Buffy (partner, California, Las Vegas, Ohio)

[joxerlives]

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING
The Good;
All of it. My favourites would have to be Tara's song and 'Going through the motions' although Anya's solo is a belter. Always leaving them wanting more, certainly true of the Spuffers in the final scene. Also love Tara's uncontrollable jazz hands during 'I've got a theory' and the ballet of morning in the Summer's house.
The Bad; ? I think the weakest of all the songs is Giles' which I didn't really dig. No real fan of Spike's either.
Best line;
Giles; "Buffy needs backup"
Women good/men bad;
Xander's witches theory which he rapidly recants.
Jeez!;
Dawn getting the sack isn't nice.
Kinky dinky;
Sweet wants to claim Dawn as his child bride but Buffy volunteers to go instead. She's not interested in the handsome hostage she rescues in the graveyard. Parking ticket girl isn't wearing any underwear. Anya mentions that Xander's 'penis got diseases from a Shumash tribe' which might be the best lyric in history. Dawn's superb dancing with Sweet and his minions is extremely suggestive, MT really starting to become noticeably voluptuous as well as tall. Dawn's story about giving birth to a Pterodactyl must have pleased the Got-ficcers. Love Anya's two-piece nightie, Xander loving it in the night when he's 'warm in her tight....tight embrace' which he also describes as 'firm and supple' later. Buffy goes to 'pump Spike for information'. She ends up straddling him in a grave.
Captain Subtext;
Tara jokes that she's cured and 'wants the boys' who eye her up (don't blame them, Tara's corset certainly helps her already formidable cleavage). The end of her song where Willow's head disappears downwards as Tara floats is the filthiest bit of Buffy for, oh at least half a season. I'm sure Joss must have been tempted to do "You make me complete. You make me com..." then cut back to the Magic Shop but even the dumbest censor must have been able to spot that. Willow says she's not 'big with the butch'. Tara sings about 'Spreading beneath her Willow tree'. Dawn thinks Willow and Tara together is romantic and that she 'does know about this stuff'. Hmmmm? Of course the Willow/Tara sex scene is arguably rape, Willow's spell has interfered with Tara's mind and without it's influence she probably wouldn't consent to having sex with her. Sweet is 'tempted' to take Xander as his 'Queen' (well you know those Broadway types!) Anya is still a little jealous of Buffy saying Xander flees to her when things get tough. Again note that Buffy sings that 'Through the smoke she calls to me' as she makes her way to the Bronze, once again some sort of stronger link between Dawn and Buffy is suggested.
Guantanamo Bay;
Spike wants to make the minion "Sing"
Scoobies to the ER;
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out: Dawn comes-to on the pool table at the Bronze
Buffy: 16
Giles: 11
Cordy: 6
Xander: 9
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;2
Dawn; 2
Kills: one of the trio of vamps Buffy kills in the graveyard has the distinction of being her hundredth vamp (killed onscreen at least) plus their demon master
Buffy: 101 vamps, 41 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 1 demon +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 5 vamps and 2 demon
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 6
Giles: 3
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: 10
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths; 3 burnt to death by their dancing
93;

Total number of scoobies: 7
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Giles, Anya, Tara, Spike

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; good or bad?
Spike saves the day and earns his kiss
Dawn in peril; 6 as Buffy says "If Dawn's in trouble it must be Tuesday"
Dawn the bashful virgin; 5 horrified at the thought of being a demon bride.
Questions and observations;
Longest ever ep of Buffy. Contary to popular belief not the first musical ep for a fantasy series, Xena did it first (the terrific 'The Bitter Suite') and arguably Ally McBeal too. But altogether splendid. Note that the newspaper has the city council denying that monsters are involved, SD's open secret apparent. Ironically in an ep where Tara takes Willow to task for magic abuse it's Xander who screws up everything. He is never brought to book for this, just as he's never called to account for his actions in Becoming Pt 2. In fairness it's hard to pick a Scooby who hasn't abused the supernatural and caused the deaths of innocent people? Note the look Tara gives Willow when she starts crying at Buffy's revelation, their rift forgotten.
One question, what is Buffy drawing in her notepad when Giles summons her for training in the teaser?
Marks out of 10; 10/10, legendary!

