It Must Be Tuesdays

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Tjaman

* lighter * Nice Wikipedia reference, Nick. spun the review like a top


Author: Nick

Thanks for the kind words, Shepherd.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Nick

Forgive me Kev, it's been two months since my last review.

It's been a while, so I'm a bit rusty.

Nightmares


One of my most vivid nightmare was one where I dreamt I was falling and usually end with me sweating and wide awake. What is it about nightmares that evoke such powerfull reaction from us? Is it merely because it internalizes our deepest fears? Or is it because it is the reenactment of some lingering imagary of some frightening act you wish you'd forgotten? There are even some who possit that nightmares are the medium in which our subconscious p@sses along things it wants us to take notice of.

What does the nighmares of the Scoobies portend? Are they a window into the characters themselves, or are they a foretelling of things to come? So, Come with me now, if you will, gentle readers. Join me on a new voyage of the mind. A little tale I like to call: Buffy, Dreamer of the NyghtMares.


Buffy's Nightmares
1. Being unprepared for a test, and time moving faster than usual.
- This is a fairly common nightmare for most people, but I believe this is indicative of Buffy's subconscious. She doesn't think she's ready to face the Master, and she's running out of time. She doubts her ability to face him. A lot of this fear comes into play in the season finaly, Prophecy Girl.

2. Her father telling her that she's the reason for her parent's divorce.
- Another common nightmare among broken households, as the child inevitably blames him or herself for the problem. Buffy's fear is intensified by the fact that her Slayer duties do keep her at odds with her parents.

3. Buffy being buried alive
- Being buried alive usually signifies a feeling of confusion or conflict. I guess she certainly has enough of those

4. Becoming a vampire
- Possibly one of her greatest fear, becoming the very thing she has sworn to fight. Of course, this is before she has boinked the very thing she has sworn to fight, so it's understandable.


Willow's Nightmare.
Singing in public.
- Public displays are, of course, one of her biggest fears, as seen in The Puppet Show. But I think that this goes deeper than that. Willow is deeply afraid to show herself to everyone because she is afraid that she will be rejected. At this point in time, she still has issue with self-confidence


Xander's Nightmares.
1. Being Naked
- Another common nightmare, this usually symbolizes that you are hiding something, and are afraid that people will see through your charade. Xander's fear of incompetence and not being significant is explored more in detailed later in the series.

2. Chased by Clown.
- While this might just be the effect of scary clowns, being chased usually signafies running from your fears. It's interesting to note, that Xander is the only who confronted, and defeated his fear.


Giles Nightmares.
1. Lost in the stacks
- Interestingly, being lost shares the same significance as being buried alive, that is feelings of confusion and conflict. Buffy's very different from the Slayers of the past, and Giles still doesn't know how to deal with her. Add to the fact that he's beginning to see her as more than just his Slayer, must be very new to him.

2. Unable to read.
- This nigtmare is related to the previous one, as being unable to read symbolizes worry. As to what Giles is worried about, one can hazard a guess, especially with the next nightmare.

3. Buffy Dying.
- This most like represents Giles fear of failing his task and his charge, though dreams of loved ones dying may also indicate that the dreamer is lacking certain qualities embodied by the person who died.


But, sometimes, as Freud said, a dream is just a dream. And a nightmare is just a nightmare, nothing more, nothing less. But half the fun of watching Buffy is reading more than what you can see.


Thoughts
- Useless Trivia. This episode has 3 tenuous connections to "Once More with Feelings"
1. The whole episode itself is referenced by a line in the song "I've got a Theory":
"Some kid is dreaming And we're all stuck inside his wacked broadway nightmare"
2. The line "Their furry bodies, and their sticky webs, and what do they need all those legs for anyway?" is very like Anya's line in the "Bunny Song"
3. Giles said that "Dreams? That would be a musical comedy version of this" Which they did have.

- Some very nice emoting by Sarah this episode.

- I wonder whatever happened to Hank Summers. He went from this loving father in the first few season to the dead beat in the last few.

- Willow should've done another 'freeze and run' that she perfected so well in "The Puppet show"

- I don't know about birthday clowns being scary (never had them), but I saw "It" when I was very young and that was scary.


A very good episode for the first season, with some nice character backgrounds and development. I give it another 7 out of 10.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Bango

nickseng said:

I don't know about birthday clowns being scary (never had them), but I saw "It" when I was very young and that was scary.

Nah. Try seeing it again.

I remember seeing IT when I was a kid, and being scared--so scared.

Watched it a year or so ago on Scifi and was amazed at how corny and not scary the movie really was.




Author: Nick


Thanks, Bango

nickseng said:

I don't know about birthday clowns being scary (never had them), but I saw "It" when I was very young and that was scary.

Nah. Try seeing it again.

I remember seeing IT when I was a kid, and being scared--so scared.

Watched it a year or so ago on Scifi and was amazed at how corny and not scary the movie really was.

[/quote]

I did, just a couple of years ago. While it wasn't as scary, it was spooky, especially the flashbacks.


Author: Ticktock44

Nice insights Nick

If it's any comfort clowns still scare me.


Author: Nick

*blush*

I'm the very spirit of embar@ssment.


Author: Charisma69

bango said:

Nah. Try seeing it again.

I remember seeing IT when I was a kid, and being scared--so scared.

Watched it a year or so ago on Scifi and was amazed at how corny and not scary the movie really was.

The movie never scared me, but then I don't scare that easily.

And I'd already read the book, multiple times, before the movie was made.

So the movie pretty much annoyed me since it didn't follow the book closely enough. They did do a better job on this one than they did on previous books though so it wasn't all bad.

But the book is way better than the movie.

[/color]

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Nick

Out of Mind, Out of Sight.

