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Wacky Watches: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

School Hard is a great episode. Obviously the introduction of Spike and Dru is a big deal but as an hour of television it really is highly entertaining stuff.
 
Mentalist said:
I have been watching some Buffy recently as well. Not doing a series run but watching random episodes here and there. There is a great Buffy Podcast where they (a married couple who happen to be best selling authors in their own right) go through each episode from the start and talk heavily in depth about each and also rank them as they go. It's well worth checking out (yeah, I listen to a lot of Podcasts)

Dusted | StoryWonk
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Yeah this is a good podcast. I just listened to their WttH/Harvest episode and it's fantastic and I'll be listening to all seven season of it.

I'd never actually considered the role of Christianity in Buffy before this. Off the top of my head, there's a quote from Isaiah re: the Anointed One in Prophecy Girl, and the Master/First kind of off-handedly dismisses "The Word" as the beginning of the world in Lessons, but I can't remember any other instances of Christianity being even referred to.
 
The only problem with that podcast is that they're only up to What's My Line and at the rate I'm watching I'll have overtaken them very soon.
 
Inca Mummy Girl - So after the very good School Hard we have...a bad episode. It's like Teacher's Pet crossed with I Robot, You Jane and it's not quite as bad as either of them but it's still pretty pointless! Mummy girl is cute, Willow dressed as an eskimo is cute (hi I'm Captain Wacky and I note when girls are cute), Seth Green makes his first appearane as Oz and Danny Strong does the same as Jonathan, but otherwise nothing worth mentioning.

Giles knocked out count: 5

Lizard Boy - Some episodes of the tv show "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer" have pretty weak titles. It's interesting how if Buffy hadn't been the Slayer she probably would have been best friends with Cordy. And yeah frat boys probably are literally evil and worship lizard Gods. But again this isn't very good. Better than the previous episode, yeah, and I guess the Buffy/Angel relationship is developed and Giles looks cool when he punches a guy but I could use a really good episode right about now...

Halloween - This is much better. I mean it's probably not at the very highest, top ten Buffy episdoes level or anything. But it's a lot of fun. Every character gets stuff to do. Willow is pretty awesome in it (and yes midriff!) Xander gets a weird sense of closure by beating up a pirate. We get hints of Giles' dark past with Ethan and Giles gets violent and I bet some people found it hot. Maybe we're entering that Golden Age now? IT'S ABOUT TIME.
 
Lie To Me - Yeah, it's good. Remember Tomtrek's "written and directed by Joss Whedon" thread that people ruined? It would have been on there! SMG does good acting. She's good. It's the best use of Angel so far and Willow hiding her bra from him is adorable. I like Chanterelle/Anne. This is good.

The Dark Age - The first Giles centric episode. Buffy learns that he actually had a life and made mistakes and he's human. I enjoy the Buffy/Giles scenes! This episode is pretty good too.
 
What's My Line part 1 - I know there's been "previously on Buffy the Vampire Slayer" bits before, but this is the first time I really noticed it and was impressed by all the story threads coming together. It's also the first episode where Marti Noxon gets a writing credit and it's a good one! I hope this Marti Noxon person sticks around! I like the vampire who wears glasses. He's cool. SMG does some ice skating (SHE WAS A PRO) and it's totes adorbs. It's sweet when she's all "I don't even notice" about Angel's vampirte face. Giles tells Xander to shut up at the exact moment I was thinking "Xander's a bit annoying sometimes" so that's good writing probably. First appearance by WILLIE THE SNITCH and he's appropriately snitchy. "Don't warn the tadpoles?" Cliffhanger is the famous "I am Kendra, da Vampire Slayurr!" moment. Very good episode!
 
What's My Line part 2 - It's a strong conclusion! I love Giles and Kendra geeking out over books. Xander and Cordy make out and it's funny but also believable. Oz and Willow are cute together! "Dat's me favourite shirt! Dat's me only shirt!" Dru being restored to power but Spike being crippled is a good ending. STRONG 2 PARTER. On a shallow note can I just say that Sarah Michelle Gellar is just super attractive at this point and if I'd been writing top tens she would have been number one most weeks (and Alyson Hannigan wouldn't have been doing badly either! Or Bianca Lawson for that matter!)
 
Ted - "Buffy's mom dates a killer robot" could have been a really bad episode, but it's pretty good! Probably mostly thanks to John Ritter who does an awesome job as Ted. I mean they could have explored the "using Slayer powers for self" defense angle a lot more (Buffy's pretty lucky he turned out to be a robot.) And Joyce isn't really much of a character let's be honest. NOT SAYING I HATE HER she's just a bit...meh? But it's an entertaining episode!
 
Bad Eggs - This is often mentioned as one of the worst episodes ever. I mean, it's not very good or anything, but I don't think it's THAT bad? It's not I Robot, You Jane! But yeah, it is weird how it kind of starts out being about teenagers and their hormones but then it's a Temple Of Doom rip-off with eggs. I don't know what the thematic link between those two things is. And there's Texas vampires too because why not. But I didn't find it offensive or anything.

Giles knocked out count: 6

Surprise - I like the dream sequence at the start. It feels a bit closer to a real dream than normal tv dream sequences do (it's because Willow has a monkey.) This is a good set-up episode. I was sad when glasses vampire died because he was cool. A gypsy in a hat shows up to talk to Jenny. Buffy and Angel have sex. But why is he acting strange after...
 
Innocence - This is a great episode of Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. The best episode so far I'D SAY. I love how it deals with the various reactions to Buffy's first time sleeping with Angel and how she's feeling and all the metaphors and stuff? David Boreanaz has improved a lot since season one (he gets better once he had his own series though) and he's very good in the brutal scene where he's talking to Buffy in his bedroom and being brutal and your heart breaks for Buffy because SMG's just great at those sad looks. Willow finding out about Xander and Cordy is another well done moment (also Xanders a bit of a dick to Cordy and Willow, isn't he? Not complaining but I'm noticing it more on this rewatch.) And even with all the heavy emotions going on there's the awesome fun "what's that do?" scene with the rocket launcher and the Judge. This is good tv!

Phases - This is decent tv. I like the reference to Amy's mother in the trophy cabinet. The Dusted podcast would probably be disappointed in Xander's "gay panic" reaction to Larry coming out but he is a teenage boy and it would probably be awkward if your bully was gay and he thought you were gay. Probably. The Oz/Willow stuff is pretty good. The worst part of the episode is the stupid werewolf hunter guy who's just there for an over the top "MEN ARE JERKS" theme. He's all "GIRLS CAN'T FIGHT WEREWOLVES" and "WAY TO GO HAVE SEX WITH AN UNDERAGE GIRL, GILES!" and it's too much. Also there's a bit where Xander and Buffy kind of have a "moment" in the funeral home but I don't remember it going anywhere after this (or maybe it's just there to let you know Xander's still got feelings for Buffy.)
 
Yeah...if you step back and think about it, he was kind of a dick all along. Especially with Anya. She shoulda revengeanced him.
 
I guess his ultimate dickery was letting Buffy kill Angel when he knew there was a way to save him.
 
Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - Do you think Marti Noxon wrote this episoe because she once tried to cast a love spell on a boyfriend? It's a fun episode! I could go all tumblr and talk about how it's "problematic" that Cordy is impressed that Xander tried to cast a love spell on her instead of thinking it's disgusting like she probably should, but I can't be bothered really! Buffy's in a raincoat and she has nice legs but then she's a rat and then she's naked so I can't actually dislike this.
 
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