[joxerlives]

TABULA RASA
The Good;
All great, emotional turmoil mixed with side-splitting humour at every turn. Especially love Anya and the bunnies and the beautiful ending song
The Bad;
The Loanshark is a funny idea poorly realised (foreshadowed in Restless as is Giles thinking Spike's his son). Works better in the comics although he comes to a sticky end.
Best line;
Giles "Welcome to the nancy tribe"
Women good/men bad;
Spike refers to Anya as tarty and a trollope. Anya's woman's intuition needs work.
Jeez!;
Once again the creature we don't see behind the counter is the scariest of all, just like in Forever. Seeing Buffy get kicked on the ground also isn't nice.
Kinky dinky;
Spike and Buffy kiss again. And the Spuffers did rejoice! Spike is 'Randy Giles' and dresses just as he did in Restless. Anya describes Spike and Giles as 'ruggedly handsome'. Willow in her towel. Dawn seems to like Xander helping her down the ladder.
Captain Subtext;
Even when amnesiac Willow and Tara sense they're lovers and Buffy and Dawn sense they're sisters (amnesiac Buffy knows amnesiac Dawn for all of one minute and they're already both enjoying Buffy stroking Dawn's hair in the traditional Summers' way) . How funny would it have been if it was the other way around and both pairs came to each other's conclusion? The Erotic Adventures Of Buffy And Evil Vampire Willow (http://buffy.slayers.co.uk/01x26.htm - broken link) if you're 18+ Check out Dawn's expression when Willow tells her she's 'Kinda gay' (as she remarked of VampWillow). Interesting it's 'kinda' giving another hint of bi-Willow. Willow and Xander also sense their affection for one another. BUT Anya and Xander don't, she's actually attracted to Giles (and still hugely capitalist). Maybe Anya is actually in love with the idea of Xander rather than the guy himself? Even more interesting is Giles' affection for her. Anya looking for a daddy figure (like D'Hoffryn?) and Giles transferring his fatherly love for Buffy to Anya?
Willow and Tara break up just as another relationship blossoms. Giles threatens to put Spike across his knee (well Buffy already has him spanking Dawn). Spike refers to Giles as 'nancy' and Giles welcomes him to 'the nancy tribe'. Note Spike seems to desperately want to be like Angel (because Buffy loves Angel or does he wants Buffy only because Angel loves her?) Spike refer to Gile's car as 'penis shaped' but then they hug. We never meet Spike's dad, divorce taboo in Victorian society so he may have died young (much more common), perhaps Spike harbours feelings of resentment towards him as his relationship with Angelus might suggest?
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out: everyone but Xander also faints
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 6
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills: 2 vamps for Buffy, 3 for Spike and 1 for Xander
Buffy: 103 vamps, 41 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 1 demon +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 2 demon
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies: the whole gang go amnesiac
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 10
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths;
93

Total number of scoobies: 7 (but not for long!). Note how keen Dawn is to participate in the Scooby meeting, slowly becoming a full member of the gang.
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara, Spike, Giles

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; good or bad?
Amnesiac Spike doesn't seem to realise he's supposed to be evil and wants to be good. He saves Buffy again.
Dawn in peril; along with everyone else 7
Dawn the bashful virgin; 5
Questions and observations;
Teeth asks if Buffy has ever considered working as a debt collector. Well it would solve her financial problems. Tara's very right, Willow violating her mind is no joke especially after what Glory did to her. It also makes their sex whilst Tara is amnesiac virtual rape. Buffy wears her cream number she died in for the first time. Xander wears what looks like an army jacket, left over from his faux soldier days? Xander's latent insecurites are very apparent, wondering if Willow is dating his brother. But he still comes the hero in the end. Buffy's choice of 'Joan' suggests Joan of Arc. Note amnesiac Tara begins to stutter, just as she did before she befriended the Scoobs. Tabula Rusa is latin for blank slate and is a term also used in Dollhouse
Marks out of 10; 9/10, suffers in comparison with OMWF but otherwise not perfect only because of the loanshark.

[joxerlives]

SMASHED
The Good;
Everything with Amy and the Geeks at the museum/with Spike. Especially love Amy and Bufy catching up and Buffy jumping up and down to see over the crowd at the museum, reminding you for all her superpowers she's still a tiny little woman.
The Bad;
If the diamond is so valuable surely even in Sunnydale they'd have more security than some guy called Rusty?
Best line;
Buffy; "How have you been?"
Amy; "Rat. You?"
Buffy; "Dead"
Women good/men bad;
The 2 jerks who dance with Amy at the Bronze
Jeez!;
Don't mind the sex but dislike Spike hitting Buffy before they have sex, fine with a little slap and tickle/hairpulling roleplay but punching and kicking, it's all a little too brutal. It certainly brings the house down.
Kinky dinky;
Joss is right he does write pure porn. Naked Amy. Warren comments that 'size is everything'. Buffy says she thinks about Giles when she's kissing Spike. Must have done the Guffers' hearts good until she catches herself on. As Spike comments he may be into dark sexuality but he is a vamp, he should be treading on the darkside. Interesting point in the commentary that Joss made sure that Buffy kissed Spike first rather than him forcing the kiss on her and her succumbing after a little resistance gothic romance style.
Captain Subtext;
Spike comments that he's the only one 'here for you' in regard to Buffy which is very true. Amy wanted to go to the Prom with Larry, unaware he was gay. Tara and Dawn on the sofa, awwww! (lovely pic of that on the Buffy 2009 calender) Anyone else think that the girl Amy selects for Willow at the Bronze looks the spitting image of Cordelia? (Her stand-in/stunt double?) Maybe Amy picked up on something they never could admit to each other? Warren is concerned that when Spike asks him to examine his 'chip' it's British slang for something else.
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 6
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills: none but Buffy beats up 2 muggers
Buffy: 103 vamps, 41 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 1 demon +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 2 demon
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 10
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths;
93

