"Go Fish" [2x20] Review by Mikelangelo "MikeJer" Marinaro Posted by MikeJer on October 31, 2005 Writer: David Fury and Elin HamptonDirector: David Semel Quick Links Spoiler Warning! This is a retrospective review and may contain spoilers from anywhere in the series. Read at your own peril. Review This is an extremely fun episode! The main plot is intentionally hokey and really pretty dumb, but all the people involved play it out for maximum laughs and for the most part, it works. With all the heavy themes and emotions running wild over the last group of episodes, it's actually quite refreshing to have one excessively inconsequential 'fun' episode before the heartbreakers, "Becoming Pt. 1" (2x21) and "Becoming Pt. 2" (2x22), roll in. In only that goal, this episode fantastically succeeds, mostly due to its timely humor. I don't have a lot to say about this aside from a few observations. First up is that Willow should have been replaced as teacher of the Computer Science class by now. It's not that I don't like seeing Willow teaching but rather that it's completely unrealistic. Second of all, I find Cordelia's comment, that winners get special treatment because that's just the way the world works, very intriguing. From my own experiences, this comment seems to be far to commonly true. It's also important to realize that the definition of who is a 'winner' changes during different stages of your life. In high school a 'winner' may be a jock, while in your 30's whoever has the most money is generally considered the 'winner,' regardless of physical appearance. I really enjoyed seeing Buffy beat the shit out of the guy who was trying to take sexual advantage of her in his car. Xander's comment to the jocks later, "I love it when you guys mess with her," is also highly entertaining. It's funny to note that when Buffy doesn't want to turn guys on the guys seem to want to jump on top of her, yet when she wants to be sexually attractive she has trouble. When Buffy goes stalker girl on Gage, the swim team guy, so she can protect him, he seems completely turned off by her. She amusingly admits her sex appeal is on the fritz. This problem possibly stems from the fact that she really is very sexually insecure with herself. Her experience with Angel certainly didn't help at all. This episode bashes all those dumb teachers in high school who think "school spirit" is a matter of life and death, and I adore it for that. When I was in high school I always had teachers telling me I needed more "school spirit" and that I had to attend school assemblies. Thank you Scoobies for helping to show the world how amazingly dumb "school spirit" is. "School spirit" can burn in that pile of books over there titled 'useless.' So there's the gratifying "school spirit" and jock bashing, but the ending ocean scene leaves me feeling odd. I don't know what to make out of that. Anyway, the biggest draw of this episode is the ridiculously funny dialog. The characters have fun with the corny plot and everyone has a good time of it. This isn't blow-you-away material, but it's definitely a lot of fun if you're in the non-serious mood. Minor Pros/Cons (+/-)
Foreshadowing
Quotes SNYDER:I'm not interested in any of that. I'm interested in why, when this school is on the brink of winning its first state championship in fifteen years, you slap a crucial member of that team with a failing mark that would force his removal. Is that how you show your school spirit?WILLOW:Yes. BUFFY:So something ripped him open and ate out his insides? WILLOW:Like an Oreo Cookie. Well, except for, you know, without the chocolatey cookie goodness. XANDER:Yeah. The skin's the best part. BUFFY:(to Giles) Any demons with high cholesterol? You're gonna think about that later, mister, and you're gonna laugh. BUFFY:Where's Gage [the guy on the swim team]? XANDER:I don't know. He was right behind me, putting his sneakers on. But it's not the Velcro kind, so give him a couple of extra minutes. XANDER:Not they. We. Me! We have to find an antidote, don't you think? The clock is ticking, people! BUFFY:I wouldn't break out the tartar sauce just yet. CORDELIA:You, you, you. What about me? It's one thing to be dating the lame unpopular guy, but it's another to be dating the creature from the Blue Lagoon. XANDER:Black Lagoon. The creature from the Blue Lagoon was Brooke Shields. And thank you so much for your support! BUFFY:I think we'd better find the rest of the swim team and lock them up before they get in touch with their inner halibut.
