In the second episode of the second season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, the group faces a possible entity stealing corpses, and then are shocked (and grossed out) by what it turns out to be. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Buffy.
Okay, this is a real strong start to season two; back-to-back, these two episodes are a sign of how many things have changed since season one and how many more risks the show is willing to take. Even though this is just the fourteenth episode of this show ever, we see that the writers are willing to throw in far more character development, that the fighting on the show is a lot more brutal and intense, and that the network will allow them to get away with more morbid ideas. I mean, at heart, this is a story about corpse desecration and the creation of a mutated woman against her will. Well….their will. That’s probably more accurate. Oh god, this really is like the grossest idea for an episode yet, isn’t it?
I don’t think this is the best episode of Buffy yet, but I really think this could have turned out to be an utter disaster if a few things weren’t handled so well. It’s a constant theme and an outspoken judgment on the part of the characters, but I was glad that the script outright said that what Chris and Eric were doing was gross. And not just physically gross, but the idea was gross as well. It’s about how men fail to view women as anything more than parts, and that fear is all over the plot. In fact, that’s specifically used to trick us in the end if you think about it. Obviously, Eric was played to be the sexist douche right from the beginning, so we naturally follow the plot to believe that he is creating some sort of homage to Dr. Frankenstein, only for unbelievably selfish and inappropriate reasons. (And, thankfully, the show ultimately doesn’t try to romanticize this at all. The whole thing is disgusting, but I’ll get to that once we get there.)
The very notion of a “dream girl” is what we’re meant to assume about whatever it is that these two students were trying to pull off. It’s nice that no one, especially Willow, really wants to jump to conclusions about why this is necessarily happening. Of course, the writing avoids the specifics of this, and by the end of “Some Assembly Required,” I was kind of glad we didn’t find out about that sort of stuff. I didn’t really want to see the body of various parts, and I didn’t want Daryl to spell out what he was going to do with the creation. When it comes down to it, though, I just want my characters to be layered, to have reasons and motivations for things even if I don’t really like what those are. Obviously, Willow was closer to Chris than anyone else, but she’s the only one who was willing to give the situation a bit more of an examination before deciding whether Chris was as disgusting as Eric. At first, I thought the subplot with Daryl, his grieving mother, and Chris was merely meant to add some more subtext to his character, and even before the big reveal, I still enjoyed it a whole lot. It’s true that I didn’t think Chris seemed like the kind of guy to do a thing like this; it was more of Eric’s thing.
But that’s one of the things that really drives this episode, bringing it out of the realms of the mediocre. I was completely freaked out when Daryl steps into the light in Chris’s lab. It changed everything I’d seen at that point and added a whole new motivation for Chris’s behavior. He and Eric were not building a sex slave or the perfect girl; they were making a companion for the recently-revived (and rather icky-looking) Daryl. Like I said earlier, even with this plot twist, the show doesn’t really enter the territory of romanticizing this. It’s still a reprehensible thing to do. A great example of how this is treated is during the conversation that Buffy and Angel have in the cemetery at the very end. When she tries to say that Chris was just doing something for his brother, Angel very firmly states that he clearly went to far. It is depressing that Daryl’s surviving family could not properly cope with his loss, and “Some Assembly Required” showed us the contrasting responses from Chris and Mrs. Epps. One was passive in her grief, and Chris was more active in it. When it comes down to it, neither one of them could accept it.
Even with this plotting taking up most of the screentime, this episode also deals with various relationships, personal feelings, and a whole lot of adorable. I like Giles and you cannot take that away from me. Do I want to see him with Jenny Calendar? Who doesn’t? He’s such an intelligent man, and it makes me laugh to see him trip up over the most basic communication skills. Still, everything with him and Jenny is just so naturally adorable, and for a show that generally focuses more on how things can be fucked up, it’s really nice to see the positive side of things, to see these two interact in this way with Jenny always a step ahead of Giles. The end of the episode also sees a huge leap forward for Angel and Buffy as well; could they actually get along for enough time to be NORMAL TO ONE ANOTHER? ONLY TIME WILL TELL.
And to be fair, we do get some frustration here. God, Xander and Willow are just so close. Well, I should say that Willow is close to something, but Xander is foolishly oblivious to what’s going here at all. Do you continue to wonder why you aren’t getting dates, Xander? Because the person you are probably best compatible with IS STANDING RIGHT NEXT TO YOU. OH GOD. He’s so clueless, isn’t he?
But let’s just talk about the best thing here: Cordelia Chase. I was certain that there was the potential for her to be an interesting character, but until the last two episodes of season one, she was a one-note performance. There wasn’t much to her because the writers only gave her a variation of the same theme: she was self-centered and annoying. Yet this is why I’m enjoying her run since this change in “Out of Mind, Out of Sight”: the writers did not ignore this personification when giving her depth. She’s still the popular girl, quick to insult, and generally interested in framing things around her entire existence. That is a smart choice for this show because I’d call bullshit if she suddenly became nice, altruistic, and well-meaning.
That still means I am going to fawn over her because she’s so goddamn interesting to me. She sort of wants to be involved with what the trio and Giles are doing, but routinely chooses instead to keep up with her normal life. At the same time, she really is starting to be nice! She’s (somewhat) nice to Willow when asking for help with her science project, and she’s definitely appreciative of Xander in the end, though he hilariously dismisses her instead. Oh god, can she start slaying vampires soon? I WOULD LOVE THAT.
All said, this is a good episode of Buffy. Not great, but entertaining and thought-provoking.
Welcome to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, in which they, uh, reference Frankenstein?
But mostly, this:
Jenny: Good morning, Rupert.
Giles: Uh, Ms. Calendar?
Jenny: Oh, no, please call me Jenny. Ms. Calendar's my father.
Giles: Jenny, then.
They walk together.
Giles: You know, uh, Jenny, um…
Jenny: Hmm?
Giles: Would it a-appear indecorous… Uh, no, not in-in-indecorous, um…
Jenny: Yeah…?
Giles: Well, um… Wha… Ah, ah, um…
Jenny: Rupert, look, I've gotta get inside and set up the lab.
Giles: What, what I'm proposing is…
The bell rings.
Jenny: Ah! I gotta go! Sorry!
Giles (to himself): You idiot!
Jenny: Hey! Listen, if it's important, why don't you just tell me at the game?
Giles: Game? Oh, uh, you're going to the football game?
Jenny: Yeah, you seem surprised.
Giles: No! No, I-I-I-I-I-I just assumed that you, you, you spent your evenings downloading incantations and, and, and casting bones.
Jenny: On game night? Are you nuts? You're going, too, right?
Giles: Oh, of course. Always, always do.
Jenny: So, we should just go together! Look, I could pick you up after school, and we'll grab a bite to eat on the way if you like. How do you feel about Mexican?
Giles nods.
Jenny: Good! Okay! And whatever it is you wanna tell me, you can just tell me then. Okay?
Giles: Okay! Tonight, then.
Jenny smiles and goes back into her classroom.
Giles (to himself): That went well. I think.
In the unlikely event that I actually attempted to ask a woman out on a date and the even more unlikely event that she were interested, I imagine it would go a lot like this.
Jenny/Giles is hands down the best thing about this ep.
I had "That went well. I think." as my computer shut-down notification noise for about seven years.
Naq bu, cbbe Znex. Fb abg cercnerq. Fb, fb, fb abg cercnerq. V srry xvaq bs yvxr bar bs gubfr ANFPNE snaf jub ner bayl va vg sbe gur pne penfurf naq vg'f znxvat zr bofpheryl thvygl gung V'z jnvgvat jvgu tyrr gb jngpu Wbff whfg qrfgebl cbbe, qrne Znex.
I missed where that was in the episode.
Actually, until I read the comments on IRYJ, I had no idea you could have a customizable computer shutdown noise.
Yeah. It was the cool thing to do.
In 1998.
(I think it might be a lot harder now than it was then? I know back in the day I used to spend a lot of time on my dorm dialup downloading entire soundscapes for my computer.)
i had "buffy-isms" as sounds on my computer too. mail, shut down. the header on my phone today reads "oberq abj"
My biology teacher my sophomore year of high school had a customizable computer log-in noise! It was Darth Vader saying, "The Emperor has been expecting you." It was awesome and kind of adorkable.
Not really, my startup sound for the last 2 or 3 years has been the TARDIS sound. 😀
Oooh, that's a good one. I need to do that with my home computer.
I've always had custom startup and sometimes shutdown sounds, but the TARDIS one is the BEST feeling so far. Had it on my desktop, now have had it on both laptops I've had. Sometimes my Mom will be in the other room (Doctor Who is something we watch together), and it'll play and I'll just be like "SEE YA LATER, MY RIDE IS HERE." *giggles* She cracks up.
Maybe the modern equivalent is ringtones. I know you can get a TARDIS ringtone and an "EXTERMINATE!" ringtone.
Oh that'd be awesome! I don't have a smartphone or a data plan, and my phone doesn't seem to recognize mp3s as files it can use for ringtones. >.< So I have to use vids if I want to change mine from one of the default ones. It used to be the Peter Cushing song (QI fans will get that), but for over a year now it's been Leekspin. SUCH A DORK AM I. *giggles*
…. why does it say "Your comment must be approved by the site admins before it will appear publicly."? I must have said something without realising it. >.<
There are spam filters in place and certain words are red-flagged and require mod approval if they're used. Words typically are related to gambling, drugs, sex, etc. I'm pretty sure "ringtones" is a flagged term.