Loneliness is a state where a person feels disconnected, isolated, or separated. There are many degrees of loneliness, from being misunderstood (and who hasn't gone through that), to being separated from the ones you love, to being unable to connect to the people around you. Most of the time, when we feel loneliness, it's a p@ssing thing, as there are many ways a person can cope with this feeling. Being with friends or people who understand you or becoming more active can really help deal with this.

Everyone feels lonely from time to time. What's important is to not let it overwhelm you, and find ways to understand, and subsequently cope with it.

Today's episode of Buffy deals with loneliness; specifically the loneliness experienced by Buffy, Cordelia, and Marcie, and how they deal with it.

Buffy's the Slayer. She's destined to face evils alone, telling no one of her burdens and tribulations. However, Buffy has chosen to surround herself with friends and people she trusts, something almost unheard of in Slayers. Not only does this keep her connected, but it has helped keep her invested. (The Wish shows how Buffy'd turn out without friends).

And even then, there are times, like the one showed in this episode, when she cannot connect with her friends. Xander and Willow's lifelong friendship means that there will be times that Buffy will be left out, and they can never truly understand where Buffy came from and what she has to do.

Cordelia is lonely because she feels that no one really listens to her, no one knows the real her self. Her way of dealing with it? It's better to be lonely and popular, than to be lonely and alone. Which, I guess is a way to cope with it.

Marcie, on the other, gets the brunt of it. To be so ignored by everone, not only the popular kids, but by teachers and other kids (Willow and Xander). Is there something inherent in her that makes it hard for her to connect? We never learned, but by virtue of the Hellmouth, she becomes invisible. Coupled by the fact that her solitude, hellmouth and people-induced, has driven her mad, she plans to punish those who hurt her the most.

One question this episode asks, who is responsible for what happens to Marcie? Is it the everyone's fault for ignoring her? Or is it her own fault, as Cordelia illuminated through Shylock? Did it happen because she let it happen?



Thoughts

- Cordelia: Well, how about color me totally self-involved?
Ne'er a true word said. Loved her dissertation of Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. I can't help but agree with the gist of her arguments, though.

- I don't get Ms. Miller. Is she just biased, or really, really blind? The way she fawns over Cordelia is weird.

- Poor Buffy, she feels so left out in the threesome.

- Snyder: There are no dead students here. This week.
I LOVE Snyder. They should've brought him back as The First to haunt the scoobies. There could be more nostril action.

- Mitch-Look. Ms. Miller-Listen. Cordelia-Learn.
Does anybody know the significance of this?

- I get the way Cardelia behaves the way she does, but the way she treats Marcie in the past almost makes what Marcie does justified. Almost.

- Marcie's a band geek who likes playing with her flute. Now why does that sound so familiar.

- Cordelia: This is all about me! Me, me, me!
I kinda miss self-involved Cordy. But not too much. This is still the pre-tact Cordy. Loved the way she asked Buffy for help.

- One of the secret Agent's name is Doyle. Probably just a coincidence, but still. Huh.

- I didn't really think Cordy've reformed by the end of the ep, but it's still nice to see her thanking the Scoobies.

I liked this ep. The story worked and the characters clicked. I'm gonna give this a 7 out of 10 despite the X-file ending.


I'll try to get Prophecy Girl up by next week.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Ticktock44

*exalting Nick*


Author: Nick

Thanks Tickie.

I feel like such a pimp.


Author: Ticktock44

Nick, what have we discussed concerning these delusions?


Author: Nick

Uhhh ... they're all real and you're the Mistress of the Universe?


Author: Ticktock44

Right. Exactly. Good Nick.


Author: Quantumcat

Bravo,Nick!!!!


Author: Nick

Thanks, QC.

What is thy bidding, my mistress?

Wait, that sounds wrong...


Author: Kev

Bueno reviewo, Nicko.


Author: Quantumcat

Gor!!!!!!

er,I mean Gar.....

(blush)

[GreatMuppetyNick]

NOTE: This was actually in a different thread, but I'd thought I'd just dump it here

Author: Kev

I created this thread to give us a chance to review a specific episode without the worry of going out of order.

My first review is "Normal Again."

I did this episode review as an @ssignment for a script analysis in my scriptwriting cl@ss. The @ssignment did not allow me to put my own analysis to the episode.

The central conflict of this episode occurs within Buffy’s mind. She is faced with a choice. Does she choose the life that she is crazy living in a mental institution or the one she is a superhero fighting demons and vampires? Buffy could have taken the antidote that would have healed her, but decided that it was actually better to live in reality in which she was in an institution. She then sets out on her way to rid herself of the things that tie her to the reality in which she is a hero.
The protagonist in this episode is Buffy Summers, she is the one who the story centers around, and it is her plight that we empathize with. We see that she is struggling for her sanity and we want to help her. The antagonist is Buffy’s mind; it is letting her believe that the reality that has the mental institution is real. Her mind is creating the world in which her mom and dad are together and happy. She is one that is dictating that the only way she can be happy is if she is with her family, and her real friends are dead.
The what’s-at-stake of this episode is the health of Buffy’s mental health. If she does not get the serum, she will continue to drift back and forth between the two realities. Also if she does not choose to live in the real reality, her friends will die because the demon that injected her with the serum will kill them. The point of attack is the scene before the opening credits in which Buffy is looking for the Trio, a group of nerds whose mission is to rule Sunnydale and be a nuisance to Buffy. This is when the demon attacks Buffy, after being summoned by the Trio, and injects her with the serum.
The crisis of this episode is the point where Buffy decides she will be more comfortable living in reality created by her mind. At this point she decides to have her friends killed and live in the reality in which she has created. The climax of “Normal Again” is when she sees her friends in danger and is having an internal battle with herself. This causes her to be torn between saving their lives, or letting them die at the hands of the demon who infected her. The resolution of this episode occurs when Buffy decides to save her friends from the demon, and making the decision that the life in which she is battling demons and vampires is the more desirous one. Buffy decides to take the antidote that she dumped out earlier in the episode. The end of the episode shows us the reality that was created by Buffy’s mind, and the doctor saying “We lost her”, making the audience wonder what was the real reality.

