Buffy ep by ep; rewatch and reviews

[I am not Spock]

I'm going back through the pages of this thread, seeing how many perfect 10/10s Saturn has given out. OM,WF definitely deserves to be in that category. My top five eps of the series may well be:

1)The Body
2) Hush
3) Once More With Feeling
4) Restless
5) Conversations with Dead People

Not sure about the ordering of those. But all are from the latter half of the show, so there is plenty of great stuff after the high school years. OMWF is definitely the best ep of season six for me. It sets up a lot of plot and character arcs so well, and yet is a great standalone in its own right. Here's my review of Once More with Feeling, which is from another board, a few years ago.

Season 6 of Buffy is the textbook definition of polarisation. There is simply no middle ground. Fans either loved it for its noticeably darker edge, and greater instrospective character focus (I'm in this camp, by the way). Or they loathed it for its lack of humour, and the depression of all the characters.

But even the naysayers can agree that the musical episode Once More, With Feeling was a marvellous hour of television. Whenever series creator Joss Whedon does an episode based upon a gimmick (like the dialogue free 'Hush'; the dream episode 'Restless', or the music free 'The Body') the gimmick doesn't define the episode. Rather, the plot serves the characters, not vice versa.

The songs in OMWF are all wonderful, and they actually advance the characters and the story. That's one of the many things I loved about this (much-missed) show. Even standalone eps like OMWF have subtle links to the ongoing seasonal arc. All of the songs reflect the inner turmoil of the character's psyches (Buffy's ennui with life; Xander's fear and insecurity about his upcoming nuptials; Giles' need to leave Sunnydale and let his Slayer fight her own battles; Tara's love for Willow). The latter is tragic, considering what happens in the very next episode 'Tabula Rasa', and in the succeeding episodes of Season 6.

The cast are surprisingly quite good singers. Everyone gets their little moment to shine (even Alyson Hannigan, who by her own admission cannot sing, but gets the hillarious line 'I think this line's mostly filler!'). Sarah Michelle Gellar carries much of the singing weight of the episode, with several numbers to her credit (Going Through The Motions, I've Got A Theory, Walk Through The Fire, and Something to Sing About). James Marsters gets a nice little slice of rock-balladry, whilst Anthony Head gets to show off his singing talents with the lovely 'Standing'. Amber Benson is very impressive, too. Michelle Trachtenberg doesn't get to sing much, but gets a nice ballet number (I had a bit of a crush on her when the episode originally aired in '02. Oh, shut up! She's only three years younger than me!)

Wonderful stuff, and one of the highlights of an already bloody brilliant show. OMWF has everything. Drama, humour, romance, action. During the more emotional moments, such as the finale in Sweet's lair, with Buffy's admission to her friends that she was yanked out of heaven, I found myself weeping. And I'm a guy! That's the effect this show had (and still has) on me.

Joss, you're one of the good ones, mate.

 

[Campe]

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING

Funny, haven't really been following along with this, but the GF and I watched this one tonight.

 

[saturn5]

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING

Funny, haven't really been following along with this, but the GF and I watched this one tonight.

But what did you think of it?

Got-fic is a fetish for beautiful women raped and impregnated by monsters, aliens, demons etc whom they then fall in love with, think Princess Leia as Jabba's slave girl or the maternity ward scene in AvP; Requiem. If you're over 18 these explain it better than I ever could;

http://www.galaxy-of-terror.com/

http://taboo.eroticillusions.com/free/

For all his feminist pretension Joss seems to include quite a lot of it in his work, Cordy com-shuked by 3 different demons, Buffy mauled by The Master and ravished by the Shadowman's demon, Ripley allowing herself to be carried off by the drone in Alien 4.

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? http://buffy.slayers.co.uk/01x26.htm 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?

Apocalypses; 6

Whedon 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.

 

[saturn5]

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.

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

 

[Skellington]

Once More, With Feeling.

This episode wouldn't be nearly as good without Amber Benson, Emma Caulfield or (in my opinion) Anthony Head. Here's a video of Amber Benson singing a song from the Rocky Horror Show, followed by something very disturbing indeed .
[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zo5LAqjEU_w[/yt]

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.

I respectfully disagree. To me, <i>Standing</i> is a beautiful little platonic love song about the father-daughter relationship between Giles and Buffy and how he feels that for her sake he must do the difficult thing and let go of her. It has great cadence, too.

Parking ticket girl isn't wearing any underwear.

You mean Marti Noxon? She's in Dr Horrible's Singalong Blog too, as a newsreader.

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.

That's food for thought. Never rreally looked at it like that. No wonder Tara was mad at Willow later on; though I would think that the whole violating-her-mind thing and the concomitant lack of respect pretty much cornered that market.

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.

The scamp!

Screencaps for Once More, With Feeling.

Once More, With Feeling has its strengths and weaknesses. Some songs are strong and some are weak. Some of the cast can sing really well (Benson, Head, Caulfield, arguably Trachtenberg), some can just about hold a tune (Brendon, Gellar) and then there's Alyson Hannigan, who one reviewer said should be contractually barred from ever singing again. Wouldn't like to have been in the shoes of some of those cast members when they found out what they'd be doing. (Apparently, they were given the option of being dubbed but no-one took it up.)

