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YA Connection

YA Connection is a YA blog carnival. Definitely worth a read for new books, book reviews and what YA things are happening round the traps!

BtVS: 2.08 The Dark Age

Alisa says:

This episode features one of the most memorable Buffy Library scenes for me with her working out to blaring music whilst Giles' "ears bleed". Does she really have to keep up her fitness? And would step aerobics really do it for her? These are the probing questions that come to my mind.

I must admit to having very little interest in Ripper as a character and as a villain. So I'll just note the things *I* was watching during this episode. Is this the first time that we've seen the use of the cage in the library for keeping captives? And on that, *why* does the Sunnydale High School Library have a cage at all? Is it for locking up all the secret and naughty books? And also, I think this is the first episode that we see eyeflashing to depict possession! or evil! It became a bit of a spotter thing around me and my friends parts when mainlining a lot of Buffy in one go. (As did the Jonathan/Random Guy and Credit Shots - if you've noticed in my writeups so far)

Around now there was also a bit of a wardrobe trend of dressing Buffy in shoestring straps with visible bra strap. They had to put a stop to that when SMG started getting lots of letters from men in jail who "enjoyed" the show, shall we say? Yep, nothing but high class commentary from me, all day every day!

Rachel says:

Hmm, I think there was some eyeflashing way back in The Pack, but I never knew the bra strap thing. Kinda wish I didn't now.

But how awesome is Ethan in this episode? Remorseless in so many ways - spilling the beans on Giles' past, and giving a young girl a tattoo to save himself from a demon. I think he might be my favourite baddie.

The ending is a little deus ex machina with Angel running in - I mean, what does he care about Jenny? But I love it anyway.

Lots of tasty tidbits on Giles' past make this a bit more than a monster-of-the-week episode.

"I hope you're not taking this personally, Buffy, I actually kind of like you. It's just that I like myself a lot more."

BtVS 2.07: Lie to Me

Alisa says (belatedly):

Your heart stinks of her...

There's some great comic moments in this episode coupled with some hints of the darkness that is to come.

Ours is a forbidden love

First I must squee about Ford - whee!! aka Max from Roswell but with new! shiny! earring! That makes him *evil* right? Can Jason Behr ever be anything but a holder of secrets?

Secondly - how 'bout the spooky, spooky opening sequence with Angel and Druscilla? We get the sense that Angel knows Dru just like we already know that Dru knows Spike. Things look like they're gonna get messy.

Ford: He looks older than her.
Xander: You're not wrong.
...
Ford: Woah! Cold Hands.
Xander: You're not wrong.

Xander laughs and then .. wait ... is that double meaning/subtext there, or is it just me? And can I say, when I watched these the first few times round, I never saw such naughtiness. Five years hanging round the places I hang on the 'net have totally ruined me for straight text, now. Yes, yes, pun intended!!!

So, in this episode, everyone is lying to everyone else. Why is it though, that all the live boys that Buffy gets involved with are such dodgy people? It just makes me root all the more for Angel really. And is this the first time Buffy says she loves Angel?

Giles: Buffy, you're not by any chance betraying your secret identity to impress cute guys are you?

hee!!

I love the bit where Angel is walking through the crowd complaining that these people "know nothing about vampires, the way they look, how they dress" and someone wearing exactly what he is walks past. Love love love the comic timing!!

What about my reward?

I found the ending really interesting on this viewing. Buffy hands Ford over to Spike: we'll come back later for the body. Buffy doesn't kill people. After all, she's the good guy. The fact that she doesn't is the stark contrast between her and Faith. Yet, by end of this episode Buffy's white hat status is just that little bit less white.

Nothing is simple any more.

Lie to me.

BtVS: 2.07 Lie To Me

Rachel says:
This is a great episode for exploring the grey areas between good and evil. Not only with Ford, but how can we forgive Angel the suffering he caused Drusilla in the day? There are some beautiful moments between her and Spike here too. "I'll give you a seed if you sing."

I like the way Lie to Me pokes gentle fun at goths, goth nightclubs and the obsessions that some have with vampires. Which I'm certain BtVS never fueled. No, certainly not.  "You look like a ninny."

It's nice to see Chanterelle before she goes on to play Lily/Anne in later episodes and in Angel.

There is nothing really to complain about in this episode aside from some poor make-up, but there isn't anything that makes it outstanding either. I think Lie to Me works better if you recast Ford as Pike (Luke Perry's character in the movie), as I know a lot of people did, but that's probably stretching for references where none were intended.