Anyway, nothing to worry about.
Ah, okay, thanks! 🙂
It's not that difficult to do. You just go to Control Panel > System Sounds, find the sound clip you want to replace, 'Browse' for the sound clip you want to use, and hit 'Apply.'
I know this because I've had the TARDIS takeoff as my Windows startup for, hm, four years now? It is best.
It's still do-able :3 Me, I currently have a whole set of sounds from ALTIMIT OS (.hack) configured for my computer. I love it <3
I had already "liked" you before I read the Rot13, but that certainly clinched it 🙂
I love his little skip at the end.
SO. ADORABLE.
TOTALLY CALLED THIS SHIP ok everyone else already knew it was gonna happen but WHATEVER it's lovely and wonderful and I love them to pieces and I'll stop now.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A thousand times yes. GILES IS SO CUTE AAAAAAAAAAAH
Daryl gave me nightmares when I was little. That is all I have to say.
I just want to say that Awkward Giles makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, and gives me hope that my continued lack of grace in attempting to procure dates is not so terrible. However, I am sick and tired of the un-American criticism of our favorite sport. I WILL DEFEND FOOTBALL TO THE DEATH you cannot stop me.
I… actually don't have much to say about the plot of this episode that you did not already say, Mark. It is sad and creepy and disgusting all at once, which is everything it should have been. Also, Cordelia is perfection.
I WILL DEFEND FOOTBALL TO THE DEATH you cannot stop me.
But it's so borrrrrring. 🙁 I tried to like it, I promise. I've been staying in the United States for a year of university (I'm from the UK) and while I love watching basketball, american football is just so long. It starts fun. And then for the next hour it's pretty exciting. And then it just keeps on going and going and going and oh fuck why am I still here. I don't like sports THAT much, which probably doesn't help, but I've enjoyed rugby, basketball, tennis and football (REAL football!) before… but you Americans take far too long and stop for breaks too often. "JUST KEEP RUNNING, THE END ZONE IS RIGHT THERE. Why the hell don't you just pick it up and ruuuuun?! Be a real athlete!"
tl;dr after going to four different football games and having to stand up for three hours straight almost, I have come to the conclusion that I would rather staple my ears to my thighs than have to sit through another whole one. 🙁
On the other hand, we have cricket, which is far worse in the length stakes so let's not throw stones in glass houses. 😉
Cricket is not a sport, it is an artform.
See how I got out of that? Conforming to stereotypes can be useful.
Plus, it's just an excuse to sit around in the sun and drink all day. Who doesn't love that?
Upvoting just because you appreciate the wonders of basketball! (college >>>> pro, of course) I don't like football, but I'm generally aware of it because I'm surrounded by fans. At least it's not as boring as baseball.
ALL THE SUPPORT FOR FOOTBALL! It's the only sport I enjoy on all three levels: high school, college, and professional.
I'm with you, football is my favorite!! Only really got into it when I got to college, but as a Badger and Packer fan, the last few years have made me a pretty huge fan 🙂 (although I still love them when they lose, I'm not one of 'those' fans lol)
…do I sense a fellow Wisconsinite in our midst?
Indeed 🙂 I actually go to UW (anonymity on the Internet, overrated) and I'm headed to the Rose Bowl TOMORROW. Can't believe I actually get to go lol. You're from Wisconsin too?
Yeah, I grew up in and currently live in Milwaukee! My sister and her family live in Madison tho.
Do I count if I was born in Wisconsin and now live five minutes from the border in the U.P.? 😀
Pfft, you were already in the Wisconsin Club!
Going back and looking at this episode with a feminist slant (because I think I haven't rewatched it since going to college and discovering feminism), I have to agree with you Mark: I love the way that they basically call out all the bullshit objectification of women's bodies in real life through the literal objectification of women's bodies on the show. It was a smart plot, and a well-done episode. I think I had forgotten it because it wasn't really a "mytharc" episode like Angel or Prophecy Girl or When She Was Bad.
MAAAAAAAAAARK WHERE IS CHAPTER NINE OF FOTR IT ISN'T SHOWING UP 🙁
Er, so about this episode… yeah, it's not the best episode ever, but it has some really fun character stuff. I especially enjoy Cordelia (as always) and Giles, and Giles and Jenny are so adorable. MOAR PLZ. I'm also really really glad the writing called out what Eric and Chris were doing as incredibly gross in so many ways, because it is. Eric is especially repulsive, and I want to smack whoever decided to have him be singing "My Girl" because I love that song and STOP TRYING TO RUIN IT FOR ME, SHOW, BY HAVING THIS DEEPLY DISTURBING MISOGYNIST SINGING IT.
You are not prepared in the slightest, Mark.
CHAPTER NINE IS AN IMPORTANT CHAPTER. I MEAN, THEY ARE ALL IMPORTANT CHAPTERS, BUT…BUT…AND IT'S NOT EVEN THAT CHAPTER NINE IS MORE IMPORTANT IT'S JUST…WANT, WANT, WAAAAAAAAAANT!
Whew, it felt good to get that all caps tantrum out of the way! Luckily, "My Girl" was ruined for me years earlier when the movie came out and it put ALL THE TRAUMA in my heart. I honestly think I've blocked out most of it because I was so freaking upset. I don't even remember if the song is in the movie, but I do know that every time I think about the song, I think about that damned movie.
RIGHT? I NEED MY LOTR FIX!
That movie… I saw it as a kid, and promptly repressed it, I think.
That movie was so heartbreaking. My Girl 2, on the other hand, had makeouts at the end. I watched that one WAY more.
I know! This time I was actually ready like an hour earlier than usual.
I love "My Girl" too. STOP RUINING IT, SHOW.
this is not an episode that i enjoy. it's not that it's gross and unseemly, although it's certainly that. it just…bores me, to be honest. i almost always skip it when i re-watch season 2.
1. giles and jenny are adorable. and sexy. "you noticed that, huh?"
2. "d'you ever think that the world's a giant game of musical chairs, and the music's stopped, and we're the only ones who don't have a chair?"
"all the time."
i don't know why i love this exchange so much. there's just a lot going on under the surface. willow wants to connect to xander on that level, but he's so bloody clueless. and i know that i have felt that way so many times, and still do. that line always jumps out at me.
3. i shall leave you with:
"sorry but i'm an old-fashioned gal. i was raised to believe that men dig up the corpses and women have the babies."
Really Buffy and Angel, it takes you until you see the marks on the ground before your realise the empty grave isn't vampire related? The fact that it was completely dug up and the lid properly opened rather than being smashed from the inside didn't tip you off? Okay fine let's focus on the fact that ANGEL IS WEARING BEIGE! It looks out of place on him anyway but then you add the Edward Cullen-ness of it and NO!
"I just think it's rather odd that a nation that prides itself on its virility should feel compelled to strap on fourty pounds of protective gear just in order to play rugby." You know sometimes Giles' lines feel too forced in their Britishness but that feels pretty damn accurate, slightly more verbose than most comments I've heard but the gist of it is exactly right. Giles and Jenny continue to be amazing, love her popping back into the hall to ask him out (she and Buffy seem to be on the same wavelength regarding the Mexican food idea). Also Willow and Xander crashing their date instead of looking for Daryl and Eric, can't resist the free snacks!
the beige thing jumped out at me, too. it's just….weird.
I'm so used to him being in nothing but black and white and then suddenly he's in beige. It's just so…wrong.
you BROOD, angel! you can't brood in khaki!
Okay, now I want "you cant brood in khaki" on a t-shirt.
i better copyright that shit real fast! i'm sitting on a gold mine!
Is somebody selling Penis Mightiers?
Love you forever. "I'll take…therapists."
You know sometimes Giles' lines feel too forced in their Britishness but that feels pretty damn accurate
As an Englishman, I can attest to the extreme accuracy of that line.
As an American who is a fan of American football and has spent time living in Britain, I can also attest to the accuracy of that statement.
As a German/Austrian who doesn't even care about association football, the only reason I prefer rugby is because its players seem to be more willing to have artistic pictures taken of them.
Fgevpgyl uvtu pynff ahqr jbex – neg cubgbtencuf, ohg anxrq.
Haha, yeah, Giles there is basically everyone I know over here re: US football. They missed out the inevitable complaint about how they have to STOP all the time, though.
You know, everyone held it in contempt, but I loved the XFL because they played football like it was hockey: solid action until someone (a) scored, (b) committed an egregious foul, or (c) got hurt. None of this "run around for fifteen seconds and then stand there for two minutes" crap that makes American football such a crashing bore to me.
I love Giles' "rugby > football" line because it is so accurate. Basically everyone who watches rugby says that about football.
Oh God, I'm an American who plays rugby and I was nodding my head along with Giles. That mentality is so accurate it hurts.
I'm surprised you like this episode that much; for me, it falls firmly into the meh category, except for the Jenny/Giles bits. Plus, frankly, Frankenstein (heh, see what I did there?) stories kinda bore me a lot, which strongly factors into that.
V'z nyfb ybbxvat ng lbh urer, Frnfba Sbhe.
So, no thoughts collection from me this time (well, also because I woke up barely an hour ago and that's not enough time to get my brain into responsive state, watch an ep and write down stuff).
But German title time: Operation Cordelia. Which, well, get it, it's a pun, because 'Operation', like in mission but also surgery. Lulz.
