Buffy rewatch continues...

[dangermousie]

I had the best evening last night. filmi_girl came over and joined me in my Buffy rewatch, If there is one thing better than rewatching BtVS S2, it’s rewatching it with someone who also likes it ;)

Plus, they were three of the eps I really love: ‘Reptile Boy,’ ‘Halloween,’ and ‘Lie to Me.’



REPTILE BOY

*squee* I adore this ep. I always LOL at the so not-subtle symbolism of the poor high-school girls being lured in by frat boys and menaced by their snake demon. LOLOLOL.

The interesting thing is (as Filmi Girl and I were discussing yesterday) is that now, when we are way way older than Buffy, the Frat Boys come off as creepy and lame from the get-go. If someone tried to use any of these pick-up lines on me, or the fake cuteness, I’d just roll my eyes and tell them to bug off. But to a 16-year old Buffy, still smarting from Angel’s rejection*, I can see how Tom can appear sweet. Buffy is a sweet and smart 16-yr old, but she is still 16.

* I love the scene in the cemetery with them, when he tries to put the brakes on their relationship, for about the first and last time until much much later. And it’s rather heartbreakingly sad in retrospect, how sure Buffy is, and how naïve about reprecussions, and how clueless even Angel is about any, as well. It’s very adorable and rather sad. Reality is so much worse.

I love Cordy in this ep, so funny. In RL, I’d want to kill her in two minutes, but in the show, she is hilarious and awesome. And Willow, yelling at both Giles and Angel (‘you are gonna live forever, you don’t have time for a cup of coffee?!’) Heeee. Also, Xander, you should seriously realize by now that whoever else Buffy might pay attention to, it will never ever be you. But you are sweet anyway. Oh, and Angel going all ‘Grrrrrr’ when he realizes the frat boys have Buffy is FTW. And his asking her for coffee at the end. Adorableness.

Watching Bollywood:



Aaangst:



Love the self-absorbedness that is Cordy:



Yes, I’ve gotten to the age where Giles is sexy:



WILLOW STOMP








Grrrrr face:



Buffy is so pretty:



And she got her coffee invite, too:





HALLOWEEN

This might have been the first BtVS ep I watched, years before I saw any others. I thought it was neat but wasn’t into a TV-watching mode at the time. Now, it’s one of my favorites.

Mmmm, love Ethan. Evil, British, and hot. (Yes, I am getting old. Giles and Ethan are not hot, not father-aged). Giles and he so were the evil slash OTP in college :P I do love Giles showing here he is not all mild-mannered Watcher but can be pretty dark and ruthless.

I love Willow being so awesome and strong and not having a choice about not hiding behind her ghost outfit but wearing that sexy costume (by choice at the end). And OMG, Oz being smitten. Ahhh, Willow/Oz.

Also, I found it interesting that people didn’t turn into real soldier/18th-century-noblewoman/whatever, but what their concept of it was. Clearly, no 18th century woman was this challenged, but Buffy’s conception of one? Yeah, that’s it.

Spike! What more needs be said.

Oh, and the make-out on Buffy’s bed at the end is adorable. Angel and Buffy are so squishable and both about five years old romantic maturity wise. Awww. Though this brings me to wonder where Joyce is while her high-school daughter is entertaining a man in her bedroom.

Poor clueless Angel, meeting full-mode Cordy:





Love them!



Oh, I love Willow in this ep:




Buffy as useless and helpless princess:




This is for the hot:



I love this moment so much! Somebody will love and appreciate you, Willow! And be smitten with you, which is what you deserve.





Smoochie face:





LIE TO ME

One of my favorite eps, and one of the darker ones of early Buffy. Because things are not black and white: Angel might be good now, but in his soulless days he made Drusilla and tortured her, to boot. And Ford is planning to feed people to vamps but he is dying. Etc.

I love how attuned Spike is to Dru. I always found Spike fascinating for his seemingly unique ability among vamps to genuinely love. None of the other vamps do. They might have pride of possession or what not (like Darla did with Angelus) but as for love? Nope, only Spike. Which is just such an interesting thing and makes one wonder what made him different and why. (That is why him getting a soul in S7 was such a stupid plotline. That made him Angel redux, as opposed to this fascinating entity of his own).

Love the scene in the vamp-wannabe club, LOLtastic. Love Angel being jealous of Ford (seriously, the boy might physically be in triple digits, but emotionally he is 12), love Willow sweetness and the whole bit where Angel desperately asks Buffy if she loves him before telling her about Dru. Love the creeptastic scene with the little boy in the beginning. Just basically love.

