Buffy the Vampire Slayer

[GKarsEye]

Fellas, you know what I hate: so there you are, minding your own business, in a gypsy-cursed vampire body, you hook with a seemingly cool chick, she fucks the humanity out of you, you come back you, she kills you and sends you to hell. But you're big about it, you try to be understanding, you endure 100 yrs of demonic torture and claw your way back through an inter-dimensional portal and while going through rehab, she's with some other dude now!

Bitches be crazy, yo.

 

[vacantlook]

LOL!

If next up for you is the fifth episode of the season, it's got some fairly funny moments, as does the one after it.

 

[GKarsEye]

Oh I watched 6 already (I'm doing 3 at a time in general). Just didn't have time to type everything.

Anyway check this out: Angel's back and contrary to the big weepy huggy-kissy romantic reunion one would think, he's crazy then weak, she's trying to be with some other dude (who dumps here because she's "distracted?"), they pretty much said that when he's strong enough he'll leave her alone.

One of the reasons the story of Odesseus/Ulysses is so powerful is that when he comes home, there is also a lot of trial for him to go through, and some bad blood between he and Penelope.

Get ready to have your mind blown....

The song Giles and Joyce are listening to when they were reverted to their teenage selves in his house: Tales of Brave Ulysses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8hLc_nqx8g

 

[vacantlook]

I love how Faith totally embarrasses Scott at the Homecoming dance after he's such an ass to Buffy.

If I remember correctly, they use "Tales of Brave Ulysses" again in an episode in a future season too.

Well your next three episodes -- "Revelations," "Lover's Walk," and "The Wish" -- are pretty decent.

 

[GKarsEye]

Eh, Scott wasn't an ass- sure the break-up was abrupt, but I couldn't believe how much crap he put up with from Buffy. Sure he didn't know the context of why she was that way, but that's not his fault.

Cordelia in that homecoming dress- god damn. I mean.. GOD DAMN!

Look, Willow is a cutie and all, and if I got to choose between a woman my age more like Willow vs Cordelia right now, I'd take Willow because I don't tolerate crazy/bitchy like I used to, but Xander is 17? At 17, you take Cordelia.

"It's like I'm seeing you for the first time" he tells Willow... pp-shaw.

Joyce as a carefree teen-like person vs whiny yuppie harpy = hotness, too. Loved the shirtless tie-wearing doctor and his buddies singing Louie Louie acapella, and Principle Quark being fantastically dorky. About as fun and episode as the Halloween ep from last season.

 

[vacantlook]

Principal Snyder in "Band Candy" always makes me laugh when he says, "Summers, you drive like a spaz!"

Scott wasn't an ass, until the breakup. Can't fault him for breaking up with Buffy, just how he did it.

 

[KoshFan]

You gotta love Faith's method of revenge on Scott, too.

 

[GKarsEye]

I just watched two fantastic episodes- I was just so in the right mood for these. Lots of lol moments and one devastating serious one (and one that was glaringly f'n retarded that I had to fight to move past but I'm glad I did).

First there was one where Faith got a new watcher. So all watchers are British? I'm gonna take a stab at why- Giles did reference some Druid thing at some point in passing, and they were in England, so maybe watchers are descendants of Druids?

Anyway, when he told her that she doesn't respect him or his job- man that is, to me, one of the worse things to feel. I would take that as just as strong an emotional betrayal as Xander and Willow's cheesy romance did to Cordelia and Oz. It's also a much more interesting issue, and I was disappointed that it resolved so quickly. After all, this season began with the premise that the pain those close to us can cause takes a while to get over. This should be one of those moments, and it wasn't. (Unless, of course, it comes back somehow, and then who'd look foolish? Me, that's who.)

You know what this show sucks at though? Plot twists. I knew chick-Giles was evil from the get-go- why? 'Cause she announces "I'm the new watcher!" and everyone just believes her. Why, because, like the Robin Hood in Mel Brooks' "Men In Tights," she "can speak with a British accent." Pfft. This super-secret powerful important organization isn't gonna have some kind of I.D.?

And here I'm sure we also see the beginning of Faith turning evil, or at least some sort of rogue Bester-like trouble maker.

More great fight scenes, my favorite being Faith vs Angel (god I can't believe these ridiculous character names)- she did that back kick into the calf/knee move that I love and works great in real-life too.

Love-lorn Spike: I enjoyed this, very very much. Part of an episode full of stupid romantic moping (I really couldn't care less about Xander or Willow's love life at this point), Spike showed 'em how it's done! In case your wondering as to how deal with heartbreak, is it more like Spike, falling asleep drunk (and waking up in the sunlight and catching on fire, heh-heh) or Oz emo-ing out with his little guitar? *goes to finish off that Jim Beam*

"I brought her beautiful jewels, beautiful dresses with beautiful women in them..."

