Commenter Lookup *Caution* Unless you see an ADMIN tag, the comments below may not all belong to the same person! "Bad Eggs" | View Comments2 | John RobertsDec 13, 2012 Just watched it for the first time, had always avoided before due to its bad reputation. Fun, certainly better than a 50. It made me think of Live and Let Die, the Roger Moore bond film. Loose and silly and nothing remotely makes sense if you think about it, but why think about it? (Now that I think of it, Live and Let Die has a stupid, funny Southern sheriff, Bad Eggs has stupid, funny cowboy vampires.) I mean come on now, this is BtVS, not Ibsen. Plot was annoyingly derivative, that is true. If I want to see icky crawly critters creating pod people, I'll take Wrath of Khan, thanks much. "The Zeppo" | View Comments3 | John RobertsDec 11, 2012 *in reply to Rob W (#42) "He's basically come to a nothing-left-to-lose state, which we see later as he faces off against Jake and the bomb. Sleep with Faith? Why not at this point?"Yep exactly. It's a night of the surreal. Roll with it and don't think too hard about its character implications. Alright, don't think at all. Although it's not exactly a stretch to think that an 18 year old virgin with no girlfriend might say yes to a bombshell who propositions him. A teeny, tiny bit more likely than being indifferent about death. If we're analyzing. Which we shouldn't. "The Zeppo" | View Comments4 | John RobertsDec 11, 2012 "Sleep with Faith? Why not at this point?" Exactly. Plus, you don't really want to be judging Xander's character from this episode. Does he really not care about dying, as with the bomb? It's a surreal evening. Be like Xander and float with the wave. It won't come around again. "Go Fish" | View Comments5 | John RobertsDec 3, 2012 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. "The Puppet Show" | View Comments6 | John RobertsDec 3, 2010 I mean 841 near the end of that, not 741. "The Puppet Show" | View Comments7 | John RobertsDec 3, 2010 I suppose it's nitpicking to mention that for Xander to show how smart Willow is by instantly solving the square root of 841, that Xander instantly had to know that 841 *was* a square. Which is actually harder than Willow's problem. (Because Willow could reasonably guess "29" in knowing that 30x30 = 900, so 841 yeah that's probably 29. Whereas Xander can only state 741 after having done the math.) Alright, it's nitpicking. Amused me, though. "I Robot, You Jane" | View Comments8 | John RobertsNov 24, 2010 I gotta say, Mike's rewritten review is spot on. "Teacher's Pet" | View Comments9 | John RobertsNov 23, 2010 I didn't hate the episode because it was all fresh at the time. I mean, this was the first secret-demon story. It would be hard to watch again, though. Oh and Mike ... if Ms. French walked into a bar wearing that black dress, the guys would be stumbling all over themselves. :-) "The Pack" | View Comments10 | John RobertsNov 18, 2010 I liked The Pack quite a bit for its "gutsy" elements (plus I had a guilty pleasure in seeing the fake-hyena acting) but ... Mike is correct in his criticism. I can't argue with any of it. The writers at that stage of the show didn't really get how to link the pieces together. Guess I'm just a soft touch. "Earshot" | View Comments11 | John RobertsNov 8, 2010 Andreas - "I thought Joyce saying "We were teenagers!" as an excuse for sleeping with Giles was very clever of the writers. Is being a teenager really an excuse for immature behavior?" Of course, the candy in Band Candy didn't turn the adults into teenagers, it turned them into parodies of teenagers. Nobody I knew had sex on top of a police car. (Twice.) Nobody you knew either. Which was mostly for fun; transforming Giles and Joyce into typical teens would have made for very boring television. But you are right, there is also an enclosed message, reminding us of the remarkable things that the Scooby teens do on a regular basis. "Who Are You?" | View Comments12 | John RobertsNov 8, 2010 Alright one last bit and then I'll shut up. One possible explanation for why Faith was deeply affected while being in Buffy's body, but Buffy did not in the least become Faithlike, is that Buffy is much stronger than Faith. Buffy knows who she is and is comfortable in her skin. (Although ticked off sometimes.) So Buffy's spirit was strong and influenced the vulnerable Faith. Whereas Faith's spirit was weak and had no influence on the powerful Buffy. Hey, it's a theory. "Who Are You?" | View Comments13 | John RobertsNov 8, 2010 On a different note, I'd like to add that while I usually resist feminist critiques of how the patriarch manifests itself everywhere and in everything ... here I will make a brief exception. Faith wants dirty wild sex with Riley, where she is leading the action. He takes control and maneuvers her toward traditional missionary sex. Faith is overwhelmed with a newfound sense of love. Hmmm. That doesn't seem like the usual subversive Whedon to me. "Who Are You?" | View Comments14 | John RobertsNov 8, 2010 I'm always up for a body-switching episode, particularly when it's between two well-developed characters who are such fascinating contrasts, and when an actress as good as SMG gets to do most of the switching scenes. So yes this was great and the Spike speech (alright, the entire Bronze scene) was outstanding, and I'm quite happy to retain the memory of SMG slinking onto Riley's bed with her leather pants ... But here's what I really like: The Faith character comes together. I finally get her. The young lady is quite sane. But very disturbed, very lonely, very repressed. I know that last part sounds strange when writing about Faith, but bear with me. It's a misconception that Faith felt no remorse in Consquences. Oh, she did. But unlike Buffy, who coped with the immense pressures of being Slayer by reaching out to her frends (and lover, in Angel's case), Faith has walked alone. Meaning she doesn't address mistakes by talking about them, and sharing emotions with friends. She buries them. She packs those bad things away, puts the hard shell over them, and there they are to lie, never to be seen again. Which is why Buffy pisses off Faith so very much in Consequences, because Buffy wishes to discuss and share, and Faith wants to bury. So no, it's not so that Faith failed to feel remorse in Consequences. She did. She just had a different mechanism for coping, an inferior mechanism as it turned out. The inferiority of that mechanism led to the vulnerability that permitted her to be recruited by The Mayor. (That was The Consequence for Faith of her stabbing the mayor's aid -- her inability to deal with the incident weakened her to the point where she turned from being difficult to be an outright agent of evil.) Then of course came the rest of S3, Faith stretched to the breaking point, so angry and frustrated and sad and confused that Buffy stabbing her almost came as a relief. So she wakes up in This Year's Girl and nothing has changed. The Mayor's video demonstrates how sad and lonely her existence has become -- she yearns for Daddy. Misses him so. She wants love. She wants to be loved. She doesn't know how to ask and would be horrified to hear that's what she needs. But it is so. And that is what we see in Who Are You? Buffy's life is so much richer and warmer and better than Faith's, containing the pleasure of giving as