Mark Watches ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’: S01E02 – The Harvest

In the second episode of the first season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy’s new group of friends bands together to stop the mouth of hell from opening up. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

Hey! You! Yes, you! You probably want to comment about Buffy down below! I DO NOT ALLOW SPOILERS and I will irritatingly remind you of it for at least a couple weeks so that people drill this into their brains. (Thankfully, the vast majority of you were wonderful yesterday!) Please read my updated Spoiler Policy to see what counts as a spoiler and to learn how to cyper and decode all the gibberish down below!

You know, I think I remember why I never gave this show a chance: I don’t like vampires. In general, I’ve never been too interested by the mythology that surrounds them, and it certainly doesn’t help that a certain “saga” of books pretty much ruined everything ever. But let’s say I never read those books; I still haven’t been terribly fascinated by them. I’m hoping that this is going to change that by at least making things a little more silly than I expect. I suppose that’s what’s so weird about vampires: they’re always played with this hyper-serious eroticism, and it rarely strays from that. At this point, a lot of the witty humor comes from those around the vampires, but even that is a welcome change for me. Vampires are inherently absurd to me, and I like that there’s a slight acknowledgment in the writing that this is goddamn ridiculous.

I like the premise of the show so far, and I’m getting a lot of hints towards things that will continue being more awesome, but I’m still in that period where I’m like I DON’T KNOW Y’ALL GIVE ME MORE TIME. I need to get to know Buffy better, and I’m slow to declare my love. Well, only sometimes, but I don’t need to rush into another relationship after Battlestar Galactica, okay? STOP PRESSURING ME!

Given that, I’m keeping an open mind about this show; I can’t say I liked “The Harvest” more than the pilot, but it’s interesting to me. Whedon sets up what will probably be this season’s mythological arc (The Master, who I still maintain should be John Simm), and wraps up most of the storylines introduced in the first episode. Things are…awkward? I think this is the first show I’ve watched where I don’t think the acting is really all that solid, except for Charisma Carpenter. And that’s weird to me, because I got the tiniest hint of her character doing something different and evolving, and then it’s taken away from me. I have no clue why I am drawn to her at all because her personality is so grating at first! She’s rude, dismissive, and mouths off a billion shitty and problematic things to those around her, but to me, it feels like a show. It’s a performance, but I can’t figure out why. Plus, her interaction with Buffy changes almost immediately after the girl saves her life. If you look back at the scene of the morning after the attack, she’s still gossiping about Buffy being weird, but it doesn’t sound cruel. It sounds…almost like she respects her?

But now I’ve jumped all the way to the end. WOOPS. It happens! I don’t find this show particularly creepy yet, even if it’s steeped in fantasy and horror tropes. The thing is, I sort of don’t care about that. The show doesn’t feel like it’s trying to be this terrifying, supernatural thing, and I’m perfectly fine with that. That’s not to say that it can’t be; I think the set of the tunnels underneath Sunnydale was used extremely well and utilized darkness and claustrophobia properly. Since I’m coming off of Battlestar Galactica, which was unbelievably intense and serious, it’s nice that this is campy and silly and over-the-top. That tonal change is appealing to me.

Whedon doesn’t accept that a campy storyline can’t have some realism in it, though, and there are two important plot points that prove this. First of all, Giles immediately has to deal with the fact that Xander and Willow now know Buffy is a slayer, there are vampires, and more people will be killed because of this. I can’t express just how much I love that this is so early into the show. These characters are now available to have intricate involvement in the plot that isn’t them wondering what the hell Buffy is up to; thankfully, Giles doesn’t seem like he wants to drag the process out longer than it has to be:

“A Slayer hunts vampires; Buffy is a Slayer; don’t tell anyone. Well, I think that’s all the vampire information you need.”

I MEAN RIGHT. Oh god I love you Giles I LOVE YOU.

I also picked up on Xander’s little temper tantrum regarding feeling useless because Buffy asked him to let her do things on her own. It’s kind of a brilliant moment because…look, this shit came out in 1997. And it had a young women basically telling a man who’s bigger than her to sit the hell down and let her take of shit her own way. That’s…kind of cool? And I don’t want to either overstate or underestimate the influence of this sort of thing, especially when you retroactively look at this sort of stuff. But even in 2011, that’s kind of a big deal? Which is an unfortunate thing to state, since not much has changed in fourteen years.

The other thing that not only made me laugh, but I recognized as a great addition to the story was having Buffy’s mother refuse to let her out of the house. I am hoping that this show is not going to ignore the fact that Buffy is just sixteen years old, and this seems like a good sign of it. Earlier, Principal Flutie already tried to prevent Buffy from leaving campus, and now Buffy’s mother is putting up restrictions on her behavior. The problem that Buffy faces, then, is how she is going to attempt to stay in Sunnydale without burning down the gym again. Will there come a day when she has to tell her mother what’s going on, or will it remain a secret over all seven seasons? Thankfully, Whedon’s already provided Buffy with three alibis in the form of Giles, Xander, and Willow; however, how long can that last? How much will Buffy try to integrate into high school life? These are things I sort of want to know! Likeรขโ‚ฌยฆwill she join a sports team to try to deflect any suspicious attention to her? Or will that actually be a disaster?

At this point, this is the stuff I’m looking for. I know that I’m going to just let the story develop from here, but I’m paying attention to all the details that stand out as being unusual for an American drama for teens or as a fantasy show. Again, that doesn’t mean Whedon doesn’t use familiar tropes or patterns. I think the portrayal of the vampires is pretty hokey and tired, to be quite honest. There’s nothing in the way Luke, Darla, and the Master act that seems all that much different from nearly every vampire representation that I’ve seen.

However, I was totally shocked that Jesse was made a vampire in the second episode of the whole show. Of course, I’d assumed that when the Master wanted to use him as bait, it would be in Jesse’s human form. So as he led them through the tunnels, I figured that if he was leading them to a trap, it was because he’d made a bargain with the Master to spare his life. But really, how ridiculous is that assumption? Why would the Master turn away a fresh body??? So yes, I did gasp loudly when Xander turned to see that Jesse’s face had changed.

