In the tenth episode of the second season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Kendra and Buffy team up to save Angel, despite many reservations by Kendra. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Buffy.
I ENJOYED THESE THINGS
- HOLY SHIT BUFFY DIED AND KENDRA WAS CALLED AS THE SLAYER AND THIS IS FUCKING WONDERFUL. Does this mean that there’s a chance Buffy could die again and call more slayers? I demand multi-slayer appearances like “The Five Doctors” or something.
- Cordelia’s face.
- CORDELIA AND XANDER KISSING. WOW IT SUDDENLY MAKES SO MUCH SENSE. They’ve got the Ron/Hermione vibe going on. OKAY WAIT. Let me quantify that before any Harry Potter fans call foul. This is just another take on the “opposites attract” thing. I would never in a million years expect the two to kiss, but now it’s obvious it was leading up to this.
- Creating a situation that forces Buffy to examine the fact that she is the Slayer and she’s trying to save a vampire.
- This might be unintentional, but I felt there was a very specific subtext to Drusilla’s torturing of Angel. The entire time she’s doing it, she is telling Angel what he did to her family. I am hoping that this was done specifically to give some sense of closure to Drusilla or to hold Angel accountable for what he did to her all those years ago. It’s not something the writers could have done, but it seemed like a conscious choice to include that in the script. In that sense, I didn’t necessarily feel bad that Angel was being tortured.
- The entire scene where Buffy and Willow discuss Buffy letting Kendra take over. Extremely well-written and acted, and I really love how this show treats identity and the struggles that come with it. And it’s set in high school, when so many teenagers deal with these things I JUST LOVE TALKING ABOUT THAT PERIOD OF TIME IN HUMANS OKAY
- Giles bonding with Kendra.
- The show not making Kendra exactly the same as Buffy, especially giving us a Slayer who not only has accepted her life as the Slayer, but one who enjoys it. I was getting my brutal Side-Eye ready for use when Kendra started talking about her culture back home. (Is that Jamaica? Can I assume that? GOD, DEVELOP THIS SHIT, WRITERS.) When she was explaining how she gave up so much in her life, I thought they were doing this so we could go, “Aw, poor foreign woman! Your life is so dejected and sad!” Thankfully, Kendra outright tells Buffy not to feel sorry for her.
- When the second assassin turns into mealworms. I just screamed NO THANK YOU GO AWAY when it happened.
- MAKING THE POLICE OFFICER ONE OF THE ORDER OF TARAKA. I swear to you, at first I thought it was a test or demonstration to see how “prepared” the students were!!!! AND THEN I REALIZED THIS WAS THE ASSASSIN. Oh lord, what an awesome twist.
- WILLOW AND OZ. WILLOW AND OZ. PLEASE NEVER TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I WANT IT. I WANT IT MORE THAN AIR. Please don’t let this be ruined. Whedon, it’s a beautiful thing, please don’t do it. I just want them to be happy. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK.
- Actually, I missed this in yesterday’s episode, but Xander referred to the group as the Scoobies. Sorry, this is the best nickname of all goddamn time and I am going to adopt it now, approximately fourteen years after the entire world already did. I swear I will catch up with pop culture some day. I SWEAR.
- Look, okay, I love a good trope inversion more than most things, but this episode makes Angel the damsel in distress. Bless this episode. BLESS IT FOREVER.
- I think it’s easy to say that Buffy did make a mistake in this story, and that Kendra was right: Buffy’s feelings for Angel clouded her judgment, and that is why she walked right into a trap without thinking of it.
- “SWITCH!” oh my god the fighting is so much better in this season.
- OH SHIT, GILES AND WILLOW BOTH KILLED A VAMPIRE ONSCREEN. OH SHIT.
- “You and bug people, Xander. What’s up with that?”
- Oh, you’re going to reverse the roles of Spike and Drusilla? YES GOOD. YES, I LOVE SUCH THINGS.
I DID NOT ENJOY THESE THINGS
- Kendra’s accent. I’ve since learned that Bianca Lawson was told to make up the Jamaican accent the night before she started and wasn’t able to study it enough to do it convincingly. I just side-eyed the crew of the show so hard that it could melt gold. The fact that she went out of her way to try to tell them that what she was saying didn’t make sense in the Jamaican patois and they ignored that is straight-up gross to me. UGH WHY YOU GOTTA FUCK UP A GOOD THING.
- Buffy’s attitude towards Kendra is just way too over-the-top for me. Would she really dislike her that much?
- Willy. No one in California speaks like that. Seriously! Get your accents right, Buffy.
- I don’t need Buffy to be super gory and bloody. But Angel had his had stabbed. How come when he is finally set free, his hand’s perfectly fine? Unless that was some sort of metaphysical knife or something.
- There’s still a weird dynamic between Buffy and Kendra that I can’t quite define beyond this: there seems to be an unspoken understanding that because Kendra is not from the US, she doesn’t understand basic things. It bothers me. Like…does Buffy really think Kendra doesn’t know how to fly in an airplane? Yes, I get that the joke is based on the fact that she snuck here in the cargo hold area of a plane. Still, it doesn’t sit right with me.
- I wish Cordelia and Xander kissing wasn’t played as a joke. The music is too much. Couldn’t they just kiss? It was so distracting the first time around that I genuinely thought it was going to be revealed as a daydream or something.
- I miss Jenny Calendar.
<img src="http://imgur.com/V5r2t.jpg" height="75%" width="75%">
Mostly, I declare this to be the Drusilla Appreciation Thread. ALL HAIL.
LET THIS BE THE FIRST ROLL CALL FOR THE DRU CREW
TANBARKIE, PRESENT!
Yo, represent.
Dru is awesome.
…
…
And also kinda hot >_>
Qb vg ntnva! QB VG NTNVA!!!
Fbeel, fvzcyl pbhyqa'g jnvg sbe arkg jrrx gb fnl vg
GUNG VF YVXR BAR BS ZL SNIBEVGR QEHFVYYN ZBZRAGF.
Yvxr, frevbhfyl, vg vf onfvpnyyl jung V guvax bs jura V guvax bs Qehfvyyn.
PRAISE HER! Yeah I'm being unoriginal.
LOL to the macro.
Drusilla is my favorite vampire. I wish we could have a comic books series that was nothing but The Adventures of Drusilla.
Juliet Landau did co-write a short story arc focused on Drusilla for the Angel comics. Just so you know 🙂
And it was awesome!
And here it is:
<img src="http://images.comiccollectorlive.com/covers/5b9/5b99f339-aa9a-4a60-9ddc-73458d93d5e8.jpg" />
Oh, thank you! I knew about it and have read it, but I want something ongoing…
MELTHA, PRESENT!
Drusilla is so dang much better than Alice, Meyer's version of a psychic vampire chick. EBG13vat sbe fnsrgl, ohg frevbhfyl? Nyvpr jnf qevira gb n zragny nflyhz orpnhfr n inzcver bofrffrq jvgu ure cflpuvp novyvgl jnf fgnyxvat ure? Plus it took me forever to realize that "Alice" is just the first two syllables of Dru's name backwards.
Meyer <claims – claims, mind you – that she never watched Buffy (and I honestly wonder if her Internet research skills to look it up were any better than those of her protagonist, ha!)
MY QUEEN, (no, seriously)
<img src="http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/2300000/Drusilla-juliet-landau-2396519-861-1073.jpg" width="430" height="536" />
MY QUEEN, (no, seriously)
<img src="http://images1.fanpop.com/images/photos/2300000/Drusilla-juliet-landau-2396519-861-1073.jpg" width="430" height="536" />
PLEASE CONTINUE SPAMMING THIS COMMENT WITH DRU PICS.
ALL FOR YOU: (ok, it's Juliet Landau, not Dru, but I DEMAND THAT YOU APPRECIATE HER FLAWLESS FACE)
<img src="http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/juliet-landau-9598-903_1059.jpg" />
Oh my god.
Queen is right. *A*
She is extremely awesome and terrifying and gorgeous and broken broken broken but I love her anyway.
Never underestimate the broken:
<img src="http://www.deviantart.com/download/108161279/River_Tam_beats_up_everyone_by_deino_erd.png" />
I love that someone made a poster for this.
OMG! I LOL'ed XD
FUCK YEAH, DRUSILLA.
I think I might get on the Dru train. I really did not know what to think of her character before now; she really seemed to play the role of broken bird, and I just did not know where the writer's were going with her. Honestly, I was waiting for her to be sacrificed and send Spike into a villainous rage. But I am seriously glad I was so wrong about that. She is stronger. She is more terrifying. She is angry at Angel, and you can tell she wants him to feel the pain she went through. Like Spike, she also has her own way of doing things. Furthermore, the scene when she rose, carrying Spike, completely switching roles, sent shivers down my spine. I am looking forward to her as a villain. Season two has so much better villains. >:D
(and Spike looks appropriately besotted)
<img src="http://s11.allstarpics.net/images/orig/5/q/5qp3u2oc4czy4czu.jpg" />
Either that or asleep.
HOW DARE YOU IMPLY HE'S ASLEEP IN THE PRESENCE OF EVIL AWESOME 😉
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lw84bevbAe1qbhaip.jpg" />
I adore the expression on his face there. Guh.
Dru. DRU!
She is wonderful.
My girl! Dru is just everything awesome. She's unpredictable and has her own internal logic, and though she's been horribly, intentionally broken she's pieced herself back together again as someone to be respected and feared — a dark power rising.
a great Drusilla fanvideo (very spoilery)
<img src="http://www.examiner.com/images/blog/EXID27544/images/landau1.jpg" />
And um, yeah. DRU (no, not HER!), PRESENT!!!!!!
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v19/ceadsearc/2X03SH0198.jpg" />
Hooray for Drusilla, the sexy spooky psychic! Oh god, Juliet Landau's whole thing was my very first hint that I was attracted to women. Well, not exclusively, but if they all looked like her then yes it would be exclusive.
DRUSILLA!
I am so glad we finally got here because Mark has been all "um, okay, Drusilla?" and we have all been "BUT DRUSILLA!" and now he can SEE that she is amazing and eerie and and and…and, you know, evil, but…just because someone's evil on this show doesn't make them any less interesting. <3 for Dru.
I wish I had the figure to wear dresses like that.
Oh, oh, not the dress. Yes, Drusilla. IS AWESOME. (Also, wicked fashion sense, says this ex-goth.)
How does Kendra know Buffy won't lead her into a vampire trap? Maybe her vampire sense came up. Oh, I guess she'd sense a huge group of vampires.
Bratty Buffy switched positions on her fate. I usually don't call her bratty, but she kind of is in these two episodes. Not that she has no reason to be in a bad mood, it just manifests as brattiness in her. It all makes sense, even her not-joy at the idea of Kendra replacing her.
Oh, she can feel vampires on humans! Cool. So she has super vampire-sensing senses, the opposite of Buffy.
Although she's been raised traditionally, Kendra's very open-minded and generous. She just goes along with Buffy despite her misgivings.
And she knows about cheerleaders, but doesn't have much experience with boys.
Hey, saving Angel and stopping Drusilla save the day.
But Kendra does see pictures of her parents. I'd like to know much more about Kendra. Maybe her Watcher's really nice too, just differently from Giles. Obviously she's at least spared the pain of losing her place in the world. Instead, she grew into it.
I like that I can feel the hostility die out even though Buffy's provoking Kendra.
Okay, now it's back. Buffy should remember her previous warning about John Wayne. For some reason I think I retconned this to Buffy and Kendra agreeing to separate, but it's Buffy being impulsive and Kendra bringing the others. Or following Buffy and then bringing the others. This sort of doesn't uphold either Buffy or Kendra's views on emotion, because Kendra (I think) told the others about Willy or something so they'd be there and then she takes down Patrice by being angry over her shirt. Wait, I think I didn't make sense there. Why would Kendra want other people showing up if she doesn't believe in including them? She'd tell Giles and they'd all come though. Oh, I don't know.
Why the hell is Bugman falling for Xander's bait? His target is Buffy. Maybe I was wrong about them competing.
I wondered why Kendra said she learned it from Buffy. Maybe it's because she's recognizing Buffy's worth as a Slayer despite Buffy not doing the things that she believed were required for being one. She really is open-minded. I really love her.
I love the switch in her costuming. Up until now she's been dressed all in white. Childlike, innocent, not a threat. Now she's all in black because she is restored to health and very much a threat.
Buffy and Kendra did agree to separate. They faked the fight. This way Willy would lead Buffy to the location while Kendra could go grab backup and track her there. It's less apparent in the script, but they talk about it in the commentary
The way I see it, the argument with Kendra in Willies had to be staged, otherwise Kendra would have had no idea where to find Buffy and Angel, and they, as a group, were *right* behind her. With supplies even.
Agreed on wanting to know more about Kendra. What if she'd never become the Slayer? Do all girls raised to be the Slayer become the Slayer? If Buffy hadn't died, would Kendra have ever been called? What would have happened to her if she'd never been called? And what's her life been like – all fighting and studying, is there anything else?
Been wanting to post this for ages. I think its time has come. Alyson Hannigan and Seth Green in My Stepmother is an Alien (1988). Are they not the most adorable thing ever?
<img src="http://pics.livejournal.com/pica_scribit/pic/00050057">
THAT IS TOO CUTE <3
EEE THEY'RE SO TINY <3
OH MY GOD THAT IS THE MOST ADORABLE THING!
holy what they were in something together before what is this i don't even
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG
the cutest.
Awwwwwwwwwwww
omg
D'AWWWWWW. So cute.
OH
MY
GOD
that is so adorable!!
they're just SO CUTE.
AWWWW LOOKIT THEM
Oh my God.
CUTE~~~~~
Oh my god they were so cuteeeeeeee <3
EEEEEEEEEEE Seth Green is awesome, and it is ponybombing time now:
<img src="http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/5213152066/1/tumblr_lkpncsropk1qbqzl8" />
EEEEEEEEEEE Seth Green is awesome, and it is ponybombing time now:
<img src="http://www.tumblr.com/photo/1280/5213152066/1/tumblr_lkpncsropk1qbqzl8" />
Awwwwwww, with the cuteness and the flowers and Aly's smile and LOOK EVERYONE, SETH HAD BRACES JUST LIKE ME I AM SO HAPPY. Cute overload, must reset brain. *dies*
There is cute, there is beyond cute, and then there is this.
Also, terrifyingly, I think I wore a dress remarkably similar to that for my eigth grade graduation.
THEIR FACES!!!!!! They are so young and adorable!
OH MY GOD BABY WILLOW AND BABY OZ. THEY ARE TOO ADORABLE FOR WORDS.
🙁
I had watermelon in my mouth when I saw this. There is now watermelon all over my computer screen.
Not happy…. but this pic is amazing.
OH, BABIES. So cute.
Seth Green has flawless taste in people to hang out with:
<img src="http://kateesackhoff.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/8ltan.jpg" />
(YES THAT LADY ON THE LEFT IS NONE OTHER THAN KATEE "STARBUCK" SACKHOFF)
THEIR ITTY BITTY FACES! 😀
OH MY GOSH
SOOOOO ADORABLE
OMG! I remember that movie, too! I watched it multiple times! That blows my mind.
AWWWWW! I so need to get this movie! I know it's a children's movie but I must SEE little Alyson and little Seth!!!!
I'm not sure I'd qualify this as a kids movie. It's actually more in the vein of a sex comedy (easily a PG-13, if not an R; I can't remember; it's been years since I saw it). There is a whole lot of sex-talk, and the focus is more on the dad (Dan Ackroyd) and the alien step-mom (Kim Basinger) than it is on adorable young Aly. It's pretty dated now, and kind of gross if you don't think sexist stereotypes are funny. Pretty much the only reason to watch it anymore is to see little Aly go on her date with little Seth.
I've never watched it. But I mostly want to due to Alyson and Seth. I do get annoyed at sexist stereotypes, but I can look past them depending on when the movie/TV show was filmed. For example, the racisim in Gone With the Wind gets on my nerves, but I understand that the story was written in a time when black people used to be slaves.
*Cuddles the baby Willow and Oz to my heart* They make me so happy. That movie is also very entertaining.
Well, looks like things are getting a little hot for Angel! That was a bright idea Kendra had, to trap him in there! Sorry, just trying to lighten the mood here.
LOL at Willow.
Yeah, being nearly fried and then turned over to Spike certainly would be a drag.
I see Angel has a Magically Opening Shirt of Fanservice +1. When he gets dropped into the sewer, there's a few buttons undone somehow already, and then they're all undone when the camera goes back to him after showing Spike. Too bad he does nothing for me.
Spike's line about dinner and a movie is fantastic. ILU and your snark, Spike.
EW THIS PART WITH THE BUGS I CAN'T
They just did answer, Willy. In the only way that question deserves.
I really don't like how Buffy is treating Kendra. I get that she's annoyed about the whole attacking her and Angel thing, but this is above and beyond that. Willow's comment about Buffy being the "real Slayer" also makes me uncomfortable because of unfortunate implications re: the race of the two girls.
IIRC Charisma Carpenter loaded up on onions at lunch prior to shooting the kissing scene.
OMG Oz got shot! The cop is an assassin! FUCK.Thank goodness for Kendra!
YOU JUST DAMAGED THAT BOOK, XANDER!
I love Willow smacking Xander, but I have to point out that his comment about Angel getting "major neck in his day" is the flipside to Xander's slut-shaming of Cordelia. There's definitely a sexual element/undertone to vampires, vampirism, and siring, always has been in vampire literature. Xander's tone here wrt to Angel's past "exploits" seems almost respectful, and awed. Yet, is this sort of attitude extended to a woman who gets a lot of dates? No. It's a double standard present in society to this day, and it's reflected in the behavior of the characters here through the writers' own double standards. Men are allowed and encouraged to be wild and promiscuous, while women are shamed for it. Sigh.
"I am the bug man, koo koo kachoo" will never fail to make me laugh.
I cringe so hard when Buffy mocks Kendra's accent.
Shallow comment: I want Drusilla's black dress here.
Not much to say except yay awesome fight scene.
Willow and Oz are so cute. <3
Bye, Kendra. 🙁 BTW you are so cuter than Angel. <3
OH SHIT.
I see Angel has a Magically Opening Shirt of Fanservice +1. (…) Too bad he does nothing for me.
I'll take Angel and his leet loot.
It's a double standard present in society to this day, and it's reflected in the behavior of the characters here through the writers' own double standards. Men are allowed and encouraged to be wild and promiscuous, while women are shamed for it.
So why can we only upvote once again?
" Willow's comment about Buffy being the "real Slayer" also makes me uncomfortable because of unfortunate implications re: the race of the two girls. "
I think things like this are only what you make of them. I have never had any reason to think that the subtext to this line is anything other than "Because you came first. And also you're my friend"
Oh, and on that note I also wanted to comment on Mark's comment:
"There’s still a weird dynamic between Buffy and Kendra that I can’t quite define beyond this: there seems to be an unspoken understanding that because Kendra is not from the US, she doesn’t understand basic things. It bothers me. Like…does Buffy really think Kendra doesn’t know how to fly in an airplane? Yes, I get that the joke is based on the fact that she snuck here in the cargo hold area of a plane. Still, it doesn’t sit right with me."
The bit about the plane – I kinda think Buffy is just really upping the sarcasm here, I feel like I would've said almost exactly what she said if I knew someone who did the same thing regardless of anything else about their personality. Or anyting else. Also I always took her "doesn't understand basic things" bit about her character to be about her closed off upbringing. I never thought much about where she was from. I always figured it could be anything ranging from living in a different country now, to having been moved to the US at a very young age and being there ever since. Or maybe has lived in another country at some point… maybe the funky accent is taking her original accent and throwing other accents on top of it…Vg'f n ovg hasbeghangr jr qba'g trg zber onpx fgbel ba ure. V'ir nyjnlf ybirq ure naq fur ernyyl vf nobhg erqhprq gb n cybg cbvag obgu urer naq yngre gb oevat nobhg Snvgu. Bbbb Va Wbff' irel yvggyr fcner gvzr ur gbgnyyl arrqf gb znxr n Xraqen frevrf bs pbzvpf…
Well, there's a reason TVTropes has a section on Unfortunate Implications. The not-right-sitting things may not have been intended by the writers, but they're still there, being unfortunate.
Maybe it's the name of the trope I have a problem with. Perhaps it should be "Accidental Implications" or "Unfortunate mis-readings". But for me, I don't see how there's any way to think that that's what's being implied here. By Anyone, but especially since Willow said it, we know Willow and there's certainly no reason to ever think she would imply it. I guess I just fall into the camp of , to me, there is no not-right-sitting thing there at all. So, for me, since it's not there, it is no where near an implication… I think that's what I'm trying to say. Sometimes the path from brain-to-words makes it hard to saying things how you mean…
Maybe my other problem is that in this specific instance the way to make it not an Unfortunate Implication is for Willow to then say explain why she said that, taking away the beauty of context. And that also if Kendra was white, she wouldn't have to explain why she said it. This also bothers me.
Oooh!oooh! "Unfortunate Inference" re:wish it was a different name
And sometimes they aren't really there except for people who are specifically looking for them. By that logic, every minority character in fiction would have to be a perfect Mary Sue/Gary Stu who does nothing wrong and is adored by everyone and never has anything bad happen to them, so nobody would ever see any racism/sexism.homophobia in it.
Which, ironically, wouldn't be good for representation of minorities at all since it would mean that none of these character would ever get to do anything interesting or be an interesting character.
Actually, I'm pretty sure it means 'stereotypical flaws/characteristics should be avoided because of historical baggage', which is very different from 'no flaws at all, whatsoever'.
But hey. Make all the strawman arguments you want. And have fun with your get-out-of-jail-free card of 'you're all just looking for it!', which allows you to sidestep the part where you actually prove it by refuting whatever point is made.
<img src="http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb19/shionthekid/Gifs/marshall.gif">
For that, an actual point would have to be made. The idea that Willow was not trying to cheer up her best friend by saying she was the real Slayer (basing it on the fact that Buffy was a Slayer before Kendra) but was saying that out of racism is so ludicrous and baseless that I really don't see why I'd bother with it.
And how on Earth does that have anything to do with "stereotypical flaws/characteristics"?!
I was replying to you talking about the trope, not that. "Every minority character in fiction" makes it sound like you meant generally.
"By that logic, every minority character in fiction would have to be a perfect Mary Sue/Gary Stu who does nothing wrong and is adored by everyone and never has anything bad happen to them, so nobody would ever see any racism/sexism.homophobia in it."
Or were you saying that I was discounting the idea of Unfortunate Implications in general? Then it's either a massive misunderstanding on your part, or you intentionally making a strawman argument. (How ironic.)
Sure there are "unfortunate implications" in many cases, but in this one, there can only be if someone is really trying hard to ignore the context and logic of the scene.
I'm pretty sure if you say, 'every minority character would have to be a gary stu/mary sue to avoid that' then it's not my fault I assume we've moved beyond the original topic. Because then, you're talking about *every minority character* having *no flaws*.
"By that logic, every minority character in fiction would have to be a perfect Mary Sue/Gary Stu who does nothing wrong and is adored by everyone and never has anything bad happen to them, so nobody would ever see any racism/sexism.homophobia in it.
Which, ironically, wouldn't be good for representation of minorities at all since it would mean that none of these character would ever get to do anything interesting or be an interesting character. "
Speaking more generally about this concept:
It's not "interesting" to have minority characters ending up with the same stereotyped flaws over and over again. It's just lazy writing. "Interesting" is when writers pay attention to these things and avoid the traps of unintentionally falling into tropeland. If a writer doesn't want to be criticized for lining up with pre-existing stereotypes, then they have to do the legwork of being aware of and avoiding those stereotypes.
Thank you.
The bit about the plane, I saw it more as a sarcastic comment on Kendra trying to be the uber slayer and not do things like have friends, sit in plane seats, own more than one shirt…She's been trained as a soldier from childhood, which is something that Buffy is resisting as much as possible.
That's how I saw it, too.
Yeah, exactly. And that traveling in the cargo hold is somehow "incognito"…in that she ends up having to knock people out and making waves when she exits? Generally, getting on the plane like normal passengers and getting off with normal passengers is going to make you less noticed, especially as this was written and filmed BEFORE 9/11, so security wasn't as be-all and end-all as it is now.
I see Angel has a Magically Opening Shirt of Fanservice +1. When he gets dropped into the sewer, there's a few buttons undone somehow already, and then they're all undone when the camera goes back to him after showing Spike.
ha, I was going to comment on this too. It made me laugh so hard when I saw it during my rewatch. I'd forgotten that.
Buffy mocking Kendra's accent made me uncomfortable too.
"I see Angel has a Magically Opening Shirt of Fanservice +1."
Actually I think that was the purpose of the entire torture scene.
😀 Your puns in the first bit cracked me up. PUNS ARE ALWAYS WELCOME.
That's good! I was afraid some people wouldn't be able to take the PUNishment. Very much a relief. 😀
I will never not upvote for puns (plus all of the other lovely things you said, naturally)
I cringe so hard when Buffy mocks Kendra's accent.
me too! She didn't mock Umpata's accent, so it seems weird that she keeps doing it to Kendra.
It’s not weird at all. As long as she’s been the slayer, Buffy’s been THE SLAYER. Up to now there’s never been any suggestion that two at a time was possible. Now there’s this other slayer there, frequently sniping at her lack of proper training or deportment, and worse yet, slayer-flirting with Giles. Buffy feels threatened. So she acts out a bit.
