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Wacky Watches: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel

Once More, With Feeling - I remember when Xena had a musical episode and AT THE TIME I thought it was a bit cringey. IN MY DEFENSE I was a teenage boy and I was probably slightly embarrassed to watch Xena (like I'd say "I'm only watching it because she's hot lol!" but actually I liked it) and I'm sure I judged that Xena episode harshly. (Also I don't thik the whole Xena cast sang their own songs AND THAT'S CHEATING.) So when I first heard Buffy was doing a musical episode I'm sure I thought of that Xena episode and wasn't looking forward to it (and I'd only recently started watching Buffy.) Yet even the first time I watched it I loved this episode and obviously it still holds up itself! You don't have to love musicals to love it either, because it's very much a Buffy episode rather than just the Buffy characters singing random songs or something. There's major plot developments! But yeah the songs are really great. It's an impressive feat!

Amber Benson and Anthony Stewart Head are obviously the best singers in the cast, but James Marsters is very good too and I wonder if Joss cast them all knowing one day he was going to do a musical. Sarah Michelle Gellar does a great job too even if she'll never have a singing career or anything. Emma Caulfield and Nicholas Brendan are certainly game and very entertaining. Michelle Trachtenberg...well she doesn't sing much and that's probably for the best but what she DOES do is dance and it's really great. And Alyson Hannigan is good at the things they find for her to do. Everyone is used well is what I'm saying. And the excellently named HILTON BATTLE as Sweet deserves mention and I'm sure Eggs has seen him on broadway or something!

The only "problem" with this episode is that it's like the best possible story to tell with the season six versions of the characters. So we get the best version of "Buffy is depressed" and "Xander and Anya have worriess they won't tell each other" with awesome songs and the rest of the season can't live up to this version of the story. And shouldn't Xander feel worse about all the people who died because of him? Anyway this is a strong best episode ever contender.

So am I right in thinking that Joss spent the first six episodes getting everything perfect for OMWF and then after it was done he said "okay I'm off to do Firefly now, you're in charge, Marti!" or is that over-simplyfying?

Tabula Rasa - This episode starts out really really bad. A loanshark with a really terrible looking shark head (SEE IT'S A PUN) shows up because Spike owes him kittens. I hate the fucking "gambling for kittens" thing (okay I liked it in Life Serial but I hate it here) and I hate this demon and his stupid head. It gets better once everyone loses their memories and it's funny. I do like this episode, it's definitely good but I don't think it's a classic or anything. Like the "Anya reads from a book and loads of bunnies" appear bit is kind of silly and pandering to the fans. Or something. Memory wiped Tara gets literally no characerisation except "she fancies Willow." It is a good episode though! The ending is very sad with Giles leaving because Giles is awesome.
 
Giles leaves, Joss (sort of) leaves, and everything goes to crap until season 7.

Thanks for the insightful thoughts on an episode we've already talked to death on several boards. :)
 
Offspring - The Angel/Cordy potential romance has been something that's really played out in the background and that's good. They've been laying the groundwork since season two and it's only now that it's becoming more obvious that Angel is considering the possibility that he could be in love with Cordy. Then Darla comes in pregnant and ruins that! Sahjhan appears for the first time and he's a cool quipy time-travelling demon! Holtz is in the present day now and that's a good cliffhanger.

Quickening - Things are starting to get crazy now as various groups want Darla's baby. Gavin is shown to actually be quite effective as he's bugged the hotel and has been recording Angel for months. I like the stuff showing how Wolfram and Hart prepare for an operation. Then Holtz takes out their whole team himself becaue he's a badass vampire hunter from the past! This is good stuff.
 
I just checked and "Goodbye to You (Tabula Rasa)" is the 3rd most played out of 4 version of Goodbye to You I have on iTunes, beating out only "Goodbye to You (The Spirit Room)".
 
Lullaby - Darla has been around since the first episode of Buffy. She's died, come back as human, turned back into a vampire, got prengnant, got a soul from her baby and now she finally dies for the last time (yeah she comes back as a ghost next season for one episode but she's still dead!) when she stakes herself in a memorable scene, leaving Angel holding the baby. Julie Benz was very good in these last few episodes as Darla discovers humanity again and she will be missed. This is a strong episode.