But purely from an emotional standpoint, it’s Whedon’s first statement that this show isn’t going to be safe about certain things. Why should I have expected everyone to get off scot-free after their very first experience with vampires? Instead, I find it more realistic that one of the human characters would lose their life, unprepared to deal with a vampire.

At the same time, I do have one huge complaint about how “The Harvest” ends. As soon as Luke started sucking the bouncer’s blood, I was ECSTATIC. Because there were like 50 fucking witnesses!!! Oh god, and Xander killed Jesse when someone pushed him onto the stake he held, and THIS NEVER HAPPENS IN THE BEGINNING OF A SCI-FI/FANTASY BOOK. It’s always a secret that has to be kept so no one ever knows this underground society exists. But Luke just ate a dude on stage in front of a ton of other people. THIS IS SO EXCITING.

And then we see Cordelia the next morning, explaining to another girl how a “gang” of some sort bust into the Bronze. And the entire plot is written off because people are more likely to rely on denial than being honest with themselves. All fifty people???? I’m sorry, I can’t believe that. Look how many people there were! Not one of them thought it was weird that a guy sucked blood out of another guys’ next? Did the police just not get involved at all? Perhaps Whedon didn’t want to out do himself so early on, but I was kind of disappointed with this dismissive explanation for it all. It felt like a bit of a cop-out.

Still, I’m excited to see where this goes. And if Giles is telling the truth, that means there will be other creatures around that aren’t vampires??? UM YES PLEASE THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. thank you very much.

About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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509 Responses to Mark Watches ‘Buffy The Vampire Slayer’: S01E02 – The Harvest

  1. xpanasonicyouthx says:

    oh god THIS IS SO TRUE. I sort of wait to comment on these things, because I remember I wanted to say that about Doctor Who and then was impressed by how many characters of color there ended up being.

    But yes! This is so weird. All of Southern California is so diverse. It's been weird working in San Francisco every day because certain parts of the city are so white. Which isn't bad in itself, obviously, but when you're used to seeing people with the same skin color (and darker) all around you, it's a bit of a shock when that changes.

  2. Suzannezibar says:

    Ooh, that is good to know!! I think I will have to check it out sooner or later ๐Ÿ˜€

  3. Genny_ says:

    Yeah, there's a few places here that do that. IDK, I can see a 16+ bar. And then to drink you get carded at the bar, usually.

  4. Elexus Calcearius says:

    I see we're still having erratic server fun times.

    I too enjoyed this episode, but its definitely still got its cheesy and hokey elements. That's okay. Doctor Who has given me a fine appreciation for camp, and I know that sometimes shows take time to grow into their own. And while vampires aren't really my thing, being forced to deal with killing someone whose 'turned' certainly is. Its similar to the concept of zombies in the way, except the vampire Jesse is still clearly conscious, which almost makes it worst. It brings up a lot of questions about what vampirism means in this world, and what type of freedom the vampires really have in their desire to suck blood.

    On the topic of everyone not noticiing, it is a little unbelivable, but I do like the hidden secret things in media. That said…V'ir ernq nyy nobhg Fhaaqnyr Flaqebzr. Guvf fubj rzobqvrf gur jrveqarff prafbe gebcr, qbrfa'g vg? V trg gur frafr gung rirelbar ryfr'f varcgvghqr jvyy orpbzr n ehaavat tnt, juvpu vf terng, ohg guvf zvtug or n ovt fbhepr bs grafvba sbe Znex.

  5. Suzannezibar says:

    Lrnu, V'z va gur zvqqyr bs Frnfba 4 evtug abj, juvpu, nfvqr sebz Fcvxr'f jubyr fgbelyvar, vf qrsvavgryl ABG qrnyvat jvgu inzcverf va gur fyvtugrfg! V qrsvavgryl nterr gung gur jevgref cebonoyl svtherq gurer jnf bayl fb zhpu gurl pbhyq qb jvgu bayl inzcverf.

    Nyfb, guvf znxrf Znex'f pbzzrag nobhg jnagvat zber perngherf gung nera'g inzcverf nyy gur zber snohybhf. Vg vf pbzvat, whfg lbh jnvg!

  6. Okay so you pretty much picked the best time to start watching Buffy, because I am off school now so I CAN ACTUALLY COMMENT AGAIN. Also I have so much love for this show, so I'm excited!

    About everyone being in denial about the vampires, I made up a story in my head where a lot of people in Sunnydale do know about what's going on (or are at least aware that something about the town isn't normal), but not much ever leaks out because the local politicians help hush things up. I also assume everyone either wants to rationalize what they saw like Giles said, or they don't want people to think there's something wrong with them. It doesn't solve the problem, I know, and it's a flawed headcanon, but it does help me stretch the suspension of disbelief a little bit.

  7. Elexus Calcearius says:

    "Oh, hey, looks like unparallelled doom from the nether dimensions has descended upon Hong Kong, not North Dakota like we thought."
    "Er. Oh. Um…"
    "I'll go book tickets."
    "Get me a window seat!"

  8. hpfish13 says:

    I like this plan! I call cerulean because it's such a wonderful color of blue. It was always happy when a picture I was coloring called for it!

  9. lula34 says:

    V'z abg fnlvat n jbeq, l'nyy. V yvir va srne bs nppvqragnyyl orgenlvat n fcbvyre, zhpu yrff checbfryl qebccvat fbzrguvat va gurfr pbzzragf. V'q engure fgnxr zlfrys guebhtu gur urneg guna qb gung, fb V'yy ebg13 zl yvsr njnl, yrfg V pbeerpg uvz ba guvf.

    Cyhf, vg'f whfg fb sha gb frr ubj hggreyl hacercnerq ur vf. Ubarfgyl, V guvax ur'f zber hacercnerq jvgu guvf frevrf guna ur jnf jvgu Jub be OFT. Naq V ybir, ybir, YBIR vg.

  10. Noybusiness says:

    Lrnu, V zrna va trareny. I mean vampires are bad, not something you'd be tempted to become in your adolescent fantasies.

