Buffy Between the Lines

A Review of Episode 4 – CTRL + ALT + DEL

In the latest episode of Buffy Between the Lines, we are given a unique perspective on the Sunnydale survivors through a series of scenes narrated by The BuffyBot. We’ve all seen and laughed along with BuffyBot’s simplistic world views, but what happens when everyone around her is dealing with their very complex grief?

The answer, of course, is “CTRL + ALT + DEL” The episode was extremely well done, beginning to take a subtle look at how the characters begin to adjust to life A.B. (After Buffy.) The Bot’s simple words capture their grieving perfectly. She may be just a robot, but BuffyBot sees more than any of them realize.

Meanwhile trouble is a’brewin just out of sight. By this of course, I mean the antics of the vampire Javert, who was busy recruiting new accomplices. The first of which was D’Hoffryn, patron saint of the scorned! (Who now has a handy automated voicemail system.) I was also delighted to see the return of hellgod-minion extraordinaire, Jinx, who arrived with all of his complementary adjectives entact.

As always, the script was very well written, staying true to the characters that we all love. And the actors seem to be growing evermore comfortable within their roles as well, but this time around, I would like to pay special tribute to the team behind the show’s wonderful music. From the theme song to the end credits, the music is a big part of what makes this show so extraordinary. The original music composed for the show is excellent, paying homage to the original series, without copying it. I especially enjoyed the song that played during Buffy Bot’s final monologue. It helped to make her simple words all the more poignant and meaningful.

Quote of the Episode award goes to:

Buffy Bot: Buffy was…scared, but very brave. I want to be Buffy now. Be brave, and help people. They think I don’t understand, but it’s not that. I don’t always comprehend, but I do understand. I’m supposed to make people happy, that is my programming. And that is what I’m planning on doing. It’s what the other me would have wanted.

by Emma Rawlin

Dawn’s birthday goes awry as she struggles with losing Buffy and trying to understand who she is. And things aren’t going well at Xander’s current construction site and he calls on the last person you’d think to help figure it out.

Intro by Brad Bowyer from the Geek Spin and Podculture

Promo: Scott Sigler’s Infected by J.C. Hutchins and Seth Harwood

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

by Emma Rawlin

Dawn’s birthday goes awry as she struggles with losing Buffy and trying to understand who she is. And things aren’t going well at Xander’s current construction site and he calls on the last person you’d think to help figure it out.

The full script is available as a PDF.

E-Book PDF: Open in New Window | Download

Over at the last geek bus home there’s a great review of Buffy Between the Lines and podcasts! We’re very honored to be mentioned by worldofhiglet, whose become a big fan.

Here’s just some of the nice things that were said:

As I’m blogging now I’m listening to Buffy: Between the Lines episode 1, Season 1. So if it doesn’t all scan properly blame them. I’ve listened to it before, a while ago and it really is good. It takes a little while to adjust to the new voices but the story, characterisations and production is great. I wanted to start at the beginning again – ha! – I just got to the bit with the bunnies – I can so see that! Anyway, as I was saying, it’s a new ‘verse of entertainment and one that I’ll be looking into a bit more. You know, with all that spare time I have…

If you’re a geek or a Whedon fan, do yourself a favor and subscribe to the blog, you’ll enjoy it.

A Review of Episode 3 – Never Go Up Against a Sorcerer When Death is On the Line…

Episode 3 throws another character driven show our way; this time around we (quite literally) delve into the mind of Watcher extraordinaire, Rupert Giles. Oh dear. After facing down a fire-breathing dragon and other painful reminders of his slayer’s untimely death, Giles hides away in the Magic Box with nothing more than a bottle of Scotch for company. That is, until the wonderfully devious Ethan Rayne shows up to lock his old friend up in his mind, where his pain and guilt keep him prisoner. The Scoobies are stuck waiting, searching for a way to help Giles, as he is forced to battle his own thoughts.

The episode had some truly amazing moments. Some, like Xander’s offer to get donuts and talk about old times, were subtle and incredibly sweet. Others, like Buffy blaming Giles for her death were powerful and heart-breaking to listen to. With a great mix of humor and drama, episode three proves that this show just keeps getting better and better.

