‘Twas yesterday. It’s to do with turkey, and pilgrims, and … well, I’m fuzzy on the details. I do know it’s provided US TV with some of its finest moments though. Friends had way too many Thanksgiving episodes, but some of them rocked. Like ‘The One With the Football’ and ‘The One With the Rumour’ (‘The One With Brad Pitt’ would be better, I think) – oh, and ‘The One With Chandler in a Box’! (Self-explanatory really.)
Then there was that early Simpsons episode, Bart vs Thanksgiving, where Bart ruins Lisa’s centrepiece. Some early Simpsons were really emotional and simple. And one of my favourite Frasier episodes, ‘The Apparent Trap’, where Freddy pretends he wants Frasier and Lilith to get back together so he can guilt them into getting him some new bike. And Niles plays PlayStation. And wasn’t there some Fresh Prince of Bel Air episode where Uncle Phil was fantasizing about Thanksgiving dinner and “tiny onions”? I seem to remember that from my childhood somewhere. All my childhood memories seem to be of TV.
My favourite Thanksgiving TV episode has to be the Buffy ep ‘Pangs’, though. Xander, while digging, awakens a vengeful native American spirit. Said spirit starts hunting down all the local white leaders and killing them. Giles and Willow argue over the ethics of attacking the spirit. Spike offers information for shelter, and gets tied up. Angel shows up to help throw punches. Xander gets syphilis. And Buffy tries to make Thanksgiving dinner. So, so smart and funny.
Willow : Buffy, this isn’t a western. We’re not at Fort Giles with the cavalry coming to save us. It’s one lonely guy. Oppressed warrior guy who’s just trying to…
Buffy : Kill a lot of people?
Willow : I didn’t say he was right.
Buffy : Will, you know how bad I feel about this. It’s eating me up– (to Anya) quarter cup of brandy and let it simmer– (to Willow) but even though it’s hard, we have to end this. Yes, he’s been wronged, and I personally would be ready to apologize–
Spike : Oh, someone put a stake in me.
Xander : You got a lot of volunteers in here.
Spike : I just can’t take all this mamby-pamby boo-hooing about the bloody Indians.
Buffy : Uh, the preferred term–
Spike : You won. All right? You came in and you killed them and you took their land. That’s what conquering nations do. It’s what Caesar did, and he’s not going around saying, “I came, I conquered, I felt really bad about it.” The history of the world isn’t people making friends. You had better weapons, and you massacred them. End of story.
Buffy : Well, I think the Spaniards actually did a lot of– not that I don’t like Spaniards.
Spike : Listen to you. How you gonna fight anyone with that attitude?
Willow : We don’t wanna fight anyone.
Buffy : I just wanna have Thanksgiving.
Spike : Heh heh. Yeah…good luck.
It was a weird day. Boston sort of shut down. All the students went home to their various home states. Eerily quiet.