Total number of scoobies: no more Tara or Giles so 5
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?) Amy remarks on Xander's yen for demons so presumably she was always aware of the events of seasons 1-3
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost: Buffy and Spike and how!
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 1 Buffy
Spike; good or bad?
Spike thinks he should be able to feast in muggers. He says he's at the museum out of compassion for the guard but he's surely lying, just an excuse to meet Buffy. Once he thinks his chip is not working he goes out to slaughter the first pretty girl he can find but seems to need to psych himself up to do so.
Dawn in peril; 7
Dawn the bashful virgin; 5
Questions and observations;
Buffy always wanted a pony. Maybe CC let her ride hers? The mugging scene is funny, nice to have some lightness as the writer comments. Spike can punch Buffy, a huge plotline right there. Spike mocks the geeks but isn't he the guy who referred to KITT and Yoda even in season 2? The Geeks have a glitterball in their lair, the same one that Andrew's brother used to train his hellhounds? Dawn refers to a talking cat on TV, Sabrina;TTW?
So, Buffy and Spike? My personal opinion on this is not that Buffy loves Spike but that she needs someone, anyone after her ordeal of being ripped out of heaven (to quote Justine on Angel 'better to feel something than feel nothing"). Unfortunately neither Willow or Xander is available, Angel has his curse, Riley's unreachable, Giles is out of picture and Dawn is out of the question unless you're into some pretty damn extreme Summers/slash (which in fairness a LOT of people are to judge by the plethora of Buffy/Charmed fanfiction in that fetish genre) so Spike fits the bill. That's not to say she doesn't develop feelings for him later but even Spike here comments that he's the only one 'here for her'. Also this may be more of a deep down kinky sort of thing. Buffy is the girl in charge and has the weight of the world on her shoulders, sometimes she want's to give up and be submissive for a while. And maybe she feels she needs punished? In 'Get it done' we find out why Slayers have this dark and kinky side.
Marks out of 10; 7/10, one for the Spuffers and no mistake, unfortunately I'm not one

[joxerlives]

WRECKED
The Good;
The waking up scene is a classic. Love the sight of Buffy in her nightie (same one she wore for Dracula?) surrounded by crosses and garlic trying to ward off Spike's advances which is a mixed message if ever there was one.
The Bad;
The anti-addiction metaphor is laid on a little thick
Best line;
Amy (proffering bag of grass like substance) "It's not what you think, it's sage"
Buffy "That was what I thought it was"
Women good/men bad;
Jeez!;
The drug stuff is nasty as is poor Dawn getting beaten up by the demon.
Kinky dinky;
The magic interchange between Rack, Amy and Willow has obvious erotic undertones. Spike says that having sex with a Slayer is even better than killing one (because THAT's what every girl wants to hear in the morning). Spike seems actually quite pleased with Buffys description of their sex as the most 'peverse, degrading experience of my life'. Buffy says only one vamp ever got her hot, assuming she means Angel what about Dracula or the Master? Or Lothos?
15 year old Dawn says that her burger was like a "Meat-party in her mouth"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!! Joss is right he really does just write porn. Here Spike does force the kiss on a struggling Buffy and she succumbs, Victorian heroine style. Spike says he's done being Buffy's whipping boy, he might just be using that expression or is he talking literally? Her whipping him or him whipping her? Spike steals Buffy's panties for the second time. Love Amy's revealing strapless top. Spike says someone should teach Buffy to use candles in foreplay. Willow wears cheese in her bra which would probably work for Marge Simpson.
Captain Subtext;
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy threatens Amy
Scoobies to the ER;
Dawn breaks her arm
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)
　
Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3
　
Scoobies knocked out: Willow in the crash
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 7
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills: 1 demon Willow
Buffy: 103 vamps, 41 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 2 demon +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 2 demon
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp
　
Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1
　
Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1
　
Recurring characters killed: 10
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce
　
Sunnydale deaths;
93
　
Total number of scoobies:
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike,
　
Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?
　
Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1
　
Notches on Scooby bedpost: It's possible you could count the interchange between Rack and Willow as sex but it's not explicit so no
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 1 Buffy
Spike; good or bad?
Spike gloats at Buffy's discomfort and shows no remorse for his killing of the previous Slayers. But he does go to rescue Dawn (again!)
Dawn in peril; 8 and how!
Dawn the bashful virgin; 6 even she knows her 'meat party' metaphor is a bit too kinky
Questions and observations;
Rack is of course played by the same guy who played Kralik in 'Helpless', along with Brian Thompson as Luke and The Judge Buffy continues Xena's tradition of blatantly using the same actor to play completely different characters (Karl Urban plays 4 different characters in the course of 6 seasons, 2 semi-regulars). The scene with Willow hugging Tara's clothes makes me go awwwww every time, right up there with Dawn snuggling the Buffybot or Buffy and Joyce on the couch at the finale of Innocence. Some great acting from Alysson Hannigan.
Dawn says that Buffy always goes to the refrigerator after patrol, bearing out Faith's assertion that slaying makes you hungry and horny.
Marks out of 10; 7/10, good enough ep but hard to watch if you're a Willow fan