Dad - This isn't so good. The stuff with Wolfram and Hart and Holtz is good, but the stuff with Team Angel looking after the baby...this is why most tv shows don't keep babies around. It's no fun watching the characters cooing over it. I'm sure some ovaries exploded at the sight of David Boreanaz singing to a child but not mine! Also the plot is pretty poor with a bunch of generic assholes wanting to kill the baby but Angel blows them all up. Justine appears for the first time so there's that?

Birthday - It's good to have a Cordelia episode. The thing about her visions getting worse has been going on for a while so the pay-off is earned with Cordy becoming part demon. Skip is back and he's cool! The opening titles to the Cordy tv show are funny.
 
Provider - Angel needs money for Connor so everyone splits up in their own subplots to make money. There's demons who wanted to eat Fred's brain or something? Honestly, I feel asleep (I was watching it in bed) halfway through and didn't feel like I missed much.

Waiting In The Wings - Written and driected by Joss Whedon, it's the ballet one. It's a good episode. Summer Glau's in it if you like her. Wesley and Gunn both like Fred (which makes sense, she's Fred!) and she ends up with Gunn here. Angel and Cordy go through their own 'I Only Have Eyes For You' moment but then Groo shows up at the end and spoils that!

Couplet - I know there's a lot of dark stuff coming up, so I understand why they're putting all these lighter episodes here. But the series has been featuring a lot of romance and cooing over babies lately and I kind of just want them to get back to the cool stuff? This episode isn't too bad or anything. There's some funny bits (but the comedy background music is seriously overused) and I like the creepy tree demon. Wesley starts acting like one of those guys who complain about being "friendzoned" and is a dick to Gunn and Fred. Does Cordy really not know Angel likes her or is she acting oblivious because she thinks it could never work between them? Wesley translates a prophecy as "the father will kill the son" at the end...

Loyalty - Ah yes, this is the dark stuff I was talking about! Wesley fears Angel is going to kill Connor. He goes to a hamburger demon thing for advice and it's cool Holtz is bulding up an army of people who hate vampires. Angel is seen drinking blood several times. I wonder if that's significant! The Lilah/Sahjahn scenes are funny. Wesley's character arc is much more interesting now than the love triangle stuff.

A general note to Angel seaosn 3: stop using the word "champion" so much.
 
Waiting In The Wings aka "The One With Joss' foot fetish"
CaptainWacky said:
A general note to Angel seaosn 3: stop using the word "champion" so much.
Click to expand...

YES.

Like at some point "champion" stopped being a general thing to aspire to be and the writers started leaning on it like it was a metaphysical capital-C Champion thing, like the equivalent of Slayer? It's weird.
 
Sleep Tight - Things are getting crazy now. Wesley is convinced that Angel will kill Connor and it seems he has good reason as Angel is acting crazy after Wolfram and Hart spiked his pig's blood (it was important!) with Connor's blood. But really Wesley should have tried explaining all this to someone instead of trusting his prophecies. This episode has a GREAT scene where Angel talks to Lilah in a bar and then Sahjahn walks in and is all "I'm your mortal enemy!" but Angel's all "I don't eve know you!" Then Wesley gets his throat cut by Justine and Holtz takes baby Connor to a Hell dimension. That's quite the ending! This is top level Angel.

Forgiving - Angel (the series) is just non-stop plot developments at this point (while Buffy's spinning its wheels) and this episode is just as crazy as the last with Angel torturing Lynwood and then the geat scene in the White Room with Lilah (the bit where he goes to snap her neck and the little girl laughs is chilling!) It turns out Sahjahn rewrote the prophecies because Connor prophecised to kill him and I think that's a fairly reasonable conclusion to the revenge plot. Sahjahn ends up trapped in a jar but maybe he'll be back! The episode ends with Angel explaining to Wesley that he hasn't turned evil...then attempting to smother him with a pillow. This scene is great and everything but maybe it would have played out better if Angel had just silently tried to smother him instead of saying things like "YOU SON OF A BITCH" and "YOU BASTARD" which sounds kind of out of character? Or something. It's also a top level Angel episode anyway.

Cordelia hasn't been in the last three episodes at all and I wonder if it's just because Charisma needed a holiday or if something was going on behind the scenes.

I guess I should try to watch some Buffy again...
 
