Commenter Lookup *Caution* Unless you see an ADMIN tag, the comments below may not all belong to the same person! "Dirty Girls" | View Comments2 | llinnaeAug 11, 2009 Yay! Another review! Its great to have you back in business, Mike! Good review, although I definitely agree with Wilpy about the gender issues this episode deals with. If it weren't for these ideas, and if the episode was only plot-oriented I think it would have suffered a lot more than it did. I especially like this episode's theme because of the stark comparison it points out between Spike and the other males it focusses on: while the other males in the episode are objectifying the women around them, Spike continues to see Buffy for who she truly is and to confront her when he believes shes making a wrong call. This perfectly sets up "Touched" and makes his speech about "knowing exactly what she is" a lot more compelling, IMO. As far as Buffy goes, I personally find it 100% believable that she would continue to fall for traps. True, she has grown and changed over the seasons but thats one aspect of her personality that is virtually unbreakable at this point. As always, Buffy is blinded by emotion and the desire to save people to the point that she loses strategic objectivity and logic. Isnt it true that a lot of heroes in stories are like that? Its not a case of intelligence, but rash behaviour is something often associated with heroic figures. What I find out of character is not the fact that Buffy falls for the trap but the fact that she risks so many potentials' lives in doing so. The Buffy we know is likely to believe Caleb has something of hers but shes unlikely, IMO, to jump at the idea of 'testing' the girls. Hasn't Buffy always been against this approach to training ("Helpless", anyone?). Besides, Buffy's heroic personality often causes her to think she's sacrificing *herself* for others but thinking she's sacraficing others? To me thats not Buffy at all. Her talk with Spike in "Touched" supports that when she says "casualties... It just sounds so casual". Even if she believed they were stonger than Caleb, its out of character for her to choose such a risky course of action when shes putting more than herself at risk, especially since she doesnt even know who/what Caleb is. To me this reeks of sloppy writing. It all seems too convoluted, as though its only there in order for the break in "Empty Places" to occur. "Dirty Girls" | View Comments3 | llinnaeAug 11, 2009 @wilpy1: I can see that Buffy may follow through with her speech's promise by taking the fight to the enemy. A change in her character is possible, because times are differnt and she can't *choose* anymore between putting her on life on the line rather than others'. Having said that, being a general doesn't mean that she had to put others' lives on the line based on such weak reasoning, especially when others are warning her not to. For me its still out of character for her to risk lives when she knows so little about Caleb. Maybe I could accept it as a change in her character if it weren't for the fact that she changes right back to the Buffy we knew only an episode later (in "Touched"). "Dirty Girls" | View Comments4 | llinnaeAug 11, 2009 Sorry, the last sentence of my last post was pretty hard to follow :) What I meant to say was: Maybe I could accept it as a change in her character if it weren't for the fact that only a few episodes after "Dirty Girls" (in "Touched") she changes back to the Buffy we've known throughout the rest of the series (someone who's terrified at the thought of putting others' lives on the line). "Normal Again" | View Comments5 | llinnaeJul 24, 2009 Sam, I dont understand why both the Asylum and Sunnydale cant be 'reality'. BtVS has never before shied away from the idea that there can be more than one reality existing at once and that their overlapping (caused by magic) can cause disorder (episodes like 'Superhero' come to mind). To me it wasnt really a case of 'which reality is real?' it was more a case of both realities existing (usually) independently in order to show us that Buffy chose, despite all the pain shes suffered this season, to stick to the world she knows and to protect her friends instead of taking the easier option and living with her parents. Basically, I dont see this episode undoing the strenght of Buffy's character as the blonde in the alley who defends herself rather I see it strengthening her character as she chooses the harder option in order to help others. Having Buffy heroically stay in Sunnydale when these two realities converge causes the Buffy in the Asylum reality to drift away/blackout only because the magic forced Buffy to be in control of the Buffy in both realities when usually they would exist independently.So, to me this episode only confirms the show's 'life can be tough but its worth fighting for' MO. I hope that made some sense. Its hard to explain but I thought itd give it a shot because it pains me to hear that you gave up on the whole show only because of this (IMO brilliant) episode. "Never Leave Me" | View Comments6 | llinnaeJun 18, 2009 Oh yeah I never looked at it that way but thats a good point, Buffyholic. For me, its conversations like this one and the one in Dead Things that make Buffy and Spike's relationship so much more complex and the two of them so much closer than Buffy and Angel ever were. Sure, part of that is due to the fact that Buffy is older with Spike but still, i feelm that their relationship was so much more 'real' (if I can use that term in relation to a show called Buffy the Vampire Slayer lol). "Lies My Parents Told Me" | View Comments7 | llinnaeJun 12, 2009 'As for the Scoobies, I'd rather they'd all disappeared