 When story and reality clashGRADUATIONPart II
To begin with, everyone knows the story of "Graduation: Part II". Following in the wake of the Columbine tragedy and the other high school shootings that have plagued this country recently, both "Earshot" and "Graduation: Part II" were pulled off their air dates. For a while, there was contreversy over whether or not the missing episodes would ever be shown; the WB network was getting very skittish about this show which was based on violence in high school. But Buffy has a large and extremely devoted fan base (as I'm sure you know), and within 24 hours of "Graduation" being pulled, the WB started getting petitions, letters, boycott notices, and protests. The enormous fuss that was made drew many people's attention to the network's decision, and, ironically enough, to the show itself. Part of the WB's reasoning to pull to show, as an attempt not to draw attention to violence at graduation ceremonies, backfired. And the issue was raised: Is this censorship? Whether it was or wasn't censorship is a question best left to the individual. The truly important thing was the way the Buffy fans united in defense of their show. Many fans, emphasizing their boycott, bought copies of the show from Canada, where the season finale was shown on schedule. Quicktime version were available online, and actual tapes were mailed to the US from their sympathetic Canadian friends for barely the cost of the tape and postage. Whether they originally intended to show the season finale later or not, "Graduation Part II" aired on July 13th, completing the third season nearly two months late. "Earshot" may be shown in September. There you have it; the story of Graduation. The viewers protested against the network's decision, and the WB actually listened. And isn't that what the show is all about, when those who were thought to be helpless fight back? Meet the WB's official statement!Dear Devoted Buffy Fans: This information has just come to us from The WB Television Network. Hopefully it will answer any questions you might have about this recent development. If you have any comments please direct them to feedback@buffy.com or call us at (818)977-2897. Thank You! FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON FINALE TO BE DELAYED UNTIL LATER IN THE SUMMER Burbank, CA (May 24, 1999) -- The season finale of the highly acclaimed one-hour series BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER titled "Graduation Day, Part Two," which was scheduled to air tomorrow night, Tuesday, May 25, 1999, will be delayed until later in the summer, it was announced today by Jamie Kellner, CEO of The WB. In its place, The WB will air an encore episode of the series titled "Band Candy." The following statement was made by Jamie Kellner. "It is out of sympathy and compassion for the families and communities that have been devastated by the recent senseless acts of violence perpetrated on high school campuses that we have decided to delay this broadcast. Our decision is also borne out of a deep sense of responsibility to The WB's loyal young audience. "At issue for us was a short part of the climactic scene of this powerful two-part season finale. During a solar eclipse that occurs during his commencement speech at Sunnydale High's graduation ceremony, the mayor morphs into a 60-foot serpent and attacks the students. In turn, Buffy and her classmates are forced to defend themselves. Given the current climate, depicting acts of violence at a high school graduation ceremony, even fantasy acts against 60-foot serpents and vampires, we believe, is inappropriate to broadcast around the actual dates of these time-honored ceremonies. "We apologize to the millions of loyal 'Buffy' viewers who are eagerly anticipating this episode. We sincerely hope that you understand that the last thing we want to do is pre-empt our season finale. However, at this time, we feel that it is the best and most responsible decision for us to make. "Like most of its loyal fans and the nations critics, we at The WB consider BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER to be one of the highest quality programs on television today. We plan on being able to broadcast "Graduation Day, Parts One and Two" later in the summer. Next season, Buffy and her cohorts, having graduated from high school, will be involved in their greatest adventures ever." Contact: feedback@buffy.com (818)977-2897 Eternally Yours Graduation ArticlesHere are just a few of the articles written about the network's decision: Proposed Boycott Hi everyone. By now you've heard that the WB does not plan on airing the second part of the BTVS season finale Graduation. Petitions have been signed and righteous indignation is rampant. But neither of these things are going to get us what we want. What we need to do is be organized. Be vigilant and hit WB where it really counts, in the wallet. Tomorrow night after BTVS is over and we are positive that Graduation 2 is not going to be shown, turn off the WB. Let me say this again TURN OFF THE WB. Now