That is the funniest one yet. Just… WHAT. (Why does it instantly make me think of the board game Operation? My mind sometimes, I swear…)
Hee. I should've started doing this earlier, because there's a few sparkly shiny gems from S1.
…
So, let's do 'em now:
1 – Das Zentrum des Bösen – The Centre of Evil
2 – Die Zeit der Ernte – The Time of the Harvest
3 – Verhext – Bewitched
4 – Die Gottesanbeterin – The Praying Mantis
5 – Ohne Buffy lebt sich's länger – You Live Longer Without Buffy*
6 – Das Lied der Hyänen – The Song of the Hyenas
7 – Angel – Blutige Küsse – Angel – Bloody Kisses
8 – Computerdämon – Computer Demon
9 – Buffy lässt die Puppen tanzen – Buffy Makes the Puppets Dance**
10 – Die Macht der Träume – The Power of Dreams
11 – Aus den Augen, aus dem Sinn – Out Of Sight, Out of Mind
12 – Das Ende der Welt – The End of The World
* … wtf?
** Yes, this is ubersilly, but die Puppen tanzen lassen is an existing idiom for, er, living large, I guess? So it's not completely out of the blue.
LMAO THOSE ARE FANTASTIC
Weirdly I kind of prefer the one for Witch. The extra reference makes it a bit more interesting than the original.
Actually, there's no extra reference, because Bewitched the series has the title Verliebt in eine Hexe 'In Love With A Witch' in German…
If anything, it's a Sabrina reference, which was Sabrina – total verhext! in German (and aired on the same channel as Buffy here), but I don't quite think that was intentional.
Angel – Bloody Kisses? SPOILERS!
I LOVE "You Live Longer Without Buffy." Poor Buffy. 😀
I really liked Frankenstein the novel, all bastardizations of the story just make me hella sad.
I gotta admit I haven't read the novel (or any of the horror classics, actually), but I think I get your sentiment.
The only Frankenstein-inspired movie I really like is Znl (rot'd because the story doesn't actually go there until the third act), and that goes a very different route, really.
My favorite Frankenstein movie is Young Frankenstein.
lol too slow.
Heresy!
The only Frankenstein movie I'm into is Young Frankenstein, which is one of my favourite movies of all time. All other adaptations I've seen go way off the plot of the book, which YF does too obviously, just in a really awesome way.
Young Frankenstein is another one of the everybody-but-me's-seen-them movies >_>
The one I mentioned basically just takes the building-a-body-concept, but focuses more on the what would make a person do this (plus, there's no SCIENCE!, it's more focused on the serial killing aspect).
Also it has an epic sewing montage.
Oh, you must see it sometime! It is a BRILLIANT parody!
Whoa have you not seen Blazing Saddles or the Producers either?
Hmmm. The novel's more cerebral and a lot of it focuses on the mental processes of the Doctor and what he's going through psychologically, and you know, there's plot too but it's less focused on the gory bits and how he does things, more so why he does them. There's also, unfortunately, some bullshit orientalism in there but it's kind of confined to one section of the book and doesn't have much affect on the overall plot so it's easy to ignore for the most part. That's 19th century England for you :/
I've watched the remake of the Producers when my mom got the DVD? Divided by language and an ocean, and all that 😉
That's 19th century England for you
Well yeah, especially when reading older literature, you just have to deal with a lot of unfortunate stuff. I really like the Secret Garden, but, uh… yeah. Some of the stuff there is just… yeeeeeeeeeah.
Oh totally, I just feel like I have to mention it cause everyone has different tolerances of wanting to read that kind of stuff. It didn't surprise me, but with how obvious it was in the text, it did kind of make me go "hmmm" since Shelley is kind of famous for being such a big fat liberal for her time.
I can't recommend all of those films enough but no judging here! Anyways I've never played a video game that's less than 20 years old so I mean I might as well have stepped out of a time machine from ancient Greece as far as most people my age are concerned..
I was raised on Greek myths and opera, so my tolerance level for bullshit is relatively high. Plus, Catullus 5 may just be may favourite poem ever, but the whole of Catullus' work is so filled with Roman patriarchal shit/gender stereotyping/etc so I can make the necessary concessions.
It isn't even necessarily liking stuff as much as it is being exposed to stuff; e.g., I didn't know of the existence of Dr Who until I started being a lot on the anglophone parts of the internets, but on the other hand, I know a lot about Austrian cabaret and tv series and Austrian/German Heimatfilme of the last 40 years because those were a large part of my childhood.
I hear ya on the Greeks, they have their issues with women but the storytelling's so rich.
I watched what my brothers watched growing up and they were a lot older than me so most of the culture I know is from the late 60s and 70s with a lot of British things in the mix. Weirdly enough though they never watched Doctor Who despite being obsessed with pretty much everything that involved a spaceship, they thought it was weird.
Plus it has one of the greatest casts ever IMO.
I agree on the boredom.
Gubhtu gb or snve, V guvax n YBG bs vg va guvf frnfba whfg pbzrf sebz gur xabjyrqtr gung, lbh xabj…. FCVXR VF PBZVAT. GUR FANEX VF PBZVAT. GUR PENML INZC PUVPX VF PBZVAT. (Gurer'f n snasvp bhg gurer jurer gur Wbxre zrrgf Qehfvyyn, ogj. BU ZL TBQ.) Fbzr guvatf whfg cnyr va pbzcnevfba…
Uzzz jr nera'g fhccbfrq gb fnl penml ba guvf fvgr pbeerpg? Fb jung'f tbvat gb or gur pbeerpg grez sbe Qeh? V srry yvxr Zragnyyl Cflpubcnguvp Frre vf n ovg ybat…
Naq yrg'f abg sbetrg gur frpbaq unys bs gur frnfba nep. BU TBQ ZNEX. ABG CERCNERQ. Abbar vf rire cercnerq.
Wbff Jurqba'f ZB sbe fubjf: Uzzz… crbcyr ner fgvyy unccl. Jul ner gurl fgvyy unccl? Crbcyr fubhyq bayl or unccl ybat rabhtu gung vg'f rkgen pehfuvat jura lbh QRFGEBL RIRELGUVAT.
*oernxf qbja pelvat*
Lrf, "penml" vf qvfnyybjrq ba guvf fvgr. Nf sbe Qehfvyyn, yrg'f whfg hfr jbeqf yvxr "fgenatr" "jnpxl", rgp. naq frr jung Znex fnlf jura ur trgf gurer. Vg vfa'g uneq gb svaq nygreangvirf gung nera'g noyrvfg.
"Fgenatr" naq "jnpxl" nera'g ng nyy gur fnzr guvat nf zragnyyl vyy, juvpu vf jung Qehfvyyn vf. "Fgenatr" naq "jnpxl" ner yvxr gubfr fvgpbz arvtuobef jub ner nyjnlf cbccvat vagb lbhe ubhfr naq envqvat lbhe sevqtr gb terng nppynvz sebz gur ynhtu-genpx crbcyr. Qehfvyyn vf qvntabfoyl, zragnyyl, vyy.
Or gung nf vg znl, vg'f Znex'f fvgr, Znex'f ehyrf, naq ur qbrfa'g jnag gur jbeq "penml" gbffrq nebhaq. V qba'g xabj jung uvf srryvatf ba Qehfvyyn jvyy or gvyy ur npghnyyl trgf gurer, naq V'z jryy njner bs gur snpg gung fur vf zragnyyl vyy, ohg gur snpg erznvaf gung jbeqf yvxr gung ner qvfnyybjrq naq vg vf zl wbo nf n zbq gb rasbepr gung ehyr. Zberbire, pbafvqrevat gung jr qba'g svaq bhg jung unccrarq gb ure gvyy Yvr gb Zr, vg zvtug npghnyyl or n ovg bs n fcbvyre gb ersre gb ure nf orvat zragnyyl vyy gvyy gung cbvag, fb fnsr jbeqf yvxr "jnpxl" naq "fgenatr" naq "jrveq" jbhyq or n tbbq vqrn hagvy gura. Ersreevat gb ure nf zragnyyl vyy nsgre gung cbvag, fb ybat nf vg'f abg hfrq gb qvfzvff ure, jvyy cebonoyl or bxnl, ohg V qba'g cerfhzr gb ernq Znex'f zvaq. "Penml" jvyy fgvyy or cebuvovgrq ba gur fvgr ertneqyrff, ubjrire.
Bu, V jnfa'g fhttrfgvat gung jr hfr gur jbeq "penml" ng nyy! Fbeel vs gung'f ubj vg pnzr bss; gung'f abg jung V zrnag. V jnf whfg fnlvat gung V qvqa'g guvax rvgure "junpxl" be "fgenatr" jrer irel nqrdhngr be npphengr jbeqf, ohg V qvqa'g zrna jr fubhyq tb onpx gb "penml". Lbh znl or evtug nobhg "zragnyyl vyy" orvat n fcbvyre–vg'f orra fb ybat fvapr V'ir frra guvf frnfba V sbetbg gung gung zvtug abg or fbzrguvat jr gur ivrjre vf njner bs vzzrqvngryl. Ertneqyrff, nf guvf vf Znex'f fvgr V guvax vg'f pyrne gung nyy jr unir gb qb vf sbyybj Znex'f yrnq! 🙂
Bxnl, lrnu, gurer jrer qrsvavgryl fbzr pebffrq jverf gurer! Ab jbeevrf! Lrnu, V gubhtug nobhg vg naq erzrzorerq gung vg'f abg erirnyrq jung Natry qvq gb ure gvyy Yvr gb Zr: "Lbh znqr ure n inzcver." "Svefg V znqr ure vafnar." Hc gvyy gura fur whfg orunirf bqqyl, naq jr'er abg njner bs ure gehr pbaqvgvba ernyyl, fb V gubhtug vg'q or orggre vs jr hfrq jbeqf yvxr "jnpxl", "fgenatr", be "jrveq", gb xrrc Znex va gur qnex naq novqr ol gur cbyvpl. V fubhyq'ir rkcynvarq gung orggre va zl svefg pbzzrag, gbb.