well as receiving, that Faith's emotions are stirred. And these emotions weaken her defenses. They crack the shell. Faith enjoys those feelings -- and yet she resists, because they are alien and they threaten how she thinks about herself, how she defines herself. Leading of course to her pushing Riley away. But she has been very much affected. We see that more at the airport and of course when she abandons her flight to save the churchgoers, in true Slayer style. (That came too quickly, but such is the nature of drama.) She now walks and sounds more like Buffy. But she is far from cured. This is not a transformation. This is a step in the process. Seeing the real Buffy (aka Eliza) triggers her rage. This woman who has stabbed her is now getting inside her head. Faith without admitting directly to herself is starting to admire Buffy. And she hates her for that. And she hates herself. Hell, she's hated herself for a long time now. And the loathing for what Buffy did to her, and what Buffy is now doing, and especially the self loathing, is released into the rage. "Murderous bitch!" is a curse on Buffy, and a cry to herself. After the fight, Faith flees. She is shattered. She sits silently, unable to talk. But she is thinking. For the first time since Bad Girls, there is the possibility that Faith can become something else. She is not a monster. She is a person. And she has opened herself enough such that she can change. I fully agree with Mike that this episode is a P, due to the writers' great work in developing the fascinating character of Faith. Who so easily could have become a monster and a caricature, but who did not. "Goodbye Iowa" | View Comments15 | John RobertsNov 7, 2010 Things are feeling disjointed. Maggie Walsh's very sudden death at the end of last episode, Adam magically dropping in on the group (the runaway who is wanted dead or alive, just happens to return to where are the guys with guns hang out), the forced and stilted conversation by the doctors about how Riley needs his drugs, how they make him stronger etc. Duh. They both know that, nobody would talk like that among themselves -- the dialog was written that way so that it can be overhead by Buffy. Lame. I'm thinking the scripts were hastily reworked to deal with Lindsay Crouse suddenly leaving the show. Not saying that's what happened, but it feels that way. On the bright side, I'm finding Riley to be an interesting and well-acted character. Compare how Marc Blucas played this one with David Boreanz's acting in S1. Reading through, the Riley dislike expressed on his thread (and on the threads for earlier episodes) is about what happens later, not now. Well except for Riley being blamed for being sick in this show. Come on now. How about I blame Xander for wanting to rape Buffy while thinking he was a hyena. The Riley man was sick. Even then, he defends Buffy when the soldiers break in and wonder if Buffy was causing trouble again. Why did Tara spike Willow's spell? The spell was too scary? I am puzzled. I don't recall a baddie as strong as Adam. Buffy can hit him all day and he doesn't blink or budge. Then one swing of the arm and she's flying 20 feet. But as someone else wrote, for some reason I don't find him scary. He seems so ... implausible. It's strange, I find it easier to suspend my disbelief with the show's magic characters than I do with its science characters. This Initiative thing is really corny. Which was not an Iowa pun. Finally, SMG is looking unhealthily skinny. Eat, girl. "Lie to Me" | View Comments16 | John RobertsNov 5, 2010 The final line by Buffy "Lie to Me" echoes Shakespeare's Sonnet 138, the last two lines are which: Therefore I lie with her and she lies with me And in our faults by lies we flatter'd be It's about two lovers, which Buffy and Giles are not, but the theme is the same: That a pleasant lie might comfort somebody you love more than the harsh truth. There's quite a bit of Victorian goth in BtVS, as this is after all a vampire tale, but themematically this show has more of a Renaissance feel, with its preoccupations with sex, death, blood, and puns (above all, puns!). If Whedon isn't familiar with Renaissance drama and John Donne, well then by gosh he channeled them very well! "A New Man" | View Comments17 | John RobertsNov 2, 2010 An average episode. I usually enjoy Ethan but he bored me here (except for the fine crypt gloating speech). A one-note Charlie whose note has been sounded too often. Pacing was slow for the first half. The "Giles feels neglected" bit was overdone, as I figured out that was the episode's theme after the first 11 times I was bashed on the head. Hooking up Spike and Giles was fun, and more advancement in the Buffy/Riley relationship. Those would be the positives. Oh yes, and Giles giving into his outer demon and chasing Maggie Walsh down the street. Still unclear for the Riley hate. I'm guessing that's about what Riley does later, as opposed to what he's done so far. Because right now, this is quite interesting -- Riely seems very right for Buffy, but there's just the hint that maybe he can't handle being Mary Jane to her Spiderman. I also wonder if Buffy can ever handle a relationship with a normal, nonsuperpower person ... intriguing. "Doomed" | View Comments18 | John RobertsNov 1, 2010 This episode feels like a "pause," following 3 straight terrific episodes. The writers collected their breaths, filled the 45-minute slot, and thought about cool future stuff. But nothing like a 60 in my book, better than that. Perfectly competent stuff that become more than competent when Spike was on the screen. (Very very good decision to make him a regular. Bad decision to leave out Anya in this episode, like Spike she gives a welcome jolt to the proceedings.) As for the demon plot, the Opening of the Hellmouth has become such a cliche that I don't think it *can* be done seriously. So I regarded this as parody proceedings, a mood that seemed to be echoed by the cast, with all its eye rolling. I have no problem with Riley so far, don't understand the dislike. Sure he's not a fun character like Spike, he's a straight man, but he's not a whiner or a punk or a smirker or a bore, either. And he's a bright enough fella. You guys would probably love Riley if he had fangs. :-) "Hush" | View Comments19 | John RobertsOct 29, 2010 Terrific review, terrific episode. OK maybe I got the order wrong there :-) but kudos to both Mike and Joss. I have nothing to add to Mike's thematic/character analysis. However, it's worth pointing out that the direction was top-notch. The cuts between fleeing Tara/Willow and fighting Buffy/Riley (at first apart, then together) were really well done. And some very very funny bits. Mike is certainly right about the classroom scene. Giles's silly drawings, his pompous delivery as Overhead Master, Buffy pantomiming how she was going to "stake" the baddies :-), Xander mouthing "boobies?" when Willow points to her heart, Buffy's mock outrage that Giles's picture shows her hips as being wide, Anya's mix of boredom, disdain, and faint amusement. Terrific! Also enjoyed Spike's look of complete disgust when Anya gave the love look (alright, the lust gesture) as a thank you to Xander after Xander nobly came to Anya's defense. The show is on a roll right now. The introduction of Spike and Anya as ongoing characters has given a fresh jolt to the