Ford:



Heee.



Love them!



Angel telling Buffy about Dru:

Comments

[bzoppa.livejournal.com]

In RL, I’d want to kill her in two minutes, but in the show, she is hilarious and awesome.

When these eps aired, I was in England for the semester (fall 1997). I was talking to my mom and she said she wanted to bitch-slap Cordy in the ep. She has some great lines. Did you know the girl who plays the third sacrifice is PJ in My Boys? I don't watch the show (sports ain't my thing, and neither are sitcoms... or reality, for that matter) but I thought that was neat.

Though this brings me to wonder where Joyce is while her high-school daughter is entertaining a man in her bedroom.

She was at a gallery showing in L.A. Buffy said it in the beginning, when she told Willow that Angel was going to be over. omg, how is it I STILL REMEMBER WHEN I HAVEN'T SEEN THIS EP IN PROBABLY 5 YEARS.

Moving on.

I do love how the dark got introduced, with the intro of Giles-not-so-prissy (beating the crap out of Ethan), then "Lie to Me." As much as I loved first season while it aired, second blew it out of the water. It killed me that people didn't like it when I loved the show so much. In hindsight (as in your realization in "Reptile Boy") they can be lame but they were revolutionary for the time... and being 20 years old.

Let me know when you're having rewatch time, and I'd love to join you (if I can)! Especially when you get to the Faith eps in anticipation of Dollhouse—if your rewatch gets that far. Thanks for the heads up that Helo's in that.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

She was at a gallery showing in L.A. Buffy said it in the beginning, when she told Willow that Angel was going to be over.

Heee, thanks, I forgot entirely, which is sad.

In hindsight (as in your realization in "Reptile Boy") they can be lame but they were revolutionary for the time... and being 20 years old.


Oh, I didn't think the ep was lame, I thought that the characters of frat boys were both (a) believably lame in cosmic sense (which they totally were supposed to be) and (b) believably not appearing so to a teenager who would be listening to their blandishments (which they were also supposed to be).

Let me know when you're having rewatch time,

Would love to. it's usually a spontaneous thing! :)

[vanimy.livejournal.com]

Oh, Buffy rewatch!

You know, most of the time 'Buffy''s just that show I was obsessed with when I was in high school and then I stumble on a rerun and I remember why I loved it so much. I think it ages quite well, actually. Some tidbits are cheesy now (lol at Angel being 12 emotionally, so true! ) but some are still hilarious and sweet and ansgty. And I think 'Lie to me' and 'Halloween' are really one of the best BtVS eppies. Season 2 is only topped by Season 3 IMO.

That is why him getting a soul in S7 was such a stupid plotline. That made him Angel redux, as opposed to this fascinating entity of his own

Word to that! I hated that 'let's give Spike a soul' storyline. Mainly because that was a recycled plot as you pointed out, 'been there, done that' with Angel, but also because it was badly handled (didn't change Spike's personality that much if you think about it... only stopped his evil deeds... as opposed to Angel really being different with/without soul) and removed all that was interesting in Spike to begin with...

Ps: Love your icon. ;)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

cheesy now (lol at Angel being 12 emotionally, so true! )

The funny thing is, I didn't mean 'Angel is 12 emotionally' as a bad thing at all. And not just because I get emotionally 12 myself, when in a relationship. I think the fact that he is so emotionally young is what makes me not have an 'eeeeek' reaction to think of him with teenage Buffy. And I love that unlike a lot of vamp stories, there is actually a reason why he is so emotionally young: he only started developing a functional personality after meeting her, really, in LA, before that he was too messed up for too long to have much. (Mr. Mousie always points out how girl-wish-fulfillment that whole scenario is: a hot guy for whom you are literally the meaning of existence. To which I always reply 'well, I am a girl.')

I agree re: S2 and 3. I can never decide which one I like best.

didn't change Spike's personality that much if you think about it... only stopped his evil deeds... as opposed to Angel really being different with/without soul

Exactly. Canon-inconsistent AND not-interesting. Two cardinal sins. I found it would have been so much cooler to explore, really explore that duality in Spike: a being without a soul, who can love, and clearly love selflessly. Such an interesting concept. And doesn't it also puts a tiny bit of doubt into what Buffy is doing, if at least one vamp can care, even if he still offs people? I mean, that might make him an evil person, but a person. But instead they did the stupid soul thing. Been there done that. I can rewatch S1-3 thank you.