I think that one of the episode's greatest strengths lies not in its intrinsic value as a musical episode but in the way that it bucks trends even for musical episodes. The songs were written by the series showrunner and not professional songwriters; it's not a "gimmick" episode, because it's an important part of the season's storyline (In fact, the basis of this episode's story is that people are communicating things that they'd rather keep secret.); the usual beats still happen (scooby gang meeting, hitting the books etc) and the show's trademark razor-sharp dialogue is still there in both prose and lyrical form. Whedon being Whedon, he even seems to push the envelope with the musical format and its expectations - eg Giles and Tara's simultaneous double reprise, or what appears to be a triple reprise at the end ("Walk Through The Fire", "Rest In Peace" and "Where Do We Go From Here?").

Surprisingly, given James Marsters' rock and roll image (and rock and roll experience), I found Spike's song to be a bit of a disappointment, along with his contribution to the end of "Life's A Show" (not the best song ever anyway, though lyrically clever). Maybe Whedon's ambition exceeded the cast's capabilities in some areas. JM was good with the rock and roll bits, but didn't seem to have the range for the slow bits at all.

I'd give it nine out of ten, all things considered. (Well, maybe aside from the possibly detrimental effect that it had on much of the season.)

 

[I am not Spock]

^The only problem with that marvellous ep is that it probably set too high a bar for the rest of the season to follow.

It also set in motion a lot of the nasty stuff which occurs to the characters this year. By the end of the next ep, Tabula Rasa, Giles is gone, Tara leaves Willow, the proverbial hits the fan pretty much. OMWF may be the last gasp of levity before the season turns dark.

 

[Skellington]

^ Yeah, the season is way off-kilter after this, in my view. Smashed and Wrecked are pretty much saved by the Buffy / Spike humour.

 

[saturn5]

Yeah, arguably one of the problems of season 6 is that it peaks too soon then we have a trough in terms of quality until the final 3/4 eps
Unless you're a spuffer of course
　
WRECKED
The Good;
The waking up scene is a classic. Love the sight of Buffy in her skimpy 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

Whedon 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

 

[WillsBabe]

The waking up scene is a classic. Love the sight of Buffy in her skimpy 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.

Where is it? She wakes up with Spike in the wrecked house at the beginning, and goes to bed fully dressed at the end.

Some great acting from Alysson Hannigan.

Agreed. She really comes into her own this season. I thought she was bloody awesome, in fact.

 

[saturn5]

The waking up scene is a classic. Love the sight of Buffy in her skimpy 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.

Where is it? She wakes up with Spike in the wrecked house at the beginning, and goes to bed fully dressed at the end.

Some great acting from Alysson Hannigan.

Agreed. She really comes into her own this season. I thought she was bloody awesome, in fact.

In the end scene she's in her nightie surrounded by garlic etc

 

[WillsBabe]

In the end scene she's in her nightie surrounded by garlic etc

At the end of the episode? She's wearing jeans and a black top. Willow is in a nightgown.

 

[I am not Spock]

Alyson Hannigan is one of the highlights of season six for me. You just feel gutted about all the stuff that happens to poor Willow, due to her performance. Season six took a lot of dramatic risks. How many shows have a major character turn evil, risking losing most of their audience? Buffy was a show that never rested on its laurels and played it safe. There is no reset button. This ain't no Star Trek Voyager. I will continue to attempt to prove the worthiness of Season 6 as Saturn moves through the season

 

[saturn5]

In the end scene she's in her nightie surrounded by garlic etc

At the end of the episode? She's wearing jeans and a black top. Willow is in a nightgown.

I'll check it out but I was sure she was in her nightie. Yeah, Buffy and Joss shows in general have no reset button and are all the better for it

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
Whedon 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

 

[Forbin]

She sure had some HARD times with Spike in this one! Wink wink, nudge nudge!

 

[WillsBabe]

She sure had some HARD times with Spike in this one! Wink wink, nudge nudge!

From what I recall of it, which isn't much, I don't much care for this episode, although I enjoyed the encounter with Spike and Buffy in the hallway. I really don't care for Buffy's torment of the social worker lady in this one. Spike looks hot with his shirt open.

 

[I am not Spock]

One thing I didn't get in this episode is Xander not putting two and two together with Spike and Buffy. I mean, when he comes into Spike's crypt, and sees what Spike is ... ahem, doing, in bed naked... is Xander twelve? The only way he wouldn't know what's going on there is if he didn't know Buffy was invisible (at this point in the ep, he does), or if Xander is twelve.

 

[WillsBabe]

^ Speaking of Xander. I think his development is patchy in seasons 6 and 7 especially. There are times, when he's being the professional, employed guy with a real skill (carpentry), that he's written as a competent, functioning, take charge adult. At other times they write him as if he's, well, twelve. It's inconsistent in my opinion and a little irritating. But then, I suppose a few of the characters have this inconsistency, but it's not as detrimental to those other characters I don't think.

 

[Forbin]

Yeah, the last two seasons had a LOT of out-of-character moments for everybody. It's one of the common complaints about those seasons.

 

[saturn5]

I forgive Buffy her teasing of the social worker, she deserves a little fun, it's ultimately harmless and the vital thing is to keep her and Dawn together.
As for Xander, well we all have the 12 year old within us somewhere. And Joyce Summers isn't the only one with denial.

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?)

Apocalypses; 6
Whedon 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.
http://buffy.adultfanfiction.net/story.php?no=600031116 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

 

[McCoy]

we don't like seeing Buffy humiliated (in a non sexual sense)

Are you implying we like to see Buffy sexually humiliated?