proceedings, in particular perking up the humor. Pangs, Something Blue, and Hush have gotta be the three funniest consecutive episodes so far. By a long shot. "Pangs" | View Comments20 | John RobertsOct 24, 2010 This episode felt like an inflection point. Buffy running the Thanksgiving dinner was of course an open signal that she is now her own master. All those past authority figures are gone. Dad. Mom. The Watcher. The Council. The Principal. Angel. That other battle of the high school years, has also been resolved: Buffy is The Slayer. She knows and deals. No agonizing. Finally, Buffy has been desexualized. No more lusting after the virgin, as the camera and script did during the high school years. This time, when Angel stalks her, there are no more shots of Buffy alone in the bedroom or bathroom, trying on a dress. Now it's all business -- she's walking through an occupied house, and Angel isn't dreaming about her, he's matter-of-factly watching her safety. The camera lingers now on Xander instead. The coming-of-age story feels complete. Not that Buffy won't have tribulations and growth and love and disappointment in the future. But she's of age. These will be adult issues. "Pangs" | View Comments21 | John RobertsOct 24, 2010 The Good - The baddies were hilarously stupid. Spike on the outside looking in. Angel on the outside looking in. Spike in the fight. The "cavalry" coming to the rescue on bikes. Anya cracks me up. This was a very funny episode. The Bad - The baddies were often nonhilariously stupid. The Native Americans got screwed theme was cringeworthy. Willow is becoming a complete idiot. "Dead Man's Party" | View Comments22 | John RobertsOct 21, 2010 David - Oh, I can explain Joyce's and Xander's behavior, just as I can explain why a toddler shrieks and throws a tantrum and pounds the cement when he drops his lollipop down a sewer grate. But I can't excuse it. No matter how many stupid and selfish things Joyce and Xander do, and they do a whole helluva lot, Buffy Summers does not preach to them in public. She does not shred her Mom in front of an audience, call her out and attempt to shame and embarrass her. She does not do that to her friends. What Joyce and Xander did was hypocrisy of the first order, and I may forgive but I will not forget. Good for Joss Whedon to get me to care so much. :-) "The Freshman" | View Comments23 | John RobertsOct 19, 2010 Did my review of The Freshman in the next episode. I just wanted to say ... what a beautiful dorm room! If that's what California dorms look like, then damn I made a mistake by leaving the state for college. "Fear, Itself" | View Comments24 | John RobertsOct 17, 2010 Outstanding. The episode revealed/advanced all the major characters - 1) Mature conversation between Joyce and Buffy about men and disappointment. 2) Oz's fear of being consumed by the primeval when he werewolves 3) Xander's fear of being alone, left behind by the college Scoobies 4) Anya takes one step further toward semi-normal adulthood 5) Giles continues to let loose of The Watcher's formality 6) Willow beginning to chafe in her role of Slayette, wishing to exert her own dominance and power But all done seamlessly through a plot that is alternately scary and hilarious. The production values were better too. That helped maintain the mood. Finally, Buffy was as she should be ... upset by the Parker debacle, but not absurdly weak and stupid. She stepped right into her Slayer role when the gang realized that the house was haunted. And she was the one who realized why they had all been drawn to the upstairs room. She wasn't perfect -- moody and pouting, and her usual impetuous self in destroying the demon's seal before realizing the consequences -- but she wasn't annoyingly lame, either. Good to see the real Buffy back. That's the best of BtVS, insight into genuinely interesting characters without being preachy or intrusive, instead entertaining. This is a Platinum for me. Hey, when did Joyce realize that Ted was a robot? "The Harsh Light of Day" | View Comments25 | John RobertsOct 16, 2010 Side note: I know you guys are going to tell me it happens all the time ... but a cad like Parker bedding a hottie *once* and then dumping her? Never saw it in my entire life -- and I've seen plenty of frat guys hitting upon freshmen women, or HS seniors wooing underclasswomen. Those guys keep coming back for more until the girl wises up. But it does make for better theater to have Parker do the one-and-out thing. So I could live with it, although I didn't believe. "The Harsh Light of Day" | View Comments26 | John RobertsOct 16, 2010 Alright now, this is much better. I whined after Living Conditions how I wasn't happy with S4, but this was what the doctor ordered. Three Romances and a Fight. Subtlety has returned, as the themes and characters are skillfully interwoven. Of course, the return of the Spikester didn't hurt. The Gem of Amara is hilarously stupid but hey, that's OK. The characters were not. "Living Conditions" | View Comments27 | John RobertsOct 15, 2010 I gotta go with Jason here. All is so clumsy. It as if my lover came to bed wearning mittens. Bad Professor/Freshman - It's not that the Professor over the top and unrealistic. So was Snyder. It's that he serves no purpose except to create maudlin tears for poor Buffy. He's fake, the scene is fake, it connects with nothing, it's not funny, it's not insightful. It's just a prop character inserted into a mechanical script with the purpose of making us pity poor little Buffy. Sunday Fights/Freshman - Spidey loses his mojo. Spidey gets his mojo. Hey, I'm fine with BtVS tipping its hat to the comics, as in the 2nd Angel episode where the script plays off some Batman references. But I don't want BtVS *becoming* a comic book. And the bruises the next day on Buffy's face? Prop bruises, out of character, inserted into a mechanical script with the purpose of making us pity poor little Buffy. Window Scene/Living Conditions - Instantly when the camera pulled away to show Buffy on the window, I said to myself "Ohmigod Joss is going to do the "fall through the window" cliche, it will be supposed to be some clever reference that is semi-ironic, but it's just going to be lame. Then I fast-forwarded until she fell through the window. I don't want to watch a BtVS where I'm so far ahead of the script. I want to be behind the script. Fight Scene/Living Conditions - Fast forwarded here too. Because I knew Buffy would lose, and be saved at the final second by Giles's spell. On the bright side, I liked The Freshman until the first Sunday fight, the college scenes felt fresh (ah, pun!) and the initial encounter with Riley was well done. And showing that I am not a complete curmudgeon, I will even praise the Xander mojo speech in The Bronze. Again a painfully mechanical and predictable sequence, I almost fast-forwarded again because I knew that such a speech was coming the moment that Buffy saw Xander ... but it worked because we've been through so much with Xander and Buffy. Their histories made the corn meaningful ... it turned the corn into something better. "Graduation Day Pt. 2" | View Comments28 | John RobertsOct 14, 2010 Joe - Thanks for the correction. Got a bit sloppy there. Am realizing in watching the first few episodes of Angel, and The Freshman, that as fertile as the Sunnydale HS scene is -- and it is -- and as