-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
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It's the police! Arriving because...uh...there was an altercation at the high school? Which isn't all that different from the last time vampires invaded the school. During which no police were to be seen. And does Snyder (and by extension the Mayor, I suppose) know that Buffy is the slayer?
Buffy is incognito. You can tell because she is wearing a hat.
Xander has no witticism. This is perhaps the most serious indicator of trouble that the show has. It works well.
Spike is saving the day! Sort of.
I had an idea while watching. When the police come to interview Xander he should say "We were attacking by group of scary people, and not a single teenaged girl." That might help. Well, maybe not with the assaulting an officer charge.
I really like the scene with Spike and Joyce sitting in the living room. And then Buffy gives an impassioned speech to her mother.
Cordelia and Oz are sent to the library to get some things. But, uh, the attack was just a little while ago. Shouldn't there be detectives and such roaming around the area doing detective work? I guess not.
"Inform the mayor!" Well, he doesn't quite say that, but more or less. Again, they obviously know something is up with Buffy. But, it doesn't help the Mayor any if the world gets sucked into hell, does it? Shouldn't he be encouraging her to save the day here? (Or, crazy thought: Is this all an attempt to put Buffy into a situation where she has nowhere to turn, and then the Mayor offers her a job?)
Xander could get into a lot of trouble by not telling Buffy about Willow's plan, here. Hasn't he learned anything? I mean, ok, so he is jealous, and maybe he really does think that Angel is irretrievably evil. Still. I don't think anyone will be very happy with him, were they to find out.
OK, at first I really enjoyed Spike's "He's going to kill her." *shrug* bit. But, wait a minute. Didn't he do all this to stop Angel from destroying the world? Sure, there was revenge, and getting Drusilla back. But they gave him that nice speech about not wanting everything to get sucked into hell, and then, when it looks like everything is going to get sucked into hell, he just bails? I realize that the whole ending wouldn't work if Spike rushed in and joined the fight, but, maybe he could have thrown something at Angel, you know. Distracted him a little, at least.
Anyway, re: ending: Sad.
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posted
I think the argument, with regards to Xander, was that he was actually trying to protect Buffy. He knew that if she went into the fight thinking "Maybe he can be saved", then she would quite likely be killed, and Angel would be free to do all sorts of nasty, evil things. So he psyched her up.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
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posted
I also liked Buffy's speech to her mum, and how she aknowledged the fact that Joyce had been pretty dense not to notice anything was wrong. One of the strengths of the show is that it knows when it has done something for just long enough, and then it changes it.
-------------------- Yes, you're despicable, and... and picable... and... and you're definitely, definitely despicable. How a person can get so despicable in one lifetime is beyond me. It isn't as though I haven't met a lot of people. Goodness knows it isn't that. It isn't just that... it isn't... it's... it's despicable.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
Stupid crashes. I'll try again, I guess. Things are not going well with me in regards to making snarky Buffy comments today.
"Anne"
I don't think it is as easy as this show makes it appear to dig your way out of a grave. Oz throwing the stake at the vampire is funny. Xander and Cordelia not having seen each other all summer is kind of weird.
Hey, Buffy is happy. It must be a dream. Yes.
Baseball caps + overalls = jerk, apparently.
There are STUDENTS in the LIBRARY. Lots of them. Crazy.
If I ever push someone out of the way of a moving car, I think I'll try running after them, rather than just standing where they were and being hit by the car.
Completely nonthreatening and believable social worker/religious man: "They get old fast." "It drains the life out of you." And I believe we have a description of our monster.
Xander's plan to use Cordelia as vampire bait seems like a bad idea. Aren't vampires supposed to be dangerous?
So, what, demons run factories? For what? And former vampire cultist girl says "We're in hell," and Buffy says they aren't, but, I mean, consider: The entrance is a mystical portal, the place is run by demons, and time works differently there. It sounds like a possible hell dimension to me.
And then, Buffy saves the day and comes home. Yay!
Registered: Mar 1999
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So Buffy has been cleared of all charges. I can see the cops dropping the murder charge. But, uh, what about that cop she beat up?
Some scenes of Buffy being upset that other people have lives. It would sure be ironic if someday Buffy had a younger sister who would experience something similar in the future and Buffy was in the mother role! INDEED.
Uh, is this dead cat supposed to have been in the basement long? Because, you would notice a decaying cat, trust me. But you wouldn't notice a zombie cat! Or, I guess, you would, as they do.
More scenes of Buffy being not so pleased that everyone has been busy in her absence. Boohoo.
OK, Giles is researching zombies. NOTE: Here is my syllabus for the first day of Librarian School: Actually look at the book as you flip through it.
Joyce has no problems with the huge party? Huh. Uh oh, Buffy overheard the wrong part of the conversation. Time to runaway again! That's rational.
Giles, in the car, evading zombies, is great. Thumbs up, etc. "Do you like my mask? Isn't it pretty, it raises the dead."