  11. Smurphy says:

    Vfa'g gurer na rcvfbqr jvgu na nygreangr havirefr gung vf fbegn yvxr gung.

  12. Elexus Calcearius says:

    You mean the fact that only white people seem to exist in Sunnydale? Yeah, I noticed that, too.

  13. Elexus Calcearius says:

    ITS EVEN WEIRDER FOR ME. I lied in China for over half of my life. I am used to 95% of the people I see everyday to be people of colour. This literally feels unnatural to me.

  14. hassibah says:

    Yeah it's like before the year 2000 tv executives would not ever have tv shows with mixed race casts, except for the occasional sitcom that would have like *one* token minority. I can hardly think of any shows like this from the 90s and before. It's pretty shocking to go back and look at these especially now that more diverse casts on tv seem way more common.

  15. hassibah says:

    Yeah it's like before the year 2000 tv executives would not ever have tv shows with mixed race casts, except for the occasional sitcom that would have like *one* token minority. I can hardly think of any shows that are exceptions from the 90s and before. It's pretty shocking to go back and look at these especially now that more diverse casts on tv seem way more common.

  16. lawrence_s says:

    I've tried to settle for just keeping things vague.

    V'z cerggl fher gubfr bs hf jub'ir nyernql frra nyy gur rcvfbqrf pna ernq zl cbfg nobir naq trg n YBG zber bhg bs vg guna gur arj ivrjref jvyy. Jr xabj jung unccraf jura zber crbcyr svaq bhg nobhg Ohssl, rfcrpvnyyl ure zbz, ohg nyfb ure pynffzngrf, naq rira jung unccraf jura… penc, ner jr BX jvgu frnfba rvtug naq avar pbzvp fcbvyref urer? Fubhyq V fbzrubj bgurejvfr rapbqr gubfr?

    Vg'f xvaq bs yvxr fcrnxvat va pbqr. Jr pna znxr ersrerapr gb guvatf va gur pheerag naq cnfg rcvfbqrf gung Znex nyernql xabjf, ohg gung gur crbcyr 'va gur xabj' pna vasre zber sebz. V zrna, ybbx ng Erfgyrff. Zbfg bs gung rcvfbqr qbrfa'g znxr frafr hagvy … jryy, rire, ernyyl, ohg vg znxrf ZBER frafr ng yrnfg ol gur raq bs gur svsgu frnfba.

    (V'z rapbqvat guvf orpnhfr V qba'g rira jnag gb vaqvpngr gb Znex gung gurer ner cbffvoyr uvagf va zl cerivbhf cbfg vs bar ernqf orgjrra gur yvarf. FRR? Gung'f ubj uneq guvf vf, jr rira unir gb rapbqr gur ZRGN-pbairefngvba! ๐Ÿ™‚

  17. lula34 says:

    Oh, the awesome cheesetastic amazement that is season one of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It's best embraced for the glorious camp that it is, with hearty hugs to Charisma Carpenter and Tony Head for classing up the joint. Watching these past two episodes I remember…nothing. Essentially I recall there's not a single bit of quotable dialogue that the Buffy fandom has made its own over the past almost-15 years. 'Cause we Buffy folks love to quote our show. Amirite or amirite? Bless us.

  18. nanceoir says:

    Well, Xander not staking Jesse is just proof that he's in way over his head and should listen to the professionals.

    (Also, the autocorrect on this tablet changed "Xander" to "Cancer"; it feels oddly appropriate for this thread, even if I don't hate him the way you guys do.)

  19. sundaycoma says:

    Tbeenz vg! V unqa'g rira gubhtug bs gung!

  20. Smurphy says:

    V arire pbagvahrq vagb gur havirefr ohg bppnfvbanyyl V'yy jvxv gur frevrf gb svther bhg jung'f unccravat…. V'z abg fher gubhtu.

    Naq lrf, ohg rira gura…. V jebgr "V zvffrq Fhaalqnyr" va n cbfg naq nsgre V cbfgrq vg V jnf yvxr "fuvg, V ubcr fbzrbar qbrfa'g guvax V zrnag jung unccra va gur frnfba svanyr jura gurl ernq gung orpnhfr V whfg zrnag gung V zvff gur gbja naq gur crbcyr…" ru… vg'f n gevpxl yvar.

  21. sundaycoma says:

    I was always working under the assumption it was a music venue that encorporated a bar and a club speaker system for the nights that there weren't live bands playing. Not that it really makes much difference because Cordelia clearly says in this episode that she thought there wasn't supposed to be a band tonight but on the nights that the venue is hosting a gig, they don't usually (or at least, the places here around where I live) have to do the whole X-on the back of the hand/stamp/colored paper bracelets thing.

  22. CrisA says:

    So many of the 90s genre shows have rough first seasons. SO MANY. Farscape, Buffy, Babylon 5, DS9, even the campy ones like Highlander. It's so hard trying to get new people into them.

  23. knut_knut says:

    let's! We can make t-shirts

  24. sundaycoma says:

    Zber guna gung, gurer'f na rcvfbqr jurerva Cevapvcny Falqre bhgevtug nfxf gur cbyvpr puvrs jung gurve pbire fgbel vf tbvat gb or guvf gvzr naq gurl qrpvqr ba "gur hfhny" – tnatf uvtu ba CPC.

  25. sporkaganza93 says:

    I have to admit – as soon as I saw Jesse lying on the floor, I knew he'd been turned. I don't know how exactly I knew this, but some genre-savvy part of my brain just clicked and went "Yeah, this guy's gonna become a vampire, and then he's gonna die." It may have to do with the fact that I'd been spoiled for a lot in the series and the name Jesse had never come up, but he was kind of a generic guy anyway, so I'd like to think I would've figured it out. But maybe not.

    Gur inzcver zlgubybtl qbrf frrz irel eha-bs-gur-zvyy ng svefg, ohg vg ernyyl qbrf trg sne zber vagrerfgvat nf gur fubj tbrf ba naq fgnegf gb ernyyl rkcyber gur vzcyvpngvbaf bs fnvq zlgubybtl.