Jryy, ng yrnfg fur'f bayl va gjb rcvfbqrf orsber gung, naq pna cebonoyl or fhzzrq hc ol "bqq" naq cbffvoyl…fubbg, jung'f gur jbeq V'z ybbxvat sbe? Nun! Cerpbtavgvir. …Vs gung unccraf. V sbetrg. (Arrq gb erjngpu Fpubby Uneq!)
Ohg lrnu, V guvax gung'f tbvat gb unir gb or fbzrguvat gb oevat hc gb Znex ng Yvr gb Zr – orpnhfr jura ersreevat gb Qehfvyyn nf vafnar, vg'f va gur "fur vf npghnyyl pregvsvnoyl vafnar naq unf inyvq ernfba gb or" frafr engure guna znxvat sha bs gur zragnyyl vyy.
V qba'g guvax fur qbrf va Fpubby Uneq, ohg fur qrsvavgryl qbrf va Unyybjrra (juvpu vf abj orvat erivrjrq ba Sevqnl). Fur cerqvpgf Rguna pbzvat gb znxr gebhoyr ba jung'f genqvgvbanyyl n avtug jurer abguvat unccraf, urapr Fcvxr orvat bhg naq nobhg gb gnxr nqinagntr bs gur punbf (jul lrf, V UNIR frra gung rcvfbqr n mvyyvba gvzrf naq vg arire trgf byq, jul QB lbh nfx?)
Vg'yy or vagrerfgvat gb frr ubj Znex ernpgf gb ure, lrnu.
Whfg erjngpurq Fpubby Uneq, naq fur qrsvavgryl xabjf guvatf fur fubhyqa'g xabj. Nyfb, fur'f rrevr. V yvxr gur jbeq rrevr. Vg fhvgf ure.
Tbq, Fpubby Uneq vf fhpu n terng rcvfbqr. FB ZHPU YBIR sbe Wblpr, jub jvaf gur "bayl tbbq cnerag va Fhaalqnyr" njneq.
Gung'f n terng jbeq sbe ure, lrnu! Zna, V ybir gung rcvfbqr gbb. Bar bs zl nyy gvzr snibevgrf. <3
FCVVVVVVVVXR! BZT V PNAABG PBAGNVA ZL RKPVGRZRAG. Ur'f hc gurer jvgu zl nyy-gvzr snibevgr punenpgref RINE (rkprcg sbe frnfba 6, jurer ur fyvqrf qbja gur enaxf va n irel fvtavsvpnag jnl, hasbeghangryl).
Enaqbz Fcvxr Dhbgr Gung V Ybir: "Vs rirel inzcver jub fnvq ur jnf ng gur Pehpvsvkvba jnf npghnyyl gurer vg jbhyq'ir orra yvxr Jbbqfgbpx. V jnf ng Jbbqfgbpx. V srq bss n sybjre crefba naq V fcrag fvk ubhef jngpuvat zl unaq zbir."
One of those things where I knew what you said in rot-13 before I translated it. AND I AGREE.
This surprises me not at all.
First, what happened to the Mark Reads post?
Second: I've seen that this is an underrated episode except for the one-liners. It's pretty effective though, in terms of creepiness, characterization, relationships, and the humor. The scene at the end with Cordelia being nice to Xander and him ignoring it is good, and so is her being willing to integrate herself into the group and yet not wanting any part of it because it's gross.
Gur cebterffvba bs O/N sebz "pna'g or nebhaq rnpu bgure" gb abeznyvfu pbhcyr va guvf frnfba vf jung ernyyl znqr zr ybir gurz. Naq V'yy pbagvahr gb qb fb nyy guebhtu gur frevrf eha.
Vg'f nyfb avpr gung gur gjb eryngvbafuvcf zbfg boivbhfyl qrnyg jvgu va guvf rcvfbqr, Ohssl/Natry naq Tvyrf/Wraal, ner gur barf nobhg gb or gbecrqbrq va gur frpbaq unys.
Naq va obgu, gur srznyr vf gur bar abg urqtvat – jryy Tvyrf vfa'g ernyyl eryhpgnag yvxr Natry, whfg njxjneq. Bxnl, guvf vfa'g n arng pbzcnevfba. Naq V fgneg n ybg bs fragraprf jvgu "naq."
I don't really like this episode much but I do like the image of cordelia saying 'Worst. Rescue. Ever' when he pushes her through the fire while she's still on the trolley!
I love that Jenny was such a fan of football. All of my friends think that it's super weird that I'm such a nerd, but I'm super into football. Other than that, I don't remember much about this episode.
Nothing wrong with that! Football is amazing (and I consider myself a huge nerd). I love sports – I just can't actually play them.
Heading off on a family road trip in about 2 minutes (kill me, please), but before I go, I must say that Jenny and Giles are adorable, and they have that whole alliteration thing going for them. Clearly meant to be.
One nice moment I think really shows the humanity of the series and its writing is when Daryl, essentially the 'monster' of the episode is watching his team playing. There's genuine sadness there, as he looks at the life he once had and cannot have now.
I’m going to start out this comment with a ton of ROT13: Nyfb, jurarire V erjngpu guvf rcvfbqr nsgre univat jngpurq “Natry” naq orpbzr n UHTR Natry/Pbeql fuvccre, V yvxr gb ~oryvrir~ gung gur frrqf bs Natry/Pbeql ner orvat cynagrq urer. V zrna, vagryyrpghnyyl, V xabj gurl’er abg. V xabj gung gur fprar va gur yvoenel jvgu Pbeql unatvat bagb Natry vf whfg fhccbfrq gb znxr Ohssl wrnybhf, yvxr ubj Natry jnf wrnybhf bs Ohssl naq Knaqre. Ohg jungrire, jungrire, V qb jung V jnag. V pubbfr gb oryvrir gung rira ba Ohssl, gurer jnf ~fbzrguvat~ chyyvat Natry naq Pbeql gbjneqf rnpu bgure.
Aaaalso, V guvax gurer vf na vagrerfgvat cnenyyry orgjrra Puevf oevatvat Qnely onpx naq Jvyybj oevatvat Ohssl onpx va frnfba 6. Qnely fnvq gung Puevf fubhyqa'g unir oebhtug uvz onpx, naq gung'f qrsvavgryl gung Ohssl srryf va frnfba 6.
I don’t have a ton to say about this episode that Mark didn’t say in his review, but yeah. This episode is creepy and gross, and yet also about people unable to deal with grief and the things they’ll do because of it, and the show doesn’t shy away from any of those complexities.
Also, I LOLd when Xander and Willow crashed Giles and Jenny’s date.
"V guvax gurer vf na vagrerfgvat cnenyyry orgjrra Puevf oevatvat Qnely onpx naq Jvyybj oevatvat Ohssl onpx va frnfba 6. Qnely fnvq gung Puevf fubhyqa'g unir oebhtug uvz onpx, naq gung'f qrsvavgryl gung Ohssl srryf va frnfba 6."
Yep, erfheerpgvbaf ner nyjnlf ng yrnfg fbzrjung qrcerffvat ba guvf fubj. Rkprcg sebz gur CBI bs gubfr thlf jub jnagrq gb oybj hc gur fpubby va Gur Mrccb, V thrff.
Contains Angel spoilers as well as Buffy:
V guvax erfheerpgvbaf whfg arire ghea bhg jryy. V zrna, lbh unir guvf bar, Gur Mrccb (jurer gurl frrz gb or, hz, punatrq? Abg ernyyl nyy gurer?), Ohssl, Qneyn (jub pbzrf onpx jvgu gur flcuvyvf gung xvyyrq ure – gubhtu bgure guna gung V guvax fur'f cebonoyl gur orfg bss, fvapr fur qbrfa'g erzrzore urnira naq frrzf gb unir ure fbhy). V'z fher V'z zvffvat fbzr – naq gurer'f qrsvavgryl Wblpr'f nyzbfg-erfheerpgvba va Frnfba Svir. Fb trarenyyl erfheerpgvba vf n onq vqrn.
V qb guvax gur frrqf bs gurz qrpvqvat gb fcva Pbeqryvn bss jvgu Natry zvtug unir ortha urer… Jr frr gung ur jbexf jryy orvat gur 'fgenvtug zna' gb Pbeqryvn'f pbzrqvp crefban naq fur oevtugraf hc ure fprarf jvgu uvz (juvpu ng guvf cbvag pbhyq bgurejvfr graq gb qent, fvapr ur qbrfa'g unir zhpu crefbanyvgl lrg).
Vg'f qryvtugshy ubj Pbeqryvn whfg jnyxf nyy bire uvz, juvpu vf fbzrguvat jr qrsvavgryl trg gb frr ba Ngf.
V whfg jvfu gurer jrer ZBNE FPRARF orgjrra gurz ba OgIF. V fgvyy srry eboorq nobhg guvf!
