Rebuttal
Now it's my turn:

1) Regarding the point of humor in the ME shows:
I still can't agree with your overall summation of the Jossiverse shows with regards to comedy vs drama. And that's ok. To me, they were definitely not sitcoms, not exactly dramedies (comedy/dramas) but more like dramas the way they are supposed to be. Buffy, for example, treated these situation as real people would. While I would never presume to believe that I am as witty (?) as Buffy herself, I certainly would like to believe that healthy banter is good for any situation, especially if I spend all my time in these dire situations. I also think that the fact that these episodes weren't DRIPPING with humor is a reason why specific episodes can stand out as being much more comedic than the others. Arguably, ever episode had a healthy dose, but I rarely thought that these moments took away from the drama of the situation, or made the characters seem any less as though they were in peril. The comedy also never detracted from the core essence of who these characters were.

Buffy Summers is a Vampire Slayer. Everyday she weighs life or death situations, and handles them. She saves the world....a lot. Without her, we would be in deep trouble. She wasn't always a professional, but she eventually came into that role. She was a teenager, and not always eager to accept her responsibility, but when the time came, she stepped up, and we had complete faith in her (no pun intended.....well, maybe.)

Xander Harris, was always in over his head. As a result, he probably came off as the most intentionally funniest. He WAS the comic relief. Yes, he had skills, but they weren't much, and we knew that. That's why he WAS the comic relief.

Moving over to Angel:
Angel is a brooding fellow. He is deadly serious, because he is a man with a monster trapped inside. He is a Vampire with a soul, cursed to relive the horrors of his past and perpetually seek redemption for his horrible past. He is not much of a people person, as that this may lead to temptation. He is uncomfortable, also, perhaps because he does not see himself worthy yet. He is, however, confident in his mission and his abilities.

The world of Angel depends on fundamental truths like that to keep its world fluid. My fear (and this comes more from what you hear from the networks than it does in my faith in Joss) is that if the show becomes too funny, it will lose the sense of believability that we have in its characters. Again, I have faith in Joss. I just don't trust the network, and feel that they may try to exert too much control.

2. Gunn is still a sticking point with me. It's usually good to have a character change and evolve. I just don't know if this one seems right to me. I agree that Gunn has always been about doing what he can, whatever he can. I just do feel, however, that this was a bit much. This is a loyal man. Remember that he almost didn't go to Pylea because he had been ignoring his crew. What about that crew now? That is why this whole thing seems so out of character for me. Yes, he finally went to Pylea. Out of loyalty as well. I just don't see that Gunn would ever willingly sacrifice his link to his old crew.

As for the rest, Brian, you've made excellent points all around. My basic problem is that I feel that the show is still beyond the average viewer's grasp. I couldn't stand to have it dumbed down, so I am happy for that. But, ultimately, as we have had the unfortunate tendency to learn, television is about ratings and viewership. If Angel can't build on the audience that it had last season, the show is in serious danger of being cancelled. Current evidence proves that the changes are working and that viewership is up. I'm glad. I just hope it can stay that way. My initial fear was that it wouldn't work, old viewers would be alienated, viewership would drop, and we would lose yet another ME show, a bit prematurely.

As the season is progressing, I am becoming cautiously optimistic. I will continue to keep my fingers crossed.

  posted by J @ 10:57