[vanimy.livejournal.com]

I think the fact that he is so emotionally young is what makes me not have an 'eeeeek' reaction to think of him with teenage Buffy.

Oh, okay. I hadn't thought about it like that before but I guess you're right. It does explain why I never had an icky feeling either.

And yep, am a girl too and am totally in love with the concept of a guy for whom you mean everything. *whistles*

You make a good point re:Spike being evil and yet loving people and how that would've put a different spin to the show (is it this cool to kill vampires right and left?) That would've been interesting but I guess they wanted to content the Spike/Buffy shippers because the only way their relationship wouldn't be unhealthy (because it clearly was in Season 6...) was if Spike had a soul like Angel. I guess that's why they did it but in doing so they totally made a rehash of the Angel plotline. But well, I enjoyed Season 7 more than I did Season 6 at any rate.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

And yep, am a girl too and am totally in love with the concept of a guy for whom you mean everything. *whistles*


Padme/Anakin, anyone? :) *whistles too*

I guess that's why they did it but in doing so they totally made a rehash of the Angel plotline

I suppose you are right but they wouldn't have had to do it if they didn't screw up S6 so badly :) I like S6 better though, because the first few eps of it were quite good (and I love the musical ep) but there isn't a single ep in S7 I even mildly liked. And it had Kennedy. Hmmm, but I am a B/A shipper and it had smoochies, hmmm...

[vanimy.livejournal.com]

I like S6 better though, because the first few eps of it were quite good (and I love the musical ep) but there isn't a single ep in S7 I even mildly liked. And it had Kennedy. Hmmm, but I am a B/A shipper and it had smoochies, hmmm...

Why do you think I liked S7 better? :P

I prefer S7 myself because while I can't remember an episode I loved, at least there was no episode I hated. S6 was way too dark for me, I found myself tuning in every week more out of habit than anything because I just couldn't handle all the darkness JW inflicted on his characters. Buffy had become that hopeless dark character, even Willow had given into addiction, the evil guys were good guys at first and then turned into horrible people, Willow killed a human being, there was rape and so on. No, I just couldn't. Intellectually I know why Joss Whedon did it that way but that was too much. I was glad to see S7 being more 'normal' let's say.

Well, about Kennedy she was so annoying indeed and I hated how they turned Willow from being bisexual to just gay all of a sudden. This is not what the character is about, being disgusted by men or something the way they made her in S7 sometimes... And I think it detracted from how special Tara was. (and the only reason why I remotely accepted the Will/Oz breakup. ;) because I bought into the relationship they built up with Tara) With Kennedy, it was just lust and it was just boring. *sigh* Waste of screen time, I agree.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Why do you think I liked S7 better? :P

I squealed like a banshee when he showed up and there was kissing. OMG. I get squeeful just thinking about it even now. A teeny sop of hope for all those hopeless B/A shippers like me!

Kennedy? GRRRRR. Yeah, I never understood why they tried to claim Willow was gay and not bi. Argh.

[vanimy.livejournal.com]

I squealed like a banshee when he showed up and there was kissing.

*looks at your icon and sighs dreamily*

Yeah... Me too. As soon as he showed up, there was kissing, banter and just *sigh* B/A again. I'm glad they didn't forget the ship and left it open (the whole cake metaphor and all ;)). Since I never really followed 'Angel', it means they find each other again in a distant future. *denial land*

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I never followed Angel either (the thought of A/C *yikes*) so in my denial land, some time passed, they hooked up, figured the curse thing (or just bought a dildo) and lived happily ever after.

[valarltd.livejournal.com]

I'm enjoying this rewatch/recap.

My own daughter was teetering on the brink of adolescence when Buffy was on, so I always identified more with Joyce. I'm almost certain Willow and Tara gave Bun the courage to come out so early.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

That's wonderful, re: Bun!

I was only a little older than Buffy (the show started airing when I was in college) so I could identify with the gang. Now, many years later, I am sort of an in-between stage: too old to identify with Buffy (but I do remember being that young) and too young to id with Joyce et al.

[village.livejournal.com]

I really, really need to do a Buffy re-watch. I'm currently doing an Angel series re-watch (currently on S4 - oh season four) and it makes me nostalgic to watch pre-Angel er... Angel. Probably because we're in the part of the season where they have to call Angelus back and I remember some good times with BtVS!Angelus. Oh the angst! Oh the torture! SOMUCHLOVE.