once you've switched stations do not go back. Not until they agree to show the episode. That's right. No more WB watching until we get what we want. That includes the OFFICIAL WB HOMEPAGE. This is especially important if you are a Nielson's Family. We need all the support we can get and you guys pack one hell of a punch. Also, tell everyone you know to stop watching the WB. We will then boycott the stores as well. DO NOT ORDER anything from the WB. DO NOT BUY anything from the WB. If we maintain a complete boycott we will get quicker results. We need to maintain a united front. We need to let the WB know that we are not happy with their decision to pull Graduation 2. So as of 9 PM EST STOP WATCHING THE WB UNTIL GRADUATION 2 IS SHOWN. NINE 9 PM EASTERN STANDARD. That's 6PM in CA. Please help us to stop this kind of censorship. It's the worst thing that can happen. They start to chose what we can watch, what video games we can play and soon it's what we can think. Banned "Buffy" on the Internet Obsessive Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans have gone online--and north of the border--to get their fix. Last week, the Columbine-skittish WB postponed the second half of the hit show's season finale episode, "Graduation 2," because the network felt the fantasy violence at Sunnydale High was "inappropriate" in the wake of the reality violence at Littleton High. Though banned (at least until mid-summer) in the United States, the show went on as scheduled and without controversy in Canada. Almost immediately after the program aired in Canada last week, U.S. fans--outraged by what they considered lily-livered censorship--turned to that world with no borders (no, not that space beneath the Hellmouth), the Internet. And they found what they hungered for. Canadian Buffy worshipers had posted blurry digital copies of the episode, in which the title character and pals attack the town's mayor. (Understandably, as he's morphed into a evil, giant, heavily armed serpent during their graduation ceremony.) This week, the must-see-it-now crowd is able to receive higher-grade copies of the diploma-time mayhem through the mail, for little more than the cost of the tape and postage. They vow to continue doing so until the episode airs on American stations. "We are the people. We have the Internet. We have the power. Any questions?" was one fan's cyberspace statement on the alt.tv.buffy-v-slayer site, challenging the WB, as onliners with vampire and slayer code names are logging onto the Web to announce either possession of, or desire for, "Graduation 2" on tape. Although Buffy creator Joss Whedon had initially towed the company line by posting a message on the show's official Website saying, "one violent graduation incident...and the WB and I would feel like collective @$#%," he now seems to be on the side of the deprived fans. "Bootleg the puppy," Whedon told USA Today on Thursday, having what he called "a Grateful Dead moment." But the Frog is hopping mad about the fans' tactics. "We paid nearly a million dollars for that episode. We bought the rights to it," said WB spokesman Brad Turell, stressing that the network will "aggressively" try to stop this piracy. Fans insist its not any legality they care about, it's the show--which, they insist, doesn't promote violence. Teenager Rachel Schecter from New Jersey, who believes Buffy always acts responsibly, told USA Today that the WB is "showing their lack of faith in the message of the show." She would find some concurrence north of the border where station managers and media watchers felt the episode's content didn't merit any delay. Jesuit priest and teacher John J. Pungente, author of "More Than Meets the Eye: Watching Television Watching Us," watched the episode and said it was ridiculous to link the program with recent shootings in American high schools. "If television was the main reason for the violence in schools, and the massacres, it wouldn't happen once or twice a year. If TV had that kind of impact it would happen every five minutes," Pungente told the New York Daily News. --by Bridget Byrne E! Online News Don't mess with the friends of a vampire slayer. Even as the WB is issuing an apology to disgruntled fans of its hit Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a grassroots effort is calling on the network to "stand up" for the acclaimed gothic/horror series. The network apology came Thursday--the same day it announced a long-delayed July 13 air date for Buffy's season finale. The WB last month hastily bumped the episode "Graduation Day, Part Two" from the schedule, jittery about its violent content in the wake of the bloody Columbine High school shooting. "To all of the loyal fans of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, please accept my sincere apology for the delay," WB CEO Jamie Kellner said in a statement. "If we erred it was on the side of caution." But with yet another unaired, unscheduled Buffy still floating in the ether, diehard viewers aren't likely to be in a kiss-and-makeup mood. In today's Daily Variety, a