2006-12-01
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Entry tags:
DW Fanfic Recs: Gen
The list has gotten to be on the long side, so I'm splitting it up.
( Gen )
Last Updated: Dec. 4, 2006. New additions marked with '[*]'.
( Gen )
Last Updated: Dec. 4, 2006. New additions marked with '[*]'.
(no subject)
It's two in the afternoon, and it's already getting dark. Which means that my body's doing the thing where it tells me it's time to sleep, even though I got up at ten. I really, truly, honestly hate the winter.
Entry tags:
BtVS vs. Torchwood
I just rewatched "Earshot," and sadly, what this leads me to is giving "Greeks Bearing Gifts" a lot less credit than I initially had. Sure, Torchwood writers in general seem awfully keen on 'paying homage' to Joss's work, but Whithouse took large chunks of plot and theme wholesale out of Jane Espenson's original.
Which only makes clearer the sad fact that Espenson did it better.
( Some Comparisons )
There are differences, sure. No one like Mary appears in "Earshot," for instance. However, she reminds me strongly of Darla, not to mention manages to rip off Turlough's backstory wholesale (admittedly, his wasn't a fabrication). When you put them all together, the 'homages' stop being homages and become plaigiarism instead.
One could argue that you run the risk just by having a telepathy episode; a story which carries with it its own tropes. I counter that with plenty of other series that have done it, in a fashion altogether different from the one presented here: Babylon 5 and X-men, just to name two.
In conclusion, "Greeks Bearing Gifts" is not a bad episode, in that it didn't make me hit pause and storm out, or offend me morally and aesthetically [1], but the clear - and clearly inferior to the original - ripoff is a serious mark in the episode's disfavor. From the guy who wrote the wonderful "School Reunion," this is a heartbreaking disappointment.
[1] - Yes, these are now my official requirements and expectations for Torchwood. Yes, that's very sad.
Which only makes clearer the sad fact that Espenson did it better.
( Some Comparisons )
There are differences, sure. No one like Mary appears in "Earshot," for instance. However, she reminds me strongly of Darla, not to mention manages to rip off Turlough's backstory wholesale (admittedly, his wasn't a fabrication). When you put them all together, the 'homages' stop being homages and become plaigiarism instead.
One could argue that you run the risk just by having a telepathy episode; a story which carries with it its own tropes. I counter that with plenty of other series that have done it, in a fashion altogether different from the one presented here: Babylon 5 and X-men, just to name two.
In conclusion, "Greeks Bearing Gifts" is not a bad episode, in that it didn't make me hit pause and storm out, or offend me morally and aesthetically [1], but the clear - and clearly inferior to the original - ripoff is a serious mark in the episode's disfavor. From the guy who wrote the wonderful "School Reunion," this is a heartbreaking disappointment.
[1] - Yes, these are now my official requirements and expectations for Torchwood. Yes, that's very sad.