outstanding as S2 and S3 were -- and they were -- that it was time for a change. Graduation Day brings a new wind, and that is good. "Graduation Day Pt. 2" | View Comments29 | John RobertsOct 13, 2010 Joss gets schmaltzy here and in The Prom -- in each case, a rare public recognition of Buffy's role. The Prom was the award and applause, this was the entire senior class joining her as junior Scooby Slayers. I dunno, I wasn't buying this one, even though I teared up at The Prom. Partly because my disbelief was not adequately suspended, what with an entire student body smuggling arms and nobody notices, and oh yeah they are Robin Hood with the flaming arrows. The bigger part is probably that a bit of schmaltz goes a long ways and Joss used up his Season 3 quota a couple of episodes back, for me. The school blowing up worked on several levels -- Buffy having torched her last school too (the gym, right?), closure on the Sunnydale High BtVS setting, symbolic of Buffy's rejection of (The Council's) authority, subversive in a BtVS way, and finally great fun for all the younger viewers. Flo is right -- The Council is one shabby organization. First, they have it in for Buffy and Giles although gee, Buffy has slain 10 trillion superdemons that have thrashed other Slayers, lived for 900 years laying waste, etc. But somehow The Council never noticed. Then, they send an effed up replacement Slayer in Faith. Then they send a corrupt Watcher in Ms. Whatever. Then they send Wesley. So let's get this straight ... Giles and Buffy have competence issues to The Council, while Wesley is their idea of a man who gets the job done. Riiiight. Ah well as we don't see them, it works out OK. If I saw them gather, I'd have to laugh. That would be a Doctor Who moment. The allegedly scary gathering of bad adult actors who appear to have the collective intelligence of a first grade class. I am gonna miss The Mayor. I already miss Mr. Trick. Hope Spike returns soon. "Season 2 Review" | View Comments30 | John RobertsOct 12, 2010 Flo - "I suppose it is also typical for this teenage love (imagined or real) that Angel's personality is at its core rather simple: He is either all good or all evil, whereas Buffy's later relationships with Riley and Spike are much more complicated." Good observation. And yes, it does seem that if Angel didn't exist, Buffy would have imagined him. :-) "Graduation Day Pt. 2" | View Comments31 | John RobertsOct 12, 2010 Interesting decision on the Mayor's part. Invulnerable demon with human visage, can live forever unbeknownst to the humans and accumulate power. Or ... can become a giant snake. No hands, no feet, no golf game. So visible that even Sunnydale police will catch on that something's not quite kosher. So lame that even HS kids can blow it up with a homemade bomb. Well, we all make some bad career choices. Seriously ... this one was so hokey I don't know what to say, except that "well gosh" fit the mood perfectly. Alright, the two kissing scenes were outstanding, in very different ways. That much I can say. "Graduation Day Pt. 1" | View Comments32 | John RobertsOct 11, 2010 I agree with Mike that this episode feels largely like a setup for Graduation 2. (Which I haven't yet seen.) So it's hard for me to evaluate, it's not really a standalone. A couple of small character bits I liked, from two of my less-favorite characters - 1) Angel telling off Buffy and calling her a brat. Usually Angel just does hurt puppy. This was better and more realistic -- even the most understanding of lovers (as Angel surely is) has a breaking point when constantly being ripped. Angel seems a bit more, ummm, human for getting annoyed. 2) Xander's quiet line to Buffy about not wanting to lose her in the fight with Faith. Yes the sentiment does seem too insightful for Xander, on the other hand since Zeppo Xander does seem to have have grown, as witnessed by his purchase of Cordy's dress in The Prom. So I bought it. (Barely.) And it was a legit concern, as Buffy's anger and cold-blooded decision to slay a Slayer is a true threat to her humanity. Not crazy about Buffy doing the duel thing by notifying Faith that she has arrived, letting her take the first blow, not pulling out the knife until late, etc. That stuff did interfere with my ability to suspend disbelief. But as I've written elsewhere, this series constantly has Batman moments and I just gotta live with that. "The Prom" | View Comments33 | John RobertsOct 9, 2010 I turned to mush, and I don't mush easily. This episode was so wonderful ... all the angst and growth and development came together. Only temporarily sure. Perfection is not achieved in this life. But Angel making the right call, Buffy coming to terms, Xander and Cordy reaching their understanding, and OMG even Joyce (!) acting in a mature fashion (Joyce?), oh so lovely. A payoff for the pain that has occurred, and which will occur. Yeah OK I guessed Angel coming to the dance but the Class Protector Award fooled me. Mush. Fab outfit for Buffy, too. The hellhound B plot was nicely handled. We've had and will have plenty of scary almost Apocalypses. This was something that Buffy can handle with ease. The light touch was the right note to strike. Just as it's easier to play bad than good (look how much more effective Boreanaz is as Angelus than as Angel), it's easier to have a top-notch episode that features shatteringly bad news and deaths than it is to have one about happiness. The Prom mastered the more difficult of the two tasks. P "Consequences" | View Comments34 | John RobertsOct 8, 2010 Surely Willow cried because she adores Xander (we all have our oddities), rather than because she's the last virgin standing! Anyway, the Buffy/Faith interaction about the manslaughter was terrific. A weighty issue, handled very differently by each party. Their diverging reactions not only give us insight into their characters; their reactions help to create their future characters. By my read, Faith was more affected than she lets on, but she's trying to dodge guilt and has a role to play -- the role of the tough girl who is unaffected by anything she encounters. (We saw Faith bullcrapping in a similar fashion in Faith, Hope, and Trick, where she's the one who isn't scared of anything ... except oops, she didn't mention how Kakistos terrifies her.) But this is too much for Faith to handle and her self loathing drives her by the end of the episode into the hands of the Mayor. By my reading, her turning traitor was the main Consequence of the show's title -- the consequence coming not from the action itself, but of Faith's inability to deal with the aftermath. I'm starting to see the potential of Wesley a little bit now. Fine episode. "The Zeppo" | View Comments35 | John RobertsOct 8, 2010 I may well warm to the character, sure. He's gotta get better from here than the one who lectures Buffy 24x7 for her alleged faults. (She should have let the Praying Mantis eat you, ungrateful boy.) As a side note, I think Whedon should have used a younger actor. Nicholas Brendon was 26 years old when the series began and muscled like no 16 year old (except those on steroids) is muscled. Thus, he doesn't strike me as a scrawny unpopular teenager who might someday grow literally and figuratively into his body -- which seems to be how the character is written. More like, a guy whom the impressionable HS girls