Also, I LOLd when Xander and Willow crashed Giles and Jenny’s date.
After all their complaining about their love lives, I found it hilarious that without thinking they just instantly ruin Giles' plans, probably under the assumption that he's old and so therefore it doesn't count. Willow and Xander: cock-block extraordinaries.
Urur, gbgnyyl nterr ba gur P/N guvat, gur guvat gung ernyyl znxrf zr guvax vg vf Unyybjrra (V guvax?) jurer Natry vf jnvgvat sbe Ohssl va gur Oebamr naq fvgf gnyxvat gb Pbeql bire pbssrr naq gurl'er npghnyyl ynhtuvat naq wbxvat naq vg'f fb phgr. Rira gubhtu V qba'g guvax gurl jrer guvaxvat vg ng gung gvzr, V nyjnlf guvax onpx gb gung fprar jura V cbaqre znxvat n snaivq bs fbzr xvaq.
bzt V YBIR jura crbcyr vapyhqr gurfr OgIF fprarf va P/N ivqf. fb fb zhpu.
I love both your rot13 sentiments. Fcbggvat gur trezf bs Natry naq Pbeql (rira vs gurl'er va bhe urnqf) vf n terng rneyl-ren Ohssl cnfgvzr.
Jenny and Giles falling in love. Hints of something between Angel and Buffy. Willow crushing on Xander and Xander thinking no one will love him. Plus the main plot is Frankenstein's monster. This is the Buffy show I loved. It's sad that at the time I had to tell my guy friends "I watch it for the hot chicks and cool fighting" Please do watch Angel when it's time. I love reliving this thru your writing.
"Qb lbh pbagvahr gb jbaqre jul lbh nera’g trggvat qngrf, Knaqre? Orpnhfr gur crefba lbh ner cebonoyl orfg pbzcngvoyr jvgu VF FGNAQVAT EVTUG ARKG GB LBH. BU TBQ. Ur’f fb pyhryrff, vfa’g ur?
"Ohg yrg’f whfg gnyx nobhg gur orfg guvat urer: Pbeqryvn Punfr."
*snicker*
OH. MY. GOD.
I did not catch that the first time.
Mark is unintentionally writing such perfect things.
NOTICED THAT, TOO. Totally cracked up. XD
ALL THE UPVOTES.
Brilliant.
Qb V jnag gb frr uvz jvgu Wraal Pnyraqne? Jub qbrfa'g?
Natryhf.
V’q pnyy ohyyfuvg vs fur fhqqrayl orpnzr avpr, nygehvfgvp, naq jryy-zrnavat.
Nalbar ryfr haoryvrinoyl rkpvgrq sbe Znex gb jngpu Natry gur frevrf naq frr gur punenpgre qrirybczrag fur tbrf guebhtu ba gurer? Gung frevrf vf jbegu vgf rkvfgrapr nybar WHFG sbe gur Pbeqryvn qrirybczrag, gb fnl abguvat ryfr bs nyy gur bgure guvatf vg unf tbvat sbe vg.
"Qb V jnag gb frr uvz jvgu Wraal Pnyraqne? Jub qbrfa'g?
Natryhf. "
Gbb fbba! Nyfb, fcbesyr.
V nyjnlf guvax bs "Ez j/ n Ih." Vg'f n terng genafvgvba sebz jub Pbeql jnf ba Ohssl gb jub fur riraghnyyl orpbzrf ba Natry. Cyhf vg unf Fcnexyr Zbgvba Ynql va vg.
Vg'f fb sha jngpuvat Pbeqryvn naq Natry vagrenpg va guvf rcvfbqr, xabjvat ubj pybfr gurl'er tbvat gb or yngre ba. Gurl obgu trg fb zhpu punenpgre qrirybczrag ba Natry naq trg gb unir zhpu qrrcre, nhguragvp crefbany eryngvbafuvcf guna rvgure punenpgre trgf gb unir jvgu nalbar ba OgIF.
Ubj gehr! V ubarfgyl jnfa'g gung ovt bs n sna bs rvgure bs gurz nsgre jngpuvat Ohssl, ohg bapr V fnj NgF? Abj V ernyyl yvxr obgu bs gurz orpnhfr gurl ner fb zhpu zber guerr-qvzrafvbany naq qrirybcrq punenpgref gb zr.
I had the biggest crush on Giles when I first saw Buffy and I STILL have the biggest crush on Giles.
Older men with glasses and libraries do it for me.
Anyway, did you know that Charisma Carpenter went out for the role of Buffy? And SMG went out for the role of Cordelia? Charisma Carpenter was late but soldiered on doing an audition and they thought she was perfect for Cordelia and asked SMG to come back and audition for Buffy. Oh what could have been, eh?
Jnf gung orsber be nsgre Ovnapn Ynjfba pbhyqa'g or Pbeqryvn? V gubhtug fur tbg gur ebyr naq pbzcyvpngvbaf jvgu nabgure pbagenpg yrq gb ure univat gb yrnir.
V'z abg fher npghnyyl. Ohg V erzrzore jngpuvat na vagreivrj jvgu Punevfzn Pnecragre naq guvf vf jung fur qrfpevorq. Nabgure shaal guvat vf gung gurl jnagrq gb tvir FZT zber rnegul gbarf sbe ure znxr-hc (juvpu pna or frra va gur bevtvany cvybg) naq gura gurl ernyvmrq gung ohooyrthz cvax inyyrl tvey znxr-hc jnf orggre.
I think they did do some flip-arounds with casting in the early stages, after all they cast a different actress as Willow in the unaired pilot before getting Alyson Hannigan (and seeing it, I'm so very glad glad Alyson is our Willow).
o__O I can't imagine anyone else besides Alyson playing Willow. And I don't want to xD
Oh so many great lines in this ep. From the entire conversation between Xander/Buffy/and Giles in the begining where they give him tips, to pretty much everything Cordelia did, to the wonderful Giles/Jenny conversations. Just utter love. No this is not the best Buffy ep ever but it is one of the most quotable. Observe:
"Add it all up and it spells duh."-Buffy
"I know you meant to say gross and disturbing."-Buffy
"Hello, can we deal with my pain please?"-Cordelia
"Love makes you do the wacky."-Willow (which is so so painfully accurate)
Giles's asides around your second and third quote are what make it for me. His "There, there" pat on the shoulder to Cordelia cracks me up every time.
*obhaprf* BZT gur arkg bar vf Fpubby Uneq. *obhapr obhapr* V unir gb jnvg hagvy Zbaqnl?! TNUUUUU
V nz fb rkpvgrq gung "Fpubby Uneq" vf arkg. Fcvxr! Qehfvyyn! Lnl!
Oh, so unprepared. 🙂
V jvyy svanyyl trg gb haebg13 Fcvxr'f anzr! NAQ QEH. BZT V ubcr ur yvxrf Fcvxr. *gjvgpurf*
Ubj pna lbh ABG yvxr Fcvxr. (V zrna, nf n ivyynva. V xabj gurer ner n ybg bs crbcyr jub qba'g yvxr uvz nf n ebznagvp vagrerfg yngre.)
V yvxr uvz naljnl ur pbzrf. Ivyyna, ebznagvp vagrerfg, Pbeql ercynprzrag, tubfg, qevira-vafnar-ol-fbhy-+-svefg-rivy, punzcvba. V nz ubarfgyl ABG bar bs gubfr snatveyf gung vf gbgnyyl oyvaqrq ol uvf nof (gubhtu, gurl ner cerggl snagnfgvp, naq BZT GUBFR UVCOBARF, jnvg, V nz trggvat bss gbcvp…). V nz pbzcyrgryl snfpvangrq ol gur zbfg pbzcryyvat erqrzcgvba fgbel V'ir rire frra. Sebz ivyynva gb ureb FUBHYQ or na vaperqvoyl uneq naq cnvashy wbhearl, naq juvyr V xabj vg jnfa'g gur vagragvba sebz gur ortvaavat, V guvax gurl qvq na nznmvat wbo, fcnaavat 6 frnfbaf, naq znqr vg zbfgyl oryvrinoyr, vafgrnq bs gur onq thl 'fhqqrayl' orpbzvat n tbbq thl, ln xabj?
BZT JR TRG GB GNYX NOBHG FCVXR FBBA.
Gurer'f fbzrguvat irel fnq nobhg zr gung V pna nyernql vafgnagyl erpbtavfr Fcvxr'f anzr va EBG13, vfa'g gurer?
I tend to forget just how good this episode is in its utter creepiness; it's a perfect example of the metaphor made real in the Buffyverse.
Ubjrire, gur znva ernfba jr nyy sbetrg ubj tbbq gur svefg gjb rcvfbqrf bs gur frnfba ner vf gung gurl whfg snqr vagb zrqvbpevgl ol pbzcnevfba jvgu jung vf pbzvat. Abg whfg arkg rcvfbqr, gubhtu jub, ubarfgyl, vf abg rkpvgrq ol gung? Ohg nyy gur bgure nfgbavfuvat rcvfbqrf va F2. Naq gur oevyyvnag rcvfbqrf sbe lrnef gurernsgre.
SO NOT PREPARED.
I gotta go with Giles' take on American football. Rugby with a shit ton of protective gear AND they stop play like every 20 seconds or so? No thanks. I mean it's better than baseball but it def doesn't rank in my top 5 sports that I would watch.
Anyways, Jenny's such a smooth operator! Giles would have used the word amenable while asking her out though and that is so cute!