I personally thought this episode was brilliant. I thought that SMG did a wonderful job showing us Buffy's insecurities, making us feel empathic for her situation. I honestly was heartbroken when Buffy choose the crazy reality was the best one for her. However, I do understand her choice. I honestly thought that this was Sarah Michelle's best acting preformance on Buffy.

Also, the supporting cast did a great job making crazyBuffy feel like the real world that she is a slayer was a bad world. All of their problems gave her incentive to choose the fake "world" was better.

I did enjoy the scene in which Xander and Spike fought the demon together. It showed that if they wanted too, that they really could be friends. They played so well off each other.

But we all knew that Buffy would choose the real world because she has that hero gene inside of her, which makes her want to help people. Her sense of duty showed up here because she could have had her dream where she is not the slayer, and her family is back together, but she is not the type to throw away her duty.

I personally though this episde is in the top 5 of the series history. I give a Hole in one.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

NOTE: The following posts are also from other threads

Author: Tjaman

I'll get the ball rolling with a cl@ssic.

... tomorrow.

I will actually need to watch "Welcome to the Hellmouth" first.

Pardon my unpardonable delay. [/quote]


Author: Kev

You are pardoned.
[/color]

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Tjaman

Welcome to the Hellmouth
We got fun and games.
We got vamps of every size
And we know their names

There's Darla and there's ... Luke ...
and ... others ... OK we lied ...
Just don't free Mark Metcalf
From that effect he's trapped inside!

In the Hellmouth,
Welcome to the Hellmouth
Hey you dropped this, what the ...
On your sh-la-la-la-la knees, knees
WAAHH! What's that new kid's deal?

Welcome to the Hellmouth
And the softer side of Sears
Cordy's tongue can bring anyone
To the brink of tears.

And subtle much? we know
When Xander's in on the show
Someone accidentally
Left their discretion back at home

In the Hellmouth
Welcome to the Hellmouth
Feel my, my, incisor teeth
WAAH! I wanna watch you flee!

When you're high sometimes you ...
Write a crazy new show.
A show. A shooooooow!

Welcome to the Hellmouth,
It gets worse here every day
If you're a vamp, I'm gonna stake your heart
And tell you you look lame

And the effects still need some work
That silly Watcher too. Don't rely on him
Or you'll be dead before S2 ;D

On the Hellmouth,
Welcome to the Hellmouth
WAAH! It's gonna bring you ... DOWN!


I think this was an excellent introduction to the series.

It's set up immediately -- expect the unexpected. Everything about the opening scene with Darla suggests she's going to get bitten. When the pretty girl in the Catholic school uniform vamps out and feeds, it's actually still a little surprising, even though I know it's coming.

And I wasn't exactly sure what Buffy was doing under those covers but if Angel can have "gentleman's time" I'm sure the Buffster can have some privacy too.

Seriously, tho, it's a nice intro to the character: She's troubled by nightmares, she got kicked out of her last school for setting fire to a gymful of vamps (and really, who hasn't been there, am I right people?) her mom loves her and is worried about her, her dad is nowhere to be seen and she's all about putting her past behind her.

Sending her to the library to get a textbook was somewhat lame, but here we meet Rupert Giles, the pantsless librarian. He's all excited and squishy and new, and crops up right against Buffy's jaded 16-year-old sensibilities.

I felt bad for Buffy. This was a good window on her fears: A Watcher can't protect her from the worst stuff: getting kicked out of school, losing friends, loneliness, and a wildly eventful, fighting-for-her-life nightlife that just never ends. She can never just be normal, and that's what she so desperately desires.

Now, "Welcome to the Hellmouth" as an introduction to the series: If you've never seen the film, the exposition at the beginning of "The Harvest" is crucial. BUT WE'RE NOT THERE YET! Those of you with the combined pilot on DVD just HOLD OFF. We'll talk about "The Harvest" next week, I promise.

First we have to meet Cordelia. A friendly sort of ... ok, she's in the opening credits. And Stephanie Romanov never was. That's almost unfair, really. Cordy doesn't become a Scooby until Buffy's saved her life like several times, and up until then she is a major "downward mobility=morbid much?=what's-her-deal?=what's-your-major-childhood-trauma?!" thorn in her side.

After being attacked by Buffy, for example: "Excuse me -- I've got to call everyone I have ever met."

My sister pointed out that she could've just accused Cordy of sneaking up on her in the dark, that she'd seen a stalker before and was frightened.

Buffy's cover stories, I said, like her fighting, get better as the series progresses.

The introduction to Willow was seamless, and what a good Willow. So sweet, so trusting, so ... "Hey, I'm in a mausoleum! There's no ice cream in here!" Buffy's a good influence on her (even if her advice did send her little heart to "seize the moment" with a vamp) -- but not yet.

Anyway, rather than send her back out into the cemetary with who-knows-how-many vamps, keeping her, Jesse and Xander (and what the hell was Xander tagging along for? Even if he was there to direct Buffy to where Willow might have gotten to, they wouldn't have ended up in the mausoleum) in there with her would've been strategically better.

Never mind. Buffy's got a good instinct for this, and for a relatively untrained Slayer, she fights pretty well.

And she had some great patter. "What's with that outfit? Live in the now. You look like De Barge!"

