"Graduation Day, Part 2" REACTION - Buffy 3x22 Commentary (Early Access YouTube)
Added 2025-03-22 18:40:03 +0000 UTC
Comments
Basically the remaster just destroyed all the work he did to tell the story through use of lighting and camera shots and even the intentional use of grain etc to give the show the unique look. Joss may have been an arse but he made some excellent choices. Basically Michael Gershman and Sarah and Tony really were the ones that carried the first season (other that Joss doing some script doctoring as he was known for.) He was also by all accounts a lovely man. So yeah in respect to him I would 100% suggest obtaining an original version. I think you can purchase on Apple iTunes. I believe they have the original version.
Sarah_J_Salerno
2025-04-06 11:02:38 +0000 UTCOh and regarding the remastered version versus the original version, it’s not just the aspect ratio that’s a problem, as seasons 4-7 even on the original version were available in widescreen. It’s actually the whole look of the show. When they remastered it they lost a lot of the work done by the DP to give the show its look and feel. And the DP from seasons 1-5 the late Michael Gershman was phenomenal. The whole show has a different feel when watching in the original format. When they remastered it they made the actors look almost plasticine, colour correction etc was completely screwed up which changes the whole feel of the scenes, they cropped shots they didn’t need to which means information is missing. They didn’t correct images which had crew visible in the wider film. They simply ‘blew up’ effects rather than remastering them and improving them which is what they usually do but in the higher def it looks much worse. I would highly recommend obtaining the original version. I’d even suggest rewatching these earlier 3 seasons in the original al some point. Passion of the Nerd (YouTube) has a great video which explains how royally they fucked up the remaster….. it may have some spoilers but seeing as you’ve already seen the ending I don’t know how concerned you are with that…..
Sarah_J_Salerno
2025-04-06 10:56:18 +0000 UTCI have a few viewing tips as you move ahead to the coming seasons if you want them to improve your experience and the viewers. I promise no spoilers….. As expected the characters mature, so do the themes, and the storytelling, therefore the seasons will all FEEL very different. They are paced differently and while stories and themes will be told as we are used to on multiple levels through character, relationships, and the interaction with the plot, different aspects will be in focus. There will be more subversion of expectations as the themes evolve and mature. (Also I think due to the core writing staff and show generally really evolving and maturing.) The fandom will have strong opinions about various seasons in 4-7 as they are each tonally very different and unique. Ultimately the best approach is to not have expectations based on the past and trust the ride, which I think you generally do well. As, being one of the most intelligent, complex and brave TV shows that existed at the time it really changed TV landscape in loads of ways and pushed boundaries. The show from here starts taking way more risks after earning its audience. A lot of the time if something seems one way it is almost exclusively ON PURPOSE. Sometimes serving the show/episodes style, sometimes getting around the fact it was made in early 2000s and in a number of ways ahead of its time. 6 and 7 were on the UPN network that didn’t have a developed standards of practice department, so they got away with more. Just in time for the more adulthood coded seasons……. So basically don’t get too comfy thinking you know what Buffy is. Trust the ride, and the writers. Season 4 IMO is the most comedic of the series. There are also a lot of crossovers with Angel S1 so watch order will be important. 😉 There are a handful of really unique episodes in the series from here on that you may wish to have a slightly different approach to how you react. Generally viewing a few times in full. One with a raw ‘first time’ reaction, a second without recording just viewing and making notes and then maybe a third viewing and then doing your regular free flowing thoughtful discussions. (Or any variation of above). It’s a bit more work but there is at least 3 episodes this is well worth doing this way. Because these episodes are often packed and a bit like a work of art in itself. And are very different to the usual Buffy style we are used to (whilst still being completely Buffy-Esque at the same time…..) I just find sometimes otherwise you will miss out on key pieces and details due to the reacting when you wouldn’t as a regular viewer. If you want to do this, let us know if you would like us to warn you which ones they are coming up. Or you can just make that call as you approach them having this in mind. Enjoy the ride.
