Episode reviews from a first time watcher by fredgiblet

BUFFYVERSE

Episode reviews from a first time watcher

POSTED BY: FREDGIBLET
UPDATED: Monday, February 19, 2007 21:40
SHORT URL:
VIEWED: 12310
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Wednesday, August 23, 2006 5:29 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by StakeTheLurk:
Well, both BtVS and RotK are referring to a much older tradition in fantasy literature, that of the “misleadingly-worded prophecy, curse, or protection spell.”

Shakespeare used it: No man born of woman could kill Macbeth. . .

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Wednesday, August 23, 2006 3:13 PM

FREDGIBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by StakeTheLurk:
Since LOTR is trying to present itself as an epic in the ancient style, it pretty much has to use some traditional tropes this to establish its cred.

Disagree, I think by ROTK they had firmly established their cred. Additionally when I first watched it I thought it was going to be the ghosts killing him, if I remember correctly it makes perfect sense with the wording and IMHO doesn't have the same cop-out feel to it.

Quote:
Had they used the standard technique of finding a loophole in the wording, the final confrontation would have been more like this: “No weapon forged can kill me.” “My wiffle bat wasn’t forged so take that!” In other words, they would have used the specificity of the prophecy (i.e., it only protects him from things that have been “forged”) against the Judge.

Buffy attacking the Judge with a wiffle bat...Oh god I wanna see that!

Quote:
However, Xander realized that contemporary advances in weapons technology made the entire prophecy irrelevant.

Wait...Xander realized something?

Quote:
It’s not so much that they’re playing with the wording of the prophecy as completely ignoring it. “That was then, this is now.” The Scoobies were so used to battling these ancient demons with ancient weapons that it just took them a while to realize that their arsenal could expand beyond the fifteenth century.

And yet as of the near end of season 3 (3 eps to go) they haven't remembered that (other than the repeated use of the tranq gun on Oz).

All right, you got me a little with your damn logic, I still dislike it but not as much as before. You put way to much thought into this by the way.

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Wednesday, August 23, 2006 5:39 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 216: Bewitched...

Cordelia has to face up to her friends. Funny thing is that she would even care what they would think when they would ditch her for dating Xander. I'd say "^%&^ you guys I'm going home", and hang out with Xander...of course I'm not a teenage girl so...

Tension is rising with Spike and Angel, this should be interesting. Incidentally, what does rhyme with lungs?

I have to ask, did Amy not notice that Xander was behind her when she was screwing with the teacher? I mean he's not exactly a little guy.

It was a great touch having Cordelia pretend to have the locket in her locker.

But then we get to the meat of the ep, Xander post-spell. His reaction to the realization that Buffy wanted him because of the spell was great, the scene with Willow was gutbusting. Giles reaction was priceless, Miss Calendar was great. The confrontation with Buffy, Xander and Amy was hilarious. Willow with an axe...there's a sight I never thought I'd see, Joyce going after Xander was almost too much to take, then DRUSILLA...oh god I was almost dead by this point.

The closing scene with Xander and Cordelia is actually one of the few moments so far where I have actually liked Cordelia.

Overall an insanely funny episode with no real weak spots.

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Thursday, August 24, 2006 6:08 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 217: Passion

Angelus in Buffy's room. Uh-oh.

Cordelia is such a dimwit...but she does bring up a good point. If Angelus can get into Buffy's room, why doesn't he just kill her? (Besides the whole that-would-end-the-series thing?).

I wouldn't think that Miss Calendar would need Giles to tell her who she needs to make it up to, I would think that would be obvious. But on the other hand it was a great scene with Giles and Jenny. Also, was it just me or was Robia a little off in this ep, usually she's a pretty good actress, but a lot of her lines seemed off.

It's great watching the tension between Angelus and Spike, Angelus really pushes, I wonder how long he thinks he can do that before Spike will push back...

The scene in the magic shop was pretty good, especially how the guy goes from mystical to pure business as soon as she shows she's not a tourist.

Oooooo, Angelus told Buffy's mom, this is going to be painful. Yep, the talk was painful, and once again it brings up the question of why Buffy doesn't just tell the whole story, but I suppose that has to wait for a plot-critical moment.

Angelus in the school was interesting but a little overdone. Jenny finding the cure was cool, but I knew that it wouldn't be that simple. Jenny dying was not exactly expected but still predictable given the circumstances.

"perhaps I should intervene on on Buffy's behalf, her mother, say something?""Sure like what would you say?" *long pause*. Classic.

Angelus certainly has an artistic flair with his murders, doesn't he? Giles beating on Angelus, and Buffy laying the smackdown on Giles were both great.

And naturally, the disk drops out of sight until the story arc is done.

An great episode, this is what TV should be like.

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Thursday, August 24, 2006 6:14 PM

KANEMAN

I've bit my tongue long enough! Hey asshole, this belongs in "buffyverse". Secondly, no one cares what you think anyway....Well, it's true. How many people respond to this shit? You should be ashamed of your self idiot! Well, it's true!

