In the tenth episode of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel’s past returns to haunt him, and the Scoobies are forced into dealing with this. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Buffy.
Okay, before I get into this, I need to say a few things:
- AHAHAHAHAHA I LOVE ANGEL’S ACCENT. IT’S SO AWFUL THAT IT STARTS BEING BEAUTIFUL ONCE YOU THINK ABOUT IT.
- Oh my god, David Boreanaz looks AWFUL with facial hair. This is the funniest cold open this show has ever given us.
- All of the snow in this episode isn’t even close to looking real, so if you imagine that instead, the people who made this show did not care to be realistic, this is suddenly the best use of fake snow in the history of modern television.
- That’s all I have to make fun of.
- You know why?
- HOLY FUCK WHAT DID I JUST WATCH WHY DOES THIS SHOW INSIST ON FUCKING ME UP.
What an emotional, gorgeous, and intense episode of television. There are just so many things that happen here that fill me with feelings and thoughts and sadness and oh my god what the hell. Let’s split this up by character!
Willow/Oz
Stop it. Stop it. Can this just be a guidebook provided to all people ever about how to approach this issue? Like, more so than the last episode, Willow understands that this really isn’t about her, that Oz has to come to terms with their relationship in order to begin forgiving her. Sure, she does think about how this affects her, but her entire role here is one that concedes the fact that Oz was the one who was truly hurt in this situation. She’s all about forgiveness, as she said, so when Oz shows up and appears ready to talk to her, she’s quick to try and show him this.
What’s so interesting to me about this is that I found it realistic that Willow would essentially overthink this entire process. That’s what she does. Hell, that’s what I do. She’s a person who obsesses over the tiny details of everything because she considers herself a scholar of sorts. She treats her attempt at earning Oz’s trust in the same way. She’ll use logic. She’ll give an overwrought presentation. She’ll think of every possible rebuttal, anticipate them all, and give Oz perfection. So watching her act this out is just so believable to me. Whedon so completely gets this character he’s created, and Alyson Hannigan proves to us that she does, too. IT’S JUST SO WONDERFUL TO ME.
But Oz has never been about perfection, and that’s what she misjudges. He’s about feeling. He’s about the now. He appreciates the dynamic of small moments, and he wants that sort of honesty to carry their relationship. While he’s still hurt by what Willow did, he’s willing to try again, and there’s not a set process that she can abide by to repair things. I think that’s the point of the scene at her house. Well, first of all, it’s fucking hilarious. When Barry White’s “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe,” kicks in, I had to cover my mouth to stop myself from bursting out laughing in a coffee shop. It’s so Willow to do this! Yet my favorite part of that scene is Oz saying that he gets the message. Even if he rejects her sexual advance, he recognizes what she is trying to do. She took Buffy’s advice earlier and put Oz first. Perhaps literally so, but Oz recognizes that she is clearly trying to show him that she cares about him first.
Y’all, I just have so many feels for Oz/Willow. WHERE IS MY VERSION OF OZ IN THIS WORLD?????
Xander
I kind of like Xander a lot in this episode??? First of all, Cordelia’s line about his parents was just…what the fuck? What the fuck? I assume that has to be true. We’ve never seen Xander’s parents at all, and I don’t think we know much at all about his home life. Is this what I’ve been missing this whole time? Oh god, I’m interested to see more, but it kind of explains a lot about the guy?
Anyway, for real, that moment he steps into Giles’s office to tell Buffy that he’s going to help her is legit my favorite moment of his in the whole goddamn series. (So far, I mean.) I love that he’s like, “Look, I’ve been a bit of an asshole, but you’re my friend. I am here for you.” And then I swoon because that is the Xander I want to see more often? The best part is that he commits to this. He helps her! And he doesn’t back down!
Oh god, he literally slept in his backyard on Christmas Eve. WHY IS THIS SUCH A TRAGEDY TO ME? Okay, I need a Xander-centric episode explaining this soon.
Faith
Stop it, Buffy. Buffy, what are you doing to my heart? Whedon, who knew you had the capacity to write really adorable and touching storylines that aren’t about crushing my heart? I know her role in this episode is very small. I also knew she was lying about the “party” she was supposed to go to. I expected her to show up at Buffy’s house. Do I care that this was obvious? No. No, I do not. I dig that character, and sometimes, there’s a reason an archetypical plot exists: BECAUSE IT’S REALLY FUCKING GOOD. So yeah, Faith, you can come over for Christmas Eve dinner all you want and we’ll talk about hot boys and sexual conquests and everything will be just perfect.
Giles
Thank you, Whedon, for refusing to ignore the fact that any interaction with Angel is going to make Giles feel awful. Thank you for giving him anger. Thank you for respecting his fury and sadness in this episode. It hurts to watch it, I admit. I know that. I know that Giles is slightly unsatisfied with his life because he misses Jenny Calendar. I also know that you are slightly evil for bringing her back in a way that Giles can’t experience. Still, you showed us a portrait of Giles that was heartbreaking and loving. The fact that Giles puts aside his own distaste for Angel to help him out is just too much for me to handle. That man cares so much. Also, he is really kind of amazing with a crossbow? Okay, I know that’s not the point of that scene, but I can’t help it.
Willy
Sorry, I kind of adore him now? I don’t have anything substantive to say about him. It was nice that he wished them Merry Christmas!
Angel/Buffy
Okay, bad facial hair and accents aside, I was just blown away by Whedon’s story in “Amends.” I believed that this was initially purely going to exist as a way for the show to address Angel’s past head-on. I totally fell for the idea that the Bringers existed to punish Angel and to make us examine the line between Angel and Angelus. It’s still a moral gray area for me, though I was pleased to see that Angel himself didn’t want to fight Giles on the idea that he shouldn’t be blamed for what he’s done. I think he understands that he hurt those around him, even if it was a demon inside his body doing it. He’s not going to tell Giles that his anger is unjustified.
He does take issue with the “punishment” he perceives he’s suffering at the hands of the entity that haunts him. Like Angel, that’s what I thought its purpose was. It made the events of his past real again so he could see what he’d done to people. I didn’t understand why this was happening to him, and I couldn’t understand why it was necessary. The dude just spent like half a year in hell! I think that’s a whole lot of suffering, don’t you? (I do remember that factoid that time passes differently there, right? Or in other dimensions? So now I’m curious. How long was it for Angel there?)
I, of course, did not realize what was happening until the episode basically told me what was going on. It was right when the apparition of Jenny Calendar comforts Angel and says it doesn’t want to cause Angel pain. It was just trying to show him who he was. I mean, the very idea is kind of messed up, isn’t it? Like, HERE IS A MOMENT FROM YOUR PAST WHERE YOU WERE AN AWFUL CREATURE. Look how good you were at being evil. So this is the power that brought him out of hell? The First Evil wanted to compliment Angel on his evil??? The dude can’t even catch a break when he is RETRIEVED FROM THE DEPTHS OF HELL.
I didn’t think The First’s plan would work until I stopped and realized how genius it was. Angel’s past was brought before him to show him that time and time again, he found ways to totally and completely ruin people. This wasn’t just about him doing shitty things. He ruined lives, possibly hundreds of times. It’s an attack on his identity because it forces him to start to think about how his actions define him as a person. Can he escape what he’s done, or is it always going to be a part of who he is?
After much brooding and pained consternation, Angel comes to the conclusion that he is what he has done, and there’s no way around it for him. Ugh, that scene in Buffy’s bedroom is just horrifying to watch. JENNY I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND WHY DO YOU COME BACK TO THE SHOW JUST FOR THIS. I just want Jenny back so badly, but Whedon hates joy.
Angel resolves that the only way to avoid destroying those he cares about is to rid the world of his presence, and that’s when this show gives us the weepiest scene ever. I mean that as a compliment. Just so many tears in five minutes. Oh my god, I love it. I love the writing for their lines, I love Sarah Michelle Gellar’s acting, and hell, I even love how utterly cheesy it is that the sun doesn’t come up because there’s a freak snowstorm. Also, this:
“Strong is fighting. It’s hard and it’s painful and it’s every day. It’s what we have to do, and we can do it together, but if you’re too much of a coward for that, then burn.”
Yeah, holy shit, this is so amazing to me. I love that Whedon gives Buffy this moment to remind Angel that he hurt her, too, and that even despite this, she still loves him. I mean, seriously, how is this show real? How is this real life???
I don’t know that it’s confirmed or anything, but it seems that Buffy and Angel might give their relationship another try. At the very least, the out-of-nowhere snow fall convinces Angel that perhaps he should live another day. I don’t know how the two can navigate a relationship when Angel isn’t allowed to be happy, but I appreciate the emotional end to this episode. That’s some damn fine writing, Whedon. Also, I am fully expecting this nice moment to last maybe five episodes. MAYBE.
Death Count: None. For once! Total: 30?
Thoughts on Amends:
-LMAO Angel/dat mustache OTP forever.
-Angel/dat accent less so.
-A g-g-g-gh- g-g-g-gh- DEAD GUY! :O
-Cornelia Hayes O’Herlihy. Damn that’s a cool name.
-Cordelia that was a great scene I hope to see more of you this episode. Or not I guess.
-Oz it’s great that you tell us when you have feelings you never felt before. Let me know when you have a facial expression you’ve never had before i.e. a second one. *puts on sunglasses and raises arm in expectation of high fives even though I know in my heart of hearts that I’m not being entirely fair*
-Hey Oz and Willow I really like it when you talk passionlessly about hugging/kissing/etc. before you do so. One, two, three, UH NOT.
-Wow, Joyce shot down Buffy’s idea to invite Giles pretty damn fast, didn’t she? You can’t hide from your feelings forever.
-I can’t decide whether I want Giles or Spike to be Buffy’s new daddy.
-oh hey Faith still exists what’re the odds?
-Giles I love everything you are.
-OH SHIT IT’S JENNY.
-goodness Angel you are annoying when you hyperventilate
-Is this maid Cornelia Hayes O’Herlihy? Seriously I love dat fuckin’ name.
-“…and will not notice the absence of canapé.” Joss, this line is really obnoxious, even for you. And David’s accent ain’t doing it no favors.
-ANGEL STOP BEING MEAN TO CORNELIA HAYES O’HERLIHY. SHE HAS A SON.
-I cannot get over that mustache.
-Ghost Jenny you are so wonderfully sassy can you follow Angel around forever?
-Xander, you’re alright sometimes.
-Angel keep up the ragged breathing it is very effective at portraying your emotional turmoil.
-I bet this dream sequence made for some really misleading promos.
-Turns out I can’t take this episode seriously. Sorry I’m not sorry.
-“A double shot… Of information, pal!” Xander’s pretty awesome when he’s just a huge dork who wants to be cool.
-Oh ew this Willoz scene. Ew. I don’t know it just makes me cringe something awful.
-Angel this was going to be a beautiful Faith/Buffy party until you showed up.
-Jenny stop telling Angel to nail Buffy. I take it back you are not wonderfully sassy NOT WONDERFULLY SASSY AT ALL.
-“Not the plan”? ting ting ting ting. ting ting ting ting.
-The First Evil? Mo’ like The Worst Evil.
-Angel you’re so tragic lmao
-“I can smell the sunrise” srsly lmao
-“I wanna take comfort in you.” lol ok angel look at what you are saying
-“I hate that it’s so hard and that you can hurt me so much.” OH JOSS
-it’s a Hanukkah miracle!
-JOSS BLESS US EVERY ONE
Hey just FYI because I was pretty hard on them this episode, it’s cool if you like Willow/Oz, but for some reason I can’t stand them and I can’t really put my finger on why. Am I the only one?
"Ghost Jenny you are so wonderfully sassy can you follow Angel around forever?"
I would actually love it if the entire of the show 'Angel' had ghost!Jenny following him around being sassy. Kind of like headSix with Baltar on Battlestar Galactica.
This is all I want from the show. Now I'm just gonna be bitterly disappointed when it doesn't happen.
Every time Angel says “Huh?” or something, it’s because a ghost version of Jenny is being sassy to him in his head. Canon.
omg, that would be actual fax AMAZING. headJenny! I love your brain.