Usually I agree with you about that kind of thing, but I too am baffled by your interpretation of the "real Slayer" line. I'm sorry, but what? There is no way that race enters into that equation at all. It has everything to do with Willow thinking of Buffy as "her Slayer" and nothing to do with race. Jvyybj pbhyq unir fnvq gur fnzr xvaqn guvat nobhg Snvgu, sbe vafgnapr, naq vg jbhyq zrna rknpgyl gur fnzr guvat… Hz, naq znlor qvq ng fbzr cbvag naq V pna'g erzrzore vg? (Bayl whfg fgnegrq Frnfba 4, ab fcbvyref cyrnfr!) I don't think it's ANYTHING to do with race, and I'm frankly stumped by how someone can come to that conclusion.
Also puns are good and I love them. The more painful the better, I say.
I'm just going to point you to the TVTropes page on Unfortunate Implications misterbernie linked above.
I'm perfectly aware of the page. Hell, I'm probably one of the tropiest Tropers on here. I hang out on the TV Tropes Forum, for god's sake. I also know, having been around that site for a long time, that the invocation of that trope (on the places where Tropers hang out anyway) has slipped from "Things the writers didn't intend that nonetheless may leave a pretty bad taste in your mouth" to "I totally thought this when I experienced the work even though it makes no sense, but since there's no such thing as notability I'm just gonna pretend that it's NOT just me and everyone else must have seen it too." What you're describing is firmly within the second category as far as I can tell. If you can give me a better explanation than "She's black and Willow said she wasn't the real Slayer, as though she had some sort of ATTACHMENT to Buffy as 'the Slayer' and therefore would think of other Slayers as 'NOT REAL' can you IMAGINE that??!??!!!", then I may reconsider.
Now if you want to talk racefail, we oughta start with the accent. Man, that's so not appropriate. Oh, and how she's only a secondary character. (Yvxr cerggl zhpu nyy oynpx punenpgref ba gur fubj, jung gur uryy'f jvgu gung naljnl? Irel hapbby. Naq gurl nyy qvr gbb. Frevbhfyl!)
I hope you got to read all this before starting to respond, I'm really bad at laying out all my thoughts in a post on the first try. Sorry, serial editor.
I would like to ask that you (and other people in these comments) please stop telling people that there are no arrows just because you don''t see them.
You're probably right (as is usually the case when I get too invested in something and someone else has to call me out on it). That's a really useful article.
By the way, something really funky happened with that link. I had to fiddle with it to get it to work.
Did you click on it directly from the e-mail? Because that, for some reason, screws up the url every time.
Yeah, that's what I did. That's pretty weird. Silly old computers and their silly old computer quirks.
Oh, by the way. I found a pretty relevant part of the conversation and I think I get what arctichare and other people (such as you) were trying to explain in the comment thread.
Interesting. I am side-eying r_amethyst and nellorat in that conversation because I don't think there's any way to prove that a certain interpretation of a text is "wrong." You can disagree with it, sure, but I don't think you can definitively prove that an arrow is not there.
I agree. The examples they use are all based on quantitative examples that you could look at scientifically (the pigeon/birthrate thing mainly), but that's not really how you look at fiction. I'm not sure that approach applies at all – plus it really looks like they're just using that argument to justify telling someone people off for seeing arrows.
Also like a Fool of a Took I first clicked on that link from the e-mail and then realized my mistake. *facepalm*
Nal gvzr V frr gung cuenfr, V urne Vna ZpXryyra'f yvar ernqvat va zl urnq… "SBBY bs n Gbbx!"
You're bringing all the amazing links, jsyk.
I remember you linking to that article a while back and I really enjoyed. It definitely helped me gain some perspective on being able to like things while still recognizing problematic content. Especially the bit about being able to say "I recognize this arrow, but it doesn't bother me personally". So thank you
This remains the greatest way of explaining the concept. I love that article. (I also love that there is an arrow in the FedEx logo.)
Magically opening shirts are teh awesome, didn't you know? 😛
Yeah, really. Willy = skeezy. Uber skeezy.
They're definitely getting better with the fight scenes, though Kendra also seems to be a fan of random unnecessary flips. Is that, like, in the slayer handbook or something?
I've actually thought through a bit of why Xander doesn't bother me the same way he seems to bother a lot of people, but I think I'm going to wait until tomorrow to fully discuss it, orpnhfr V ernyvmrq jung vg jnf jura V jnf guvaxvat nobhg jul gur rcvfbqr Grq obguref zr fb zhpu.
Urgh, I have so many thoughts about this episode and they’re all flying away already, so I’m gonna have to bullet point this sucka…
-Kendra is awesome. I love that she has a totally different approach to Buffy but they both get the job done – at the end of the day there’s no instance of one of them teaching the other why their way is best. They just have different methods and do what works for them.
-There’s also a lovely continuation of the whole thing about Buffy having friends, and the fact that it makes her stronger.
-Ok, I can’t hold this in any longer…XANDER AND CORDY. Oh pleassssee make this happen! Not only were their two kisses absolutely hilarious (complete with really over dramatic music) but they also have some genuinely great chemistry. Every time they have a scene together, hijinks ensue. Whatever happens here, whether they actually start something or it’s just really awkward and played for laughs, I know it’s going to be a blast to watch.
-Willow and Oz!!!! They finally properly met! And they couldn’t be more adorable and perfect for each other. I do hope Oz becomes a semi regular, I really like what little we’ve seen of him so far.
-I feel like this two parter was where I really got on board with a lot of couples actually. Not only do I now ship Xander/Cordy and Willow/Oz, but I’m a lot less ambivalent towards Buffy/Angel too.
-Giles geeking out with Kendra about the books was adorkable. I also love the fact that he didn’t even try to give Buffy the Slayer manual. Not only is it kind of funny that he knows she won’t read it, but it shows he has a fair bit of confidence in her ability to just get things done her way.
-I miss Jenny 🙁
"Giles geeking out with Kendra about the books was adorkable. I also love the fact that he didn’t even try to give Buffy the Slayer manual. Not only is it kind of funny that he knows she won’t read it, but it shows he has a fair bit of confidence in her ability to just get things done her way."
Rupert Giles: More Perceptive Than You Think. Even If You Already Think He's The Most Perceptive Person Ever He Is Still More Perceptive Than That.
BU TBQ, LRF. Yvxr jura ur fcraqf nyy gung gvzr arkg frnfba gelvat gb trg Ohssl gb gryy uvz gur qrgnvyf bs Natry'f er-rafbhyvat haqre gur thvfr bs erfrnepu, orpnhfr ur xabjf fur arrqf gb gnyx nobhg vg.
LRF V YBIR GUNG. :Q
Nyfb, gung fprar va "Vaabprapr." LBH XABJ GUR BAR V'Z GNYXVAT NOBHG.
In retrospect I ship all the couples as presented in the series. But when this aired (when I was 11) I was such a hardcore Willow/Xander shipped that I just could not accept these other potential relationships.
I miss Jenny, too 🙁
I bet a lot of us who watched when the show first aired are in that boat — we were cheering so hard for Willow/Xander that Cordelia/Xander was the mother of all record scratches, and the whiplash effect made it hard to root for them.
Which is not to say that people watching the show later can't also be in that boat. It's an open boat.
Lucky for me, I never liked Willow/Xander, and shipped Willow/Oz hard from the start, so I quite enjoyed Xander/Cordy (even though I was less invested in them at the time than I was in Buffy/Angel, Willow/Oz and Giles/Jenny).
I shipped Willow/Xander because I wanted Xander far away from Buffy. Then Oz and Cordy got into the mix so I ended up shipping Willow/Oz and Cordy/Xander. Just stay away from Buffy, Xander!
Awwww I just noticed that my and Mark's final comments were both missing Jenny.
BRAIN TWINS.
Random thoughts while re-watching:
What is wrong with Angel? Is the closeness to the sun suddenly harmful to him or is he just afraid to die?
“She died?†“Just a little†(Ohssl trgf zhpu yrff qrsrafvir nobhg qlrvat va npgvba nsgre gur frpbaq gvzr)
Cordy is probably the most tactless person there is (rkprcg sbe Naln bs pbhefr)
Oh god, bugs, eek!
Playtime for Drusilla, there is nothing better than torture by the vamp you’ve tortured.
I want a Slayer handbook, too. I wonder what rules Buffy is supposed to follow and Giles ignores.
(V ybir gung abj fur jvfurf gung Xraqen pbhyq gnxr bire ure Fynlre qhgvrf naq jura Wblpr fhttrfgf guvf jvgu Snvgu gurer, fur vf fb qrsrafvir bs ure pnyyvat.)
Cordy/Xander kiss, yes the cheesy music makes this seem sooo romantic.
Yuck, bugs in the hair *shudder*.
Bu Wbanguna, ur vf n zntarg sbe zbafgref naq zheqreref whfg yvxr Knaqre.
V ybir gung ur vf abg fvzcyl na rkgen ohg nyjnlf trgf n yvar.
Oz and willow are so adorable; he is even cute when shot.
Poor Kendra she is so uncomfortable around the Scoobies, though I like that not all Slayers are like Buffy or live the same way.
Xander defends Angel, wow that is a new one. I guess he really has gotten over his jealousy.
(Qehfvyyn’f fgbel znxrf zr guvax bs Naln va gur Obql, fur vf fhecevfvatyl rzbgvbany nobhg ure snzvyl, znlor gung’f jul Fcvxr vf yvxr ur vf.)
I love that Buffy makes fun of Kendra’s accent; SMG ad-libbed that.
Wow that ritual is weird, like a bad horror movie.
Smart move Spike, set the house on fire and forget that you are also highly flammable.
Animal cracker inequality, the sweetest form of injustice.
A shallow note: They let Buffy wear green trousers in front of a patch of grass?
SPOILER!! Lbh pna'g zragvba Naln!!
Didn't I rot13 that sentence? I'm really sorry, I had put it in parentheses, so that I wouldn't forget and then I forgot. 🙁
rot13 a sentence because Naln vf n ybat jnlf njnl lrg.
EDIT to add bless you Mark Watches fans and your dedication to not spoiling Mark, this got reported 5 separate times.
CONSTANT VIGILANCE!
That, and cercnengvba. cercnengvba. cercnengvba.
Didn't have to decode that one. I've seen this show too many times.
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/jq6b1h.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
I think the approaching sun weakened Angel. Which is why Willy left him in there as long as he did.
Wbanguna'f gur Xraal bs Ohssl!
Vg'f whfg fb vapbafvfgrag jvgu jung jr frr yngre, va Natry ur pna fgnl va n fhayvgr ebbz nyy gur gvzr naq bayl unf gb nibvq qverpg yvtug.
Vg jnf fvzcyl n fgenatr cybg cbvag, yvxr gur fhecevfvtyl fgheql qbbe, abg gb zragvba gur gval cnqybpx gung pbhyq jvgufgnaq inzcver fgeratgu.
Jryy…ur'f tnvarq zber pbageby yngre. Ur'f fgebatre univat fheivirq n srj praghevrf bs gbegher va Uryy. Fbzrguvat fbzrguvat snajnax.
Lrnu, lbh'er evtug.
(V ybir gung abj fur jvfurf gung Xraqen pbhyq gnxr bire ure Fynlre qhgvrf naq jura Wblpr fhttrfgf guvf jvgu Snvgu gurer, fur vf fb qrsrafvir bs ure pnyyvat.)
Lrnu, ohg ol gura fur'q eha njnl gb YN naq gevrq gb tvir hc orvat Fynlre, naq qrpvqrq gb npprcg vg. Urer vg'f nyy, uv, arj onol fvfgre Fynlre vf ernql gb gnxr lbhe cynpr!
Gurer vf whfg fb zhpu punenpgre qrirybcrzrag orgjrra gurfr gjb rcvfbqrf, vg'f njrfbzr ubj sne Ohssl unf pbzr ng gung cbvag va ure yvsr, gb rzoenpr fbzrguvat fur unq frra nf n oheqra orsber.
Zna, gung yvar nyjnlf ertvfgref n yvggyr bqqyl, orpnhfr "arj yvggyr fvfgre"? Abg lrg! V thrff vg'f whfg bar bs gubfr guvatf gung'f shaavre va uvaqfvtug, fvapr V'z fher gur jevgref unqa'g lrg cynaarq sbe gung cnegvphyne cybg gjvfg ng guvf cbvag.
Xander defends Angel, wow that is a new one. I guess he really has gotten over his jealousy.
Xander: Angel's our friend! Except I don't like him.
I loved Xander defending Angel, even though he doesn't like him. It's a step forward from being jealous and spiteful whenever Angel's name came into the discussion.
"Cordy is probably the most tactless person there is"
Of COURSE she is. Gnpg vf whfg abg fnlvat gehr fghss. LOL!
-Kendra’s accent never ceases to crack me up. I can see the director now, ”We want you to be Jamaican but we want you to be completely understandable so…Go!” Poor Bianca Lawson.
-What is up with Angel? The sunlight isn’t even touching him yet but he’s acting like it stole all his strength. And to be honest, I think *I* could have gotten one of those grates off with a few well placed kicks. He didn’t even try!
-Buffy’s feeling threatened and has worked herself into a high dudgeon! LOL! At this point I think Kendra could have suggested saving puppies and kittens from evil puppy/kitten eating trolls Buffy would have sarcastically rebuffed her.
-“Back off Pink Ranger!” never ceases to send me into peals of laughter.
-I think Kendra’s primary purpose is to outline exactly how unorthodox Buffy’s reign as Slayer is. And that Giles is an extremely open-minded Watcher.
-“I’ll have your guts for Garters!” Such a classic line!
-I have a very hard time watching bug guy. Ick.
-I don’t do worms, either, Cordy!
-Spike doesn’t seem very happy.
-Cordy and Xander in the basement! The bicker/kiss is my favorite kind of fictional kiss! The looks of horror on both of their faces when they break apart is hysterical.
-I never fail to notice that Cordy still had quite a few caterpillars (is that what they were? Or were they centipedes?) on her sweater when they finally jumped in her car. I can’t decide if Xander kept spraying a lick too long because he was “teenage boy hypnotized” by ladycurves in a wet dress or if he noticed the bugs, as well. The way I see it, it could go either way.
-Computer nerds unite!
-Xen and the Art of B-flat Diminished 9th. I would read that book.
-I guess in a world full of demons, ghosts and vampires a human with a gun is novel and unique?
-I adore Oz’s reaction to being shot. If you look up the definition of mellow in the dictionary you’ll find a one word definition, “Oz.”
-Poor Kendra has she even ever met a person of the opposite sex before?
-“You and bug people, Xander…what’s up with that?”
– “Angel’s my friend! Except that I don’t like him.” If you’re a member of Xander’s team it doesn’t matter if he likes you personally. He’s a very loyal guy.
-“Nobody messes with my boyfriend!”
-For someone who is *not* the person they were before they died, Dru seems awfully put out by Angel’s torture and murder of her family.
-“I’m not one for the pre-show” Seems that Dru is one for the pre-show, though, Spike. Trouble in paradise? Angel is extremely creepy when he’s goading Spike.
-“Did anyone explain to you what ‘Secret Identity’ means?” “Kendra killed the bad lamp.” I love this scene where Buffy and Kendra finally bond. Buffy’s little Yoda trick is awesome. And Kendra’s total isolation, growing up as a slayer potential made me think the Watchers may be a little less “Rah Rah Good Guys” than I originally thought.
-I so love Xander/Cordy bickering. Have I mentioned that?
-Oh no! Willy was slimy? I’m so shocked!
-Huh. Spike translates dead languages and can do magic. He’s an all-purpose vamp!
-Ha Willy! You were played! I guess they took your sliminess into consideration.
-I hate the scene where Buffy and Kendra “carry” Angel out of the burning church. It’s obviously fake. Not well shot or choreographed at all. Yanks me out of the story every time. It’s not the only time this season where a body position is so ridiculous that I get yanked out of the story. It’s not necessary. Especially on a show where the fight scenes are so well choreographed.
-“Two slayers, no waiting!”
-The way they finally get rid of Larvae Boy is ingenious. And really, really gross. I’d be throwing my shoes out the moment I was done stomping if that was me. It’s sunny California. I can walk home from the church barefoot if necessary.
-“I’d rather be fighting you, anyway!” “Mutual.” One of my favorite exchanges.
-That’s me favorite shirt! That’s me ONLY shirt!” So sad. She must be treated so horribly back home.
-What was that censer made of, anyway? Dark matter? How it didn’t just bounce off Spike and ineffectually bounce to the floor, I’ll never know. They’re not that heavy. I wouldn’t expect it to be able to knock down a regular Joe, and as a vampire, Spike’s much stronger than a regular Joe.
-I MOCK YOU WITH MY MONKEY PANTS!!! That entire animal cracker exchange was so very adorable and completely adlibbed by Seth Green and Allyson Hannigan, which leads me to believe that Seth G *is* Oz and is therefore inherently awesome. The existence of Robot Chicken reinforces that impression.
-Do high schools still have HomeEc classrooms? Aaaaaannd Xander/Cordy subtext texts itself once again.
-I love that the shirt that Kendra is wearing is one that Willow has worn in the past. Good attention to detail.
-Creepy Dru is very creepy. Is she intentionally made up to look snakelike in her vamp face?
"Is she intentionally made up to look snakelike in her vamp face?"
Yup! They noted this in the commentary in the DVD.
No wonder she looks mildly Voldemort-ish around the forehead….scary.
Do high schools still have HomeEc classrooms?
Yeah, but the classes usually go by a different name like Family and Consumer Sciences.
she is, actually! they specifically modeled drusilla's vamp makeup to look like a snake.
-That’s me favorite shirt! That’s me ONLY shirt!” So sad. She must be treated so horribly back home.
I never saw this as 'treated horribly', I saw it as "foreign peoples are soooo poor omg!" and gave it the side-eye I thought it deserved.
(but I did like the shirt, I have a thing for horizontal stripes)
I always just figured it was the only shirt she'd brought with her to Sunnydale…I mean, she sneaks in in the cargo belly of an airplane. She doesn't really seem like one to bring anything more than what she'd need.
Yeah, we don't exactly see her with luggage.
Yes. I've always heard it as: 'That’s me favorite shirt! (Sudden horrified realization that all her other clothes are back home) That’s me ONLY shirt!' (Grows even more furious)__
I like that line as, like Buffy she's still a teenage girl.
I don't think her being foreign is supposed to have anything to do with it. I think Kendra's not having a lot of clothes, and not having social interaction and everything else that we're supposed to pity her for have everything to do with being raised by a Watcher and not so much to do with being from some place else that was never made clear outside of DVD commentaries. After all, boys and clothes and friends are all normal girl stuff, not serious Slayer stuff. She even says something to that effect when she makes the crack about Buffy being a cheerleader.
And I think we're definitely supposed to notice that Giles is a much cooler, nicer, more supportive Watcher than Kendra's.
-That’s me favorite shirt! That’s me ONLY shirt!” So sad. She must be treated so horribly back home.
Yeah, that line is a bit…odd. I mean, really, only one shirt? Does she do laundry every day and walk around naked? I'm going to go with "only shirt that she has here" so it's a little less weird, but still important.
Not sure about now, but back when this was filmed, I took home ec in middle school. It was part of a five class thing where we took each for…well, 1/5 of the year. The five classes were home ec, shop, typing, art, and music, and were not gender-split – everyone took both shop and home ec.
"Does she do laundry every day and walk around naked?"
I've known a couple of people that have lived like that. Their other clothes are pajamas, so they wash their street clothes, go to sleep and hope that their clothes will be dry in the morning. Of course, is a temp thing.
YES THE FIGHTING IS SO MUCH BETTER IN THIS SEASON ALL THE YES
No one in California speaks like that.
He could've moved to Sunnydale from a 30s gangster flick, couldn't he?
So, today was a busy evening, first I watched Død Snø and then right after What’s My Line, Pt 2, so my brain kinda liquefied halfway through. This is the result:
– Buffy, if you were guys, I’d say whip ‘em out and compare ‘em
– "Just a little!" hee
– Willow I ADORE YOU MUCHLY
– so, communication among Watchers must be really really bad, eh?
– Willy, you so weasel-y
– THE FRONT DOOR IS RIGHT THERE WHY DON’T YOU LEAVE THERE YOU IDIOTS
– "art photographs, but naked" so slimy and icky and gross and ngl, hilariously so
– I love that millisecond jealous face on Spike
– "bad daddy", mrow
– I would read the slayer handbook all the time.
– aww, Buffy is just afraid she’ll lose her father figure. Again.
– no, seriously, HOW DO MEALWORMS KILL PEOPLE? Try and hope Cordy will scream herself to death? God, worm guy is pathetic
– Seth Green, you have no idea what those lines are about, do you?
– so again, time-wise, how did cop assassin lady manage to infiltrate the career fair a few hours after the Order had been contracted?
– I think in Sunnydale, this does count as just a demonstration
– hey look, the cover of the book changed!
– yes, we get it. THE ORDER IS ~SERIOUS BUSINESS~ SHOW DON’T TELL
– you hit him, Willow <3
– inzc ynqvrf (naq inzc!Knaqre) frrz gb sbphf gurve gbeghevat ba Natry'f purfg, ru?
– aww look, they are bonding. a bit
– so how did her parents know she was a possible slayer?
– TNU qba'g gnyx nobhg "cbgragvny" gung jbeqf vf gnvagrq sberire
– I adore the dynamics between the three. "Shhh, bad dog" oh, Dru <3
– yeah Kendra, don’t take any shit <3
– ahaha oh god Willy you are hilarious in your sleaze
– badass Giles!
– no, seriously, what is worm guy’s ~thing ~ I don’t get it
– so really, were you only a plot point to make Xander and Cordelia kiss?
– Willow’s first onscreen kill, I think?
– so, Kendra only got one shirt, but she still gets to wear giant hazardous-in-a-fight hoop earrings?
– aww, she’s coming to help Buffy
– what are those tights, Willow, what are those tights
– shut up, Xander and Cordelia, this is so annoying. BOTH OF YOU FYI
– SHUT UP MUSIC
– what are those trousers, Buffy, what are those trousers
– "I don’t hug. " KENDRA ILU 4EVER
– DUN DUN DUUUUUN
German title is Das Ritual – The Ritual.
Yep, there is one.
fb ubj qvq ure cneragf xabj fur jnf n cbffvoyr fynlre?
TNU qba'g gnyx nobhg "cbgragvny" gung jbeqf vf gnvagrq sberire
V thrff gur frpbaq dhbgr cerggl zhpu nafjrerq gur svefg.
V'z abg fher ubr Jngpuref ybpngr gur cbffvoyr Fynlref, zntvp pbiraf, benpyrf.
Gurl zhfg unir gbyq ure cneragf rneyl ba be znlor gur nyernql xarj nobhg Fynlref.
N jngpure snzvyl yvxr Tvyrf' znlor. V jnag ure onpxfgbel!
Urur, V xabj, V jnf pbclvat zl vavgvny ernpgvba gb gung yvar.
Now that you bring it up, how do the mealworms kill people? I do not think that the writers thought that far. : / They are probably just playing off the very common phobia of wiggly wormy things. It is a very useful phobia, as it keeps people away from rotten meat and gross things that have disease and death. It is very easy to play off that fear, as I did not even stop to think about how he should be able to kill people. I was just trying to get far away from the screen because those bugs will come out of the screen and kill me!
Yeah, on my first few watches, that was more or less my reaction to, but after having seen it 20 times, these are the things I start to think about 😉
With other shows that I have watched countless times (more times than I care to admit), I notice details like that, so I should not be surprised at some of the perceptiveness and analysis on this board. I feel like I am cheating, reading these veteran Buffy-analysis instead of watching it over again like a true fan. XD
I always figured they scared people to death, if that's a real thing…….
I just assumed he somehow got into the nose and mouth of his victims and suffocated them to death. After all, he can move like lightning once he deconstructs himself. I can't figure out how he got to the back door faster than Cordy and Xander with their super long not mealworm sized legs.
I think the idea is he can reassemble after he catches them and kill them himself.
Great, now my brain is trying to come up with all the ways that mealworms could kill people. :/ It's not pleasant. I keep thinking about them crawling into…crevices…and eating…ugh. I'm gonna go take a long hot shower.
I want to read the Slayer Handbook too!
Maybe they should update it to an instructional video.
"This is a stake. This is its pointy bit. It goes in the vampire, like this. Now, repeat after me…"
– so, communication among Watchers must be really really bad, eh?
My thoughts exactly! When a new Slayer was called, shouldn't someone have called Giles up and been all, "Uh, so, your Slayer died, eh?" or something? Like, you'd think the fact that there were now TWO SLAYERS would be pretty relevant information for both of them to know. (Of course, we wouldn't get as much dramatic tension that way, so…)
Yeah, plot (and drama) take precedence, obviously.
Gurl fjrne gurer jnf n zrzb…
Unless he was kept in the dark intentionally, maybe?
Guvf jnf bevtvanyyl pbaprvirq nf Fcvxr’f svany rcvfbqr, jvgu bayl Qehfvyyn fheivivat ng gur raq, ohg gur fgebatyl cbfvgvir ernpgvba gb gur punenpgre yrq gb gur cybg orvat punatrq fb gurl obgu fheivir.
Kendra is great, but what never made sense is how Giles doesn’t know about her. I mean, out of however many Watchers are out there (Abobql’f hfrq gur cuenfr Jngpure’f Pbhapvy lrg, evtug?), Giles is the one guy who is working with the current Slayer. He is clearly a big deal, Watcher-wise. So this two Slayers thing happens that is unprecedented in Watcher history, and nobody gives him a phone call? Or, if they spent the last few months assuming that Kendra was called because Buffy is dead, they don’t want to debrief him about that? The twist ending of part one works because somebody was really, really lax about interdepartmental communication.