    • Mez says:

      This is why all people introducing the show to people should enthuse about Jesse for awhile, so that they think he's a major character…

    • t09yavosaur says:

      I figured someone was going to be turned when Buffy had to explain the process in the last episode but I didnt let myself commit to Jesse as the one it was going to be so I could be surprised.

  26. RoseFyre says:

    Lrf, cebz. Gung jnf qrsvavgryl bs gur njrfbzr.

  27. cait0716 says:

    I don't think she's the first. If nothing else, we had that girl in Jurassic Park before this. But she's one of the few examples where there isn't any attention called to her gender as it relates to her skills

  28. sporkaganza93 says:

    Agreed! Giles!!!! Oh gosh he's just… THE BEST. I love Giles!

  29. fintain says:

    Can we book nice relaxing holiday for Buffy in Forks, Washington?

    Out of interest are you going to watch the Buffy the Vampire Slayer movie? It was made a few years before the TV show and though it doesn't have any real connection to the show (well apart from the character and central premise)

  30. sporkaganza93 says:

    V yvxrq ubj va frnfba bar, Natry jnf lbhe fgrerbglcvpny "ebznagvp" inzcver, ohg gura va frnfba gjb jura ur ybfrf uvf fbhy, Natryhf vf yvxr n gjvfgrq irefvba bs gung. Ur'f fgvyy bofrffrq jvgu ebznapr, ohg va n cebsbhaqyl jebat naq perrcl xvaq bs jnl. Vg'f yvxr gur qvssrerapr orgjrra n pyvatl oblsevraq naq n shpxvat frevny xvyyre, naq vg ernyyl qevirf ubzr gur cbvag gung inzcverf ner rivy. (V'ir bayl jngpurq gur svefg gjb frnfbaf, qba'g fcbvy zr! V unir urneq fghss nobhg Fcvxr orpbzvat yrff bs n onq thl yngre ba, ohg V qba'g jnag nal fcbvyref nf gb ubj.)

  31. knut_knut says:

    YEAH. Hopefully it gets better??

  32. sporkaganza93 says:

    Well, I dunno. Sunnydale isn't a big city, it's a small town. It seems natural that there wouldn't be as many people of color there. But the fact that it's pretty much literally a hundred percent white is a bit off-putting, yes. (Ner Ebznav pbafvqrerq juvgr?) This show has some serious problems with race. And with ableism, but to be frank, I really didn't expect any better from the show, so it's not as if it's letting me down. What bothers me most is when it has issues with gender, because I know that they really are trying on that account, and often they do get it right, so I feel all the more let down when they fuck up.

  33. sundaycoma says:

    That's it. My New Years Resolution this year is definitely going to encompass learning how to play the Buffy theme song on guitar by next year. It doesn't sound like it'd be too stupid hard.

  34. RoseFyre says:

    Jura ur qvrq, creuncf. ๐Ÿ˜›

    …Npghnyyl, V guvax *V* nz nf byq nf Natry jnf jura ur qvrq. Fpnel fpnel gubhtug.

  35. Mez says:

    Ur'f frra ABGUVAT.

    V xrrc fhqqrayl tbvat "Jbj, Znex qbrfa'g xabj gung Natry'f n inzcver," naq gura "ur qbrfa'g xabj gung Jvyybj'f tnl," naq gura "ur qbrfa'g xabj gung Wblpr vf tbvat gb qvr," naq gura "ur qbrfa'g xabj nobhg Tvyrf'f cnfg," naq GURA…

  36. Mez says:

    V jnf zber guvaxvat nobhg gur snpg gung fur
    n) tbrf gb wnvy
    o) gheaf tbbq

  37. monkeybutter says:

    Anu, V'z cerggl fher vg jnf pnhtug ol gur fcnz svygre. Wnpx bs Urnegf' naq fhaqnlpbzn'f pbzzragf jrera'g gur barf gung zragvbarq Nagubal Fghneg Urnq naq cbfg-Ohssl, gurl whfg zragvbarq gur rkvfgrapr bs n frevrf pnyyrq Jngpuref, juvpu V qba'g pbafvqre n fcbvyre.

  38. monkeybutter says:

    yby V fhttrfg lbh nibvq gur pbzzragf jura jr trg gb "Cnffvba."

  39. Mez says:

    I tend to start new viewers on one of the first season 2 episodes (I'm sure you can guess which one). Nothing too complex to explain, a couple new characters…

  40. monkeybutter says:

    Vg'f abg urnil-unaqrq ng nyy!

    Jura V fnj guvf pbzzrag va zl vaobk, V zl rlrf jrag fgenvtug gb "TRG VG TRG VG," naq V gubhtug gung lbh jrer n ernyyl vagrafr Onatry fuvccre.

  41. monkeybutter says:

    Just looked it up. He was born in 1969, so he was ~27 during the first season. I'm 26 now, and I was less than half his age when it aired. I think "Buffy has been around for more than half of my life" is the weirdest thing that I've felt old about.

  42. Jenny_M says:

    I am trying to hard with TVD, but it's exactly what you're saying – the first episodes are rough. I ought to just let it ride and be cool about it!

  43. RoseFyre says:

    Htu, Jvyybj vf fb abg tnl.

    Fbeel, crg crrir. Jvyybj vf ov. Gur crbcyr (jub jr xabj bs) gung fur unf pehfurf ba/eryngvbafuvcf jvgu qhevat gur frevrf vapyhqr Knaqre, Bm, urefrys (bxnl, gung'f Inzc!Jvyybj, jungrire, inzcverf ner rffragvnyyl gur fnzr crbcyr whfg…jvgubhg gur fbhy), Gnen, naq Xraarql. Guerr jbzra, lrf, ohg gjb zra. Naq gung'f n erny eryngvbafuvc jvgu Bm, naq n ybat grez pehfu ba Knaqre – naq Inzc!Jvyybj vf jvgu Inzc!Knaqre gbb, fur'f whfg…syrkvoyr.

    Fb Jvyybj vf pbzcyrgryl, nofbyhgryl ov. Abg tnl.

  44. Jenny_M says:

    Smidge had been nominated for daytime Emmys, I believe, for her role on All My Children. She was a pro!