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Thursday, August 24, 2006 6:59 PM

FREDGIBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by kaneman:
I've bit my tongue long enough! Hey asshole, this belongs in "buffyverse". Secondly, no one cares what you think anyway....Well, it's true. How many people respond to this shit? You should be ashamed of your self idiot! Well, it's true!

It IS in Buffyverse asshole. ALL the newly updated threads show up in the thing at the top of the community page. Why should I be ashamed of myself?

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Thursday, August 24, 2006 7:02 PM

KANEMAN

Got ya!..toop? classic!

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Thursday, August 24, 2006 7:23 PM

EMBERS

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Episode 217: Passion

Angelus in Buffy's room. Uh-oh.

If Angelus can get into Buffy's room, why doesn't he just kill her? (Besides the whole that-would-end-the-series thing?).

Angelus isn't happy to just kill anyone,
he likes to drive them insane with grief and pain.
Just as Angelus didn't turn Drusilla until after he had killed all of her family,
he won't kill Buffy until after everyone she cares about is dead first.

And just ignore Kaneman, replying only encourages it

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Thursday, August 24, 2006 7:31 PM

FREDGIBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by embers:
Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Episode 217: Passion

Angelus in Buffy's room. Uh-oh.

If Angelus can get into Buffy's room, why doesn't he just kill her? (Besides the whole that-would-end-the-series thing?).

Angelus isn't happy to just kill anyone,
he likes to drive them insane with grief and pain.
Just as Angelus didn't turn Drusilla until after he had killed all of her family,
he won't kill Buffy until after everyone she cares about is dead first.

And just ignore Kaneman, replying only encourages it

I know (on both counts), but still it's another thing that we see all the time in TV\movies. How many times have Bond's enemies had him in their grasp and not decided to just kill him?

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Thursday, August 24, 2006 7:48 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 218: Killed By Death

Uh-oh, Buffy has a cold...oh wait, maybe that IS an uh-oh. Buffy getting saved from Angelus by Xander, this is a little unexpected.

Buffy is afraid of hospitals? Makes me wonder...has she always had slayer-type powers? Has she ever needed to go to the hospital for herself? Or has she always been a little tougher than average?

Personally I wouldn't have to see the Freddy looking guy to get creeped out, that kid staring at me would be enough.

So either Buffy isn't a natural blonde or little Buffy dyed her hair...I wonder which one it is...

Xander standing up to Angel was awesome, it was great to see Xander challenging Angel, and it shows a side of Xander that I hope to see again.

Somebody really should smack Cordelia whenever she starts talking...seriously...though she does pull off the distraction thing really well...almost too well...

I for one wasn't fooled by the security guard or the doctor, I knew something supernatural was up.

I'm no doctor, but I'm fairly sure that ingesting most viri and bacteria would greatly reduce their potency, if not kill them. Also, if the vial had 100% pure virus, it would most likely be a powder, not a liquid.

FROG FEAR!

The eye thing was creepy and cool, but personally even after the neck breaking, I still would have pounded it with a blunt object for a little bit...just to make sure.

Lastly, I wish I had a mom that pampered me like that when I was sick.

A pretty good episode, but firmly in filler land.

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Friday, August 25, 2006 4:54 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Incidentally, what does rhyme with lungs?

Tongues.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Friday, August 25, 2006 5:19 AM

JOLLY

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Episode 205: Reptile Boy

[snip]

A bit too heavy-handed but a decent ep.

Well, I decided to rent disk #2 of season 2 on 2-1 night (along with the first disk of Brisco County). This is the first episode *without* Spike that I've enjoyed. I suspect that reason is simple...I've watched enough episodes that the characters are starting to grow on me. As a result, I'm starting to appreciate the dynamics between the characters as well.

Truthfully, if television depended on the likes of me, there would be nothing to watch. I hated ST:TNG when it came out, but once it came out in syndication, I gradually came to like it. BSG has a similar history (albeit more condensed); the mini-series struck me as incredibly boring (I tuned out after about 30 minutes), but the series aired at a time when I'll often leave the TV on while I do other things (like putter about on the internet), and eventually I became curious enough to buy the DVD and watch the first season.

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Friday, August 25, 2006 1:04 PM

JOLLY

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Episode 206: Halloween

Spike summarizes this episode nicely with the line, "Well. This is just neat."

Solid episode. Great fun. Possibly as good as anything from Firefly. Am I being sacrilegious?

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Friday, August 25, 2006 4:22 PM

FREDGIBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by jolly:
Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Episode 206: Halloween

Spike summarizes this episode nicely with the line, "Well. This is just neat."

Solid episode. Great fun. Possibly as good as anything from Firefly. Am I being sacrilegious?

Depends on who you ask, I won't publicly state my opinions so far on Buffy vs. Firefly because this is a FF website (though a Buffy (sub)board).

EDIT: for anyone who reads my opinons into this post and wants to crucify me for them just know this, Buffy season 1 wasn't very good, if Firefly had more than one season my opinon might be different.

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Sunday, August 27, 2006 8:32 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 219: I Only Have Eyes...

I usually refrain from commenting on this, but that band sucked.

The first re-enactment thing was a little bit of a shock, usually it's not ordinary-looking people killing people in Sunnydale. Oh, it isn't ordinary people...it's ordinary possessed people, alright that is ordinary for Sunnydale.

