The Body- Buffy The Vampire Slayer

Buffy The Vampire Slayer is probably my second favorite TV show of all time (after Lost) and "The Body" is definitely one of the top three episodes. I watched it last night as I'm re-watching Buffy, and was blown away by it all over again. It is such an emotional episode, that I can't help but cry during it. What is remarkable to me about this episode is that it portrays death as very real and physical. Buffy finds her mom's body and the episode takes us through what the moments when you discover someone is dead are like, as well as the moments after. There is no music and the camera mostly follows Buffy in just one shot as she slowly realizes that her Mom is dead.

I haven't personally experienced a death of this magnitude, but I imagine that the experience shown in the episode is about as realistic as it gets. Most other shows would dramatize a death by adding emotional music and giving the death some kind of profound meaning. Here there is no meaning. It is just what it is. And that realism is what makes it such a profound view of what death really is like. Each character in the show deals with the death in a different way, much like in real life. The emphasis is placed on the sometimes too realistic physicality of the body itself--multiple shots are shown of the mother's body that are not particularly attractive, but that is how it is in real life.

Perhaps my favorite part of the whole episode is a speech the character Anya gives. It is hard to understand the poignancy of her words without knowing the character. Anya used to be a demon, and is just now learning what it is like to be human, so her experience is like that of a child. She can oftentimes be blunt about things, almost sounding insensitive, but it is simply her childlike nature and not understanding how to be tactful or even why one needs to be tactful. So, her innocent view of the death of Buffy's mom is quite profound to me and makes me tear up everytime I hear it. Here are the words she says:

"I don't understand. I don't understand how this all happens. How we go through this. I mean I knew her, and then she's, there's just a body, and I don't understand why she can't just get back in it and not be dead anymore. It's stupid. It's mortal
and stupid, and, and Xander crying and not talking, and I was having fruit punch and I thought, well, Joyce will never have any more fruit punch, ever. And she'll never have eggs, or yawn, or brush her hair, not ever and no one will explain to me why."

The beauty of this quote is lost through just the writing of it because it is all about the actress' delivery. It is such an incredible moment, and this episode is indeed one of the best episodes in all of television.

Nightmare- Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold, a rock band based out of California, released their fifth album this past Tuesday. I picked it up yesterday on my way back from a vacation in St. George. The main reason I decided to buy this album is due to the involvement of one of my musical heroes- Mike Portnoy. Their previous drummer, James "The Rev" Sullivan, died of a drug overdose last year, and he was a big fan of Mike Portnoy. So, the band decided the best way to honor his memory would be to use the songs they had worked on together, and to have his favorite drummer play drums on the record just like "The Rev" would. So, they created an album that is somewhat a dedication to their fellow bandmate and brother, and called it "Nightmare".

Now, I don't own any other Avenged Sevenfold records, I am only familiar with a few of their previous hits. So, I took a big risk getting this album, but the risk most definitely paid off! My type of music is typically Progressive Rock, so it is quite a change of pace for me to listen to a more straightforward rock album. But, I can't help but have a huge smile on my face as I listen to this album. It has everything you could want- heavy, intense rockers, softer emotional ballads and even some surprises. The band even ventures into progressive metal territory with their closing 11 minute song, "Save Me". It is quite a musical journey and is very exciting to listen to.

Also notable to me is the great opener, "Nightmare" that just knocks your socks off right from the start. I love "Buried Alive" which features a softer beginning before building into a powerhouse of a song. One of the most meaningful songs is "Fiction" which "The Rev" wrote for the album days before his death. The song even features his voice as he sang on the demo of the song. It is chilling because the lyrics seem to almost predict his own death. It creates a haunting, but beautiful song that is dripping with emotion. It is truly something special. The other songs range from explosively heavy to emotionally poignant. It is the perfect balance for me.

I was surprised that I enjoyed this record so much. It may even make its way into my top ten albums of the year, which is shocking because generally the top ten is reserved for progressive albums. But, sometimes it is refreshing to just hear well-done rock. It may not be as complex as what I'm used to and it may even verge on cheesy at moments, but it is just so massively enjoyable to listen to. What I really love about it is how it manages to respect the memory of "The Rev" and even at times seem to be about him and his death lyrically. Mike Portnoy manages to match the sound of "The Rev" so as not to draw any attention to him and to honor the drum parts how "The Rev" would have played them. I am very happy I purchased this album and can't wait to continue getting into the album over time. Great stuff!

Purpose Of This Blog

I have created this blog so that I can write daily entries about the things in life that make me happy. There is so much joy to be found in life and I want to write about one of those things each day to remind me how great it is to be alive. I'm hoping that at the end of every day there will be a new blog post discussing something from that day that makes me particularly happy or excited.

This will be a way to remind myself: "At the end of the day, you'll be fine." -from the song "At The End Of The Day" by Spock's Beard.