Xander kind of hates Cordelia so calling them compatible is a stretch at best, but that part was funny.
The central plot is goofy, minus the commentary on creepy misogyny which was cool. Everything else in this episode is so good though and the dialogue is such a step up from the first season even in "weaker" episodes like this one, even though this particular episode happens to be sandwiched between 2 scenes of brutal Angel whinging. Speaking of which, Angel calling Buffy's dance with Xander mating is really not cool of him.
Xander kind of hates Cordelia so calling them compatible is a stretch at best
He meant Willow.
Oh oops, that did seem like a weird thing to say about Cordelia, my bad!
In my opinion, most professional sports look rather pathetic when compared to actually playing them. The player don't really look like they care.
Oh actually playing them is a whole different thing! I would actually enjoy playing baseball, but as a spectator it bores me. Likewise I'll always prefer rugby since the game doesn't stop nearly as often as football so it's a much funner game to watch imo, but YMMV of course.
Better than baseball?! *GASP*
Oh man, I forgot about the mating line. EW. JUST NO, ANGEL.
the creation of a mutated woman against her will.
…which made me think of The Silence of the Lambs. Welcome to Nightmare Fuel Land, Mark.
Seeing Mrs. Epps ignoring her living son always makes me want to shake her, although I suppose what she really needs is some kind of program.
You'd think grief counselors would be making a killing (LOL PUN) in Sunnydale.
Sorry, the grief counsellors are all booked solid for the next decade…
Jryy, gurer'f pyrneyl na bcravat sbe na bhg-bs-jbex fynlre va n srj lrnef gvzr! V'z fgvyy abg fher "Fpubby Pbhafrybe Ohssl" vf gur zbfg frafvoyr pubvpr, ohg ng yrnfg vg xrrcf ure rzcyblrq ba gur Uryyzbhgu.
Nope, Sunnydale's grief counselors are all secretly vampires (oops, spoilerslol!). By killing people and causing havok, they're actually creating business for themselves as counselors, and thus ensure that they are the most stable part of Sunnydale's economy, and have all the money they need to buy all those candles and items of bad '90s fashion. Ironic plot-twist, no?
I'm sorry, but there are no therapists.
Willow: This shouldn't take long. I'm probably the only girl in school who has the coroner's office bookmarked as a favorite place.
HAH.
There wasn't a whole lot I took from this episode, probably because it was intentionally bare bones and standard fare. Charisma Carpenter is fantastic, the body-snatchers are creepy, murdering is wrong, etc. However, there was one thing that I liked a lot:
Angel seems insecure here. And this isn't relevant just because it's slightly funny that he's threatened by a sixteen-year old boy (HAH what a two-hundred-year-old badass) but also because it's showing that he's, well, vulnerable. Not just in a mysterious, angsty way like in Season 1 either, but in ways that begin to form his personality outside of just the shadowy man who lives in the distance. He can be petty, he has vulnerabilities, and him and Buffy will not always get on perfectly even if not for the whole "bitey" thing.
Also, Xander ignoring Cordelia's heartfelt thank you made me laugh even if it was kind of dickish. Those two crazy kids.
Please don't use the word "crazy" on this site.
This episode gives us some good character development and tons of hilarious dialogue.
The Buffy/Angel fight brings up some issues and communication problems with this pairing.
Giles being excited by grave robbing!
"… yes, yes. Terrible thing. Must put a stop to it. Damn it."
Giles and Jenny being completely adorable. IT BRINGS ME JOY.
I love the little moment where we see Cordelia watching Buffy and Willow walk away together for the "bat signal", and she hesitates about going after them and then doesn't… but then shows up just a few minutes later with a weak excuse of help on the science fair (not at all interested in leaving once Willow supplies the answer). Cordelia totally wants to be part of the gang now. In her secret soul! hee.
And then her hilariously blatant attempts to get attention with the Chris mourning. Ha!
"Hello, can we deal with my pain please?"
Giles: "There, there."
It's delightful to watch Mr Mysterious, Illusive Vampire being positioned and dragged around in Cordelia's wake.
Cordelia: "I don't want to go alone. I'm still fragile. You'll take me?"
Angel: …
Cordelia: "Good, I'll drive."
Angel: *what just happened?*
Was I the only person who kept thinking "Laces out!!" during the sad/creepy scene at Chris' house with the mom watching old game footage?
Minor Complaint: There really is NO logical reason why dead dude should have been able to beat Buffy up, other than to take up time in the scene and redeem Chris a bit. That should have been no contest.
ha! at Xander blowing off Cordelia and then wondering why he never gets a date.
I love the little moment where we see Cordelia watching Buffy and Willow walk away together for the "bat signal", and she hesitates about going after them and then doesn't… but then shows up just a few minutes later with a weak excuse of help on the science fair (not at all interested in leaving once Willow supplies the answer). Cordelia totally wants to be part of the gang now. In her secret soul! hee.
Aww I never noticed that before! (Probably because I always skip the ep on rewatch.) But that is infinitely cute to me.
-Yo-yo's are awesome. I wish I had one.
-Please yodel Angel.
-“Is it cause I danced with him” She sounded a bit vulnerable there.
-Totally ran into that shovel there Angel.
-Y'all shouldn't tease Giles. Even if he is hilarious and adorable.
-Has Xander not learned to brush up on his classmates lives (and deaths) by now?
-Photographer is the “Bad Guy”.
-Aww, and Attractive Science Guy too?
-Cordelia joining in! Yay!
-What do Zombies do if they don't eat flesh?
-Cordy has another dead beau?
-Now you are stalking other girls Angel? Have you learned nothing?
-Angel is wearing beige.
-“Isn't she a rascal.”
-Every time a dead body (or part) shows up I feel the need to make the Law and Order sound in my head.
-Poor Willow keeps being a possible suspect.
-Can't remember, does Cordelia know Angel is a vampire?
-Are they trying to reincarnate Daryl with girl body parts?
-I am going to have to tally my questions per review when this is all over and see which one wins.
-This is only slightly less terrifying. Possibly more.
-Oh Giles. 🙂
-Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh. Bride of Frankenstein('s Monster).
-Buffy is fast. Or Chris's house is close to school. Or both.
-Sorry Giles, football is not Rugby. It is easier and less brutal.
-Ignored Cordelia? So he isn't an ex.
-Eric's aim was a little off there.
-Why is Willow not invited to the action sequences.
-She just runs slower?
-That looked painful for Cordelia.
-D'aww.
-Pna'g erzrzore, qbrf Pbeqryvn xabj Natry vf n inzcver?
ebg13q orpnhfr V qba'g xabj vs lbh'er orvat eurgbevpny – ab
-Buffy is fast. Or Chris's house is close to school. Or both.
There's not a lot of town here
V qba'g oryvrir Pbeqryvn xabjf lrg. Jr fgvyy unir gur Unyybjrra rc gb pbzr, naq gung'f jura Ohssl naq Jvyybj oevat vg hc gb Pbeqryvn.
"Gurer'f abg n ybg bs gbja urer" nyjnlf znqr zr ynhtu va yngre frnfbaf bapr vg jnf rfgnoyvfurq gung Fhaalqnyr unq n ohf fgngvba, genva fgngvba, nvecbeg, uneobhe, 43 puhepurf, zhygvcyr przrgnevrf, n zvyvgnel onfr, n mbb, n zhfrhz, yrnfg bar pbyyrtr pnzchf naq n ovt ubaxvat pnfgyr.
THIS. THIS THIS THIS.
12 Przrgrevrf, gb or rknpg, cyhf cbffvoyl zber guna bar zhfrhz naq gur zvyvgnel onfr haqre gur pbyyrtr, gbb. V qba'g guvax Qenphyn'f pnfgyr dhvgr pbhagf (fvapr vg frrzf gb nccrne ng jvyy), ohg Natry qbrf unir gung enaqbz znafvba, cyhf gur nonaqbarq snpgbel naq gurer'f nyy gubfr jnerubhfrf qbja ol gur qbpxf, gbb. Cyhf gur ornpu. Naq V'z fher gurer'f guvatf jr'er zvffvat.
What do Zombies do if they don't eat flesh?
Manual labour.
Every time a dead body (or part) shows up I feel the need to make the Law and Order sound in my head.
This is my favorite comment now. THUMBS UP.
In the undead justice system the people are represented by two separate but equally important groups: the Slayer who kills the demons, and the friends who help her. These are their stories. *DUN DUN*
I want to upvote this five million times. Why do I only get one?
And now the song is playing in my head. THANK YOU.
To merge the two conversations, once at a self-help group, the teacher/counselor's phone went off and her ringtone was the Law & Order theme. SO MUCH JOY AND LAUGHTER. XD
Laughter is great medicine! Maybe your counselor knew exactly what she was doing. 😉
lol I'd agree except she was very embarrassed, she'd never left her phone on during a class before. *g*
Yeah, I was glad that Daryl was just a dude Cordelia had crushed on and not an actual ex, because that might be stretching it. Then again, it is high school, where relationships can sometimes be about a week long.
Failure of Secret Identity Count:
11 + 2 (Chris and Eric) = 13
Gunax lbh sbe guvf. Vg unf ernyyl pbzr gb zl nggragvba ubj crbcyr qb frr Ohssl nf n tvey jub whfg fubjf hc va cynprf gb uryc crbcyr. Grpuavpnyyl, ure vqragvgl nf n Fynlre vf fgvyy n frperg va zbfg pnfrf, ohg fur'f sbetvat n arj bar nzbat pynffzngrf. …Vg'f abg WHFG n pbhag bs crbcyr jub xabj, ohg nyfb n pbhag bs crbcyr jub fur unf urycrq FNIRQ! Bu!