The scene with Willow giving Giles Jenny's necklace thingy was a little on the touching side, but I have a question...didn't Angelus break Miss Calendar's computer? And if not, wouldn't the ritual files be in there?

Xander has an awesome line early in this one: "Something weird is going on...isn't that our school motto?", by this point I think we can all agree that it should be.

The scene between the janitor and the teacher was great, the sudden switch was pulled of very well IMO. I didn't really care too much for Giles thinking it was Jenny, I understand him wanting it to be her, but there just wasn't any real reason for it IMHO.

I...can't...resist...Snakes In A Cafeteria!, sorry. I thought the snakes thing was a little dumb and unneccesary, but I suppose it gave them a reason to show that the powers that be really do know what's going on.

First off, my customary "Snyder is an ass and I hope he dies", now on to the interesting stuff, Snyder (and others in the government) know about the Hellmouth, it would seem to make sense to me for them to move the school...it shouldn't be too hard to manufacture a reason for it.

The tension racheting up between Angelus and Spike is great, Juliet Landau is amazing as the freaky, crazy Seer.

I don't like how vindictive Buffy is in this ep, but I suppose that the whole Angelus thing (though none of it is really his fault) has got her pretty well worked up against males. It was interesting how this whole ep seemed to be metaphorical for Buffy\Angel, I thought it was very well done. The swap with Buffy playing James's part was a little weird but made sense. The whole possessed scene was great, I think it was written for Buffy/Angel and then tweaked to fit it's "original" circumstances. I thought it was good at the end how Buffy realized why she was chosen by James.

And last but not least, Spike is finally back on his feet! Awesome.

A whole episode devoted to metaphorically exploring Buffy and Angel\Angelus' relationship, this is some amazing TV. An awesome episode, I just wish the next ep carried it on and wasn't just filler.

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Monday, August 28, 2006 6:08 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 220: Go Fish

"you're forgetting our high mortality rate" truly a high mortality rate is something every school should strive for.

Cool, empty skin...wonder where the insides went. Mmmmmm shelled human, tasty.

Ah yes, the classic athlete-gets-a-free-pass thing *sigh* if only this only happened on TV...and of course we can trust Cordelia to champion the cause of the more fortunate.

The scene with Buffy being talked at by the swimmer was really funny, "oh it's not me I'm worried about", I would think that by now Buffy would have a pretty strong reputation as a bad-ass, but whatever. It must really suck for Buffy to get blamed for everything.

I would think that Buffy would have a little more practice being discreet by now. If you're keeping someone under surveillance, you don't stare at them constantly, I mean it's not like you're going to miss something attacking them. The scene with Angelus seemed a little gratuitous, like it was thrown in just to remind us of what's coming next week.

Xander's reaction to the gang seeing him in the speedo was priceless, as was Cordelia's reaction before she saw who it was.

But...this is where I have to lodge a complaint, the sea creatures are larger than the guys they came from...that doesn't really work out too well. That's also ignoring the whole thing where they suddenly lose the ability to talk, and somehow went through all these structural changes without noticing anything before. I know this show doesn't strive for (or even really give a passing nod to) scientific accuracy, but c'mon.

As for the sewer scene, I just can't help but think, if the Watchers are such an ancient group, shouldn't they have made some investments of some kind? Shouldn't they be able to afford...say...some night-vision goggles? Seems like it would pretty high on their priorities.

I can't really think of anything to say about the last 10 minutes or so, so I'll just skip to the end. A below average episode in my opinon, but then every show has to have some filler.

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Monday, August 28, 2006 9:21 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 000: Buffy The Vampire Slayer (1992)

Just got the movie, figured I do a review here. This will contain some spoilers for anyone who hasn't seen the movie

First off, I'd heard that Donald Sutherland was in it (from Joss's complaints), but I didn't know that Hilary Swank, Ben Affleck, Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner) and David Arquette were in it too. In fact it's Swanks first movie.

The first third of the movie is really bad, I can see several instances where they were supposed to be funny, but just weren't IMHO. I can also see what Joss was saying about Donald, I've seen him in other roles and in this one he is much worse than normal.

It doesn't really pick up until Donald throws the knife at Buffy, the training sequence was pretty cool. It looked like Kristy Swanson actually did most of it herself, which was a little impressive.

It was nice to see people figuring things out for once (Pike wanting to bail after benny shows up), not like the show where weird stuff happens all the time and nobody notices. The scene with the vampire on the van was cheesy but kinda fun.

The basketball sequence was just a little retarded...just a little. But Buffy taking the motorcycle was pretty cool.

Was it just me or did Pike look like someone called "Vinnie" at the dance? The first scene with Lothos during the dance was just kinda weird and seemingly pointless, then he shows up at the dance and has a Katana? I would think that a European guy would have learned swordsmanship with something more...European. The end was very anti-climactic, and fairly unsatisfying.

I would like to see the original script and the re-written one to see what parts were Joss and what parts were re-written. It was interesting to see the parallels between the show and movie though, you can see parts of the first season in the movie.