Xander yelling at Buffy over her re-ignited relationship with Angel, just like him getting on her at her welcome home party, actually made me a little uncomfortable. It actually feels at this point like he and Buffy don't actually like each other any more. And Giles never liked him (something I rather enjoy), and now of course Cordelia doesn't like him and Oz doesn't... only Willow is left. Hey come to think of it they did show him and Faith teaming up briefly- wouldn't that be an interesting plot development. Xander and Faith go rogue together... perhaps manipulated by the mayor... (god how brilliant will I look if this happens now)

The whole Faith thing renews my questions about how slayers are chosen. I mean, this kid ain't right. In the head. Having crazy slayers seems to kinda defeat the purpose.

Cheers, Spike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIXg9KUiy00

 

[vacantlook]

First there was one where Faith got a new watcher. So all watchers are British? I'm gonna take a stab at why- Giles did reference some Druid thing at some point in passing, and they were in England, so maybe watchers are descendants of Druids?

Though the Watchers' Council is centered in England now, it hasn't always been. No, the origin of the Watchers is not the Druids, but you will find out rather explicitly... eventually.

Xander yelling at Buffy over her re-ignited relationship with Angel, just like him getting on her at her welcome home party, actually made me a little uncomfortable.

Buffy and Xander clashing makes me uncomfortable too. There's just something really different about it than when Buffy clashes when any other character. It kinda makes me want to leave the room.

 

[KoshFan]

Spike in "Lover's Walk" has my very favorite line from the show, possibly my favorite line in fiction: "Love isn't brains, children, it's blood..."

 

[admiraldave]

Xander yelling at Buffy over her re-ignited relationship with Angel, just like him getting on her at her welcome home party, actually made me a little uncomfortable.

Buffy and Xander clashing makes me uncomfortable too. There's just something really different about it than when Buffy clashes when any other character. It kinda makes me want to leave the room.

Xander gives off a jealous vibe in their clashes and occassionally comes dangerously close to calling Buffy a whore. It's very off-putting, and there've been a few times that I'm surprised he wasn't given a harsher slapdown.

 

[GKarsEye]

Xander yelling at Buffy over her re-ignited relationship with Angel, just like him getting on her at her welcome home party, actually made me a little uncomfortable.

Buffy and Xander clashing makes me uncomfortable too. There's just something really different about it than when Buffy clashes when any other character. It kinda makes me want to leave the room.

Xander gives off a jealous vibe in their clashes and occassionally comes dangerously close to calling Buffy a whore. It's very off-putting, and there've been a few times that I'm surprised he wasn't given a harsher slapdown.

Well it's pretty realistic actually. Teenage boys don't handle rejection well- I would say even worse than girls, because a big part of being a teenage boy is acting tough. He was rejected and it hurts like hell, but they're supposed to be friends. That's the kind of thing a 17 yr old is rarely mature enough to handle.

What a weird show. I mean, that stuff is dealt with pretty well, and then it comes to play in how they handle a resurrected gypsy-cursed zombie vampire while retrieving some sort of NIntendo Power Glove thing to defeat a Napoleonic Julie Andrews.

I didn't get to my normal 3 episodes last night 'cause I felt compelled to watch the Lakes win their 65,789th NBA championship. Hopefully will get to more tonight.

 

[KoshFan]

What a weird show. I mean, that stuff is dealt with pretty well, and then it comes to play in how they handle a resurrected gypsy-cursed zombie vampire while retrieving some sort of NIntendo Power Glove thing to defeat a Napoleonic Julie Andrews.

Welcome to the Whedonverse!

 

[GKarsEye]

Mirror Universe!

Cordelia makes a wish and our heroes get mixed up in a transporter beam during an ion storm and everybody dies. Fun stuff.

What I liked:
- In this world, the prophecy that the slayer will die if she fights the master is also fulfilled.
- The closet homo football jock is part of the team that tries to fight vampires.
- Cordelia, the central character of the episodes, is killed half-way through.

What I didn't like:
- So even though the town is run by vampires and most people are dead or vampires, they still go to school and try to live "normal" lives and gossip about boys? Silly.

Cordelia was the center character of the episode, and I enjoyed watching it, but I still have not changed my mind since season 1 about her: why is she here, other than to fill out those outfits real nice.

 

[vacantlook]

In this world, the prophecy that the slayer will die if she fights the master is also fulfilled.

Wow, I had never realized that before. I mean, yeah, I notice that the Master kills Buffy in this episode, but I never thought about it in context of season one's death prophesy.

