I never thought of that

[catalyst2]

Just started reading my copy of Reading the Vampire Slayer (Updated Version) which I bought yesterday. Some very interesting points, one of which has troubled me for ages.


Early in the season, the first Ubervamp is a terrible enemy, almost impossible to beat and it even beats the crap out of Buffy herself. Later in the season though, anyone can dust an Ubervamp. Why? I have seen a number of theories - the first Ubervamp was the leader and thereby the strongest warrior, for example - but none have backed themselves up with evidence. No evidence until now, that is - Kaveney points out that during First!Buffy's speech to Caleb in S7e20 Touched when she says "... I want to put my hands around an innocent neck and feel it crack. I want to bite off a young girl's face and feel the skin and gristle slither down my throat ..." (my emphasis), the First is referring to her possession of Caleb in the first sentence and (TAH DAH! moment of revelation here - for me, at any rate) and her possession of the first Ubervamp in the second. Evidence at last! The first Ubervamp had its own inherent strength and speed augmented by The First just as Caleb did. The later Ubervamps did not and thereby functioned much as normal vampires did.

Solved (or at least the best bit of retconning I've seen in a while)!. I've only read the first 95 pages or so but this book does read quite well and I haven't discovered much to disagree with yet although the description of Maggie Walsh as being in love with Riley Finn did surprise me a bit! Still, I will wait for the evidence first before disagreeing.

Comments

[electrcspacegrl.livejournal.com]

Solved (or at least the best bit of retconning I've seen in a while)!

That's not retconning, that's fanwanking. Retconning is when new stories rewrite the show's history.

It's an excellent explanation, I'll buy it.

[catalyst2.livejournal.com]

Retconning requires a new story? I always thought it was the retrospective reinterpretation of existing stories to "insert" continuity. It is a good explanation though isn't it? Complete with evidence too!

[electrcspacegrl.livejournal.com]

Retconning requires a new story? I always thought it was the retrospective reinterpretation of existing stories to "insert" continuity.

No, that's fanwanking. An example of retcon is when we learn that Buffy was admitted to a mental hospital before she came to Sunnydale.

[catalyst2.livejournal.com]

Would it be a fanwank if, say, Joss did it? I have seen that phrase before and clearly not understood it when used about "canon" (and let's not get into *that* area!) writers on the show.

[electrcspacegrl.livejournal.com]

Joss has actually used the word fanwank, but I don't know if it was in the context of his own work. If Joss did it with his own work, I'd say it's unwritten canon. That's the best I can come up with.

[catalyst2.livejournal.com]

I like that one! It has an untestable air about it!

[harmalicious.livejournal.com]

Me too! Works for me :)

[catalyst2.livejournal.com]

One of the reasons that I like the book so far is that it isn't just endless episode recaps with witty remarks inserted - it really does move beyond that into interpretation. I've just finished the "Demon as Entropy" chapter - now that was a very different interpretation that I haven't struck before. I'm not sure whether I agree with it - I process stuff like that very slowly and it usually takes a few days for me to think about it.