Obvious Insight

I'm taking a class at the Loft called "Better Writing through Buffy the Vampire Slayer." It's appeal to me is obvious. What's cool is that my wife and two of my friends are taking it with me.

Last time we were discussing characterization and watched "Faith, Hope, and Trick" from Season 3 of Buffy. We were supposed to write down notes about the characters--how they are revealed, how their dialogue differentiates them, and other things.

So I wrote down some things about how much Willow talks and how that shows she likes to help everyone all the time, but she doesn't know how to shut up, and she comes across as too happy and perky.

Anyway, I got sidetracked, and I was thinking about Angel because at the end of the episode, Buffy goes to Angel's old place and leaves the claddagh ring. Angel's place has wall-sized windows, and it made me remember that on the show Angel he drives a convertible. Both details about his character explain that internally he is actually self-loathing and self-destructive.

I thought it was interesting. I think Joss Whedon explains characters much more deeply than most writers, whether on TV, in novels, or in the movies.