Which Joss Whedon TV series was better: Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Angel? – Part 5
December 19, 2009 by Winchester
Filed under Angels
Joss Whedon has redefined the television genre with his contributions, however there has never been a Joss Whedon television Series or film that I have more than Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This show is not only a winner over its spinoff series Angel, but a winner in all sense of the word. This is my all-time favourite television series and I doubt that there will ever be another show to take its place.
Angel is enjoyable, however I felt that the character development in the Angel characters was never as complete as the character development in Buffy. The acting seemed limited, and it was not because they were bad actors, but because the script was lacking the same level of personality that the Buffy script had in every single episode. A part of what made Angel so sexy and mysterious in Buffy was because he did not say a lot. However, when you give him his own spin off show, suddenly the character needs a whole new set of dialogue and cannot get by with his wise insights and one-liners. So instead the character of Angel lost its charm, and actually seemed a little awkward and uncomfortable at times. His attempts at humour were weak, and you almost pitied the character for trying and failing. None of the other characters had the same amount of substance as the characters in Buffy either. They were not nearly as loveable or indepth.
Buffy is a superior star also. She is a cute, fiesty teenager, on the cusp of womanhood, who can kick butt and overcome even the most difficult situation. And she always manages to do it looking great. What is not to love about that? And her friends are far more devoted to helping her cause, making them somewhat of a modern day Scooby Doo team. Angel on the other hand is more of a Batman type super hero. I love Batman, but it makes for a very solitary plight of good overcoming evil. It does not leave alot of room for humour and fun either, like Buffy does.
Then there is the obvious. Buffy is the original. Angel is the spinoff. Nothing ever beats the original. Buffy lasted seven seasons, with not a single bad season among them. Angel dragged on for five, but probably should have stopped sooner. The only thing that kept those final seasons alive was the appearance of Spike’s character once Buffy came to an end.
Overall, both these shows are great and will remain pop culture hits throughout history, with their cult following and supernatural appeal. However, Buffy is by far the greater TV series of the two and Angel really does not put up much of a fight in this debate. Afterall, if there was no Buffy, there would be no point in having an Angel!
‘67 Chevrolet Impala Goes Supernatural
June 10, 2009 by Winchester
Filed under Supernatural
The 1967 Chevrolet Impala went the extra mile to become a supernatural car. Not that it became a shaman or something magical – the Impala is part of a paranormal television series dubbed ‘Supernatural.’
In the Supernatural show, Winchester brothers travel the highways and minor roads of North America in quest of their missing father. Along the way they stumble upon various evil spirits with which they fight.
Now in its second season, Channel 10’s Supernatural intends to show other big stars aside from brothers Dean and Sam Winchester. And that big star is the ’67 Impala – a big black American muscle car. Many viewers wondered what kind of car the Winchester brothers drive. Actually, the car owned by older brother Dean is, in fact, a four-door 1967 Chevrolet Impala.
When the car was destroyed at the end of the first season, Eric Kripke, the creator of the show Supernatural, divulged he was inundated with letters from fans wanting to know if the vehicle was going to make a return. “When I was originally writing the show I wanted to give the guys an American muscle car,” Kripke said. “My first choice was a ‘65 Mustang. My neighbor said it had to be a ‘67 Impala because you can put a body in the trunk. “He says, ‘You want a car that, when people stop next to it at the lights, they lock their doors’.”
The Impala, launched in 1958 as an upmarket, sporty product line for Bel Air coupes and convertibles, features classic styling cues that include six taillights. In 1959, the car became a separate model in both two- and four-door versions.
Eventually, the car became the best-selling car in the Chevrolet lineup. Starting in 1960, the car holds the best-seller title for the next decade. To stress, from 1958 until 1966, sales of the Impala were in excess of 13 million units, more than any other full-size car in the auto history. In 1965, the car etched an all-time annual sales record of more than one million units in the United States. Up until the present time, the record of more than 13 million sales has never been surpassed.
In 1973, when energy crisis became a big headache, sales of the car declines. This event has prompted the automaker to redesign the car to meet the changing demands of the purchasers. The production of the car continues to this day. The 1967 model as featured on the show came with a choice of inline six-cylinder as well as the famous Chevy small-block and big-block V8s.
The Impala may not be featuring some renowned parts like the Chevrolet pickup overhead racks but the car makes history by itself. Ed Cole, Chevrolet’s chief engineer in the late 1950s, defined the Impala as a “prestige car within the reach of the average American citizen.”
Five black Impalas are utilized in the production of the Supernatural. In the pilot episode, the Impala’s huge trunk is revealed to hold a traveling armory of weapons used by the Winchesters to fight the supernatural forces. The Impala has a Sedgwick County, Kansas license plate KAZ 2Y5, a reference to Kansas, the lead stars’ home state.
The Impala has been nicknamed the Metallicar by fans of the show. The car takes its name from the speedy antelope found on the grasslands of central and southern of Africa. The two-door Super Sport version of the car is credited for the inception of the muscle car milieu. For the 2009 or 2010 model year, the Impala will be heavily redesigned. Sales are expected to begin by 2008.