What Episodes of Buffy do you watch as a Writer?

[hobgoblinn]

I know I have a lot of very talented writers on my f-list. I was just re-watching an episode of Buffy to get back in the mind-space, and I wondered--

What episode(s) do you re-watch for
*getting a character mannerism just right
*reminding yourself of a particular theme
*checking a particular relationship dynamic

Or some other thing? I'd really like to know. Obviously, for Ethan Rayne, my options are limited, and yes, I know those.

Oddly, what got me thinking about this was some of Spike's exploring Glory/Ben's place in the first half of "Spiral" (S5)-- just the way his body moves, the mannerisms, the easy grace, the quiet, deadly efficiency. I don't write Spike much, but that was kinda nifty.

On a related note, are there fanfics you turn back to, to get your mind in writing/ creative space again?

Comments

[rahirah]

I tend to watch episodes (or more often, check screencaps or transcripts or shooting scripts because it's faster to google than to queue up a DVD) dealing with specific things I need to reference, like the layout of the Summers' living room or exactly what the Shroud of Rahmon looked like. I don't very often use specific episodes to check on relationship dynamics as a whole. I guess because I see the relationships as cumulative things, so you can't get a truly complete picture by looking at only one or two episodes, no matter how definitive they are. I do check for specific interactions - like once when I had to write a particular conversation where I wanted to show that Angel was acting in a certain way because he equated the current situation with Buffy with his failure to save Darla from being vamped again, I went back and spot-checked a lot of the Angel/Darla interaction in S2.

[hobgoblinn.livejournal.com]

I guess I do that too-- check specific things-- but I also find sometimes watching particular episodes, a little nuance of acting will suggest something helpful to me about the character--- some parallel or hidden agenda or quirk I had forgotten or never connected in quite that way.

As I've moved away from my Buffy obsession a bit, I find it harder and harder to get back in that mindspace. I came late to the series (discovered library dvds) so for a while it was all fresh and new. I wonder how some of you who have been with this show so much longer keep things going.

[rahirah]

I think a big part of it is that I don't expect it to stay fresh and new forever. It's like the rush at the beginning of a new love affair: it's great, but it doesn't last, and if you expect it to, you're doomed to disappointment. If you want the relationship to succeed, you have to transition from infatuation to affection, which may not be as exciting, but can be even deeper and stronger.

Of course, with TV shows, they're not going to get their feelings hurt if you dump them for a newer, shinier model. *g*

[rahirah]

(And also, I think, I'm not so much in the headspace of the show as in the headspace of my own AU, which has gotten big and complicated enough that it spawns its own new stories out of the consequences of what's come before. Though I consider the show invaluable as a resource for background and character info and stuff, my versions of the characters have gone off in very different directions than tha canon characters did. My challenge is more to ensure that a reader can look at my version and say, "Yes, I can see Buffy acting like this, given the experiences she's had in this series.")