V pna'g jnvg sbe gur Pynff Cebgrpgbe njneq naq pel ng rirelbar'f tengvghqr sbe Ohssl. Nyy zl pevrf.
*abqf*
V ybir gung ovg va Tvatreoernq jurer whfg gur fvtug bs Ohssl fubjvat hc vf rabhtu gb fgbc n svtug…
Some Assembly Required: This is not one of the reasons season 2 is my favorite. But, it has awesome Giles/Jenny development and Cordelia funtiems. [Naq gur cybg vfa'g ONQ, rknpgyl, vg'f whfg fb zhpu yrff njrfbzr guna jung'f lrg gb pbzr.]
I like Giles giving the little backstory blurb much better than Random Narrator Guy.
Aww Angel is jellus of Xander. HE TOTALLY IS.
Oh noes Buffy lost her stake! She must improvise one out of a shovel handle!
LOL Giles practicing his pick-up lines. GILES/JENNY YES PLZ
Gene and Roger? That reference is sadly outdated now. Roger Ebert's Twitter is still awesome, though.
"Hey, I got a thing, you maybe have a thing, maybe we could have a thing!" Best pick-up line.
"The tomato: fruit or vegetable?" Best science project.
Cordelia is hanging around them for no reason. She SO wants to be part of the group.
"No one's gonna be led by our cheers." Hee. I just want to watch Bring It On now.
This whole scene with the mom and the television is really depressing. I like that the show doesn't shy away from stuff like that, though. Amy's mom reliving her cheerleading days, and now Daryl's mom reliving his football days. 🙁
Love Buffy's cute little updos. HOW DO I DO THAT WITH MY HAIR PLZ.
Aww, Willow looking sadly at Xander as he talks about people wanting the unattainable.
"Do I deconstruct your segues?" For some reason that line cracked me up.
"Ms. Calendar's my father." LOLOL Jenny is hilarious.
Giles failing to ask Jenny out and then her asking HIM out is just hilarious. I get the feeling that she knows exactly what he was trying to say, too.
So apparently the dude playing Eric–the annoying, murder-happy one–co-wrote the screenplay for Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World. ***the more you know***
"You noticed that, huh." Jenny is TOTALLY into him! I love it.
"He gets to see you in the sunlight." Awwwww ANGEL ANGST. Also, how do they always manage to tie the broader emotional theme back around to the monster of the week? They ALWAYS do that!
I was actually pretty impressed with Cordelia for hiding in a dumpster. I mean, her OUTFIT could get DIRTY. Character development! 😉 I also love at the end when she tries to sincerely thank Xander and he's just like "go away." The look on her face is pretty priceless. XANDER YOU ARE SUCH A NOOB.
Well, that's a weird coincidence. I want to say "WELL THAT'S NOT SURPRISING", but he's not his character, he just played the guy. But then again, maybe there are some similarities? 🙁
I want to believe that so I can not hate Edgar Wright for taking away all of Ramona's agency (and the rest!) and blame this guy instead.
"The tomato: fruit or vegetable?" Best science project.
I could write essays on that. But more linguistics-related than biology-related.
I just want to watch Bring It On now.
That is never a bad idea. I could watch the introduction of Missy on repeat.
Couldn't we all. 😉
"Ur trgf gb frr lbh va gur fhayvtug." Njjjjj NATRY NATFG.
Nu gur tbbq byq qnlf jura fhayvtug jnf npghnyyl pbafvqrerq unezshy gb inzcverf!
" You know what this means?" "That Fondren might actually beat Sunnydale in the cross-town body count competition this year?"
Oh Xander, like Fondren would win out with only three dead bodies. I think we all know that's never going to be enough to top Sunnydale.
Anyway, I enjoyed this episode and appreciated the depths they gave Chris at least (I guess the other guy was just creepy). It was rather heartbreaking to see how his mother must have just completely ignored him after the death of his brother. He was attempting to make his brother happy, although going about it in a completely creepy and horrific way.
Also, it just seems like Cordelia is making any excuse to hang out with the Scooby gang.
Znex vf fb abg cercnerq sbe Wraal'f oehgny zheqre. Gung'f erivrj vf tbvat gb or uvynevbhf.
I'm so beyond excited now that we're into Season 2. I do appreciate Season 1, it laid the groundwork for everything to come, but it always feels like seeing your significant other's childhood/teenage pictures. You can see that it's THEM, but holy cow, did they have a ways to go to get through the awkward. *giggles* But this is where the whole series really STARTS for me.
Naq, va n jnl, ernyyl fgnegf gb RAQ, bqqyl. Tvyrf arire shyyl erpbiref sebz Wraal'f qrngu (vzb), naq Ohssl ernyyl arire shyyl erpbiref sebz Natryhf. (Be Fcvxr. YBY)
Oyrff Znex naq uvf fuvccvat Knaqre naq Jvyybj! V ubcr vg qbrfa'g znxr uvz ovnfrq ntnvafg Bm! Bu, jryy, vs abguvat ryfr V'z fher uvf ovg va 'Vaabprapr' jvyy znxr Znex ybir Bm. Ur vf zl snnnnnnibhevgr.
Fbzr ernyyl tbbq rcvfbqrf arkg jrrx!
Bm vf zl snibevgr gbb :o) V'z rkpvgrq jvgu rirelbar ryfr sbe Fpubby Uneq, ohg ernyyyl V'z rkpvgrq sbe gur rcvfbqr nsgre gung naq gur svefg (naq frpbaq) hggrevatf bs "Jub vf gung tvey?" jvgu qvssrerag vagbangvba rnpu gvzr naq rirelguvat…. <3<3<3
Ab bar pna or ovnfrq ntnvafg Bm, ur'f sne gbb njrfbzr sbe gung. V srry onq sbe Znex gubhtu, trggvat vairfgrq va Jurqba pbhcyrf vf trggvat vagb unmneqbhf greevgbel. Vg jvyy bayl raq va gentrql. Rirel. Fvatyr. Gvzr.
Gehr. V pna'g guvax bs n fvatyr Jurqba pbhcyr gung'f ghearq bhg bx. Sbe n juvyr V jnf ernyyl, fvapreryl ubcrshy sbe P/N, ohg gura…
V thrff gurer'f Jvyybj/Xraarql npghnyyl, abj gung V guvax bs vg! (bgure penc unccrarq va gur pbzvpf jbeyq ohg gung qbrfa'g pbhag sbe zr) V xrrc sbetrggvat nobhg gurz, gubhtu. V thrff V whfg arire tbg bire Gnen'f zrzbel. fvvvvtu. Znlor V'yy nccerpvngr gurz zber qhevat gur erjngpu. V bayl bja frnfbaf bar guebhtu svir naq vg'f orra n ybat gvzr fvapr V'ir frra frira.
Whfg gur snpg gung Bm svefg abgvprf Jvyybj jura fur'f va na Rfxvzb bhgsvg znxrf zr ybir uvz. (Vahvg?)
Grezvabybtl vf npghnyyl fbzrjung bs n ceboyrzngvp vffhr gurer, orpnhfr nsnvx abg nyy "Rfxvzb" yvxr gur grez "Vahvg" (nzbat gurz gur Nynfxn Rfxvzb, ohg V guvax fbzr tebhcf va Pnanqn, gbb, qb abg pbafvqre gurzfryirf Vahvg).
Qnja Guernq!
Vg jbhyq or ragveryl gbb cresrpg vs Ohssl znqr Qnja ibj arire gb oevat n qrprnfrq eryngvir onpx sebz gur qrnq va na haubyl evghny, jbhyqa'g vg?
OH GOD.
Guvf vf jnl gbb vagrerfgvat. V pna'g oryvrir V'ir arire gubhtug gb tb onpx naq erjngpu 1-4 vzntvavat gur Qnja fvqr bs guvatf.
Jr'er znxvat fher gung gurer'f n guernq n qnl sbe nalbar gb fcrphyngr. Gurer'f ng yrnfg bar pbzvp jvgu pnaba synfuonpxf (yvxr nccneragyl Qnja sbhaq Ohssl qrnq orsber Knaqre naq Natry qvq), naq crbcyr jub bja vg ner yrggvat hf xabj jung pnaba fnlf.) Vg'f fb zhpu sha gb gel gb svg ure va.
It's a whole genre of BtVS fanfic… 🙂
This is now in my personal fanon.
I'm loving the daily Qnja Guernq.
Jryy vs fur qvq, Qnja pyrneyl jnfa'g yvfgravat…juvpu npghnyyl fbhaqf nobhg evtug. KQ
BZT. Gur arkg rcvfbqr vf FB SHPXVAT NJRFBZR. RKPVGR. :Q
Znex'f whfg fgnegvat frnfba 2 naq fgvyy fuvccvat Knaqre naq Jvyybj. Fvtu. V erzrzore orvat gung vaabprag. Jryy, V arire fuvccrq Knaqre naq Jvyybj, ohg lbh trg gur cbvag. V pna'g jnvg sbe Znex gb frr Bm! Gura ur'yy or va sbe zber urnegoernx jura "Jvyq ng Urneg" pbzrf nebhaq gubhtu… 🙁
Mark is not prepared.
