Buffy Report

Last night's Buffy was pretty good, but I sensed a different feel to the show. There was a darkness that I don't remember from before. I'm wondering how much of this is just a natural shift into the new season, and how much of it can be attributed to its move from WB to UPN this season. Last night was the first episode to air on UPN.

UPN is notorious in fandom for taking good shows and ruining them by trying to make them appeal to the primary UPN demographic: 18 to 25 year old men. What you end up with is violent, misogynistic, emotionally bankrupt shows. Buffy the Vampire Slayer has always been violent, of course, but there's violent and there's violent (for instance, the difference between dusting a vampire, and a bunch of biker demons tearing the Buffybot limb from limb onscreen).

I hope that the makers of Buffy will be able to withstand the pressure to conform, if the pressure actually is there. It's the only show I watch on TV. I guess I'm feeling a little protective.

A 7:40 AM doctor's appointment at Yale had me out of the house bright and early today. It is pretty quiet in New Haven before 7:30, even over by the medical school. It looks like it's going to be a sunny day here today.