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Celebrity Culture, Brand Whedon and the post-Romantic fallacy

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Over the last couple of weeks there have been a number of responses to the allegations made by Kai Cole against her former husband, television producer and self-declared feminist Joss Whedon. The accusations of serial infidelity against her with numerous female co-workers have produced, on the one hand, maliciously joyful expressions of schadenfreude (‘see, I always knew he was no feminist’ / ‘ha – all icons get what’s coming in the end’); and on the other such out-pourings of grief and anger one might think he had murdered all newborns. Whatever the truth of the claims, and whatever the justification of the responses (some of which have been eye-wateringly splenetic), what is clear is that Brand Whedon has taken a hit.
I do not know, and do not care about Joss Whedon as a person (I don’t mean I wish him harm; simply that I am not interested in him). I am however interested in Brand Whedon. I have spent nearly 20 years writing about it, so it makes sense that I have a view. Brand Whedo…
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Buffy Draft: End Of Days 7.21

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Here is the next set of drafts from Jane Espenson (this one co-written with Doug Petrie). This one is 'End of Days', the brilliant nail-biting lead in to the final ever televisual Buffy. Faith and the girls are blown up, Buffy meets a very old woman who tells her about a scythe, Spike and Buffy get close; Angel and Buffy get seemingly closer... It's a great episode.

Only two drafts, but also a snippet from the email correspondence between myself and Espenson, some of which will be in my forthcoming book, Joss Whedon.

The drafts remain the property of FOX television, and the email snippet is copyright to Manchester University Press.


Draft 1

Draft 2

"Attached is ‘End of Days’, another co-write with Doug.  He wrote all the big actiony bits, I wrote all the funny Andrew/Anya, Willow/Giles, Xander/Dawn stuff."

Go here for a little snippet about one of her insights into "The Replacement"

And try out for drafts for Band Candy, and more Espenson insight!
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Espenson drafts - Pangs

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Amazon.co.uk Widgets Pangs is one of my all-time episodes from the whole Mutant Enemy catalogue. Very ordinary in amny ways (none of the plot drama of Innocence or Surprise, for example, or the formal reach of Hush or Once More With Feeling, or The Body, it is an exemplary demonstration of how extraordinary Buffy is, even when it is just being normal.

The serious, if flawed, treatment of the theme; the cross-over aspect with Angel; the casual generic hybridity; the brilliant cuts from scene to scene with astonishing tonal, narratorial and character-related balancing. It is a tour de force of an experienced writer and director working together in an established franchise and creating something both thoroughly recognisable, and totally new in that franchise.

As we shall see below, Espenson has interesting things to say about its genesis and composition, but for now, here are the drafts. They are just brilliant!!



The outline is here.

First draft here

Second draft

If you'd like to pur…
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