I never thought about that, but it makes total sense lol. It's not like 1997 was before phones!!
I completely agree about the whole "How does no one know that there are two slayers?" thing. (ROT13 just in case) Lbh'q guvax gurl'q ng yrnfg trg Tvyrf fbzr tevrs pbhafryvat vs gurl gubhtug Ohssl jnf qrnq–naq vs abguvat ryfr, lbh'q guvax gurl'q ernffvta uvz be jbhyq unir nyernql sbhaq fbzr jnl gb trg Xraqen gb gur Uryyzbhgu, be fbzrguvat.
Lrnu, ohg gur Pbhapvy qvqa'g yvxr Tvyrf, fb… jnvg, qvq gurl abg yvxr uvz ng guvf cbvag? Qvq jr xabj gurl qvqa'g yvxr uvz ng guvf cbvag? Jurer'f zl Ebg13…
V'z tbaan tb jvgu 1) orpnhfr gur Jngpure'f Pbhapvy FHPXF naq 2) "Jryy, gur tbbq thlf nera'g genqvgvbanyyl xabja sbe gurve pbzzhavpngvba fxvyyf"
My pet theory is that the other Watchers just don't like Giles. Or maybe they don't like this unconventional slayer he's working with.
"Hey, there's a second slayer now!"
"That's amazing! We need to research and discuss this at once!"
"Should we tell Giles?"
"Eh, screw him, there's no way that Buffy girl is going to last much longer, anyway. Did I ever tell you about when they used to call him 'Ripper'? Bad news, both of them."
I agree with this because of reasons.
Gung zvtug rkcynva jul ur jnf arire vaivgrq gb gur Ergerngf va gur Pbgfjbyqf. Cbbe Tvyrf, ur'f gur hacbchyne xvq bs gur Pbhapvy.
lol asshole Watchers 🙂
I actually thought this too – as a noob I don't know if this is ever gone into, but I'd be really interested to see the inner workings of the Watchers.
WATCHERS THEMED EPISODE PLEASE.
<img src="http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100106182309/marveldatabase/images/6/64/Uatu_the_watcher_standing.jpg" width="60%" height="60%">
<img src="http://www.qwipster.net/watchers.jpg">
<img src="http://www.freewebs.com/ahuff95/250px-Tonks1.jpg">
And I got the impression from the episode that Kendra has been training to be the Slayer for like her whole life. How can you train to be called as the Slayer? Why would it ever be Buffy if there are girls training their whole lives for this?
my insightful brain cells are asleep today. alas.
1. guvf rcvfbqr va cnegvphyne znxrf zr fvqr-rlr natry frnfba 1 fb uneq. natry'f fgnaqvat va qverpg fhayvtug unys gur qnza gvzr.
2. of course! buffy died! i don't know if he planned it all along, or if he realized it after the fact, but i'm glad joss caught this. it opened up some great storylines.
3. spike just up and slaps willy. because spike doesn't deem him worthy of anything more significant. i love it. i love him.
4. "talk and i'll have your guts for garters."
aaaaand now i'm picturing spike in garters a la dr. frank-n-futer, and i'm liking what i see.
5. such a pretty shot of spike and dru through the lacy canopy.
6. i find it interesting that buffy is hurt by the realization that giles threw out the handbook, when, if it had been forced upon her, she would have rejected it. a different situation can breed a completely different reaction.
7. oh, look! xander and cordelia are bickering again! ok, now xander and cordelia are making with the unbearable tension. are they gonna? surely they're not…but it looks like…OMG THEY'RE KISSING!
8. part of what makes my attraction to oz's character so strong is that he's a super intelligent guy that just doesn't give a shit about the things people are "supposed" to care about. it greatly endears him to me.
9. gur jbzna gung cynlf gur ynql pbc nccrnef ntnva ba natry nf gur puvpx gung gevrf gb xvpx snvgu'f nff va gur cevfba lneq. fur trgf ure nff unaqrq gb ure, anghenyyl.
10. vg'f gur frpbaq nccrnenapr bs wbanguna! gur ybbx ba uvf snpr nf ur pebffrf uvf rlrf gb frr gur xavsr vf cevpryrff.
11. it's S&M time with angel and drusilla a.k.a. my most favoritest time.
12. "i am the bug man coo-coo-ca-choo!"
any beatles reference is a good reference.
13. "you have the sweetest smile i've ever seen."
yes, oz. she does. you get all the points for noticing. this whole animal cracker conversation is made of win.
14. PUKE GREEN VELVET PANTS. WHY?
15. FUCK YEAH, SPIKE AND DRU ARE ALIVE.
6. i find it interesting that buffy is hurt by the realization that giles threw out the handbook, when, if it had been forced upon her, she would have rejected it. a different situation can breed a completely different reaction.
I think she would have hated if Giles had forced her to live by the rules, but maybe the handbook could have given her some answers about herself and her calling. I understand why he thought it wasn't useful in her training, he should have told her about it though.
Guvf vf npghnyyl Wbanguna'f guveq nccrnenapr–uvf frpbaq vf ng gur raq bs Ercgvyr Obl jura Pbeqryvn znxrf uvz trg ure n ynggr naq ur trgf vg jebat.
YES! i forgot. jura fur qrpvqrf gung lbhatre thlf ner gur bayl jnl gb tb. un!
also, i LOVE that everyone on here is as big a nerd as i am 🙂
Haha, welcome to Mark Watches! 😀
Wbanguna is like…my favorite rot13 translation in the history of rot13.
In my head, I sing it like the beginning of "In the Jungle" where instead of a-wim-o-weh I'm going "wa-ban-gu-na…"
“V zvff Wraal Pnyraqre.”
ABG NF ZHPU NF LBH JVYY. *gjveyf zhfgnpur svraqvfuyl*
Gung'f jung V gubhtug, gbb.
Vs ur zvffrf ure nyernql, jung jvyy ur qb jura jr nyy unir gb fnl tbbq olr gb ure sbe tbbq?
I don't think Mark realizes how often we just maniacally laugh at him.
Qbrf guvf zrna gung gurer’f n punapr Ohssl pbhyq qvr ntnva naq pnyy zber fynlref?
Whfg unir snvgu, Znex.
This might be unintentional, but I felt there was a very specific subtext to Drusilla’s torturing of Angel.
I'm pretty sure it was ENTIRELY intentional. "Say 'uncle.' Oh, that's right, you killed my uncle."
Please don’t let this be ruined. Whedon, it’s a beautiful thing, please don’t do it. I just want them to be happy. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK.
Um, yes? You have met the man, right?
Whfg unir snvgu, Znex.
I laughed WAY too hard.
Yes, I think so too. She can punish him for the suffering he put her through, especially as he's her enemy now anyway. I notice that she mentioned her family in Lie to Me too, relating it to the kid's death.
Absolutely, Drusilla was engaging in some psychological torture there.
Whfg unir snvgu, Znex.
YBY CHAF
Rkprcg bs pbhefr gung Ohssl unf abj qvrq naq orra erzbirq sebz gur fynlre yvar. Xraqen unf gb qvr sbe gur arkg bar gb or pnyyrq. Ohg V pnaabg jnvg sbe Snvgu. V ybir ure fb zhpu.
Please don’t let this be ruined. Whedon, it’s a beautiful thing, please don’t do it. I just want them to be happy. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK.
I suppose, after watchingSerenity, Mark knows to make that plea in the first place. That's progress. Though imagine if he was a Whedon virgin like everyone watching Buffy when it first aired……….
LOLOL at your rot-13
This episode retroactively makes the last one more awesome. No, seriously. Part 1 is all set up. Nothing actually happens. But when you put the two pieces together, you end up with something pretty spectacular. There is just so much payoff
Buffy and Kendra's interactions are amazing. Kendra is one of Buffy's "could-have-beens". Unlike Buffy, she has been training since she was an infant. She's never even glimpsed another possibility for her life. Kendra is the typical slayer, the kind the watchers are used to dealing with. She serves to further highlight the things that set Buffy apart (friends, family school) which were first mentioned by Spike back in School Hard "A slayer with family and friends? That wasn't in the brochure". Buffy is more balanced, relying on her friends and embracing her emotions. And it's very much to her benefit.
I love the scene where Dru is torturing Angel. And then Angel taunts Spike almost into losing his temper. Their dynamic certainly is an interesting one.
I had to laugh at you review of The Dark Age when you picked up on Cordy and Xander's sexual tension. When I first watched this that caught me completely by surprise (I was 11), but they've been laying the groundwork for a while. It's fun to go back and see how their relationship ends up here.
I MOCK YOU WITH MY MONKEY PANTS! God their whole flirtation at the end is perfect.
"Buffy and Kendra's interactions are amazing. Kendra is one of Buffy's "could-have-beens". Unlike Buffy, she has been training since she was an infant. She's never even glimpsed another possibility for her life. Kendra is the typical slayer, the kind the watchers are used to dealing with."
This is an interesting (and subtle) bit of world-building that the writers do, here. We now have outright confirmation that Buffy is unusual for a Slayer, in that she wasn't aware of her potential Slayerdom before being Called. Before this, it's never really clear why Giles is so flummoxed by Buffy's attitude towards her "duty." Kendra clarifies that beautifully for the audience.
Before this, it's never really clear why Giles is so flummoxed by Buffy's attitude towards her "duty." Kendra clarifies that beautifully for the audience.
Right, Kendra is pretty much how a Slayer should be (nppbeqvat gb gur Jngpuref Pbhapvy), but Buffy proofs that her way works just as well, if not better.
Yesss the dynamic between Dru, Angel and Spike is fascinating.
"I had to laugh at you review of The Dark Age when you picked up on Cordy and Xander's sexual tension. When I first watched this that caught me completely by surprise (I was 11), but they've been laying the groundwork for a while. It's fun to go back and see how their relationship ends up here."
Yeah, rewatching, I think it goes back to Halloween. We know that Cordy likes confident guys – witness her reaction to pre and post-vamping Jesse – and I think it really starts for her when Soldier!Xander gives her his jacket. That's what I pinpoint it to on her side, though I don't have an equivalent moment for him.
…Of course, rewatching now, that moment makes me go a) ooooh, arms, want, and b) Nicholas Brendon, you are so totally not 16. So not like I can blame her for thinking he's hot. 😀
Actually, I would put it back at least as far as "Some Assembly Required" when Cordy goes to thank Xander for saving her life and he gives her the brush off
Hrm, to some degree, I guess. I still see it more in Halloween, though.
Kendra's great, right? So great. Oh Kendra, I want to be your friend and have fun with you and all that. She's awesome and I love her geeking out with Giles and Buffy being jealous and yay two slayers and I love them both and they part as friends and all is good!
But without discussing any future reactions to any of their future interactions, the first time I watched this and witnessed Cordelia and Xander become a thing, I was pretty repulsed at the idea – pretty sure I jerked away from the screen because what what no. It's not that I don't ever believe in 'opposites attract,' but they don't like each other and don't appreciate each other. And that's why I could support Ron/Hermione right from book 1, whereas at this point, all their past history and all their interactions thus far mean DNW Cordelia/Xander for me.
And gif.
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/65fm.gif" alt="Close up on Dru's vampire face, then cut to her walking and carrying Spike out the building">
ALL OF THIS, but especially your second paragraph. Their utter dislike for each other is why I can't get behind them the way I could with Ron and Hermione. Ron and Hermione didn't like each other much at first, true, but they didn't have years of antagonism behind them, and that changed anyway after the troll incident. I don't see any of that bond of friendship with Xander and Cordy.
I love Ron/Hermoine because I think that the "bickering to mask attraction" is played straight and it's done fairly well. But with Xander/Cordy, it feels more like it's mocking the trope a bit with the swelling music? Idk. Plus, with Ron and Hermione, it was always obvious that they LIKED each other on at least some level, even when they were fighting over Crookshanks and Scabbers. But with Xander and Cordelia, they've never had anything except disdain for each other.
Hahaha that is the worst "effect" ever – look how she's "carrying" him
Yay, that gif!
And yeah, all this discussion about Xander lately has had me thinking about Ron, who is also immature and a total dick sometimes but still one of my favourite characters EVER, and the reasons why he works for me and why I see him so differently from Xander(just don't ask me to be really articulate about that right now.) I mean I don't totally despise Xander/Cordy at the level that other people inevitably will, but it's definitely apples and oranges IMO (but then, they got a much longer development period.)
I was thinking about the same things too the past couple days. I think one of the reasons for me is that Ron is called out much more often in-text and we can be certain we're not supposed to side with him when he's being a sexist dick. I mean, when Ginny cuts him off when he almost calls her a 'slut'? SWOONING FOR GINNY 4EVAAAAR
Pretty sure the word would have been "slag", which is Brit-talk for the exact same, but Ginny is awesome and I don't care who knows it.
GINNY RULES
HATERS TO THE LEFT
<3Ginny would the other half of my top 2 characters (too bad about her development in the last book.) Ron grew and I think he learns his lessons by the end o the series.
On the other hand, he also (I think) always had a better ratio of good:bad moments. If he had been calling someone a slut in literally every other chapter in the first book it'd be way harder to like him, but I had five years before that point. Not that that was his only fault, but def the grossest easily.
Oh obvious comment is obvious.
Truth though he does get a lot of crap for it when he does awful things.
^ true. Ron as a character gets the most heat from HP fans (an observation that is as true now as it was ten years ago), though most of that was because of shipwars with Harry/Hermione fen.
Also with Ron you could see what made him say it (overprotective big brother instincts, a complete inability to deal with the idea that his little sister was dating at all, disapproval of who she was dating – he was ok with Harry and Ginny getting together, after all, even going so far as to indicate he WANTS them to get together).
We're basically meeting Xander at the same age that Ron was when he nearly called Ginny a bad word, so the parallels are not unwarranted even if we don't have those previous five years with Xander.
…If Ron had been calling someone a slut every other chapter in the first book I'd have had a serious issue, because he was 11. That would have just been creepy.
Well my cousin was calling girls sluts at 13, I had a long talk with her about it, that's not that far off. I worked with middle school kids for the first time when I was 19 and at the time I was really shocked at how explicit the bigoted things they said were….and then I thought about it for a while and remembered that that was pretty much exactly how it was when I was in elementary school, too. Kids….really don't have the filter that their parents put on when they're in public and you can learn a lot from that.
It would have made the first book a bummer for sure, or the sixth book too.
Shaavyl rabhtu, gur punenpgre vg unf ZR guvaxvat bs, cnegvphyneyl fvapr V'ir frra gur pbzcnevfba qenja, vf Fbxxn, jub V guvax va n ahgfuryy jnf zber flzcngurgvp, shaavre, naq unq n orggre nep va yrff guna unys gur frnfbaf. Cyhf gur fubj pnyyrq bhg nyy gur gvzr sbe fnlvat frkvfg fghss, evtug sebz gur svefg svir zvahgrf bs Obl va gur Vproret. V arire sryg yvxr gung fubj nccebirq bs uvf onq orunivbe, jurernf OgIF srryf yvxr vg vf zbfgyl hapevgvpny bs Knaqre'f. V unir n ybg bs srryvatf, onfvpnyyl.
We can all eat your feeling cake in this case.
I feel the same way.
I think it is pretty different, because yeah, Ron and Hermione had antagonism between them, but they had friendship as well, so it made sense when romance was added on top of that. For Xander and Cordy, they've only really had the antagonism, which I think is why (at least up to this point, not saying one way or the other about the future) it seems much more like a lust and hormone-driven attraction than a romance, which is why I can buy it despite them not having any previous friendship.
Yes, exactly. It's lust, it is NOT love, and it's not written as love.
But you don't always choose who you lust after, and I think that's a lot of what this is – and the music is overly dramatic, for sure, which is clearly laughing at it too.
V guvax yngre vg qbrf fybjyl tebj vagb n erny eryngvbafuvc, ohg vg fgnegf nf nyy nobhg gur znxvat bhg – jvgarff gurve vagrenpgvbaf va gur arkg srj rcvfbqrf.
Oh my goodness, as a child I ADORED KENDRA SO MUCH. I remember watching this two-parter and being full of absolute glee. I think a lot of it is that, at the time, I was very lonely, and the message at the end of the episode where Buffy and Kendra have that moment of acknowledging that neither of them is as alone anymore was very touching. I think most people have some point in their lives (esp. in the teenage years, which are so full of change and turmoil to begin with) where they discover someone else who just gets it and it is kind of the best feeling in the world.
On Kendra's accent: I was confused when someone pointed out yesterday that Bianca Lawson was basically forced to make up this accent on the fly, when Marti Noxon said in her DVD commentary that she worked with a dialogue coach and everything, and that the accent is supposedly very specific to some specific region of Jamaica. Like, it just makes me wonder how it is even possible that the show's staff thinks they did SUCH A GREAT JOB when Bianca Lawson herself was arguing about the patois with them. WTF?
My understanding re: the accent is that it went a little like this:
Bianca Lawson, and other people with ears: This accent sounds fake. Fakety fake.
Dialect coach: No, no. It's from a very specific region in Jamaica.
Bianca Lawson, and other people with ears: Ohhhh kaaaay. But it sounds fake.
Dialect coach: A very, very, very specific region.
Dialogue coaches who should never get work again for $500, Alex. -_-
There's an episode of This American Life where one story is about the terrible accent work in Hollywood. It mostly focuses on the travesty of Hollywood Southern accents, but the idea that the dialect coaches really don't know what they're doing would apply here for sure.
WAYELL GAWSH DARN I DON'T RAHTLY KNAW WHUT YER TALKIN ABOUT THUR SESTER!
(Travesty is right.)
You might enjoy the TAL episode then. 🙂
As a former Texan who now lives in California (and is subject to all sorts of Southern and Texan accent imitations), this is relevant to my interests!
Tell me about it. Thankfully there seems to have been a minor trend to actually cast Texans in Texan roles, so even though they are exaggerating their accent, they are doing it more accurately. (I'm thinking Big Bang Theory and Leverage here.)
YES I remember that commentary too. WTF?
I was really confused when I read the accent comment in the review, as I always thought Bianca Lawson had worked with a dialogue coach. Couldn't remember where I had heard that, but I have to assume it was the commentary you mentioned. Thanks for bringing it up! As overdone as her accent may have been, the first time I heard Bianca speaking in a different role, I thought her (Northern)American accent sounded fake as well. Guess I have trouble difficulty seeing her as anyone but Kendra…though, I was very happy to see her as Emily Bennet. Supposedly, she is going to have a recurring role in MTV's Teen Wolf. Not sure whether to be happy or sad about that!
Have you heard James Marster's real California accent? Talk about sounding super fake. It's hilarious.
As far as Teen Wolf. Give it a chance man, I think it's a very clever and entertaining show. I can't wait for Bianca to be on it.
So we pick up right where the last episode ended. Kendra says she’s the Slayer? WHAAAAAA? I love that we are seeing repercussions to Buffy’s death in “Prophecy Girl”. (V npghnyyl unir n dhrfgvba nobhg Fynlre yber. Vg frrzf yvxr Xraqen xarj fur jnf n Cbgragvny fvapr fur jnf gb genva jvgu ure Jngpure ng n lbhat ntr, ohg yvxr Ohssl qvqa’g. Naq arvgure qvq bgure tveyf jr zrrg va frnfba 7. Ohg gura lbh unir Xraarql jub vg frrzf QVQ xabj. Fb… jul qb fbzr xabj gurl pbhyq orpbzr gur Fynlre naq bguref qba’g?)
Anyway, Kendra is a legit Slayer, and this brings up some neat stuff. First of all you have the fact that Kendra coming into the picture means that Buffy has a chance of having an actual career. It’s potentially incredibly freeing, especially after how trapped Buffy was feeling in the last episode. The other thing that Kendra’s appearance does is it creates a nice contrast between the “proper” way of doing things (aka the way Kendra does things- by the book) and Buffy’s less orthodox way. I also think that Buffy is a little jealous of how well Giles and Kendra are getting along. Both of them do things by the books while Buffy is an off the books kinda gal. I love this little exchange:
Buffy: I don’t take orders. I do things my way.
Kendra: No wonder you died.
This comes back later in the episode where Buffy doesn’t go back to Giles like she should and almost gets killed. Kendra, on the other hand, did follow procedure and brings the Scoobies back with her as reinforcement, saving Buffy’s life. And I do love the Buffy and Kendra ended up parting ways as friend, each having learned a bit from the other. Now, on to the rest of the episode.
OMG THE SCENE WITH ALL THE WORMS AND CODRY AND XANDER BEING STUCK IN THE BASEMEEEENT. Worms are really gross and upsetting to meeeee. OMG WHEN THE WORMS FALL ON CORDY AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH. SO GROSS. KILL ME NOW. AND THEN WEHEN THEY TRAP THE WORMS IN GLUE AND ARE STOMPING ON T HEM? BLEEEEGH. Also, the whole bickering into kissing thing is kinda cliché, but yeah. There it is. I think that the show was intentionally poking fun at the cliche though with the swelling music so… whatever. Meh. I much prefer the OTHER romantic development in this episode… Willow and Oz!
Omg, Oz got shot in the arm protecting Willow! (Nyfb, UNV WBANGUNA! AVPR GB FRR LBH NTNVA!) And then Oz and Willow were so cute at the end too. GAAAH. BE MORE PRECIOUS, YOU GUYS. I DARE YOU.
That scene where Dru is torturing Angel is really interesting. She talks a lot about her mother and there is a sense of barely concealed anger under the surface. I love seeing that Drusilla, even having been turned into a vampire and so many years gone by, is still angry at Angel for killing her family. But in spite of that, there’s also a definite sexual overtone to their interaction, with all the references to their past sexual relationship (which Angel brings up to piss off Spike). It’s appropriately creepy.
AAAAALSO, I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THIS BIT OF DIALOGUE THAT I’M ROT13-ING.
Fcvxr: V’q engure or svtugvat lbh, naljnl.
Ohssl: Zhghny.
ZZZ UZZ… Fb rira jura Ohssl naq Fcvxr jrer hapbzcyvpngrq, syng-bhg rarzvrf, gurer vf fbzrguvat gung qenjf gurz gb rnpu bgure va na nagntbavfgvp fbeg bs jnl.
Oh and Mark, I don’t think the joke was that because Kendra was from the US that she couldn’t understand basic things. The joke was that she was so sheltered by her Watcher that she only saw the world in Slayer terms. Like of course she would use the cargo hold and not an actual ticket so that she could be secretive. At the end Buffy was poking fun at her overly secretive Slayer persona, not that she wasn’t from the US. Or at least that was how I read the scene.
V npghnyyl unir n dhrfgvba nobhg Fynlre yber. Vg frrzf yvxr Xraqen xarj fur jnf n Cbgragvny fvapr fur jnf gb genva jvgu ure Jngpure ng n lbhat ntr, ohg yvxr Ohssl qvqa’g. Naq arvgure qvq bgure tveyf jr zrrg va frnfba 7. Ohg gura lbh unir Xraarql jub vg frrzf QVQ xabj. Fb… jul qb fbzr xabj gurl pbhyq orpbzr gur Fynlre naq bguref qba’g?)
Zl vzcerffvba vf gung gurve Cbgragvny-qrgrpgvba grpuavdhrf ner synjrq. Ohssl jnfa'g qvfpbirerq hagvy fur jnf npghnyyl pnyyrq, juvpu vf cerggl ener, ohg whfg gur snpg gung jura gurl tvir NYY cbgragvnyf gur fynlre cbjref va Frnfba 7, fbzr tveyf jub jrer abg gnetrgrq ol gur Oevatref jrer fgvyy "rzcbjrerq." Fb V thrff V nyjnlf nffhzrq gung cbgragvnyf ner abg fhcre-rnfl gb ybpngr, ohg gurl'er rnfl rabhtu gung zbfg uvfgbevpny fynlref unir unq genvavat cevbe gb orvat pnyyrq.
Nterrq. Naq cbgragvnyf jvgu genvavat QB graq gb yvir ybatre, orpnhfr gurl xabj jung gung inzcver gelvat gb xvyy gurz vf, jurernf gur barf jub qba'g unir jngpuref…ner yvxryl gb qvr dhvpxyl. Fb V'z orggvat gung n ybg bs tveyf jub jrera'g pnhtug ol gur jngpuref qb trg Pubfra, ohg qvr fb dhvpxyl gung ab bar xabjf jub gurl ner.
Ohssl, bs pbhefr, vf gur rkprcgvba…ohg Zreevpx npghnyyl qvq svaq ure snveyl dhvpxyl nsgre fur jnf pnyyrq, whfg abg orsber fur jnf pnyyrq.
Gur Fynlre yber fheebhaqvat cbgragvnyf tvirf zr n urnqnpur, naq vg'f bar bs gur ernfbaf V'z ybbxvat sbejneq gb er-jngpuvat gur yngre frnfbaf, abj gung V unir fbzr rzbgvbany qvfgnapr. Zl thg ernpgvba gb gur cbgragvnyf gura jnf vzzrafr qvfyvxr, naq V fbeg bs erwrpgrq gur vqrn naq qvqa'g cnl nggragvba gb nal bs gur yber ng gung cbvag.
Fbbb, V qba'g unir na nafjre gb lbhe dhrfgvba ng nyy. Naq V nyfb jbhyq yvxr gb urne cbgragvny nafjref!
Jryy anghenyyl V qba'g unir n pbasvezrq nafjre, orpnhfr V'z abg fher gurer vf bar.