I can't decide whether I want Giles or Spike to be Buffy's new daddy.
As a Buffy/Spike shipper from S2 and onward, this should probably squick me. AND YET I AM STILL CHARMED BY THE IDEA OF JOYCE/SPIKE AND STEP-DAD SPIKE.
judging myself right now.
Well, isn't one of the themes of Buffy that friends, lovers, family, and enemies are sort of hard to tell apart? So, hey, why not?
I'd say that's more Game of Thrones.
diiiiid you see the fanfiction where that happens? I posted a link to it in an earlier review, but I can't remember whether that was in reply to you or someone else.
actually, no! um… is it good? I love me some good fanfiction, so you have me intrigued now…
You should definitely read the warnings before downloading it, as it's not for everyone. But it's definitely compulsively readable. Nauti is one of my favorite fanfic writers.
"-I can't decide whether I want Giles or Spike to be Buffy's new daddy."
IMO, Spike can't become Buffy's daddy cause he is practically her adoptive brother by now.
"Is this maid Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy? Seriously I love dat fuckin' name."
Yes, she is. Huh. The maid was called Margaret, and she played HRH Princess Margaret in the movie Gods and Monsters that same year.
"-V pna'g qrpvqr jurgure V jnag Tvyrf be Fcvxr gb or Ohssl'f arj qnqql."
Fubpx! Ibzvg!
-"Not the plan"? ting ting ting ting. ting ting ting ting.
Hahhahahaha, as soon as they mentioned "Harbingers," I was like YOU ARE THE HARBINGER OF DEATH KARA THRACE YOU WILL LEAD THEM ALL TO THEIR DOOM
I do have serious thoughts, but I have to get this one out of the way:
Can we all just agree that the real star of this episode is David Boreanaz's long-hair wig? Because YES.
YES that thing is so awful and hilarious!
It honestly looks like the costume department went to a Party City store and bought one of the wigs that come in plastic bags. "What's this? Hippie wig? If we take off the flowered headband it'll be perfect!"
I know, I was so excited for the accent to come back with a mustache companion, but I was totally okay for it being traded out for that wig. THAT WIG.
KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!
Well, I bet y’all just thought this episode would destroy me, huh?
I bet you were just thinking ‘Ha, she thinks she’s getting over Jenny Calendar’s death! Wait until she gets to that episode where we see Jenny again only it’s not really her it’s some super-evil demon thing! But she spends the whole time guilt tripping Angel about killing her and also there’s one scene where she appears behind Giles only he can’t see her. And she touches his arm.”
I bet you thought that was going to make me just fall to pieces didn’t ya? I bet you thought that seeing Jenny again, even if it wasn’t really her, would just bring back alllll those memories of how wonderful she was and how much I loved her and how awful her death was and how much I miss her.
Well, you know what?
You were fucking right.
Godddd, when am I going to get over this? When are they going to let me get over this?? Is there some mental button I can push that will make me not care anymore and just get on with enjoying the rest of the show? Because really, this is getting ridiculous. It happened nearly a whole season ago. I DO NOT NEED AL THESE FEELINGS. PLEASE TAKE THEM AWAY NOW.
In other news, there was some room for levity here. I didn’t think there was anything in the world funnier than Angel doing shirtless Tai-Chi. That was before I saw past!Angel with dodgy facial hair.
Angel, look at your life. Look at your choices.
All joking aside, this episode did do a lot to change my attitude towards Angel. I think it’s something that we really needed in the show – we’ve been told time and time again that Angel is penitent for what he did as Angelus, and that he suffers terrible guilt, but it was nice to actually, well…see it. This whole episode is basically centred around what a crappy time he has, and though the First Evil might be the impetus for this particular crisis, it’s clear that this is something he has to live with every day. It’s also clear that he’s willing to do literally whatever it takes to make things right, up to and including suicide. And…yeah, I was pretty convinced by Buffy’s speech to him. She’s right, killing himself isn’t to going to solve anything. It’s not gonna bring back the people he’s harmed, and if he really wants to make amends, he has to continue to live and actively atone for what he did.
Bottom line: I may not like the guy, but I can have a certain amount of respect for him. He tries to do the right thing, even if it kills him.
Ok, confession time: I loved the final scene with the snow. It was incredibly cheesy, I know, but I loved it nonetheless. Just the music, and seeing Xander in his little sleeping bag and Faith with Joyce and…and…this is the kind of genuinely happy moment that comes few and far between in this show, so I’m gonna hold on to it for all it’s worth.
Narm Charm FTW.
I bet you were just thinking ‘Ha, she thinks she’s getting over Jenny Calendar’s death! Wait until she gets to that episode where we see Jenny again only it’s not really her it’s some super-evil demon thing! But she spends the whole time guilt tripping Angel about killing her and also there’s one scene where she appears behind Giles only he can’t see her. And she touches his arm.”
Am I a bad person if I did, in fact, think this?
And I love that you're coming around to Angel. He's an interesting character that definitely keeps your on your emotional toes. And hooray for loving the magical snow!
I bet you thought that was going to make me just fall to pieces didn’t ya?
I may have actually written: OHSHIT JENNY! Oh enigmaticagentscully 🙁 in my notes (with the frowny face and everything). I feel like I should apologise for this, *hugs*
“I bet you thought that was going to make me just fall to pieces didn’t ya?”
Yup. 🙂 And I was waiting with anticipation for it too.
Here’s the thing I see with Angel/Angelus. The personality changes because of the soul. He’s still a demon ya know? But the soul gives him conscience, compassion and guilt.. the raw demon can’t overcome the soul.. hence we get Angel, not Angelus. So he did do all those things… because he’s not Yvnz and hasn’t been in a very long time, only now he’s very, very, very sorry for it all and it makes him do good instead.
Is it strange that when you mentioned Angel showing his feelings, my first thought was that I like the soft gray sweater on him, that he doesn't just wear black?
Yes, we were pretty confident it would crush you. But in a very caring way.
I had 2 complaints about this episode:
1. What was going on with the hair and makeup department? Buffy had wispy bangs AND side-swept bangs? Why would anyone need 2 sets of bangs? I think wispy bangs are really cute, but on Buffy they kind of looked like a mullet. Maybe SMG cut her hair and this is all they had to work with. I don’t know, but it was weird. AND THEN FLASHBACK ANGEL. DISASTER. I imagine their decision-making process went something like this: “shit, we forgot about Angel. How about we give him a long, silky wig and…a MOUSTACHE! Everyone knows long hair + facial hair = period piece! Yes. Good. We’ve got this”.
2. I feel like the episode just…ended. What the First Evil did to Angel was REALLY EVIL, but it didn’t really seem to think things through. Was there no backup plan? I don’t think this is the last we’ll see of the First Evil, but I can’t help but feel unsatisfied. And I don’t understand the magic snow. It was beautiful, but the scene with Buffy and Angel was SO GOOD that the snow seemed jarring and weird, not magical.
Cont’d
Other than those 2 things, I really enjoyed this episode! I LOVED the tiny bit of information we got about Xander. NEED MORE SCOOBIES BACKSTORY! Seriously, we spend so much time with Willow and Xander and we barely know anything about them! It’s time to meet their families! Especially Xander. I feel like I know more about Willow than I do about him.
As much as I complain about Angel, I didn’t enjoy watching him relive all the terrible things he’d done. It’s much easier for me to say “I hate Angel! I wish him only the worst!” than to actually see it and see how it’s affecting him. I also spend a lot of time complaining about his relationship with Buffy, but I really love some of their scenes together, like the one at the very end of this episode. I think some of the show’s strongest acting and writing is in those scenes.
ALSO, THANKS FOR RETURNING JENNY TO US, WHEDON. AS IF THIS EPISODE WASN’T UPSETTING ENOUGH.
"2. V srry yvxr gur rcvfbqr whfg…raqrq. Jung gur Svefg Rivy qvq gb Natry jnf ERNYYL RIVY, ohg vg qvqa’g ernyyl frrz gb guvax guvatf guebhtu."
Ynqvrf naq tragyrzra, gur Svefg Rivy! Znfgre bs zvaq tnzrf, ohg vs lbh orng uvz, lbh jva! Abg gur fznegrfg bs rarzvrf, naq cebonoyl rkcynvaf jul zbfg inzcverf gel gb xvyy gur Fynlre vafgrnq bs ehaavat njnl.
Buffy's terrible bangs REALLY bothered me in this episode. (IIRC, they're gone in the next one?!) Nice to know I'm not the only one.
That's what she gets for spending all season bleaching them blonder and blonder.
They’re so strange!! She’s got these little wispy ones, and then in the next scene she’s got long, side-swept ones, and then she’s back to wispy! I haven’t seen the next episode yet, but I really hope they’re gone.
Regarding bangs: Npghnyyl, Pbeql trgf cerggl fvzvyne barf va frnfba guerr bs Natry, naq juvyr V guvax gurl fhvg ure orggre guna Ohssl, V fgvyy ungr gurz.
"V qba’g guvax guvf vf gur ynfg jr’yy frr bs gur Svefg Rivy"
Uru.. ururur..
Jryy vg jvyy or fbzr gvzr orsber jr frr vg ntnva. Vg'yy or pbby jura gur Oevatref ner fubja sbe gur svefg gvzr va frnfba 7. Ybbx sbejneq gb gubfr ernpgvbaf. Frr vs nalbar erzrzoref.
V unq npghnyyl pbzcyrgryl sbetbggra gung gur Oevatref jrer va guvf rcvfbqr, naq gung gur Svefg fubjrq hc fb rneyl nf jryy. V erzrzorerq gung gur Svefg jnf va na rcvfbqr orsber gur frnfba frira nep, ohg V gubhtug vg jnf va yvxr, gur svsgu frnfba be fbzrguvat.
V unq sbetbggra nf jryy ol gur gvzr frnfba 7 pnzr nebhaq qhevat gur bevtvany eha.
vg znqr zr fb onq gung gur 1fg rivy jnf gur ovt onq sbe frnfba 7 orpnhfr v unq fcrag 4+ lrnef nethvat jvgu crbcyr ba gur ohssl.pbz zrffntr obneqf gung gur 1fg rivy jnf abg gung ovt bs n qrny naq jnf xvaq bs n ynzrfnhpr onqqvr.
gura anguna svyyvba unccrarq…..hzz uv jung? ABBBBBBB
Don't use the word "lame" on this site.
Well, Angel killing himself kinda was the Plan B. Plan A was getting him to kill Buffy.
Or to lose his soul. So suicide was plan c, but an acceptable plan c to the baddie.
Well, lose his soul = kill Buffy.
True.
V qba’g guvax guvf vf gur ynfg jr’yy frr bs gur Svefg Rivy, Lrf, V srry gung vf n inyvq nffrffzrag, gubhtu gur jnvg vf ybatre guna lbh nffhzr.
SO VERY UNPREPARED.
Re the magic snow and the first evil….. Just musing…. The First Evil took credit for bringing Angel back, but did it really? Does the snow signify that something greater and more benevolent had a plan for Angel?
A nice, rather serious Christmas episode, where everybody comes back together and is happy and cheerful.
Except for Xander, he has got to have the most depressing Christmas ever and so does Giles, poor lonely guys.
(Vg’f fb qvssrerag jngpuvat guvf rcvfbqr abj, xabjvat ubj gur Svefg bcrengrf naq ubj abobql pna frr vg. Gur Svefg vf ylvat nobhg oevatvat Natry onpx sebz uryy, evtug? Gur jnl gung gur CGO yngre pynvz uvz nf gurve punzcvba, vg jnf zbfg yvxryl gurz gung tbg uvz bhg.)
I love the interaction between Giles and Angel, it’s so tense; Giles would probably not have a problem with killing the vampire on the spot and Angel is so helpless at this moment.
And seeing Jenny there, I guess Mark and Alice will need a lot of hugs today.
I wonder if it was intentional that Buffy shared Angel’s dreams or if it was simply her Slayer dreams. It could also indicate their close connection to each other.
I love Christmas, but I wouldn’t mind spending it with the Scoobies researching demons.