"The good guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats and, uh, we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after."

BtVS: 2.06 Halloween

Alisa says:

Continuity issue with the vamp showing up on the video camera in the first scene - I'm sure in Angel there were issues about whether he would show up on video footage ?

So we're still all with the Buffy angst - oh I am a Slayer and I don't get to have any fun. Wah wah wah. And it's Halloween which amusingly in Jossverse is the one night that the evils take a break - it seems this is the only time it's tacky to wreak havoc. According to Buffy, Halloween is the time to dress up as the opposite of what you are and "have a little fun". We see Xander dress up as a soldier and Willow end up as a ghost. Cordelia is a sexy cat woman which I think is her subscribing more to "Halloween is a night to dress up slutty" rather than Buffy's "Come as you aren't". Buffy dresses up as a fair lady from the 1700s - the kind of girl who faints at danger and waits to be rescued by a nice strong man.

So of course the plot twist comes in the form of Ethan - an old friend of Giles' who I always think acts more as a plot device than ever realising the potential that his character could have been. Ethan sets a spell in motion to play, since all the demons are at home watching TV - everyone really becomes the costume that they dressed up in and hilarity, of sorts, ensues. Of course Buffy is totally useless and Xander gets to be the hero that saves the day.

And then we see that of course Buffy likes being Buffy and Angel likes her that way ... awwww

Verdict: "Who is that *girl*?"

Rachel says:

This is the first of the Buffy episodes that broadcast originally (in the States at least) around the time of Halloween each year. Like most dramas, BtVS doesn't react to the outside world apart from the mega-holidays that coincide with screening schedules (the other being Christmas).

This episode keeps a good hold of the tone between humorous and threatening. Gellar's Southern accent is a nice touch although her ongoing "Am I a real girl?" angst is starting to grate.

There is a very intriguing insight into Giles/Ripper's past, but I agree that Ethan is little more than a plot point. It also makes a lie of Giles' earlier claim (in Witch) that he had never cast a spell before.

Other revelations include Cordy learning that Angel is a vampire. "The cuddly kind. Like a Care Bear with fangs." To me this highlights the fact that she never discovered on screen that Buffy is a vampire slayer. During the episode "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" she thinks Buffy is in a gang, after that it is assumed she has learnt somehow of the whole slayer/vampire/demon thing.

Spike and Drusilla return in top form, solidifying their characters - Drusilla has a vision and Spike demonstrates his natural skill in commanding ragtag groups of demons. And yes, the second appearance of Crumpet-Oz!

I find this very satisfying, light Buffy.

Verdict: "Well, this is just... neat."

BtVS: 2.05 Reptile Boy

Alisa says:

Another kind of throw away episode apart from a few lines of important dialogue for metaplot advancement. Some college guys are part of a secret society that's really just minions for some kind of weird and gross reptile creature. As usual with such demons, they need some sweet virgins to sacrifice and our unsuspecting boy-crazy Cordelia and rebellious havoc-wreaking Buffy get abducted to be fed to the ... reptile boy. It's mostly a stand alone episode that feels much like filler except for us really getting the feeling that Buffy wants to be with Angel and is annoyed that he's holding out and also she's gettin' a bit fed up with the whole being a Slayer who has no fun. Course ... as usual the "having fun" bit backfires. Well it wouldn't be Buffy without that kind of a moral ending, would it?

Verdict: "And you! You're gonna live forever and you don't have time for a cup of coffee?"


Rachel says:

I agree that it's a filler episode, but that doesn't mean it doesn't work. It sets up camp (no pun intented) in the frat house genre of teen movies without apology, and mostly gets it right. This is a good long look at Buffy as a teenager.

More than I think we've seen before Buffy is wanting to belong to the crowd, seeking acceptance, even love (from Angel) with Cordelia and the frat boys providing the necessary, if hackneyed, peer pressure. Then comes the spectacular backfiring. Not only does Buffy let down Giles (the "father") and all her friends, she nearly gets eaten.

Reptile Boy is unsubtle in its theme, but effective, and nails the behaviour of the teenage girls and the frat boys. The limited special effects are artfully disguised by dim lighting and careful camera work.

Thankfully it's not Xander dating the monster for once.

Verdict: "Who needs a social life when you've got your very own Hellmouth?"

BtVS: 2.04 Inca Mummy Girl

Rachel says:

"Who's that girl?"
"No, the eskimo."

