A Chasing After Wind

 I've started re-watching season five of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Buffy vs. Dracula is not an episode I spend a lot of thought on, so it was fun to see all the little character moments - Willow possibly causing a downpour by creating fire, Riley/Buffy. Watching the episode, I really think Riley's main problem with the relationship is not Buffy being the slayer but Angel. I've complained about how, later on, he's upset to learn from Dawn that Buffy cried more when she was with Angel. She cried more because Angel mistreated her. But from Riley's perspective, he knows Buffy loved Angel, he's not sure she loves him. If she acts different with him it must be because of a lack of love for him. I don't think Riley had ever had a relationship with a girl or woman as serious as his relationship with Buffy - and she had this whole intense thing with this guy who was nothing like Riley.

On a more negative note, bug-eating Xander is gross, and Giles with the three sisters is even grosser.

I recently watched The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. I didn't know much about it aside from the famous quote about "stinking badges", but I enjoyed it.

I listened to the episode about The Godfather on my podcast, You're Wrong About. I swear I saw the first two Godfather movies, but I only seem to remember anything from the first one. I wish the podcast hosts knew more about gangster films prior to The Godfather. It would have been interesting to have a discussion that included films starring Edward G. Robinson, Humphrey Bogart, and James Cagney.

Still reading Indigenous Continent, by Pekka Hämäläinen. It's well-written, managing to tell a coherent narrative with historical events I was mostly already aware of.

Still reading Fullmetal Alchemist - on volume 13 now. Envy is so far definitely my favorite homunculi.

Just finished watching Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood (having neither read the Manga nor seen the earlier show). Loved it. Had some brief thoughts about gender.

The show is very much a "boy" show but there are a number and variety of female characters, which is all I ask for. I wasn't watching carefully for, but I believe there are some episodes that pass the Bechdel Test.

That said: The fact that all the homunculi are male except for Lust is really cringeworthy.