It's better than Luke's patter, anyway. Others have mentioned this elsewhere, but that great long speech he has about the Master rising up for the Harvest and all of hell will ... COME TO TOWN? Like ... the circus? Or Santa Claus? C'mon Joss, honestly.

I don't get Darla, here. She was sired in the 1600s, got chased all over hell and gone by Holtz -- hell, Spike actually ate a Slayer while she was only a few hundred feet away, and she ... doesn't know what Buffy is? Weak. You'd think she had some kind of inkling.

And our introduction to Angel. I wonder if the main idea originally was to have Angel be a lot more morally ambiguous. His first interaction with Buffy suggests an itchy relationship with "good." Good, bad, he's beyond it all. Must be all that slinking through alleyways living on rats.

"I won't bite." Fair enough. But honestly, Angel -- you went with the shiny jacket? Could be worse, I suppose. He could pull a Spike and grab Buffy's robin's egg blue number.

The Hellmouth seems relatively undefined, even in the mind of Joss. With the benefit of hindsight, it goes from being a tentacle-clogged fissure (with no Turok-hans in sight) to some random opening for demons to fall through to some sort of fabulously satanic manhole cover it's actually sort of difficult to open and close.

What a strange set of metamorphoses for such an important series-arc cast member.

I enjoyed this intro to our storyline, our characters and our situation. "The Harvest" is merely an extension of said same, but I'll hold off til next week to chat about it.

Til then: "Try not to get kicked out."

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: AuntArlene

Yet another website where I feel inadequate about my episode musings. I feel like taking a writing cl@ss just to keep up with you guys.

Nicely done as usual.

Not only will I always @ssociate Welcome to the Jungle with McDonalds, now I will think of Buffy as well. Should I just split the difference and think of "Doublemeat Palace"?


Author: Tjaman

Sounds like a plan, Auntie

And inadequate, schminadequate. Judging by your musings on "Billy," you are well up to this. ;D


Author: Cordy

Them there were some seriously brilliant insights about Welcome To The Hellmouth Tj. ;D

So good in fact that I'm going to be late to school since I've taken time to read them and respond. ;D

Only one teensy complaint, a very minor complaint really. Hardly noticable.

I don't get Darla, here. She was sired in the 1600s, got chased all over hell and gone by Holtz -- hell, Spike actually ate a Slayer while she was only a few hundred feet away, and she ... doesn't know what Buffy is? Weak. You'd think she had some kind of inkling.

Darla was originally supposed to die in The Harvest, she wasn't meant to stay around.

But then Joss like her so much he expanded the character, and kept expanding the Character.

So he hadn't come up with Darla's back story yet.

See, very minor complaint about your otherwise very brilliant insights.

And I hope it makes sense 'cause the video for The Killers "Mr. Brightside" just came on and I haven't seen it yet.

If freakin' rocks! Just like all their stuff. ;D

Your "Welcome To The Hellmouth" song rocked too. That was awesome!


Author: Tjaman

That wasn't a complaint. Rather, that was a much needed Supplementary Brilliant Insight™ that expands on mine and makes this discussion all the better.

I had no idea. No wonder she was clueless.

I'm so glad Darla wasn't staked. It'll be interesting to watch her backstory intertwine with Angel's as it is developed further in the Mind of Joss. ;D


Now get to school, ya slacker!


Author: Cordy

That wasn't a complaint. Rather, that was a much needed Supplementary Brilliant Insight™ that expands on mine and makes this discussion all the better.

I'm so glad I could provide the brilliant insight supplemental. ;D



See the kind of things you can learn if you have the DVD's?



I'm so glad she wasn't staked as well. Just think of all the stuff we would have missed out on. ;D

Now get to school, ya slacker!

Slacker? Me? Not me, I'm totally not a slacker.

I was already gone when you sent that by the way. I was only a couple of minutes late for cl@ss too. ;D


Author: BiteMe

Ack! I feel like I keep talking about the same episodes over and over again. First we had the Buffy episode chain, then It Must Be Tuesday, now this. I'm starting to disagree with Julie Andrews...let's not start at the very beginning...it's not the very best place to start.


Author: Tjaman

"The Buffy Episode Chain?" "It Must Be Tuesday?" Pardon me as a Buffyside newbie, but I've never gotten to talk about any of the Buffysodes anywhere.

You of course have the same access to the "New Thread" button as anyone else, BiteMe. By all means, go for it.

I'll catch up eventually. ;D

Out of curiosity, where does it start to be "new" for you again? We just randomly dropped the needle on "Darla" (AtS-2x07) when we started our "Wednesday Night Geek Club™" on the Angel 'Tome. I'm personally looking forward to "Not Fade Away" (coming up sometime in 2006) so I can talk about S1, myself.

P.S. -- I'd love to read your cl@ssic Brilliant Insights™ from days of yore if you'd care to repost them here. Less work all around, I imagine.

And as I've said elsewhere, I love insights.


Author: Tjaman

Also, before ... when you discussed these episodes, I mean ... did anyone ... burst into song?


Author: Tjaman ... again

* further contributing to BiteMe's Mummy's Hand experience *

Almost nothing shows up by accident in a pilot episode. Anyone know what that pin is that Willow is wearing at lunch?

This is the first and the last time we ever see Xander on a skateboard, yes?

The signs in the hallway are fun little spots of life. My favorite are the signs that just say "Pep Rally!" with no time or place. Who's running for cl@ss president in that sign by the water fountain? Is that ever in clear shot?

Was there a Jonathan sighting? My Buffy guide says there's a Jonathan sighting but I clearly missed him.

Anyone know any of these things?


Author: AuntArlene

I haven't had time to rewatch it yet. I plan on watching it tonight. I also want to rewatch our current Book Club episode. I will contibute, eventually.