This whole scene, where Buffy's friends and family yell at her at her party, and even Xander is kind of mean, and only Cordelia sticks up for her, feels kind of uncomfortable and forced. The uncomfortable part is intentional, I imagine, but I'm not sure about the rest. I guess it is "canon" that Xander does not always choose the best way to deal with his emotions either. But yelling? They should be worried about zombies! Which reminds me. Willow says something portentious, like 50% of the dialogue around here. "You can't just bury things, Buffy. They have a tendency to come right back up to get you." Anyway, Willow, upon a zombie crashing into the room: "I was being sarcastic!" Me: Let that be a lesson to you!
Joyce has made a friend, so clearly she must die. And in a disturbing way, too. (I mean the coming back as a zombie part. The zombie demon's death is neat, but, I mean, "Kat" (?) was already dead then.)
It ends with another scene of Giles being tough. Yay!
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Is that really the title of this episode? I'm not getting these from any official title source or anything, so I could be way off. Is there a character named Hope running around that I missed? (Yes, yes, ok, so we've got a cute Biblical reference, too, fine.)
It is kind of obvious that something is up when the supposedly dead Angel is still in the opening credits. I'm just saying.
Another dream sequence.
Hey, is that Faith in the dance crowd? I like how she's just in there, before we know who she is or the camera makes special notice of her. And she quickly enters the group dynamic. Quick with the nicknames, too, if "B" counts. Xander should be a bit less girl-crazy, though. I mean, he is dating Cordelia, who isn't, you know, tough to look at or anything.
A Watcher retreat? How many Watchers do they need, anyway?
You know, at my high school, I don't think they'd just let random youths walk through the halls like Faith here. You need permission for a guest.
"T1 line!" "Database!" Etc. Mr. Trick is a hip hop nerd vampire? Ok.
Today's portentious dialogue: "It's probably good you were an only child."
Faith must have watched Aliens a lot back in Boston.
Regular Boy Scott Hope: Let's go to a Buster Keaton festival, Buffy. Ok, first of all, Hope! Now I get it. Second of all, this is a line that I suspect works less often on attractive high school girls from Southern California in the real world than it does on the show.
Regarding the vampire with the odd name: So old he has cloven hands and feet? Uh, really? Is this something vampires need to watch out for, as a rule? Was he a satyr once? Well, whatever, his crazy revenge plan is doomed, as all such plans are on this show, something Mr. Trick is not unaware of, and as an added bonus he gets a support beam through the chest, though not entirely convincingly. It would have been neat if he left bones behind, like the Master.
Until now, I had only seen Faith episodes after she became sort of evil, and was kind of curious about her fan appeal. But, she seems kind of infectiously outgoing. So, that makes sense.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Technically, there were multiple beauties too, no? Anyway:
Oz looks less like ALF now, which can only be an improvement. He still doesn't look much like a wolf, though. More of a sort of werebigfoot, or something.
The counselor Buffy gets sent is different than the old guy Cordelia was talking to way back when, though, come to think of it, Sunnydale High should by all rights have a whole wing of psychological professionals. And this breaks rules and is approachable, so he can't be long for the world. (If only I could claim to have realized this while actually watching.)
Angel! Ultimately chained to a not very sturdy looking piece of framework.
Willow is very Scully with her autopsy of Dead Student #1. Except for the fainting. She has gone from well-behaved person to blatent law-breaker kind of quickly. Or at least it seems that way watching two episodes a day.
Uh oh, the students who have never before appeared in the show but are suddenly friends of Buffy appear to be in peril. Surprising. Meanwhile, our counselor is told not to say anything while sitting with his back turned, so he's probably dead. And I'm really unclear about this janitor's closet makeout/creepy abuse scene. They keep their glowing moonshine on school grounds?
After most of the big revelations: "Anybody who really loved you couldn't do this to you." Buffy should keep that in mind.
This fight between soon to be Dead Student #2 and Oz is like Frankenstein vs. The Wolfman.
Vs. Dracula! This episode is multitiered. I mean, with the multiple beasts and such.
That's four deaths in a couple days, with three of them on campus. How does this school stay open?
Registered: Mar 1999
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Scott dumps Buffy? Huh. Good for his life expectancy though, I imagine.
This is sort of like an episode of Seinfeld, only with Mr. Trick playing Elaine. Uh, also with monsters. Ok, just this one scene, with the guy in the chair and his computers and such.
Enter the Mayor. Who doesn't really do all that much, yet, other than establish his wacky "I'm evil but also friendly" personality. He has a red phone.
Cordelia is sent to tell Buffy about yearbook photos, but gets distracted by schmoozing. Well, priorities are important. At my high school, seniors were supposed to submit our own photographs. And then Cordelia is mean. Like, more mean than usual. More mean than season 1. I'm not sure I see why.
A slayer-hunting contest? Odd. Hey, it's that cowboy vampire. And a...stegosaurus demon?
I notice I have less to say about scenes that don't have some potential for snarky commentary, so, here, Xander and Willow have a moment. Yay! Sort of. Except for Oz and Cordelia, though Cordelia is not really winning any sympathy from me today.
I like that, in his introduction video, Mr. Trick went to the trouble of putting together a logo for Slayerfest '98. That's dedication. Also good is hunter guy spilling the beans quickly rather than being, you know, taciturn and dumb. Though I guess it doesn't get him out of that trap.