before Empty Places, at least they'd be remembered as heroes and not as traitors.' Farah, I think what others were pointing out was that the Scoobies weren't being portrayed as traitors because Buffy wasn't necessairly being portrayed as a hero. If you systematically evaluate her decisions up til that point in Empty Places, she is hardly a flawless, heroic leader. I think that's one of the many great things about the show, its ability to demonstrate that all 'heores' are fallable and that, for the most part, 'villans' are capable of performing heroic acts (I think souless Spike is the best example). Its true that, as mentioned above, Buffy's character has changed so much this season and has become somewhat of a dictator. Consequently, if this episode hadn't been included and Buffy hadn't been shown making mistakes she wouldn't be the Buffy we know and she definitely wouldn't be very likeable. DarthMarion, unfortunately I live in Paris... Not too far from Nantes but not too close either :( abd lastly, may I just mention how thrilled I'd be to see some dexter reviews!! IMO, Dexter is one of the only other shows thats (almost) as intelligent as the Whedonverse ones. "Lies My Parents Told Me" | View Comments8 | llinnaeJun 10, 2009 Firstly, thanks a million to both Mike and Rick! Great job you guys! One thing that I've never fully understood about this episode is the nature of Spike's mother's transformation into a vampire. Although I agree that this whole set up is very important to Spike's development and his overall psyche, from a technical standpoint its left kind of vague. Why would Spike, once turned into a vampire, retain so much of his humanity while his mother, once vamped changed completely? Ive heard some people say that in her vampire state his mother spoke the truths about how she had previously felt (re his poetry, her possible incestuous attraction him etc.) but I remain unconvinced. Maybe I'm just missing something but it seemed to me that this was never really explained or even considered by the show's writers. What did you guys make of this? "Lies My Parents Told Me" | View Comments9 | llinnaeJun 10, 2009 I realize that Spike's point of view regarding this subject is given in this episode (when he 'realizes' that the demon was not in any way his real mother) but I didnt think it was necessairly the truth. It seemed like it was more a way for Spike to convince himself of his mother's love and move on. "Lies My Parents Told Me" | View Comments10 | llinnaeJun 10, 2009 BTW, DarthMarion, I live in France too! Where do you live? Maybe we could get together sometime? :) "Storyteller" | View Comments11 | llinnaeMay 26, 2009 "Andrew's 'film' is all about side-lining the gritty details of these peoples' lives for the shiny idealized -- yet partially true -- image he sees them as". I thought the whole point was that he didn't see them like this at all but rather that he *wanted* to see them and everything else in an idealized manner in order to avoid the fear and pain that come with reality. I think that even before Buffy threatens him he knows deep down that things arent the way he pretends they are. Ironically its the fact that he knows this that makes him pretend that he doesn't. "The Pack" | View Comments12 | llinnaeApr 16, 2009 @Rosie: When did Faith attempt to rape Xander?? and by Buffy's sexual assault of Spike, are you referring to "Gone"? "Sleeper" | View Comments13 | llinnaeApr 7, 2009 Great review Mike! I agree that this is a great and very underrated episode. As far as the busker singing 'Early One Morning' goes, I think its a lot more powerful to think of this as an ordinary busker who made a song choice at random. For me, the only interesting part of the First is the notion that it exists inside each one of us.This is what makes the First freakishly relatable and virtually unbeatable. If the busker really is just your average guy then this demonstrates the First's influence within every human being. "Conversations with Dead People" | View Comments14 | llinnaeMar 23, 2009 Great review, Mike (as usual)! I really like your take on the song "Blue". I always thought of it as just refering to Spike but it certainly does have more impact if its about all her relationships. I love this episode but there is one little thing that bothers me: Is it just me or does it seem very out of character for the First to slip up with Willow like that? Back in Season 3 and all through this season the First is very calculated -how could it give itself away like that because it 'gave into the temptation' of wanting to kill Willow? "Him" | View Comments15 | llinnaeMar 9, 2009 Haha hillarious episode, good review! I think one of your quotes may be off though, unless its me : XANDER: Dawn? What's wrong? Is this? Did that guy in the jacket? DAWN: Uh! I don't even want to hear his name anymore! XANDER: That's what I used to call him in my head before I knew his real name! Doesn't Dawn say that last part? it doesnt really make sense if Xander does... "Help" | View Comments16 | llinnaeMar 5, 2009 Well when you put it like that lol... Nah, I get what youre saying. Just a difference of opinion, I suppose. I find standalones kind of refreshing if theyre well thought through but from a more structually analystical standpoint, makes sense ;D "Selfless" | View Comments17 | llinnaeMar 5, 2009 Am I alone in thinking that the cut from singing Anya to stabbed Anya was a memory of hers? I always took it as the vengance demon equivalent of a flashback of life before death, especially since when she opens her eyes she's now crying. or maybe thats just from the pain of the sword. Not sure, but to me its more effective if she is feeling both kinds of pain. Thinking