Sarah_J_Salerno
2025-03-30 18:47:03 +0000 UTCoh also late comment but i watch buffy on apple tv, the captions are good and synced and it's not the remastered version. it can be expensive to buy the show but they do have sales sometimes if you want to wait for one of them! no idea how the app would work from the recording side of things but thought i'd throw it out there :)
esme
2025-03-24 20:52:21 +0000 UTCI believe that the little girl jokes and deprecating comments are intentionally placed, almost as a point to remind us that she is fighting against this world of men who underestimate female power….. They are placed as a ploy for the audience to emphasise the triumph over it. It’s a constant theme through to the shows end. And they are never used more than in moments like this directly prior to demonstrations of female power. Also the reason that the battle was a little ‘too easy’ is because it was ultimately just payoff. There has been setup for this ‘battle’ through the whole second half of the season. All the themes, character arcs and messages have lead to it. So it’s a spectacle where you never really doubt that it will be overcome, but we don’t know how. So the big moment is that one where the students stand up and look up at the monster threatening their future and Buffy says ‘now’. The memorable moments are the students fighting as one. With Buffy and Xander leading the fight. The stakes are high but ultimately because they stand together we know they will win, as soon as it starts. Because it’s earned……Because the story has lead us here. Each season finale in the series is thematically significant and they are all supremely different. That dream sequence was intended to be a shared slayer dream or shared consciousness. Faith is reaching out to Buffy in her subconscious state. It’s such a beautiful sequence. A few things that happened in there that add meaning to this season: (I won’t put anything here that’s a spoiler.) First the cat is a symbol for the slayer, Buffy asks faith ‘who is going to look after him’ and faiths responds ‘ it’s a she, and aren’t these things supposed to take care of themselves?’ With flashes to faiths body from the hospital bed. Showing us that ultimately her self reliance contributed to her downfall. Faith looking out the broken window asking ‘they are never going to fix this are they?’ This is a direct reference to Faith and Buffy’s relationship which was irrevocably altered. Despite this deep connection the two have demonstrated in this dream and the comment ‘is this your mind or mine’ Buffy says with a smile, acknowledging that those lines between them are actually blurry, they have a deep connection despite the events of the season. But that fight and Buffy stabbing Faith has also irrevocably changed both of them. (I also believe Faith throwing herself off that balcony was her ultimately ‘saving’ Buffy from the same fate. And you see Buffy just sit there and watch her do it and not try to stop her…… Buffy also refers to ‘A higher power guiding us?’ with a smile. Faith says ‘I’m pretty sure that’s not what I meant.’ Buffy is alluding to her leaving the watchers council. So her relationship with Faith has helped her to really choose her own path and break out of those conformity’s and make her own ‘choices’. I love all the dualities and how they played out in this season. Graduation is almost also a symbol for leaving that childlike understanding of life behind. Black and white thinking has no place anymore. The lines between good and bad becoming less clear. The world is many different shades of grey. And we will be faced with moral questions throughout adulthood that we will need to be prepared to make. I can’t wait to see what you think of season 4 and beyond. I am hanging out for 4.10, 4.16 and 4.22 in this next season. These are a few of my favourite episodes of the series each for entirely different reasons. Also a mountain of comedy in season 4. For me it was some of the best comedy of the series…… So enjoy the ride!!
Sarah_J_Salerno
2025-03-24 15:33:25 +0000 UTCYes he loves these single handheld shots! When I see them I always compare to that one though…..
Sarah_J_Salerno
2025-03-24 13:41:00 +0000 UTCSuch a great season finale, it honestly felt perfect. Oz’s perspective of guys we survived, not the battle but high school line was so good. It’s a reminder of how thoughtful Oz is.
Mayra Martinez
2025-03-24 07:01:31 +0000 UTCI just heard about! I can’t wait 🙃
Mayra Martinez
2025-03-23 18:27:11 +0000 UTCfun fact to learn
Tanya TMS
2025-03-23 07:36:29 +0000 UTCLoved the reaction. We don't judge you for your cannibalism. It's okay. We are Buffy fans... lots of cannibalism going on in that. --- Man, can't believe we are already to season 4 and even though it's not high up there on my fav of seasons, I can't wait. Time for adult Buffy! Cheers.
Tanya TMS
2025-03-23 07:33:34 +0000 UTCOne of Snyder's first lines in the show was mocking Principal Flutie getting eaten by the hyena kids - "That's the kind of woolly-headed liberal thinking that leads to being eaten." It's only fitting that he ends up eaten alive too. And RIP Sunnydale High Library, arguably a character in its own right. Some fun trivia: they shot the explosions at the school at 5am, and they were so powerful that according to a producer they even shattered some local residents' car windows. The town banned Buffy from filming there for two years. Regarding the aspect ratio - from season 4 onwards, the widescreen version does improve, though there's still occasionally weird colouring and characters onscreen when they shouldn't be). Tbh the mayor's snake form looks pretty goofy in the original too, but that's CGI in 1999 for you! Thankfully, Buffy doesn't resort to CGI often. Looking forward to BTVS season 4 and Angel season 1! One quick note: if you can, try to avoid watching the opening credits for the first episode of Angel, as it does include some spoilers.