would be swooning over. Now Oz, he looks the part. No big deal, just saying. "The Zeppo" | View Comments36 | John RobertsOct 7, 2010 I adored this episode. Making Xander the A plot and the Apocalypse to End All Apocalypses the B plot was brilliant. It threw me utterly -- always a good thing, and quite tricky to do now that I've seen 45 episodes or such. Plus, frankly I couldn't stand yet another Apocalpyse. BtVS has already had one too many of those already thanks much. OK about three too many. Even more, it was an episode starring Xander and I quite enjoyed what I was watching. Let me repeat: It was an episode starring Xander and I quite enjoyed what I was watching. Because ... I loathe that guy. I don't like the actor, I don't like the clothes, I don't like the character (whiny, self-centered, selfish, dull), I don't even like the name. Xander makes me wince. For good reasons, petty reasons, and no reasons at all. He's my peeve. But dang it, Xander was genuinely funny in this episode. Even at times intelligent. I had fun watching the young lad. "Gingerbread" | View Comments37 | John RobertsOct 7, 2010 I'm in the 70 camp. This one slid into Star Trek mode for me, as I was beaten about the head with the notion that mob rule inciting violence against unpopular minorities is bad. (You don't say.) Done with a lighter touch and more humor than a bad Star Trek episode, mind you, but winceworthy nonetheless. The demon story didn't work for me, either. I liked the initial notion of subtle demons who plant the seeds of destruction and watch the humans blow themselves up. But no, it turns out that these are superpower demons who can mind-control Moms into burning their only children. Silly demons. Should have mindcontrolled everybody into suicide, that would be a lot easier. But I did say 70, not zero. The mob scenes were done with a wink and a smile, which helped a lot. Good dialogue as usual. The end was quite well done, nice to see Cordy as the heroine with Oz & Xander as the Keystone Kops, and Cordy/Giles is a great comic pairing. Now that Cordy came through for her lame loser nonfriends, will she once again start to be a Scoobie? You people know ... but I don't. :-) Joss has me wondering. "Wrecked" | View Comments38 | John RobertsOct 7, 2010 Seymour - "Sadly, I think this episode makes people think mostly because they are wondering "why is this episode so dissatisfying?" Buffy works as a show in part because of the strengths of its metaphors. Being a vampire can stand for any number of things: raw sexual passion, for being isolated from mainstream society, or for the destructive behavior of a guy the morning after. Metaphors work best when they are not a one-to-one replacement; otherwise metaphor degrades to mere allegory which becomes much more simplistic and less resonate. I don't think any of us would have been interested in watching 7 seasons of Pilgrim's Progress done with vampires." Two years later, but dang ... that's a really good paragraph, thanks for writing!It works both as a discussion of metaphor vs. allegory, and also as an explanation of this show's success. Whedon does a great job of using complex imagery than can't be interpreted in a straightforward way; it lends itself to various views. For example, I've been thinking throught the Becoming I scene when Angel observes the pre-slayer Buffy, and Joss gives Buffy a lollipop and has Angel peering out of the car, stalker-like. A Lolita reference that subverts the pure notion of Angel -- just as Joss subverts that notion shortly thereafter by having Angel do a peeping tom outside Buffy's bathroom window. Yuck. Which reminds us of those times that Angel just pops up in her bedroom in S1/S2. Yuck again. But it's not that Angel is Humbert Humbert either. It's a brief image that darkens Angel's character, adds a gloss to our early observations of Angel, but is far from being anything like the final word on Angel's motivations. "Prophecy Girl" | View Comments39 | John RobertsOct 5, 2010 Joss piles all the sexual imagery on Buffy. When somebody gets stranded nude, it's Buffy. When somebody confesses to listening to I Touch Myself, it's Buffy. When somebody does that thing with the mouth that boys like, it's Buffy. When somebody is sucking on a lolly a la Lo-Li-Ta, it's Buffy. When somebody gets dirty talked by a puppet, it's Buffy. When somebody gets stalked in her bedroom, it's Buffy. When somebody does the sexy dance, it's Buffy. When somebody talks about a guy looking up her skirt, it's Buffy. When somebody gets her butt patted by a horndog in gym class, it's Buffy. The poor girl is surrounded by creepy, repressed, and sordid. Meanwhile, Willow and Cordy get the wholesome treatment. Not sure what to make of that yet. Only early in Season 3. "Dead Man's Party" | View Comments40 | John RobertsOct 3, 2010 Can't decide whether Joyce or Xander is the snivellest, whiniest, most self-centered asswipe on the planet. I couldn't enjoy this episode, those two had me wanting to put my fist through the computer screen. "Reptile Boy" | View Comments41 | John RobertsSep 24, 2010 Ah I didn't mean Buffy was referencing French, was just saying that it's a common notion to connect death with orgasm -- so common that the French have a phrase that explicitly links the two. They are each acts of transformation. Angel's orgasm killed his soul and transformed him into the entirely different being of of Angelus. So what I meant was the writers were referencing/foreshadowing with Buffy's line. Perhaps not successfully I will grant. It does sound forced. "Innocence" | View Comments42 | John RobertsSep 23, 2010 OK I guess I get the Batman stuff -- Angel has bigger plans for Buffy than immediately killing her plus that's his modus operandi, and Buffy ain't quite ready for the staking. Withdraw that nit. Favorite bits of an extraordinary episode - 1) Spike mouthing off to Big Blue, which cracked me up since that's a reference to the Chess Computer (Deep Blue) and this particular Judge ain't exactly a rocket scientist, so to speak. 2) Giles chasing Jenny out of the room with "Get Out" -- that's one man who thinks first with his head and only second with his, ummm, equipment. 3) Oz gently rebuking Willow. 4) Buffy curled in fetal position on bed. 5) Giles saying "If you're looking for guilt, I'm not your man." He's better than any real dad. "Innocence" | View Comments43 | John RobertsSep 23, 2010 Hmmm OK thanks. I can live with that. Presumably, Spike would have been in a world a trouble had The Judge come after him. "Innocence" | View Comments44 | John RobertsSep 23, 2010 Oh, and help me out ... The Judge can't kill vampires? That's why Angelus lives? What about Dalton then? The actors who portray Spike, Angel(us), Buffy, and Giles were at their very best in this episode, they really delivered. "Innocence" | View Comments45 | John RobertsSep 23, 2010 105 points. I do have a couple of nits. First, since Buffy kills The Judge with a weapon forged by man, then I assume that what we're supposed to think is "The Judge can't be killed with old-fashioned weapons but it's easy enough to kill him with modern technology." That's very lame. Second, more Batman moments with Angel not seizing the chance to kill Buffy (would have been very easy before she knew he was Angelus), and Buffy walking away after kicking him in the nuts. Can be somewhat explained via