I forgot about the Firefly episode too. I taped "Lost" last night, but that can wait.

With all this good stuff to watch it almost seems like a good TV season.


Author: BiteMe

Watch "Lost" right away!!! It was great!

The Buffy Episode Chain and It Must Be Tuesday were our episode discussion threads on the Buffy tvtome boards. I think I'll revive It Must Be Tuesday and keep going where we left off there so I don't have to keep repeating myself.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: AuntArlene

Not the greatest narrative here. Mostly just random thoughts.


I don't know how many times I have been watching a Buffy episode and thought that I knew exactly what was going to happen. Each time the episode would take a sharp left turn. You'd think after this happening 3 or 4 times I would catch on. Nope. I was still getting suckered in season 7. "Welcome to the Hellmouth" starts out this way. Two kids break into the school and you think that they are both going to be the innocent victims. As we all know, Catholic School Darla (now with kung fu grip!) ends up turning her date into a late night snack.

We see another recurring device when Buffy and Giles are in the Bronze. The long winded self important speech that gets cut off abruptly, usually for a good laugh.

Giles: You should know. Even through this m@ss and this... din, you should be able to sense them. Well, try! Reach out with your mind. You have to hone your senses, focus until the energy washes over you, until you, you feel every particle o-of...
Buffy: There's one.
Followed soon by Giles' "But you didn't hone."

Charisma sure plays a bitca well. Not exactly the softer side of Cordelia in this episode. Fun to watch Cordelia this way again.

We get to see our first glimpse of the Master's underground clubhouse. Somebody sure went nuts at a Candlelite party! They should host the party next time and get 20% off their candle purchases.

Let us not forget Mark Metcalf. Does this guy ever play a cuddly character? I expect him to tell his minions that they are all worthless and weak. One of the vamps should have worn a pledge pin, although it probably would have been too hard to see.

I agree with you, TJ, about Darla not knowing that Buffy was the Slayer. I wasn't that thrilled with this version of Darla and I didn't mind when they let her get all dusty later on. I liked her better as hormonally imbalanced pregnant Darla in Angel S3.

As far as Willow's pin, it looks like a bowling pin and ball. It's a little hard to tell. Maybe I was inferring since Willow later admits to being turned on by the rented shoes at the bowling alley. ;D


Author: Tjaman

I so agree with you about Darla, Auntie. Just finished watching "Offspring" a second time for the Geek Club™, and she is really just so cool.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Tjaman

This was a good second half of the pilot episode. It stands a little less well on its own, but that isn't terribly important.

I'm interested in the fact that Xander feels like he's the odd man out from the very beginning. That while Willow is able to help Buffy (and I'm interested in how immediately that became a priority for them) by hacking into the city's computer system (someone's been naughty), Xander can't really seem to provide much at all.

In the way he did help, I'm a little surprised. Buffy has Slayer strength, yet she needed Xander to help push the door closed when they were down rescuing Jesse (too late)? Not too believeable, but then I've got seven seasons on this episode. Buffy was equal to shutting a door on her own.

The loping gait of the vampires into the trap was bizarre. Vampires can move very quickly. This shambling of theirs is more along the lines of our zombies over in the Hyperion. It was necessary for the storyline, but it wasn't especially believeable.

I did love the following misremembered exchange, when they were comparing notes in the library:

Buffy: I don't know where they went. They could've left the graveyard and FOOM!
Xander: They can fly?
Buffy: They can drive.

Because of course vampires can't fly. Except in the movie. And they weren't supposed to be able to, so they can't fly in the series. Nice way to put a button on that, Joss.

The door to the electrical tunnels that for whatever reason is running through a family crypt (maybe they got a deal of some sort) was padlocked. And it's broad daylight outside. Angel must've been hiding in the crypt. His character is delightfully undefined. And he's not afraid to confront the vampires. How many vampires has Angel confronted in his storied past? Though to be fair, for the most part he's been on their side.

Watching this episode, having just watched "Quickening," it's so hard to reconcile the Angel of the future and of his own past with the Angel we meet in the opening moments of S1. Not only does he look way different (which is unavoidable) but the stuff he says to Buffy doesn't make a lot of sense. It's hard to know if he's stalking her or avoiding her. His wishing her luck when he could go in with her and help was odd, btw. And his sitting out the confrontation in the Bronze was strange too.

Who is this character?

Without going into too much detail, there was a vampire who was attacking Willow, I think it was, after Buffy escaped from Luke (who for reasons best known to himself, called off his attack after he burned his hand on the cross Angel gave to Buffy). Buffy kicked the vampire attacking Willow in the face, and he went scurrying away holding his nose.

It was impossible for me not to hear in my head the lines "Oh my nose! Oh my nose!" as he scampered off. ;D

But the vamp attacks, when they seemed committed to them, were creepy enough. The hand grabbing at Buffy as she escaped into the sun wa creepy. Jesse was creepy. The Master was a seriously creepy vamp -- very Hannibal Lecter. And the harvest itself was creepy.

The library scene, where the folks at home learned about what, exactly, vampires are, was quite good, although again, I don't think Joss had a great notion of exactly what the Hellmouth was at this instance. If the Master was trying to open it, why was he in a church someplace else?

The Master talking about Luke's soul feeding his own during the Harvest must've been metaphorical more than metaphysical because of course vampires don't have souls (well, except for Spike, eventually, and Angel, whose soul amuses itself by doing the hokey-pokey for 12 seasons). Metaphor would've been better to introduce later because at the very beginning, this concept of the Master having a soul is potentially confusing. He doesn't have a soul. Like all vampires, he has an animating demon.

Giles is so perky and new. He approaches the inaugural band of Scoobies as a clahss.