Overall a mediocre action movie and a mediocre comedy. Too many times it tried to be funny and failed, too many times it tried to be cool and failed. I'd give it a B-.

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Saturday, September 2, 2006 7:32 PM

FREDGIBLET

I started watching the first season of Dark Angel for the first time, then I started playing EVE online. But I'm back now.

Episodes 221 and 222: Becoming

Angel's turning was an interesting watch, he didn't seem to be a particularly high-quality person before he became a vampire. It was very intriguing to watch Angelus talking with pre-vamp Drusilla, pushing her to evil. Watching him and Whistler in Manhattan was funny, I liked Whistler and I wish he'd stuck around (like I hear was intended). Angel wanted to make something of himself because of Buffy...this is an interesting plot development. It was funny watching Buffy's first kill, and it brought up an interesting issue, namely how liberal the show can be at where they can stab vampires and kill them. So often they seem to stab them in the gut or sternum instead of the middle-left chest area.

This is perhaps the first time I agree completely with Cordelia. Of course I am referring to her opinon of Snyder.

I was kind of wondering when they would find the disk, I guess I should have known it'd be at the finale. I have to say that the scene in the library was a little off IMO, Xander never seemed to be to close with Miss Calendar, yet he's spent a great deal of energy advocating for avenging her death. I suppose that it is probably a byproduct of his dislike of Angel\Angelus (he hates both of them), but it still seems excessive. Additionally, I once again have to commend Buffy's restraint, I would've punched him in the face.

I love Spike, "it's a big rock, can't wait to tell my friends. They don't have a rock this big." "someone wasn't worthy"

One thing I've never got, if they don't want these demons to be found (Judge, Acathla) why don't they drop them into the ocean? Even now it's damn hard to get stuff off the ocean floor, and that's assuming you know exactly where it is. Course then we woudn't have a show.

"Mr. Pointy"?

The end-of-first-part fight was awesome, Xander's arm broken, Giles taken away, Willow in a coma and Kendra dead, whew! Kendra vs. Drusilla was an interesting matchup, I wonder how widespread the hypnotism thing is, the only vamps we've seen using it so far are the Master and Dru. I can't really feel too bad about Kendra dying, I didn't really have enough time to start to like her.

P.S. Is anyone else getting annoyed at the animated menus on the DVD's, I want to jump straight to the menus so that I can make my selections not fly around for 2 minutes everytime I click on something.

Part 2:

Of course the day wouldn't be complete without Snyder deserving a punch in the face, I found it odd that the other cop started shooting right away.

Another scene with Whistler, he has a lot of potential, too bad. Spike switching sides (sort of) is cool, watching him talk about how much he loves the world really gives more depth to his character.

Willow waking up after Xander says I love you is so cliched that it hurt.

I don't like the scene with Buffy's mom outside their house, the rock band thing was lame and the vampire attacking her just seemed like a completely contrived way to give an excuse for Buffy's mom to find out about Buffy. On the other hand, watching Buffy's mom and Spike uncomfortably sitting together was really funny.

The scene with Buffy trying to explain to her mom was painful to watch, Buffy trying to explain that there isn't any choice and that she can't explain everything and her mom just saying "You'll do what I tell you or else". I think that Buffy's mom regretted what she said immensly as soon as Buffy was out the door.

"...you must perform the ritual...in a tutu" ROFL, it's scary sometimes how Joss can put such funny stuff in the middle of such serious scenes.

Buffy with Snyder in the library...I was so hoping she'd stab him. So let's recap: dead friend (Kendra), kicked out of her house, and now expelled...can her day get any worse? ...Ohhhh yes.

Watching Drusilla\Jenny was creepy, I find it a little hard to believe that Giles would be gullible enough, but then we don't know exactly how the hypnotizing thing works so...watching the aftermath (Drusilla making out with Giles) was amazingly funny.

I really don't like Xander's new attitude, he seems hell-bent on getting Angel killed. To the point of lying to Buffy.

"they make me see things I want...""then why would they make you see me?" ROFLMAO!

Watching Willow get possessed was awesome, suddenly intense and speaking a foreign language "is this a good thing?"

The swordfight was cool, Buffy catching Angelus's blade and then kicking ass was awesome...then of course...Angel's return...that was painful to watch even the second time. I can only imagine what it would be like for her...

The day after scene with the gang was really good, you can see that everyone (even Cordelia!) is worried about Buffy. then we see Buffy watching...and walking away...

And of course I have to mention Joss's sick, twisted little joke at the end...
"Now Leaving Sunnydale"
"Come back soon!"
I can just see the fans staring shocked at that sign, twitching and thinking "sure how about tomorrow night? or even right now? right now works for me!"

An incredible piece of television...this once again brings the question of what Firefly could have become if it had continued. If every show was capable of being this good, no one would ever call TV the "idiot box". A firm 10 out of 10, (I don't go for the breaking the scales stuff or it would be an 11 or 12).

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Monday, September 4, 2006 2:11 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 301: Anne

I was expecting great things from the ep and I was a little disappointed to be honest.

We start with a quick check on how the gang is doing, they're fighting vamps (poorly) and wondering where Buffy is, no surprise there.