full-page ad paid for by the cyber-based Stand Up for Buffy Campaign (www.scoobygang.com/standup.html) calls out the network for being "disrespectful" to fans and belittling their ability to "distinguish between reality and fantasy." "The fans stand up for Buffy," the ad's header declares. "Why doesn't the WB?" While the ad was drafted and placed before the WB cleared an air date for "Graduation Day," Stand Up leader Kristen Reidel says the group's concerns remain the same. "We don't want to see anything happen that would damage the integrity of the show," Reidel says. Fans like Reidel are concerned about Buffy creator Joss Whedon's continued involvement with the show, fearing frustration over network meddling could scotch his enthusiasm. Stand Up's ad makes a special plea to Whedon, calling for him to retain "full creative control." Since April's Columbine massacre, which left 15 people including the two teen gunmen dead, the WB has benched two Buffy episodes--the aforementioned "Graduation Day" and "Earshot." The latter installment, originally to air the week after Columbine, was about a student-hatched mass murder plot. It has yet to resurface, although a WB spokesman said today it "will air." Reidel says she understands why the WB was skittish about "Earshot," but not "Graduation Day." (She has viewed a bootlegged version of "Graduation Day" on a fan Website.) The season finale, about Buffy classmates who take up arms against a 60-foot demon serpent, is "so incredibly in this fantasy realm." The WB's cautious approach to Buffy comes from a misread of the show's fan base, Reidel says. "They still consider it children and teenagers," the 27-year-old says. "For the most part, the fans are a mature audience." No word from the WB today on the fan ad campaign. School's Finally Out for 'Buffy' Everyone has personal demons. For Buffy Summers, fighting them takes more than therapy. She prefers to speak softly but carry a pointy stick. Watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," The WB's preternatural hit show tonight at 8 o'clock on KTWB-TV, and you'll finally get to see Buffy graduate after more than a month of waiting. Believe me, it won't be your typical boring ceremony. For those who have never watched, our heroine strolls Sunnydale, her little California town on a hell mouth, firing off bon mots as she buries her wooden stake in the chests of any vampires and hellspawn that cross her path. Each day Buffy battles surly classmates, who think she's weird, and Principal Snyder, who blames her for everything that goes wrong. Her only friends are geeks who help her fight evil, much like the "Scooby Doo" gang. Her role model is a librarian who practices sorcery. The show is loaded with metaphor, angst, soap-operatic melodrama and good writing. All of this makes the adventures of Buffy, her British watcher, Giles (Anthony Stewart Head), the sarcastic Xander (Nicholas Brendon), rocker wolf-boy Oz (Seth Green), Willow the witch (Alyson Hannigan) and Cordelia the rhymes-with-witch (Charisma Carpenter) sizzle. Scrap the heady analysis of what makes "Buffy" an intelligent show, and simply look at it the way a teenager would, as a well-executed demonstration of comic-book power fantasy. At some time or another, everyone has wished he could have special powers. You thought school was hell? Try being saddled with hall-monitor duty for the local graveyard where you chase down the dead and the restless. What keeps the fans coming back for more is the knock-down, drag-out butt-kicking. That also led to the decision of Jamie Kellner, The WB's network president, to pull the show's season finale, "Graduation Day, Part II," on the heels of the Littleton, Colo., tragedy. The episode was initially scheduled to air May 25. Whether The WB overreacted has been the subject of much debate. Though the climactic moment might evoke Littleton, consider this: Not a single gun is cocked or fired, not in this or any other episode of "Buffy." The only acts of violence are against classic fantasy-based manifestations of evil, and battling that evil unites the class of '99. In case you've missed the end of the season action, here's a quick recap: "Graduation Day, Part I" was a fist-flying showdown between Buffy and evil slayer Faith (Eliza Dushku), a bout "Buffy" creator Joss Whedon tantalizingly brought to a boil throughout the season. Faith poisons Buffy's vampire boyfriend, Angel (David Boreanaz, soon to star in a "Buffy" spinoff); the only cure is a slayer's blood. Buffy and Faith pound it out to see who will be dinner, and though Buffy wins, Faith snatches victory from her by taking a dive off an apartment building. To be continued . . . "Graduation Day, Part II" is highlighted by the insidious mayor (the deliciously devilish Harry Groener) transforming into a gigantic serpent mid-graduation speech, intending to munch on the teens. You'll probably wonder what all the fuss was about. Granted, some jaw-dropping things occur. A few of Buffy's classmates become vampire snacks, but that's no different from the rest of