  45. lula34 says:

    BX, V jvyy serryl tvir lbh nal & nyy Rqjneq pbzcnevfbaf va “Cnffvba.” Ohg BAYL va gung rcvfbqr. Naq bayl orpnhfr V xabj Znex uvzfrys jvyy or nyy, “Guvf vf fbzr Rqjneq fuvg.” V'yy npghnyyl or hcfrg vs ur qbrfa'g. Yrg'f pnyy vg abj, funyy jr?

  46. lula34 says:

    BX, V jvyy serryl tvir lbh nal & nyy Rqjneq pbzcnevfbaf va “Cnffvba.” Ohg BAYL va gung rcvfbqr. Naq bayl orpnhfr V xabj Znex uvzfrys jvyy or nyy, “Guvf vf fbzr Rqjneq fuvg.” V'yy npghnyyl or hcfrg vs ur qbrfa'g. Yrg'f pnyy vg abj, funyy jr?

  47. lula34 says:

    BX, V jvyy serryl tvir lbh nal & nyy Rqjneq pbzcnevfbaf va “Cnffvba.” Ohg BAYL va gung rcvfbqr. Naq bayl orpnhfr V xabj Znex uvzfrys jvyy or nyy, “Guvf vf fbzr Rqjneq fuvg.” V'yy npghnyyl or hcfrg vs ur qbrfa'g. Yrg'f pnyy vg abj, funyy jr?

  48. lula34 says:

    BX, V jvyy serryl tvir lbh nal & nyy Rqjneq pbzcnevfbaf va “Cnffvba.” Ohg BAYL va gung rcvfbqr. Naq bayl orpnhfr V xabj Znex uvzfrys jvyy or nyy, “Guvf vf fbzr Rqjneq fuvg.” V'yy npghnyyl or hcfrg vs ur qbrfa'g. Yrg'f pnyy vg abj, funyy jr?

  49. You win the internet for mentioning Bunnicula. Now where did my copies of that series disappear to…

  50. TalentedKitty13 says:

    Mark: You are SO not prepared

  51. RoseFyre says:

    I always thought that was cut up garlic? I could be totally wrong.

  52. monkeybutter says:

    I prefer him as Booth, too. Not only because I like colorful socks. But I can't not find David Borneaz physically attractive, even if I'm laughing at his character.

  53. monkeybutter says:

    I prefer him as Booth, too. Not only because I like colorful socks, but I also can't not find David Borneaz physically attractive, even if I'm laughing at his character.

  54. monkeybutter says:

    Obahf cbvagf vs ur npghnyyl fnlf "guvf vf fbzr Rqjneq fuvg."

  55. tanbarkie says:

    Yeah, the willful ignorance of the citizens of Sunnydale is something you're gonna have to get used to, Mark.

    If it helps, keep in mind that BtVS was, along with shows like The X-Files and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, among the vanguard of truly serialized genre drama on television. Comparable shows of the 80s and 90s were, for the most part, purely episodic, designed to be watched in any order. It wasn't until the proliferation of cable/ premium channels and the growing availability of home video during the 90s that showrunners were allowed to pursue even season-long arcs, much less character development over the course of multiple seasons.

    In a post-Lost, post-BSG world, we take that sort of continuity for granted. But in 1997, a new and risky show like Buffy needed to have some basic level of episodic-ness in order for the network to be willing to finance its existence. I don't think it's spoiling anything to say that Joss pushes the hell out of his boundaries (and continually pushes them even farther every time he manages to convince the suits to push the goalposts back a bit). But it takes a little while for this to kick into gear on Buffy. It was, after all, his first show, and he wasn't a big name back then.

    Don't worry. As your own banner says, you are not prepared. You are BEYOND not prepared. There's a reason why no television series gets accused of "committing literature" more often than Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

    • MichelleZB says:

      Also, re: the ignorance of the plebes in Sunnydale.

      We have to think about this a bit more deeply. The thing is, this kind of thing isn't NEW to anyone in Sunnydale. It's on a hellmouth and supernatural crap happens all the time. So those 50 people who saw a vampire bite a guy on stage? They've seen shit like this before in their lives.

      So it's not just that they're in denial because they're scared. It's that their whole town–their parents, their friends, everyone–has grown up with a history of denial and secretiveness that must have shaped their whole attitudes. They've *learned* to deny now, learned to look away and dismiss and pretend everything's okay as sinister things go down all around them. It's a habit for them.

      The fact that they all "forgot" what they saw isn't just a lame plot device (although it is that, too). It's telling us something about Sunnydale and how it's been for so many years.

    • notemily says:

      Please refrain from telling Mark what he's going to get "used to," as it's an expectation spoiler for future episodes of the show. Your third paragraph is expectation-spoilery as well. Mark doesn't want to know anything about the show, and that includes general comments.

  56. Mez says:

    Whfg va gur arkg srj rcvfbqrf, jr'ir tbg:
    – jvgpurf
    – vafrpg ynql
    – ulran cbffrffvba
    – qrzba ebobgf
    – cbffrffrq chccrgf
    – vaivfvoyr crbcyr

    Znex vf tbvat gb unir fb zhpu sha…

  57. Kickpuncher says:

    Is it Fpubby Uneq?

    …haha. Fpubby.

  58. @Ivana2804 says:

    "I heard it was because women were seen swooning over him. "

    Well, somewhat true. Joss said that he wasn't impressed by him, but the women on the staff thought he was dreamy, even though Joss was like "Are you sure? He has a forehead thing going on…"

    • sundaycoma says:

      That apparently was the same thing that happened for the actor who ended up being cast as Aaron in Mean Girls. The casting director initially didn't think he had enough allure but when the women on staff were like "Ha-ha-ha-ha. Yeah, we'd maybe think about being lecherous creeps for him. We think we're going to go ahead and over-rule your opinion, thanks for dropping by though!"

      He does sort of have a forehead thing. Forehead things can be hot.

    • tigerpetals says:

      Yes, that's what I remember!