[joxerlives]

GONE
The Good;
Love all the Invisible Buffy stuff it's just great. Also like Nancy Drew Willow and Buffy's new hair. Love Joanthon standing up to Warren too.
The Bad;
You rather think that Buffy's Slayer healing would take care of whatever the Geeks have done to her, it never seems that much of a threat "She's pudding"?
Best line;
Buffy (as the social worker looks at the bag of grass) "It's not what you think, it's magic weed"
Women good/men bad;
The Geeks again being their sleazy selves. Amazingly it's Spike who kicks Buffy out because she's using him. The girls seem mightily fascinated with Buffy's new hairstyle.
Jeez!;
Naked Spike under the sheets
Kinky dinky;
The Geeks plan to turn themselves invisible and sneak into a beauty parlour to watch women get bikini waxes (which hardly seems very erotic to me). Buffy and Spike at it again, especially love the 'Hey that's cheating gag!'. Dawn loves her mother's African fetility statue Kokopelli (jeepers!) and is sorry to throw him out. Buffy appears to have an errogenous zone in her left jean pocket to judge from her reaction when Spike retrieves his lighter. Xander appears to accidentally grab invisible Buffy's breasts in the Magic Shop. She is pretty damn aggressive when she goes to his crypt, almost Angel/Darla style.
Captain Subtext;
Jonathon refers to Warren as 'You penis'. Xander thinks Spike should get a girlfriend. The social worker observes that Buffy lives with another woman but Buffy denies it's a 'gay' thing. Andrew remarks on the Geeks' plans 'Naked women and... all the naked women'.
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out: Willow knocked out by Warren at the arcade.
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 8
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills:
Buffy: 103 vamps, 41 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 2 demons +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 2 demon
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 10
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths;
93

Total number of scoobies:
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 1 Buffy
Spike; good or bad?
Spike does try to support Buffy's interview with the social services but really comes across as the worst boyfriend ever.
Spike goes to help Dawn and Willow.
Dawn in peril; 8
Dawn the bashful virgin; 6
What the fanficcers thought;
Invisible Xander is a common theme
Questions and observations;
Why is Buffy so broke when she has this great big diamond in her possession? Surely she can return it for the reward? What happens to the Invisible Ray? I know in fanfic it's often stashed in the Summers' house cellar in order to save the day in a future episode. Xander and Buffy recall Invisible Marcie from season 1 (whatever happened to her?) Love Buffy's puma t-shirt, her spirit guide? Whilst we often observe that Warren is prepared to sacrifice the other Geeks here he suddenly turns around to find that they've deserted him and taken the Invisible Ray with them. A lot of people find fault with inivisible Buffy's hijinks but she's had such a hard time lately I think she deserves some carefree fun.
Buffy taking on the invisible geeks must make her thankful for Giles' blindfolded training.
Marks out of 10; 7/10, no masterpiece but enjoyable enough

[joxerlives]