character motivations but it's still quite the stretch. Ah but everything else is so great. Oz must be the most romantic person I've ever seen. I'm straight and I'm still in love. Willow, you don't know how good you have it! "Surprise" | View Comments46 | John RobertsSep 22, 2010 "The reveal scene of Jenny being a member of the gypsy clan was horribly done. It felt forced and out of nowhere that this would happen, especially when she says, "I know...Uncle...I know." Forcing info down the viewers throat is not good Buffy." Yeah that was awful alright. The scene was clunky, and the "there's a traitor in the Scooby clan" is a lame concept for writers who can't imagine anything better. Fortunately, the BtVS crowd *can* imagine better stuff, so the episode went in a different direction. Not much to add to what has been said already. The Judge. Smirk. We already had the Assassins of Antara, no Takara, OK whatever; the Master; the Annointed One (ooh, scary); Geydon or Geyon or .... you know what I'm saying, every week it's look-it-up-omigod-we-drew-that-monster?, he killed an entire army once for fun. Scooby Doo is starting to look more sensible. But again, that's not really the point of the episode. And everything else is really really good. "What's My Line? Pt. 2" | View Comments47 | John RobertsSep 21, 2010 An ultimately silly episode. Which I don't mean in a bad way, I quite enjoyed it. Kendra is ridiculous but useful for illustrating -- both to us and to Buffy -- how fortunate Buffy is to lead such a mainstream life, and to have such a tolerant Watcher. By-the-book cop partnered with the one who makes stuff up, black and white, oh yeah we've been there before. But as often with BtVS, the cliches are toyed with and subverted enough to be entertaining. Spike, Dru, and Angel make a cozy trio. Too bad I'm not gay, I would have been totally into the Angel topless scene. Over the top but way fun. Once again, Buffy is stupid for blindly charging in solo, but first Kendra and then Scoobies bail her hasty tail out. She's gotta get a bit smarter, I'm tired of her being saved. And oh guys, you couldn't hang around and make sure that Spike/Dru were actually killed off? No, I guess you couldn't. Dumbos. Oz is megacool, once again I'm thinking about being gay. I interpreted Kendra's accent as some type of African thing. It was so bad it was good. A fitting statement for the episode. "Ted" | View Comments48 | John RobertsSep 21, 2010 80? Wow. Count me in the Nope camp. The good - Willow-Oz (that Ozzie is so sweet and cute) Giles - Jenny Buffy - Joyce, sorta The bad - Buffy - Joyce wasn't terribly deep or interesting, more of the usual really Cordelia - Xander, not credible Ted wasn't very compelling The plot holes were too large for even me, Mr. Tolerant, to accept On the latter. Ted builds his own Terminator. This is Hellmouth, not "Enchanted Technology Land." Then Ted beats Buffy senseless, But can't spend 5 seconds while in a locked room to break her neck and finish the job. Instead, he lets her wake up and kill him. Holy Batman, that's stupid Ted. Oh and of course he wanders around the house waiting to get brained. Not that he he has any brains, apparently. Then there's the cops. That's the worst of all. Faux realistic. So ... what? Buffy hauls off the Ted body, says "hey see it's a robot I'm innocent" to the police, then the whole matter is all squared away? Meanwhile Joyce sleeps through everything and wakes up, the cops don't even need to talk with her? So that she never figures out that Ted was not a man? Yeah. Sure. I won't even go into the school thing. The Sad Overalls was so over the top it was kinda fun, though. Blech. I'd rather watch Ms. French. "The Dark Age" | View Comments49 | John RobertsSep 19, 2010 Wow I liked this a lot more than most people did. Prolly because I glide over stupid plot parts, like demon not around for 20 years and then going into overdrive. And sure BtVS baddies doing the Batman thing and not killing their victims when they get the chance, instead waiting JUST long enough for the white hats to arrive, yeah that's stupid. But it happens every other episode, so I'm not fighting that battle either. Comes with the show. See, I'm loving the series leaving behind brightly colored Scoobies chase random monster that's eating people, and moving into a darker hue. Giles struggling to face up to his uncomfortable past, Jenny being truly hurt by the experience, the evolution of the Giles-Buffy relationship such that temporarily Buffy is Giles's leader, all great stuff. Also enjoy how Cordelia oh-so-gradually is sliding into Scoobiedom, without foregoing all that makes her our delightful Cordelia. Very well written. And of course many funny parts, and of course ... Bad Jenny! I'd swap the entire 2 hours of Inca Mummy and Reptile Boy for 30 seconds of watching Jenny writhing in Giles's lap. Yowsa. "Reptile Boy" | View Comments50 | John RobertsSep 19, 2010 Shiny - "When you kiss me I want to die." Buffy is using the orgasm-as-death metaphor, orgasm being "la petite mord" in French. "Bad Girls" | View Comments51 | John RobertsSep 18, 2010 I've been watching the show in order on Netflix, am early in Season 2. Stumbled across this live on Logo. (The gay channel? Say what?) If this is only a 70, I say bring on Season 3! Because it was quite good. Faith is Buffy's dark half, Buffy was dabbling on the dark side -- fun, instructive, and well executed. Buffy reluctantly leaving the police car, hoping that the cops were OK and knowing she should stay to check on them but unwilling to be uncool around Faith, then scouring over the morning paper to see if anything was written about injured cops, well that was really well done. Wesley as Giles's (especially) dorky half I liked less, as Wesley unlike Faith is a pure cartoon character. I know that I'm supposed to think Wesley is a good character and all, and that he will be around, but he was overplayed and predictable and yuck. At least he was a decent foil for Giles, nice to see Giles get to be (relatively) cool. This episode made me realize how tired I am of "monster on the loose killing innocents" storylines. Way too many of them in the early shows. It was a relief to see the Slayers/Watchers vs. baddies, the innocents not really involved except for the Slayers causing trouble (!). Oh yes and I'm going to like this Mayor guy a lot! He's hilarious and the actor portraying him does a splendid job with the character, yes he's a cartoon but he's a fun and unpredictable cartoon, unlike Wesley. Kinda made me think of Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor, the actor taking a big gleeful bite on every line. I like the somewhat more grownup characters, it's definitely a different feel than the schoolgirl sensibilities of S1. "Angel" | View Comments52 | John RobertsSep 17, 2010 It was bizarre that Darla had guns, bizarre that she shoots so badly, and bizarre that the vamps never raid a gun store, collect some Terminator weapons, and take down Buffy American style. Even allowing that the vamps are tradition bound and stupid, that's peculiar. But whatever ... it's a vampire show, suspension of disbelief begins with the opening credits. Excellent episode of course, although I must confess that while I had previously thought that Angel/Buffy was the strongest material in the first couple of seasons, I liked School Hard