Buffy’s hair is weird in this episode.
I think Amends is a great character study of Angelus.
He’s not simply any demon, but the worst, most vicious kind.
He was so evil that now the first evil is going to such lengths as to try and convert Angel back to its side.
Angel on the other hand is dangerous as an enemy, so that the First wants him dead when it can’t convince him to lose his soul again. (Yvxr Jbysenz & Uneg jub gevrq vg gur bgure jnl nebhaq.)
"Fbbare be yngre lbh jvyy qevax ure" Lrf ur jvyy naq jba'g gung or n cnvashy guvat gb jngpu.
Oh yes, the Oz/Willow/sexy music moment. It’s sweet and cute, but all I can do is laugh at Oz’ dramatic gestures and the soda in the wine cooler.
Willow looks pretty though and I’m glad that they repaired their relationship.
“Angel’s on top again.” That line is so wonderful ambiguous, makes me smile every time.
Angel’s exit through the window looks so strange. Did he just jump headfirst with his hands in his hair?
Vampire in the Buffyverse can commit suicide by sunlight and without a stupid committee. A dark and haunting past is a much better motivation than a girl. (Sorry for the Twilight comparison, but it’s hard not think of it while watching this scene. Oh, SMeyer, you’ve corrupted all the great Angel moments.)
That conversation with Buffy and Angel on the hill gives his character much more depth. We see how he thinks about himself, how hard it is for him to forgive himself. No wonder he is brooding all the time.
I love that it snows and the sun his nowhere in side, a bit cheesy, but the world is simply not done with Angel.
Fbbare be yngre lbh jvyy qevax ure" Lrf ur jvyy naq jba'g gung or n cnvashy guvat gb jngpu.
cnvashy va na bzt, gung'f ernyyl cerggl sernxvat ubg, xvaqn jnl? pnhfr, vs fb, v'z jvgu ln!
gung fprar gheaf zr ba zber guna vg cebonoyl fubhyq
Evtug? Yvxr, oybbq-qevaxvat npghnyyl fdhvpxf zr bhg hfhnyyl, ohg gur jnl gung fprar vf fubg… *snaf frys*
"Gur Svefg vf ylvat nobhg oevatvat Natry onpx sebz uryy, evtug?"
vqx, V unir nyjnlf nffhzrq gung Gur Svefg ernyyl qvq oevat Natry onpx (orpnhfr RRRRivy naq Jbysenz & Uneg pbagvahr gb frr Natry nf n cbgragvny sbepr sbe rivy) ohg gung gur CGO frag gur fabj. Ohg gubfr ner whfg zl gubhtugf. V guvax vg'f bcra raqrq ba checbfr.
Yeah, I agree with this interpretation.
V'z whfg tvttyvat bire CGO fraqvat zvenpyr fabj. V'z fbeel, gur fabj jvyy arire abg znxr zr tvttyr.
I am the grand-daughter of Irish immigrants who both grew up in Dublin but English to the core, and I started laughing uncontrollably at Angel's accent. Oh my god.
I love it when my grandparents talk lyrical, going "ehm" instead of "um" and my dad who grew up in London can say "Close the door after you on the way out" in Gaelic and just… show, look at your life and look at your choices, and then look back to that accent and please have you even ever met an Irish person.
I don't really have any sensible, intelligent critique for this episode. Only delicious lulz. Might go watch Father Ted to cure myself of this pervasive lulz. (However, as a P.S. FAITH <3)
Father Ted! My friend just recently introduced me to this show so I’ve only seen a few episodes but its all kinds of fantastic!
Slightly spoilery for Angel season 1:
Whfg n pbhcyr bs jrrxf (naq fbzr qnlf) njnl sebz Natry! Vg'f fb avpr gung gbgnyyl yrtvg Vevfu thl Tyraa Dhvaa vf ba gung fubj.
Bu, ubj V ybir gung Tnryvp yvyg! V jngpu Oevgvfu GI fubjf whfg va gur ubcr gung na Vevfu crefba jvyy or ba. Senapnvf, or qnzarq; Vgnyvn, uhfu abj – Tnryvp vf gur gehr ynathntr bs ybir naq ornhgl, qrnevrf.
Jryy…Tnrvytr vf gur Vevfu sbe gur Vevfu ynathntr. Frpbaqyl, vg'f qrgrfgrq ol fb znal crbcyr va Verynaq orpnhfr bs gur jnl vg'f gnhtug naq vf qrsvavgryl abg nf ebznagvp nf Serapu be Vgnyvna. Vg'f zber bs n urnil gbathr yvxr Trezna.
Vg'f irel cebfr onfrq, r.t. lbh pna'g fnl n fvzcyr lrf be ab, naq "Ner lbh uhatel?" – "Gurer vf uhatre ba zr" be "Gur uhatre bs gur jbeyq vf ba zr", vs lbh'er irel uhatel.
My granddad certainly didn't get along with it in school; it was the one lesson he really didn't like. I love the accent, but the spellings would tie my tongue in two.
Bu zna, V gbgnyyl sbetbg guvf gur svefg gvzr jr frr be urne bs Gur Svefg! Uvf zvaq jvyy or fb oybja jura jr uvg Frnfba Frira!
V erzrzore erjngpuvat guvf rcvfbqr qhevat frnfba frira, orsber gur svefg unq orra erirnyrq naq whfg univat zl zvaq oybja.
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/riunhv.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Oh my god…
no. help. having hysterics.
Someone call an ambulance.
*hits alice with defib* Breathe!
WHY IS DB MOVING IN FAST MOTION SO FUNNY?
I…I can't. I really can't!!!
AHAHAHAHAHA!
…
wait
…
NUNUNUNUNUN!
Anyone who doesn't know about rot13 must think that everyone here is obsessed with nuns somehow :D.
You finally got to use this! 😀 It really is a perfect gif for everything that ever happens on Buffy, not to mention trolls who you can't be bothered to argue with.
He's running in circles!
Ha, ha. Angel actually says "I can't" in this episode, like a person on the Internet.
Death Count: None. For once!
<img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_luxmbwHW6r1r20rgjo1_500.gif" alt="Everybody lives!"/>
plzletmyhtmlworkthistime
Aww, beat me to it.
Great gif! <3
A joyously ecstatic Doctor is the best Doctor. *hugs him*
V jnf guvaxvat bs guvf ersrerapr sbe Gur Cebz. Vg unf gur evtug nzbhag bs purrfl, jnez, unccvarff naq Ohssl trgf ure cresrpg uvtu fpubby zbzrag. Jr'yy unir gb oevat vg onpx
Svefg bar gb cbfg trgf n pbbxvr!
I don't know, do past deaths count? Cause evil!Angel totally kills the gambler and the maid in the flashbacks.
So my dad has retired temporarily from the pressure of celebrity, but I will bring you a one-off Alice’s Sister’s Stupid Comment Of the Episode:
Alice’s Sister: Hey, is that snow?? But you don’t get snow in California! They just spent the whole episode talking about how hot and sunny it is!
Alice: That’s…kind of the point, dude.
Alice’s Sister: Oh, is it MAGIC snow?
Alice : …
Alice’s Sister: I don’t get it.
I did not get the magic snow either. Vampires, witches, werewolves- I can deal with that! Magic snow- nope, too ridiculous. You’ve gone too far.
I was okay with the idea of it magically snowing, but not with the 6 inches of snow piled up on the ground after. You don't get snow to stick unless your ground is frozen. Considering they mention it was super-hot the days before the miracle snow, all it should have done was melt on contact and everything would have gotten very wet.
Also, that whole scene at dawn was nowhere near dawn, time-wise. They clearly shot that scene around midnight or so; not even a hint of light in the sky. If you're going to have the vampire threaten suicide by sun, at least make it look somewhere close to morning, not the middle of the night.
It can often take five or even ten takes to film one specific scene. If you try filming exactly at sunrise, it means you have to take five or even ten days to make that one scene, since if you get it wrong you can't tell the sun to go back down again and come in on cue for take two. 🙂
They could have added the light during edit, but they're special effects budget maybe wasn't enough to do that? Or fake light from lamps off screen. Something.
I chalk up the no light to the miracle snow that's coming. Lots of storm clouds = no sunrise. *shrug*
I like the snow and the questions that come with it. I mean, maybe I'm too German, but isn't it *possible* that it's happening purely by accident? It could be god, or it could be the First Evil still trying to sink its toes into Angel – and I'm pretty sure that there was a lot of talk with Joss Whedon about wether or not he believed in god after this episode (answer to those that don't know: No, he's an atheist) … but the possibilites … I adore ambiguity.
I think I missed the magic snow. Probably just as well. It would only have added the confusion I was already experiencing at the magic shredded paper falling from the sky.
IT DOES SNOW HERE. WE HAVE SOME GREAT SKI RESORTS.
…It just doesn't snow in the part of California where Buffy lives. Well, not really. I mean, I live in Los Angeles, and it snowed here a little bit when I was a toddler. My parents have the pictures to prove it. So once every few decades we might get light dusting of snow.
Get that girl an imagination, stat.
My poor sister is rather literal minded. She has problem with vague symbolic stuff. It goes right over her head.
And yes, I'm being deliberately insulting because I know full well she lurks on here and stalks my comments.
HI ELLA!
Hi Ella!! Here, have a symbolic cookie.. oh.. wait..
😛
Hi Ella, can you feel us symbolically thinking about you?
…
I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore.
Poor Ella. Gifted with such an awesome sister and father, and fatally imagination-challenged. 🙁
>You are now Ella
>You attempt to imagine Magic Snow
Your IMAGINATION Stat is too low to imagine Magic Snow!
A friend of mine who genuinely no-holds-barred loathes Angel cannot stop ranting about the Goddamn Miracle Christmas Snow. ^.^
I remember when this episode aired, everybody in my high school was complaining about the Magic Snow, then the next week there was a freak snowstorm somewhere in that area of CA. You just gotta believe!
I mean this in the best possible way, but your sister's comments remind me of Principle Snyder.
"Is it magic snow?…I don't get it."
"Is it avant garde?…I don't get it."
Sorry, Ella!
I'll have to rewatch the episode again, because I can't remember a lot of details. Mostly because of the awful, awful fake snow at the end. I don't know, that just totally kicked me out of the show and distracted me from the important emotional things that were happening. It was a very touching scene, I know! And yet I couldn't do anything but laugh because omg Joss Whedon, what is that snow? Do you even understand how snow works? What are you doing?
Sorry. Midwesterner here. I expect Hollywood types to screw up snow, but man, that was a pretty spectacular fail.
(I do remember that factoid that time passes differently there, right? Or in other dimensions? So now I’m curious. How long was it for Angel there?)
I don't know, but I think I was told it was like… a hundred years or something? I'm not sure if we ever get an exact figure, but it was a pretty damn long chunk of time. Which is why I understand the others' anger at Angel, but… seriously. A hundred years of torture! In Hell! And then the First shows up to guilt him even more. He did terrible things, but… I feel like he's probably been punished enough, you know? Cut the guy some slack. ):
Anyway, those are my thoughts. Oh, and Oz continues to be perfect, seriously. I love him, and even though Willow seriously screwed up and it might not work out, Oz/Willow is probably my OTP of the show. <3 them.
Yeah, in Beauty and the Beasts Buffy speculates that Angel spent hundreds of years trapped in hell. But Angel himself hasn't chipped in on the topic
I think there's a difference between Angel being punished for his actions by spending time in hell and actively making amends for his past actions back on Earth. Yes, he's been punished sufficiently, which I think is why he got released from hell (I'm not a big believer in eternities). But now he needs to start fighting the good fight, and this seems to be the push he needed to get on that path.
I can see that; even when he was acting on the side of good before, he never seemed to actively pursue the role– he left the Slaying to Buffy, mostly. It does seem like he needed a push to take a more active role in making amends and working for good, instead of just occasionally helping the good guys. Still, it also seems like the Scoobies, especially at first, seem to ignore the whole time spent in hell. Granted they're dealing with a lot of their own drama right now, but… it would be nice for them to acknowledge that Angel did suffer some as a result of his/Angelus' actions.