Screencaps
Comments (36) All Comments | Link2 | TomFeb 2, 2007 While not the greatest episode, it provides a great balance to the end of the season. It provides the comic relief that was needed. It gives you a chance to breathe and laugh a little, something that was desperately needed since the beginning of the greatest run of the show - from Surprise right to Becoming pt 2. I could have done without the steriod metaphor, but it was one of the last good high school monster-as-metaphor episodes. Not fantastic, but better that reviewed here, I think, mostly because of where it is placed in the series and what it had to accomplish. Another Angel wreaks havoc episode would have been too much. Even the not-so-good episodes can end up being important to the overall flow of things. All Comments | Link3 | AustinAug 21, 2007 Being a lifeguard for two years, I couldn't help laughing at the swimmers lined up on the starting blocks, hanging like wet noodles, try tight as a bow string. All Comments | Link4 | AustinSep 23, 2007 I think it is funny that Willow accuses Johnathan of delving into black magic, when they are the two people who eventually do get into it. All Comments | Link5 | buffyholicOct 16, 2007 This is hilarious. All of the humour is very timely and we see the characters having fun with the plot. My favourites scenes are Xander in speedos and the jokes about the oreo cookie and on why Angel didn´t like his (Gage) blood: "Any demons with high cholesterol?". We needeed this episode, not for the plot (of course) but to relax before the heartbreaking finale. All Comments | Link6 | DavvoJan 26, 2008 I watched this episode, and looked it up on www.imdb.com - I had no idea that Shane West was in it! All Comments | Link7 | PaulaJul 31, 2008 Can't believe you left out the Buffy quote I always remember this episode for: "Great. This is just what my reputation needs: that I did it with the entire swim team." All Comments | Link8 | NixMar 22, 2009 I consider this to have quite a sad ending, really, because all evidence is that those things are absolutely hopeless swimmers. The only time we see one swimming, it's moving more slowly than *I* could swim: in the ocean, a watery desert where all food that can't float or swim constantly rapidly falls out of reach, they'd be fish food before you could *blink*. (Plus: there's no way those things had neutral bouyancy. They don't look like constant swimmers to me. First time they slept, they'd die. Maybe they're creatures of the shoreline...) All Comments | Link9 | LucyAug 7, 2009 I HATE this episode! Gage is the worst actor EVER to have appeared on Buffy! I was so surprised when he got cast on prison break. And the ending is just SO awful and cheesy: Giles:"Where do you think they've gone?" Buffy:"Home" bleurgh! I liked Xander in his speedos though! All Comments | Link10 | NixOct 6, 2009 @ 2:06pm Also, did anyone notice? After her damning of the quarterstaff earlier in the series... in this episode, she used one in anger! Or she used a mop as a quarterstaff, anyway. All Comments | Link11 | vera@amsterdamNov 18, 2009 @ 2:12am Can I just get a shoutout for Wenthworth Miller. Love prison break. The first 22 times I watched this ep. I didn't know about him, now I do, and this ep. is better for it. What hottie. I could live without ever seeing that nurse again in the water, wet clothes are not her best look. But that's my opinion. Likes this ep. alot....great humour All Comments | Link12 | G1000May 15, 2010 @ 6:45pm Mediocre episode. Over-the-top and campy. Not as bad as the worst this show has done, but still not good. Please tell me they cut out the camp in season 3. I love intense episodes like "Passion" and "Innocence", so hopefully they make all of the episodes that dark and compelling from here on out. I would disagree that another "Angel wreaking havoc" episode would be too much, by the way. Take a look at "Battlestar Galactica's" final run. Every single episode got darker and more bleak, and it got even more compelling. I like the humor when it's done well, but a whole episode of Buffy fighting fish-men is just ridiclous. She's supposed to be a vampire slayer! Sorry if this seems like a rant. This is my first viewing of the show, and I see so much potential in it. Episodes like "Passion" are really mind-blowing. Then an episode like this has to come along, and it annoys me so much. All Comments | Link13 | JasonMay 19, 2010 @ 4:11pm Funny; what I liked best about this episode (by far) was the final image of the three fish-people swimming out to sea. All Comments | Link14 | NiaMay 19, 2010 @ 11:07pm I saw a lot of potential between Gage & Buffy. I wanted them to start dating. But it was too soon for her and also I LOVE Bangel and they got back together in S3. I think it was half that she was bad at flirting (not that she needs it since most guys flock to her or are already obsessed with her before she even likes