 

[KoshFan]

Yeah, great catch, GKE! You no doubt noticed the significance of the other deaths, too.

As to Cordelia's purpose, I point you to a line from Season 2: "Tact is just not saying true stuff."

 

[GKarsEye]

Yeah it's easy to notice this stuff when you're watching it in order, consecutively, without months or years in between seasons.

Like I just watched one where Oz asks Willow if she ever had a dream when she walked into the middle of play but didn't know the lines. Yes, she did, but it was an opera.

Btw, Oz is not really a werewolf. He is actually a 50 yr old woman. How else could he have the wisdom and emotional sensitivity to turn down Willow's (admittedly poor) sexual advances, knowing they were for the wrong reasons. This is not something most people would do regardless of age. If it weren't for sex for the wrong reasons, the human race would end.

More importantly, we learn that there is a Satan character (the "first evil") and a God character (who can make it snow in California just in time to prevent Angel from dying). Also, since it was all about Angel's purpose for coming back and existing, it was probably the episode that sets the spin-off show into motion.

 

[KoshFan]

Btw, Oz is not really a werewolf. He is actually a 50 yr old woman. How else could he have the wisdom and emotional sensitivity to turn down Willow's (admittedly poor) sexual advances, knowing they were for the wrong reasons. This is not something most people would do regardless of age. If it weren't for sex for the wrong reasons, the human race would end.

Oz had a very similar moment right at the start, if you'll recall: when he turned down Willow's offer of "kissage" because she was just doing it to make Xander feel guilty. Where Oz learns his maturity is perhaps the deepest mystery of the show -- but it's very useful to our heroes.

More importantly, we learn that there is a Satan character (the "first evil") and a God character (who can make it snow in California just in time to prevent Angel from dying). Also, since it was all about Angel's purpose for coming back and existing, it was probably the episode that sets the spin-off show into motion.

Whedon actually began thinking about an Angel spin-off when he saw how brilliant Boreanaz was in Season 2, but yeah, you're about right.

Remember the First Evil, too.

 

[vacantlook]

The Angel spinoff does have a far more specifically referenced higher power of good than Buffy does that tries to influence events here on Earth, usually refered to as "the Powers that Be."

 

[GKarsEye]

Oz had a very similar moment right at the start, if you'll recall: when he turned down Willow's offer of "kissage" because she was just doing it to make Xander feel guilty. Where Oz learns his maturity is perhaps the deepest mystery of the show -- but it's very useful to our heroes.

Yeah I did notice that at the time but probably just chalked it up to him being smart and mature, and I'm used to seeing unnaturally brilliant, precocious children from other movies and TV shows (one of those typical Hollywood cheap heart-string pulling gimmicks). In fact, it's part of why I've been so disappointed by how boring this character is- I mean, I like Seth Green because of his other stuff, who doesn't right?, and here he is a werewolf guitarist, which you'd think would make of a cluster-fudge of awesome, but instead he's just a big drip.

But now with forgiving Willow and then turning down the action because he's concerned about her feelings- it was all just too much. We get it, he's wonderful- heck, I'd date him.

My guess as to why he's even on the show at this point is just to act as the complete opposite of the immature Xander.

Whedon actually began thinking about an Angel spin-off when he saw how brilliant Boreanaz was in Season 2, but yeah, you're about right.

Well then Whedon saw something I didn't, 'cause Boreanaz is, IMO, the worst actor on the show. I really hope it works out better on the spin-off.

Remember the First Evil, too.

Kinda hard to forget a character that is referred to, by multiple characters including itself, as the most evilist thing ever ever.


Anyway enough bitching 'cause I just watched my favorite episode of the series so far.
My new favorite character: Joyce Summers.

Readers of my Buffy blog (this thread) know how much I love the 90s nostalgia I'm digging, and here Ms Summers got me to re-live the mass hysteria that opportunistic politicians, media outlets and various special interest groups had over video games and movies. She went off on something about how kids can see demon books in the library, get all kinds of ideas and "can you understand how much that scares me?" Man, brings back awful memories of Tipper Gore and Hillary Clinton and Michael Medved and Oprah, and everyone arguing about it like it was the most important crisis in the universe (this promptly stopped after planes flew into our buildings).

So many good moments. Willow's stupid mother (I think this is the 2nd time she appeared, and I do remember her calling the title character Bunny), but here she gets some major time and it was just perfect. The two moms agreeing to bond over their shared experience of torching their daughters; the end with the rat witch; "We've got to save Buffy from Hansel and Gretel;" and of course, MOO.

This was just a really well produced and choreographed episode that hit all its marks, the timing was perfect on every comic beat and character play. It really drove home the idea that I am watching the show at its peak.