And Buffy figured out where Luke came from without Willow, but that's probably alright.

I think one of my favorite images from the 'verse is Darla dancing up to the Bronze (which was a great name, btw) -- slow motion, her beautiful hair flying in her dance spin. There's something so pristine and evil about her in that scene.

And yet ...

Again, we are forced to reconcile Darla the pretty young thing with the backstory foisted upon her. Whereas Dru is always Dru in her mode of dress, Darla's selection of the Britneywear is jarringly out of sync with what she chooses to wear when she is brought back in Angel, and especially with what she shows up in back in the day.

I'm so glad Joss continued her character -- she's such a good vampire -- but it's too bad he hadn't completely thought out the whole thing prior to the pilot. It's disappointing to learn how sketchy Angel's backstory simply must've been in the mind of his creator at this stage of the story -- potentially as far in as "School Hard."

I wonder if Cordy remembers that they've met, but only so very briefly, when they meet up again in Los Angeles. Probably not. After a while, all the vamps she's run into over the years just sort of blend together.

Buffy getting grounded was an interesting redirect. What a not terrible time to bring Joyce in on this whole thing, but it adds another element of pressure to her character. And if gives Joyce a point of recrimination when she discovers Buffy's secret identity.

One wonders how ready any parents would be to learn that their daughter has been chosen (By who? Who knows -- it seems pretty random. Whoever's doing the choosing might have wanted to do a better psych eval before choosing Faith. Just sayin') to fight the forces of evil. She'll be superstrong and have some excellent fighting skills and instincts, but she will almost certainly die young and actually, since you mention it, no, there is no stipend. Sorry.

Because we're generally talking young girls. And usually for not terribly long. And most Slayers aren't on a Hellmouth so there's probably more flitting about and who covers those expenses? Council, I suppose. Kendra was living with her Watcher so how creepy is that? This idea seems poorly thought out, but as it becomes more thought out, it becomes much more attractive and in general a better story.

The Harvest was good. Luke had an excellent lighting scheme up there on the stage -- better than some bands, actually. The fact that he had to be the one doing the eating in order for the Master to gain strength was a nice reason for the minions to hold off on the killing themselves.

However. Luke ate two people and the Master was nearly free of that silly effect. I think it should've taken more people.

Now Buffy was wonderful in that fight. The beheading with a cymbal was excellent, the staking of an off-camera vamp with a pool cue was cool -- although they need to figure out how long it takes for vamps to dust and stick to that. Her tricking Luke about the sunrise seemed a little far-fetched (he knew he'd just gotten there as the sun set), but it was fun.

Willow and Xander and Giles handled themselves well. Vamp Jesse was able to give the folks at home an insight on what being sired means -- they're not still the same people. His dance with Cordy, for instance. Semi-intense.

Darla running off in a cloud of fog after being splashed was very fun. Glad she recovered.

I didn't know where else to mention this, but I did like what Willow did to Cordy in the computer lab. She's ee-vil.

We close with Giles in his little round-rimmed gl@sses excitedly telling Buffy and two civilians (honestly, Giles, a major screwup within hours of meeting your Slayer -- bad form, dude) about all the rising hell they're going to be facing. As Buffy walks off trying to think of ways to get kicked out of school, we hear the Giles Prophecy: "The world is doomed."

The conversation in "Chosen" referenced this wonderfully.

Good, good eppy.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Tjaman

Some excellent lines in this one. Such as:

Xander: "I laugh in the face of danger. And then hide until it goes away."

Giles: (after laying out in glowing terms the demonic delights of living on the Hellmouth) "Well, excuse me for seeing the gl@ss half full."

And of course, Buffy singing "Macho Man," which is delightful.

Buffy's conversations with her mom was the main point of this episode: Parents shouldn't try to live their lives through their children. Their children have their own lives and their own interests. There's also a suggestion as to why communication breaks down between parents and kids -- that parents don't want to think back to when they were 16 -- and it's probably valid.

Buffy comes out and announces her Slayerhood in this episode, under the influence of dark magicks (OMWF, anyone?), and Joyce doesn't follow it up because it's just too confusing to her.

Buffy bouncing around the kitchen in a good mood, however, was fun to see. She's usually larger with the broody and the weight of the world and the saving, etc. etc.

And her opening that crate single-handedly was cool -- although we have to wonder what's going on when she can open a crate with one hand but can't manage to shut a rusty door without Xander's help one episode ago.

A couple of look aheads in this eppy:

When the singing and dancing lead to burning and dying in "Once More With Feeling," no one @ssumes it's a witch. Yet the first instance we see of witchcraft takes the form of Amber Grove's hands bursting into flame while dancing. Interesting.

And her mom's eyes went pitch black during the casting of dark magicks. That one survived throughout the series.

Another eye thing, Cordy went blind -- our second on-screen spellcasting. I wonder if those were the same contacts they used when she went glowy a few times in A-S3 & A-S4, or if they just went with CGI. I'm pretty sure they went with CGI in A-S4.

I wonder how long Amy's mom was in possession of Amy's body. Her instincts seemed friendly right up until Buffy was kicked off the squad. But maybe her possession started earlier, and was the reason Amy lost all the weight. Or all that training with her mom was a front.

Side note: This show needs to come clean -- earlier -- about when people become possessed, or it invites endless speculation with no satisfactory conclusion.

Incidentally, cheerleading has gotten a lot more complicated in the last 20 years or so, especially from the mid-90s. There are a lot more complicated jumps, stunts and combinations. I'd have been interested in watching Amy's mom in Amy's body trying to learn the moves and keep up.

But the most spectacular display, of course, was the one at the end, when Buffy turns the magicks back onto the Witch.