DOUBLEMEAT PALACE
The Good;
Very little, a very weak episode. Actually our first introduction to Halfyrek and the scene between her and Anya is wonderful. Also like Xander's advice to Dawn that if Buffy can't ever have a proper career outside Slaying Dawn can do it for her. Some nice comedy too with Xander eating the burger and the 'Hi, I'm Troy McClure' style corporate training video.
The Bad;
The list goes on. I think if Xander had been working in the DMP everyone would have loved this but we don't like seeing Buffy humiliated (in a non sexual sense)
Best line;
Buffy; "The double meat medely is people. Well, probably not the chicken part but who knows! Who knows!"
Women good/men bad;
Actually it's pretty disturbing that Halfyrek comments most of the time she's not even sure she's cursing the right guy. Love the way that every good point Anya states about Xander is twisted into a negative by Hally. Amy also shows her true colours implying that she's bitter at not having been deratted earlier.
Jeez!;
The severed finger and Manny's severed foot. Note how Buffy is now quite happy to include Dawn in the emergency meeting and show her some of the nastier sights of life.
Kinky dinky;
Actually I think Buffy and Spike against the trash trailer must rate as the most unerotic sex scene in the history of TV, even the most avid Spuffers must admit it's positively depressing. Now as we've all wondered before during 'Anne' surely a girl as beautiful as Buffy can get a better job? (or as Xander put it hasn't she ever met 'any nice pimps'?). 'Pretty Woman' or at very least doesn't Sunnydale have a Hooters or Spearmint Rhino? (or did Mayor Wilkins not allow them as not in keeping with his vision of the place? Even he with all his power couldn't stop streetwalkers to judge by 'Innocence' despite what the Gorch's say in Bad Eggs). Ok I am ENTIRELY NON-SERIOUS but when I originally wrote this it was because I could never get over the Hollywood cliche of a girl as beautiful as Buffy working in fast-food (Last Action Hero anyone?). It's like the typical Hollywood idea of a scientist ie 'Take a blatant supermodel and put her in glasses and a lab coat'. However after watching Dollhouse or Morena Bacahra's character in Firefly you get the idea that Joss is actually quite keen on the idea of prostitution? Exhibit A; Eliza Dushku as a dominatrix scene? Still after Belle du Jour not as unthinkable as it once might have been.
Then again she's thin, petite, beautiful, flexible, she'd be an awesome magician's assistant. Even got her own identical twin with the Buffybot which you need for many of the classic illusions. The Geeks (and Xander) also like the Vulcan woman from Enterprise, what a suprise. Nowadays it would be Summer Glau as The Big Bang Theory proves. Anya and Halfrek both comment on Xander's large upper arms which makes sense if you're a construction worker (Nic Brendon bulks up noticeably in the final 2 season but I prefer slimmer Xander from the earlier seasons)
Captain Subtext;
As is commeted upon in a later ep the worm thing that emerges from the old lady's head is just one giant penis. It spits it's goo at the straight (or bi girl to judge by the comics) making her helpless but the lesbian sees it, screams and runs away before decapitating it with a vagina shaped cooking instrument. And Buffy's new boss is called Lorena (Bobbit?)
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 8
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills: one demon for Willow
Buffy: 103 vamps, 41 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 3 demons +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 2 demon
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 10
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths; 2 guys from the DMP
95

Total number of scoobies:
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 1 Buffy
Spike; good or bad?
Dawn in peril; 8
Dawn the bashful virgin; 6
What the fanficcers thought;
Cash strapped Buffy (and indeed any and all of the female characters) turning to prostitution is a staple of a lot of adult fic both before and during DMP and indeed afterwards. My favorite has Buffy eventually recruiting the rest of the Scoobygirls into her new profession turning Revello Drive into a high class bordello with Joyce as the madam then trasforming her post-Chosen Army of Slayers into an Army of Slayer/Hookers to fund the new Slayer academy.
Birthdate Verification Page if you're over 18 and VERY open minded
Questions and observations;
Surely the authorities must inspect the DMP's produce, don't they have a problem with false advertising? Considering how nicely the Geeks tricked out their headquarters with all the money they stole couldn't Buffy and co sell it to raise some cash? Doesn't Amy remember that she turned HERSELF into a rat and indeed left Buffy and Willow to burn at the stake to do so? Love Dawn's kitten t-shirt. Dawn says she's eaten a lot at the DMP, it doesn't show. I reckon Dawn should be a Doctor, that way she can patch up the other scoobs as necessary. Also note that the Yanus head from Halloween is still in the Magic Box.
Would Buffy have survived without Willow's arrival? I think so, Slayer headling was obviously dealing with the paralysing agent when she arrived. Anyone else think that Lorena reminds them a lot of Ellen Degenerees with a little of Lynette from Desperate Housewives?
Marks out of 10; 3/10, pretty damn terrible compared to what Buffy can achieve

[joxerlives]