them) and half that she is bad at lying. And Cameron was talking trash about her. I felt so sorry for Buffy (as usual, she has a tough life) when she got blamed for defending herself against an attempted rapist, accused of having it coming because of the way she dressed, and lectured for dressing inappropriately. And then she is forced into the sewers at gunpoint so four creatures can gang-rape her. It's a good thing Xan showed up to help her get out of there. Yeah, a lot of celebrities have had cameos on BtVS. Wentworth Miller. Shane West. Persia White. Clea Duvall. John Ritter. Amber Tambyln. Azura Skye. Ashanti. Etc... All Comments | Link15 | MerryMay 26, 2010 @ 8:50pm I love this episode. Obviously, it's not a "great" episode in the grand scheme of the series (would not make my top 25 list by far), but it has this kind of genuine 90s feel to it that is the same reason I love "Gingerbread". So campy! Though having been a competitive swimmer for 10 years, I agree with Austin- those swimmers on the starting blocks looked RIDICULOUS. Could have done without the scene with the monsters swimming in the ocean - it was just weird. All Comments | Link16 | nathan.taurusAug 1, 2010 @ 1:18am Again the library cage is supposed to be strong enough to hold half a dozen people who could turn into large fish. Damn strong that cage is. Wentworth Miller in a starting role before he mumbled his way through 'Prison Break'. Wanting Buffy to walk him home:) Pretty much agree with your score. All Comments | Link17 | DFAS GilesSep 21, 2010 @ 6:14am Buffy gets saved from doing it with the entire fishly swim team (yay Xander). Then coach goes in the drink. When Buffy comments, "those boys really love their coach," is the coach on the receiving end of those boyish needs he so recently discussed? Have to appreciate the sly envelope-pushing ambiguity of BTVS. All Comments | Link18 | Gemma Dec 19, 2011 @ 2:44pm This episode is a fun and light hearted, something to make you smile before the devastating two part final. The title; Go Fish is a witty metaphor to the literal swim team members being turned into fish monsters but still being a cohesive team. Also thinking between the lines the scooby's 'fish' for information in diverging ways; Xander becomes a Go Fish, Willow interrogates Jonathan and is eager to do the same to the school nurse whereas Buffy users a looks and slayer stalking skills to follow Gage. I think the episode is addressing the notion of sports persons abusing steroids to escalate their performance but the down side of this is that they ruin their bodies. Its fun to see Xander join the swim team, he so often derides the jocks of Sunnydale through jealous eyes. Once again Xander saves Buffy, this time from having to do with the whole swim team. This scene once agains highlights and makes palpable that Xander is much stronger than he thinks he is, noted first in Halloween. His ability to turn up at the right time isn't as appreciated as it should be! This foreshadows what Caleb says to him in Dirty Girls; he's the one sees everything. This trait of Xander's is notable in quite a number of the series episodes. The plot itself is easy to follow and is an interesting story, Angelus manages to solve the puzzle indirectly when he takes a bite out of Gage only to be repulsed with what he tastes in the blood. His presence in the episode allows the main story arch to be mentioned but doesn't out shine this stand alone fun episode. All Comments | Link19 | SarahFeb 8, 2012 @ 7:35pm You forgot to mention how this episode addresses sexual assault. I find that aspect more interesting than the steroid story. The fact that Buffy is blamed for the way she dresses, as if she's "asking for it", is very realistic unfortunately. Even today, women who are victims of sexual assault are blamed. Every effort is made to dig up their sexual past and prove that they're whores who were asking for it. I like that this episode addresses that, even briefly. All Comments | Link20 | AnnFeb 8, 2012 @ 11:09pm Don't forget that after that first sexual assault she is held at gunpoint to go into the sewers to be gang-raped. "They've already had their dinner.But boys have other needs." "This is just what my reputation needs. That I did it with the entire swim team." She's lucky she was able to escape. The female agent in Allan Moore's Neonomicon had a horrible experience. All Comments | Link21 | AlexFeb 9, 2012 @ 9:21am Am I the only one who didn't like Buffy's 'I did it with the entire swim team' joke? It just seemed kind of weird and inappropriate to me, given the circumstances. I found the idea of the coach throwing her in there to get raped by the monsters really disturbing, and the joke seemed really out of place. Maybe I just temporarily lost my sense of humour while I was watching this. Although I had NEVER interpreted 'those boys really love their coach' as DFAS Giles did, above! Now