WATCH ALONG: Buffy S4 E17
Added 2025-04-30 17:00:15 +0000 UTC
Comments
Filler may not be the right word, although it is a pretty common category in manga and some other genres — which may be the cultural reference point for Ashleigh. Instead of thinking about filler as a pejorative judgment, I think it’s more meaningful to note that Buffy always flips between a Big Bad season-long story arc and occasional Monster of the Week episodes. That’s been a pretty explicit understanding since Buffy was first airing. While not the only show to do this (X Files too) it was a pretty influential structure and not so common at the time. A lot of earlier genre shows with recurrent characters were full of nearly all standalone episodes that rarely had narrative follow through. Think of the A-Team, Knight Rider, The Incredible Hulk, the greatest American hero etc… Hardly ever did something that happened in one episode matter or carryover to another. Another reason why a “to be continued” pair of episodes was a special event. Pilot episodes, and season openers and closers (and maybe a double episode during sweeps week) often were the only narratively consequential stories in a genre show. of course, all of that comes from the fact that I’m old enough to have lived before streaming and even cable tv. I suspect that what Ashleigh calls filler here may seem like what you have when there’s a MOTW episode and, especially, when it’s not the highest quality. (so this episode is great… The next one, not so much.) I think Buffy is also pretty distinctive in that even the Big Bad arc has a few touch points even in an episode like this. Adam’s perspective on Jonathan added more value to his character even if it wasn’t necessary for the plot. And Willow and Tara’s relationship developed further. Also there are some things that pay off in Season 6 here, though I don’t know if they were already envisioned or, more likely, breadcrumbs that got picked back up by the writers later on.
zehloani
2025-06-02 21:05:20 +0000 UTCI don't know if Ashleigh is really paying attention.
Kevin Charley
2025-05-03 06:46:29 +0000 UTCApparently every episode that doesn't focus specifically on the overarching problem of that season is a filler episode.
Robert Reichle
2025-05-02 06:24:31 +0000 UTCEvery time Jonathan says Karen's name, I'm waiting for him to say "with a K" after it. lol
ssb031
2025-05-01 00:28:51 +0000 UTC
