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realksagnostic
Reviews
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: As You Were (2002)
I disagree with the previous comments
I am not a fan of this season, and I can't say I loved it but I did like it.
First of all, I have to shake my head at all the Riley hating that seems to go on from so many Buffy fans. Riley was the boyfriend that any father would want for his daughter, if his daughter was a super hero. The break-up between Buffy and Riley was inevitable, precisely for the reason Riley said in season 5. He loved her, but she didn't love him. She may have loved what he represented, sort of having it all, but she didn't love him.
I LIKED the fact that Riley was able to come back having it pretty much together. Riley was a mess when he left because he really didn't fit in at Sunnydale. His wife was a wonderful character, the sort of woman everyone wanted to hate for getting him when Buffy couldn't, but then she was so nice, and so perfect for him. The contrast between the Finns and the scoobies was intentional, I think. Riley and Sam were a mirror to which Buffy and the gang could see their own dysfunction at this point, which I think was the point of the episode.
Best part of the show? Xander's reference to Nick and Nora Fury, two pop culture references in one line.
30 Days: Christian/Atheist (2006)
This episode was a great public service
The recent study conducted from the University of Minnesota portrayed an extremely disturbing intolerance of people who label themselves atheists by the American public. Much of this intolerance comes from mistaken beliefs about atheists: 1) That atheists are anti-theist, intolerant of anyone who believes in god(s) or of beliefs in god(s). That is not necessarily true. While there are some public atheists who strongly oppose theistic beliefs (Dawkins and Harris, for example), there are many more who just do not think that people's theism or lack of same is all that important in evaluating them, that it's more important to evaluate people on what they do and how they treat others.
2) That atheists are necessarily angry or bitter people. They are not. Not believing in god(s) does not in and of itself make someone feel abandoned or alone.
And the most offensive stereotype of all.
3) Atheists think that anything goes. They do not. It is not necessary to believe in an authority from on high to believe in treating others as you would have them treat you (the Golden Rule has been described by several cultures, and is not unique to Christianity), or even better yet treat others as they would like to be treated (the Platinum Rule).
Brenda Frei was wonderful. Simply being herself, a gentle, caring woman who loves her family and cares about others, and by accurate describing the definition of "atheist" as someone who lacks a belief in god(s), she refuted the hurtful beliefs listed above, and Morgan Spurlock performed a major public service by making this episode.