Oh! I've met her! (Plum Sykes, I mean, not RRK.)

I always enjoyed Rebecca Kirshner's episodes of BtVS. I'm happy to hear she's landed a promising new series.

They'd be wise to steer clear of making this show too much of a Darren Star/Michael Patrick King affair. The 'Sex & the City' comparisons are already in place, that could potentially work against them. The creative team is going to have to work hard to make this show not seem like a cheap WB knock-off for these sadly 'Sex'-less times.

[ edited by Bad Kitty on 2004-12-02 16:45 ]

Bad Kitty | December 02, 18:45 CET

I actually found RRK's episodes of Buffy to be the worst, in general. But particularly the 3rd last episode of season 7 which went all sappy. I think she's my least favourite of the Buffy writers, so I doubt I'll follow her about. Gimme some serious Espenson any day of the week though!

Mort | December 02, 21:01 CET

Rebecca Rand Kirshner only write eight BtVS episodes, so it's quite difficult to compare her work to the likes of Marti Noxon and Jane Espenson. I do agree that 'Touched' is a flawed episode. However, Kirshner also wrote 'Tough Love', 'Tabula Rasa' and 'Help', all of which I think are tremendous.

alien lanes | December 02, 21:09 CET

Love "Tabula Rasa" and "Hell's Bells", like "Touched" and "Tough Love", and absolutely cannot stand "Help". "Out of My Mind" is OK, and "Potential" has the great Xander bit at the end. And that's it, really, isn't it? She's not the greatest, but I'd rank her eps higher than Greenberg's, a little below DeKnight's, and some way below Goddard's.

SoddingNancyTribe | December 02, 21:41 CET

RRK also wrote 'Listening To Fear', although I've noticed that this one is frequently credited to Jane Espenson in error. A lot of people seem to dislike 'Help'. I wasn't sure about it at first, but it's become a firm favourite. Of course, I adore the seventh season, which I suspect puts me in a minority.

I find it difficult to compare different writers. I think they all added something to the show. I can say that Marti Noxon is my favourite writer, and I have a soft-spot for the episodes written by Dean Batali and Rob des Hotel in the first two seasons.

I like Rebecca Rand Kirshner, but in truth I would be hard pushed to say anything negative about BtVS.

Additional: I like Drew Z Greenberg simply because he wrote 'Empty Places'. I might risk being banished from the site in disgrace, but this is a truly amazing episode. It fits in perfectly with my own theories about S7, and for me it is one of the highlights of that much-maligned season.

[ edited by dashboardprophet on 2004-12-02 20:25 ]

alien lanes | December 02, 22:08 CET

I'm with you in the minority that loves season 7 and Empty Places, dashboardprophet.

dreamlogic | December 03, 01:03 CET

I found Kirshner's work on Buffy unremarkable, but she's really shining on Gilmore Girls (which is something Jane Espenson didn't do). Granted, Kirshner has only written one episode so far, but it was excellent.

This new project sounds like it could be interesting, but only if they're not scared about making the main characters a tad unlikable. If they're going to try and get me to truly care about spoiled rich girls, I will be switching the channel quickly.

WindTheFrog | December 03, 01:43 CET

I dunno, I thought Tabula Rasa was one of the funniest Buffy episodes ever. Rebecca has a gift for comedy.

Simon | December 03, 02:32 CET

if they're going to try and get me to truly care about spoiled rich girls, I will be switching the channel quickly.

Cordelia Chase?

[ edited by eddy on 2004-12-03 00:46 ]

eddy | December 03, 02:46 CET

RRK wrote an awesome Freaks and Geeks episode ("The Diary"), and I did like some (but not all) of her BtVS eps. I agree that she gives good comedy--the Harmony scenes from "Out of My Mind" stick out in particular.

And if the characters in this series are anything like Plum Sykes herself, I don't think we have to worry about them not being unlikable enough.

[ edited by areacode212 on 2004-12-03 01:19 ]

areacode212 | December 03, 03:11 CET

Actually, WindTheFrog, I found RRK's episode of Gilmore Girls to easily be the worst of the season and quite possibly one of the worst of the series. Some good moments but just lackluster writing and way too many subplots jarring each other for attention. The characterization was also totally off as well in some places. I just don't find RRK to be a writer of the same caliber as Jane Espenson (Jane's episodes of GG were just a notch under the best of the best) or Amy Sherman Palladino or Daniel Palladino and her episodes of Buffy, grouped together, were probably some of the lesser installments of the show.

Jace at Televisionary | December 03, 04:52 CET

Loved Tabula Rasa - one of my all time favorite comedic Buffy episodes that also had some great heartbreaking moments in it.

Firefly Flanatic | December 03, 06:08 CET

Great! Another Buffy writer with new series :D
I like Rebecca´s episodes on Buffy.

Angel TheVampire | December 03, 06:12 CET

Eddy, if the characters on this show start off the same way Cordelia did on Buffy, I'll be more than pleased. I have no problem with a snobby spoiled rich character that evolves over time. That's the best part of television as a medium, seeing how the characters grow over the course of multiple episodes and multiple seasons. What I don't want to see, in the pilot episode specifically, is the spoiled rich girl with a heart of gold. That's what will make me change the channel. And networks seem to be awfully weary of lead characters that aren't full of the warm and fuzzies(see: Wonderfalls, Firefly).

Shadowmagik, I love Jane Espenson. She was my favorite non-Joss writer on Buffy until Drew Goddard showed up. But she just didn't fit on Gilmore Girls. When she joined the writing team, I was dying to see her first episode. But when it aired, I don't think I chuckled more than once. Although, she's obviously responsible for getting Danny Strong on the show, so I have to give her kudos for that.
I don't remember any truly out of character moments in RRK's episode, what I do remember is the hysterical scene between Emily and Lorelai as she picked out an outfit for her date. That scene made the episode for me. I'm not saying RRK is a better writer than Espenson, because I don't believe that at all. I just think Kirshner is a better fit for this specific show. And I'm hopeful Jane will deliver some of that trademark Espensony goodness on Tim Minear's The Inside.

WindTheFrog | December 03, 07:30 CET

And if the characters in this series are anything like Plum Sykes herself, I don't think we have to worry about them not being unlikable enough.

Gotta say, in my (albeit brief) experience of the woman, that everything you may've heard about her is completely true.

Bad Kitty | December 03, 14:11 CET