The chief attraction of Inca Mummy Girl it that it includes the first appearance of the indie-girl's bit of crumpet, Oz. Which you almost miss entirely on the first viewing, but is so delightful subsequently.

This is a more obvious and straightforward mystery episode than most. It's so blatantly Buffy playing Nancy Drew or the Scoobies playing Famous Five that they even include the reference to a crime club. It is nice to see Giles and Buffy do some planning and action together, but the plot is so obvious that it is near-painful to watch them running around and filling in time before they can reveal the clear culprit.

As an aside, is anyone else even slightly disturbed by the number of kids who go missing from Sunnydale High with nary a police investigation? No? I'm just saying, there could be a memorial wall or something.


Verdict: "Typical Museum trick. Promise human sacrifice, deliver old pots and pans."

Alisa says:

I didn't miss the first appearance of Oz on the first viewing - I loved how smitten he was with her. It's especially lovely after all the angst Willow's been through over Xander, we know that she has someone very cool and desperately in love with her coming her way!

I agree with how painful this episode is - the plot is very dull and there is very little good dialogue to get you through it. I do love the scene with Buffy training with Giles though. And the appearance of Oz and his band (who play a really great song).

Rachel - I love how there is only ever the one reference to the mortality of Sunnydale Highschool students but that is in many episodes time.

Finally, something I did pick up on this reviewing - the VERY FIRST APPEARANCE of Jonathan. For a very long time, my friends and I called him Random Guy cause he is always the random bystander and here we see his very first guest spot as the almost final victim! Yay Jonathan.

BtVS: 2.03 School Hard

Rachel says:


The most unfortunate part of this episode is the character of Sheila. Not only does the actor give a pretty uninspiring performance, but the character is so poorly thought through and one dimensional. She's an unconvincing foil to Buffy. Buffy is such a teacher-pleaser in this episode that it's hard to believe she and Sheila can be lumped together for detention even by Snyder. Acting aside, we don't even see Sheila actually do anything bad, except get eaten.

And why was that character so thin? Because all the character development went into the first appearance of everyone's favourite evil couple, Spike and Drusilla. From the first moment you can just tell that these characters are going to be fun and I love knowing what they go on to become.

Without these two this would have been a very silly episode. Buffy trying to integrate her many lives (oil, and water, and a third unmeshable thing) through the mechanism of parent-teacher night was not a terribly interesting storyline. Not only does Spike liven up the scene, he break the rules by not waiting for the night of St Vigious, showing that he is badder than the bad guys. He's so convincing, so genuinely evil he can afford to show that he cares about Drusilla.

There are some clumsy logical errors -- Buffy has time to put her jacket on to save a vampire victim, but not grab a stake? Whoops! -- and Cordelia being crowbarred into the scene in the library to justify her screen credit would have let this episode down badly if not overshadowed by Spike. It is he who holds the episode together. He's such a dynamic character that even Angel pales next to him when they face off. It was inevitable that he and Drusilla would hang around a while to cause more damage.


Verdict: "It's time we had a little less ritual around here, and a little more fun!"

Alisa says:


Hmmm ... I think my favourite bit in this episode is the frigging Annointed One getting his comeuppance - it's so quick and painfree that it almost seems anticlimatic. Almost ... but I hated him, so .. yay!!! I like that Spike whisks in and so effortlessly deals with the remainder of last season's Big Bad. But I must admit that the rest of this episode is a bit meh for me. I mean... I think Spike and Drusilla ride in with such promise about how evil and unremorseful they are going to be, and I guess they are in a way, but knowing where both their character arcs go, I dunno, I felt that this beginning somehow was never really followed through with, in the end. The other thing about Buffy is - it's always the Devil you know that wreaks the most havoc.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1 Commentary

Our Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 1 Retrospective all in one place

Welcome to the Hellmouth
Ben says/Alisa says

The Harvest
Ben says/Alisa says

Witch
Ben says/Alisa says

Teacher's Pet
Ben says

Never Kill A Boy on A First Date
Ben says/Alisa says

The Pack
Ben says/Alisa says

Angel
Alisa says/Ben says

I Robot, You Jane
Ben says/Alisa says

Talent Show
Ben says

Nightmares
Ben says/Alisa says

Out of Mind, Out of Sight
Ben says/Alisa says

Prophecy Girl
Ben says/Alisa says

Rachel's Season Summary
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