that she was remembering her former self and comparing it to herself today makes the identity crisis in the last secene even more heartbreaking, IMO. I also thought the title "Selfless" was a bit of a play on words: referring to Anya's changes over the years from being selfless in the caring sense but also referring to the fact that she is lacking a "self"/ identity. "Help" | View Comments18 | llinnaeMar 4, 2009 Thanks again Mike for the reviews! For this one, I'm quite surprised that this episode didn't get a higher score than a B-. Your comment, "So, I definitely enjoyed the episode, but it just can't score much higher than it does here because of its lack of relevance" is questionnble for me. Why does an episode have to be relevant to the season to score well? I saw this episode as Joss' response to the viewers complaining about the darkness of season 6. It was, as you said a nice remindor of the highschool days and was undoubtably less dark than season 6 but thats not to say that it didnt have anything interesting to say. It wasn't relevant to the season' PLOT but it had a signifigant theme, the idea of, as you said, "realizing that she just can't save everyone, which doesn't mean she should stop trying". This is an idea that follows through (with even more signifigance now after all buffy's been through) from the third season in "Amends" when Angel tells Buffy that he admires her ability to fight the fight because she believes in it, not only to "win". This part of the episode "Help" reminds me of my favourite Whedon quote from the Angel episode "Epiphany" when Angel realizes that "if nothing we do matters, than all that matters is what we do". I think this idea applies to this episode as well: its the fact that Buffy tries to help Cassie thats more important than the fact that she can't, hence the episode's title, "Help". For me at least, this signifigance combined with good writing, a sold plot and its entertainment factor raise the episode to at least an B . "Help" | View Comments19 | llinnaeMar 4, 2009 Whoops, i meant to write that IMO the episode deserved at least an 85/ A-, not a B. "Season 6 Review" | View Comments20 | llinnaeJan 24, 2009 Great review, Mike, once again! I, as a huge season 6 fan, agree with most of what you said and just want to say thanks for taking the time and energy to write this. I havent found a site that even compares to the level of analysis your site brings us Buffy fans! Look forward to season 7! "No Place Like Home" | View Comments21 | LlinnaeJun 17, 2008 Here's a perfect example of the drug/magic metaphore that ppl said hadnt been forshadowed enough(in the commentary of Wrecked)! Also,Mike dont feel bad, a guy like you, the dates will come! :) "The Zeppo" | View Comments22 | LlinnaeJun 12, 2008 This is a higly amusing episode (like others I love it when the writers mock themselves!)but my only complaint would be that since the episode is based mainly on Xander's search for self-confidence (as with other episodes ex. "the Replacement") i think that it would be made all the more better if Xander actually did get more confortable in his own skin as the series progresses. On the whole I see a slight change in character, but does Xander ever build much more confidence? "Wrecked" | View Comments23 | LlinnaeJun 12, 2008 Unlike most people I found this episode to be a very insightful exploration of the origins of addiction. Although I agree that a drug/magic metaphore on a pysical level would be contrived, the parallel between Buffy's sexual addiction and Willow's magic addiction demonstrated that the addiction represented had psychological levels, as with, arguably, any other addiction. (For example Spike telling Buffy that she would "crave" him showed the parallel between emotional and physical addiction). This episode raised the question of whether addiction is primarily the result of a substance's power or the "victim's" emotional vulnerability (in other words was Willow's addiction to "magic" due to the magic's physical power over her body or the psychological power it allowed an insecure- as shown numerous times, notably in "Restless"- personnality to experiment with?). Aside from this point raised, I also like this episode because I feel that it was vital for the rest of the season. Willow simply had to sink this low in order to quit cold turkey and therefore rend her return to the magic in the season's finale that much more powerful and effective. The psychological aspect of this addiction is furhter demonstrated by the fact that Xander pulling at Willow's heart strings acts as the cure for her self-destruction, antoher link to the magic being a metaphore for addiction in general, not just a physical drug addiction. For these reasons and the fact that the acting in this episode was extremely well done, i feel that this episode has been misjugded due to ppl's quick, one-dimensional interpretation of the drug metaphore. "Wrecked" deserves at least a B+ in my opinion! "Wrecked" | View Comments24 | LlinnaeJun 12, 2008 Furthermore, the fact that this episode has received so many comments shows that it can be interpreted in different ways or at least that it makes ppl think about it enough to form strong opinions. "Buffy vs. Dracula" | View Comments25 | LlinnaeJun 6, 2008 Wow, I dont understand why someone would dislike this epsiode what with the deep themes and great set up for the rest of the season! My take on the Buffy-drinking-blood scene was that it was making the point that although power is derived from darkness the truly strong can take that power and use it anyway they wish. As the blood surges through her, a part of her curiosity towards that unexplored darkness has been (temporairly) quenched, and