There is a quick "wait...what?" scene next when Buffy's on the beach with Angel, but then we pop back to reality. I have a hard time seeing Buffy working a cafe, but then that's probably the point.

The back-to-school sequence was great, Oz trying to bargain down to eccentric with an option for cool, Larry hoping for less mysterious deaths, Cordelia and Xander being psyched, then barely even saying anything to each other.

I always find it amazing how little attention people in movies\TV pay when they're driving, someone steps in front of them 2 or 3 seconds away and they don't even start to brake.

Hey...isn't that the mole from Firefly?

"What are you doing?""Breaking into your office and going through your private files" honesty is refreshing isn't it?

Watching Cordy and Xander argue is more fun than watching them suck face IMO, it's unfortunate that it didn't last long.

Watching Buffy trying to bluff her way in was painfully funny, and the idea of a foundry staffed by castoffs from society artifically aged and then spat back out is kinda cool.

The fight scenes near the end were cool, Buffy was kicking all kinds of ass. One thing though, the whole Ghandi thing was a little lame. Also, the thing where the portal covered itself was a bit of a cop-out, I think they should've had to actually DO something to seal it.

The ending was decent, but I'd have liked to see another 15 seconds or so.

All in all, not what I was hoping for, I was hoping for some introspection and soul-searching, instead what I got was some angst and a monster(s) of the week. Not a bad episode by any measure, but as a season premiere on the heels of the season 2 closer it falls short IMHO.

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Monday, September 4, 2006 2:22 PM

CHRISISALL

What about where she tossed that demon, and his head caught a ceiling beam? Now THAT'S entertainment!

Ouchy Chrisisall

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Monday, September 4, 2006 2:44 PM

FREDGIBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by chrisisall:
What about where she tossed that demon, and his head caught a ceiling beam? Now THAT'S entertainment!

Ouchy Chrisisall

That was great, the entire fight sequence was one of the better ones in the show so far IMO.

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Monday, September 4, 2006 6:32 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 302: Dead Man's Party

So Buffy's back in Sunnydale and looking for her friends and she runs into...Nighthawk...had anyone ever noticed that Xander is a HUGE dork? Anyway, it's nice to see that Buffy can let everyone know she's back by helping them with some slayage.

The scene at Giles' house was pretty good, Giles was happy to see her, the gang was a little withdrawn, appropriate reactions IMO.

DAMN is Snyder an ass...I'm hoping he eats it in the season finale.

YAYYY!!!! ZOMBIE CATS!

Buffy sets out the good plates...the gang brings the whole freaking town into Buffy's house. A big party was definitely a bad idea...even without the zombies. On a side note, I wish I had a mom that would let me have a party like that.

Willow talking to Buffy in Buffy's room was interesting, Willow was just as upset about everything as Buffy. The showdown in the living room was pretty good (someone still needs to slap Cordelia whenever she opens her mouth though). I think they were a little harsh on Buffy, but then I know exactly what happened so from their perspective they probably weren't.

Pat was a little strange and I'm glad she didn't stick around, but the post-fight was a little off IMO. They go from fighting each other to hugging with just one life-or-death fight?

"Would you like me to convince you?" It didn't sound particularly threatening, but Giles playing the badass is pretty cool.

Overall I think this ep was closer to what I was expecting than the premiere, but still not as much of the introspective stuff that I was hoping for. A pretty solid ep with some very nice character interactions.

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Tuesday, September 5, 2006 5:36 AM

CYBERSNARK

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
DAMN is Snyder an ass...I'm hoping he eats it in the season finale.

. . . Something like that. . .

Quote:
YAYYY!!!! ZOMBIE CATS!

*sigh*
I miss Patches. I wish they'd kept him around.

We got Miss Kitty Fantastico later, but she just didn't have the screen presence (and she ended up leaving the show too).

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

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Tuesday, September 5, 2006 5:47 AM

PHOENIXSHIP

I highly recommend you watch Angel in chronological order with Buffy. Starting at Season 3, the optimum way would be to alternate episodes since they do line up time-wise...

I wish I had had the chance to do that!

"Why're you arguin' what's already been decided?"
Mal to Jayne, "Jaynestown"

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Tuesday, September 5, 2006 6:33 AM

FREDGIBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by Phoenixship:
I highly recommend you watch Angel in chronological order with Buffy. Starting at Season 3, the optimum way would be to alternate episodes since they do line up time-wise...

I wish I had had the chance to do that!

One of the local Browncoats wrote up a schedule for me that keeps Buffy and Angel more or less inline choronologically speaking while making allowlances for crossover eps etc.

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Tuesday, September 5, 2006 7:35 AM

STAKETHELURK

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Hey...isn't that the mole from Firefly?

Yep, he’s one of the “hat tricks,” actors who’ve appeared in all three series. Look for him again in the first season of Angel, when you get to it.

Quote:
Is anyone else getting annoyed at the animated menus on the DVD's, I want to jump straight to the menus so that I can make my selections not fly around for 2 minutes everytime I click on something.

Yeah, those are so incredibly annoying. Fortunately, they exist only on Season Two. The rest of the DVDs follow the model of the Season Three menus.

