Nice to see that 'Smallville' is only good for promoting Warner Brothers' music acts.

I am, I am, I am Superman and I know what's happening
I am, I am, I am Superman and I can do anything

Simon | October 21, 16:34 CET

Drew Greenberg was one of the most "meh" writers to ever work on Buffy, so it's only fitting that he should find his rightful place at one of the most "meh" shows on television.

Darko | October 21, 19:27 CET

Okay, I'll bite: "meh"?

unreality | October 21, 19:49 CET

Too bad "Superman" isn't on the Best Of CD.

vpecoraro | October 21, 19:55 CET

"Drew Greenberg was one of the most "meh" writers to ever work on Buffy, so it's only fitting that he should find his rightful place at one of the most "meh" shows on television." -Darko

Did you not see "Smashed," "Him," or "The Killer in Me?"

I'll agree and "Older and Far Away" was "meh," and "Entropy" just plain sucked, but Drew Greenberg is usually a very good writer, though, yeah, he wasn't one of BtVS's best.

Invisible Green | October 21, 21:01 CET

I saw "Smashed" and "Him" and, well, not so good! Greenberg wasn't the worst writer Buffy ever had, but i'd be hard pressed to find anything since "Tabula Rasa" that ranks with the best of Buffy.

tuneman570 | October 21, 22:22 CET

tuneman570 -- actually, "tabula rasa" was written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner.

But yeah, I'm not a huge fan of drew Greenberg's work, as it tends to be melodramatic and the jokes often fall flat. His episodes were often Dawn-centric ("Older and Far Away", "Him") so I wonder if he's part of the reason some fans have such a negative perception of Dawn (or, who knows, maybe she's the reason that I have such a negative perception of him.)

Still, I thought that "Empty Places" was a beautiful, heartbreaking episode.

bobothebrave | October 21, 23:12 CET

"Okay, I'll bite: "meh"?"

Meh means average/mediocre.

I thought "Smashed", "Him" and "Empty Places" were all okay episodes, while "Older And Far Away" and "Entropy" were pretty dire. However, "Killer In Me" was pretty good. Overall, Greenberg = Meh.

And I just don't get the whole fuss about Tabula Rasa. Sure, it was fun, but it was so not what was needed at that point in the season. We needed to deal with the burning issues which were simply ignored, not have a big, mildly entertaining non-character freakout with the lamest demon ever and some painfully obvious jokes.

Darko | October 21, 23:19 CET

Darko!

TR was and still is one of my favorite Buffy eps... funny and sad and it even moved the plot along! (Willow's magick addiction, Tara leaving, Giles (sob) going home to England, Buffy's breakdown...

Plus! Everyone was absolutely great when they forgot who they were. Some of the best comic moments were in this episode. And Michelle Branch's redo of Goodbye To You was beautiful and touching.

I thought it was exactly what was needed at that point in the season. A wonderfully executed and well-timed diversion from the pathos, even though it had plenty of pathos of its own. It worked on so many levels!

Willowy | October 22, 03:09 CET

Willowy - Couldn't agree with you more. There is a reason it is one of the most beloved Buffy episodes of latter seasons.

Also, a shout for 'Smashed' which would be a great episode if it was 45 minutes of color bars and then the infamous last act but is damn good for the the first three acts.

Unitas | October 22, 04:58 CET

Agreed, Unitas. Smashed is another great. One of the reasons I can never really be honest with a top ten list (or top twenty) is that there's just SO many good ones to choose from. Its simply way too hard to pick just a few.

Willowy | October 22, 05:14 CET

Going a little off-topic here, but Tabula Rasa (which is, again, NOT a Drew Greenberg episode) did serve a plot purpose in the season by driving that final wedge in between Willow and Tara and, I think, giving us one of the best illustrations of why magic is so tempting and so damaging for Willow. (Much better, anyway, than the lame magic-drug-dealer subplot.)

And the humor provides a brief respite from the bleakness of OMWF's ending, right before things start going downhill (emotion-wise, not quality-wise) again.

[ edited by bobothebrave on 2003-10-22 09:05 ]

bobothebrave | October 22, 08:45 CET

I'm sorry i miscommunicated. I didn't mean to imply that "Tabula Rasa" was a Drew Greenberg episode. I just wanted to say that after that episode, the show completely lost its magic with me. And a good many Greenberg episodes were after that.

This is not to say there weren't great moments in the show. Did everyone just melt when Tara said "Can you just be holding me now?" How could anyone not be moved by the last scene in "Storyteller" or moved by Xander's speech to Dawn about the joys of regular guyness or the vision of Spike on a cross begging for rest or the montage in "Chosen" about every girl who CAN be a slayer just BEING a slayer? But there were no entire episodes that thrilled me the way many, many eps in seasons one through five did.

As for "TR" itself: i loved it. It is also deceptive, because it SEEMS like a blow off episode but it moves the plot in profound ways. It starts with Xander's assertion that he'd just like to be happy he got his way, then they all plunge into the reality of what that kind of selfish thinking does to people. And still, it relishes in the corny and obvious and is big with the funny. Which is what we all needed after the tragic opera ending of OMWF (which was a masterpiece).

tuneman570 | October 22, 10:31 CET

I liked Drew Greenberg's episode of Smallville better when it was called "Nightmares" from Buffy Season 1.

ringworm | October 23, 07:34 CET

I am a huge Smallville fan...Almost as much as I am a fan of Angel...This was one of the most dissapointing Smallville episodes I can remember watching...Completely predictable and completly contrived...

Simpleba | October 23, 11:56 CET