      Now I want to know exactly where this came from. Is it on the special features? I never went through them all…

    • Dru says:

      Considering how he looks now, I'd have said the neck was the thing to look out for (DB aged over the course of this show, that is not a spoiler, right?).

      (though, LOL FOREVER at the forehead thing, I wonder if that was in fact why Joss decided to cast him as Angel, all things considered ๐Ÿ˜‰

  59. tigerpetals says:

    So he's exactly twice my age! And Buffy's been around for two-thirds of my life, while I've only been aware of it for the last third.

  60. James says:

    I agree! Jung lbh fnvq nobhg vg orvat Jngpure vqrbybtl znxrf frafr. V zrna, Tvyrf unfa'g npghnyyl orra snpr-gb-snpr jvgu n inzcver orsber (gung jr xabj bs) gb tnhtr ubj zhpu bs gur crefba erznvaf. Va OgIF, zvaq naq fbhy ner frcnengr naq gur fbhy vf irel zhpu n pbafpvrapr. Gurl'er gur fnzr crefba, gurl whfg qba'g pner nobhg uhzna guvatf. Naq vg qrcraqf ba gur crefba, gbb. Fbzr crbcyr ner tbvat gb srry gung cbjre naq yrg vg tb gb gurve urnqf. Fcvxr vf cerggl zhpu gur fnzr, whfg rivy. V zrna, ur naq Qeh ner fgvyy pncnoyr bs ybir, rira jvgubhg fbhyf. Gura gurer'f Qbccyrtnatynaq jvgu inzcver!Jvyybj naq gur jubyr "V guvax V'z xvaqn tnl" guvat. Ohssl ohfgf bhg gur "abguvat yvxr lbh jrer" ohg Natry tbrf gb pbagenqvpg gung hagvy fur fubbgf uvz n ybbx. Vg'f nyy irel vagrerfgvat!

  61. @Ivana2804 says:

    "Ner Ebznav pbafvqrerq juvgr?"

    Ab. Ohg gur Ubyyljbbq Ebznav crbcyr graq gb ybbx juvgr, naq OgIF vf ab rkprcgvba.

  62. ChronicReader91 says:

    I watched season one and a few episodes of season two of this show about a year ago before I… kind of lost interest. It’s not a bad show by any means, and there was a lot I liked about it (moar women being badass and saving themselves and the men plz ty.) It was due to a combination of Hype Backlash and, like you, not really having much interest in vampires. Since then I keep meaning to give it another try and I’ll often watch an episode when I come across one on TV, and as a result I’ve spoiled myself for a few major plot points. BUT. I’m hopeful that the magic of the Mark Does Stuff effect will give me the motivation I need to sit down and watch where I left off and soon I will be sucked into the Buffy love! Better late than never, right?

    One thing I know for sure I love? The characters. I swear, I would watch an entire series of Williow and Giles hanging out in the library and talking about books and geeky stuff. (Why wasn’t this spin-off made?) Xander alternates between funny and sympathetic and annoying. The only characters I really don’t like are Cordelia and Angel.

    It’s kind of a brilliant moment because…look, this shit came out in 1997. And it had a young women basically telling a man who’s bigger than her to sit the hell down and let her take of shit her own way.

    This. I also liked that Jesse was the member of the group to be the victim- not that I hated Jesse or anything, but because it's a common trope for a girl on a group of friends to be the one put in danger that the others have to go rescue.

    I didn’t buy that everybody in the club just being in denial the next day. COME ON. Then again, this isn’t meant to be a terribly realistic show. I mean… VAMPIRES. I guess I can let dubious crowd psychology slide.

  63. James says:

    V svther gur Jngpuref Pbhapvy fraq ure jurer fur arrqrq. Xraqen trgf frag gb Fhaalqnyr ol ure Jngpure, orpnhfr gung'f jurer gur npgvba vf. Naq zbfg Fynlref qba'g ynfg irel ybat, fb znlor juvpurire cbgragvny vf pybfrfg gb gur arkg ovt ~zlfgvpny pbairetrapr~ vf gur bar gb trg pnyyrq? Naq bs pbhefr, gurer'f Gur Jvfu jurer Ohssl jnfa'g va Fhaalqnyr gb fgbc gur Uneirfg naq gur Znfgre, cerfhznoyl orpnhfr fur jnf ohfl jvgu fbzrguvat pybfre gb jurer fur jnf ng gur gvzr.

  64. MandaCookie says:

    I'm ridiculously excited that you're watching this. I've been desperately wanting to subject someone new to this world, but complications are preventing me from doing that. (Plus, for some reason, I get really embarrassed by the fact that I want so bad to re-watch it if I have to do it alone.) There's just something fascinating about re-experiencing something you love through the emotions of a friend.

    Buffy is my favourite show since it came out when I was 11 years old. The only other show I love as much is Firefly. And although it's not as strong, I'll always have a special place for Dollhouse, because it was the only Whedon show I actually watched in its entirety when it aired.

    V pna'g jnvg hagvy Znex trgf gb frnfba 2. Gung'f jurer vg ernyyl cvpxf hc. Gubhtu, V thrff lbh pbhyq fnl Cebcurpl Tvey vf jurer vg cvpxf hc.

    Also, I'm going to sign up… *spends the next hour trying to find out how to register*

  65. James says:

    I don't think it's really spoiler but just in case: vg'f gb fubj ubj zhpu byqre ur vf. Ur'f arire bhg bs inzc!snpr orpnhfr ur'f fb sne erzbirq sebz uvf uhzna yvsr naq lbh frr zhpu zber bs gur qrzba va uvz.

  66. sundaycoma says:

    It's so subtle, it's suble in its sublety. Which is why we'd be forgiven for thinking there wasn't any there!

    And you'll have to forgive me. I've always been wary when it comes to engaging with other fans of the things I like en masse so I wasn't exactly around and active during that whole debacle. I have no idea what kind of vitriol was thrown about during that time and I'm sure it was ridiculous and frightening. As for my own personal opinions…

    Onatry vf zl cersreerq eryngvbafuvc sbe Ohssl ohg nf vgf orra qrcvpgrq va snasvpgvbaf V'ir ernq, abg fb zhpu sbe gur frevrf cebcre. Gung orvat fnvq, gur bayl guvat V srry erny cnffvba gbjneqf va grezf bs fuvccvat sbe guvf frevrf vf na qrrc naq hanovqvat frafr bs qvfgnfgr sbe Xraarql. Naq Pbaabe/Pbeql va Natry. Rirelguvat ryfr vf whfg tenil.