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Tuesday, September 5, 2006 8:30 AM

FREDGIBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by StakeTheLurk:
Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Is anyone else getting annoyed at the animated menus on the DVD's, I want to jump straight to the menus so that I can make my selections not fly around for 2 minutes everytime I click on something.
Yeah, those are so incredibly annoying. Fortunately, they exist only on Season Two. The rest of the DVDs follow the model of the Season Three menus.

*happy dance*

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Sunday, September 17, 2006 8:36 PM

FREDGIBLET

Alright I'm back, EVE online, and Netflix have been eating lots of my time. In fact I've got EVE going on my laptop while I'm watching this. I've also just watched the BSG mini-series and I'm pissed, because that was a show I was going to watch but never started. Also I just finished downloading Wonderfalls 1-13 (were there more?). So, yeah. But onward!

Episode 303: Faith, Hope And Trick

Willow contemplating the significance of being able to leave campus, she's so great. And Cordy still needs to be slapped whenever she opens her mouth. Speaking of mouths "that thing you do with your mouth that the boys like" ROFL.

Flashback with an ANGRY Angel...interesting.

Having Faith introduced as slut-o-rama by Cordy was hilarious (and accurate), Buffy being so awkward around Scott was a little strange since we haven't really seen her awkward around guys for a while.

The one thing that gets me about the new slayers is this: Kendra died about 3 months ago, and already Faith is fully trained and has a bunch of vamps under her belt (possibly in more ways than one...ahem). Doesn't that seem a little fast?

Faith's story was very funny, I don't really like Faith, but she's great for comedic relief on occasion. Like for instance her opinion of Giles, and Buffy's reaction were great.

Xander's line about what he learned in high school is so good, I should make a bumper sticker.

It's great to watch Buffy's whole life being overthrown by Faith, her friends, her mom, and her (not) boyfriend are all paying attention to Faith instead of Buffy.

And Buffy's mom finds out that she died...fun times.

Faith's freakout in the patrol is a little indicative of why I don't really like her, I'll talk more after the review's over.

Scott gives Buffy a Claddagh (sp?) ring oooh bad move. Later Buffy moving on was a great scene as was her attempt to talk to Scott.

The thing with Kakistos was a little off, it may be a indicator of Faith's real self (scared) but I think it was a plot fluke. Trick is pretty cool though, and Kakistos getting the big stake also kinda cool.

All in all I didn't really like this ep, mostly because I don't particularly like Faith, and since the whole story was about her, well.

Anyway as to why I don't like Faith. She isn't heroic or anti-heroic. She doesn't do this because it's the right thing (Buffy), she doesn't do it because she has skeletons in her closet that drive her (Angel), she does it because it's fun and she likes the feeling of power. This fits well with her later turn to evil, but doesn't really endear her as a character. I don't mind protaganists who act for selfish reasons, but Faith doesn't seem to have a reason at all for doing anything. Faith to me seems like a character in search of a role, though I guess that does put her as an appropriate character for a high-school themed show, since most of the people in high school are searching for their roles as well. Anyway I could probably go on for a while, but I've got to work tomorrow.

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Monday, September 18, 2006 6:58 PM

JOLLY

Well, I got through season two and just finished episode 3 of season 3. I should probably stay away from these boards, since I'm only partly aware of what the next four seasons hold (the Faith comment above is a bit of a spoiler).

My general thoughts on Buffy: Overall good stuff, once you get to know the characters. From time to time it suffers a little from the same phenomenon as pro-wrestling, where the heels (villians) are more interesting and maybe even likeable than the heros. Of course I'm thinking of Spike when I say this, though Angelus is far more colorful then mopey ol' Angel. For good chunks of the second season, Buffy seemed like the lamest member of the Scooby Gang (and I count Cordelius when i say this). Fortunately with the first few episodes of season 3, my opinion of the Buffster is rapidly changing.

Watching Buffy makes me wonder all the more about what might have been if Firefly had been given a couple of seasons to develop. *sigh* Well, hopefully after a few more seasons of Buffy, I'll be ready to start watching Angel. And after that, maybe we'll have a sequel.

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Tuesday, September 19, 2006 5:31 AM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 303 P.S.

Just realized that I didn't mention Angel's return, ooops

So Angels's back...that was fast, I thought it'd take at least a third of the season. I'm sure there were many women who taped that scene just re-winding it over and over again

. This brings some interesting issues such as Buffy just having decided to move on. Also, this illustrates the problem with watching a show post-mortem, you already know a lot about what's going to happen, I knew Angel had to come back because he got his own show next season. But sadly I don't have a lot of choice in the matter, (curses younger self who didn't give the show a chance).

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Tuesday, September 19, 2006 6:36 AM

JOLLY

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Episode 303 P.S.

Just realized that I didn't mention Angel's return, ooops

So Angels's back...that was fast, I thought it'd take at least a third of the season. I'm sure there were many women who taped that scene just re-winding it over and over again . This brings some interesting issues such as Buffy just having decided to move on. Also, this illustrates the problem with watching a show post-mortem, you already know a lot about what's going to happen, I knew Angel had to come back because he got his own show next season. But sadly I don't have a lot of choice in the matter, (curses younger self who didn't give the show a chance).