DEAD THINGS
The Good;
The tearful, incredibly intimate scene between Buffy and Dawn in bed. Also am I the only one who is charmed by Buffy confiding in Tara who seems to have blossomed once she split up from Willow? LOVE the Buffy/Tara scene at the end, how many times have you seen a character crying on her knees begging NOT to be forgiven?
The Bad;
Even with the 'happy' ending hugely depressing.
Best line;
Willow; "Shimmy on out when you're done lubricating"
Women good/men bad;
The Geeks show their horrid misogyny. Especially awful when they refer to Katrina's body as 'it'. We see the fault lines develop in the Troika as Andrew sides with Warren and Joanthon starts to pull away from them.
Jeez!;
The killing of Katrina is just awful beyond belief
Kinky dinky; Where to begin? I've heard that SMG was no fan of the Spike/Buffy relationship, she found it demeaning and it's probably because of eps like this. SO packed full of sex and sexual metaphor with the scene at the Bronze astonishingly graphic (actually that's not true, we see absolutely NOTHING but Buffy and Spike's expressions convey so much you think you've discovered free cable porn by accident) .
Altogether now, "BAZOMBAS!" The Geeks voyeurism at the bar and enslavement of Katrina, making her wear her ridiculously sexy French Maid outfit is funny, creepy, pathetic and sexy all at the same time. But overall just CREEPY! Her flat monotone voice is especially upsetting she really does come across as a human robot (how could anyone find that attractive?). I fast forwarded through this bit on my rewatch as it just makes me cringe. As Katrina says it is rape (although you'd wonder exactly what the Sunnydale Police would do with her allegation, it's not like she has any proof? There may be a test for rohypnol but not for the influence of Magic Orbs) Obviously we're supposed to think they're going to hypnotise Buffy and make her their 'willing sex bunny' and it's been the subject of much fanfic not least because Buffy would have cleaned their clocks once the effects wore off, Katrina would still be alive and in some ways meaningless sex with them would still have been healthier than Spike? (read one very clever one where the effects of the orbs wears off but Buffy keeps playing along anyway, turning the tables on the Geeks by exploiting them as an occasional guilt-free booty call). If you're over 18 and you like that sort of stuff; http://www.taboostudios.com/taboomain.html
Katrina refers to April the sexbot as Warren's 'wind up ****'.
Buffy and Spike on the crypt floor is full of mixed messages. They missed the bed, again. Spike says Buffy 'Makes it hurt in all the wrong places' and says she's an 'animal' (which Buffy denies, her Buffy side struggling against her Slayer essence?) and Spike asks if she'd like to see the bitemarks? "You're amazing" and "You get the job done yourself". However Buffy seems to draw the line at handcuff sex, she sometimes likes Spike but she NEVER trusts him (and events will prove her right). We later see in her dream sequence that Spike is the one wearing the cuffs BUT she flinches guiltily later when Anya remarks that she's been 'all tied up' so I think it's open to debate as to whether she wore them or not. Anya also refers to Buffy 'pounding the big evil'. Their sex is so powerful Buffy loses the ability to use her legs for a while afterwards.
Exactly what sort of sex do Buffy and Spike have at the Bronze? Exhibitionist certainly but what of Spike's goes where in Buffy precisiely ? I've heard one of the writers has previously stated it's conventional sex but it doesn't look like that to me, it looks like something much more kinky, intimate and taboo (Buffy even remarks beforehand that she needs 'More lubrication'!?). Fifth base?
A LOT more importantly this is the ep the Spike-defenders always refer to in regard to the later rape scene, she goes 'Don't' but he presses on saying 'Stop me' and she succumbs and melts into bliss like they're Rhett and Scarlet on the staircase or something. I don't buy it, when Buffy says "Don't" she doesn't necessarily want him to stop. When she starts crying, struggling, shaking and begging him 'Please! Stop! No!" on the bathroom floor she WANTS him to stop!
Captain Subtext;
Buffy imagines herself having sex with Katrina. Katrina tells the Geeks they'll be homosexually raped in prison. If ever there was a time for Buffy and Tara to hook up it would be between the end of this ep and the next. Warren tells a struggling Andrew and Jonathon 'You girls stop touching each other'.
Buffy just wants to curl up on the sofa for the night with Dawn but there's a distance between them. Joyce's illness and death brought them closer but Buffy's detachment since her ressurection has forced them apart again.
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage: Buffy imagines herself in handcuffs (wants to be punished? Is that why she wants to go to jail?) but only in a dream sequence as far as we know for sure.
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 8
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills: 1 demon for Buffy and 2 for Spike
Buffy: 103 vamps, 42 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 3 demons +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 4 demons
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 11, poor Katrina
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce, Katrina