    • monkeybutter says:

      Bu ab, V qvqa'g zrna vagrafr nf va fpnel, V zrnag vagrafr nf va rkpvgrq. V trarenyyl qba'g gnxr cneg va snaqbzf, fb V unir ab vqrn jung fbeg bs Ohssl naq Natry-eryngrq ivgevby sybjrq, unun. Naq V ubcr V qba'g svaq bhg va Znex'f pbzzragf, rvgure!

    • notemily says:

      Gung'f ubj V srry nobhg Fchssl–vg'f zl cersreerq cnvevat nf qrcvpgrq va snasvpf. Uru.

  67. notemily says:

    I don't know, I like the stake cop-out. It was just a silly subversion of the whole "I can't kill you, because you're my friend, but you're evil!" thing that pops up in horror stories. I don't think it was about anything particularly deep or meaningful about Xander's character, just Joss playing with tropes like he does.

  68. sundaycoma says:

    You ever heard that phrase "If it quacks like a duck…" ?

    There's pretty much nothing we can do to stop the aforementioned from happening.

  69. Mez says:

    Heh.

    Yeah, that's the one.

  70. notemily says:

    V nterr, naq V ungr gung gurl (naq fur!) xrrc fnlvat fur'f "tnl abj." Fvtu.

    • Tavyan says:

      Jryy, lbh xvaqn unir gb erzrzore gur gvzryvar ba guvf bar. Rira va gur rneyl 2000f jura Jvyybj jnf "pbzvat bhg", orvat "ov" jnf fgvyy cerggl haxabja naq n pnhfr sbe qrevfvba, obgu gb fgenvtug naq tnl phygherf.

      V qba'g ernyyl rkcrpg n jevgre gb cvpx hc ba gur vagevpnpvrf bs qrsvavgvbaf va n phygher gurl unir ab cneg bs, rfcrpvnyyl jura gurl'er nyernql oernxvat obhaqnevrf jvgu univat n "yrfovna pbhcyr" fubja va n cbfvgvir yvtug.

      Erzrzore, Jvyybj naq Gnen'f xvff va Frnfba 4'f svanyr uryq gur gvgyr bs orvat gur svefg naq gur ybatrfg ba-fperra xvff orgjrra gjb jbzra sbe LRNEF.

      Fb, juvyr V nterr jvgu lbh gung onfrq ba Jvyybjf ernpgvbaf gb qvssrerag eryngvbafuvcf va ure yvsr, fur'f ernyvfgvpnyyl yrff "tnl" naq zber syhvq, vg qbrfa'g npghnyyl obgure zr gung fur'f jevggra nf vqragvslvat "tnl" jura V guvax nobhg pbagrkg.

  71. Brieana says:

    I'm glad that I was able to make it onto this site.

    I watched this show so completely out of order and I know that I haven't seen every episode, so I can't really firmly grasp what happened at what time. I started watching this when I was a kid and I didn't know much about TV seasons and all of that, and I just watched it whenever it reran. This is probably why I don't have any firm opinions on which season was the best and which was the worst because I don't really know what happened when and I haven't seen a lot of the story lines build up and get resolved. At least not all at once. It's like the show is a clump of very tangled strings?
    I feel so uneloquent. Basically, I'm familiar with the show and I've liked it for many years, and watching this in order is so completely different to me.
    Anyway, I do like Cordie a lot. She's funny to me. And I was never interested in vampires either. I prefer werewolves. They embrace the beast within which I'm cool with. My brother started watching this show before I did, and I resisted at first but eventually I started watching and I found it pretty funny.

  72. feminerdist says:

    OMG OMG OMG I CAN ACTUALLY READ THIS ONE AND COMMENT! (Like, a whole day later, but still).

    So anyway, this is my first time watching Buffy as well. I know a few things, from randomly watching one season finale back in 2001… and some weird shit that didn't make sense happened, but other than that, I'm clueless. Yay!

    I enjoyed it, but man… campy as hell! I've had this same issue with my current Trek rewatch, and really any time I attempt to rewatch an old 90s favorite, like Xena. Man, the 90s…

    Though I gotta say, I much prefer David Borneaz in Bones. Everytime he came on screen as Angel I cringed, but when I watch him in Bones, I just want to drool. Thank god his acting has improved.

  73. Raenef says:

    Re: race, I think of it as a problematic symptom of the majority of shows in general, especially in the 90s. And on the WB.

  74. t09yavosaur says:

    I have been thinking that he looks kind of plastic in these episodes but he does look better in later years. Currently though, Booth had sadly been showing his age a bit (when he frowns or gets a haricut). V pnhtug na rcvfbqr bs Natry ba GAG bar zbeavat naq V qba'g xabj jung frnfba vg jnf sebz ohg ur ybbxrq terng gura.

  75. cait0716 says:

    Jryy Pbeqryvn nqzvgf gung fur srryf yvxr gurer'f fbzrguvat zvffvat sebz ure yvsr gbb. V thrff jung V zrnag vf gung Pbeql'f yvsr vf gur bar gung Ohssl guvaxf fur jnagf ng guvf cbvag. Ohg fur'f yrneavat gung fur qbrfa'g

    • notemily says:

      Lrnu, V nterr gung Pbeql ercerfragf gur "abezny grrantr yvsr" gung Ohssl jnagf gb unir ng guvf cbvag. Abg gung Ohssl jnagf gb or nf crggl naq zrna nf Pbeql, ohg fur jnagf gb or noyr gb whfg jbeel nobhg fubrf naq oblf naq jung anvy cbyvfu vf snfuvbanoyr gurfr qnlf, vafgrnq bs gur fuvg fur unf gb qrny jvgu.