Smashed - This episode starts with a scene where Buffy stops a mugging and Sarah Michelle Gellar's acting feels really off. I'm a big fan of SMG as Buffy but she seems unnatural here. And yeah maybe it's because Buffy herself has been going through a bad time but I kind of doubt it. Also Spike's head looks a weird shape in this episode. I don't know why. Everything about this episode feels kind of off to me. Anyway, the Trio rob a museum and freeze a guard with an icebeam and when Buffy sees the guard being brought out it's like a secene from Gotham. Willow turns Amy back human at last. I do like Amy and the actress playing her. Except...she doesn't really feel the same as season 3 Amy did. She's suddenly super powerful. She can do magic just be flicking her wrist (remember back in season 3 how they all had to sit around in a circle chanting or at last say stuff in Lain to do magic?) This just keeps getting worse when Willow and Amy go to The Bronze. Suddenly they can both completely mind control people by flciking their wrists or make men dance in cages or even turn a man into a woman...like really easily. If Amy was this powerful all along how come she didn't use these amazing powers back in Gingerbread when the mob was going to burn her? Spike thinks his chip isn't working and instantly goes to kill a girl. That's probably the best bit of the episode but I would have liked more of an exploration of that. Would he have killed Dawn or someone if the chip really wasn't working or did he still care about her too much? Anyway turns out he can only hurt Buffy and they beat each other up...then have sex and destroy a building. I'm not even against the idea of Buffy feeling so low that she'll have sex with Spike, but it's just pretty poorly done here. Like why do they destroy a building? This episode is not good. (Spike knows what holodecks are but not who Boba Fett is?)

Wrecked: But this is far far worse. Willow's reliance on magic has been built up over years and has been really well done. Up to this point she hasn't been getting high by doing magic. That hasn't been the story. It's more that she's addicted to the power of magic, that she relies on it to make everything quicker and easier. And then this episode comes along and just turns it into "MAGIC IS LITERALLY A DRUG WILLOW'S MAGIC ADDICTION IS LITERALLY DRUG ADDICTION LOL." They run through every drug addict cliche they can think of in the course of one episode. And that makes it worse too, that it just came out of nowhere and after this they keep talking about Willow's "magic addiction" and her "going cold turkey" and have to hide candles because they're like bongs and it's so stupid. Amy is suddenly the bad influence friend who is pushing magic drugs on her (I know Amy could have been a magic drug addict all along in the first three seasons but I always thought she was nice!) and there's a crack den for magic users and it's all so shit. And Buffy being all "I'm never having sex with Spike again!" is annoying. Oh and Xander and Arya have spent the last two episodes just sitting in the Magic Box reading books about freezing demons. Seriously they've been there for days. The only good thing about these episodes is that Dawn is now the most likable character (in that she's written to be likable here) and Michelle does good work and the scenes with her and Tara are really nice. Otherwise this is terribad.

Gone: This is better becaues at least there's some humour with Buffy being invisible and the invisible traffic cones and terrorising the social worker who was only trying to do her job and surely they'll just send another one now. But it doesn't do anything all that interesting with Buffy being invisible. Like imagine if Earshot had just been the comedy scenes of Buffy reading minds and without the Jonathan scene. That's kind of what this is. The closest it comes to doing something more than comedy with the invisibility is when Dawn says "how can I talk to you when you're not there?" and it has a DOUBLE MEANING. I GET that Buffy feels liberated to be invisible and that leads her to go back to having sex with Spike but it kind of makes all the time the last episode spent saying "I'll never have sex with Spike again" feel like a waste. The invisible fight scene is kind of lame. Buffy has an epiphany at the end that she doesn't want to die anymore so that's good at least? But this is an episode that just makes me think "that would have been so much better in season 3."
 
So was Betty throwing away the toy gun while Bobby went off to watch The Brady Bunch, and that was a little too on-the-nose as well.
 
Doublemeat Palace - This is an episode that you see named as one of the worst ever, which kind of helps it in a way because it's not THAT bad. I mean it is bad, but I certainly hated Wrecked a lot more. The problem with this episode is that it's just slow and boring. We get it, working in fast food is boring and soul-destroying. That doesn't mean you have to bore the audience with endless scenes of Buffy talking to different "quirky" co-workers and watching the meat grinder. After decided she didn't want to die in the previous episode she still hates life enough to have dirty dumpster sex with Spike. Halfrek shows up for the first time but I kind of hate how Xander and Anya do nothing for most of the season except plan their wedding. Amy drops by again to pick up her rat cage (which is cute!) but then she "doses" Willow with magic. You know, like when bad drug taking friends spike you to get you hook on drugs (I assume that's a real thing that happens!) I fucking hate how they just change Amy to be whatever the plot requires and she gets more evil every week and it's not narutal at all. Then there's the ending where Buffy finds out there's actually no meat in the doublemeat sandwich which I don't think actually makes any sense? This is certainly a season six episode.