even more than this episode. Angel feels too Twilighty; I think I'm going to become a Spuffy man. "The Puppet Show" | View Comments53 | John RobertsSep 16, 2010 This is one of the few episodes I saw live. I was so conditioned to believe that the puppet would be the baddie that I remembered the show that way, and was surprised to find Sid innocent upon rewatching! So good on the show for fooling me twice, good on the Snyder/Giles interaction, and good on all the bad bits of the talent show. This was one of the better silly romps. "Never Kill a Boy on the First Date" | View Comments54 | John RobertsSep 16, 2010 Buffy also likes 'em tall and conventionally handsome, and Owen hit the mark there. This teen relationship was subverted -- rather than the guy crashing the poetry class to scam on the girls, it was our horny Buff who was overwhelmed by the other's phyiscal presence, and who feigned interest in the dead poets so as to secure a date. To me, it was a humanizing episode -- Buffy is one tough Slayer hombre in the graveyard, OK mujer, but in the hallways she's just another impressionable girl who's likely to do something stupid when a hunky frat boy pays her attention. (Cough *Parker* cough.) Yeah OK Owen was a pure prop as a character, which is bad, but in this case I was sufficiently interested in Buffy's reactions that I didn't mind. "Inca Mummy Girl" | View Comments55 | John RobertsSep 16, 2010 I'm not sure how different Buffy is that other shows in that regard. Star Trek alternated truly good episodes with ambitious-but-flawed episodes with throwaway episodes that never could have been good. The weekly schedules and budgets were a bitch, so sometimes Roddenberry and company would throw in a cheapie filler episode to catch a breather. "Let's do Xander has a demon girlfriend" feels to me like something that was assembled while Whedon throught through what to do with Spike, Angel, and Buffy. "Inca Mummy Girl" | View Comments56 | John RobertsSep 15, 2010 This is my least favorite episode so far. Praying Mantis was dumb but it was the first Xander-lusting-after-hidden-demon dumb episode. This is the second Xander-lusting-after-hidden-demon dumb episode. Plus the teacher turning into a bug is actually a fresher concept than the mummy coming alive. My Mom knew all about the mummy coming alive, long before any of us were born. My son tells me Buffy is a stupid show. He hasn't ever seen it, mind you, it just sounds stupid to him. I wouldn't dare let him see this episode, I'd never hear the end of it. "School Hard" | View Comments57 | John RobertsSep 15, 2010 Perfection. See, I'm not spoiled. I only saw a few Buffy episodes when the series was live, and am now redisovering the show on Netflix, watching in order. Prophecy Girl was the best single Buffy episode that I saw live, and sure enough it was the best in my S1 review. But School Hard is better. It has Spike the Scenery Chewer. It has Dreamy Dru. It has Principal Snyder and Mom amusingly together, and Mom finally developing some appreciation for her daughter -- thank God, because that ongoing schtick of Buffy the Unloved at Home Vampire Slayer was S-T-A-L-E. (Pronounced "bitca.") It has the Cordelia/Willow bonding. Well OK not exactly bonding. Let's face it, the episode has everything. And it doesn't set a foot wrong from minute 1 to minute 45. Especially minute 45. Spike tossing the kid into the cage, and frying him had me grinning like an idiot when the credits were rolling. I'm loving this show! Bring on the next episode! (OK, I spoke too soon, having just watched Inca Mummy. Ick. But that's for a different review.) "Some Assembly Required" | View Comments58 | John RobertsSep 14, 2010 Think of this episode as a breather, sandwiched between the emotionally fraught The Prophecy/When She Was Bad, and the series-changing School Hard. This episode serves to show off the newly matured Buffy, the person who survived both the Master and the Post Master Trauma (PMT). Within those terms, the episode was OK. As usual, the show deftly subverts various cliched afterschool-special topics -- the HS football star who (quite literally) has no life after high school, the pining mother, the younger brother idol worshipping the hotshot older brother, the impressionable girl throwing herself at the cynical older stud. They're caricatures rather than characters but are so cleverly done that the effect is fun rather than a groaner. It's what BvTS does so well. And the plot moves quickly. It's kinda dumb and riddled with holes, but it blithely races along without fussing over its various silly bits, works for me. I wished for more Giles/Calendar. More Calendar period. Plus Buffy getting her butt whipped was foolish. Because now I realize that Sunnydale is in no danger at all. Three or four HS linebackers would clean out Hellmouth all by their lonesomes. But hey it's a breather episode and I'm actually trying to analyze the plot. Silly me. "When She Was Bad" | View Comments59 | John RobertsSep 13, 2010 Well, I had fun. Somehow I was under the impression that this wasn't a good episode, which was reinforced by the cheesy, predictable beginning -- a baddie just happens to come out of nowhere after a summer of dormancy, and by gosh yes Buffy is there at the very second she is needed. Yawn. But it got very good after that. Sarah was terrific; she got a chance to show her stuff and she nailed it. Tough to display a sudden character change without it seeming forced, but to me it was fully believable. She was defiled by her contact with The Master. He made her feel cheap. Low. A slut. (Once again, I read a sexual element into their contact.) Her self loathing came to the fore in that remarkable dance with Xander, a dance so cruel and contemptible that Buffy could not complete it. Throughout the show, Buffy is confident against the baddies (except The Master), a boldness that I initially regarded as a growth in character -- a sign of what she had learned by conquering The Master. But at the end, when she falls to pieces smashing the skeleton to pieces, I realized that her alleged confidence was a front. Like smiling brightly while thinking about the whispers. So it made perfect sense to me when she collapsed in Angel's arms. That was her point of progress. A dark step forward in Buffy's characterization. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" | View Comments60 | John RobertsSep 10, 2010 I recall watching this 14 years ago. I hadn't seen the movie. I immediately thought "Clueless with vampires." Not a bad first guess -- Clueless turned out to have some depth and character development underneath its blonde Valley Girl exterior, and Clueless was also lovingly executed. It quickly became apparent to me that the Clueless take wasn't quite right in that Clueless was all about Alicia, and BvTS despite its name was an ensemble show. Also, the show exhibited enough of its taste for blood, sex, and ritual to establish that it might have borrowed some of its sprightly tone from Clueless (or maybe Clueless borrowed from BvTS the movie, whatever) but that it was heading into very different territory. In Clueless, social commentary and conventional love were the story's heart. With BvTS, those two items were the tease, with the real subject being the dark wet primal painful stuff. As commented elsewhere, the turn-the-tables opening of the apparently weak and helpless Darla on the tall strong handsome brave man set the perfect tone. This series was going to subvert our expectations. I also remember being surprised at the physicality -- the violence was a bit more than I expected with Buffy banging hard off the walls, and tossed into the vault. This show was the first chapter of The Hobbit. An introductory passage to a tale that would ultimately become far darker, deeper, and murkier than the author himself expected. "Out of Mind, Out of Sight" | View Comments61 | John RobertsSep 10, 2010 Good: Once again, the show manages to take on teen angst without reminding me of an afterschool special. Not easy, my friends. Also, Cordelia is developed in a way that prepares her to be a future Scooby, that is her character is taken in a radically different direction, and yet somehow I believed it. Bad: An unmemorable episode of hunt-the-boring baddie. It's only been a week, and I pretty much forgot everything about the show except the premise, Cordelia, and the FBI at the end. The show was catching its collective breath before The Prophecy, I guess. Huh?: The X-Files FBI guys. Pure cheese, seemed to belong in another series altogether, but it did make me smile so I won't call it bad. More like, a temporary lapse in taste. "Where the Wild Things Are" | View Comments62 | John RobertsSep 9, 2010 "while truly terrible episodes like "Inca Mummy Girl", "The Pack", and "Nightmares" got better grades." Nightmares was terrible? It scared the bleep out of me. Plus, the kid actor was about 12 years old yet I didn't want to wring his neck. The Pack was alright too. Praying Mantis Teacher was terrible. "Season 1 Review" | View Comments63 | John RobertsSep 9, 2010 Just watched the entire first season, after seeing maybe 15 episodes (?) of the series a decade ago when it was live. For some reason, back in the day I saw a few Year 1 episodes and then nothing until Year 6 ... which was really weird ... Buffy's mom disappeared, Buffy was now Momming some jailbait girl, Willow turned into a witch, all so bizarre. At any rate, I'm willing and happy to believe that the series gets better in the subsequent seasons. But ... surely you collectively jest in wondering why it was picked up for a second season. A cheesy, limping, tentative BtVS that is lurching through its first few baby steps is fresher, funnier, cleverer, and yes even scarier, than just about anything else out there. From Episode 1, the quality comes through. "I Robot, You Jane" | View Comments64 | John RobertsSep 9, 2010 Pffft. This episode was a balloon, all bouncy and full of promise at the beginning, then pffft nothing but limp plastic at the end. Literally plastic. Cool flashback, the medieval bit added gravitas. Jenny was an excellent newcomer. Verve and charm and a wicked sense of humor; she was delightful in baiting Giles, and in teasing him at about the body part to which her corkscrew jewelry had been attached. (Great line delivery.) But ... come on. Willow came across as the dumbest bulb alive. And that's BAD, because the whole danged point of Buffy is that this isn't like teen slasher shows where the fun comes from watching the kids be stupid. ("Let's explore this empty house.") These are smart, thoughtful youths who are coping very well with a crap situation. Yes their hormones cause brain damage at times, but not to THIS extent. If Willow is to be that stupid, might as well kill her off. And the baddie was straight from Dr. Who. Only somehow not even fun in a campy way. Just lame. Lame lame lame. I don't get the show title, either. Tarzan? Asimov? Clever cultural reference titles are good ... if they are actually clever. "Prophecy Girl" | View Comments65 | John RobertsSep 9, 2010 Following up ... It's possible to think of the Xander rejection scene, and the series' repeated comments that you've gotta be undead to boink Buffy, as referring to her sexual attraction to The Master (as well as Angel of course). Buffy has no sexual interest in Xander the man but she swoons, "dies," and is transformed (into something stronger and tougher) from the kiss of The Master the undead. Also, one can treat "I flunked the written" as implying "I passed the oral" -- the kiss from the Master being the oral. The point being not that mine is *the* correct interpretation of Buffy's death, or that there is a correct interpretation at all. It's about how the show plays with its allusions, oh so very effectively. "Prophecy Girl" | View Comments66 | John RobertsSep 9, 2010 I watched the show periodically when it was live. Now I'm rewatching from start to finish via Netflix -- amazing stuff, modern technology! (Giles didn't know what he was missing.) Just finished Season 1, obviously. One thing that struck me was how well the show taps into symbolism. Not just verbally. But visually. Buffy's white prom dress is brilliant, emphasizing her virginal innocence. The maiden who is sacrificed to appease the gods. OK demons. But Buffy is not little girl innocent. She is sexually ready with cleavage innocent. Because of course this is a vampire show. And the camerawork emphasizes both the innocence and the sexuality, Buffy tilting her head back awaiting the Master's kiss/bite, her lips parted expectantly. It's a rapturous, sexual moment -- in addition to being terrifying and awful. Like first sex, no? And of course the dress is also a great prop for a series of jokes. The show knows how to take the symbolism seriously, but also when to back off and play with it. At any rate, a moving episode. I'm with most others here, the "death" was a cheat. Yes you can take the sex metaphor further, recall that "to die" meant having an "orgasm" in Shakespeare's time, and read Buffy's swoon as being orgasmic. Thus she cheated the prophecy by "dying" sexually rather than dying literally. That would I think be a valid reading and quite clever ... if the audience were Shakespeare scholars. As they are not, well no it's too much of a stretch. Looking forward to seeing The Annoying One hoisted and roasted in another three episodes. |
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 [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 Waverly [Season 6 Review] This is a difficult season to rate for me. It's among my least favourite but I admire, and a... View CommentMay 18, 2013 Latest Forum Posts Iguana-on-a-stick [Xander Harris] Those are some fascinating ideas, Mike. I like them all. The Faith one... would have opened... View PostMay 19, 2013 MikeJer [Critically Touched Reviews: Frea] w00t w00t! View PostMay 19, 2013 NewSpock [Fanediting: Turned Buffy season ] I redid the edit using the NTSC-dvd's of season 1 I ordered from amazon and finished the edi... View PostMay 19, 2013 |
"Us?" Oh that was great. If I were female, I'd have a massive crush on Giles. Then again, Spike also has his moments. Joss, what are you doing to me?
That hammer looked faker than a 2nd grader's Halloween costume. The fight scene was classic Buffy, clever and hokey, great comic book fun.
It must be only me, but I found Buffy dying in The Wish at the hands of The Master to be sadder than her death in The Gift. No, really. This gift saved a world, not to mention Dawn. Whereas Buffy's death -- and life -- in The Wish was wasted. A death without meaning, following a life without meaning. Shiver.
An excellent episode, of course. Good review by Mike.