Sunnydale deaths;
93

Total number of scoobies:
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 1 Buffy
Spike; good or bad?
A pivotal episode in this genre. Spike cares for Buffy so he helps her cover up the murder. But he doesn't care for Katrina, he truly doesn't understand why Buffy is so upset at killing her (even Faith and Warren show remorse). Not his fault, he doesn't have a soul. Spike makes many of the arguments that Faith made when she killed Finch but the difference is that Faith was in denial and making excuses whilst Spike actually believes what he's saying, he has no guilt as Faith had. He also comments that he once ate a decorator.
Dawn in peril; 8
Dawn the bashful virgin; 6
What the fanficcers thought;
Dawn seduces Buffy to make her stay Birthdate Verification Page (needless to say over 18s only!)
Questions and observations;
Once again we see the difference in Faith and Buffy, how Buffy reacts to having killed someone and how Faith did (at least how she did in the past). Why doesn't Buffy just go to the Watcher's Council and ask them for their judgement? Willow has had no spells for 32 days, making this ep a full month after DMP. Note Buffy's little 'Thank you' to God/PTB when Katrina's scream interrupts her lusty feelings for Spike. Please note that when Buffy tells Dawn what's happened and what she intends to do Dawn never goes "What's going to happen to me?", she only expresses concern for her sister not herself. "You always hurt the one you love" is featured again just like in the Angel ep RM w/a Vu. Some great acting from Danny Strong when Warren and Andrew are euphoric at getting away with murder, you can just see Jonathon knows he's got in way over his head.
Marks out of 10; 5/10 good episode but not much fun for anyone

[Mark S.]

After hearing for years what a great show this is, I've started watching. I'm 2 episodes shy of finishing season 1.

My question: When does the show get good?

Buffy isn't bad at all. It's ok. But it's nothing special. Does it get great in later seasons? If so, when? Or am I just missing the gene that allows me to see the genius in this show?

[joxerlives]

Originally Posted by Mark S.

After hearing for years what a great show this is, I've started watching. I'm 2 episodes shy of finishing season 1.

My question: When does the show get good?

Buffy isn't bad at all. It's ok. But it's nothing special. Does it get great in later seasons? If so, when? Or am I just missing the gene that allows me to see the genius in this show?

You HAVE to watch seasons 2-3, then it get's brilliant, stick with it, you'll never regret it

OLDER AND FAR AWAY
　
The Good;
Everything with Halfrek who I really like for some reason. Clem really comes into his own as a character here for the first time. Tara and Willow start to get back together and I also adore Sophie. Once again contrast Tara standing up to Spike and Anya here with the shy girl in 'Hush', she really has grown tremmendously.
The Bad;
Note there's a Sunnydale High Razorbacks pennant behind Halfrek in her office. But Dawn doesn't go to Sunnydale High (yet). The potion that Tara mixes up to try to break the spell looks like she's trying to make a chocolate cake.
Best line;
Spike; "I had a muscle cramp, Buffy was helping"
Tara; "A muscle cramp. In your pants? You might want to put some ice on that"
Women good/men bad;
Anya implies that Halfrek has 'daddy issues'
Jeez!;
Upsetting to watch Anya have her panic attack.
Kinky dinky;
Richard, the handsome guy Xander has set Buffy up with, even Tara thinks he's cute. Dawn not only in leather for the first time but check out her miniskirt, fishnets and knee boots at the party, Joyce's little girl all grown up! (Eliza Dushku always complained that she got a lot of fanmail from guys in prison and couldn't believe that they showed a TV series full of hot teenage girls to incarcerated criminals. You shudder to think what kind of letters MT must have recieved). Spike asks Buffy if she'd like to 'blow out his candle'? Willow's back massager present for Buffy is certain to provide 'Instant gratification for all aches' (anyone else think of Samantha and her 'back massager' from Sex and the City?)
Captain Subtext;
Clem also thinks Richard is cute. In many ways he comes to resemble Buffy/Dawn's gay/demon male friend. Tara calls Buffy 'Sweetie'. They also refer to telling everyone their big secret and deciding it's time to 'Come out'. They probably mean Buffy's affair with Spike but what really happened after Buffy collapses into Tara's arms at the end of 'Dead Things'? Might she have jumped on the sapphic bandwagon a few years before Satsu? Taffy anyone? See also missing scenes.
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Xander cut but Richard is the only one to go to hosptial.
Missing scenes;
Reputedly a scene was filmed where Buffy and Dawn run out of the house at the end but I prefer the subtle implication of the ending we have. Also Buffy tells Tara how much she loves her and Tara reminds her "I'm a *** sweetie"
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 8
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills: Buffy kills one demon
Buffy: 103 vamps, 43 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 3 demons +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 4 demons
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 11
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce, Katrina