I knew Angel was coming back because his picture was on the cover of my DVD set...

Post-morten viewing is a problem, but I never paid much attention when it was running, and as long as I avoid these boards, there should be plenty of surprises to come...

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Tuesday, September 19, 2006 1:16 PM

FREDGIBLET

Quote:
Originally posted by jolly:
I knew Angel was coming back because his picture was on the cover of my DVD set...

Well Spike is on the DVD's and (very minor spoiler follows)

Select to view spoiler:

Spike is only in one episode (as of 3 eps before the end of the season)

So being on the DVD's doesn't neccesarily mean a large role.

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Monday, October 9, 2006 2:46 AM

CONSTANCE

Quote:
Originally posted by fredgiblet:
Episode 104: Teachers Pet

I'm already finding the mini-intro at the beginning of each ep annoying. I'm glad that they've ditched it (I hope permanently).

The "tough guy" sayin "in every generation there is.... bla bla bla" ?? Hated that too, it was unnessesary, and didnt really fit the show. Didnt help that they changed the voice to Gileses later on.

Constance

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Sunday, November 26, 2006 8:30 AM

JOLLY

I have now completed watching seasons 2 and 3, which I found for the most part very enjoyable. I seem to have stalled in season 4. Somehow the combination of the transition to college and Buffy's romantic misadventures ("What's wrong with me?") have sapped away any joy I used to get from watching. Do things improve as the season moves on (I've watched the first five eps), or should I skip ahead to season 5?

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Sunday, December 10, 2006 3:00 PM

CAROLJUDE

Wow, I was/am on the same ship, Netflixing BtVS this summer and fall and seeing them for the first time (it looked too 'cool teen' for me when it was first on.)

Definitely do NOT jump ahead - finish the season. There are at least two STELLAR episodes ahead of you ('Hush,' 'Superstar')

I had the same feelings regarding the transition to college and the difference in enjoyment levels after the first three seasons. I just finished season 6 today, and I guess all I can say is that, like in real life, lots of things happen. And like in real life, we sometimes find ourselves thinking back to what we remember to be the happier days of our youth.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Walk tall, or don't walk at all...

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Tuesday, December 12, 2006 5:57 AM

CHRISISALL

I stopped after S4. Then after a while, I got S5, and stopped there. It made me so angry that I sold it.
Then I got the Chosen Collection, and finished it up. 6 and 7 ended up being my favourites.
Then I got Angel S5 for more fists and fangs goodness.

I need help....

Joss addict Chrisisall

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Tuesday, December 12, 2006 12:51 PM

CAROLJUDE

I watched the first 4 episodes of Angel. Didn't do it for me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Walk tall, or don't walk at all...

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Tuesday, December 12, 2006 8:06 PM

JOLLY

Quote:
Originally posted by CarolJude:
Definitely do NOT jump ahead - finish the season. There are at least two STELLAR episodes ahead of you ('Hush,' 'Superstar')

Well, I finished season 4 earlier this week and have started season 5. The episodes that you mention were indeed stellar (I thought 'Something Blue' was fun as well).

I think the temporary dissolution of the Scobby gang was a big part of why I had such a hard time getting into the season. I just don't find Buffy by herself sufficiently interesting to hold the show...I need my Willow and Xander and Giles as well. The ensemble dynamics are such an integral part of what makes the show work. I also found myself missing Cordy, though Anya eventually filled the void.

I thought the main story arc was less than enticing. Adam didn't deserve more than an episode.

Started watching season five tonight, which I am happy to say is off to a great start!

Regarding Angel, I've also failed to get into it (I had planned on alternating between Angel and Buffy as suggested by someone on the board). Too brooding for my tastes, but perhaps it eventually settles into a groove. I'll try it again some other time...

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Tuesday, December 12, 2006 9:51 PM

AMYEL

The first half of the first season of Angel doesn't do it for a lot of people. It was very monster-of-the-week, but then they eventually start in with an actual story line. The thing about the show is that it compeltely changes in tone every year, so there's really something in it for everyone.

It's more adult than Buffy, so if that's what you want, then I would suggest to keep chugging along with Angel. The secondary characters have a lot going on with them (eventually), so you don't have to like Angel the character to like Angel the show.

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Friday, December 29, 2006 2:42 PM

JOLLY

Just finished watching "The Body", which is one of the most powerful moments of television that I have ever seen. Amazing...

If season four stumbled, then season five more than makes up for it. And I probably would have never bothered if not for Firefly/Serenity. It's good to know that some one as jaded as myself can still find things worth loving...

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Friday, December 29, 2006 9:05 PM

SHAMBLEAU

Isn't it wonderful? There are people who can't rewatch it. It's too intense and gut-wrenching, especially for those who've lost a loved one.

I came to Firefly from Buffy and I think this ep, among others, hits harder emotionally and has deeper roots than anything Joss was able to do in the fifteen eps he produced for Firefly. But I think there would have been AMAZING eps to come, maybe even surpassing Buffy's bests, which is a hard thing for me to admit, since it's my favorite show of all time. I still mourn the lost opportunities. Sigh.

