't seen the movie in ten years) do I remember correctly that in the movie Buffy burned down the gym in the final fight or something? Because in the series Buffy repeats many times through the show that that is the reason why she was kicked out of her previous school.
The only element that doesn't fit is when in the series Buffy says she was put in a mental institution because noone believed her when she first encountered with vampyres.

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Everything is a version of something else.

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[–] black_serenade 14 years ago

The main part that breaks canon is that in the film Buffy is a senior, whereas in the TV series she's a sophomore, which should have made her a freshman in the film. However it would have been a bit s#it if they had of started the first season with her in college.

What Happens In The Emerald City Stays In The Emerald City

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[–] jaywensley2004 9 years ago

Essentially I agree. However, in the show Giles does not reveal to Buffy her identity as the Slayer. She already knows this and has in fact been kicked out of Hemery High for burning a gym full of vampires.

Whedon says the movie is not canon. Its his story, so, fair enough. But some of the movie is applicable to the show.

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[–] KristenTaylor813 14 years ago

Gellar, She played the role with more depth.

Gus, don't be this crevice in my arm.

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[–] nemuro8 14 years ago

It's a tough choice. Gellar's Buffy had moments were she was either overly sappy or a little bit too business like, though she was a key part of the series' success.

My favourite character from the show was Cordelia and Cordelia's progression as a character was along the lines of Swanson's Buffy. The only really downside to Swanson's Buffy was the unfortunate script she was given. Would have been really nice to see her with Whedon's untainted movie script.

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[–] chevroletimpala 14 years ago

Gellar, and if who ever said she looks anorexic ever watched the show, they'd know she only started getting too thin in Season 7 and even then she was far from anorexic looking.

Deputy: So, fake US Marshall, fake credit cards. You got anything that's real?
Dean: My boobs...

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[–] marcusman48 14 years ago

Swanson - but then, I'm probably biased because I haven't seen a single episode of the TV show yet.

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[–] speedolitec 14 years ago

Swanson - but then, I'm probably biased because I haven't seen a single episode of the TV show yet.

That could have something to do with it, sure.

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[–] marcusman48 14 years ago

Well, is it still in syndication any more? It used to air in reruns on the FX Channel, but that seems to not be the case now.

And if I were to watch it, would it be best to view everything from the beginning (that is, from the first season)? I remember reading somewhere that the series was a lot like the movie during 1997-1998, and THEN they went in a totally different direction so that by 1999 it was something else altogether.

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[–] speedolitec 14 years ago

Well, is it still in syndication any more? It used to air in reruns on the FX Channel, but that seems to not be the case now.

I know it's still aired on Logo (what it has to do with the gay channel, I'm not really sure. Is Willow being gay in later seasons enough to qualify it as a "gay show"? )

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[–] NaomiKills 14 years ago

Gellar because she looked good in a fight scene and played the character with more depth.

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[–] ShalanTD 14 years ago

is this even a serious question? gellar for sure, not even close...

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