Dead Things - This is better! The Buffy/Spike stuff is dealt with in more depth. I like that Buffy goes to Tara for help. There's that pretty famous scene between Buffy and Spike in the Bronze. The Trio have been talking about mind-controlling girls all season as if it's a joke but this time their victim points out that it's rape and they accidentally murder her. Warren has always been shown to be more evil than the others and now we see weak-willed Andrew go along with it while Jonathan isn't happy. On the downside I would say the stuff where Buffy thinks she's killed a human is a bit rushed and rehash of Ted in some ways but at least this is an episode where stuff actually happens.

Older and Far Away - This one is a mixture of good and bad. I'll start with the bad: it's really slow. I know it kind of has to be to show everyone going a bit crazy trapped in the house but some of it didn't hold my interest. Buffy brings a friend from Doublemeat to the party, Xander and Anya bring a guy for Buffy and Spike brings Clem but the three of them have about ten lines between them and there's really no point them being in the episoe other than the guy being stabbed (and he lives I guess but who cares.) Anya turns into a crazy bitch (but at least she gets to do something different this week!) On the plus side the Dawn/Buffy stuff is pretty good and Michelle Trachtenberg's acting is quite a bit better this year than last and Buffy stays behind with her at the end and Dawn smiles so that's nice. And the solution where Halfrek gets trapped in the house too and has to remove the spell is quite clever. So yeah this one is pretty decent on the season six scale.
 
As You Were - Oh, Riley's back. Just what we've all been crying out for. And he's brought his wife who...I don't know what she's supposed to be. I think we're supposed to like her but she just seems smug and written to be too perfect. She's like "oh hey Willow I've known a few guys who got messed up on magic, you're really strong to beat your addiction!" Fuck off? Anyway, it's just another "BUFFY'S LIFE IS SHIT" episode that uses expressionless Riley to show that Buffy's life is shit. Also Spike's a demon-breeding super villain but this is just brushed off with one line and never brought up again. Buffy's speech to Spike at the end is well delivered at least (she's calls him "William.")

Hell's Bells - Xander and Anya have been in a holding pattern all season. They've barely been involved in the other story lines at all because they can't do anything significant until they get the wedding episode out of the way. And here it is, at last! And it's pretty shit! Xander's relatives are all over the top sitcom characters! Anya's invited a bunch of (humanoid) demons because...Anya's friends with demons, apparently? Even though we've never seen her hang out with any for the last three seasons (other than Halfrek this year and she only arrived because Anya invited her to the wedding. And shouldn't Anya be angry at her for Older and Far Awar?) I'm not opposed to the idea that Xander would want to call off the wedding but I DON'T BUY the way it happens here at all. It doesn't ring true. He's been shown to have minor doubts (as has Anya in Once More With Feeling) but just calling it off right when he's about to walk down the aisle because he saw his cartoon parents argue after they had a stupid unfunny fight scene with Anya's demon friends...no. It's dumb. There's some decent moments in the episode like Willow talking to Xander and Emma Caulfield's acting is quite good but I hate this episode. It's like a dumb comedy up until the miserable ending and I know it's supposed to be miserable but it's poorly executed misery and we don't need all the characters have shit lives at the same time it's too much. Anya is made a vengeance demon at the end BUT HOW COME BACK IN SEASON THREE D'HOFFRYN WOULDN'T TURN HER BACK WITHOUT HER AMULET HUH (this part doesn't really matter.)

Normal Again - I think my problem with season six is that it's so repetitive. They have a theme but the story never really progresses until they hit the milestone episodes. So Buffy can have an epiphany, stop sleeping with Spike, try to make it up with Dawn...but it's still season six so they have to come up with a way to undo it all and make her miserable again because it's not the finale yet. This time they do the old "main character is in a mental hospital dreaming the series" thing. So Dawn and Buffy fall out again with Dawn being bratty about Buffy not imaging her in her crazy life-threatening vision (seriously Dawn get over it) and Buffy tries to kill everyone because life sucks. This episode is better than others this season but I don't really love it. But that could also be because I'm not a neurotypical and sometimes the emotional moments don't work as well on me as on normal people. The part where Joyce makes a speech to Buffy to be strong and she returns to face her life is good. I like that Tara kind of saves the day (well before Buffy properly saves the day.)