  76. sundaycoma says:

    On a similar topic – I just started watching [unspecified show because Mark will soon be watching it and I don't want to give any sort of indication about anything] this summer because I was always like "Man, that show? THAT'S the show everyone's talking about now? Dude…" and my best friend had been trying to get me into it already for years and I just kept ignoring her (because what does she know, she's only my best friend of like eight years or whatever) until she finally made me watch it with her…

    And good God, y'all, that first season is rough as fuck but it gets so good, so good.

  77. klmnumbers says:

    re: cop-out ending

    I never saw it the way that you're presenting it. I always assumed it was more like– people believe what they want to believe. They want to feel safe and secure and not think about the fact that monsters are out there. Further, Cordelia is all about image (clearly). So, I always thought that she ignored what she saw and pretended like things were normal because she didn't want other people to look at her as some sort of a 'freak' for lack of a better word.

    But yay 90s tv!

  78. sundaycoma says:

    Oracle from the Batman comic books? Because a little wikipedia journey just told me Babs made her debut as Oracle in 1990 so a good six/seven years before Buffy brought Willow out of the gate.

  79. sundaycoma says:

    Makes me realize how lucky we were to have LOST. …God, I miss the first season of that show so much.

  80. t09yavosaur says:

    When I was a kid I liked to Bunnicula all my vegetables, but it only really worked on tomatoes.

  81. sundaycoma says:

    Mark is going to have such a problem with uvf hcpbzvat fubj Fhcreangheny. Fb zhpu.

  82. robin says:

    I can believe that it's a small California town that happens to have demographics with a small percentage of POC. But I guess I still have to judge the writers on choosing to place your story there – why that kind of small town when there are plenty of small CA towns with diverse populaces? Why show a brown face here or there in the corner of the background but don't let them speak and contribute to the narrative? How does that benefit your story? And why can't one of the few POC in that town be a major character?

    I know, preaching to the choir here. ๐Ÿ™‚

  83. notemily says:

    I love the colorful socks, and the "cocky" belt buckle. When I first saw him on Bones, for some reason I expected his character to be exactly like Angel–maybe because I thought Boreanaz didn't have much range ๐Ÿ˜› but Booth is definitely his own guy, and I love his character.

  84. notemily says:

    oh god I'm older than he was

  85. notemily says:

    Oh Marti Noxon, I have such a love/hate relationship with you.

  86. notemily says:

    Jryy, va GUVF IREL RCVFBQR bs Ohssl, Tvyrf fnlf gung fynlref fubhyq or noyr gb frafr inzcverf ol vafgvapg, ohg Ohssl unf ab vqrn Natry'f n inzcver. Zl gurbel vf gung fur'f oyvaqrq ol uvf ubggarff naq vfa'g guvaxvat pyrneyl, ohg vg vf xvaq bs jrveq.

    • tigerpetals says:

      V guvax gung jnf zrnag gb vyyhfgengr gung Ohssl jnfa'g yvivat hc gb jung Fynlre vf fhccbfrq gb zrna, va glcvpny jnlf. Fb fur frafrf inzcverf jvgu zbqrea tveyl snfuvba frafr, abg fbzr navznyvfgvp zntvpny cerqngbel frafr.

      V gnxr vg gb zrna gung Fynlref unir qvssrerag cbjref, be fur arrqrq gvzr gb, jryy, ubar vg. Va frnfba sbhe fur pna qb vg. Naq Snvgu ng bar cbvag fnvq gung fur pbhyq srry Natry.

  87. notemily says:

    lol "suck your friends in"

    sorry, all the vampire puns in yesterday's comments did something to my brain ๐Ÿ™‚

  88. notemily says:

    Lrnnnnu ohg va frnfba sbhe gurl jrag va n pbzcyrgryl njshy qverpgvba jvgu gur ivyynvaf. Urer'f n uvag, Ohssl jevgref: Lbh unir n SNAGNFL fubj ba lbhe unaqf. Qba'g gel gb oevat "fpvrapr svpgvba" vagb vg.

  89. monkeybutter says:

    I know, I was pleasantly surprised by Booth, too!

  90. Smurphy says:

    QUESTION. Vf ersrerapvat gur fpbbol tnat fcbvyrel? V qba'g xabj jul vg jbhyq or ohg… gubhtug V'q purpx. (Nyernql jebgr gbzbeebj erivrj naq V ersreraprq gung naq… lrc.)

  91. notemily says:

    "Does anyone mind if I pass out?" I love Willow.

  92. notemily says:

    BUNNICULA!! <3 Chester, Howie and Harold are still some of my favorite animal characters. I really need to go back and reread those books, because they were FILLED with references I didn't understand until much later. Like, they find a mysterious dog collar that says "ROSEBUD" on it… lololol

  93. notemily says:

    Only three years after that, he would be knocking it out of the park in Six Degrees of Separation.

  94. notemily says:

    MARKERS! I love it.

  95. RoseFyre says:

    Yeah, Idk.

  96. notemily says:

    Ohg… ohg… "Sbby Sbe Ybir"/"Qneyn"!

  97. notemily says:

    "Gurer'f zber guna bar jnl gb fxva n png. Naq V unccra gb xabj gung'f snpghnyyl gehr!"

  98. notemily says:

    Maybe they come as a free bonus when you order the holy water.

  99. lula34 says:

    Nterrq. NYY gur cbvagf vs ur fnlf, “Guvf vf fbzr Rqjneq fuvg!” naq trgf fhcre cvffrq, gbb. Nf jryy ur fubhyq. 'Pnhfr V'z xvaqn trggvat cvffrq abj, gbb. Qnza, Natryhf. Jul lbh tbggn znxr zr guvax bs Rqjneq? ANL.

  100. lula34 says:

    Nterrq. NYY gur cbvagf vs ur fnlf, “Guvf vf fbzr Rqjneq fuvg!” naq trgf fhcre cvffrq, gbb. Nf jryy ur fubhyq. 'Pnhfr V'z xvaqn trggvat cvffrq abj, gbb. Qnza, Natryhf. Jul lbh tbggn znxr zr guvax bs Rqjneq? ANL.

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