Sunnydale deaths;
95

Total number of scoobies:
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 1 Buffy
Spike; good or bad?
Dawn in peril; 8
Dawn the bashful virgin; 6
Questions and observations;
Another appalling Buffy birthday, if I was her I'd just hide under the bed all day and have Dawn bring me the occasional cup of tea until midnight. The title is a quote from Empire of the Sun (the book not the band) which Dawn is discussing in class at the beginning of the ep. Xander refers to Children of the Corn, Nic Brendon having acted in one of the sequals. Halfrek refers to vengence demons as 'justice demons' FYI. What does 'Total JD' mean?
Spike and Halfrek, hmmmm? Question is did Cecilly become Halfrek as Aud became Anyanka? OR was there NEVER a Cecilly, was there only ever Halfrek?
Subtle but very interesting final scene. Everyone leaves but Buffy and Dawn. They bid their friends goodbye then look at each other and smile. Because although they didn't want to be trapped there's no reason for them to leave because this is their house, this is where they belong together. Dawn wanted Buffy to spend more time with her and now when she has the option to leave she instead chooses to stay with the sister she loves and who loves her in return. Dawn is finally getting Buffy back in soul as well as in body.
Marks out of 10; 8/10, really like this one

[joxerlives]

AS YOU WERE
　
The Good;
I never really liked Riley when he was a regular but in small doses I find him much more agreeable (and indeed feel the same way for Connor on Angel)
The Bad;
One thing that always shakes me about this ep is that Riley's wife Sam looks so much like Warren's ex Katrina. Also rather a spoiler when Marc Blucas' name appears in the opening credits. Have a look at the scene where the demon attacks on Main Street Sunnydale, the couple sitting at the coffee shop don't react at all. Since when does Sunnydale have this huge dam just outside it? Why do Riley and Buffy have to dump most of their weapons to go down on the line together, can't they just go down one at a time?
Best line;
Buffy (staring shocked at Riley);"Were you always this tall?" (yes which is one of the reasons he and petite Buffy were so ridiculous as a couple)
Women good/men bad;
Riley says he is in command of Sam. She says 'He wishes'. Buffy says she's not defined by who's she with, the beginning of her cookie dough philosophy.
Jeez!;
Kinky dinky;
Riley walks in on Buffy and Spike. Buffy changes in front of him but he doesn't look (seen it all before?). Buffy and Spike against the tree right in the open outside the Summer's house. Some very risque comments about 'Letting you in' and 'Come outside' that could be open to interpretation. But Buffy's 'He's not getting any gentler' remark gives a different aspect to all this, it seems almost joyless for her. According to Spike he and Buffy have sex for five hours straight but this is the last time they ever will.
Captain Subtext;
Xander is starting to dream of flower bouquets. Riley comments that he's seen enough of Spike's 'dead body' for one night. Willow comments how as a little girl she used to dream about marrying Xander but now seems glad to have ducked the bullet. After the events of 'Older and Farther Away' Buffy and Dawn seem much closer, getting on better, Dawn happy to go to school and kissing an ecstatic Buffy before she leaves.
Spike seems to revel in flashing his nakedness in front of Riley, prompting him to comment that 'I've seen enough of your dead body for one evening'. Anya comments that if Xander is such a big fan of Riley he should just marry him. Buffy says she loves Riley's wife too.
Once again Buffy says of guns "These are never useful" foreshadowing the end of the season.
Guantanamo Bay;
Riley's glad to be back in Sunnydale where he knows who to beat for information. Spike objects to Riley's search of his crypt as unconstitutional.
Scoobies to the ER;
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 6
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 1
Dawn; 3

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 8
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2
Kills: one vamp and a dozen demons for Buffy. Weirdly the vamp wears a peace symbol on his jacket.
Buffy: 104 vamps, 55 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 3 demons +1 fawn.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 4 demons
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 11
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce, Katrina

Sunnydale deaths;
93

Total number of scoobies:
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike,

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot: Buffy uses Riley's shotgun and tranquiliser gun but can't hit anything with either. She makes better use of his belt of grenades.
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 1 Buffy
Spike; good or bad?
Spike is dealing in demon eggs, evil as they come. This seems to open Buffy's eyes to his true nature although she still won't let Riley kill him.
Dawn in peril; 8
Dawn the bashful virgin; 6
Questions and observations;
Obvious allusions to Aliens and all the better for them, Angel;TS will do something very similar in season 5 (also a series with strong female heroine until pt3 ruined the series). Poor Buffy, you feel so sorry for her that she get's rejected for UCSD (but surely she wouldn't have the money to go anyway?). Nice to give Riley some closure after the strained nature of his departure in 'Into the Woods'. Riley comments that Dawn has grown one and a half feet, well probably just eight inches. Note Riley asks if Dawn wants to leave due to the gory details but Buffy now lets her stay for the grown up stuff. Check out Willow's expression at Sam's 'disposable cameras' idea (similar scene in Firefly when Reynolds asks his ship's engineer to the ball).
What book is Spike reading when Buffy comes into his crypt? It's a very Angel like touch. Riley says that Buffy is the first woman he ever loved and the strongest he knows (better not tell the missus that!). Buffy's final goodbye to Spike is very emotional, especially when she calls him William, that means more than ALL the sex in the world between them.
Marks out of 10; 8/10