Amy's mom was deeply knowledgable. And it was interesting to watch Willow casting her first spell: That formula to identify witches. She was already established as a science geek, so her transition into the dark arts using chem lab equipment was a natural.

But Amy's mom's cauldron and figures and books don't get the play in Willow's eventual practice that they had here. By S6, Willow's magicks derive from knowledge absorbed and intuited and communal, not from a spellbook and recipes (although these do retain a presence).

Of course, the mythology of the 'verse is necessarily going to change from the third installment in the series. It's just interesting to observe.

Also, Amy becomes more adept over the course of a very short period of time. In that she can be trapped in the body of a rat invites a parallel. If someone turned Willow-S6 into a rat, she would not remain a rat for any length of time.

Maybe Amy needed to become more intuitive about her craft. But by the time she is reinstated in her human form, she is as capable a caster as Willow.

Again, interesting to observe.

I liked Buffy's willingness to save even a bullying witch like Cordelia. But I got the distinct impression that a Slayer is more or less out of her depth in dealing with witchcraft. It seems to require craft to counter it, and here we have Giles -- a.k.a. dark-magicks exploring Ripper -- casting his "first" spell. Obviously he tells a fib to placate the children.

But regardless it works. Ultimately, Giles frees the Slayer so the Slayer can confront the Witch -- and defeat her with her own power.

It works, it's satisfying. But if they'd been anywhere else, it probably would not have worked.

Very, very interesting.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Cordy

Incidentally, cheerleading has gotten a lot more complicated in the last 20 years or so, especially from the mid-90s. There are a lot more complicated jumps, stunts and combinations. I'd have been interested in watching Amy's mom in Amy's body trying to learn the moves and keep up.

I don't think Cheerleading has gotten more complicated in the last 20 years or so.

When I was in 5th and 6th grade the girls in my gym cl@ss did alot of the same complicated flips and such that professional cheerleaders do. And when I was in Junior High and a Freshman in High School the cheerleaders did some seriously complicated cheers and such that would be just as good as the cheers done today.

Now when I moved to Lesterville, those Cheerleaders were lucky to be able to do a cartwheel.

I think it just depends on the school. Some schools have really talented cheerleaders that can do complicated stunts, and others do not.

Cheering as a rule is not getting more complex, though possibly more competitive than it used to be what with ESPN covering compititions and such now.

Very Brilliant Insight by the way. ;D


Author: AuntArlene

I swear, now that the holidays are over I will get around to rewatching these eps and catch up.

I always thought it was interesting the way the truck driver continued to barrel towards Cordelia when she got out of the car. He apparently knew her.


Author: Tjaman

Very Brilliant Insight by the way.

Thank you, Cordy

I actually was going by ESPN, but I saw ESPN more recently than I was in high school Our cheerleaders in the '80s didn't do anything near as complicated as those teams, so that was my point of reference.

And of course North Dakota's high school athletic @ssociation has restrictions on the sorts of stunts that can be attempted, so that's why our cheer teams rarely advance beyond state.

Our precision dance team kicked @ss, however.

He apparently knew her.

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: AuntArlene

Teacher's Pet isn't one of my favorite episodes. I don't hate it, but it's towards the bottom of my list. Xander isn't my favorite character, so that probably has something to do with it. He's fine as a supporting character, but I usually find Xander centric episodes to be a bit flat. I also don't care to listen to the teen boy angst that was so prevalent in this episode.

I liked Dr. Gregory and how he tried to get Buffy motivated about school. You always see these types of teachers on TV and in movies, but I was never fortunate enough to have one. Too bad he had to die for the sake of the story.

I did like the scene when Principal Flutie makes Buffy see a counselor. Cordelia's speech about looking at the bright side of a decapitated teacher is amusing.

"Like, how even used Mercedes still have leather seats!"

We get to see an early version of a much used message on the show about alcohol being bad. Xander drinks his martini and promptly p@sses out.

I enjoyed the "eeny, meeny, miney, moe" bit when the she mantis was deciding between Xander and Blaine.

I wonder what happened to the eggs they show us in the final shot.


Author: Tjaman

It's interesting to watch any of these old episodes knowing that from the very beginning, Joss was out to make a sociological statement about gender roles, and turning the whole "damsel in distress" concept on its ear.

This was suggested in "Welcome to the Hellmouth" where the presumed damsel in distress -- Darla -- turns out to be the attacking predator, and in "The Harvest" when Buffy sallies forth to save Jesse. It's hinted at elsewhere, too.

But from the opening shots of "Teacher's Pet," it's clear Xander has not yet gotten the message.

Buffy -- whose eyeliner in Xander's dream sequence makes her look a lot like Faith, actually (and what an interesting bit of foreshadowing that turns out to be in the story of this series) -- is in trouble, from something called a "vampire," and he's going to rescue her.

Not only does he not end up doing that. No. Buffy ends up rescuing him. It's an affront to his understanding of the universe, and we see tiny flashes of Jackal Boy as he stares into the machete that happens to be nearby towards the end of the fight sequence.

More interesting to me is how this show was learning to write itself. Buffy is presented with a thing to love, that thing is violently ripped away by an evil thing, Cordy says something insensitive, there are 10 minutes of purposeless running around, there's a fight, Buffy wins, there's a joke at Xander's expense and "erg arg!"

In this case, some of the purposelessness was that unfortunate Spork Vamp. An oblique reference to a vampire who cut off his hand for displeasing the Master? How many Things are running around in the Jossverse, anyway? There's Sporky, of course, then there's that creepy doctor guy from "I Fall To Pieces" who can disengage at will. There's the Mummy's Hand in "Life Serial," there's the Dana-meets-Spike encounter (that's a two-fer) and of course we have not only Lindsey, but his donor as well. I'm reluctant to include Gwendolyn Post in this list since Buffy had to cut off her whole arm, and as a purist I'd want to just keep it below the wrist.