Zl gnxr ba guvf vf, gung cbgragvnyqbz frgf va ng qvssrerag ntrf sbe rirel tvey whfg yvxr chcregl naq bgure qrirybcrzragf, fb Xraqen frrzf gb unir orra qvfpbirerq dhvgr rneyl, Snvgu qvqa'g unir n Jngpure sbe ybat orsber fur pnzr gb Fhalqnyr fb fur jnf nyfb n ovg yngr. Vg'f nyfb cbffvoyr gung gurer vf nyjnlf n frg ahzore bs cbgragvnyf naq bguref be gur Fynlre unf gb qvr sbe arj barf gb rkvfg.
Vagrerfgvat gurbevrf, glvat cbgragvny-arff gb n qrirybczragny fgntr, naq gur cbffvovyvgl gung gurer zvtug or n frg ahzore. V'z nakvbhf gb trg vagb Frnfba 7 naq frr ubj gurfr vqrnf jbex jvgu gur vasb jr'er tvira gurer.
V'z abg fher V yvxr gur vqrn bs n frg ahzore, ohg znlor nf V znevangr ba vg, vg jvyy tebj ba zr.
Vs lbh qba'g yvxr gur frg ahzore, gurer vf nabgure vqrn gung whfg bppheerq gb zr:
Jung vs gurer ner zber cbgragvnyf jura gurer vf zber rivy va gur jbeyq, gb onynapr vg bhg be gb trg gur orfg cbffvoyr Fynlre.
V jvyy cebonoyl unir fbzr zber vqrnf juvyr er-jngpuvat gur arkg srj frnfbaf, V whfg ybir gb bireguvax guvatf. 🙂
IREL vagrerfgvat! Naq pregnvayl abg bireguvaxvat ng nyy! Znxrf zr guvax bs Tvyrf gryyvat Ohssl, "urer'f n ernfba jul lbh'er urer naq n ernfba jul vg'f abj!"
Looking forward to more thoughts the further we go. 🙂
*tvttyrf* "cbgragvny nafjref" 🙂
Zl thg srryvat ng guvf cbvag vf gung xabjvat lbh'er n cbgragvny vf znlor fbzrguvat cnffrq qbja. Yvxr znlor gur Pbhapvy nyernql xabjf nyy gur cbgragvnyf, ohg fvapr gurl'er frpergvir, qba'g jnag gb tb nyregvat nyy bs gurz. Ohg gur barf jvgu n fynlre be jngpure va gurve snzvyl yvar yrnqf gb yber orvat cnffrq qbja naq fhpu, fb gurl trg gb svaq bhg nobhg vg (sebz gurve snzvyl. V qba'g guvax gur Pbhapvy jbhyq rire gryy nalbar NALGUVAT. Qbrf nalbar ryfr trg irel jebat srryvatf jura gur Pbhapvy UD rkcybqrf? Whfg zr… *funzrsnpr*)
I have to run out the door to help my mother get un-lost, but first:
– Urerqvgl vf na vagrerfgvat gurbel, naq frrzf gb or gehr sbe Jngpuref, ohg V'z abg fher vg PNA or gehr sbe Fynlref, fvapr gurl zbfgyl qvr jnl gbb lbhat gb unir xvqf, naq jnl gbb qrqvpngrq gb gurve ebyr gb or univat gur frk. (Jbbq orvat gur rkprcgvba gung cebirf gur ehyr urer.) Vg nyfb frrzf hayvxryl (gb zr) gung gurer vf n Fynlre va Ohssl'f snzvyl yvarntr. Be vf gung gbhpurq ba naq V zvffrq vg?
– Whzcvat bss lbhe gurbel, gubhtu, V qb yvxr gur vqrn gung gur Pbhapvy unf fbzr zlfgvpny zrnaf bs vqragvslvat Fynlref — juvpu vf uvg be zvff, ohg vg'f nyy gur unir, naq gurl qb ybir pbageby, qba'g gurl? — naq gurl nofbyhgryl qb abg funer gur vasb vs gurl pna uryc vg. Naq bs pbhefr gurl pna whfgvsl gung orpnhfr gurer vf qnatre sbe gur cbgragvnyf. (Oevatref, sbe bar, naq gur cbgragvnyf qba'g unir npprff gb Fynlre novyvgvrf.)
– Vs ol "jebat srryvatf" lbh zrna "evtug srryvatf bs 'ohea, lbh nffubyrf!'" gura, lrf, V trg jebat srryvatf gbb.
– I did not mean to pun, but I've been doing it a lot today!
– Jryy jvgu gur urerqvgl guvat, vg zvtug abg or n qverpg yvarntr. Ohg znlor n yber gung jnf cnffrq qbja guebhtu n fvoyvat bs n fynlre. Jurer gur snzvyl xarj naq erfcrpgrq gur pbhapvy naq genqvgvba naq fb cnffrq guvatf qbja gb or cercnerq va pnfr n shgher trarengvba unccrarq gb or n cbgragvny. Naq V qvqa'g zrna gb vzcyl gung nyy fynlref unq n fynlre be jngpure va gurve urerqvgl, whfg gung vs gurl qvq, gung'f ubj gurl raqrq hc orvat pnyyrq vagb genvavat rneyl n yn Xraqen naq Xraarql (Naq nyfb Xra gur Jngpure gung V whfg znqr hc abj orpnhfr bs nyy gur Xraavarff)
– Vs ol "jebat srryvatf" lbh zrna "evtug srryvatf bs 'ohea, lbh nffubyrf!'" gura, lrf, V trg jebat srryvatf gbb.
*rivy fzvyr*, naq *curj V'z abg nybar rlrf*
Totally with you on the worms thing. I watch Bones regularly, so I'm pretty good with disgusting dead bodies, but I watched an episode of the X-Files yesterday where the people had maggots crawling all over them, and I was totally grossed out. I freak out when I accidentally get a spider-web on me, let alone the actual spider itself. Do Not Want!
I agree that the joke was most likely because of how sheltered she was, and how she was told to travel under the radar and the like… But also being foreign, and not white, means that the joke falls flat and has some unfortunate implications
So if Kendra was white, the joke would have been fine. But because she has lovely dark skin about half the people watching felt uncomfortable? Because instead of tip-toeing around a character doing something very foolish (but also very in-character given her upbringing) due to something as irrelevant as skin color, the show treated her like a person? I mean, if the show didn't have a few bitingly sarcastic characters periodically mocking everyone, and then suddenly had everyone making fun of Kendra for being different, that would be one thing. But the comment about the plane showed to me that the two Slayers had bonded, and were now comfortable enough to take a few harmless jabs at each other.
Buffy mocking Kendra's accent on the other hand… that bugged me. Ohg abj V xabj sebz jngpuvat pbzzragnevrf gung FZT unq nq-yvoorq vg, naq, tvira gung Xraqen'f npgbe jnfa'g gbb unccl nobhg gur npprag urefrys, znlor vg jnf n wbxr orgjrra npgerffrf gung znqr vgf jnl gb gur svany phg.
YES, the implications are different when it's a POC as opposed to a white character. Skin color is far from irrelevant, especially in fiction, in which writers can *choose* what a character does and says.
That's especially true when you consider a lot of the other things that went on in that episode. The whole 2-parter is about Buffy, a wealthy white girl, complaining about how being a Slayer limits her life choices. Along comes a POC raised in a highly restrictive environment and Buffy and the gang immediately discuss duping all the Slayer duties on her. Then there's the scene where Xander, a white boy, hits on Kendra and she looks demurely down and says that she's happy to serve. Yeah, Buffy's plane joke was just sort of the tip of that iceberg.
I love seeing that Drusilla, even having been turned into a vampire and so many years gone by, is still angry at Angel for killing her family. But in spite of that, there’s also a definite sexual overtone to their interaction, with all the references to their past sexual relationship (which Angel brings up to piss off Spike). It’s appropriately creepy.
This. I love all the hints of backstory we get with these three. And even though Angel is supposed to be the good guy in this scene and Drusilla the villain, I can't help but be rooting for her here a bit instead. *shame*
Yes, yes, yes to your ROT13 dialogue.
And Kendra has been trained to be a socially clueless fighting machine – that's what the manual prescribes. So much worse for Kendra.
I'm such a dummy! Why didn't I notice that before? Awesome observation. And Juliet Landau does a great job with the switch in attitude and demeanor. I just love this shift.
But Angel had his had stabbed. How come when he is finally set free, his hand’s perfectly fine? Unless that was some sort of metaphysical knife or something.
Well, if you're gonna stab someone's had, you'd have to use a metaphysical knife. 😉
Fb, vs Znex jnagf n Svir Qbpgbef fvghngvba, qbrf gung zrna ur jnagf Ohssl gb qvr sbhe gvzrf?
JVYYBJ NAQ BM. CYRNFR ARIRE GNXR GUVF NJNL SEBZ ZR.
V ARIRE SBETNIR GURZ SBE GNXVAT GURZ NJNL
Jvyybj naq Bm'f oernx hc vf fb cnvashy gb zr. Yvxr gung frnfba 4 rcvfbqr jurer Bm pbzrf onpx naq ernyvmrf gung ur pna'g or nebhaq Jvyybj orpnhfr ur pna'g pbageby uvf rzbgvbaf nebhaq ure? OERNXF ZL URNEG. V hfhnyyl arrq n fgvss qevax gb jngpu gung rcvfbqr.
Ohg, ohg Gnen!
Jvyybj vf fb njrfbzr fur whfg nggenpgf gur orfg bs ybirf… Jnvg.. Xraarql jub? (Abg gung V ungr Xraarql, V yvxr ure jryy rabhtu… Fur'f whfg qrsvavgryl ab Bm be Gnen…)
Lrnu, V yvxr Xraarql, ohg qba'g yvxr ure jvgu Jvyybj, vs gung znxrf frafr.
V ybir Gnen, naq rawbl Jvyybj/Gnen, ohg obgu ercerfrag n gvzr jura V jnfa'g rawblvat gur fubj arneyl nf zhpu nf V jnf va frnfba 2/3. Jvyybj rfcrpvnyyl nyzbfg frrzf yvxr n qvssrerag punenpgre cbfg frnfba 4.
God, I just love Kendra so much. So, so much. I don't even quite know WHY- I think it's just that so much emphasis has been put on Buffy as being a slayer who bucks convention as this sort of 'I want a life too' type that seeing Kendra, somebody who is so much more dedicated to doing things 'right' and 'by the book'… she really clicks with me as a contrast to Buffy. I love, too, that she tells Buffy not to feel sorry for her and that even if her life is far from ideal, it's *hers*, and she's determined to do something with it. ~FEELINGS~! And she geeks out with Giles. BEST.
On the other hand, the attitude towards her makes me feel skeevy too. It's just- weirdly done.
And I don't know, I always crack up at Xander and Cordelia kissing. It *is* a bit over the top, but somehow it goes so far it kinda starts to swing back to funny for me.
Htu, nyy guvf znxrf zr fb fnq gung ure punenpgre qvrf fb cbvagyrffyl. Nz V gur bayl bar jub jbhyq engure unir tvira Xraqen n ybatre fgbelyvar guna oevat va Snvgu? Orpnhfr V yvxr Snvgu, ernyyl V qb, ohg Xraqen vf n sne zber snfpvangvat pbagenfg gb Ohssl sbe zr crefbanyyl.
Ab, lbh ner abg nybar! V jbhyq unir infgyl cersreerq Xraqen gb Snvgu. V unir zvkrq Snvgu srryvatf.
V gbgnyyl nterr jvgu lbh gung trggvat zber Xraqen naq yrff Snvgu jbhyq unir orra terng. OHG V jbhyq abg unir yvxrq Xraqen trggvat Snvgu'f fgbelyvar ng nyy — naq V'z cerggl fher Wbff & Pb unq gung znccrq bhg, rira vs whfg trarenyyl. V jbhyq unir unq n uneq gvzr ohlvat Xraqen ernpgvat gung jnl gb xvyyvat fbzrbar, be orvat fhfprcgvoyr gb gur Znlbe'f vasyhrapr yvxr gung.
Bu, lrnu, abg gur fnzr cybg ol nal zrnaf. Vg jbhyq unir orra bar gnvyberq gb Xraqen.
Oynfcurzl! Snvgu vf zl snibevgr.
O-o-ohg V ybir Snvgu NAQ Xraqen! Naq Frnfba Guerr vf zl snibevgr frnfba, abg tbaan yvr. V jbhyq unir whfg yvxrq gb unir frra ZBER bs Xraqen orsber Snvgu fubjf hc, naq V nterr gung Xraqen unq gur jbefg yhpx jvgu gur Jurqba Qrngu Cbby. ):
ohg gura gur cbbe tvey jbhyq unir gb pbagvahr ba jvgu gung npprag!
Aside from Kendra's accent, which I found a bit distracting, I really liked the character and wish she was sticking around a little longer. The differences between her and Buffy would have been interesting to explore long term (I love that Giles basically threw out the handbook in Buffy's case!) and Bianca Lawson is nice to look at (I'm shallow, sue me).
I loved that Buffy saved Angel instead of vice versa and how Dru and Spike also seem to be switching things up. One of the things I really love about this show is that it doesn't do what you necessarily expect it to.
Looking back, it bothered me on… how did Kendra know where they were going? How did the Scoobies get there so fast?
But then I listened to the commentary track for the ep. Marti Noxon suggests Kendra and Buffy may have planned out the "disagreement" ahead of time to trick Willy into thinking Buffy was going with him alone, but actually the Scoobies + Kendra would follow close behind. SURPRISE, SPIKE.
Hooray! That''s what I thought happened but all the commentary here had me doubting my impression.
I tend to read Dru's torture of Angel not as punishment, but as an attempt to bring him back to being the soulless vampire he once was. I don't think vampire-Dru (remember, by show mythology Dru herself is gone and a demon with her memories is in her place) is angry at Angel for what he did to her family; I think she's appreciative of it, both for its (from her perspective) artistry and because it made her who she is today. By reminding him of it and trying to recreate some of it, I think she's trying to remake him into someone more like her. Into the person she likes.
It's a little convoluted, but Dru's approach to things often is.
I think she does have anger towards him for what he did to her family, but she subsumed it when he was evil. Now that he's good, it's okay for her to punish him.
Dru's a sadist. But I think that scene is a bit of both. She's angry at him and wants him back and there's both pain and pleasure being played on
I'm not sure which side I come down on, but I think both readings are really interesting for Dru as a character. Your reading is also possibly supported by the fact that Dru seems to be happily reminiscing about her sexual history with Angel when he brings that up to piss Spike off.
Dru seems to be happily reminiscing about her sexual history with Angel when he brings that up to piss Spike off.
I think Dru as a rule does not operate by other people's rules or logic – whether that is Earth-logic (yours and mine) or ordinary vampire logic, which seems to be about instinct over all else. And pain and pleasure are really not separate in her head, which brings me down on the side of both readings.
Dru is a relative of Morticia Addams, I'm certain – and thus pain is pleasure to her. Naq gb Natryhf jura jr frr uvz arkg jrrx!
"(remember, by show mythology Dru herself is gone and a demon with her memories is in her place)"
Npghnyyl fubj zlgubybtl vf bayl gung gur jngpure'f Pbhapvy fnlf gung gur crefba vf tbar naq gur bayl guvat gung erznvaf vf gur qrzba naq gur crefba'f zrzbevrf. Guvf unf npghnyyl orra qverpgyl qvfchgrq ol zber guna bar inzcver, jub jbhyq cebonoyl xabj.
"(remember, by show mythology Dru herself is gone and a demon with her memories is in her place"
Yes, but what's left of the human in her brain clearly has an influence.
– "I'm thinking maybe dinner and a movie… don't want to rush into anything." Oh Spike, please always be sarcastic and awesome.
– UGH BUGS SO CREEPY.
– XANDER/CORDY 4EVERRRRRRRRRRRRR! This episode gave me so much joy because FINALLY MY SHIP IS VALIDATED. Also, I laughed at the ridiculous music and "We SO need to get out of here".
– "You and bug people, Xander, what's up with that?"
– "Angel's our friend! …Except I don't like him." Hee, I so want Xander and Angel to become friends. STILL HOPING.
– "Dork-head" is my new favorite insult.
– Ohai Giles, look at you bein' all badass with that crossbow.
– Oz you are so fucking adorable be my boyfriend
– XANDER/CORDY 4LIFEEEEEEEEEE
Mark,
I don't think Buffy walked into a trap unprepared. The distinct impression I got was that they played Willy and planned everything ahead of time to get him to lead them to Angel. There's no other way they could have arrived on time with the supplies to take out the Order of Taraka (which I grant you consisted of a tub of glue, but who leaves a tub of glue laying around like that?)
Also, I don't think we're supposed to feel sorry for Kendra because she's foreign. I think we're supposed to feel sorry for her because she was raised a potential Slayer. She's not deprived because she's Jamaican. She's deprived because her Watcher isn't as cool and anti-authority as Giles.
…is my take.
I agree. It has nothing to do with Kendra's race (as suggested above) or national origin – it has more to do with being raised under someone's thumb and being controlled every minute of your life, which, by the way, is devoted to studying everything known about the slayer and every demon that ever walked the earth. In stark contrast to Buffy, Kendra was not allowed to associate with boys, or have friends, or even associate with her family, and it's been that way her entire life.
Yeah, most of the race fail on this show is due to ignorance. That doesn't make it better, but there isn't a lot of intentional racial commentary. It's all incidental.
"Also, I don't think we're supposed to feel sorry for Kendra because she's foreign. I think we're supposed to feel sorry for her because she was raised a potential Slayer. She's not deprived because she's Jamaican. She's deprived because her Watcher isn't as cool and anti-authority as Giles."
More to the point: She grew up with a Watcher, period. Unlike Buffy, Kendra was raised as a Slayer, with all the Awesome Fightin' Skills and Lack of Any Social Interaction With Her Peers that entails.
Exactly. She never had choices, peers, or family. She had herself and her watcher – that's it.
Which actually makes me glad she did get to be a slayer, cuz dude. That's sad enough without making it be a lifetime of training and sacrifice for something that NEVER HAPPENS.
they totally played willy. it's even spelt out that way in the shooting script, i believe.
mark – you should totally read the shooting scripts, after you finish an ep, or this project. buffy world has them all. the asides alone are worth the time investment. i used to type them for buffyscripts.com, and kept my favorites.
rot13 time!
gur tvsg fgvyy oevatf zr gb grnef whfg ernqvat vg.
I think the Cordelia and Xander kissing played as a joke is done specifically because that trope has been done a million times: the quarreling couple start kissing and it's the start to a beautiful relationship. Which is why it is so great when they both stop at the same time and use their horror at the kiss as an impetuous to get out of the basement as fast as possible. Kind of a "NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE" reaction.
I remember when I saw it for the first time I didn't at all think it had been building to this, so the joke played perfectly and their second kiss at the end of the episode surprised me once again.
But aside from all that, LOVE IT.
Oz on getting shot: "I'm shot, ya know? I mean, wow. It's odd. And painful." BLESS YOU OZ.
The story about Kendra's accent is new to me. I know in the commentary they make a point to say that they got an expert and that it was a VERY SPECIFIC dialect or something?
Is Willy's accent SUPPOSED to be Californian? I'm terrible at placing accents but I always assumed he wasn't originally from the area.
"I think the Cordelia and Xander kissing played as a joke is done specifically because that trope has been done a million times: the quarreling couple start kissing and it's the start to a beautiful relationship."
Yep. It's classic lampshade hanging. I liken it to the whole "Buster and 'Uncle' Oscar" plotline on Arrested Development, and the particular clip of music associated with that.
Personally, I always though Willi sounded like he was from the east coast.
I seriously love how they handled the Xander/Cordelia kiss! Classic!
Is Willy's accent SUPPOSED to be Californian? I'm terrible at placing accents but I always assumed he wasn't originally from the area.
Sorry, I have to get on my soapbox here. California's almost twice the size of the entire United Kingdom 94,060 sq mi vs. 163696 sq mi) and has a large number of immigrants from across the US and the world. In the Sacramento Public School district, there are interpreters for over 210 distinct languages on call to serve students and families.
While the majority of people born in California speak with an accent that is similar to American Broadcast Standard, as with any area there are a broad range of dialects. For example, there are about 1500 people in and around Napa, Solano, and Lake counties of Northern California who speak with an accent that sounds to those not trained in linguistics like a 'Southern' US accent (and for those who know a little more, a Northern Tennessee ). However, a lot of these people have lived in that area for upwards of 5 generations or more.
I'm one of the 5th generation ones, and I got teased a lot for that accent, so pretty much the only time you hear my natural, Southern sounding accent is when I'm really, really peeved.
Accent's in California are very strange, my parents are fine example of that. My mom has what sounds like a midwest accent, even though she's lived her whole life in Southern California. Her parents, however are from the midwest. My father grew up in New Orleans till he graduated high school, but he has pretty much no accent at all (he does call soda, soft drinks, though) because he worked hard to cover up his accent when he moved out here for college. Ultimately it's all very complicated.
"V'q engure or svtugvat lbh naljnl." V'z cebonoyl ernpuvat ohg gur fuvccre cneg bs zl oenva fvqr svaqf gung yvar evqvphybhfyl nzhfvat. Lrnu lbh jbhyq Fcvxr.
When the second assassin turns into mealworms. I just screamed NO THANK YOU GO AWAY when it happened.
The SHOWER of bugs dropping onto Cordelia is what does it for me, just, EURGH NO GET THEM OFF!
And they had real worms on her for freaking out outside of Buffy's house. WORST.
Vs lbh'er ernpuvat, gura V nz gbb! unununun
"Zhghny."
Lnl sbe gur rneyl havagragvbany (?) fhogrkg.
Yeah, Buffy is kind of hostile. I think it's because of her destiny issues. She was acting particularly angry last episode, but now Kendra's here she's insecure in her worth as a Slayer and wondering whether she shouldn't be happy about that instead of angry.
That's what I thought too. It's awful to be her because only she can do the job, but when even the "specialness" of that gets taken away by the fact that there's a new girl in your spot, taking up YOUR TURF, and she knows all the right things to do……I can understand why Buffy's less than friendly.
Like…does Buffy really think Kendra doesn’t know how to fly in an airplane? Yes, I get that the joke is based on the fact that she snuck here in the cargo hold area of a plane. Still, it doesn’t sit right with me.
I actually liked that scene, Buffy is just telling Kendra to enjoy herself and to relax.
Kendra arrived on a secret mission, staying away from 'civilians', and could not enjoy all the luxuries an actual flight holds. 🙂 It's as if you told an extreme workaholic on a holiday to lean back and forget all worries for a while.
Also, the joke about the "Chevy Chase movie with a dog" refers to a movie SMG was in
lol really?
that's what i heard, though I'm now having a difficult time tracking the movie down. I believe it was pretty early in SMG's career (which started when she was 4, jesus)
yeah, when she was 3 or 4 she actually had to testify in court because some burger chain sued a burger chain she did an ad for. (I am wibbling at the thought of putting a toddler in the witness box)
Oh Heavenly Dog?
Search on YouTube for "Sarah Michelle Gellar Burger King commercial"
"I MOCK YOU WITH MY MONKEY PANTS!"
Quotable BtVS is quotable.
Gbb onq Xraqen qvrf va ure irel arkg nccrnenapr. Nyfb, Znex fubhyqa'g jvfu sbe n zhygv-fynlre fgbel orpnhfr gung yrnqf gb frnfba 7 naq ab bar jnagf gung.
Failure of Secret Identity Count:
17 + 1 (Willy) = 18
And a shout-out to the patron saint of this count: Kendra! ("Didn't anyone explain to you what 'secret identity' means?")
Most of Kendra's lines were my favorite in this episode.
Ron and Hermione. The clues were planted in CoS but I just saw good friendship.
Cordelia and Xander… WHAT!!!!!
I can't really remember if this episode is part of the 'childhood memories' or not but either way, the first time I saw this, I was like 'yeah did not see that one coming.' Being older, I do think it makes a bit more sense but the music does seem to be about ridiculing it rather than it being a serious thing.
HERE BEGINETH MY PROBLEMS WITH THE WAY RACE IS PORTRAYED IN BUFFY
mark makes a good point with the way that kendra's foreigness is portrayed. it does feel weird to have the show paint her as such an other, especially as she's black and jamaican. because she is the one of the first poc on the show with any lines or agency it gives me a weird vibe. ~*have to teach these poor people how to live because they don't understand*~
but going a little bit deeper – while it is nice to have a slayer that likes slaying, the way that the show presents it is as her being obedient. and since we have only seen male watchers thus far, it paints her as being subservient to the men in her life specifically. i mean, the way she reacts to xander is the grossest. what exactly is this show trying to say about black women?
but what really turns me off is that the show has to have buffy teach her something – the show objectively paints buffy as the better slayer because she can use her emotions or whatever. i could have looked over a lot of stuff if kendra and buffy were allowed to be equals. but no, the white, blond, blue eyed woman has to be better.
the thing that is most frustrating is that joss went to wesleyan and she should really know all of the unfortunate implications that i have just pointed out. i live at wesleyan, my mom works there, i know some of his professors, i know that this shit doesn't slide.
like, i love buffy, it's a great show that shaped me as a human being and i am sure this is all unintended, but it's weird and it bothers me.
This isn't quite the beginning of my 'oh no' reaction to race on this show, but this is when things really escalate to an 'oh show, oh Joss, NO' moment for me. Otherwise, word.
things had been niggling at me when i realized that all the asian vampires magically knew martial arts, so when i when kendra got on the scene i was just like, "you've gotta be fucking kidding me."
The asian vampires magically know martial arts? When did this show up? I can't remember it.