While the previous episodes had a large focus on fighting off the black hats, “Never Go Up Against A Sorcerer When Death Is On The Line” centered largely on the character’s internal struggles. While slightly less action-packed, it’s certainly not any less important. And I loved that writer Gwendolyn Jensen-Woodard was able to bring out just how much Buffy meant to Giles without venturing into the land of cliché. Character development was a huge part of the original series, and it’s nice to see that it’s importance hasn’t been lost on this show.

The episode also gave us a few great extras. Like the birth of everyone’s favorite troika, watcher diaries through the ages, and a sweet ending scene between Faith and Angel.

Once again I feel the need to praise the writers, actors, producers, editors, and everyone who has put together this amazing project.

Quote of the Episode Award goes to:

Dawn: I think I saw “Mystery Date” game in the lounge.
Anya: Oh! Is there money to win in “Mystery Date?”
Dawn: Nope. Otherwise it’d be called “Hooker Date.”

Boxxet, one of those mega-everything sites, sent us an email to let us know that Buffy Between the Lines, which is a featured blog on Boxxet, has the rank of #3 in blogs about Buffy. This is behind the AMAZING Whedonesque and TV Squad.

We’re obviously excited about this. You guys keep Buffy Between the Lines the amazing phenomenon it’s become!

Hi guys! Between Season 1 and Season 2 of Buffy Between the Lines we have a couple months off, but we didn’t want our fans to be wanting so we’ve devised the first Buffy Between the Lines fanfic contest! All accepted submissions will be recorded and featured on the Buffy Between the Lines podcast and the winner will receive a SIGNED copy of “Infected” by Scott Sigler, as well as a limited edition SugarShock poster and some other goodies we have tucked away in the Between the Lines Studios vault.

If you’re interested in participating here’s the rules:

1. Fanfic must be based on Buffy Between the Lines Season 1 and remain true to the TV and audio drama (this rules out non-canonical pairings and AU, we’ll save that for the April Fool’s episodes)
2. Fanfic must not be posted elsewhere until after the contest.
3. Fanfic must be between 1,500 – 3,000 words and must have a clear story (beginning, middle/climax, end)
4. Entries must be received by May 10th, 2008. Winner will be announced at the start of Season 2 (in August).
5. Please email your entry to buffybetweenthelines[at]gmail.com with “Fanfic Contest Submission” as the subject line. Entries can be within the email or attached text/Word files. Please no .docx files.

Winner will be judged on originality, writing skills, capturing the voices of the characters and general “awesomeness”. Please make sure your entry has been proofed before submitting. If you need a beta reader check out: http://community.livejournal.com/beta_search

Exploring the Untold Stories of the Buffyverse
By Sabrina Boyer

Ever wondered what happened between seasons five and six of Buffy the Vampire Slayer when Buffy was dead and Willow became all veiny and scary? So did Tabitha Smith and Kim Butler, creators of Buffy Between the Lines, an audio podcast by and for fans of the Buffyverse. A full on plethora of episodes, the podcast explores the untold stories of the characters between some of the most intense and highly charged seasons, beginning season one with the exploration of the goings on between seasons five and six, the summer sans Buffy. What did the Scoobies do without her? How did they decide to use the BuffyBot as a decoy? How did Spike get drafted into helping out? How did Willow get uber-megawitchy? These were the questions fans Smith and Butler wondered about, and so, the podcast was born.

Click here for the full article.

If you auditioned and did not get an email please contact us at betweenthelinesauditions[at]gmail.com ASAP so we can get you any information you may need. Even if you did not get a role, you should have gotten an email!

We will be posting the cast list as soon as we have confirmed all the roles.

Join Kevin Cummings (Doc, Short Cummings Audio) as he talks with Tabz (Anya), Rachel (Janice), Larissa (Teenage Girl), and Laieanna (the Dybbuk) about episode 9 of Buffy Between the Lines.

Promo for this podcast is from the Geek Spin.

More info on Dybbuk.

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