a little disgusted by her own desires, that power brings her back to herself, the vampire slayer, not a killer. She is however curious as to why she is drawn to such urges like tasting blood (as she understands that it is more than just Dracula's thrawl, bringing her to Giles for answers. I didnt think that ambiguious scene was a flaw though, on the contrary thats what I love about the show, the material is open to different interpretations! "Dead Things" | View Comments26 | llinnaeJun 4, 2008 hey Mike! just wanted to thank you for letting us in on your great insights. I just found your site and am overjoyed that there is someone else out there who gives this much thought to Buffy!:) Unlike many people this is my all time favourite Buffy episode, so I really appreciated your review! Look forward to reading more to come! "As You Were" | View Comments27 | LlinnaeJun 4, 2008 Great review once again, Mike! I did, however disagree with your comment: "Throughout the series Buffy has proven that, while often attracted to the danger of the monster, she doesn't need it to be there". On the contrary I would say that her natural inclination towards darkness is a defining characteristic for her which dates back to the very first season when she's attracted to Angel, the mysterious dark figure, as opposed to Xander. I believe in each romantic case in her life, she is drawn to "the monster" if not literally than metaphorically (would she have yearned for a relationship with Parker so much if he had been attainable, if he had not shown her his "monster side"?). The only excepetion is Riley who was, in my view at the beggining anyway, a sort of rebound guy who became much more to her. Even then she couldnt make it work with him as he lacks said darkness. I think that Buffy needs a strong, powerful mate to match her own strength and as discovered in "Buffy vs Dracula", power is rooted in darkness. The fact that she can't find balance with Riley (as shown in "into the woods") demonstrates that she does in fact need "some monster in her man". Just my take on it anyways, thanks again for review! |
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 James [Consequences] Great episode, but one thing has always bugged me.Why is Angel able to enter to save Xander.... View CommentMay 18, 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 Arachnea [Once More With Feeling, in other] So, because of you, I went through the "pain" of watching "Que le spectacle c... View PostMay 19, 2013 Iguana-on-a-stick [Xander Harris] I think your reading is what maybe -should- have happened. But I don't see it, Mike. I just ... View PostMay 19, 2013 Iguana-on-a-stick [Ordering the Seasons] Yeah, especially for such incredibly flimsy reasons. Oh well. View PostMay 18, 2013 |
'He(Joss)talks about his time working on 'Roseanne', and shares a life philosophy of his that in times of crisis, humans either connect or isolate'
I think this is one of Joss's philosophies that appears time and time again during the series and on Angel. In this episode, I think we can take it even further and say that in times of crisis people not only sociologically behave this way (especially when they're scared shitless) but also in the context of this show, may be prone to the Hellmouth's mystical energy that would rile them up and cause 'either/or' reasoning. The dark energy from the Hellmouth has always been spoken of when an apocolypse approaches and since the First Evil is here this time it seems likely that its power would be all the more intense. To me it makes perfect sense that this magic would contribute to, not only Buffy's rash decisions but all of the group's, however that definitely does not excuse the episode from all of its many problems.
I think everyone's mentioned pretty much what I dislike about this episode but just one thing to add about Anya's comment in the last scene (about Slayers being 'lucky'). I dont think she meant that Slayers are lucky because of their job, super strength, the lives they lead etc. I think she was referring more to the process of a slayer being chosen. She was making the point that (although Buffy's experiences *after* becoming Slayer may make her 'superior') the fact that she was chosen to be slayer doesn't mean anything about her personality, it was purely by chance or 'luck'. I think by 'lucky' she meant 'you were chosen at random not because you're innately (before becoming Slayer) more powerful or intelligent'. Personally I found this completely in character for Anya and thought it was an interesting (albeit brutally honest) point to bring up. Maybe its just me, but I can't think of anytime on the show when the process of being chosen as slayer is completely explained so Ive often wondered: Was Buffy
chosen at random, by magic, or consciously by the Powers That Be because her pre-Slayer personality was well-suited to the job? I find it hard to believe that her pre- Slayer attitude and experiences qualified her as someone up to the job. It seems much more likely that someone with Faith's background (anger, rejection, lonliness) would make a much better choice and far more powerful weapon if only becuase of the fact that anger and lonliness are more likely to drive someone towards violence and ruthlessness. If the Powers somehow saw potential in Buffy and other slayers, despite their pre-slayer personalities, is the show trying to say something about the whole Nature vs. Nurture question? Id love to hear your takes on how slayers are chosen (and sorry in advance if Ive missed something really obvious on the show that explains this).
BTW, Mike, thanks for another review! I dont know what I'll do when you're done reviewing the whole show :(