Qba'g gur fhoireg vg ol pnyyvat nggragvba naq gura zragvbavat gung ur jnf ba gur tlzanfgvpf grnz? Ng gur ortvaavat bs frnfba 3
Wait, I though ALL OF the vampires just magically knew martial arts? Otherwise, I agree with pretty much everything about the multicultural fail in Buffy.
if you watch the fight choreography, the vampires that are asian have very "asian flavored," moves – all the vampires know standard issue martial arts, yes, but the asian ones seem to all know a specific asian subset of moves. it's weird, you see it once and then you never stop noticing it.
I see your point, I just never noticed that before. Okay rot 13 time.
V erzrzore va gur frnfba frira cerzvrer Qnja fnvq znlor gur inzcver jbhyqa'g unir gubfr snapl znegvny negf fxvyyf gurl varivgnoyl cvpx hc. I guess I always thought of it like that. Could you maybe point to a specific example of an Asian vampire in the show, because I honestly don't remember. Of course, now that I'm aware of this I'll be noticing it too. Sigh.
V ZRNA, GUVF VFA'G N INZCVER (NYY V PNA ERNYYL GUVAX BS NG GUR ZBZRAG VF YVXR "GUVF BAR GVZR NG GUR OEBAMR" JUVPU VF ABG FHCRE URYCSHY V XABJ – V'YY TB ONPX NAQ YBBX GUEBHTU GUR FUBJ NTNVA), OHG VA GUR FRIRAGU FRNFBA GURER'F N CBGRAGVNY GUNG'F NFVNA LBHAT JBZNA GUNG, SBE FBZR ERNFBA, XABJF ZNEGVNY NEGF – V'Z ABG FHER JUNG PBHAGEL FUR VF FHCCBFRQ GB OR SEBZ, OHG GUR FUBJ JNAGF GUR IVRJREF GB TB "BU FUR'F NFVNA, FUR XABJF XHAT SH/XNENGR/WHQB RGP BOIVBHFYL." VG'F RNFL GB SNAJNAX VG NJNL JVGU "FUR'F N CBGRAGVNY!!!" OHG VG'F ABG YVXR GUR NZREVPNA CBGRAGVNYF JRER YVXR, SRZNYR OBKREF BE JUNGRIRE. NAQ NYFB, URE VANOVYVGL GB FCRNX RATYVFU VF CYNLRQ SBE YNHTUF. NAQ NYFB, V GUVAX FUR'F GUR CBGRAGVNY GUNG XVYYF UREFRYS. HTU.
yeahhh i need to find a more reliable rot 13 site that doesn't turn everything into all caps, sorry.
Gur cbgragvny jub xvyyf urefrys vf Rir. Punb-nau (gur Pnagbarfr-fcrnxvat cbgragvny jubfr aba-Ratyvfu fcrnxvat trgf cynlrq sbe ynhtuf) fheivirf ng yrnfg hagvy Pubfra.
Nyfb, zl ernqvatf bs Pubn-nau abg fcrnxvat Ratyvfu jnf gur wbxr jnf zber nobhg Tvyrf abg fcrnxvat Puvarfr guna vg jnf nobhg Pubn-nau abg fcrnxvat Ratyvfu.
Ab, vg'f Puybr jub xvyyf urefrys. Rir vf xvyyrq orsber fur rira ragref gur ubzr, fb Gur Svefg gnxrf ba ure nccrnenapr naq gbezragf cbbe Jvaavr-gur-Cbbu-ybivat Puybr hagvy fur pna'g gnxr vg nalzber.
(Rqvg: Bbcf, jebat. V zrna, lrf, Puybr jnf gur bar jub xvyyrq urefrys, ohg Rir qvrq orsber gung unccrarq. Gur Svefg fgvyy gnhagrq Puybr, ohg va fbzrbar ryfr'f sbez.) TBQ VG UNF ORRA FB YBAT, NAQ V'IR ERCERFFRQ N YBG BS FRNFBA FRIRA.
Oh, right. GO ME I link to the Buffy wiki and don't even doublecheck >_<
V'IR ERCERFFRQ N YBG BS FRNFBA FRIRA
GUNG VF NYY GUR TBBQ PUBVPRF VA YVSR
GUNG VF NYY GUR TBBQ PUBVPRF VA YVSR
Uru uru. Bqqyl rabhtu, V rawblrq zlfrys jngpuvat frnfba frira zber fb guna jura V jnf jngpuvat frnfba fvk, ohg jura V ybbx ng gurz obgu V guvax fvk jnf zber fgehpgherq. Arvgure vf rira pybfr gb orvat zl snibevgr guvat gb jngpu, gubhtu.
Tbq, V pnaabg jnvg sbe frnfba guerr. Rkpvvvvvvvgrq!!!11
HAHA. Wow, I looked at the comment and was like, "OH God what did I say? Why is someone yelling at me?" Man, I am way too sensitive to even falsely perceived aggression on the Internet. =D
Anyway, yeah I see where you're coming from. I never quite read it that way, but I definitely get it. I wish Joss were better with these issues. You'd think he would be, but all of his shows have some problematic racial stuff. (Don't even get me started on Firefly.)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Good on feminism, but sadly not so much on multiculturalism.
it's a really impressive blind spot.
🙁
Zna, n tvtnagvp JBEQ gb rirelguvat urer. V zrna, V haqrefgnaq sebz n fgbel crefcrpgvir gung gurl jnagrq gb pbagenfg Ohssl'f hapbairagvbany jnlf jvgu jung n Fynlre vf "fhccbfrq" gb or yvxr, ohg gur hasbeghangr vzcyvpngvba vf gung Ohssl vf juvgr naq Xraqen vf n CBP jvgu na npprag–vg'f yvxr gurl gevrq rirelguvat cbffvoyr gb cnvag Xraqen nf "bgure" naq NYFB gb cnvag ure nf yrff bs na rssrpgvir fynlre guna Ohssl, naq gung'f gur pbzob gung fgvatf.
Ubarfgyl, V pbhyq bireybbx vg zber vs V qvqa'g xabj gung jr unq Snvgu pbzvat hc–naq gung Snvgu, qrfcvgr nyfb orvat zber genvarq guna Ohssl, vf… jryy, fur'f Snvgu. Fur pregnvayl trgf n ybg zber punenpgre qrirybczrag guna Xraqen, naq fur'f nyfb n juvgr tvey sebz gur Fgngrf. Jung va gur jbeyq ner gur bqqf bs univat guerr fynlref va n ebj pnyyrq sebz gur Jrfgrea Urzvfcurer, yrg nybar gjb bs gurz orvat juvgr tveyf sebz gur Havgrq Fgngrf?
v guvax gung Snvgu znxrf vg rira jbefr nf jryy, ohg nyfb orpnhfr snvgu vf pyrneyl cnvagrq nf orvat ybjre pynff – jr'ir tbg Ohssl orvat chg ba n crqrfgny ba zber guna bar nkvf bs cevivyrtr abj.
Nyfb, erzrzore ubj rirel inzcver gung unf zrg n fynlre gung Ohssl zrrgf zragvbaf ure nf orvat "cerggvre guna gur ynfg fynlre?" Gur ynfg fynlre jnf Avxxv Errq. Gunaxf, fubj!
Abg arprffnevyl Avxxv; fur qvrq va gur 70f, gurer'yy unir orra n srj orgjrra ure naq Ohssl. Jurgure gurl jbhyq'ir orra va gur Fgngrf vf nabgure znggre. Vg'f qrsvavgryl gehr bs Fcvxr gubhtu, naq abg bs gur tbbq :/
Jnvg, jung vf gehr bs Fcvxr? Gur bayl guvat ur fnvq nobhg Avxxv vf gung fur jnf ubg, whfg yvxr Ohssl.
Naq boivbhfyl, Avxxv zbfg qrsvavgryl jnfa'g gur ynfg Fynlre, fvapr gurer'f ab jnl gurer jnf n tnc orgjrra 1977 naq 1996.
Nu, fbeel, V jnf zvferzrzorevat Fcvxr'f pbzzragf.
Nf sne nf V erzrzore, gur bayl bar jub fnvq gung jnf Fvq gur Chccrg. Naq gur Znfgre, ohg abg gur erny bar, ohg gur bar va Ohssl'f avtugzner.
Naq Avxxv Jbbq zbfg qrsvavgryl jnfa'g gur ynfg Fynlre, fvapr fur qvrq va 1977, naq Ohssl jnf pnyyrq va 1996. Gurer jrer cebonoyl n qbmra bs Fynlref orgjrra gurz.
Ab, Juvfgyre wbxrf nobhg vg….V guvax vg'f n wbxr, naljnl – jura Natry svefg frrf Ohssl, va gur synfuonpxf va Orpbzvat Cneg 1. Fb vg'f ng yrnfg n pbhcyr.
Gur fynlre vzzrqvngryl orsber Ohssl vf Vaqvn Pbura, jub vf unys Svyvcvab, unys (V cerfhzr sebz gur ynfg anzr) Wrjvfu. Fb fgvyy n jbzna bs pbybe, ohg abg Avxxv Jbbq.
There is a real feeling, and I may be on the wrong track here but not sure how else to put it, for me of… 'look at US women with their independent spirits! Let's ~share~ it with the repressed foreigners!' Because Kendra is totally the 'she doesn't even know she could have it better, poor dear' type of foreign character.
Because that's something I see *a lot*, the idea America Is Better because America Encourages Individuality, and… I don't know, it just makes me wince.
that is an interesting point – america does pride itself on the idea of being an individual, and being the last major colonial power, the idea of teaching poor foreigners how to ~*live better*~ is certainly something we haven't given up. it's just weird to see that regressive attitude crop up in a show that prides itself on being progressive.
Yeah this is a really good point. I think that in the mythology of the show it was supposed to refer to how rigid the watchers are.
BUT the effect you still get is Buffy the American teaching the foreign broad how to live and have fun and that's just, no. Besides that I don't agree with her lesson at all, being really angry in my experience usually makes my work sloppier and harder to focus on whether it's physical or otherwise….
They easily could have made this episode about how Buffy having other people helping out with her slayage actually made her the better slayer, reinforcing themes of previous episodes. Instead they made it about cultural differences, her being a cheerleader and liking having fun, which Kendra is just totally incapable of comprehending-me no like in short.
I didn't really read her as being subservient to any other males though, she just seemed very…disciplined about how she relates to everyone.
Also this is a nitpick but it bothered me that Kendra could fly home in the normal way. If she stowed away in a plane to get to Sunnydale all stealth like what are the odds that she'd have a passport and proper ID to get back?
Yeah, that whole "use rage to your advantage" could have been handled a bit better. I mean, wasn't Kendra plenty motivated already?
I do think that anger can be useful, though––as long as you don't get carried away with it. Yes, I know, it's me telling you this. But just look at what Mark was able to do with anger in his "Twilight" reviews: he was able to "channel it," as they say, to make something we all enjoyed.
It does work for some people, RRRRRRGHHH! 😉
I think Buffy was just messing with her more or less, otherwise I can't really make it make sense. Also I was going to bring up Buffy walking into a trap cause of her emotions but apparently that was a trap of hers to track Angel down, which does make sense but I guess not that obvious. I just watched this yesterday and I'm already forgetting things. I should probably write notes on tomorrow's before I forget those too.
Anger is good if I have like heavy manual labor or just destroying to do but when I do things that need skill it throws me off. I think it would just make things worse in a fight esp if your opponent has their head. It looks better in movies though, no arguing that.
When you have "destroying to do?" O_O
That entire last paragraph should have been said by Kendra in the show as her response to Buffy, ha,ha,ha. Well, maybe that last line could have been Xander's. 😉
Well if I'm like Kendra, then I'd be big on theory wouldn't I 😉
No IRL life I'm totally not, I wish I was organized about anything. I just totally think she's right and if Angel gets staked in the process of following her ways, no harm done!
I see your point, naq Wbff hasbeghangryl qvqa’g whzc ba gur zhygv-phygheny jntba hagvy Sversyl naq Qbyyubhfr, but I also think it’s worthwhile not to ignore the other implications of Kendra, meaning she is a more traditional slayer and that is her MAIN difference from Buffy, not that she’s foreign and not that she’s black. She does what her Watcher tells her and she never questions orders. She doesn’t have friends, she doesn’t have family. Buffy is the exact opposite. She is different because she has friends, and because fur qbrfa’g yvfgra gb gur Jngpure’f Pbhapvy (guvf boivbhfyl orpbzrf zber bs na vffhr va frnfba guerr naq yngre, ohg V guvax Xraqen vf gur svefg gvzr jr ernyyl frr vg pbzr bhg gb cynl).
(continued)
I can see how some of her passivity might come across as related to race and culture, but I think it's meant to be more of a reflection on her participation in the traditions that Buffy the person and Buffy the show rejects.
And maybe this is just me being naive here, but I always get the feeling while watching the Kendra episodes that Buffy's treatment of Kendra is meant to be criticized by us the viewers (I also feel the same way about Xander's moronic behavior). That's one of the things I like best about Joss shows: we're encouraged to see these people as flawed and imperfect, and point out when they douchey things.
Edited to rot-13 a little more of this comment because [gur Jngpure'f Pbhapvy unfa'g orra rkcyvpvgyl zragvbarq lrg.]
Whoops! I thought it had been. It's been a while since I last did a rewatch.
V qba'g guvax Xraqen vf fhccbfrq gb fnl nalguvat nobhg oynpx jbzra va trareny. Naq gur bgure erprag oynpx Fynlre jr trg gb xabj, Avxxv, jnf qrsvavgryl aba-genqvgvbany fvapr fur unq n puvyq naq fur jnf oevatvat uvz hc.
AUGH it is a tragedy that I haven't seen more of Buffy yet, because I'm not reading the rot13'ed responses to this below and I so want to know what everyone is saying. I will just have to wait. BUT, setting that aside, basically, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING YOU HAVE SAID HERE. Particularly the bit about her reactions to Xander being completely gross and off-putting.
I mock you with my monkey pants!
My bff still say that to each other and it is the highest insult in our weird bff language. lol
Kendra's accent is annoying as hell, but whatever. Frankly I liked her better than Buffy, but she does have the advantage. Buffy was a fluff-brained high school cheerleader that woke up as a Slayer one day. Kendra was raised in the event that she too would wake up some day and be the Slayer.
I think Drusilla torturing Angel like that wasn't so much for revenge for her slain family but by bringing them up it causes more emotional torture for Angel. The physical pain isn't enough and that what I felt they were going for. I may be completely wrong though.
"Buffy’s attitude towards Kendra is just way too over-the-top for me. Would she really dislike her that much?"
A combination of her hurting Angel and seeming like Little Miss Perfect the Watcher's Pet. But I didn't think Buffy kept up a dislike all that long. You got that the fight in front of Willy was an act, right?
"It bothers me. Like…does Buffy really think Kendra doesn’t know how to fly in an airplane?"
I don't think has anything to do with Kendra being from the US, but that doing anything like a normal person instead of a Slayer on a Serious Mission is a novel idea to her.
"I miss Jenny Calendar."
We all do. Damn that Eyghon. Or is that redundant?
"What's My Line?" is a fun two-parter. I like the way these episodes address Buffy's identity and the repercussions of her death.
Xander and Cordy mostly make me roll my eyes, because while I enjoy a good bickering couple as much as anyone, they're just so nasty to each other sometimes I can't really believe they would ever kiss. I'm sure it happens, I just don't get it personally. The actors have good chemistry, though.
Willow/Oz!!!!!! SQUEE. I love how nonchalant Oz is about being shot. "It's odd.. and painful." This was actually my reaction to a near-fatal wound I received on my arm. (Warning: Upcoming description not for the squeamish.) I smashed my arm through a window. Glass sticking out, blood pouring down the arm and visible muscle tissue? I said, "Huh. That's weird." …I'm pretty sure I was in shock. But I like that Oz and I share this trait. =D
Kendra's accent is pretty ridiculous, and I agree with you re: unfortunate implications in Buffy's treatment of her. Like, okay everybody, foreigners are not children, they are not mentally impaired. They know how to ride airplanes. This show does so well in certain categories and fails so hard in others.
That ending! Oh, Drusilla is back and she is better than ever.
Also, that moment when Angel is being tortured is regarded by many Buffy fans as the moment Boreanaz began to actually act. I saw some signs before this, but I have to agree he shows some personality for once.
And trivia for the Monkey Pants line from this ep:
Seth Green mentioned in an Ultimate TV talk that the line "I mock you with my monkey pants" was initially dreamt by Alyson Hannigan. Joss Whedon decided to insert it in the episode. Marti Noxon said in her DVD commentary for the episode that all the lines after Oz's compliment about Willow's smile were ad-libbed by Seth and Alyson.
Aw… now I have to go rewatch it. (and thanks.)
Thoughts for this two-parter:
-The previously on threw me off. It showed Jenny so I thought she'd be in this episode. (There were reaction shots! Don't they know you don't show the reactions of people who aren't in the episode? It's misleading! I miss Giles/Jenny 🙁 )
-Is Kendra wearing red silk pajama bottoms or something similar? Seems more practical for slaying than Buffy's outfits. All those heels and mini skirts must make things difficult.
-"Have a cow." Love it. Brings back so many memories. Once, ages ago (actually I think it was 1998 or so), I tried to say "Don't blow your top" and changed my mind to "Don't have a cow" but my mouth had already started talking so what came out was "Don't blow a cow." Nobody's forgotten that one yet.
-Willow, I love you. Thank you for voicing my questions about "slayed" and "slewn". I have soooo many questions like that and I seriously take the time to think about which is correct. Also, yay Giles for knowing the answer.
-I always wanted one of those tests that told me what kind of job I'm suitable for. I took one in 7th grade tech class. It was not helpful, also I've changed since I was 12. Plus, I picked a lot of my answers based on the color of the question (it was one of those "if you have more As in the yellow column, this is your future." I am prejudiced against certain colors and biased towards others, I admit it. I favor blue and purple answers above everything, time and time again, whatever the category.
-Oz. Loving his cameos.
-Drusilla annoys me. Obviously I don't know much about her, other than the interesting backstory we were provided by Angel, but she gets on my nerves. I hope they do more with her than make her this whiny, weak vampire (now strong, but still not enjoying her storyline). I guess not everybody can be a badass all the time, but I'm not really enjoying her character.
-Beauty Blush/Bug man is gross and scares me. The end.
-Was Kendra training as a vice Slayer since she was a child, just in case Buffy died? That seems silly. Yes, being a slayer has a high risk factor, but, what if she isn't needed to replace Buffy? She will have wasted her youth and gone without school or talking to boys or even family. Sounds incredibly sucky.
OH GOD "Don't blow a cow". I don't think I'll ever forget that one, either. I honestly burst out laughing, and that doesn't really happen when I'm reading things on the internets.
Where do you get to see the previouslies? I'm still mad that they aren't included on my DVD set
I stream them from Netflix. The quality isn't always the greatest, but it does the trick!
I'm sure I had more to say, but then this happens:
<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lxcmuekTaU1qihsweo5_250.gif">
And all I have is:
<img src="http://i44.tinypic.com/htskes.gif">
<img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/25gceo3.gif">
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/fc1jmd.gif">
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/9iag4h.gif">
<img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/2znq2y9.gif">
Oh, no, wait, I did have one other thing to say: IT'S GOO GOO GA JOOB. Honestly, Xander *shakes head*
word on the "goo goo ga joob". word.
Seriously. What else would a walrus say?
and now i'm thinking about "the walrus and the carpenter" by lewis carroll. heh.
As you should! 😀
goo goo ga joob? what?
Xander says "I am the bug man, coo coo cachoo", a reference to The Beatles song "The Walrus"
I know, but the lyric is actually "goo goo ga joob".
ah, my mistake
YESS PRETTY MUCH THIS
Accurate.
Oz's sweet quirkiness is such a perfect match for Willow — it was like the writers thought up the PERFECT character to distract and divert the Willow/Xander shippers.
I <3 OZ AND I WILL PICSPAM TOO:
<img src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/__BgIrAtMG2g/TLeMgKU79LI/AAAAAAAAAgM/JVeI-HFWc-w/s400/seth+green.jpg" />
i posted this on my friend's fb the other day. she's a huge oz fan, too 🙂
Lbh xabj, V guvax zl snibhevgr cneg bs guvf rcvfbqr jnf guvf rkpunatr:
Url, lbhe unve vf oebja.
Lrnu, fbzrgvzrf.
Bu sberfunqbjvat, ubj vyh. <3
YBY! Bar bs gur svefg gvzrf V erjngpurq guvf rcvfbqr, vg jnf n ercrng ba gur GI V pnhtug enaqbzyl naq V qvqa'g xabj gur beqre bs rcf; V jnf yvxr "vf gung fbzrguvat gb qb jvgu gur jrerjbys yber?"
The previous episode does such a good job of fooling you into thinking that Kendra is the third assassin, the one represented by the leopard card, that even when you learn she's a Slayer, you forget there's still one out there.
"HOLY SHIT BUFFY DIED AND KENDRA WAS CALLED AS THE SLAYER AND THIS IS FUCKING WONDERFUL. Does this mean that there’s a chance Buffy could die again and call more slayers? I demand multi-slayer appearances like “The Five Doctors” or something."
They'd have to install a revolving door in the Pearly Gates!
– I love Buffy's comfy flannel shirt and tank top, and the contrast to Kendra's outfit. Kendra's makeup is a bit over-the-top, but I can't deny it is pretty.
– Kendra doesn't get what "wiggy" means. Yeah, you're not the only one.
– ["V unir ab ynfg anzr fve." Gung'f jrveq, orpnhfr nyy bs gur Ohssl jvxvf tvir ure bar.]
– "She died?" "Just a little!"
– "Buffy would never do that! …Oh, except for sometimes you do that."
– "I'm thinking maybe dinner and a movie. I don't want to rush into anything. I've been hurt, you know."
– OMG both of them are so beautiful and awesome. I just love them.
<img src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080229031212/buffy/images/7/78/BuffyKendra.jpg">
(Like, I feel weird talking about their gorgeousness while I'm watching the scene where Sleazy Willy asks if they'd do any nude modeling, but they are just SO PRETTY.)
– "No wonder you died." Harsh, Kendra.
– "My black goddess. My ripe, wicked plum." James Marsters does a great job with these lines.
– Kendra and Giles geeking out about Slayer stuff is adorable. LOL FOOTNOTES
– Hott Xander and Cordelia makeouts! I love the music right there.
– Cordelia just TAKE OFF THE JACKET. MOST OF THE BUGS ARE ON THE JACKET.
– I love that Oz tests well but doesn't do work. A man after my own heart.
– Guns! NOES! Oz gets shot! NOES!!
– [ABBB ABG WBANGUNA]
– The whole thing about Kendra not being allowed to talk to boys is weird. Not sure how I feel about that. Or even why it was a plot point. Is it supposed to be a contrast to Buffy, who has a boyfriend? Kendra is so focused on her slayer duties that boys would be a distraction? But in that case I don't know why she was all nervous and stammer-y around Xander when she was fine around, say, Giles.
– I don't get how Bug Man works, honestly. Do you have to kill ALL of the bugs before he's dead? Every single bug? What if you kill HALF of them? Then is he dead? If you leave ONE alive, will he come back? I am thinking way too much about this.
– And for that matter, how does HE kill people? We know he somehow killed that woman whose house he took over, but… how?
– "Angel's our friend! Except I don't like him."
– Interesting that while Dru is torturing Angel, she's taunting him with stories about her family and how he killed them. Wouldn't she cease to care once she became a vampire? Although "Say uncle… oh that's right, you killed my uncle" is pretty great.
– My roommate pointed out that maybe she's not telling Angel these things because SHE cares–she's doing it because she knows HE cares and she wants to torture him mentally as well as physically.
– Kendra killed the bad lamp.
– Kendra says her parents sent her to her Watcher when she was very young. So… before she was even the Slayer? Just in case she MIGHT be called? That seems a bit premature.
– I love how Buffy is insulting Kendra on her skills and she's really just winding her up to teach her about anger. Buffy would make a good Slayer-trainer. Except there's just two of them.
– And then Angel starts doing the same thing to Spike by teasing him about his sexual inadequacy, just to make him angry enough to kill Angel before the moon thing happens. Nice.
– "Just hit him Buffy!" I love them playing good cop/bad cop. Or maybe it's bad cop/worse cop.
– "It's your lucky day Spike." "Two slayers!" "No waiting!"
– And then they kill the bug guy with glue and shoes.
– I love the little gymnastic "switch" move Buffy and Kendra do.
– "Rather be fighting you anyway." "Mutual." …I SHIP IT.
– Hey, Willow and Giles team up to stake a vamp!
– "I'm good." Yes you are Buffy, you just DROPPED A CHURCH ORGAN on Spike and Drusilla. NICE.
– OMG THE ANIMAL CRACKERS SCENE SO CUTE "Suddenly painless." WILLOW'S BRAIDS ARE SO CUTE "You have the sweetest smile I've ever seen." adfls;kl;asfl;fdsja;d "I mock you with mah monkey pants!"
– Seriously this scene is so great, I love how Oz is obviously into Willow, but doesn't go over-the-top with it, he just makes it apparent that he likes her and then talks about other stuff.
– And then a much less adorable and more hilarious scene with Cordelia and Xander.
– Kendra is so cute in that little star shirt of Buffy's. They are both so cute!
– "From you." <3333
– "Not the only freak." "Not anymore." THEY ARE SO ADORABLE THIS EPISODE IS FULL OF ADORABLE
– Surprise! Spike and Dru are ALIVE! and Dru is all strong and shit! Whee!