that's REALLY disturbing. I find this episode really silly but also kind of sad. I thought Gage was a rubbish actor, but I quite liked his character. I liked the way that he was all macho and a bit of a jerk at first, but as soon as he got scared he wasn't ashamed to ask Buffy to look after him. I thought that was cute. I love your comments about 'school spirit', Mike. I was actually on the swimming team at school (that's another point actually - why are there no girls on the team?) and I remember getting a good few lectures from the coach about how swimming should be my 'number one priority' if I ever missed a practice. We weren't showered with praise and treated like royalty like the swimmers in this episode though! All Comments | Link22 | AlexFeb 9, 2012 @ 2:55pm On a much more flippant note, what kind of school swimming pool has a steam room for the students?? All Comments | Link23 | Gemma Feb 21, 2012 @ 12:05pm This episode having re-watched it recently, has a season one feel and it may be the reason i rather like it, it addresses the demon of the week and metaphors/messages. I did have issues with the whole Soviet union collapse and the readiness of the hospital to accept the theory of fish people and plasma treatment! Although it is Buffy Verse and in Sunnydale people accept the unexpected and impossible and ignore the obvious! All Comments | Link25 | fray-adjacentSep 18, 2012 @ 5:49pm *in reply to Brian (#24) Two questions:Do you really have nothing to offer this site besides pedantic grammar/spelling/usage quibbles? Have you really not noticed that all your previous pedantic grammar/spelling/usage quibbling comments have been deleted? Sorry, admin, this just bugs me. Obviously feel free to delete this comment when you do Brian's. All Comments | Link26 | MikeJer | CREATOR/ADMINSep 18, 2012 @ 6:15pm *in reply to fray-adjacent (#25) Nah, I'll leave this one up thanks to your response, Fray.It's just one of those situations where you can't get through to a person. I'm baffled by why Brian wants to waste his time -- which, it should be noted, is far more time than it takes for me to delete it -- continually doing this, but aside from storing people's IP addresses when they comment (which I really don't want to do), or forcing people into accounts to comment, there's not much I can do to stop it. I've already asked him to stop posting these kind of things in the comments, and I've already informed him about the polish pass. He just doesn't seem to care. I'm not sure, but I wouldn't be surprised if Brian has already doubled backed on his comments that have been deleted in the past, and made new ones on the same reviews without even noticing! Fortunately I have admin tools built right into the page to quickly and painlessly remove comments when needed, so it doesn't put me out too much. When I see Brian's comments in the feed now, I mostly sigh a bewildered chuckle. "Oh, Brian, poor guy. Some of your day is spent doing this." All Comments | Link27 | AlexOct 4, 2012 @ 8:36am I'd love to meet Brian - genuinely, I would - because I just cannot for the life of me imagine what he'd be like in real life, and I'm really curious. What kind of person spends a significant chunk of his time combing through lengthy reviews on a stranger's website purely so he can correct their spelling and punctuation, doesn't care (or possibly even notice) that ALL his previous comments have been deleted, and continually ignores any and all attempts to interract with him? That's not a rhetorical question, I'm seriously wondering... why would anyone do that, ever? He doesn't even seem to be reading your reviews in order, he just seems to be randomly jumping around between them and commenting whenever he finds something (and it's not like your reviews are stuffed full of typos, so for each one he finds he must have to read quite a lot). And he only ever comments on your Buffy reviews; there is no such policing of the spelling and grammar of the Angel ones. Just... yeah. Weird. Glad it's not actually causing you too much grief though, Mike, and that you can have a chuckle about it! All Comments | Link28 | John RobertsDec 3, 2012 @ 12:23pm I like this better than a C+ grade, and to judge from Mike's enthusiastic comments, so does he. One Part Scooby Doo, one part comic book, and one part Afterschool Special. I thought the combination worked great. The skewering of high school jocks and condemnation of the win-at-all-costs culture could have been painfully earnest, but not with Creature of the Blue I mean Black Lagoon wandering around. The nurse and coach were both suitably absurd, too. Oh one correction, Mike. Buffy's up-and-down sexual appeal is not a comment about her psychology -- it's about the boys being warped. The boys are macho fraternity types. They have the hots for Buffy if they think she is weak and can be preyed upon (in the car, the gang scene in the water), and