Entropy - This is an episode I could barely remember and it doesn't have a whole lot of plot but it's actually quite refreshing after basically everything since Once More With Feeling. The plot finally moves on a bit! Character changes actually stick! Buffy and Dawn walk down a real street! Anya tries to trick people into wishing ill on Xander and it's quite funny! Spike and Anya have sex right as the Scoobies look at it on a hidden camera...okay that's a bit too contrived. But it's good to see the gang interacting as one other problem with season six is that it's kept everyone apart (probably to keep Buffy isolated and sad.) We don't get any fun Dawn/Spike scenes for example. But maybe we've turned a corner now. Maybe. Can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me now?
 
Double or Nothing - So after "you're a dead man, Price! Dead!" we get...an episode about Gunn's truck. Okay. Cordy and Groo are back and Cordy's hair is appalling. Gunn sold his soul for a truck seven years ago and I like that they play "Gangsta's Paradise" so that you know it's 1995. I don't really buy that the Gunn we saw in seson one knew that there were demon casinos running. I do like that Angel gets back into action by the end of the episode instead of wallowing over Connor. And that part where the demon just grows a new head. But the scene where Gunn fake breaks up with Fred is terrible (why does he do lots of nice things for her if he's then going to pretend he hates her? Why is she wearing a crown?)

The Price - The dark magic Angel used a few episodes ago has resulted in a squid thing appearing in the hotel and it kills an innocent person. Cordy's demon powers haven't been seen since Birthday or really been defined at all, but they save the day here. Which is convenient. I wonder if her powers just do whatever the plot requires? This episode is good but I'd have liked more of Angel dealing with his guilt, maybe? Gunn goes to Wesley for help but Wesley is frosty. It ends with "Hi Dad."

A New World - Connor, at last. He can fight in slow motion? It's a cool opening scene but I don't remember him doing this again. Anyway, the episode is good. It's hard when Angel's talking to this teenager about him being his son but he was a baby a few episodes ago. It is a bit soap opera-y as someone mentions. The Lilah/Wesley scene is really good.
 
Benediction - This is an episode that fooled me! When Holtz talked to Angel I thought Holtz was actually being sincere. Then he goes and has Justine murder him and make it look like Angel did it. Did Holtz really ever love Connor or was it all about revenge? I think he did but in the end he just couldn't let go. Have to say I'm not finding Connor as annoying yet on this watchthrough, but maybe it's season four when he starts whining all the time. Strong episode.

Tomorrow - Cordy hasn't really been the same since she came back from her three episode break. It's not just because of her bad hair cut and being way too tanned, but that doesn't help either. When I first saw this episode I didn't like the "ascending to Heaven" type scene or Cordy being some pure devine being of love or whatever but konwing that it's all a con makes it a bit easier to take! Lindwood's attempt at revenge on Angel is pretty lame. Groo leaves because he realises Cordy doesn't love him and he's much more mature about the situation than Riley was. Lorne is also leaving to go to Las Vegas! Wesley and Lilah have sex! Connor sinks Angel to the bottom of the ocean. This was David Greenwalt's last episode in charge and I wonder if he had different plans for how season four would go. Because season four is weird. Is there a Buffy/Angle companion book like for TNG and DS9 with actual good behind the scenes stuff? There should be.

Seeing Red - I always thought Marti Noxon wrote this one but it was Steven DeKnight? Or did Marti write (or just suggest) one particular scene? You know the scene. It's just...a poorly done scene. I think they could have had Spike try to force himself onto Buffy thinking she enjoyed violent sex (I mean they destroyed a house the first time they had sex. A whole house) and have made it a good (and harrowing!) scene. But...it's just dumb. Why is Buffy crippled from being kicked through a tombstone earlier in the night? The rest of the episode is pretty good, the best since Once More With Feeling. Warren finally gets to act out his power fantasy thanks to MAGIC ORBS (subtle) and has a memorable fight scene with Buffy ending with "goodnight, bitch." Willow and Tara have lots of make-up sex and Dawn is very excited about this and it's adorable. Oh, and Tara appears in the opening credits AT LAST then dies. So that's sad.
 
It makes sense that being underwater wouldn't drown Angel as he dosn't breath anyway, so why did they have a scene of Spike being tortured by having his head held underwater in later episode?
 
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