– Is it just me or was she wearing a WHITE dress in the rest of the episode? Is her dress just supposed to be soot-blackened here, or is it the blackness of EVIL RESTORED TO FULL POWER?
– I love Buffy's comfy flannel shirt and tank top, and the contrast to Kendra's outfit. Kendra's makeup is a bit over-the-top, but I can't deny it is pretty.
– Kendra doesn't get what "wiggy" means. Yeah, you're not the only one.
– ["V unir ab ynfg anzr fve." Gung'f jrveq, orpnhfr nyy bs gur Ohssl jvxvf tvir ure bar.]
– "She died?" "Just a little!"
– "Buffy would never do that! …Oh, except for sometimes you do that."
– "I'm thinking maybe dinner and a movie. I don't want to rush into anything. I've been hurt, you know."
– OMG both of them are so beautiful and awesome. I just love them.
<img src="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080229031212/buffy/images/7/78/BuffyKendra.jpg">
(Like, I feel weird talking about their gorgeousness while I'm watching the scene where Sleazy Willy asks if they'd do any nude modeling, but they are just SO PRETTY.)
– "No wonder you died." Harsh, Kendra.
– "My black goddess. My ripe, wicked plum." James Marsters does a great job with these lines.
– Kendra and Giles geeking out about Slayer stuff is adorable. LOL FOOTNOTES
– Hott Xander and Cordelia makeouts! I love the music right there.
– Cordelia just TAKE OFF THE JACKET. MOST OF THE BUGS ARE ON THE JACKET.
– I love that Oz tests well but doesn't do work. A man after my own heart.
– Guns! NOES! Oz gets shot! NOES!!
– [ABBB ABG WBANGUNA]
– The whole thing about Kendra not being allowed to talk to boys is weird. Not sure how I feel about that. Or even why it was a plot point. Is it supposed to be a contrast to Buffy, who has a boyfriend? Kendra is so focused on her slayer duties that boys would be a distraction? But in that case I don't know why she was all nervous and stammer-y around Xander when she was fine around, say, Giles.
– I don't get how Bug Man works, honestly. Do you have to kill ALL of the bugs before he's dead? Every single bug? What if you kill HALF of them? Then is he dead? If you leave ONE alive, will he come back? I am thinking way too much about this.
– And for that matter, how does HE kill people? We know he somehow killed that woman whose house he took over, but… how?
– "Angel's our friend! Except I don't like him."
– Interesting that while Dru is torturing Angel, she's taunting him with stories about her family and how he killed them. Wouldn't she cease to care once she became a vampire? Although "Say uncle… oh that's right, you killed my uncle" is pretty great.
– My roommate pointed out that maybe she's not telling Angel these things because SHE cares–she's doing it because she knows HE cares and she wants to torture him mentally as well as physically.
– Kendra killed the bad lamp.
– Kendra says her parents sent her to her Watcher when she was very young. So… before she was even the Slayer? Just in case she MIGHT be called? That seems a bit premature.
– I love how Buffy is insulting Kendra on her skills and she's really just winding her up to teach her about anger. Buffy would make a good Slayer-trainer. Except there's just two of them.
– And then Angel starts doing the same thing to Spike by teasing him about his sexual inadequacy, just to make him angry enough to kill Angel before the moon thing happens. Nice.
– "Just hit him Buffy!" I love them playing good cop/bad cop. Or maybe it's bad cop/worse cop.
– "It's your lucky day Spike." "Two slayers!" "No waiting!"
– And then they kill the bug guy with glue and shoes.
– I love the little gymnastic "switch" move Buffy and Kendra do.
– "Rather be fighting you anyway." "Mutual." …I SHIP IT.
– Hey, Willow and Giles team up to stake a vamp!
– "I'm good." Yes you are Buffy, you just DROPPED A CHURCH ORGAN on Spike and Drusilla. NICE.
– OMG THE ANIMAL CRACKERS SCENE SO CUTE "Suddenly painless." WILLOW'S BRAIDS ARE SO CUTE "You have the sweetest smile I've ever seen." adfls;kl;asfl;fdsja;d "I mock you with mah monkey pants!"
– Seriously this scene is so great, I love how Oz is obviously into Willow, but doesn't go over-the-top with it, he just makes it apparent that he likes her and then talks about other stuff.
– And then a much less adorable and more hilarious scene with Cordelia and Xander.
– Kendra is so cute in that little star shirt of Buffy's. They are both so cute!
– "From you." <3333
– "Not the only freak." "Not anymore." THEY ARE SO ADORABLE THIS EPISODE IS FULL OF ADORABLE
– Surprise! Spike and Dru are ALIVE! and Dru is all strong and shit! Whee!
– Is it just me or was she wearing a WHITE dress in the rest of the episode? Is her dress just supposed to be soot-blackened here, or is it the blackness of EVIL RESTORED TO FULL POWER?
I love all of your comments, and I ship it too. So hard.
the flannel/ tank top combo is great. i have so much flannel it's kind of embarrassing…but i was too young to do it in the 90's, so now is the time!
"Rather be fighting you anyway." "Mutual." …I SHIP IT.
MEEEEEEE TOOOOOOOO!
Me three!!!!!!!!!
Me four 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Me five? 🙂
Flannel is never a bad plan, IMO. It's fuzzy and soft and you can wear it over things.
Heh, I'm just the opposite – it's ugly and shapeless and way less soft than other soft things and makes you look like Kurt Cobain 🙂
Wouldn't she cease to care once she became a vampire?
Jryy, Jvyyvnz qvqa'g fgbc pnevat nobhg uvf zbgure nsgre ur jnf ghearq, fb znlor vg'f abg ernyyl gung hahfhny.
Qvggb sbe Nybaan Thaa, Ylyr naq Grpgbe Tbepu…
Kendra is so focused on her slayer duties that boys would be a distraction? But in that case I don't know why she was all nervous and stammer-y around Xander when she was fine around, say, Giles.
I think the difference is that Giles is Watcher-y and that's a persona she knows, but Xander is a boy her own age which Kendra has probably never interacted with before since she's been so sheltered.
I didn’t understand how the Bug Man works either. The bugs that were on Cordelia’s person weren’t necessarily killed; she just kind of shook/hosed them off. We had mealworms as class pets/science projects in 2nd grade and they were pretty resilient. And I guess maybe he scared people to death? Or they crawled up onto the other person and suffocated them by crawling down their throat, but wouldn’t that kill them too? I demand answers, Whedon!
And for that matter, how does HE kill people? We know he somehow killed that woman whose house he took over, but… how?
I disagree with commentators above me. I do not want answers to this question. EVER. The bug man can remain as mysterious as he likes so long as he never again graces my screen.
In conclusion, ugh ugh ugh ick ick ick ugh.
I love that pic, but it's funny, you can already see SMG's baby fat from S1 is disappearing – her cheeks don't look so full any more, and her arms look thinner. (and shallow note, I love Buffy's manicure and Kendra's makeup).
"around Xander when she was fine around, say, Giles. "
I think the rules were obviously relaxed about watchers and she's obviously not used to socializing with people her own age so that's a factor. Also the watchers might have been strict to avoid having knocked up slayers.
"I love the little gymnastic "switch" move Buffy and Kendra do."
Yes, so good!
OZZZz…ok that's all I got really.
There's also the fact that the very first thing Xander did was flirt with Kendra. She's used to taking orders from a watcher (Giles) or beating up bad guys for information (Willy/Angel). She's less prepared to deal with romantic advances
"V unir ab ynfg anzr fve." Gung'f jrveq, orpnhfr nyy bs gur Ohssl jvxvf tvir ure bar.
Fur'f tvira bar va gur abiryf; ure cneragf ner va (n ernyyl, ernyyl enpvfg) bar bs gurz.
That's unfortunate. :/
Lrnu :/ Vg'f abg rira gur znva cybg, vg'f whfg zragvbarq juvpu znxrf jung unccraf jvgu gurz zber vafhygvat. Naq V bayl sbhaq bhg nobhg guvf abj, ohg nccneragyl Wbff znqr ure fheanzr hc svefg sbe na ECT guvat gung arire jrag gb cevag.
My take on Drusilla's torture of Angel: the world might be really confusing to her sometimes, but dang if she doesn't still love her family, both the one Angelus killed (and for Dru she's remarkably detailed in her memories of them) and the one Angelus broke up when he left. And, of course, there's massive sexual subtext in there, too.
As for Buffy's attitude and interactions with Kendra: someone just showed up, tried to kill her boyfriend, then explained that she is a textbook perfect better version of Buffy, and Giles interacts with her as an equal almost immediately. Yeah, there would be initial dislike there, I think. Also, I'm not so sure that it's because Kendra was born in Jamaica that Buffy thinks she might not no certain things as that she was raised in some bunker someplace by a bunch of Watchers who didn't provide her with any access to the outside world unless it directly related to her calling. Pretty harsh upbringing, really.
"the world might be really confusing to her sometimes, but dang if she doesn't still love her family, both the one Angelus killed (and for Dru she's remarkably detailed in her memories of them) and the one Angelus broke up when he left."
oh, yes! Bad daddy! Good point here on the double motive for anger.
Angel in peril is a new thing for the show, and I really enjoyed it not being Cordelia for a change. It also helps that we were given a more appealing side of him in Part One, so the audience is even more invested in his safety now.
The contrast between Kendra, the traditionalist vampire slayer, and Buffy the unconventional rebellious slayer is interesting. There's also this extra level of interesting characterization, where Buffy suddenly feels protective about her identiy and resentful of it being co-opted by this stranger — an identity that we've seen her resenting and only accepting in resignation so far in the series.
"She died."
"Just a little!"
Willy! To the not-rescue! I love how Angel's shirt has peeled open in the struggles NATURALLY. LOLOL
"What are you going to do with him anyway?
"I'm thinking, maybe dinner and a movie. Don't want to rush into anything. I've been hurt, you know."
Cordelia and Xander working together! That's even more exciting than them making out!
"I don't take orders. I do things my way."
"No wonder you died."
You know, I do like Angel very much. But I still really I enjoyed Drusilla getting in a little bit of torture as she discussed what he did to her family. There's so much mental scarring and desire and hate mixed up on there, and I love this little moment when the rage rises up out of the Stockholm Syndrome and psychic confusion. When she's like, I remember everything you did to my family and now you're going to HURT for it like I hurt.
(This is one of the reasons why Drusilla is an interesting case that raises serious questions about the human self being erased by vampirism. Especially since… Angel traumatized & tortured HUMAN Drusilla until her mental facilities frayed. And THEN he turned her. If it's just a demon with memories, it makes zero sense that this demon would so completely overwhelmed and broken by the torment that human went through and the horrible death of everyone that human cared for. Why would something that was just a demon care what had happened to its human shell? Why wouldn't the demon just make use of the factual information it has inherited and be on its way, totally normal & without any effects of trauma? Because the legend is wrong, in my opinion.)
Buffy being jealous of Kendra feels like almost this sibling deal.
“Angel’s our friend! Except that I don’t like him.” – this is a moment where I loved Xander a lot. He knows Angel, even if he dislikes and resents him. And he's going to back up Buffy here like a real friend would.
“I’d rather be fighting you anyway.”
“Mutual.”
I WOULD LIKE TO ADD MY SUPPORT FOR THIS AS WELL.
No one in California speaks like that.
My fanwank for Willy is that he hangs out with vampires all the time, who are always kind of anachronistic & caught up in the past. It rubs off!
Abgvpr gung gurl erzvaqrq hf lrg ntnva gung Natryhf jnf n ZBAFGRE.
Notice how Xander loses interest in Kendra when she gets flustered? Seems like he's attracted to women who give him a hard time. Explains why he kisses Cordelia and is oblivious to Willow.
Buffy’s attitude towards Kendra is just way too over-the-top for me. Would she really dislike her that much?
Yeah, it is SO over the top…it's also unfortunately totally consistent with how petty and quick to get jealous EVERYONE has been on this show so far.
I thought they were doing this so we could go, “Aw, poor foreign woman! Your life is so dejected and sad!”
ie Inca Mummy Girl
Thankfully, Kendra outright tells Buffy not to feel sorry for her.
Yay.
WILLOW AND OZ. WILLOW AND OZ. PLEASE NEVER TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I WANT IT. I WANT IT MORE THAN AIR.
Yep, nothing to add.
Okay, what else.
Notice how tolerant vampires suddenly get to holy water and sunlight in this episode? Compare that to the pilot. Why the hell did Angel's shirt fall open when he got dropped into the sewer, wouldn't he want to expose as little of himself to getting sunbaked as possible?
Man, he really does have chemistry with everyone else on the show, Dru is awesome with him. Well Dru is just awesome.
Willy's accent didn't bother me, he was a cliche shady character and his accent reminded me of old mobster movies. There's no law that says that everyone in Socal has to be originally from there and hey the Hellmouth is supposed to be a magnet for all kinds of sketchy types, I never thought they would all be local.
I love the last shot of Dru carrying Spike out of the rubble too, nice to see her looking out for him for a change,
Also:
"I do things my own way"
"No wonder you died"
I love you Kendra.
Also:
"Angel's our friend! …Except I don't like him."
Xander has a point.
Buffy’s attitude towards Kendra is just way too over-the-top for me. Would she really dislike her that much?
Yeah, it is SO over the top…it's also unfortunately totally consistent with how petty and quick to get jealous EVERYONE has been on this show so far.
I thought they were doing this so we could go, “Aw, poor foreign woman! Your life is so dejected and sad!” </l>
ie Inca Mummy Girl
Thankfully, Kendra outright tells Buffy not to feel sorry for her.
Yay.
WILLOW AND OZ. WILLOW AND OZ. PLEASE NEVER TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I WANT IT. I WANT IT MORE THAN AIR.
Yep, nothing to add.
Okay, what else.
Notice how tolerant vampires suddenly get to holy water and sunlight in this episode? Compare that to the pilot. Why the hell did Angel's shirt fall open when he got dropped into the sewer, wouldn't he want to expose as little of himself to getting sunbaked as possible?
Man, he really does have chemistry with everyone else on the show, Dru is awesome with him. Well Dru is just awesome.
Willy's accent didn't bother me, he was a cliche shady character and his accent reminded me of old mobster movies. There's no law that says that everyone in Socal has to be originally from there and hey the Hellmouth is supposed to be a magnet for all kinds of sketchy types, I never thought they would all be local.
I love the last shot of Dru carrying Spike out of the rubble too, nice to see her looking out for him for a change,
Also:
"I do things my own way"
"No wonder you died"
I love you Kendra.
Also:
"Angel's our friend! …Except I don't like him."
Xander has a point.
I don't get how Bug Man works, honestly.
That bugs (lol geddit) me, too. I mean, he just seems to… wiggle around? Be gross around people? idk
Is it just me or was she wearing a WHITE dress in the rest of the episode?
Nah, she put on her black church dress before the ritual.
Ohssl jbhyq znxr n tbbq Fynlre-genvare.
Rkprcg sbe jura fur qbrfa'g.
I love this episode for one particular reason: ALL MY SHIPS COME IN
I have always loved Buffy/Angel, Xander/Cordy and Willow/Oz – (especially Oz. He is so adorable "the monkey is the only cookie animal that gets to wear pants.") so this episode has the whole trifecta.
When Oz starts talking about the diminished chord, I start getting tingly.
I think the whole thing about Kendra to an extent was meant to say that you should not blindly follow order as I took Kendra to be. A loyal follower that followed orders no matter what and that a slayer was all that she was, Buffy I think knows that she is more than that and trying hard to keep that part of her identity she not just the slayer she's Buffy a feeling, sometimes tortured growing teenage girl. Kendra though I love her seem to loose that or never had it to begin with having been recruited by the counsel at a young age. being socially ackward to the point of making me cringe, I always wanted some type of flirtatious thing to go on between Xander and Kendra ( don't kill me! lol.) but Kendra was scarilly awkward with him only speaking to her, on the other hand the way she approached Willow demanding where she came from, all duty and fire almost overkill, Buffy had to put her down, pink ranger indeed.
These are some leftover thoughts from yesterday that I forgot to post:
– The Tarot card thing kind of annoys me. First, it's misleading–the Order of Taraka is supposed to have more than three bounty hunters in it but Drusilla only has three cards, each of which is supposed to represent one of the assassins, I suppose. We have a Cyclops for the one-eyed dude, a worm for the bug man, and… a leopard. We're supposed to think the leopard is Kendra because she's black and therefore all exotic and shit? WTF is this? I know it ends up being the red-haired policewoman and not Kendra, but in that case what does a leopard have to do with a policewoman? It's just weird.
– As for how Angel makes money, I always assumed people who were two hundred years old would have plenty of time to accrue interest on their investments or whatever.
– Drusilla's mental illness–I agree with you, Mark. I think TV shows in general, but particularly Joss shows, have this tendency to just make characters "mentally ill" rather than any specific TYPE of mental illness. Which is not only lazy, but annoying to those of us who actually HAVE mental illnesses (and still manage to, say, feed our pet birds).
Well. Vampire mental illness is probably different than regular-type. Just sayin'
Only if the writer decides to have it be so.
This.
Ugh, the paperwork involved in being a vampire has got to be the worst. Like, you'd probably set up a trust for your "descendants," and then you'd have to fake the records for each of your "heirs" and for your "death" every however many years. I can barely get my (very straightforward) taxes done. Being a vampire with money would be a total nightmare.
Maybe it's like in Breaking Dawn (I know, I know), when they show that there's some dude who gets them fake papers all the time because he's terrified of them.
Possibly Willy?
V yvxr gung Fcvxr vf whfg pbzcyrgryl oebxr, gubhtu, va yngre frnfbaf. Yvivat va pelcgf naq zbbpuvat bss Tvyrf.
…maybe Patrice wears a leopard print bra?
…
IDEK
Also, I think it's a jaguar, which is the big cat species in (continental) South America. Leopards are in Africa.
It would certainly fit in with all the other unfortunate leopard-print items on this show.
Yeah, sorry, I'm not great at distinguishing between Mac OS versions. I mean, uh, big cats.
I had thought it looked too stocky to be a jaguar but then I looked both cats up on google and realized there really isn't any way to tell except the spots and they don't show enough of the spots (the head spots are similar for both).
The Assassin seemed to have a lot of hidden knives so maybe they were trying to go for a subtle connection to a big cat's claws.
Leopards/jaguars (along with most cats) are stealth hunters, and their spots are excellent camouflage. Possibly a reference to the disguised police officer?
It's not the best reference, but it's a possibility.
That and/or she's fierce like a leopard/jaguar.
Maybe they came to Sunnydale driving in a Jag? Just saying…
I also take issue with the portrayal of Drusilla's mental illness. Just having an "illness" without a diagnosis, especially one that supposedly arose in response to trauma, is just bad writing and very disrespectful to viewers who struggle with an ACTUAL mental illness, one that isn't just made up so that Joss Whedon can write his favorite "this sounds nonsensical, but is really meaningful, don't you want to laugh at how random it is?" dialogue.
"Drusilla's mental illness–I agree with you, Mark. I think TV shows in general, but particularly Joss shows, have this tendency to just make characters "mentally ill" rather than any specific TYPE of mental illness. "
Aren't specific, diagnosed and studied types of mental illnesses usually biological? Drusilla doesn't have a biological mental disorder. Correct me if I'm wrong.
That depends what you mean by "biological." There are theories that some mental illnesses have to do with changes in brain chemistry, but in that case one's life experiences can certainly influence one's brain chemistry.
I had the exact same thoughts regarding the leopard tarot card. Not cool. And in no way cohesive. It just doesn't make sense.
I think that tarot card is specifically thrown in there to mislead people by playing on the stereotypes of "the exotic other" that women of color are put in. But since the card has no real parallel that we can see, even though the other two had, makes it ridiculous. It's like the writers just assume that we're going to forget about it, so it's not really that important. I would have rather the tarot cards not indicated any kind of real character, just an assassin archetype.
in the song lennon says "goo goo ga joob" but most people hear it how xander says it.
I didn't know that. thanks.
no probs. favorite show? buffy. favorite band? the beatles 🙂
basically i know way too much about them.
Wait seriously?? *life shatters*
I always heard it as Lennon imitating a steam engine. And any show that references the Beatles has an easy in to my heart 🙂
Whfg guvax. Bayl n srj zber rcvfbqrf hagvy fuvg ernyyl uvgf gur sna. Vaabprapr! Cnffvba! Orpbzvat!! Tnnnnnuu!!
I've checked my spelling in microsoft office word and now it won't let me post it. 🙁
I haven't even read the rest of the review yet but…
"UBYL FUVG OHSSL QVRQ NAQ XRAQEN JNF PNYYRQ NF GUR FYNLRE NAQ GUVF VF SHPXVAT JBAQRESHY. Qbrf guvf zrna gung gurer’f n punapr Ohssl pbhyq qvr ntnva naq pnyy zber fynlref? V qrznaq zhygv-fynlre nccrnenaprf yvxr “Gur Svir Qbpgbef” be fbzrguvat." unununununununun… guvf. vf. oevyyvnag. FB ABG CERCNERQ.
I think Buffy has a super hard time not being The Slayer. She's had this alienating burden for ages, been separated from everyone because of it, and now it's not only hers–but she's not sure how to share it. She's confused, not as special as she thought, but still has a lot of responsibility. It's unsettling and she takes it out on Kendra.
On Kendra's accent, in the commentary (or something) they said they tailored it to a very specific location. Now whether that's BS or not is hard to tell.
Part of the reason Buffy is so great is that it is just SO UNBELIEVABLY CORNY. So the ridiculous music when Cordy and Xander kiss is just… BRILLIANT.
That's all I have to say.
That's 'cause it's aware of the corniness of some things and neither makes everything corny nor takes itself seriously when it does do it.
I didn't read that as 'she's from another country, she doesn't get things' so much as 'she's been raised from basically birth to be a slayer, only trained to be a weapon, she doesn't get things'. Maybe it was just me though.
Same here. That's why all these comments on race and multiculturalism are surprising to me. Not to criticize those opinions, as I understand what they are saying, but I daresay that at least as far as this episode is concerned, we might be reading a little too much into things.
The writers make it pretty clear that Kendra was taken from her family when she was young, and she immediately began her training. I will rot13 this next part *just in case* but I do not believe it is spoilery (I just can't remember with precise detail whether this idea was brought up in this episode):
Gur jubyr vqrn vf gung cbgragvny fynlref ner glcvpnyyl vqragvsvrq lbhat naq gnxra njnl gb or envfrq naq genvarq nf fynlref. Gurl ner vfbyngrq sebz snzvyl, sevraqf, naq rfcrpvnyyl oblf, orpnhfr nyy bs gubfr guvatf qvfgenpg sebz lbhe wbo – fynlvat onqqvrf. Lbh pna'g unir vg nyy, evtug? Lbh pna'g unir gur pnerre NAQ gur juvgr cvpxrg srapr; ab, lbh unir gb pubbfr. Va guvf pnfr, gur qrpvfvba vf znqr sbe lbh orpnhfr lbh jrer pubfra gb or gur fynlre, juvpu zrnaf qvfgenpgvbaf unir gb tb.
Ohssl vf, va snpg, gur rkprcgvba gb gur ehyr, orpnhfr fur "fyvccrq guebhtu gur penpxf." Vafgrnq bs orvat vqragvsvrq, fur jnfa'g sbe jungrire ernfba (gru Pbhapvy fperjrq hc). Fur unq gur yhkhel bs n glcvpny hcoevatvat, hayvxr rirel bgure fynlre naq cbgragvny fynlre jub pnzr orsber ure.
As such, it's not Kendra who is weird, it's Buffy.
Plus, the whole idea of Kendra's upbringing fits with the theme started with Part 1 – Buffy's feelings of isolation and otherness. By virtue of her atypical slayer "upbringing," it isn't Kendra that is the strange one; it's Buffy, and it has nothing to do with where they came from. The outcome would be the same if Kendra was a white girl from New Jersey. By the same token, it takes Kendra revealing the "traditional" slayer upbringing for her to recognize that all those aspects of her life that make her strange in that world are, in fact, assets to her. Put another way, Buffy is challenging the standards and traditions by showing how they make her stronger, not weaker – which is pretty much what Joss envisioned when he started the show in the first place.
Just my impression, anyway.
Npghnyyl, zber cbgragvny fynlref tb havqragvsvrq guna ner sbhaq.
Naq sebz gur cbgragvnyf va F7 jub qvq xabj gurl jrer cbgragvnyf gb fgneg jvgu, V tbg gur vzcerffvba gurl jrera'g gnxra njnl sebz gurve cneragf (Xraarql ng yrnfg qrsvavgryl jnfa'g), fb Xraqen'f hcoevatvat jnf hahfhnyyl fgevpg va gung erfcrpg.
It's funny you say that, because I actually thought of that a while after I hit "send." In any event, I always got the impression that the writers tried really hard to make Buffy the unconventional outsider, not Kendra. I'm probably really biased, though – I have always really, really loved this episode.
Ohg znlor gur Svefg jrag nsgre gur genvarq cbgragvnyf svefg? Nyfb, gurl'q or rnfvre gb svaq vs lbh xabj gb ybbx sbe gur jngpuref nf jryy. Fb gur barf jub znqr vg gb Fhaalqnyr jrer gur yngre barf – gur hasbhaq barf.
i like this explanation. i'll take it.
Oh, and semi-amusing story. I was Drusilla for Halloween one year, complete with blindfolded dolly and fangs. I opened the door to the first group of trick or treaters, and there stood a girl in a white dress, black leather coat, and cross necklace, holding a stake, as in Prophecy Girl Buffy.