(Charisma Carpenter is, um, not bad looking.)
Cowboy vampire talks funny, but he really is pretty smart. Running away rather than fighting that last time. And now just waiting for Buffy to show up. And then he runs away again! He is very sensible, though he gets marks taken away for coming back to Sunnydale in the first place.
Great episode. That spatula didn't look like wood to me, though. And what was Cordelia's sudden reversion into Days of Our Lives mode? (See, because of the soap opera-like meanness.) Oh, yeah, and Faith went to the dance? Is she supposed to be enrolled in school now?
Oh, and I forgot to mention the bit where the dinosaur guy tried to jump out the window only to find it was boarded up. Whoops.
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posted
My readership is 33% bewildered, then. A brief synopsis may help: In the following episode, magic candy makes everyone who isn't already a teenager act like one, and a giant snake tries to eat some babies but is foiled.
"Band Candy"
Having Giles help Buffy study for the SATs is a really good idea.
Angel doing Tai Chi is, uh, kind of silly. And if he's concerned about this scene being awkward he could probably relieve the tension by putting on a shirt.
Giles' "friend" Ethan is involved in the addictive candy racket, I see.
Giles, under the influence of magic candy, is sort of like me in this scene where they're listening to albums. In that I like to listen to albums too. Though, I do not smoke. Or frequently have women over. Nor am I cool in any way. But, listening to albums and talking about forming a band? Totally.
Principal Snyder joins the gang!
Young Giles seems to be a lot like Spike.
This plan seems a bit extravagent. Knock out the whole town just to kidnap four babies from one hospital? I would think the Mayor would choose a plan that led to less general mayhem. He's concerned about the sewer system even though he's evil, after all. Think of all the cleanup they'll have to do after this episode above ground.
The giant snake demon is awfully flammable. And...uh, oh, it's dead now? Huh. Wait, the Mayor had to make this tribute every three years? Or did Laconis, or whoever, just move into town recently? Because, if he went to this much trouble every three years I think people would notice.
I wonder if Snyder was the one who wrote "KISS Rocks!" on those lockers.
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Cartman
just made by the Presbyterian Church
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posted
Once, when I was young and innocent and unspoiled and terrified of the dark and not ready for the immense world that surrounded me, I gathered all the courage I had and tuned in to the pilot of Buffy. But, it was late at night, and I was tired and drifting somewhere between the realm of reality and illusion (I was deprived of sleep for too long! far too long!), so my comprehension of the episode suffered, and I could not seem to get mentally past all the scary vampires and manhunting and bloodsucking and teenage girls, and stuff. I did not dare watch any other part of the series afterwards. Then, this one time, as I was vainly attempting to zap away my boredom, I stumbled upon a well-choreographed fight scene filled with evil demons acting in an unmistakably devilish manner, who were being kung-fu'ed by Buffy and flying across the screen and in real pain and in various states of being slain, and it brought back those repressed and long-forgotten memories of sinister fiends out to conquer the world and steal human bodily fluids! And it wasn't terrifying anymore!
I am a member of your audience, if it, uh, means anything.
[ May 08, 2003, 04:22 PM: Message edited by: Cartmaniac ]
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Fortunately (?) I am desperate for attention, so yes, it does.
This time: A magic glove has the potential for troublemaking, and everyone wants it, and Angel's status of not being in hell becomes public knowledge.
"Revelations"
I find myself wondering what Faith was doing when the adults of Sunnydale were all high on magic chocolate. It seemed like her kind of scene, sort of.
New Watcher lady: 'There is a magical glove and a demon wants it. We should find it first.' What I would do, if I were on the show, would be to look up which magical artifacts had found their way to the Hellmouth before something comes looking for them. It seems like it would make things easier.
More Willow and Xander hijinks, which Xander goes out to wander in a graveyard alone to get away from. At least he recognizes that this was maybe not the best idea. And then he spies on Buffy and Angel chatting. Sunnydale seems like a really small town sometimes. Of course, he gets the wrong idea.
Ok, maybe Xander doesn't have the wrong idea. But his reasoning after that seems kind of buggy. He is really anti-Angel. I wonder if this is why he is not more popular in school. And now Giles is unhappy! What I like about this show is that characters who are friends are not always friendly to each other, and get mad at each other from time to time. I suppose that is not so unique. In fact it might even be considered kind of soap-operaesque. But there are demons and fighting! And, uh, it is completely unlike that Passions show. What I am saying is, it is good TV when Giles gets mad.
And now Xander is all excited about going with Faith to kill Angel. Well, alright. I think the time-compressed way I'm watching these episodes may have something to do with it, because for me, Angel wasn't really a bad guy for very long. A week, maybe, in total.
Incidently, New Watcher lady being evil is probably something I should have seen coming at some point before she clocked Giles with that statue thing. I worry that I'm not observant enough, sometimes.
This whole bit, with her hurling lightning bolts around and then getting vaporized by one, is dependant upon Angel's mansion, a mansion picked specifically as a home for vampires, having a huge skylight. He should talk to his realtor.
Faith is more distrustful now. This will make trouble in the future.
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