About the snow:
RIGHT?! I'm Canadian, so I'm practically an expert on the stuff. When I was a a kid, we used to to have snow on HALLOWEEN, and it wouldn't go completely away until, like, May. Global warming or whatever has changed this a bit (my dad just bought a new snowmobile before Christmas and is STILL waiting for enough snow to use it, though where I live a few hours away we have about a foot and a half) but I still find it really weird not to have a white Christmas (which we just barely did last year! :D).
Anyway, the biggest thing that gets me (besides, as mentioned, the sudden build-up of snow when the ground isn' frozen, and the OMG MAGIC SNOW ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?!?!?) is the way it lays on the street. SNOW DOES NOT LAND AND FORM LITTLE PILES LIKE THAT. If the surface is flat, like paved street, newly fallen snow lies flat on it. It doesn't form any kind of shape until plows go by/things like branches fall in it/kids go out to play/ there's something sizable under it etc. It does not look like a set dresser unevenly dumped shredded paper on it. I mean, really, couldn't you have at least taken a rake or roller to it?
THAT ALWAYS BUGS ME TOO. It's supposed to look like a blanket, not like a bunch of cotton balls.
I have three words about this episode: CALIFORNIAN. MIRACLE. SNOW.
This is one of the silliest things ever. It takes itself so seriously that I can only point at my screen and laugh at it.
Tbq'f ohxxnxr fnirf Natry?
German titile: Heimsuchungen – Hauntings.
While checking if that really was the best fit, I found out that there's a feast day called the Visitation, or in German Mariä Heimsuchung, which kinda sounds unintentionally ~spooky~ like 'holy ghost'.
Mariä Himmelfahrt
That's… the assumption, right? Gah, it's been a while since I catholicked.
But literally, that's Mary's Ride to Heaven, if any Anglophones want to laugh at our German ways of doing things (okay, or just journey, but the modern primary meaning of Fahrt is a car or train drive).
Also, as I'm on a ~linguistics~ trip, let me point out that German borrows Latin declension for Mary (and for Jesus, too), so visitatio/assumptio Mariae > Mariä Heimsuchung/Himmelfahrt.
This is really immature, but 'Himmelfahrt' made me laugh. A lot.
I think the idea of Mary's heavenly 'fahrt' is what gets me.
…
…
*holds my poor native language* Don't listen to those mean Anglophones, baby, I will always love you…
Hmmm…the title. The episode also fits the whole "ghost story for Christmas" tradition in England. If you think of Jenny as a ghost, and Angel as being haunted.
"I'm the Ghost of Bad Wigs and Accents Past!"
Just pretend it's actually ashfall.
(No lie, one of the years I lived in Southern California we did get so much ash from the forest fires that it looked like it was snowing for several days. There were drifts of white ash piled up on the sides of the roads and sidewalks. So, miracle snow in SoCal? Yeah, that's the image that comes to mind.)
Tbq'f ohxxnxr fnirf Natry?
WHY IS IT SO HARD TO LAUGH AND VOMIT SIMULTANEOUSLY???
I believe the Visitation is the commemoration of the pre-nativity visit of Mary to her pregnant cousin Elizabeth, so more pregant girls swapping stories and less with the spooky.
Look, I know this episode is kind of ridiculous at times (miracle snow!) and Angel has really bad hair and a mustache and his horrendous Irish accent is back. Plus, whoever pointed out that Buffy’s bangs were terrible in yesterday’s comments was entirely accurate. But, ultimately, this episode gets to me every time I watch it.
The First is the kind of bad guy that I find to be the most frightening. Its strength is through its powers of persuasion and its ability to manipulate a person (or vampire) through their emotional weaknesses by warping the truth just a little bit. Plus, seeing the First through Jenny Calendar is just absolutely creepy and heartbreaking.
Also, we have Xander reminding me why I like him as a character (Maybe it’s the Hanukkah spirit) . And Willow’s back to making me think she’s adorable again. And Giles with the crossbow!
But, in the end, what makes this episode for me is Buffy and particularly this bit at the end of the episode:
Buffy: What about me? I love you so much… And I tried to make you go away… I killed you and it didn't help. (crying) And I hate it! I hate that it's *so* hard… and that you can hurt me *so* much. I know everything that you did, because you did it to me. Oh, God! I wish that I wished you dead. I don't. (whispers) I can't.
Angel: Buffy, please. Just this once… let me be strong.
Buffy: Strong is fighting! It's hard, and it's painful, and it's every day. It's what we have to do. And we can do it together. But if you're too much of a coward for that, then burn. If I can't convince you that you belong in this world, then I don't know what can. But do *not* expect me to watch. And *don't* expect me to mourn for you, because…
I start crying at the end of this episode every single time I watch it because those emotions are just so real it is beautiful (plus I love a good Christmas “miracle”—that’s why that one episode of Bones (The Man in the Fallout Shelter) makes me weep even just thinking about it).
Vagrerfgvatyl gung frpbaq cnentencu bs Ohssl’f pybfryl rpubrf gur raq bs frnfba svir naq BZJS “Gur uneqrfg guvat va guvf jbeyq… vf gb yvir va vg. Or oenir. Yvir…”
And now, official stuff!
Episode 10: Amends
Written and directed by Joss Whedon
Original Airdate: 12/15/98
“The Christmas spirit is dead in Sunnydale. Buffy, Giles and the gang’s research into why Angel has been sent back to Earth, lead them to “The First Evil” and the first snow Sunnydale has ever seen. Meanwhile, Willow and Oz decide to give their relationship another shot.”
Eh. The First is my absolute least favorite type of villain. It’s such a grandiose concept (the first evil EVER) that any execution will seem piddling in comparison. It struck me as faintly ridiculous that Joss needed to bring in ~the fucking personification of evil~ to give Angel a crisis of faith. Give me a Spike, Anyanka or Gwendolyn Post level of villain any day of the week.
The First isn't my favorite kind of villain, just one of the kinds that scares me the most (along with monsters that don't speak–like the Weeping Angels, and creepy children–The Ring has ruined me forever). My favorite kind are actually more like the Mayor. Affably evil, but still very intimidating and effective.
Affably evil is the best evil.
I really doubt that The First Evil is actually the first evil. All the demons like to say they're the first and greatest evil.
Nppbeqvat gb Orywbkn'f Rlr, gur Svefg rkvfgrq onpx jura rirelguvat jnf gur ibvq.
Vg'f gur Ohsslirefr irefvba bs Fngna. Gung'f jul Ebovn YnZbegr ershfrq gb pbzr onpx ntnva — fur unf irel fgebat Puevfgvna oryvrsf, naq qvqa'g ernyvmr sbe guvf rcvfbqr gung fur jbhyq onfvpnyyl or gur qrivy vapneangr, ohg bapr fur ernyvmrq jung vg jnf fur qvqa'g jnag gb qb vg ntnva.
Abg dhvgr, npghnyyl, fvapr Pnyro fnvq "gur qrivy vf n yvggyr zna" naq nppbeqvat gb ''Natry'', gurer'f n qrivy gung znqr n ebobg gung bar gvzr. Npghnyyl, lbh whfg znqr zr ernyvmr gung Fngna va gur Ovoyr vfa'g ernyyl gur *vapneangvba* bs rivy, whfg gur zbfg rivyrfg bs ragvgvrf, jurernf gur Svefg vf gur ryrzragny pbaprcg bs rivy.
V ernyvmr vg'f abg npghnyyl Fngna — Wbff, nf na ngurvfg, jbhyqa'g chg fhpu n Puevfgvna pbaprcg va uvf fubj. Ohg vg vf fhccbfrq gb or gur bccbfvgr gb gur CGO, juvpu guvf rcvfbqr pbagenfgf ernyyl jryy, naq fb vg vf gur pybfrfg guvat jr unir.
Vs lbh nfx zr, vg'f n zber vagvzvqngvat ivyynva guna Fngna.
Gung V'yy nterr jvgu. 🙂
Darn it, even READING that exchange just made me cry.
I find something creepy about images that can talk and think but don't "physically" exist. Like the messengers in Battlestar Galactica.
"The Christmas spirit is dead in Sunnydale. Buffy, Giles and the gang’s research into why Angel has been sent back to Earth, lead them to “The First Evil” and the first snow Sunnydale has ever seen. Meanwhile, Willow and Oz decide to give their relationship another shot.”
Apart from the silly opening sentence, that's basically accurate, but chronologically misleading and spoilery.
"Vagrerfgvatyl gung frpbaq cnentencu bs Ohssl’f pybfryl rpubrf gur raq bs frnfba svir naq BZJS “Gur uneqrfg guvat va guvf jbeyq… vf gb yvir va vg. Or oenir. Yvir…”"
V unq gung gubhtug nf jryy, npghnyyl. Orpnhfr vg ernyyl vf Ohssl'f cuvybfbcul, V guvax. Jr trg gur fgneg bs Natry'f arkg rcvfbqr – nobhg svtugvat orpnhfr gurer'f guvatf jbegu svtugvat sbe.
I really thought that Buffy should have invited Xander to her house for Christmas. How suicidal of him to sleep outside at night!! He was lucky enough not stray vamp had fed off of him.
Favorite part was Xander admitting he wasn't a good friend to Buffy when it came to Angel and started making amends.
My mom had to be hospitalized last Tuesday evening and didn't get out until Sunday afternoon, so I brought her my S3 Buffy DVDs and my laptop and we spent a good few hours curled up in her room watching Buffy, including this episode. And let me tell you, there is nothing more awkward than watching first The Wish ("…yeah, the way this Willow and Xander biting Cordelia thing is shot? Totally not a threesome." "Xander wanting to watch Willow go as she tortures Angel? NOT PERVERTED AT ALL!") and then Amends ("Oh my God, Willow is trying to be sexy. She has Barry White. KACI, HELP ME.") with your mother. NOTHING.
Okay, so. I really love the speech Buffy gives Angel at the end and I want to give her ALL THE APPLAUSE for it.
Also, Xander's shitty home life has been mentioned several times in the series before now. I'm not arguing that it excuses any of his behavior (although he's one of my favorite characters, I am staying entirely out of that argument so for the purposes of this comment: I am not saying that it does), but usually, you pick up on characters from broken homes and have lots to say about that, Mark, so I've kind of been surprised by your lack of commenting on it until now. Oh, well.
Svanyyl, GUR SVEFG, LBH THLF. GUR SVEFG. V xabj V'z va gur zvabevgl urer ol fnlvat gung frnfba frira vf zl frpbaq-snibevgr bs gur jubyr frevrf, OHG V ERNYYL YVXR GUNG FRNFBA NAQ GUR SVEFG NF GUR OVT ONQ FB LNLLLLLLL VGF SVEFG NCCRNENAPR URER!
Also, Xander's shitty home life has been mentioned several times in the series before now.
I agree, the comment about his father trying to sell him as well as his mother not recognizing his voice on the phone. Now I can safely say that I believe they were too drunk when those events occurred.
Oh, I feel your awkwardness! It's slightly cringeworthy every time there's a scene with Buffy and Angel having sex when I'm watching the show with my dad.
Qhqr, zl qnq ybbxrq bire zl fubhyqre juvyr V jnf jngpuvat "Qrnq Guvatf." Thrff juvpu fprar?
SO AWKWARD!
Try watching The Sopranos with your mother. OH, GOD, AND WE WATCHED 'THE WIRE' RELIGIOUSLY TOGETHER, AND THEN LIKE ONCE PER SEASON THERE'D BE THIS LOOOONG EXTENDED SEX SCENE. We just sat there not looking at each other and twitching uncomfortably.
I watched the seventh episode of Game of Thrones with my parents.
It was the episode with that one scene.
Yeah…
OH GOD.
OH MY GOD.
And I thought watching Pulp Fiction with parents as an awkward teenager was bad enough.
The Crying Game. With my grandmother. On a Sunday afternoon. When I was 15.
Awkward doesn't quite begin to cover it.
(Seriously, my brother had told my dad that it was a good film 'about the IRA and stuff', and so he'd rented it from the video store for us to watch.)