We both sort of just stared at each other awkwardly, and I gave her a double helping of candy.
That's perfect!
LOVE it!!
I was Buffy for halloween one year. Barely anyone recognized me… Course, this was in college, I didn't know very many Buffy fans. 🙁
I love this episode, I really do, and did so very much at the time.
Looking back it is the start of some issues I have with race. Kendra is very much presented as the Other. Her acceptance of the Slayer ties in with notions of cultural mysticism. She doesn't quite 'get' Western culture and therefore clashes with Buffy. Acceptance of her comes through assimilation, heading towards her "learning" to use a plane. It's veyr problematic for me, especially since I rather like her and the episodes!
I'm not a big fan of Kendra (though I don't dislike her!), but I love her accent. I guess I just have a thing for really BAD affected accents. I keep wanting her to say "vampire" over and over just so I can listen to the way she pronounces it.
I really liked the police officer bit of this episode because it really slid home to me that in this world, there's not the day and night break between Buffy's Slayer duties and being a teenager, it's just there are bad things EVERYWHERE.
But that might just be me.
Qbrf guvf zrna gung gurer’f n punapr Ohssl pbhyq qvr ntnva naq pnyy zber fynlref?
BX, JUB FCBVYRQ ZNEX!?
Un, un. Bs pbhefr, jr xabj gung Ohssl qlvat ntnva qbrf abg pnyy zber Fynlref. Vg jbhyq gnxr gur qrngu bs Xraqen, be yngre Snvgu. Naq jura gur ehyrf punatr ng gur raq bs F7, gur pnyyvat ab ybatre unf gb qb jvgu qrngu, ohg vafgrnq jvgu pbzvat bs ntr (nf frra va vffhr #21, "Unezbavp Qviretrapr").
First of all: so unprepared. I know you get that a lot, Mark, but just. Wow.
Next: speaking as someone with a (minor) mental disorder, I really don't mind how Drusilla has been portrayed in these episodes so far. I think that the writers' handle on her mental state becomes more apparent with more screentime; just comparing her first appearance to her torturing Angel in this episode, I think her character has become more defined.
I also think it's good to point out that Drusilla was mentally destroyed by Angelus *before* she was sired. We don't know what kind of effects the vampire transformation might have on the mind, especially someone in Drusilla's case. I'm not "annoyed" by the lack of definition in regards to Dru's condition.
Very excited to see Spike and Dru's roles reversed at the end of this episode.
I guess I can't really talk about the race implications here, except that I don't think there are any. I saw it as more about Slayers and upbringing than about where you're from. But I can see why people would jump to the race/foreign aspect. I just don't think that the "unspoken understanding" that Mark mentioned is actually there; or if it is, it's more about Kendra's sheltered life than it is about her not being from the US. But maybe I'm just not very sensitive or aware of racial issues. Which is funny, since I'm biracial myself…anyway, that's just how I saw it.
"WILLOW AND OZ. PLEASE NEVER TAKE THIS AWAY FROM ME. IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL. I WANT IT. I WANT IT MORE THAN AIR. Please don’t let this be ruined. Whedon, it’s a beautiful thing, please don’t do it. I just want them to be happy. IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK."
Lrf, guvf vf sne gbb zhpu gb nfx sbe. Fgbc gnhagvat Wbff!
"I think it’s easy to say that Buffy did make a mistake in this story, and that Kendra was right: Buffy’s feelings for Angel clouded her judgment, and that is why she walked right into a trap without thinking of it."
Fur yrneaf sebz ure zvfgnxrf gubhtu naq vg qbrfa'g fgbc ure sebz qbvat jung fur unf gb qb va Orpbzvat.
*Fnq snpr*
The cheesy music that plays when Xander and Cordelia kiss totally reminds me of the SIMS computer game. Lame.
It physically hurts me to see Xander smash that worm in that book. Don't disrespect the books, Xander!
The joke about warning Kendra not to watch a Chevy Chase movie with a dog was because Sarah Gellar had an unaccredited appearance in Funny Farm.
It's kinda annoying how Buffy wants to get away from her calling, but when another slayer shows up she is so defensive and jealous of Kendra. But I guess she is more grateful about her life when she realizes it's not so bad after all cuz she's not deprived of all the things that Kendra is deprived of.
Slayer Handbook! That would have been handy, Giles.
Flummoxed is a word that I want to start using daily.
Can I just be totally shallow for a sec and say that I have been loving how Dru's fingernails have been painted in the last few episodes?
Oz is so awesome! Even after the throttling he got from Buffy in the last episode, it doesn't scare him off from talking to Willow. And then he gets shot, and he's still not phased. Oz and Willow are so adorable together. 🙂
Phew. Thank goodness they talked Joss out of killing off Spike.
"Lame" is an ableist word, please do not use it on this site.
Also, yes. WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF THE BOOKS?
"The cheesy music that plays when Xander and Cordelia kiss totally reminds me of the SIMS computer game."
….I never thought of that but it is so true.
I'm pretty sure this two-parter is when I fell in love with the show. Like, around the first season finale was when I was quite addicted, but I was actually in love with the show after this episode.
Naq gura "Vaabprapr" jnf jura vg jnf bssvpvnyyl va zl gbc svir orfg fubjf bs nyy gvzr orpnhfr UBYL SHPX GUNG JEVGVAT VF SYNJYRFF NAQ YVSR-QRSVAVAT!
V xvaq bs jnag gb gnyx nobhg nobhg gur jubyr "Xraqen genvavat gb or n Fynlre fvapr fur jnf n xvq" guvat, fvapr ng gur gvzr gung V jngpurq gur rcvfbqr, V jnf yvxr, "JGS? Jul qvqa'g Ohssl genva jura fur jnf n xvq?" Ohg gura va frnfba 7, Xraqen jnf sne sebz orvat gur bayl Fynlre gung jnf genvarq naq unq n Jngpure orsber fur jnf npghnyyl pnyyrq. Juvpu oevatf hc gur dhrfgvba…jul ner fbzr Fynlref gbyq gung gurl'er Cbgragvnyf rneyl ba, naq gura bguref abg? Jbhyq gur Jngpuref pbhapvy qrgrezvar juvpu Cbgragvnyf jrer gur zbfg yvxryl pnaqvqngrf, rira gubhtu znal bs gurz jbhyq arire npghnyyl or pnyyrq? Orpnhfr ybbxvat ng Ohssl orsber fur jnf pnyyrq, fur jnfa'g rknpgyl gur zbfg yvxryl pnaqvqngr…
Naq gura…nz V gur bayl bar jub srryf yvxr Xraqen jnf whfg n cybg qrivpr fbyryl gurer sbe gur checbfr bs rkcynvavat gur jubyr "gjb Fynlref" guvat fb jr tbg vg bhg bs gur jnl orsber Snvgu jnf vagebqhprq?
XANDER AND CORDELIA! I was actually being a really bad viewer at that moment and was checking my e-mail, so I wasn't focused on what was happening, all of a sudden I just heard "I HATE YOU!" "I HATE YOU!" *SWELLING ROMANTIC MUSIC* then had to re-wind and be like WTF?!
At Infinitus 2010, there was actually a panel comparing Buffy and HP, and someone said that Xander/Cordelia actually reminded them more of Draco/Hermione than Ron/Hermione. Except that Draco/Hermione didn't actually happen, and Draco is MUCH more Vile than Cordelia ever was.
WILLOW AND OZ! Did you know that every time someone watches a Willow/Oz exchange, their squeals, whether outwardly or internally expressed, are then turned into the souls of newborn kittens and puppies?
"I mock you with my monkey pants." That line will never not be awesome.
The whole Xander/Cordelia being like Hermione/Draco kind of messes with my head, because in D/Hr fanfiction, they tend to replace the actual Draco Malfoy's personality with Spike's. And then, if we take the comparison further, in show, the ship that would most resemble Hermione/Draco would be Xander/Spike, which is just all kinds of weird.
Gubhtu V qb ybir guvf yvar va Vagreiragvba,
Knaqre: Ab bar vf whqtvat lbh. Vg'f haqrefgnaqnoyr. Fcvxr vf fgebat naq zlfgrevbhf naq fbeg bs pbzcnpg ohg jryy-zhfpyrq.
Ohssl: V nz abg univat frk jvgu Fcvxr, ohg V'z fgnegvat gb guvax gung lbh zvtug or.
V zber be yrff whfg nffhzrq gung gur Jngpure'f Pbhapvy whfg arire znantrq gb pngpu nyy gur Cbgragvnyf, naq Ohssl jnf whfg bar bs gur znal jub fyvccrq guebhtu gur penpxf naq jnf arire abgvprq ol gur Pbhapvy orsber fur jnf pnyyrq. Ohg lbhe gurbel znxrf frafr nf jryy, xrrcvat va zvaq ubj gur Pbhapvy ner nyy nobhg frperpl — lrnu, vg jbhyq qrsvavgryl or va punenpgre sbe gurz gb whfg cvpx gur zbfg yvxryl Cbgragvnyf gb genva, naq whfg xrrc n qvfgnag rlr ba gur erfg.
Naq lrf, Xraqen arire ernyyl tbg gb qrirybc zhpu nf n punenpgre orsber fur jnf xvyyrq bss, qvq fur?
My take on Dru torturing Angel isn't that she still cares about her human family, but that she know's Angel does care about what he did, and both those things combined TURN HER ON. Dru isn't holding him responsible, she's having fun in a way that makes the audience hold him responsible. (my 2 cents.)
Also, part of the reason I've always felt that Dru hasn't had some specific mental illness, is that Angel drove her crazy and then put a demon in her. What effect does an already severely damaged mind have on a demon? We don't know. Still, I agree with whoever above points out that yes, some of us with mental illnesses feed our pet birds just fine, thank you very much.
Urer'f na vffhr V'ir unq sbe n srj lrnef, fvapr V tbg ernyyl vagb Ohssl. Jura Ohssl qvrf va Frnfba 1, Xraqen vf pnyyrq. Jura Xraqen qvrf, Snvgu vf pnyyrq. Jura Ohssl qvrf ntnva, jr frr AB RIVQRAPR GUNG NABGURE FYNLRE VF PNYYYRQ. (Lrg, va frnfba frira, gurer vf gur vzcyvpngvba gung vs Ohssl qvrq, n cbgragvny jbhyq orpbzr gur Fynlre.) Fb rvgure, gurer'f fbzr enaqbz Fynlre va gur jbeyq jr arire zrrg, be orpnhfr fur qvrq bapr, gur 'erny' Fynlre znagry cnffrq ba, naq vg vfa'g Xraqen gung vf bhg bs cynpr, ohg Ohssl.
Nyfb, gur bar guvat V ernyyl yvxr nobhg Snvgu vf gung vg fubjf fhpu n terng pbagenfg gb Ohssl/Xraqen'f qlanzvp. Urer, Ohssl vf gur zber eroryyvbhf bar, jub qbrfa'g yvxr nhgubevgl, naq jub svtugf jvgu rzbgvba vafgrnq bs pbageby. Jurernf bapr Snvgu cbcf hc, Ohssl vf gur tbbq tvey, gur bar va pbageby. V yvxr gung pbagenfg. V qba'g guvax Snvgu jbhyq znxr naljurer arne nf zhpu frafr vs jr unqa'g zrg Xraqen.
Gung orvat fnvq, V fgvyy yvxr Xraqen sne orggre. Ohg vg qbrf fcrnx gb Qeh'f onqnffrel (naq perrcvarff) gung fur xvyyf ure fb rnfvyl.
(Lrg, va frnfba frira, gurer vf gur vzcyvpngvba gung vs Ohssl qvrq, n cbgragvny jbhyq orpbzr gur Fynlre.) Fb rvgure, gurer'f fbzr enaqbz Fynlre va gur jbeyq jr arire zrrg, be orpnhfr fur qvrq bapr, gur 'erny' Fynlre znagry cnffrq ba, naq vg vfa'g Xraqen gung vf bhg bs cynpr, ohg Ohssl.
V gnxr gur sbezre nf gur jevgref abg xabjvat gurve bja zlgubybtl nalzber, be, zber punevgnoyr, gur punenpgref gurzfryirf whfg abg orvat dhvgr fher nobhg vg (juvpu jbhyq bs pbhefr or haqrefgnaqnoyr, jung jvgu gur hacerprqragrqarff bs n fynlre orvat erivirq). Zl crefbany CBI vf gung lrnu, gur npghny fynlre znagyr cnffrq gb Xraqen naq gura Snvgu, naq gung Ohssl vf gur nabznyl.
V pna'g erzrzore vs vg'f qrnyg jvgu va gur fubj (f7 znlor?) ohg V'z cerggl fher gung vg qbrf vaqrrq cnff ba gb Xraqen, fb vg'f bayl ure qrngu (naq fhofrdhragyl, Snvgu'f) gung jbhyq Pnyy n arj Fynlre. Hagvy gurl qb gur fcryy gb punatr gung fb vg'f ab ybatre gvrq gb bar tvey.
vg'f nyjnlf orra va zl urnq gung, sbe nabgure fynlre gb or pnyyrq, snvgu jbhyq or gur bar gb unir gb qvr. naq, lrf, nf unf orra fnvq, v punyx nal bgure rkcynangvba hc gb gur jevgref trggvat obttrq qbja va gurve bja qrafr zlgubybtl.
I wrote a long post about how the Xander/Cordelia scene in the basement shows clearly that Xander doesn't resent Buffy for being stronger than him, nor he does hate the idea of being saved by a girl/woman, but it won't allow me to post it. Maybe 'cause I spell checked the post in Microsoft Office Word. It sucks. I put a lot of thought into it and now I'm just going to pout. 🙁
Yay, I created an account!
Xander: I have a plan. We wait. Buffy saves us.
IMO, that's always been Xander's motto. Danger comes, Buffy saves the day, then we party. Xander's insecurities
aren't about Buffy, they're about Xander himself, his worth, his usefullness. His anger over Buffy saving him from Larry in Halloween wasn't about "a girl saving him", it was about how he was going to be perceieved by others, and he does get mocked for being less than a man by Larry. He does care so much about how others view him, which is probably why he uses humor as a shield. Coming for an apparently abusive household and being bullied by boys and girls for being "less than a man" ought to make him feel inferior and lash out. I'm looking forward to Xander embracing who he is and gaining confidence in himself. His journey shall be very important to a lot of insecure young men who face the same belittling and mockery from society because they don't live up to society's expectations of a "macho" man.
Yay! It posted! That's half of the post. It said that I needed to make it shorter.
"jura guvatf trg ebhtu ur whfg uvqrf oruvaq uvf ohssl! abj, ybbx ur'f trggvat uhssl pbf ur xabjf gung v xabj"
And that totally shows that it's not about Buffy as much as it's about Xander feeling like a wuss.
agreed.
I confess, I am a shipper!
Cordelia/Xander for the most awkward ship evar, unless it turns out to not be canon. Then I will ship something else. I am a confusing shipper. I am the type of fan who shipped Remus/Sirius until Tonks came along and then sided with canon. Maybe I am just unimaginative? It takes a lot to make me dislike a canon ship. However, I may have had that gut-reaction against Xander/Willow. I understand the appeal, but after episodes of him ignoring her, I just couldn't take it. That kiss with Cordelia may have came out of nowhere, but now that I think about it, he paid Cordelia a odd amount of attention, and visa-versa. I do not think they will be a happy couple, unless they go through some more development, but it is 'interesting'. I probably will not be upset if they did break off their forbidden romance.
Considering my preference to hardcore shipping usually consists of pain and sacrifice that may or may not end in death, it is probably a good thing I have no definite OTP yet. Okay, I may have doomed Giles/Jenny by fangirling them because my OTPs always get truckloads of angst. I really did doom them, didn't I?
I'm always a canon shipper too! Also, exactly the same experience with Lupin/Sirius and Lupin/Tonks!
Oh god I hope I haven't doomed Giles/Jenny with my desperate unbridled love of the ship. Though, to be honest, at this point it looks pretty destroyed anyway…
:(:(:(
Xander/Cordelia is my canon OTP. Ohg zl erny BGC vf gbgnyyl Knaqre/Fcvxr.
Did I just mishear, or were there two conflicting times given for the ritual? I seem to remember hearing Spike and Drusilla saying that it has to take place on the full moon ("tonight"), and Giles and Kendra saying that it was supposed to happen on the new moon (somehow also "tonight").
Hellmouth time-warp, maybe? (And now I'm gonna have that song stuck in my head.)
Nope, you didn't mishear. My guess is they changed the script…but forgot it was mentioned in more than one place.
-Poor Angel.
-Such hostility Buffy. Realize this means you aren't alone already.
-Ohhhhhh. Oh Joss you.
-Kendra gets to read about these things? Or is Buffy just not interested in reading.
-Love you Spike.
-Lucky for Cordelia that Worm-Man knew she wasn't the Slayer.
-Those are some fast meal worms.
-Xander and Cordy teamwork! Point for each!
-How long can vampires go without combusting? Angel seemed to last a while.
-DNW.
-I've never been, but I'm sure you could keep Disneyland exciting for a year at least; if you take your time.
-No points can be awarded for that as it was too awesome.
-Speaking of, whose turn is it to get locked up somewhere with Cordy next?
-Awwww, Oz and Willow should never stop talking.
-Leopards do not use guns!! And no shooting of Oz!!!
-Hey Danny Strong, what are you up to?
-So Slayers are Tiggers now? I'm cool with that.
-The Biology book he slammed the bug in is not on the table.
-New moon? But Spike said the full moon.
-I am intrigued by Kendra's necklace.
-I don't often sharpen knives but that does not look like the right way to do it.
-I suppose that one is Xander's point.
-How was she “called” young if Buffy just died last year?
-Teamwork tie points again, I hope I didn't start keeping track just for Xander and Cordy to start being cordial.
-Nicely dusted Willow.
-Final scenes summed up: 1) Awwww. 2) *snigger*. 3) Awwwww. 4) Way to make sure they are really dead gang.
-I guess there is still too much season left for that.
Cordy: 4 (Part 1=2, Part 2=2)
Xander: 4 (Part 1=1, Part 2=3)
Final count is a tie. Since it was a two-parter I figure all the point should count together.
So these point, I wanted to keep track of Cordelia's and Xander's sparring. Points are awarded when each is either awesome (e.g. nice) in relation to the other or points go to whoever wins their verbal matches. Points are taken away when said verbal matches are taken too far (e.g. slut shaming). I do want to say that 1) Their battles get pretty vicious to me and I actually don't approve of most of it so it is sometimes hard to judge (I can battle wits but not insults, even simple trash-talk is a foreign concept to me), and 2) I sometimes miss the really bad comments or get distracted by happy times before I can mark them down.
"How was she “called” young if Buffy just died last year?"
That same question has been bothering me ever since I re-watched this episode. 😐
Very spoilery, so here's the answer in rot13:
Gurer ner gubhfnaqf bs cbgragvny Fynlref cre trarengvba, jnvgvat gb or pnyyrq. Fbzr ner vqragvsvrq ng n lbhat ntr naq tvira genvavat (Xraqen) juvyr bguref ner havqragvsvrq naq ner abg rire znqr njner bs gurve cbgragvny, hayrff gurl ner cbffvoyl pnyyrq (Ohssl).
That's my first rot13 post ever and it looks so funny. =3
"-Such hostility Buffy. Realize this means you aren't alone already. "
Oh, good point. I think that for all Buffy complains about being the only one, there's part of her that likes it, or at least is used to it and doesn't like having that disturbed.
Ok, the review and a few of the comments seem to say that Buffy walked into a trap and Kendra came to save her, but that wasn’t what happened.
Buffy and Kendra’s ‘fight’ over whether or not to go back to Giles for orders was staged for Willy’s benefit. They needed to find out where Spike was but they wanted to have the element of surprise, so they had a fake fight to get Willy to think he was only taking Buffy, meanwhile Kendra and the others followed him to get to the church. How do you guys think they got there only 30 seconds after Buffy and Willy?
One thing that always bothered me about this episode was the scene where Angel baits Spike, and I never really understood why I disliked it before now, but here's what I figured out: from the dialogue, it seems that Angel is basically telling his ex-girlfriend's current flame that he can't satisfy her and she'll always prefer her ex over him. And I find this really gross. I get that they are vampires are supposed to have a different culture and Angel is trying to prevent the ritual, but audiences are supposed to relate to Angel as they do the human characters, and this is a really low blow that I can't support, even under the circumstances. You're a good guy Angel, don't fight so dirty!
Also, Xander came THISCLOSE to joining Angel out of my good graces with his "So you're a Slayer. I like that in a woman" line. It's nice that you support strong women, Xander, but it was BUFFY you had a crush on (annoying as it was), not "the Slayer." Luckily he did not continue to hit on Kendra after that, I was already getting "can't have Buffy, go for the next best thing" vibes as it was.
Other than that, Love this episode, especially Dru at the end!
"That's me favorite shirt. That's me ONLY shirt!" never fails to crack me up. It's all in the delivery. Bravo, Bianca Lawson. Bravo.
I like this line too. And don't you think she means it is the only shirt she has WITH HER, as opposed to the only shirt she owns?
Yes, that's exactly what I assumed too.
For the record, this is my favorite Buffy two-parter and yes, I cringe at Kendra's bad accent (but adore Kendra herself). As for Willy I've always assumed he transplanted from Brooklyn.
Daily Buffy Quotable:
"He's expressing computer nerd solidarity."-Willow
"I sort of test well. Which is cool, but then it leads to jobs."-Oz
"Angel's our friend. Except that I don't like him."-Xander
"It's the extra evil vibe from the Hellmouth. Makes people pray harder."-Willow
"Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you big cootie."-Xander
"I don't hug."-Kendra
Can you read our wedding cake? Yeah, that's how much we love Willow & Oz.
[IMG ]http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y252/Hecubot/Wedding%20Pictures/79289249106-1.jpg[/IMG]
That is a fantastic cake.
Oh WOW. xD That is the most awesome wedding cake ever.
Wait I'm still entirely confused on this two Slayers thing. Buffy died like last year, but Kendra said she had been in training since childhood… how is this possible? Was she just in perpetual training, waiting til the old slayer died until she could become the slayer? If Buffy hadn't died til she was like 90 would Kendra not have become the slayer, but have spent her entire life in the compound/whatever it was doing nothing? What is she, like a potential slayer? How many of these potential slayers are there? When Kendra dies, does that mean another slayer will replace her? Are there now going to be two slayers for the rest of eternity? As soon as she started telling her backstory I figured it was leading to some ridiculous reveal where Spike had set this entire thing up or something, but no, there was no discussion about it.
Additionally, how many watchers are out there? Why are they not all, I don't know, watching over Buffy? It seems odd that they're just hanging out in other countries training potential future slayers.
I had more to say on this, but this really confused me a ton and I have no idea why it wasn't explained….
I don't think Buffy living that long is very likely.
Vs lbh jnag zber vasb, jr pna nafjre va ebg13.
I remember having most of those same questions and a few more besides when I first watched this episode. Ultimately, I just decided to go with it because it was cool and not spend too much time thinking about it.
Naq gura, bs pbhefr, gur dhrfgvbaf nyy trg nafjref gung orpbzr cvyynef bs gur fubj'f zlgubybtl naq cybg sbe frnfbaf gb pbzr. V fubhyq unir unq zber snvgu.
Bu tbq, V whfg ernyvmrq jung V glcrq naq abj V'z penpxvat hc.
Zber Snvgu vf nyjnlf n tbbq guvat. 🙂
This is a fantastically complex episode with a million things to have deep discussions about, but there is one thing in it that DISTRACTS ME SO MUCH. In the scene with Buffy and Kendra talking in Giles' office, WHAT IS BUFFY DOING. BUFFY. THAT IS NOT HOW YOU USE A KNIFE SHARPENER. Like, why didn't a prop person tell her how to use the knife sharpener? She is literally holding the knife sharp side up while rubbing the sharpener on the blade. WHAT. And then she distractedly puts the knife down instead of the sharpener, picks up a stake, and for a split second she is rubbing the sharpener on the stake?? LOL WHAT IS THIS EVEN IDK. Then the shot changes and she is holding a knife in her right hand to sharpen the stake. Finally, sense is made.
My thinky thoughts are broken today, I'm so tired. Loling at Buffy's nonsense weapons maintenance was all I retained from this rewatch.
I'm not really sure where to report this so I'll put it here. The banner ad on the side of the page was one for Buffy Season 9, it contained spoilers not only for season 9's next issue (grrrrr) but a big plot arc from Season 6.
Is there anything that can be done about this or is Mark gonna have to be banned from his own site?
Gah sorry. Did not mean to do that and now can't work out how to delete it
I just hope Mark uses Firefox and Adblock.
…
or any equivalent on another browser.
I was about to say ad? What ad? And then I remembered that I have ad block on. *facepalm*
My favorite line: "It's okay. Kendra killed the bad lamp."
I don't have much to say about this episode that you didn't cover in your review, but I will toss in this: I'm not usually attracted to David Boreanaz. He's just not my type, though I can see objectively how other people find him attractive. But let me qualify that statement: I am attracted to him–for some odd reason–when Angel is being tortured (be rivy). AND I DON'T KNOW WHY. SOMEONE EXPLAIN TO ME WHAT THIS PHENOMENON IS. I DO NOT UNDERSTAND.
…try BDSM?
DID I SERIOUSLY JUST TYPE THAT idk it was the first thing that came to mind, ignore meHAHAHA BLESS YOUR FACE!