Lucy
2025-03-23 06:14:39 +0000 UTCI think you're very much right that any other slayer wouldn't have been able to pull this off as easily. Buffy is unique from other slayers, who were isolated by their Watchers. Buffy draws strength fom her friends and draws their strengths from them as well. She even made Xander useful. 😂 And Buffy is such a creative and resourceful person. Another slayer would NEVER have considered arming "civilians" to fight. Snyder being eaten is one of the highlights of the series for me. *chef's kiss* Excellent theories about the coming season. I can't wait for you to see it. And to watch Angel's show!
Jennifer McIntyre
2025-03-23 03:06:59 +0000 UTCi think wesley was so injured bc he got trampled, he was right in the middle of everything when he was knocked to the ground
esme
2025-03-23 03:01:34 +0000 UTCI’m so excited that both Snyder and the Mayor are going to be at HellmouthCon this year which is at the school they filmed at. The photo opportunities! Lol
Tiffany
2025-03-23 01:48:57 +0000 UTCIf he follows his pattern, five days. Patience, friend. Don't be in such a hurry to go through the door. ;)
Dipper
2025-03-22 23:49:47 +0000 UTCAny idea how long until the finale of the good place?
Mark Finley
2025-03-22 22:16:51 +0000 UTCBeautiful episode. I also think season 2 finale was better and more dramatic but this one didn't need to be. It may be an error to always try to top each season finale because you can end up with overdramatic episode that don't really fit with the rest of the show. BTVS writers just knew what was needed to tell the story they wanted to tell and it worked perfectly. So, the metaphor "High school can be hell" is now over and the question becomes: does the show has something else to say? They finished what they wanted to do in the first place so... what now? I love the last shot of this episode because the message can also apply for the show. The future is theirs. They have an opportunity to go new places with these beloved characters, to try new things, to tell different stories. But the show could also lose its identity by doing so. In summary, it is an exciting time for BTVS. Just a little trivia to end this comment: the show began with Buffy being kicked off her previous school for having burned down the gym. Now, she burned the all school to the ground. That's what you can call growing up. If she continues down this path, there will be nothing left of Sunnydale by the end of the show^^
Aurelius 19
2025-03-22 22:01:28 +0000 UTCI am soooo anticipating your reaction to Season 4, that I'm going to do something I normally never do. I'm going to urge and pester and harangue a reactor to GET ON IT NOW! 😆 Okay, not really, go at your own pace, LOL, but seriously, there are many of us who can scarcely wait for your insights into Season 4.
RavenLord
2025-03-22 20:25:04 +0000 UTCMy opinion at this point, and NO spoilers, merely an opinion piece: I think this season, and the 2-part finale in particular, demonstrates that the Watchers' Council had it all wrong from the start. Perhaps the Slayer is not some young girl for them to use, to control, to order about while they fancy themselves in charge. I think this season shows us that the Slayer is meant to be a young girl with the potential to become a woman of power and leadership, and perhaps the Council was actually meant to GUIDE her to that, to train her to be the leader she's meant to be, and instead they warped it over the years with "traditions" and tests, so that they could believe themselves in control instead of a "little girl," as Mayor Wilkins referred to Buffy in the episode Choices. I say that because we also saw how Kendra, while an excellent fighter, was held back from using her imagination and making her own choices, and it ultimately got her killed, or at least contributed to her death. We saw how Faith chafed under the control and the resentment and bitterness it worsened in her, because she was basically being told her life wasn't her own, her choices weren't her own to make. Though to be fair, Faith also didn't realize that Buffy's true journey was ultimately leading to Buffy's freedom to become her own leader, and that if Faith could "be more like Buffy" and not be so rash, reckless, and in her own way, she could also be a leader, Instead, she chose the easier path of true evil and ended up still not making her own decisions and embracing her full potential, and that contributed to her ending up in a coma. If it's true that the Slayers are meant to be leaders in their own right, then Giles has to be one of the best damn Watchers, if not THE best. Meanwhile, we saw how Wesley's by-the-book Council-speak approach failed miserably.
RavenLord
2025-03-22 20:16:06 +0000 UTCThe long one shot in the hospital is so perfectly done. That’s Joss.
Allan Cornett
2025-03-22 18:57:06 +0000 UTCBeen waiting for this to drop. Another great season finale.
Allan Cornett
2025-03-22 18:51:21 +0000 UTCahhh right when I'm running to work. nooo I have to wait. can't wait.
Tanya TMS
2025-03-22 18:46:04 +0000 UTC
