College Already?

I know it seems hard to believe, but yes - it's time for college. For me, my summer school session has started. It'll be a five-week whirl through the dramatic arts, cafeteria style. You remember cafeteria style, don't you? A little of this, a dab of that, oooh - gotta try some of that . . . just make sure you leave room for chocolate pudding at the end.

On the Whedon front, I've submitted my proposal for the upcoming Southern regional popular culture conference. I'm planning to present on the influences Watanabe's Cowboy Bebop that can be seen in Whedon's creation of the Firefly 'Verse. Bebop was first chronologically and even the casual viewer can watch an episode of Watanabe's anime tour de force and then watch an episode of Firefly and see connections. Let me make it clear - in no way do I think Firefly is a simple copy of Bebop. But there are links and similarities and no one seems to have written much about it, beyond blogging. (Don't get me wrong - I like the blogging, but I want to take this to another audience.)

Meanwhile, over at the Re-Watch, you have two links this week. (I missed last week due to unavoidable vacation. Should you wish to, you can read about it over here.) The first link was put up a week ago and discusses the wonderful Season 3 two-part finale, "Graduation Day." These two episodes have an interesting history behind them, as the network delayed broadcast in the USA (Canada got them on time - darn syrup-lickers!) due to sensitivity about Columbine. While I understand that in light of the earlier Season 3 episode "Earshot" (which had as a central plot point a planned mass killing at a school) , this delay seems a bit more iffy to me. What? Did the network suits really worry that kids were going to carry weapons to their graduations to prevent the Ascension of a demon-worshiping commencement speaker? And, if so, just who do these school boards have on speed dial? Anyway, let the lovely and talented Jennifer Stuller explain it all for you. But first, read Steve Halfyard's discussion of the use of music in these episodes. Really. Read it.

Then this week's post sees the Scoobies take their first steps post high school. High school was scary, but life after high school comes with a whole new set of perils.

Nothing's ever easy.

Including summer school.