Aw crap, sorry mods. I may have duped this comment thinking that I'd put in something to get it automatically flagged the first time around :-/
Apparently I did something to get my comment stuck in moderation queue hell?
Anyway, the gist of it was that thanks to a not-very-well explained film recommendation from my brother, my dad rented out The Crying Game from the video store for me and my grandmother to watch together when I was 15.
AWKWARD
Yeah, you did something – you posted a comment. *headdesk* It has been like this since Friday night, it's something on Akismet's end. Tons – and I do mean TONS – of perfectly legit comments have been sent to the moderation queue, and rot13 comments have been sent to the spam pile. Mark emailed them Friday night, but nothing yet. We're still approving approximately ten zillion comments an hour. 😐
I kept getting the "new email" comment notification on my phone today, and EVERY TIME it was "a comment at Mark Watches requires moderation…" *shakes fist at Akismet*
I wondered why all of my Fringe posts had to be approved.
I don't remember exactly what's in episode seven… but that whole series is FULL of things it would be awkward to watch with my parents. o_o I mean, episode one had incest and attempted child murder in, what, the first fifteen minutes?
Haha, I watched The Wire with my mother as well. Just so much awkward cringing.
Also, Xander's shitty home life has been mentioned several times in the series before now. I'm not arguing that it excuses any of his behavior (although he's one of my favorite characters, I am staying entirely out of that argument so for the purposes of this comment: I am not saying that it does), but usually, you pick up on characters from broken homes and have lots to say about that, Mark, so I've kind of been surprised by your lack of commenting on it until now. Oh, well.
I think there have been a lot of subtle comments, but honestly I wouldn't have picked up on anything if it were not for some of the comments on here mentioning it. The things are usually throw-away lines, and they haven't really focused on it. I think its often easier to notice those when you're already aware of the problematic home-life or are looking for it. At least, that's the way it is for me.
Yeah, it's not something I picked up on during my first or even second or third watching. But after picking this series apart for years and getting to the point that I can quote most of it, the subtle things come to light. I still really wish they had made this more obvious.
V YVXR FRNFBA 7 GBBBBBBBB. V guvax vg unf fbzr cnpvat vffhrf, ohg birenyy… V yvxr vg.
Bu naq V jngpurq gur ragver fubj jvgu zl zbz ynfg lrne, naq V jbhyq pbairavragyl qrpvqr gb tb znxr hf n fanpx va gur xvgpura qhevat Fcvxr/Ohssl fprarf sebz frnfba 6 orpnhfr BZT V QB ABG ARRQ GB JNGPU GJB CRBCYR UNIVAT FHPU EBHTU FRK GUNG GURL QRFGEBL N UBHFR JVGU ZL ZBGURE FVGGVAT ARKG GB ZR.
Gur bayl rcvfbqr bs Ohssl be Natry gung rvgure bs zl cneragf unir rire frra nyy gur jnl guebhtu vf Fznfurq. Gurl obgu qrpvqrq, whfg enaqbzyl, gb pbzr naq fvg ba gur fbsn naq jngpu gur ragver rcvfbqr gbtrgure jvgu zr.
Arire orsber … be fvapr!
I have always liked that the Xander's shitty home life stuff gets sidelined and and tossed aside. Not because I wish him ill, but I think it's realistic. As an adult, I see kids now and wonder if anyone is looking out for them, but as a kid I was less observant. Xander is quippy and self-depracating, and he tosses that stuff out like he's daring anyone to pay attention. On the whole, at that age, not a lot of people are generally paying attention.
And, as you said, it's not an excuse, but it does open up a better understanding of him as a person. There are things about him that I love, and things that I hate, and I'm glad to understand him better.
Exactly! I'm going over Mark's old Harry Potter posts and there's a bit in one where he talks about how the second you meet Lucius Malfoy, you suddenly understand exactly why Draco is the way he is–but that it doesn't excuse his behavior. I feel the same way about this. Knowing about Xander's home life doesn't excuse certain things he's done, but it does make you go, "Oh, okay, I see that no one ever taught him better. He needs to go learn on his own, then."
I realize watching this episode that it's one of those I never watched. So I was wondering, is there a Xander-family-life-centric episode in any season ?
Gur bayl rcvfbqr V pna guvax bs vf Uryy'f Oryyf va Frnfba fvk, jurer lbh zrrg uvf cneragf naq rkgraqrq snzvyl. Nygubhtu lbh trg na vzcerffvba bs gur xvaq bs guvat Knaqre unf orra rkcbfrq gb qhevat 'Erfgyrff' jura ur xrrcf ergheavat gb gur onfrzrag va uvf qernz.
Abar gung ner shyyl qribgrq gb vg, gubhtu Uryy'f Oryyf vf cebonoyl gur pybfrfg, V guvax. Gurer'f ovgf va Erfgyrff, naq n ybg bs frnfba 4 zragvbaf gung ur'f yvivat va uvf cneragf' onfrzrag naq fhpu, naq guvf rcvfbqr, ohg Uryy'f Oryyf vf gur zbfg.
Erfgyrff naq Uryy'f Oryyf. Ohg guebhtubhg gur fubj lbh trg uvagf urer naq gurer yvxr uvf pbzzrag va Sberire nobhg ivfvgvat Jvyybj'f zbgure vafgrnq bs uvf bja, orpnhfr uvf cneragf ner fpnel.
V YBIR FRNFBA FRIRA GBB! Tynq gb xabj gurer ner bguref bhg gurer :Q
V yvxr vg gbb! V trg hcfrg jura crbcyr gnyx nobhg ubj naablvat gur cbgragvnyf ner naq fghss yvxr gung. V guvax gung vg jnf n ernyyl tbbq vqrn naq gur jnl gurl raqrq gur frevrf jnf cresrpg orpnhfr vg erfbyirq n ybg bs gurzrf, guvatf naq vffhrf sbe Ohssl urefrys. Naq V gbgnyyl jnagrq gb or n fynlre jura V jnf jngpuvat Ohssl sbe jura vg nverq jura V jnf va zvqqyr naq uvtu fpubby. Naq gura gur cbgragvnyf jrer vagebqhprq naq V gubhtug "V'z na noabeznyyl fgebat tvey. Pna V or n cbgragvny naq pbzr unat bhg jvgu Ohssl naq gur Fpbbovrf?" yby.
V qba'g zvaq gur cbgragvnyf rvgure (rkprcg Xraarql – teeee)! V npghnyyl xvaq bs ybir ubj gurl pbzzrag ba gur Fcvxr/Ohssl eryngvbafuvc.
"Fbbbbb . . . . jr'er fhccbfrq gb, yvxr, znxr bhg jvgu [inzcverf] be fbzrguvat?"
Lrnu, V jnf gbb byq gb jnvg sbe zl yrggre gb Ubtjnegf gb pbzr, ohg V qrsvavgryl fcrag cnegf bs uvtu fpubby ubcvat zl jngpure jbhyq fubj hc
*envfrf unaq* V yvxr gur friragu frnfba, gbb. Gurer'f n ybg bs tbbq fghss va gurer
Frnfba frira vf bar bs zl snibhevgrf gbb. Sbe zr vg'f n gbff-hc orgjrra gjb naq frira. Obgu unir ernyyl fgebat rcvfbqrf (naq n srj jrnx barf, V'yy nqzvg) naq FCVXR. Rirelguvat vf orggre jvgu Fcvxr.
Yes, yes there is something more awkward than watching TV involving sex with your parents.
It's sharing a hotel room with your parents (them in one bed, you in the other) and waking up in the morning and going to brush your teeth and realizing that there are CONDOMS and KY JELLY by their toiletries and that they have not been in a separate hotel room from you the entire trip.
I was completely traumatized.
A Christmas episode on Valentine's Day. I guess it works.
I'm a sucker for flashback episodes. I love learning more about a character's history. I can even put up with bad wigs and shaky accents to see what someone did in the past, rather than hear about it second-hand. So I love this chance to get a glimpse at Angelus at the height of his demon days. This episode helps paint a picture of why exactly Angelus was considered one of the worst vampires. He's not just about killing humans. He gets off on psychological torture. This was hinted at with Drusilla in Lie To Me. It was demonstrated with his treatment of Buffy in the back half of season two. But now we get a bit more scope. He may consider Dru his masterpiece (well, without a soul anyway), but she's just one example in a long line of people he tortured mercilessly. He even seems to have gotten back up to his old tricks last year. One of his victims was wearing a business suit that was a bit too modern for him to have been killed before the first curse.
And yet, this episode makes the argument that Angel isn't beyond redemption. His life is saved at the last moment by a miraculous snowfall sent by some higher power to show him that he can't give up. Redemption is possible, even though for a monster like Angel, if he just keeps trying. As an aside, I choose to believe that whatever caused the snow was also responsible for freeing Angel from Hell, despite what The First Evil claimed.
I love the miracle snow. I mean, I love snow in any form, and I love Christmas. Put them together with a miracle and you have my heart. Plus, all the other residents of Sunnydale get to enjoy the snow. I get all gooey when it comes to the magic of Christmas.
Spoilers for Angel and, oddly enough, Bones: Guvf jubyr erqrzcgvba nep vf jul V ybir gur raqvat bs Natry fb zhpu. Natry gbegherq crbcyr sbe n praghel naq n unys. Svir lrnef bs tbbq qrrqf vfa'g rira tbvat gb ortva gb znxr hc sbe gung, rfcrpvnyyl fvapr ur unq n srj yncfrf qhevat gubfr lrnef. Fb ur qbrfa'g trg erqrzcgvba ng gur raq, whfg gur xabjyrqtr gung vg'f cbffvoyr. Guvf nep vf nyfb ersyrpgrq va gur arkg punenpgre ur cynlf, nyorvg ba n yrff rcvp fpnyr. Va gur svefg rcvfbqr bs Obarf, Ntrag Obbgu fgngrf gung ur jnagf gb pngpu ng yrnfg bar xvyyre sbe rirel zna ur fubg juvyr freivat va gur nezl. Ur guvaxf gurer'f fbzr fbeg bs pbfzvp onynapr furrg naq vs ur pna whfg rira vg bhg vg jvyy nyyrivngr uvf thvyg. Natry bppnfvbanyyl funerf guvf fnzr cbvag bs ivrj, zbfg abgnoyl nsgre ur qvfpbiref gur Funafuh cebcurpl. Gur ceboyrz vf gung gurer vf ab pbfzvp onynapr furrg. Natry qbrfa'g trg gb fnir bar crefba sbe rnpu crefba ur xvyyrq naq pnyy vg rira. Ur whfg trgf gb xrrc svtugvat. "Vg'f uneq, naq vg'f cnvashy, naq vg'f rirel qnl," nf Ohssl fb rybdhragyl chgf vg va guvf rcvfbqr. Natry yrneaf gung yrffba ol gur raq bs gur fubj, juvpu vf jul vg raqf zvq-svtug vafgrnq bs va rvgure ivpgbel be qrsrng.
Buffy's line "I know everything you did because you did it to me" comes off as incredibly naive. Yes, he was an major-league asshole to her. Yes, he had 150 years experience of psychological torture under his belt before he started in on her. But his treatment of her doesn't even scratch the surface of what he was capable of or the scope on which he operated. Still, I think the only way she can forgive him is if she believes that she experienced the brunt of his evil. So that's what she tells herself.
The scene between Willow and Oz is perfect. I love her whole setup with the music and the lighting and the dress. I love that even though Oz isn't a virgin, he's able to say that he isn't ready. I love that they've made up and everything's all happy again. And I really like that the show chose to have one couple work through the infidelity and agree to move past it and one couple that was incapable of doing that.
Xander sleeping outside to avoid his family on Christmas breaks my heart. The comic books and the plate of cookies drive in what a tradition this is for him. And the fact that he confided his true motivation to Cordelia, when he doesn't even appear to have told Willow, is oddly sweet. Add in the fact that he spends Christmas helping Buffy help Angel, and I think this is a pretty good episode for Xander all around. His better qualities, like loyalty and humor, are on full display here.