they're not interested in her if she is strong. File this part under the Afterschool Special theme. All Comments | Link30 | GekiMar 1, 2013 @ 4:01am *in reply to Seele (#29) Totally agree, if it had to happen at all. IOHEFY is so much more powerful and sets 'Becoming' up so much better. I tend to skip this episode (the only episode of Buffy I skip, actually... all right, so I've skipped 'Some Assembly Required' a few times, too).All Comments | Link31 | GonMar 4, 2013 @ 5:09am *in reply to Alex (#21) I believe the sexual assault is the most interesting theme of this episode, too. But I agree that Buffy's witty line ("they'll say I did it with the entire team") feels so wrong in the context of rape. Also because the joke focus on guilt (emphasis on "I did it") which is the worst message to be adressed here.Totally agree with MikeJer's reference to "school spirit" too. Am I the only one to feel there's a bit of an "X-Files" tone in this episode? The references to the Soviet union experiments and the conclusion (the monster is loose out there) always made me think that. All Comments | Link32 | Ryan ONeilMar 4, 2013 @ 10:46am *in reply to Gon (#31) If it helps, she's saying that "her reputation," not anything reality-based, would be that she "did it with the entire swim team,"... and her primary psychological defense mechanism for stressful-to-life-threatening situations seems to be sarcasm. All Comments | Link33 | GonMar 4, 2013 @ 11:31am *in reply to Ryan ONeil (#32) I know she's talking about her reputation. That's the problem! I don't want to see Buffy concerned about her reputation when she is bout to be raped. I think that is the wrong message to be adressed to the audience.Also, I can't imagine Buffy using sarcasm when Spike tries to rape her in s6. All Comments | Link34 | Ryan ONeilMar 4, 2013 @ 1:27pm *in reply to Gon (#33) Maybe: in "Go Fish," Buffy had already spent the entire episode (successfully) dealing with attempts of that kind of assault from humans, was used to fighting demons, and was fairly certain she could fight off the monster-swimmers once she knew where they were? I don't think she was very worried that anything would really happen in the first place.As opposed to "Seeing Red," where she had already been injured in a fight and knew she would be defending herself at sub-par, making it a more pressing threat (and she had trusted Spike personally before that)? All Comments | Link35 | GonMar 4, 2013 @ 11:42pm *in reply to Ryan ONeil (#34) Sorry, I don't agree. In "Go Fish" there were 3 of them and if Xander hadn't rescued her she would be in serious trouble (she didn't look at all unworried at that moment). But, even if she was certain she could fight them, I still think that's not the right comment to address the audience in that situation.All Comments | Link36 | AlexMar 5, 2013 @ 2:08am Yeah, I'm with Gon on this one. I get what you're saying, Ryan, but I can't agree that she's quipping because she doesn't think she's in any real danger. The guys are surrounding her at that point, there's no means of escape (until Xander shows up) and she's looking around somewhat helplessly when she chooses to make that remark. I'm not usually one to over-analyse these things or get uptight about a throwaway joke, and I can't really even put my finger on why that line particularly bothers me so much. But if they really felt that a joke was appropriate at that point, then why not have Buffy say something like 'sorry guys, group sex just isn't my thing?' I guess I just don't think an appropriate response to an impending gang-rape is 'oh no, what will people think of me?' even if it's meant to be a joke. 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Latest News  Delays... MikeJer - Feb 24, 2013 Hey all!I just wanted to let you all know that I'm looking forward to getting going on my Season 2 review updates. I recently started a new job, so life has been extra bu... View Full Post Latest Comments Ryan ONeil [Gingerbread] *in reply to Vishal (#60) The popular theory on the forums is that:Before Buffy showed up, ... View CommentMay 21, 2013 Ryan ONeil [Consequences] *in reply to James (#30) Probably public property View CommentMay 19, 2013 Waverley [Family] This episode makes me cry like a big girly man every time. That bit where Buffy says 'Take h... View CommentMay 18, 2013 Latest Forum Posts buffyholic [Supernatural Rewatch] Sin City - Pretty good episode with Casey explaining that she didnīt do anything, it was the... View PostMay 21, 2013 Ryan ONeil [Xander Harris] The problem with DMP isn't the argument. It's A] the party being over the top and out of cha... View PostMay 20, 2013 MikeJer [Critically Touched Reviews: Frea] w00t w00t! View PostMay 19, 2013 |
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Call me a tight ass, but although I enjoyed the humour, I still gave this ep. a 53. I would be afraid to show it to anyone