the season's episodes. The transformed mayor dines bloodlessly on a key character - nobody that fans didn't expect to come to a bad end anyway. As far as "Buffy" goes, this finale will probably leave you wanting more. It lacks the cliffhanging shock value of last season's ender, in which Buffy was forced to send her beloved to hell with a sword through his gut. The final moments tie up Buffy's high-school era with a bright, neat bow. We don't know what to expect from her college years, and this episode doesn't sufficiently whet your appetite to tune in this fall. We can only guess that getting used to college will be especially difficult for our girl. Buffy rarely revels in her work; even so, she wouldn't trade her slaying skills to be normal for anything in the world. For that, her legion of fans is thankful. --by Melanie McFarland Seattle Times staff reporter 'Buffy' drives a stake into censorship What do you know: WB was right. The long-delayed season finale of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, pulled by the network in the wake of the Columbine school shootings, really is insensitive and offensive. If you happen to be a mayor-turned-60-foot demon. Everyone else will enjoy the graduation finale for what it is: a typically entertaining hour from one of the best, brightest and most responsible shows on television. True, the high school students take up arms against the demonic authority figure -- but surely even the most dedicated opponents of teen violence would be willing to make an exception for students who are about to be swallowed by a serpent. WB says it postponed the episode until summer because the climactic battle would have seemed insensitive had violence struck a real-life graduation ceremony. Well, I'm sorry, but I can't conceive of a standard that would allow you to gauge a show's sensitivity toward imaginary catastrophes. One of the sad byproducts of the much-discussed delay is that Buffy fans have been exposed to far more plot details than is the norm for this usually secretive and surprising show. After all the buildup, the big finish looks a bit rushed and choppy -- the result, perhaps, of network-mandated edits. Luckily, the fight scene is just one element in a fast-moving hour that puts a satisfying cap and gown on a first-rate season. Creator Joss Whedon allows the year's plot points to pay off, then spins the show off on a new, postgraduate direction. As befits TV's finest prime-time soap, there are a few teary moments between Buffy and her departing boyfriend, Angel -- the classically doomed twosome so expertly played by Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz. In one startlingly erotic scene, they provide a testament to love and sacrifice that is likely to be the episode's best remembered moment. Like most season finales, tonight's episode presumes a degree of familiarity with the plot and characters. If you're not a Buffy fan, you might find yourself momentarily lost. If you are a fan, though -- and if you like great writing and acting, you should be -- this is one graduation you won't want to miss. Let the party commence. --By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY Jamie Kellner, an executive, met with some of the fans on AOL live on July 13 at 7:30 in order to address the issue and respond to the many questions that the fan base has for the network. To view the chat transcript, click here. Graduation Links'Stand Up for Buffy!!!' Campaign Quarters are found here. This is an excellent example of the devotion I'm trying to show; definitely visit this site!A complete synopsis of Graduation can be found here. Better yet, a complete transcription of the episode, written by Sam (Nyssa42@aol.com) can be found here. (Sam also transcribed "Earshot"; if you like, go here to read it. Even more -- download the entire episode off the Net at the Graduation Part 2 - Full Episode Downloading Area. An example of the numerous protest pages is Rebecca Carefoot's Graduation Part 2 Info page. Someone (Zak)'s satire of the network decision is located here. Sandra W's petition (or a copy of it) is shown here. Here is a copy of the petition advertisement:  And here is my final word: It was fans like you that made all of this possible. Remember that and be proud. It's not the season finale unless...1. Apocolypse is averted by a margin as narrow as the skin on a hen's tooth. (Hell on Earth, or Earth in Hell -- it's all the same!)2. The libary gets trashed. 3. Xander's love life degenerates even further. 4. Demons everywhere. 5. Somebody in Sunnydale gets a clue... 6. Buffy proves yet again that yes, her job *can* get even worse. 7. A Watcher gets beaten up. 8. Vampires bite somebody. (Well, okay, that one was kind of *duh*.) 9. Xander expresses his dislike for Angel. (Though I suppose that happens every week...) 10. A Slayer is killed. (Permanent comas count, dammit) Number of upset letters written to the WB network:
Buffy Buttons ][ Old Poll Results Shrine to Joss ][ Drinking Game Mab's Fan Art ][ Buffy Life Wisdom Graduation ][ Signs of Obsession  |