Buffy spoilers: Zl oblsevraq jnf dhvpx gb cbvag bhg gung Ohssl qvq abg npghnyyl qrsrng gur svefg rivy naq jnagf gb xabj jura vg pbzrf onpx. Ur nyfb pnyyrq gung vg jbhyq fabj jvguva gur svefg svir zvahgrf bs gur rcvfbqr naq nfxrq ubj zhpu ybatre ur jbhyq unir gb jnvg hagvy Snvgu trgf fvpx bs orvat fuhaarq ol gur erfg bs gur Fpbbovrf naq gheaf rivy. Gura ur trgf znq jura V nppvqragnyyl fcbvy guvatf. Ohg vs ur'f tbvat gb vafvfg ba cerqvpgvat rirel cybg ghea, V'z tbvat gb unir gb npphfr uvz bs ybbxvat hc fcbvyref ba gur vagrearg. Ur pynvzf gur fubj vf whfg sne zber cerqvpgnoyr guna V jnag gb nqzvg. V fgvyy guvax ur'f purngvat.
ur'f purngvat 🙂
Ur'f gbgnyyl purngvat.
V nterr jvgu lbhe pbzzrag ba gur fcva-bss.
Gung'f gur znva ernfba jul V qba'g ernq gur pbzvpf, rira gubhtu V'ir urneq gurl'er dhvgr tbbq, V qba'g jnag Natry'f frnepu sbe erqrzgvba gb raq.
Gur ynfg rcvfbqr jnf fb fngvslvat naq fubjrq gung gur svtug ntnvafg rivy jbhyq arire or bire, V whfg qba'g arrq zber guna gung.
"Guvf jubyr erqrzcgvba nep vf jul V ybir gur raqvat bs Natry fb zhpu. Natry gbegherq crbcyr sbe n praghel naq n unys. Svir lrnef bs tbbq qrrqf vfa'g rira tbvat gb ortva gb znxr hc sbe gung, rfcrpvnyyl fvapr ur unq n srj yncfrf qhevat gubfr lrnef. Fb ur qbrfa'g trg erqrzcgvba ng gur raq, whfg gur xabjyrqtr gung vg'f cbffvoyr."
V nterr jvgu guvf nofbyhgryl. Vg'f jul ba n cheryl gurzngvp yriry NgF unf orra zber fngvfslvat sbe zr. Naq V yvxr gur NgF raqvat fb zhpu gung V ershfr gb pbafvqre gur pbzvpf pnaba.
This.
I love everything in your comment. It didn't even occur to me that the First might have been lying about how Angel got back. What a jerk. AND you caught the guy in the modern suit. You are my very own comment Santa, bringing me good comments. XD
Aw, thanks! And Merry Christmas, ho ho ho! Or something
"Buffy's line "I know everything you did because you did it to me" comes off as incredibly naive. Yes, he was an major-league asshole to her. Yes, he had 150 years experience of psychological torture under his belt before he started in on her. But his treatment of her doesn't even scratch the surface of what he was capable of or the scope on which he operated. Still, I think the only way she can forgive him is if she believes that she experienced the brunt of his evil. So that's what she tells herself."
I LOVE THIS. Perfect analysis. Good job!
Bu, Natry. Nsgre Frnfba 8 ur unf fb zhpu zber gb ngbar sbe. Wbff whfg pna'g fgbc znxvat guvatf jbefr sbe uvf punenpgref!
Jryy, gung'f jung ''Natry & Snvgu'' vf sbe. Guvf znl fbhaq anvir, ohg V unir ubcr gung ng gur raq bs vg, Natry'yy or orggre bss ntnva vafgrnq bs jbefr. V zrna, gurl'ir nyernql erqhprq uvz gb pngngbavn, fb gurl pna'g qb gung ntnva, pna gurl?
comics spoilers:
V whfg ungr jung gurl qvq gb uvz va gur pbzvpf. Naq znlor vg'f orpnhfr V qvqa'g pngpu hc jvgu gur Natry pbzvpf orsber svavfuvat Ohssl frnfba rvtug, ohg vg ernyyl frrzrq gb pbzr bhg bs abjurer. V'z fgvyy qrongvat jurgure V jnag gb ernq gurz ntnva naq gel gb znxr frafr bs vg. Ohg gur cebfcrpg bs Natry naq Snvgu vf chfuvat zr gb pngpu hc jvgu rirelguvat. V ybir gubfr gjb gbtrgure.
I recommend catching up.
Va gur svefg rcvfbqr bs Obarf, Ntrag Obbgu fgngrf gung ur jnagf gb pngpu ng yrnfg bar xvyyre sbe rirel zna ur fubg juvyr freivat va gur nezl.
Nj, V sbetbg nobhg gung, naq lbh'er evtug gung vg'f n terng cnenyyry gb Natry! V ybir Obbgu.
also lol "Obarf"
Lrnu, jura Obarf svefg nverq, zl zbz jnf gur bar jub gbyq zr gung Qnivq Obernanm onfvpnyyl cynlf gur fnzr punenpgre. Naq gung gbbx zr n juvyr gb jenc zl oenva nebhaq orpnhfr inzcver jvgu n fbhy != SOV ntrag. Ohg gurl qb fgneg bss jvgu n irel fvzvyne nep
Lrnu, rkprcg jvgu zhpu yrff bire-gur-gbc natfg naq ernqvat bs Fneger.
oh my… I was legit watching this last night seriously thinking to myself "a christmas episode weeks after christmas, how odd" EXCEPT I WAS NOT PROCESSING THAT THIS EPISODE AIRED OVER A DECADE AGO A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS. It's really bad because I watched it when it really aired and although I don't recall actually watching it (I was 10) I STILL KNOW THESE THINGS.
Didn't put together that my thought process last night was wrong until I read your first line. I'm seriously…*walks into corner and hangs head in shame*
Dublin 1838! I’d completely forgotten that we had more soulless Angel flashbacks here! It’s really too bad that the accent is so awful, because the dialogue’s not bad.
Ah, highs in the 70’s: the Southern California Christmas! Though… not generally such a ruckus in the streets.
“What is it?” Oh, no worries. Just being tormented by images of all the people I killed again. Must be Tuesday!
I am just all about the Willow love this episode. Reminding people that everyone doesn’t celebrate Christmas, accepting Cordelia’s nastiness in that face of what they put her through (though the personal confidences about family was WAY over the line)… *hugs Willow*
Oz pretty much wins all the points EVER for his understanding that Xander and Willow have a deep history and a relationship between them is probably never going to be “over”. He doesn’t spell it out, but you get the idea that part of his character’s hesitance is his knowledge that Xander, the person that Willow cheated on him with, is still going to be a big part of Willow’s life when/if they get back together, and he’s going to have to be okay with that, or there’s no point in even bothering to try dating again. I just really admire how they have Oz’s character handle the cheating, the breakup, and the reconciliation – all of it. The still waters run deep here.
I completely understand Joyce’s objection to Giles coming over for Christmas (see: Band Candy sexin’), but I haaaate the line that “he doesn’t want to spend Christmas Eve with a bunch of girls”.
I have great affection for Faith’s crappy, fuzzing TV because though the 90’s weren’t really Another Age, one of my best friends in high school did have a similar TV in his room during that time.
Angel and Giles! Finally. Jenny lurking behind Giles’ shoulder is so deliciously eerie.
Buffy sharing Angel’s dreams of the past = so cool
“I just want to show you who you are.” *shivers*
“Where do we start? …Look, I'm aware I haven't been the mostest best friend to you when it comes to the whole Angel thing, and, um, I don't know, maybe I finally got the Chanukah spirit.” AW, XANDER. It’s really the bashful body language as well as the words. I’m not saying that this makes up for everything, not even close, but him acknowledging that his behavior has not been what a true friend’s should have been is such a step in the right direction that it makes me happy.
It’s all really just a wonderful, appropriate turn – everyone backing up Buffy and spending some of their holiday time cramming the books with her. Just leaves me all warm and fuzzy.
“Hey, he likes beets!” “I read that one already.” Subtle running jokes are my favorite jokes.
“But you see, that's what makes you different than other beasts. They kill to feed, but you took more kinds of pleasure in it than any creature that walks or crawls.”
And the eternal argument: WAS it Angel or not? I’d argue that this scene doesn’t do much to answer this conundrum either way, simply continuing to raise the question. Angel here is understandly desperate to not claim responsibility (“A demon isn't a man. I was a man once.”) but he’s not that human man now – he hasn’t been that man for a long, long time. And his tormenter points out, the human Angel wasn’t a particularly admirable specimen to start out with. ”Cruelty's the only thing you ever had a true talent for.”
Buffy and Angel dreaming in sync with the sexy turning to terrifying was really effective.
Willy’s! And he’s actually helpful! I love that “the underground” is literal.
Willow’s seduction attempt AND THE MUSIC is awkwardly adorable and sweet. And yet again, Oz knocks it out of the park. I love that he doesn’t tell her what she feels, he doesn’t correct her that she’s not ready, as if as a man he knows her needs and her body better than she does, but he instead says, “I’m not”. He knows she’s not really doing this for the right reasons, but he’s really careful not to respond in a patronizing fashion. <3 <3 <3
Awwww Faith showed! I AM MAKING HEART-HANDS. Totally forgot the little Faith subplot in this episode.
Angel on the edge of losing it is pretty freaky.
I will never get tired of Buffy cutting off a villain’s dramatic monologue. “All right, I get it. You’re evil. Do we have to chat about it all day?”
Fb ubj znal crbcyr jura gurl svefg fnj guvf rcvfbqr jrer yvxr, "jbj guvf Svefg Rivy vqrn vf fb fvyyl, V'z fhcre tynq guvf jnf whfg n bar-rcvfbqr ivyyvna!"? YBY
(continued in reply)
“You have idea what you’re dealing with.”
“Let me guess. It is… evil?” aaaaaaaaahahahaha. Sometimes Buffy is the best.
”I’m weak. I’ve never been anything else. It’s not the demon in me that needs killing Buffy. It’s the man.” Though obviously everyone has weaknesses and Angel is stronger than he thinks he is, capable of good things… Interestingly enough, I think Angel actually might be onto something here – I think it’s the mixture of the worst parts of the human man mixed with the demonic influence that make him the kind of hedonistic, psychotic killer than he can be as a soulless vampire. It’s not only the demon aspects, because as we’ve seen and was reaffirmed in this episode, not all vampires are driven to the extremes that Angel was. He’s something ‘special’.
SMG cries so well. Just look at her little hurting FAAAACE. “I killed you and it didn’t help.”
The whole snow thing (sebz gur Cbjref gung Or V nffhzr) is pretty ridiculous and so is the idea that it would allow Angel to walk in daylight, BUT V jbhyqa’g erzbir vg orpnhfr chg gbtrgure jvgu gur bgure riragf bs gur rcvfbqr, vg nyy jbexf bhg nf rssrpgvir sberfunqbjvat sbe ubj gurer ner cbjreshy sbeprf bhg gurer gung ner jbexvat ba gur nffhzcgvba gung Natry jvyy uryc oevat bhg terng rivy juvyr ng gur fnzr gvzr bgure cbjreshy sbeprf ner bhg gurer ner jbexvat ba gur nffhzcgvba gung Natry jvyy or n sbepr sbe tbbq. Guvf vf rkcyberq ng yratgu va gur fcva-bss.
Ahahahaha poor Xander though.
V’ir urneq crbcyr fnl gung guvf rcvfbqr pna or pbafvqrerq n cvybg sbe Natry gur frevrf, naq nsgre erjngpuvat vg ntnva V unir gb nterr jubyr-urnegrqyl. Gur synfuonpxf, Natry’f vqragvgl fgehttyrf, gur raq pbasebagngvba jvgu Ohssl- gung’f nyy irel NgF. Naq nf V zragvba nobir, jr unir nffhzrq vagreiragvba sebz Gur Cbjref Gung Or, juvpu ner na NgF pbafgehpg. V guvax vg jbhyq unir jbexrq vs Natry unq yrsg OgIF jvgu guvf rcvfbqr naq gura jr pngpu hc jvgu uvz yngre va Natry Frnfba Bar.
