As we approach Easter and Holy Week, we discuss Sacrifice along with our impromptu date night to see Alton Brown
Topics Discussed and/or Spoiled
Alton Brown’s Live Show, Alton Brown’s Podcast, Previous Food episode, Narnia, American Gods, Star Wars, Star Trek, The Death of Superman, Angel, Buffy, Farscape and The Divine Comedy.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Ahhh, heroic sacrifice…
We haven’t had a Kolar numbered list in awhile, so here goes!
1) As I’ve mentioned when Skyping with Rachel, my biggest issue with season 4 of Fringe is that lack of choice. (Spoilers ahead) Olivia has to die in order to save the world, although Walter knows she’ll come back to life for reasons that were established earlier in the episode. If she killed herself, not knowing she was going to come back to life, it would have been awesome. Instead, Walter kills her while she stands around with a gobsmacked look on her face and it’s stupid. (End spoilers)
2) A reviewer I really like did a great review of why Anna’s sacrifice in “Frozen” is Pelagian instead of Christian: http://decentfilms.com/new/articles/how-christian-is-frozen Part 1 implies a part 2, which unfortunately never came.
3) There are two anime series that I really love and that deal with the theme of sacrifice beautifully. As a bonus, they’re also super feminist. “Madoka Magica” is on Netflix in America (I’m not sure about Canada). It may wander too close to horror for Rachel’s taste, but the good news is it’s only 13 episodes, so you’re not making a huge commitment. The other, “Revolutionary Girl Utena,” is on YouTube legally (the DVD distributor posted some of their older content): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9z47Fw484B4&list=PL7n-RjjkIptBNb58wGNGapccnRtvqxy5p It’s more of a commitment because it’s 39 episodes, but this show is basically what the inside of my brain looks like. Fairy tale tropes that are twisted, spangled, mutilated, deconstructed, and then played totally straight! Really interesting subversion of gender roles (the protagonist was saved by a prince as a little girl and decided she wanted to be a prince herself)! Gay imagery a-go-go! Explorations of what happens when childhood relationships start to go stagnant! And then it strays into territory that works so well as Christian allegory that it actually makes me tear up a bit to think about it, even though the creator is Buddhist. I cannot recommend this show highly enough.
4) Rewatching Season 5 of Buffy, I got chills at her vision quest. I’d forgotten the exact phrasing:
First Slayer: Love will bring you to your gift.
Buffy: I’m getting a gift? Or, or do you mean that, that I have a gift to give to someone else?
It’s both! IT’S BOTH!!!! She’s getting death and giving the gift of her death to someone else!
“They’ve killed everyone in the world. Everyone.”
Well, OK, guys, I’m the last woman on earth. We’d better get cracking.