And I would definitely watch the "Darla" episode (207) of Angel with the "Fool For Love" (507) episode of Buffy, if you get the chance. They're meant to be seen consecutively and add even more depth to each other.

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Wednesday, February 7, 2007 6:16 PM

FREDGIBLET

I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACK!!!!!

After a long hiatus I return!

I had a bunch of stuff going on and hadn't had time to watch much (plus I got burned out on RWED again), but I'm back now and watching again. I have skipped ahead back to where I left off so I'm skipping a bunch of the third season and going straight to the end (where I left ff with my watching the first time).

I watched the end of season 3 a couple weeks ago so bear with me if I jumble the last three eps a bit

The Prom:

I didn't really like this ep that much, I must admit to being an Angel\Buffy fan so breaking them up annoys me, plus it just feels really contrived. That being said at least it was done very well, I have no complaints with the execution, just the idea. It was well written and well acted IMO and I really liked how Angel showed up at the end to give Buffy her prom. Additionally I thought it was a very, VERY nice touch to have the class acknowledge what Buffy has done, it shows that they aren't all retarded and blind and that they are appreciative, I also really enjoyed the speech that came with the Class Protector award. And as a side nte, Xander-Anya is much more satisfying than Xander-Cordy, I hope Anya sticks around for a while longer.

Graduation parts 1 and 2:

I really liked these eps, not as much as the season 2 finale but still... Giles stabbing the mayor was a great scene, and Willow gets laid w00t! The poisoned Angel storyline is pretty cool, Buffy finally deciding to take Faith out and actually going through with it (more or less) was IMO a good character development. Buffy sacrificing herself to Angel was a very powerful scene, and the confronation between the Mayor and Angel was well done, but Xander's line (you know the one) was just unneccesary. The part where Buffy and Faith are talking (dream? telepathy?) was a little wierd but in a cool way. The preparation for Graduation was a little odd but made sense in the end. The actual Graduation was a bit of a mixed bag, I thought it was great that all the students were in on it, and a lot of it was pretty cool (flame arrows, flamethrowers) but all the students standing around waving swords...not so cool, and the mayors's "well gosh"...meh. The post-grad stuff was ok, a nice coda to season with Angel leaving and Buffy gettingher diploma. A very good pair of episodes but not quite as good as the season 2 closer.

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Friday, February 9, 2007 6:27 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 401: Freshman

This episode elicited a resounding meh from me, it was interesting to see Buffy flounder around for a bit when she started college, but the episode was just...kinda dull. The enemy of the week wasn't very interesting, and it kind of annoyed me that a garden variety vamp gave Buffy so much trouble. I understand that the show is metaphorical and it was supposed to be showing her lack of confidence in herself etc. etc., but I just didn't really like that part. It wasn't as funny as a lot of the other episodes either, the only really good part about it was the talk between Xander and Buffy where we found out that he went stripping. Not a very promising start to the season.

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Saturday, February 10, 2007 9:18 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 402: Living Conditions

Holy Crap was this a funny episode! From Kathy making a system for the phone calls and having Cher on repeat (reason enough for justifiable homicide), I have never had a roommate per se (though my current situation with my sister is pretty close (though that will thankfully be ending soon (but I digress))) and this episode makes me glad of that.. Willow is awesome, even when her roomate is causing enormous problems whe still empathizes with Buffy. I think that Buffy's turnaround time is improving, she's only been without Angel for a little over 3 months (guesstimate) but she's already moved on (though I imagine there will be some serious angsting when it is useful for the plot), I imagine it helps that she didn't kill him this time though... The whole Buffy-going-crazy thing had me going for a little bit, but I knew it wouldn't be that simple. The whole fight at the end was over the top but it fit with the less-than-serious tone of the episode. I just wonder what Kathy did to piss off her dad (presumably).

A great ep, but it's all funny with no real seriousness (cept for Oz, the chick and the commando guys, but I guess we'll find out more about that later). This kind of ep is awesome every once in a while but I prefer the more serious side of Buffy, especially when they manage to get good humor into the serious context seamlessly.

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Friday, February 16, 2007 5:55 AM

CHRISISALL

My prediction: you will like this season overall, though not as much as three.
But will you love or hate fifth...ah, there I cannot see.

Poetical Chrisisall

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Monday, February 19, 2007 9:40 PM

FREDGIBLET

Episode 403: The Harsh Light Of Day

This season is shaping up to be pretty good, We have the return of Anya, and the Xander/Anya relationship is back on (and funnier than ever) and we have the return of Spike. The first half of this ep is loaded with laughs, Spike dealing with Harmony, Anya trying to have her relationship with Xander (the pre-sex secene was gutbusting), and the discovery that Giles is "just as shallow as the rest of us".

Then things kick into serious mode, Buffy finds out that Parker's just looking for some love, Harmony (apparently) breaks up with Spike (just a guess), and Spike gets a day pass. The Gem storyline was interesting and I can't wait until tomorrow to see what Angel does with it (left the damn DVD at work), and the end with the frustrated women all tking walks in the same area.

A great ep that has few weak spots. Looking forward to more like this.

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