V ernq pbzzragf ba gur Fhaalqnyr Fynlref sbehz sebz jura gur rcvfbqr nverq; frireny crbcyr cerqvpgrq gung gur Svefg Rivy jbhyq or gur Ovt Onq va Natry, naq gung Snvgu jbhyq or n znva punenpgre va vg.
Vagrerfgvat! Va n jnl, V qba'g guvax gurl jrer GBB bss gnetrg nobhg gur Ovt Onq sbe Natry. Jbys, Enz & Uneg raqrq hc orvat xvaq bs n fvzvyne svther sbe zr. Haraqvat, rcurzreny, abg n fvzcyr zbafgre gb or qrsrngrq…
"And his tormenter points out, the human Angel wasn’t a particularly admirable specimen to start out with.
The brief human!Angel scene we get is one of my favourite things in this episode.
It kind of amuses me that Buffy and Angel are have this star-crossed love because she's a human and he's a vampire… and yet his old human self would not have appealed to Buffy at all. (Because ew, the syph.)
She only loves the broodpire he became!
Very good point!
I have great affection for Faith’s crappy, fuzzing TV because though the 90’s weren’t really Another Age, one of my best friends in high school did have a similar TV in his room during that time.
Now that digital broadcast is a thing, I really, REALLY miss static. The jerky pixellation of a bad broadcast signal is way more annoying.
Sunnydale got more snow than we've had in the DC area all winter. So jealous.
I agree with your entire post, but I was especially excited by the Barry White (I always, always think about "Whacking Day" when I hear that song) and Faith joining them for Christmas Eve.
Seriously. I think we got all our snow for like, the next five years back in 2010. (And apparently all our snow for the 2011-2012 winter back in October.)
But ours still looks better. I mean, really, where does newly fallen, undisturbed snow look that lumpy? (Or, for that matter, accumulate on warm pavement at all?)
It's funny because whenever I hear the song, I think of that bit in Blast From the Past where that one guy complains about it until it starts to pick up. And this scene from Win A Date With Tad Hamilton
[youtube bvUOTxNAGRc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvUOTxNAGRc youtube]
So I just finished watching the entirety of Buffy for the first time a couple weeks ago (and finished Angel season 5 last week). Flying through Buffy as fast as I did, I only vaguely remembered this episode.
BU ZL TBQ V QVQ ABG ERZRZORE GUNG GUVF JNF JURA GUR SVEFG RIVY ZNQR VGF SVEFG NCCRNENAPR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
V fgnegrq ernqvat guvf erivrj, inthryl erzrzorevat fbzr bs guvf fghss, gura jura Znex zragvbarq "Oevatref," V gubhtug, "Jung? Gung'f fgenatr gung gurl'q erplpyr n anzr yvxr gung…" naq gura BU ZL TBQ GUNG'F NPGHNYYL GUR SVEFG RIVY.
VA N FRNFBA GUERR RCVFBQR.
JUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG
I love how your last word in rot13 looks like you are cursing the psychologist who introduced the concept of archetypes. "JUNNNNNNNNNG!"
"JUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNG"
It amuses the collective unconscious greatly that rot13 produced this.
I have weird issues with this episode. The idea of a "first evil" seems cop-out cheap to me, somehow. And the snow at the end made me WTF all over the place. (And my boyfriend had the same reaction upon watching this episode).
I mean, I get that the snow was supposed to be a sign or something, but there's MAGIC SNOW and somehow Angel no longer has any sort of conundrum? And the First Evil decides it's going to give up? And Buffy isn't even the slightest bit upset with Angel anymore over what happened? WTF WTF WTF UGH.
(Naq lrf, V trg nsgre gur snpg gung guvf jnf fhccbfrq gb or n fvta sebz GCGO be fbzrguvat, ohg vg fbzrubj qbrfa'g veevgngr zr nal yrff xabjvat guvf. Guvf zbzrag vf n YVGRENY qrhf-rk-znpuvan naq V UNGR vg.)
Emotionally/character-progressionally speaking, there's certainly a lot to like about the episode. I do love Willow & Oz in this.
But mostly this episode irritates the hell out of me.
GOD YES LET’S YOU AND ME SHARE IN OUR HATE FOR THE FIRST EVIL AS A CONCEPT FROM NOW UNTIL THE END OF TIME.
ME TOO
THE FIRST SUCKS
TERRIBLE CONCEPT
TRI-DIRECTIONAL HIGH FIVE?
The concept is OK, IMO, but the execution is wanting.
Frnfba frira snvyf sbe zr orpnhfr gur svefg rivy vf whfg nyy inthr naq nyy bire gur cynpr. Gbb onq, orpnhfr vg unq cbgragvny. V YBIRQ 'Pbairefngvbaf Jvgu Qrnq Crbcyr'.
V'z fher vg'f orra nqqerffrq ryfrjurer nyernql ohg jung'f jvgu Gur Svefg orvat noyr gb gbhpu Natry? Jul'q gurl ergpba gung? Jnf guvf rire ncbybtvmrq sbe?
V unir ab vqrn.
Agreed! Any time a story brings up "the first evil" or "the ultimate evil" or any other variation on pure evil as a force in itself, I get kicked out of the story. It never works for me. :/
Nygubhtu V jvyy sbetvir Wbff sbe guvf fyvtugyl orpnhfr jngpuvat Rivy!Anguna Svyyvba jnf ernyyl sha. 🙂
Pnyro vf gur bayl Ohssl onq thl gb rire trg haqre zl fxva. Ur vf fb perrcl! Naq V ybir Anguna Svyyvba.
And Buffy isn't even the slightest bit upset with Angel anymore over what happened?
I don't think she's not upset with him, but it's a moment of grace. An actual (cheesy) Christmas miracle. It would have been weird of her to keep arguing with him at that point. And, you know, their issues with each other have been rolling on all season.
I mean, I get that the snow was supposed to be a sign or something, but there's MAGIC SNOW and somehow Angel no longer has any sort of conundrum? And the First Evil decides it's going to give up? And Buffy isn't even the slightest bit upset with Angel anymore over what happened? WTF WTF WTF UGH.
I AGREE WITH ALL OF THESE THINGS.
And the First Evil always seemed kind of cheap to me. Kind of like in Doctor Who when they're always trying to make things a FUNDAMENTAL EVIL instead of just something bad. They're always like "it's dust in sunbeams!" "it's when you see stuff out of the corner of your eye!" "it's what makes you fear the dark!"
I hate that aspect of Doctor Who. I like when Buffy has something to pummel. Cyrnfr frr gur haoryvrinoyl obevat gryrivfvba bs "Ohssl irefhf zvavzhz jntr ynobe"
V nterr. V yvxr vg zhpu orggre jura Ohssl vf zrgncubevpnyyl onggyvat zvavzhz jntr ynobe jvgu n unzzre naq fvpxyr va n uryy qvzrafvba.
I actually think Doctor Who averted this mostly. You shouldn't be scared of the Vashta Narada because they're a fundamental evil, but because they are invisible shadow piranhas that eat you. I remember seeing that episode and shortly after going to the back stacks of a dimly-lit library and thinking "not every shadow, but any shadow" and being rather creeped out.
Mostly, Doctor Who makes up reasons to be scared of perfectly ordinary things, rather than unknown nameless things. Pretty angel statues? Will kill you as soon as you look away. By yourself? Are you sure there isn't a Silence right behind you? I find it a creepy, and effective way of doing horror with such a slim budget.
Except for that episode where they met The Devil. That was really really annoying.
I'm not denying that Doctor Who is great at creeping me out. But like, the little kid in Empty Child/Doctor Dances is one of the creepiest things I've ever seen, but it didn't end up being The Reason Why You Are Scared of Creepy Kids or anything. And I don't mind the Vashta Nerada as a menace of shadows, but asking me to be frightened of the dust in a sunbeam was a bit much. I just feel like sometimes they take it too far with "this random monster of the week is ALSO EVERYONE'S DARKEST CHILDHOOD FEAR." Not all villains have to be universal fears–some of them can just be creepy as fuck.
OH AND HOW IS IT THAT SNOW SOMEHOW MAKES IT DARK ALL DAY??? For those of you who live in California or other perpetually warm regions, THIS IS NOT HOW IT WORKS. It is often bright and sunny, even when snowing.
This is truth. I live in CA, sure, but I've seen snow, and thus laugh even harder these days at the end of this episode.
Having lived in both California and the Midwest, yes. Heh. Not to make a Twilight comparison AGAIN, but it just reminds me how it's like OVERCAST = NO SUNLIGHT! Um. That's not really… okay, sure. Let's go with that.
So true. Snow REFLECTS sun, it doesn't BLOCK it.
-fb, vg frrzf gung obgu qneyn naq natry jbhyq'ir qvrq bs flcuvyvf. vg'f gubfr xvaq bs guvatf gung ernyyl oevat gjb crbcyr gbtrgure.
-barry white does nothing for me. in fact, if his music were being played during sexy time, i would most likely be turned off. and probably laugh. give me portishead's dummy any day.
-"angel's on top?"
YEAH, HE WAS. LOL JOYCE.
-"you were never a fighter, angel."
rkprcg sbe gung gurer'f n jubyr gi fubj onfrq ba gur cerzvfr gung ur vf abg bayl n svtugre, ohg n punzcvba. bu, gur svefg, lbh ylvat (naq gehgu gryyvat, qrcraqvat) wrexsnpr.
-"no wonder you like this stuff; it's like reading the sun."
i just think that's a great line. the image it conjures in my head affects me.
-gurer ner n srj zhfvp abgrf ng gur raq bs guvf rcvfbqr gung erzvaq zr bs "tbvat guebhtu gur zbgvbaf".
-so, i like this episode just fine. it has some touching moments: oz and willow's reconciliation, faith showing up at the summers house, "am i a righteous man?", "what about me? i love you so much…", xander getting snowed on in his sleeping bag on the front lawn, etc. but it's a bit over-the-top, even for me, the queen of angst. i mean, MAGIC SNOW SAVES THE DAY. *eyeroll* and this from the girl that appreciates the line "when you kiss me i wanna die".
-"no wonder you like this stuff; it's like reading the Sun."
That line kind of surprised me actually, I didn't know The Sun was well known at all in the US? I mean, it's hilarious and Buffy's totally right, of course.
As one of my friends always says: 'Bring me The Sun, and something to read!'
i never thought of it like that! i mean, i've heard of the paper, but i always interpreted it to mean that it was like reading the actual sun (our big motherlovin' star) because the book was so difficult to wade through and understand thus making your eyes and brain hurt….NOW I JUST DO NOT KNOW. haha.
I think this is a more likely interpretation. Buffy saying that Giles likes to read difficult texts makes way more sense than Buffy implying that Giles just can’t get enough of trashy tabloids.
Any chance we can lose The Sun next? Although I would weep tears of joy if they shut down The Daily Mail next just because it's such a horrific newspaper and half of my family read it (I don't know how I ended being so Liberal in such a massive Conservative family).
According to the Buffy and Angel wiki, there's an American Sun tabloid as well. I don't know if I've ever seen anyone actually read it, though.
fb, vg frrzf gung obgu qneyn naq natry jbhyq'ir qvrq bs flcuvyvf. vg'f gubfr xvaq bs guvatf gung ernyyl oevat gjb crbcyr gbtrgure.
I feel bad for laughing about this, but now I can't stop. Such a beautiful connection.
ab ab, v jnf puhpxyvat yvxr n qhzonff jura v gubhtug bs gung ynfg avtug.
fb, vg frrzf gung obgu qneyn naq natry jbhyq'ir qvrq bs flcuvyvf. vg'f gubfr xvaq bs guvatf gung ernyyl oevat gjb crbcyr gbtrgure.
LOL'd in real life
Things I learned from this episode:
-Apparently, according to BtVS, a snow storm in California means the entire town is covered in darkness all day. Interesting. That doesn't happen in the mid-Atlantic. No wonder all the west coasters freaked when it snowed when I was in college – they thought they would be in the pitch black until the storm passed.