And yes, Spike is such a fascinating character which is why, I too, was frustrated by the Spike gets a soul storyline. It's like Whedon & Co. felt that they had to pander to the masses and make Spike "good" in order for him and Buffy to make sense. So pointless.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I have never really watched Angel but Filmi Girl promises to show it to me.

Spike "good" in order for him and Buffy to make sense. So pointless.

Exactly. When that wasn't what made him interesting at all (and don't even get me started on how bipolar they wrote him in S6).

[village.livejournal.com]

I have never really watched Angel but Filmi Girl promises to show it to me.

Oh, you must. You must. You like Faith, right? She makes a few appearances as well and so does Spike (he became somewhat of a main fixture in S5). It's strangely different from Buffy but still interesting. I'm watching with a Jossverse virgin right now and her reactions are quite hilarious.


Edited. Because Whedon virgin sounds a little...odd.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Love Faith, of course! And Spike! I do plan to watch it :)

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

That is why him getting a soul in S7 was such a stupid plotline. That made him Angel redux, as opposed to this fascinating entity of his own.
So true! I'm not the only one who thinks that!

Halloween is one of the best episodes ever even with SMG's awful accent. And OZ! (Gah, I hate that they made Willow cheat on Oz with Xander! I mean, Xander's great and all but Oz is Oz!)

Is it just me or does Jason Behr look way better in Lie To Me than in all three seasons of Roswell?

And Giles was always sexy! (In Fear, Itself with the chainsaw!) XD

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Willow cheat on Oz with Xander! I mean, Xander's great and all but Oz is Oz!

Oddly, much as I hated it, I understood it. She always wanted Xander since she was a kid, and all of a sudden she could have him. Even if it wasn't love, she was 'blinded' so to speak. But I loved that they reconciled.

does Jason Behr look way better in Lie To Me than in all three seasons of Roswell

Heeee. Not to me. Thought he was hotter in Roswell. All that yummy romantic angst. Or maybe I was just blinded by visceral hotness of Angel on BtVS to notice.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

True. She'd been in love with Xander for so long but I love Oz so much I still wish it hadn't happened. Plus, Cordy got hurt as well... But when Oz and Willow did get back together it was so cute!

I was blinded by Angel's shiny shirts and coats on BtVS.

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Angel's shiny shirts and coats on BtVS.

Be happy he didn't sparkle :)

Cordy got hurt as well

I like Cordy fine as a comic relief but I never was emotionally involved with her so that didn't bug me as much as the Oz thing. But oh Xander, so immature. He only jumped on Willow because it was 'last chance' so to speak, he didn't really want her.

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

The Liberachi shiny clothes pwnz sparkly skin in every way.

Cordy was pretty much comic relief for me as well until I saw her in Angel. She was really great there. And then they decided they hated her so she ruined the character.

But oh Xander, so immature. He only jumped on Willow because it was 'last chance' so to speak, he didn't really want her.
WORD!

[sodahands.livejournal.com]

Er I meant Liberace

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Heee. I knew who you meant. Didn't think Angel was that blingtastic though but maybe I am going blind :P

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

God I love Halloween, all weepy and helpless Buffy. My favourite episode though would have to be I Only Have Eyes For You oh and Becoming

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love IOHYFY. Sooo good, in a 'rip your heart out' way. But Becoming is even better in that respect. Becoming Part 1 was the second Buffy ep I ever saw. No wonder I became this show's slave. I think the two-partner might actually be my fave ep of Buffy ever.

Also, icon!

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

Wow - Becoming would have been a brilliant introduction to the show. I was a fan of the movie and had been waiting months for the show to make it to Australia, so I watched right from the first episode (this was of course before I knew about downloading TV)

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I didn't want to watch it for the longest time. I mean, the name! Buffy! WTF :) Little did I know. Best friend lured me in with describing Buffy/Angel angst.

[animeshon.livejournal.com]

Buffy/Angel angst is glorious!

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

I know. I slurp it all up.

[kathputli-girl.livejournal.com]

Giles was so sexy!
Okay fine! Now you've gone and done it...I HAVE to rewatch all of Buffy. *sigh*! 8D

[dangermousie.livejournal.com]

Yay! Saw you started and SQUEEEEE!