Poll Subspace Rhapsody or Buffy’s Once More, With Feeling

[tomalak301]

I’ve spent this morning listening to both Subspace Rhapsody and Buffy’s Once More With Feeling. Both episodes have some incredible songs and I was wondering who did it better. For me, both have an awesome collection of songs but I don’t think anything tops Walk through the Fire or Where Do We Go From Here. Uhura and La’An come close though.

 

[HotRod]

Never cared for Buffy, so my choice is easy.

 

[MikeHaveNot]

I love both episodes but its not even close. "Once More With Feeling" wins.

 

[Campe]

I love Subspace Rhapsody, but OMWF is classic.

Ask me again in five years when I have time to sit with this one more.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I watched OMWF as prep for SR. I liked SR more. Probably because I’ve never watched BVS outside of the premiere and an odd episode or two, so there’s no real connection for me.

 

[Jayson1]

Once More with Feeling and you know how good it is when it is likely going to win this contest despite this being a SNW forum and thus has the homefield advantage.

 

[matthunter]

Meh, add a Brigadoom option from LEXX or this poll is less of a choice than the US election.

 

[tomalak301]

Meh, add a Brigadoom option from LEXX or this poll is less of a choice than the US election.

Done. I also learned this week that Sanctuary had a musical episode so if you prefer another entirely, that’s cool too.

 

[Dar70]

Once more with feeling of course. 20 years later and the songs still remain in my head. 1 day later and SNW's have mostly left...lol

 

[Sci]

I really enjoyed "Subspace Rhapsody," but this one is no contest. "Once More, With Feeling" is superior on every level -- the music is better; the musical storytelling structure is better; the emotional stakes are higher and more engaging; the cast performances are better aside from Celia Rose Gooding; and the musical structure is better (there are no complex interlocking duets in "Subspace Rhapsody" like Giles's and Tara's duet in "Under Your Spell/Standing (Reprise)," the finale of "Subspace" doesn't have the sort of Sondheim-esque complex interlocking melodies from multiple characters like in "Walk Through the Fire," there are no lyrical reprises with complex hidden meanings); the dancing is better in "Once More" (nothing in "Subspace" matches the demon Sweet's tap dancing number in "What You Feel"); there's not nearly enough done to establish a sense of rising tension beyond "shit what if we can't keep our feelings a secret?" whereas "Once More" literally establishes that the cost of life being a musical is that "some customers just start combusting;" and the grand finale of "Subspace" doesn't have that emotional gut-punch that Buffy's revelation to her friends at the end of "Something to Sing About" has.

Sorry, Star Trek. "Subspace Rhapsody" was a solid B+, but "Once More, With Feeling" is the A+ gold standard of integrating the musical format with the hour-long serialized television drama format.

 

[Richard S. Ta]

I don't like Buffy. Subspace Rhapsody for me.

I think Xena's musicals are both better than SSR though.

 

[FredH]

I’d say Buffy wins on strongest songwriting, while SNW wins on best actual singing.

 

[grimorie]

I liked “Subspace Rhapsody” and its a really good effort with strong performances from Celia Rose Gooding, Christina Chong, and Jess Bush. Like hands down in terms of vocal talent SR wins hands down.

However.

In terms of writing, acting, and relevance to character story? Once More with Feeling hands down. OMWF also rewards long term viewers with Easter eggs, and while OMWF won’t have resonance to the casual viewer— for long time fans, OMWF is a crucial episode. You can’t watch season 6 without OMWF. And you can’t interchange songs to other people.

Also, 20 years later I’m still singing or humming some of the songs!

Not to say there’s no bangers in SR, because there are and I’ve been listening to Uhura and La’an’s songs on repeat.

As much as JW is an asshat, dude knows his musical theater.

 

[FredH]

Agreed 100%. The songs in OMWF are mostly much more powerful. But: half the cast kinda can’t sing. (Amber Benson, Emma Caulfield and Anthony Stewart Head are great. The others, uh, not so much. I note that I sound exactly like Nicholas Brendon, myself.). Whereas in SR, every featured voice is decent, and most are pretty great, at least as far as their part is concerned.

 

[Grendelsbayne]

Subspace Rhapsody is a good episode. The music really is not very good, though. Even the best songs, like La'an's, Chapel's and Uhura's are very musically wonky and just not memorable. OMWF is a million times better made.

And I also really have to disagree that the voices on SR are at all better than on OMWF. Maybe an argument could be made that the single best voice out of both shows is Celia Gooding, but as an overall comparison Romijn, Peck and Mount are not significantly better at singing than Brendan or Gellar. Marsters was actually lead singer in a reasonably succesful band and was singing the perfect kind of music for his voice and style and did a fantastic job with it. And the demon was literally a musical theater legend with demon make-up. Plus at least OMWF had the good sense to put the truly bad singer (Hannigan) firmly in the background, unlike SR relying on Captain Batel as a front-and-center singer however briefly.

 

[TimeIsAPredator]

Buffy for me. I just felt it had a lot more actual emotional punch. Maybe it helped that Buffy was deep into its run so had a bit more to work with than a few relationships we know are doomed.

Another thing is back then you don't know months in advance it's going to happen.

That Buffy episode was a real "stunned silence" kinda episode once the credits rolled.

 

[Oddish]

Didn't see Buffy, so didn't vote. Wouldn't have been fair. But SR is my favorite SNW episode so far.

 

[FredH]

And I also really have to disagree that the voices on SR are at all better than on OMWF. Maybe an argument could be made that the single best voice out of both shows is Celia Gooding, but as an overall comparison Romijn, Peck and Mount are not significantly better at singing than Brendan or Gellar. Marsters was actually lead singer in a reasonably succesful band and was singing the perfect kind of music for his voice and style and did a fantastic job with it.

…look, I’m sorry, and I realize that it’s a matter of personal opinion—but my personal opinion is kind of flabbergasted. Romjin, Peck and mostly even Mount may not have pro singing careers, but they carried their tunes; Brendon literally can’t (in exactly the same way, and in the same register, that I can’t — we both sound like we have sore throats), and Gellar… I absolutely love Sarah Michelle Gellar, but singing just isn’t one of her pro talents; she sounds like she has a cold throughout OMWF. Marsters may have a band, and good for him, but that doesn’t change that there’s just no tune when he sings. (Compare with Head, Caulfield & Benson, who are beautiful singers.) I guess we just hear them differently, somehow.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Hated both of them

 

[tomalak301]

…look, I’m sorry, and I realize that it’s a matter of personal opinion—but my personal opinion is kind of flabbergasted. Romjin, Peck and mostly even Mount may not have pro singing careers, but they carried their tunes; Brendon literally can’t (in exactly the same way, and in the same register, that I can’t — we both sound like we have sore throats), and Gellar… I absolutely love Sarah Michelle Gellar, but singing just isn’t one of her pro talents; she sounds like she has a cold throughout OMWF. Marsters may have a band, and good for him, but that doesn’t change that there’s just no tune when he sings. (Compare with Head, Caulfield & Benson, who are beautiful singers.) I guess we just hear them differently, somehow.

Didn't Sarah say as much, but she hired a singing coach and tried the best she could because the episode demanded it? Geller of course isn't the best singer, but she did still carry that episode and it was great to see.