Not a big fan of this episode…nothing much to comment on. I did want to say that I recently stumbled upon your blog, and it has been quite a nice surprise! After re-watching Buffy for the umpteenth time, it is so refreshing to live vicariously through you as if it were my first time. Thank you for sharing such an entertaining and insightful experience!
"Qb V jnag gb frr uvz jvgu Wraal Pnyraqne? Jub qbrfa’g? Ur’f fhpu na vagryyvtrag zna, naq vg znxrf zr ynhtu gb frr uvz gevc hc bire gur zbfg onfvp pbzzhavpngvba fxvyyf. Fgvyy, rirelguvat jvgu uvz naq Wraal vf whfg fb anghenyyl nqbenoyr, naq sbe n fubj gung trarenyyl sbphfrf zber ba ubj guvatf pna or shpxrq hc, vg’f ernyyl avpr gb frr gur cbfvgvir fvqr bs guvatf, gb frr gurfr gjb vagrenpg va guvf jnl jvgu Wraal nyjnlf n fgrc nurnq bs Tvyrf."
Guvf whfg znxrf zr fb fnq, fvapr V nz n ovt Wraal Pnyraqne sna. 🙁
Aw yeaaah.
NYY ARKG ZBAGU VF RKPVGRZRAG. Htu V pnaabg jnvg. Fb arkg jrrx jr unir…
Zba: Fpubby Uneq – Fcvxr naq Qehfvyyn. GUVF VF GUR TERNGRFG. WBLPR UVGGVAT FCVXR JVGU NA NKR (vs V erpnyy?)!
Ghr: Vapn Zhzzl Tvey – Bm fubjf hc sbe gur svefg gvzr.
Jrq: Ercgvyr Obl – V… qba'g erzrzore guvf rc gbb jryy rkprcg Wbanguba oevatf Pbeqryvn n ynggr.
Guhef: Unyybjrra. UNYYBJRRA!
Sev: Yvr Gb Zr – va juvpu gur thl sebz Ebfjryy vf na byq sevraq bs Ohssl'f.
Vs ur qbrf qb svir arkg jrrx gur sbyybjvat guerr Zbaqnlf jvyy or Fpubby Uneq, Gur Qnex Ntr, naq Fhecevfr! Jvgu gur Sevqnl bs gung ynfg jrrx orvat Cnffvba! Vg'f tbvat gb or na vagrerfgvat pbhcyr bs jrrxf! V pna'g fgbc hfvat rkpynzngvbaf cbvagf!!!
Guvatf ner tbvat gb TRG ERNY!!
Gur bayl fgvaxre va gubfr vf Ercgvyr Obl sbe zr, Vapn Zhzzl Tvey unf Bm! Wbanguna! naq Jvyybj nyy qerffrq hc! Unyybjrra vf sha… Fpubby Uneq naq Yvr Gb Zr ner whfg syng-bhg njrfbzr.
Can we talk about Chris's mom? GOD THAT HORRIFIED ME SO MUCH WHEN I WATCHED THIS EPISODE.
I mean, it's just so unbelievably depressing. GOD. And she's just… almost not even registering anything anymore, she's just like a vegetable. Ugh. So much wrong there.
OMG Giles/Jenny are so freaking cute. This episode is completely worth it just for them. Also way to go Jenny asking out Giles with absolutely no fuss lol. Xander and Willow crashing their date was also hilarious. The main plot is super creepy, but also extremely sad. I couldn't help but feel really bad for Chris despite the total creepiness of what he was trying to do, especially because his mom was totally checked out. As a teenager, I'm sure it seemed to him like his mom valued Darryl more than him, since she couldn't pull it together for him 🙁 I know, that's way oversimplified, but it would be hard to see it any other way).
Okay, so I'm going on vacation until next Wednesday (zvffvat Fpubby Uneq ABBBB) and not sure when I'll have internet so someone else will have to keep track of the Giles Knock Out Count until then!!
I really like this episode, not necessarily because it's good, but because it's one of the first Buffy books that I read before I started watching the series, so it always stuck in my head. In this case I'm glad that I read the book first, since I think that it was one of the books that elaborated a little on the canon story, and even though the props here are decent the whole thing is nowhere near as bad (in a good way) as it was in my head.
I like how there are a lot of references to the fact that the school was there before Buffy came, and that Willow and Xander had gone there for a long time and met a lot of people before Buffy. Sometimes in the 'New guy/girl starts school' stories it feels like the school started on the day that the new character arrived.
Naq nyfb, Fcvxr vf pbzvat! Naq Qehfvyyn! V pna'g oryvrir gung V unir gb jnvg hagvy Ghrfqnl sbe gur arkg hcqngr, V'z tbvat gb unir gb gel ernyyl uneq abg gb er-jngpu rcvfbqrf nurnq bs gur fpurqhyr!
mark – are you posting on monday, or do we have to wait until tuesday for your next buffity good-ness? (please say monday, please say monday!!)
Mark… you soooo need to record yourself watching the episodes… and put screen shots of your reactions!!!! please please PLEASE!!!
'Specially liked dead Darryl's watching that football game from under the bleachers — almost tearful, missing being out there, etc. Looked so lonely. From the Monster Builders Handbook: always make them a little sad.
Oh… this episode. I completely forgot about it until now. I don't really have much to say about it…
OHG ARKG JRRX JR TRG FCVXR! 😀
Also, I'm starting to be able to recognize quite a few words in rot13 without the translator… Proof that I spend way too much time reading the comments on here.
I am also starting to. Especially that last one you wrote. Hee.
*Without her* crown and magic wand, that should have been. (Good lord, proof-reading is so worth the effort. Why do we never learn?) :/
Sorry for posting so late! I was up in London today so I didn’t get back until just now. So maybe no-one will read this anyway? WHO CARES. Thoughts: I have them.
So in this episode, Giles and Miss Calendar go on a date. Or should I say Jenny? I don’t think she even mentioned her first name before, because that’s the first I’ve heard of it. It’s cute anyway, it suits her. Oh, and some stuff happened with a guy who resurrected his dead brother and went around trying to make a creepy Frankenstein’s monster girlfriend for him by cutting up dead girls. But, y’know, that’s kind of unimportant, I didn’t really pay attention to that.
But seriously. I really enjoyed this episode, it seemed like a pretty good quality foray back into the ‘monster of the week’ style. The plot was interesting, and it had a nice reveal halfway through that the dead brother was alive. More than that, it was interesting to see (however briefly) the effect of a person’s death on their family acknowledged in the show. Fair enough, it was just a guy who died in an accident, but I feel like sometimes BtVS takes death a little too lightly, killing off dozens of kids per episode and never having it recognized by anyone. In this, we get to see how one guy’s death affects both his brother and his mother, which means there are actually some more poignant scenes than you would think in this kind of episode (his mom just sitting there all day watching his old games is really quite sad). It annoyed me a little that Cordelia was yet again used as monster bait – since she’s in the know now, I’d rather she was a little more proactive instead of being cast as the damsel in distress all the time.
Really this episode was about relationships though, wasn’t it? It’s not just dead guy, no-one wants to be alone. Buffy and Angel are trying to make each other jealous, and his admission at the end that he was jealous of Xander simply for being a part of her life was quite sweet. Xander’s little speech about how people always just want what’s ‘unattainable’ was really interesting too – it shows rather more self awareness than I’m used to with him, and I think it might even be the first step on his path to realising that Buffy isn’t really the girl for him. It also sheds some interesting light on the whole Buffy/Angel thing, but we’ll go into that another time.
But hark at me pretending I care about all this! I have to admit, at this point I would quite happily watch an entire show of Giles acting like a complete idiot around Miss Calendar and the two of them going on really awkward dates. They are so fucking cute it’s not even funny. Also, Buffy giving Giles dating advice is my favourite thing in this entire show so far and YOU CAN’T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME. It’s so nice to see something going right for anyone in this show and I am fully counting this as a win on one of my predictions for season two! GOLD STAR FOR ME.
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/aau7au.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Oh, and some stuff happened with a guy who resurrected his dead brother and went around trying to make a creepy Frankenstein’s monster girlfriend for him by cutting up dead girls. But, y’know, that’s kind of unimportant, I didn’t really pay attention to that.
lol this is how I feel about this episode as well. and I also love the parallel themes of relationships and how it's not just the dead guy who can't stand the idea of being alone.
The thing I kept noticing in this episode, possibly because i was watching with the subtitles on, is that the cheerleaders kept shouting "Go! Princes! Go!" Who are the Princes? I thought the Sunnydale Razorbacks was established quite well last season.
Maybe after the Herbert incident, they decided to change their mascot.
I love Giles and Jenny so much. 😀
I’m surprised you liked this episode so much. I love the Giles/Jenny parts and some of the lines, like “love makes you wacky” and Xander’s obliviousness in the end, but this episode is my least favorite in season 2 and one of my least favorite of the show. Even with all the cool parallels and pop culture references, the central plot is just too silly (also, I realize Daryl has been dead so he’s worse for wear, but why does he look like he must have been at least 35 when he died, rather than 16?) and some of the dialogue doesn’t work for me, either, like when they’re mocking Giles.
Ugh. This episode is just yucky. Yuck. Yuck. Yucky.
But in comparison to the majority of season 1 kind of brilliant.
OH MY GOD, NO WONDER SHE LOOKS SO FAMILIAR. Wow. ~memories~