It's a standard image of powerlessness, used in many different television programs (I can think, offhand, of scenes from "Kingdom Hospital," two different instances in "M*A*S*H" and also in "Nip/Tuck," where Escobar threatened to remove Sean's hand and take it back with him to Colombia). And Joss turns that on its ear. The vamp became actually more frightening because of his spork. Some penance.

But it's useful here because it's able to track the She-Mantis. Who showed her cards a little too plainly. Pheremones or no, if Buffy had told Xander that she saw Miss French's head do a Linda Blair, that would've convinced him.

She establishes no cover story (although she could -- she's got that glamour down pretty well), and preys on virgins. Exploding another high school myth, folks -- not saying anything specifically, here, but some guys don't live up to their own p.r. Buffy's @ssumption that Xander had gotten some was very sweet -- as was Willow's bug-eyed certainty that Xander was in deep, deep trouble.

It's interesting that she drops the glamour at the moment it might become most critical. Her seduction technique could use a little work.

And ... bat sonar?
Giles: "Who are you who are so wise in the ways of science?"
Buffy: "You've got to know these things when you're the Slayer, you know."

Well, there's something to be said for having an inspiring teacher. Poor decapitated teacher.

So really, the only thing that happened that really didn't need to was Giles' trunk call to the Cotswells' sanatorium. And even that had its moments.

I remember liking this episode quite a bit less than I liked it this time around. Quite enjoyable.

And hey -- Cordy may have lost 7.5 ounces, so it's a win all the way around.


Author: Auntie

Spork Vamp?

I'll never be able to watch that episode the same way again.


Author: Tjaman

I live to please, Auntie.

Anyway, I remembered another Thing -- Chase in "24" got his hand cut off.

I wish I could feel worse about that.


Author: Auntie

Did you ever watch The Pretender? Mike from Desperate Housewives played a character who had his thumb cut off by the Yakuza.


Author: TJaman

And John Cleese was turned into a newt!

[GreatMuppetyNick]

Author: Tjaman

If she'd glommed onto Angel instantly, that would've been a little too on the nose.

However ...

Look, so he's Danger Boy. The brush with death didn't take, so he might burst forth with something stupid at some unknown point in the future. But Buffy, the boy can brood for a clocked 40 minutes in one sitting.

side note: Where were the girls who thought guys being were all broody and poetic was cool when I was in high school?

Anyway, it was a terrible way to write this, and makes poor internal sense. Buffy likes him -- has liked him for a while -- because he seems all sensitive-mysterious-poet (and who are we kidding? he's pretty like starlight) Tall, pretty, broody, thinking-thoughts-about-her in his Owenness -- how can a Slayer refuse? And when he's completely onboard with her dark side ... -- I mean, honest to G-d, Buffy, how would you have kept it from anyone for longer than five episodes?

Put another way, you're freaked because he's not.

Owen just got to see the fun parts anyway. Brought into the Scoobies, learning that death lurked around every corner ...

... what, was he too expensive?

It does set Buffy spinning down that boulevard of broken dreams -- decides there's no spark with Xander (except, of course, for the love spell), dumps Owen, falls in love with, sleeps with and then kills Angel, barely acknowledges Scott Hope, confirms that she and Faith are "just good friends," gets all enthralled with Dracula -- and Spike, briefly -- invests way too much emotion into Parker, shuts Riley completely out, loses all control with Spike, tries to steal R.J. from Dawn, gets a little fluttery for Oh-Yes-He-Wood, forges an emotional connection with Spike and then boinks the Immortal.

Yep -- that's a healthy love life for Buffy the Vampire Evil Cordy Slüt. (<-- that "Evil Cordy" switchout is a serious pain in the bee-hind, Kev. Just sayin')

As you can tell, this analysis has focused entirely on the life of her heart. Buffy's so distracted by Owen that she completely missed the Annoying One.

She left Giles to pick up her slack (and he ran and hid like a right birk), and with Willow, Xander and Angel stepping up for a little redirect, she's still not in the game. Not that they weren't extremely clever -- the double date thing was sheer genius (and Xander's channeling of Cathy for his line: "the fun" was just perfect) and Buffy did everything she could to keep the fact that there were vamped out vampires around (it's amazing that Owen didn't honestly have more questions about what he'd just seen in that funeral home.)

But while it played host to some of the funniest lines -- "When I said you could fight vampires and pursue a social life, I didn't mean at the same time," for instance -- there was something a little disappointing about this ep.

Fun facts to know and tell:
* Rupert "Ripper" Giles wanted to be a fighter pilot -- or a grocer -- when he was growing up.
* Like Wesley, his destiny as a Watcher was a family tradition.
* Is it weird to be a Watcher who never once deals with an active Slayer? There's gotta be bunches of them. You'd @ssume any Watcher with an active Slayer would get invited to all the big Watcher 'dos.
* Giles in this episode tells Buffy there is no Slayer Manual. When she learns Kendra has been doing nothing but studying it all of her life, Buffy asks wtf, and Giles tells her it wouldn't have done her any good.
* The Annointed One is a little kid. I'm only remembering two kids vamped in the course of this 'verse -- Sarah Holtz and this otherwise anonymous child.
* Cordy meets Angel and gets a little predatory. Her line -- "Hello, salty goodness" -- is the same reaction she has six years later when she is 17 years old again in "Spin the Bottle" on "AtS."

It was an okay Buffy ep, but fantastic in terms of televison in general. A highly enjoyable watch.


Author: Auntie

Looking at things from a fun loving vampire's point of view, it must really suck being a kiddie vamp. You could be stuck in puberty for 200 years.