I actually don't think it's about him being in pain. I'd go into more details about how a domme would be attracted to this situation where he's being tortured and I am pretty much the opposite of a domme but OH GOD INAPPROPRIATE AND TOO MUCH INFORMATION.
you're not the only one. i'll leave it at that 🙂
I love this two-parter. The only thing that bug me are Bianca Lawson's accent and acting, and the fact that Kendra's sexy clothes and elaborate make-up make no sense for her character. She's supposed to be a Slayer with no social life, who doesn't even talk to boys, has no friends, isn't trying to win any popularity contests, so it would make a lot more sense for her to be dressed in a more utilitarian style, yvxr Jvfuirefr Ohssl. It seems like a really bad case of Hollywood male gaze (every Slayer has to look drop dead gorgeous and glamorous and hot according to Hollywood standards of beauty!) that trumps what makes sense for the story.
– This is the first time we get to see what a by-the-book Slayer is like, and the comparison shows just how unconventional a Slayer Buffy is. We’ve heard before that a Slayer isn’t supposed to have friends or family, and it is really the case with Kendra, whose family gave her away to her Watcher when she was very young (what would have happened if she never got called? Would she just waste her life away waiting for it?), and she even doesn’t use her last name. Was this the standard procedure for most Slayers? She thinks she shouldn’t have any life outside of the Slaying, no school, no other job, no social life, no friends or boyfriends.
This calls for some rethinking of the whole Slayer = empowered woman idea, as the oppressive patriarchal aspect of the calling becomes more obvious, with Slayers being subjugated to the Watchers and the tradition.
– Buffy gets a bit jealous of Giles and Kendra getting along so fine and discussing the books – like a daughter jealous that the father likes another, more obedient and less rebellious daughter better (but Giles actually loves Buffy for being exactly as she is).
– This is the first time Buffy really meets someone like herself, another Slayer, and it's the classic "from animosity to friendship" dynamic.Xraqen va frnfba 2 naq Snvgu va frnfba 3 ner obgu hfrq gb pbagenfg Ohssl va qvssrerag jnlf naq fubj qvssrerag cbffvovyvgvrf bs jung n Fynlre pna or yvxr. And as those stories usually go, they both learn something from each other. Buffy is more imaginative, goes by the instinct, and her emotions help her fight. Kendra thinks emotions are just a distraction and liability for a Slayer, Buffy on the other hand believes that her emotions are “total assets”. Buffy makes a point to Kendra when she makes Kendra lose temper – anger can be a powerful asset in fight. Buffy shows love by fighting to save and protect people she loves, as we see in this episode when Angel is kidnapped, and Buffy makes the memorable statement: “You can attack me, you can send assassins after me, that's fine. But nobody messes with my boyfriend!” (Onq arjf sbe Fcvxr va frnfba 2; tbbq arjf sbe Fcvxr va frnfba 7.)
So Kendra learns that emotions can help in a fight (her anger sure helped her beat the assassin!) and she teachers Buffy something as well: being a Slayer is not a job, it’s who you are, and contrary to what Buffy thinks at this point, being a Slayer is an integral part of Buffy’s personality. Buffy thought she wanted to stop being a Slayer and have a “normal life”, and the existence of another Slayer was a perfect opportunity to leave Slaying to someone else. Instead, it seems to have made her realize that she doesn't want to quit her calling.
– I totally love that Buffy is the hero and Angel is the damsel in distress.
– Willow and Oz! <3
– XANDER AND CORDELIA! OMG! Well, it was OMG when I first watched… really didn't see it coming then, but I should have, and on rewatch, I saw signs of Belligerent Sexual Attraction since at least Some Assembly Required. The best part is when they break away from the kiss and agree that they so need to get out of there. They're more freaked out by their attraction for each other than by the creepy demonic assassin!
– Speaking of which – eww. The Maggot Guy must be the most disgusting thing ever seen on the show – maybe because maggots really, really disgust me – but he sure is memorable!
– Wbanguna nccrnef ntnva! Bs pbhefr, ur'f n ivpgvz, ntnva: guvf gvzr ur’f gnxra ubfgntr ol gur cbyvprjbzna sebz gur Beqre bs Gnenxn qhevat gur fubbg-bhg ng fpubby, naq frrzf glcvpnyyl boyvivbhf gb jung vf tbvat ba, nfxvat vs vg nyy jnf n qrzbafgengvba.
– Still, possibly the best parts of the episode are those that explore the complicated and twisted dynamic between Angel, Drusilla and Spike. I didn't actually like Drusilla at the time and I'm not sure I *like* her even now, but she is a fascinating character: childlike, creepy, sensual, cruel… I'm not a Spike/Drusilla shipper, but I’ve got to say that the love scene between her and Spike, kissing and whispering darkly romantic lines to each other (while Angel is in the background, tied up and about to be tortured and killed), is one of the sexiest in the show, partly because the actors have amazing chemistry, and because of the music and colors (there is a lot of deep red and black) contributing to the dark glamour of those scenes.
– And the level of kink goes up! Yay and thank you, Marti Noxon. <3 Some of it is subtexty/fanservicey (Drusilla's torture of (shirtless, tied up Angel) but some of it is explicit, as when Drusilla dreamily tells Spike about her dream: "We were in Paris. You had a branding iron."
Spike and Drusilla really have a habit of making out in front of their tied-up victims, don't they? First Sheila in School Hard, now Angel.
– Ure eryngvbafuvc jvgu Natry(hf) vf cnegvphyneyl pbzcyrk – fur gbegherf uvz abg whfg culfvpnyyl, ohg znxvat uvz srry thvygl, gnyxvat gb uvz nobhg ure uhzna snzvyl, erzvaqvat uvz ubj ur xvyyrq gurz – vasyvpgvat cnva ba uvz yvxr ur qvq ba ure. Ohg vf vg eriratr, be n cneg bs gur vagvznpl bs gurve gjvfgrq eryngvbafuvc? Vs fur’f erfragshy orpnhfr ur xvyyrq ure snzvyl, jul qbrfa’g fur rire npg gung jnl jvgu uvz jura ur’f fbhyyrff naq rivy? Vg frrzf gung fur qrfcvfrf uvf fbhyrq, tbbq frys, naq ybirf uvf rivy fbhyyrff frys (gur bccbfvgr bs Ohssl), naq fur erfragf uvz sebz yrnivat uvf inzcver snzvyl naq orgenlvat gurz. (N qvnybthr sebz gur bevtvany fpevcg gung qvqa’g znxr vg vagb gur rc urycf haqrefgnaq vg: fur vf nfxvat Natry vs ur erzrzoref “gung xvaq bs uhatre”: fur jnagf uvz gb ghea onpx rivy, naq guvaxf gung ur fgvyy unf gur pncnpvgl sbe rivy, qrfcvgr gur vpxl fbhy.)
Naq jul qbrf Natry ghea uvf rlrf njnl jura Qeh naq Fcvxr ner znxvat bhg va sebag bs uvz? Vg’f cerggl nzovthbhf. Qbrf vg whfg bssraq uvf frafvovyvgvrf? Vf ur uheg gb frr ubj vaabprag, cher Qeh unf orpbzr gur yrpurebhf Qeh, cneg bs gur rivy inzcver pbhcyr jvgu ivbyrag yrpurebhf Fcvxr? Be ubj bapr-vaabprag Jvyyvnz vf abj gur ivbyrag rivy Fcvxr, tvivat uvf byq frys n eha sbe uvf zbarl? Be vf gurer n uvag bs gur byq evinyel naq wrnybhfl, abg orpnhfr bs Qehfvyyn, ohg orpnhfr gurer jnf “nabgure ebbfgre va gur ura-ubhfr”?
Fcvxr’f pbzzrag gung ur’f “abg zhpu sbe gur cer-fubj”, zrnavat gung ur vfa’g vagrerfgrq va cebybatrq gbegher bs Natry naq jbhyq engure trg gb gur xvyyvat cneg, unf orra hfrq ol znal snaf gb gel gb cebir gung Fcvxr jnfa’g n fnqvfg jvgu uvf ivpgvzf yvxr Natryhf naq Qeh jrer, naq gung ur jnf nyjnlf n “avpre” inzcver. V qba’g guvax gung’f gur pnfr. Jr’ir frra vg cyragl bs gvzrf gung Fcvxr vf abg whfg ernql gb hfr gbegher sbe centzngvp ernfbaf (yvxr chapuvat Qnygba, jura ur fnvq fbzr crbcyr svaq cnva vafcvengvbany), ohg gung ur ernyyl rawblf ivbyrapr, naq abg whfg va n svtug jvgu n jbegul bccbarag yvxr gur Fynlref – frr, sbe vafgnapr, fanccvat gur arpx bs gur Ab-Irny thl sebz Fpubby Uneq sbe ab ernfba ng nyy, be ubj rkpvgrq ur jnf gb frr Ohssl nf n urycyrff, zrrx ivpgvz ur jbhyq ovgr, va Unyybjrra. V guvax ur whfg unf ab cngvrapr sbe nal ybat, bire-qenja, evghnyvfgvp gbegher, be Natryhf’ zragny gbegher bs Ohssl va gur frpbaq cneg bs frnfba 2. Ur vf vzchyfvir naq qverpg, naq qbrfa’g graq gb guvax zhpu nobhg gur srryvatf bs uvf ivpgvzf, ohg gung qbrfa’g zrna gung ur qbrfa’g yvxr uhegvat crbcyr.
– I love the scene where the Scoobies try to explain the Angel situation to Kendra. It's one of those moments of the show mocking itself for its own unlikely storylines and explanations. It's interesting that Buffy doesn't simply pull the "he has a soul" card but just tells Kendra to trust her about Angel.
Xander: Angel's our friend… except I don't like him.
Kendra: Angel? You mean Angelus? I've read about him. He is a monster.
Giles: No, no, no, he's, he's good now.
Willow: (smiles) Really!
Buffy He has a Gypsy curse.
Kendra: He has a what?
Gur shaavrfg cneg vf Jvyybj fgnegvat gb qrsraq Ohssl fnlvat fur jbhyq arire xvff n inzcver, gura pbeerpgvat urefrys gung vg jbhyq whfg or Natry, ohg gura vafrpheryl nfxvat Ohssl “Evtug?” Uru. Jvyybj’f zvaq qvegvre guna vg frrzf. Abg gb zragvba ubj vg znxrf zr tvttyr va uvaqfvtug… :Q
– Spike does much better fighting-wise than in the previous episodes, for once he's not running away as in School Hard and Halloween, and was beating Kendra in the fight and not doing bad against Buffy… Maybe it's because he's fighting for the woman he loves this time. It seems that he, like Buffy, also gains strength from his emotions – but his impulsiveness can also be a hindrance, as when he forgets about Dru, Angel and Buffy for a moment just because of his anger at Willy for what he perceives as a double-cross.
– I like the role reversal between Spike and Drusilla, too. V'z abg fher vs vg pbhagf nf n fcbvyre, ohg V'yy ebg13 vg whfg va pnfr: Fcvxr jnf zrnag gb or xvyyrq bss unysjnl guebhtu gur frnfba, ohg gur punenpgref' cbchynevgl znqr Wbff punatr uvf zvaq naq vapncnpvgngr uvz vafgrnq.
Naq fb raqf Fcvxr'f graher nf gur Ovt Onq: vg ynfgrq whfg unys n frnfba.
– Ubj'f guvf sbe havagragvbany (?) fhogrkg: "V'q zhpu engure or svtugvat *lbh*!" – "Zhghny!"
– I love it when Buffy (the character) deconstructs the English language. Here she replies to Giles using the word “flummoxed” by asking “What’s the flum” and wonders about the origin of the expression “whole nine yards.” (I’ve wondered about it, too.)
– So many nicknames in this episode. Spike calls Drusilla “my Black Goddess” and “my ripe wicked plum” and refers to Buffy as “Little Rebecca of Sunnyhell Farm” (reference to the series of children's/youth books "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm". Dru calls Angel “My Angel”, “Bad Daddy” and shuts him up with “bad dog”. Buffy calls Kendra “John Wayne”, “Pink Ranger” and “she-Giles”.
– Buffy wants to watch a romcom with Molly Ringwald to relax. So I guess she likes James Spader (remember Welcome to the Hellmouth) from "Pretty in Pink"?
– N srj jbeqf nobhg sberfunqbjvat. Natry gnhagvat Fcvxr nobhg Qeh naq trggvat uvz wrnybhf sberfunqbjf gur Natryhf/Qeh/Fcvxr gevnatyr yngre va gur frnfba. Urer Natry vf qbvat vg sbe aboyr ernfbaf, gb trg uvzfrys xvyyrq fb ur jbhyqa’g hayrnfu Qeh ba Fhaalqnyr; jvgubhg n fbhy ur’yy qb vg fvzcyl gb gbezrag Fcvxr (naq jvgu zhpu yrff evfx, jvgu Fcvxr va n jurrypunve).
Knaqre fnlf gb Xraqen gung ur’f nggenpgrq gb Fynlref. Gung jvyy pregnvayl or cebira jura ur zrrgf Snvgu.
Xraqen unf n cbvag jura fur fnlf rzbgvbaf pna nyfb or n qvfgenpgvba naq cerirag n Fynlre sebz qbvat ure qhgl, juvpu jr’yy frr jvgu Ohssl va whfg n srj rcvfbqrf.
Ohssl qbrf, nsgre nyy, yvxr orvat n Fynlre, ohg fur qbrfa’g yvxr orvat gur bar naq bayl: vg’f tbbq gb unir fbzrbar whfg yvxr ure, nabgure Fynlre jub haqrefgnaqf jung vg’f yvxr. Guvf pbhyq or frra sberfunqbjvat sbe jung fur qbrf va gur frevrf svanyr.
I always loved the pop culture references in Buffy.
fcvxr qrsvavgryl vfa'g va vg sbe gur evghny, ohg v unir nyfb nyjnlf gubhtug gung uvf "cer-fubj" pbzzrag jnf whfg uvz znxvat hc na rkphfr. gung ur whfg jnagrq qeh gb fgbc orpnhfr ur jnf haoryvrinoyl wrnybhf. ur'f nyjnlf orra wrnybhf bs natry.
It's funny because I never really thought about it until I read this in your comment "Xraqen va frnfba 2 naq Snvgu va frnfba 3 ner obgu hfrq gb pbagenfg Ohssl va qvssrerag jnlf naq fubj qvssrerag cbffvovyvgvrf bs jung n Fynlre pna or yvxr," ohg V guvax guvf pna nyfb or fnvq sbe Rguna naq Jrfyrl va eryngvba gb Tvyrf. Rguna ercerfragf punbf, naq Jrfyrl ercerfragf beqre, juvyr Tvyrf erfgf unccvyl va gur zvqqyr.
Great point! Bs pbhefr, vg jbexf bayl sbe Jrfyrl ba OgIF – ba NgF ur orpbzrf zber bs n punenpgre va uvf bja evtug, naq fgnegf fubjvat uvf bja qnex fvqr. Ohg Snvgu nyfb orpbzrf zber guna whfg Ohssl'f funqbj punenpgre naq unf n wbhearl bs ure bja.
My thought on dressing sexy, is that the slayer is trap and bait in one. They're trying to be noticed and approached by vampires, and the vampires given the choice seem to gravitate towards attractive targets.
Qbrf guvf zrna gung gurer’f n punapr Ohssl pbhyq qvr ntnva naq pnyy zber fynlref? V qrznaq zhygv-fynlre nccrnenaprf yvxr “Gur Svir Qbpgbef” be fbzrguvat.
ONUNUNUNUNNNNN.
ZNEX.
LBH'ER TBVAT GB XVYY ZR JVGU LBHE NQBENOYRARFF.
-no kick-o no fight-o? really? I find that distasteful
-So sunlight just makes them sick? not kills them? or has the sunlight not actually hit him yet perhaps?
-oh shit spike. and now Angel's all weak and there's a nipple in the center of his chest? oh he's just turned to the side. that's a weird angle though
-"i'm thinking…maybe dinner and a movie."
-Oh no the mealworm guy's getting mad
-ew ew bad cgi mealworm in his ear!
-I don't like wooooorms! augh
-strictly high class nude work. lol
-what's wrong with cheerleaders? That a girl from an unnamed foreign country has disdain for them?
-Nobody's worried about xander and cordelia? poor scoobies
-lololol I love that the music swelled as they kissed. love/hate relationship is pretty much a bulletproof kink for me tho.
-ugh I feel like they're on me! no more wormy things plz kthx
-"Your hair…is brown." "yeah, sometimes"
-wow. that took me way too long to realize that the lady cop is an assassin.
-What was that Kendra? That was weird, can't talk to xander, but she can stand super close to him seconds later?
-How long has she been a Slayer? What a year? wait. She was given to her watcher? I'm really not understanding the whole Slayer mythos anymore.
-not permitted to speak with boys? wtf?
-Again I find Buffy imitating Kendra's accent distasteful. I mean she didn't do it to Umpata.
-Why don't you guys split up? You could accomplish both your goals and not have to have this argument.
-Fuck you WIlly
-Yay Willow killed a vamp!
-Oz! OMG "You have the sweetest smile I've ever seen" *melts*
-I'm dubbing this Xandelia, I'm sure there's a real shipper name for it, but Xandelia is mine. I need that "Now kiss GIF"
-Yay!
-Of course she doesn't hug!
-Those green pants are godawful
-I knew it wasn't the last of them!
-Holy shit Dru!
I like "Xandelia." Sounds like an exotic flower.
"what's wrong with cheerleaders? That a girl from an unnamed foreign country has disdain for them? "
Movies and tv shows tell us that cheerleader = "airhead" :/
Sure, but I don't really think Kendra's really been watching very much (any) TV or movies as she trains for Slayer-hood.
-"No kicko, no fighto" yeah, not loving this line.
-Angel, can't you just cover yourself with your coat? Or maybe that doesn't work in direct sunlight…
-I do not understand why things so easily squishable are such a threat. Unless maybe if they swarm you fast enough and flood your mouth and nasal cavities and choke you/kill you from the inside. Or something.
-THE CHEESEY MUSIC MAKES THIS SCENE FOR ME.
-"Was that supposed to be a demonstration?"
-I want Buffy and Kendra to team up and have an ongoing awesome friendship. They seem like they could build one. Qnza lbh, Qehfvyyn.
-I don't really wear makeup too much, but I want to know what brand of lipstick/lipgloss Kendra uses. It's nice.
-Willow have you always had that rainbow backpack with the lion on it? It's cute.
-"No kicko, no fighto" yeah, not loving this line.
Not gonna lie, I shouted "fuck you" at the screen when this line happened. BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE WRITERS CAN TOTES HEAR ME.
-"No kicko, no fighto" yeah, not loving this line.
Me neither. Adding random "-o"s to the ends of words is going to make Kendra understand her better how, exactly?
I always took the explaining how to fly in a plane normally as because of Kendra's upbringing – because she'd been so surprised that Buffy went to school, and had friends, because she'd been raised to believe a slayer travels under the radar and doesn't live as a part of normal society. Of course the race thing brings a WHOLE lot of unfortunate implications, but I'm pretty sure that's all they were trying to say?
"It's your lucky day Spike."
"Two slayers, no waiting."
I first started watching Buffy because I was tired of my friends telling me "I mock you with my monkey pants!" and wanted to know where the hell it was from. True story.
V fgnegrq jngpuvat Natry orpnhfr bs "Ahzsne! Qb gur qnapr bs wbl!"
i watched that episode of angel just last night! haha.
Gung jnf bar bs gur zbzragf jura Natry jnf fubjvat uvf "Natryhf" fvqr. Irel zhpu sberfunqbjvat uvf orunivbe va gur frpbaq cneg bs gur frnfba naq gur gevnatyr orgjrra uvz, Qeh naq Fcvxr.
V fgvyy qba'g yvxr vg, zbfgyl orpnhfr V cersre Fcvxr bire Natry naq ernyyl ungr ubj Ohssl arire npxabjyrqtrf gung Natry vf yrff guna cresrpg rira jvgu gur fbhy. Fur arire frrf cnfg gur Natry/Natryhf gb frr gung gur fbhy qbrfa'g npghnyyl punatr uvz nyy gung zhpu. Natry'f cbegenlny ba guvf fubj unf fbzrguvat gb qb jvgu gung nf jryy — V'ir nyjnlf yvxrq uvz ba uvf bja fubj n ybg zber guna V yvxr uvz urer.
As others have said, I think the main point of Kendra is that she has been trained by her Watcher according to the manual, which Giles threw out as soon as he met Buffy. Kendra is socially naive, looks to take orders from her (military) superior, is a superb fighting machine but has had virtually no life other than training. She has skills that are somewhat better than Buffy's, but in other respects she has been deprived of almost everything. Despite this we see she is intelligent, can develop her own initiative quite quickly and is able to adapt to circumstances which are very unexpected from her point of view.
I love strong Drusilla carrying Spike at the end. This was the point where he was originally to have been killed off – but Spike was just too cool and Marsters too popular for that.
"It's the extra evil vibe from the Hellmouth. Makes people pray harder."-Willow
I always laugh at the idea that they're surprised there's 43 churches in Sunnydale. I live in a way smaller town and we have over 150 churches.
But then again, I do live in the South…..
Yeah, California's not quite so religious.
But, really, 43 churches =/= not much town. That line gets disproven more and more as this show goes on…unless Cordelia was saying in comparison to, like, LA, which Sunnydale IS considerably smaller than.
Huh, I read somewhere that while Bianca Lawson was told to incorporate the accent at the last minute (grrr), there was time for them to bring in a vocal coach to coached her on was was supposedly a rural and rare Jamaican accent that just unfortunately sounds like every bad Jamaican accent ever done on film to someone who isn't a vocal coach (GRRRR). However, as I might've read it on Wikipedia, it could be entirely false.
Also:
Buffy: It's your lucky day, Spike.
Kendra: Two Slayers.
Buffy: No waiting.
LOVE YOU KENDRA PLEASE COME BACK SOON.
My thoughts on this episode:
– THANK GOD Xander and Cordelia kissed. So does this mean we will stop getting the "wait we need plot, um… let's make Xander be jealous of Buffy and act stupid. GO!" plot? Please?!
– The cop lady being an assassin… this was before Columbine, right? Because I feel like there's no way this would've been filmed like this after Columbine, especially with Oz being so nonchalant about it. That just really stuck out in my head and really dated the show.
– When Xander was hosing the bugs off Cordelia, I was literally screaming at my netflix: "JUST STRIP, YOU STUPID GIRL! IT'LL GET THE BUGS OFF FASTER!" If I had maggots all over my nice shirt, I'd be out of said shirt in two seconds. Huh, maybe that says something about me…
– I LOVE SETH GREEN. That is all.
This was about a year and a half before Columbine. [Va snpg n yngre rcvfbqr bs Ohssl, "Rnefubg," jnf abg oebnqpnfg ba vgf bevtvany fpurqhyrq qngr orpnhfr Pbyhzovar unq whfg unccrarq naq gur rcvfbqr vaibyirq gur vzcyvpngvba gung fbzrbar jnf tbvat gb tb ba n fubbgvat fcerr ng gur fpubby.]
Yeah I figured it was about that time. I didn't want to look up more detailed episode info like release dates for fear of spoilers! I've learned my lesson.
Naq gura gurer jnf gur nyfb-qrynlrq frpbaq cneg bs "Tenqhngvba Qnl." V fgvyy erzrzore gur hcebne nobhg gung.
Marti Noxon refers to that on the commentary, that they would never have done that post-Columbine. Once she said that I noticed how much footage there actually was of panicking students diving for cover and such, and yeah, that's creepy.
It's fascinating to look at the timeframe, because not only was this pre-Columbine (the school shooting stuff), it was also pre-9/11 (the airplane stuff). In 1997, it might have been believable that someone could have snuck in in the cargo hold of an airplane from another country and not been noticed. Nowadays? I think with the security we have, the assumption is that it's not possible, though don't ask me if it actually is or not.
Not to mention the countless romantic movies/tv shows in which someone runs up to the gate at the airport to tell their beloved not to leave because they love them, or whatever. Good luck getting through security on that excuse these days!
v'z yngr gb gur cnegl gbqnl – onq jbex qnl – fb sbetvir zr vs v'z hore-ercrgvgvir:
JVYYBJ NAQ BM. JVYYBJ NAQ BM. CYRNFR ARIRE GNXR GUVF NJNL SEBZ ZR. VG VF FB ORNHGVSHY. V JNAG VG. V JNAG VG ZBER GUNA NVE. Cyrnfr qba’g yrg guvf or ehvarq. Jurqba, vg’f n ornhgvshy guvat, cyrnfr qba’g qb vg. V whfg jnag gurz gb or unccl. VF GUNG FB ZHPU GB NFX.
znex'f urneg vf tbvat gb rkcybqr bire naq bire qhevat 7 frnfbaf bs ohssl. v fnl jr nyy fgneg gb uht uvz abj.
nyfb, ojununununununun!!!!!
omg finally i can talk about XANDER/CORDY SHIPPING FEELS. it is my favorite ship in the series so far (i've only seen the first 3 seasons and the beginning of season 4)
So, I'm way late today, but I listened to the commentary on this one, and Marti Noxon says that Buffy and Kendra were just pretending to argue about saving Angel in front of Willy and Kendra showing up to save the day was a plan they cooked up before hand. And I'm like, HUH? If that was the intention, it's not there in the episode. Did anyone think that was what was going on?
I sure didn't. I've seen this episode a lot over the years, and that never once occurred to me. @_@
I always thought it was staged. I suspected it was when they were fighting and it was confirmed when Kendra & the others came quickly after Buffy. Spike thought Willy had double-crossed him and was in on it, when in fact Willy was tricked himself.