-The writers are actively trying to piss me off with this whole vampires can't be in sunlight thing. Buffy begging Angel to go inside because the sun will rise in a few minutes while the sky is completely dark. Listen, writers/Buffy/Angel when you were a human, you've obviously never seen a sunrise; the sky gets gradually lighter. And clearly a little bit of sun doesn't hurt vampires since they're constantly walking around in it, just not for very long. I cannot even begin to express how peeved I get seeing sunlight on the vampires or a glare from the sun in the camera and nobody's even slightly uncomfortable. It's in pretty much every episode.
-I'm never going to be able to reconcile David Boreanaz as Angel with David Boreanaz as Booth. Especially after seeing him with the horrible mustache and long hair wig.
-It's not cold in the entire world during Christmas. I actually realized this a couple years ago. Still, pretty embarrassing realization. But I've been wondering, do those of you in warm locales not play carols like "Baby, It's Cold Outside" or "Let It Snow"?
-I don't like those mini bangs SMG was wearing.
Ugh, the sunlight thing annoys me too. The rule seems to be that everything's a-okay unless the vampires are standing in direct sunlight, but the writers aren't even consistent about that, since Angel seemed to be significantly weakened by the creeping weak sunlight when he was trapped in that cage, even though he was hiding in the shadows. It's almost as frustrating as the inconsistency on how much of your human personality sticks around when you're made into a vampire.
Also, yeah, they clearly shot that "dawn" scene sometime around midnight. Maybe they just had time constraints or something, but it's really distracting.
I’m not sure the writers for this show have ever seen snow. Or a sunrise. At all. Also, wouldn’t snow make what little sunlight there is worse because it reflects the light? My dad is a sad, pasty, ginger man who loads up on the sunscreen whenever it snows because of this. Or so he says.
I would like to know what people in warmer climates do during Christmas too! I am a Christmas weather bigot and can’t imagine a warm Christmas. My brain just refuses to comprehend it.
I do definitely get worse sunburns when there's snow on the ground. The sun hits me twice.
But it's MAGIC SNOW. The clouds are SO THICK they blocked out the sun. It's enough of a MIRACLE to accumulate 2 feet in the time it took Buffy and Angel to walk back to downtown. That's what magic is all about.
It's like that episode of the Simpsons where Mr. Burns tried to block out the sun!!!
I always need to wear sunglasses when shoveling snow because it's so bright.
And, yes! I grew up in New York and spent college in DC. It's cold, usually. But I was in Florida for this past Christmas and I was wearing sundresses and at the outdoors pool. My brain could not handle it.
Gur fhayvtug guvat vf rfcrpvnyyl naablvat va NgF, Natry vf PBAFGNAGYL bhgfvqr qhevat gur qnl. Gur svefg gvzr V jngpurq gur frevrf, V jnf fb grafr orpnhfr V jnf fher gung ur'q whfg ohefg vagb synzrf ng enaqbz. Ohg ur arire qvq.
Almost all of my favourite Christmas songs are about the snow/cold weather so I have no idea what people in warm locations listen to. Another reason for me to stay in New England!
Almost all of my favourite Christmas songs are about the snow/cold weather
Me too, mostly because they tend to be more secular.
there's no way to escape any popular christmas songs at christmas. THEY ARE EVERYWHERE. it's by no means regional, speaking as a texan.
As a lifetime Southern Californian, I assure you that we listen to all the cold weather holiday music. We also decorate trees, mantles and yards with fake snow. We used to go to Sea World to go sledding when I was a kid; they had an area set up with manufactured snow and small plastic sleds. It was crowded and not very cold, but every year we looked forward to bundling up, putting on mittens and playing in the "snow".
If you go to Disneyland in November and December, they have a moment after the fireworks when Christmas music plays and fake snow (some kind of soap bubbles, I think) falls on the crowd. It is completely cheesy and artificial and yet it's really marvelous to see the way the kids react.
I live in Australia where it's summer at Christmas and we still get 'Let It Snow' 'Winter Wonderland' and other winters songs at Christmas. It's probably to distract us from the heat . . .
Okay, serious comment:
AtS spoilers: Guvf rcvfbqr vf purrfl nf uryy ng gur raq, ohg V nccerpvngr gur ohyx bs vg orsber gung zber va uvaqfvtug, orpnhfr vg qbrf n avpr, fhogyr wbo bs npgvat nf n onpxqbbe cvybg sbe gur fcvabss. Vg qbrfa'g vagebqhpr nal arj punenpgref, ohg vg gbhpurf ba znal bs gur gurzrf naq vqrnf jr'yy frr rkcyberq va zber qrcgu bire gur pbhefr bs gur frevrf.
Okay, other than that spoilery bit, maybe not so much with the srs because there is a lot of funny here, what with Angel's wig and facial hair and THAT ACCENT and the ~miracle snow~. Also the costuming in this episode is fucking ridiculous. It's unseasonably warm, up in the upper 70s F, and they're dressing like THAT? LOL LOL NO. NOT HAPPENING. This also means that the Fakest Snow to Ever Fakely Snow would melt as soon as it hit the ground. Dear me. But there's also some genuinely sad stuff in there, so I can't hate completely. Just that I see so much lulz.
"This also means that the Fakest Snow to Ever Fakely Snow would melt as soon as it hit the ground."
Especially since the newscaster says that the temps will be in the upper 30's. No snow is sticking with that weather. Not a chance.
EXACTLY. I think the writers have never actually seen snow in their entire lives.
Which explains why they also somehow think that snow means it's dark all day.
I mean, if that were true, it would also be true of rain, right?
And if both of those things meant enough cloud cover to make it comfy for vamps to walk throughout the day, wouldn't rainy days mean that vamps would regularly treat it like nighttime? Wouldn't that mean that Buffy should be patrolling during rainy days and not just at nighttime?
Yeah, a total lack of experience with snow would explain all of this wtfery, lol.
Rain means vampires can't sparkle. WON'T SOMEONE THINK OF SPARKLING VAMPIRES?
Thank you for giving me LOLs. 🙂
Rainy days? In California?? 😉
Jryy, envavat ba Ohssl hfhnyyl zrnaf fbzrguvat ubeevoyr vf unccravat/nobhg gb unccra. V guvax gur snpg gung vg'f pnyyrq "Fhaalqnyr," nfvqr sebz orvat vebavp, vf fhccbfrq gb vaqvpngr gung vg uneqyl rire envaf.
*googles Fahrenheit* converter*
Oh I see. Yeah, I guess Southern Coastal Californians really don't know snow.
* Goddammit, America.
Yeah, we don't. 🙁
We visit snow for a day or a weekend (there are a few ski resorts a few hours drive from Los Angeles) and then we return to our sunny homes. 😀
ATS spoilers: Naq gung vf jul V jvyy sberire ybir guvf rcvfbqr. Nzraqf vf ubarfgyl gur svefg gvzr gung Natry unf n aneengvir bhgfvqr bs Ohssl, be vfa'g ragveryl pbafhzrq ol ure. Rira gubhtu gur raqvat vf gbgnyyl purrfl naq haernyvfgvp, vg'f gur svefg gvzr ur (naq gur Cbjref Gung Or) frrf uvzfrys nf n perngher jbegu fnivat. V'ir frra nethzragf nobhg ubj Natry bayl svtugf gur tbbq svtug orpnhfr bs gur Funafuh Cebcurpl, juvpu pbzcyrgryl onssyrf zr, orpnhfr uvf dhrfg sbe erqrzcgvba vf frg hc evtug urer va Nzraqf.
Sunnydale residents shouldn't expect to see the sun at all today. That cold front isn't going anywhere. With temperatures in the high 30s, means you better bundle up if you're planning to go outside and enjoy the change in the weather.
WHAT IS THIS, MIAMI BEACH?
[youtube OyBSrBqogPY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyBSrBqogPY youtube]
So, I'm kind of meh about this episode, it's a lot of Angel which is just meh for me. Rnadom list of thoughts it is then:
– The street in the opening flashback looks pretty accurate, and Boreanaz's accent is still full of fail.
– Buffy what on earth have you done to your hair? That tiny fringe/bangs looks ridiculous. Luckily it seems to disappear in half the scenes.
– Oz how do you keep coming up with wonderful speeches to Willow that makes me love you? He gets TWO in this episode and they're both wonderful.
– Urr Wblpr vzzrqvngryl qvfzvffvat vaivgvat Tvyrf sbe Puevfgznf. Gelvat gb nibvq uvz?
– Buffy found the trees that haven't fulfilled their Christmas destiny!
– "I wanna die in bed surrounded by fat grandchildren but I guess that's off the menu." I love that line so much, even though it's heartbreaking, oh Jenny 🙁
– GUR SVEFG XRRCF GBHPUVAT NATRY! Avpr pbagvahvgl fubj!
– Aww Xander helping to research is sweet.
– The five second flashback to Liam falling over reminds us just what a mess he was and is HILARIOUS.
– Awww Giles has a stocking with "Mr. Giles" outside his office at the Library, I never noticed that until this rewatch,
– "So angel's on top again?" PHRASING JOYCE!
– "Do we have to chat about it all day?" "Is it…evil?" Oh Buffy ILU and your snarking at the villains.
"Buffy found the trees that haven't fulfilled their Christmas destiny! "
LOL I had that thought too. 😛
I first read that as PRAISING JOYCE!
In fact, I only realized what you really said just now, several minutes, if not half an hour, after the first time I read it.
I did not get this episode the first time I watched it. Maybe I do need to give it another chance….
V guvax vg cynlf ZHPU orggre nsgre lbh'ir frra n pbhcyr frnfbaf bs Natry naq frnfba 7 bs OgIF.
V nterr. vg gbbx ernqvat guvf erivrj gb znxr zr ernyvmr gurer jrer Oevatref va guvf rcvfbqr. Ohg na rcvfbqr fubhyqa'g znxr zber frafr ergebnpgviryl VZB. Abg gung sne ncneg.
On a totally shallow note, I think this is the only episode where Willow shows any actual leg. Alyson Hannigan has some very non-Willowy tats on her legs and ankles. That's why Willow always wears opaque stockings, or pants.
Well… Extremely spoilery image behind the link:
http://www.buffyworld.com/buffy/screencaps/B119/i…
Gnohyn Enfn jvyy or n sha qnl.
I will love Willow forever for playing Barry White.
On a side-note does anyone know if Buffy and Angel are coming to Blu-ray?
[youtube wP5jFUmEmpU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wP5jFUmEmpU youtube]
…so many cheesy 90s feelings. And Buffy's bangs remind me of Angelina Jolie's in Girl Interrupted
HAHAHAHA I WAS HOPING SOMEONE WOULD POST THIS.
This is incredible. I wish I'd known Buffy in the 90s.
ahahahaha that is ~MAGICAL~.
oh wow, I remember 1-800-Collect! Does that even exist anymore? There used to be pay phones everywhere but they're mostly all gone now, aren't they? (wow I am really showing my age here, huh?)
V'z erjngpuvat gur Natry frevrf naq V pna'g erzrzore gur rcvfbqr, (be jub fnlf vg, V pna'g oenva gbqnl nccneragyl) ohg fbzrbar fnlf fbzrguvat'f nf yvxryl nf fabj va FbPny, naq Pbeql fnlf, Vg fabjrq bapr.
Naq gur svefg bs gur Svefg! V sbetbg vg jnf guvf rneyl va gur frevrf jura jr trg bhe svefg crrx ng vg. And Xander sleeping outside on Christmas Eve breaks my heart every time.
Firstly, BZT V NZ UNIVAT GB ERFGENVA ZLFRYS SEBZ HFVAT EBG13 SBE GUVF JUBYR PBZZRAG. Vg’f yvxr Oevatref! Naq gur Svefg! Znex jvyy gbgnyyl sbetrg nobhg gurz ol gvzr frnfba 7 ebyyf nebhaq gubhtu. Jura V jngpurq gur fubj jvgu zl zbz, V gevrq gb or nyy yvxr “guvf rcvfbqr vf vzcbegnag! Cnl nggragvba!”. Ohg rira jvgu gung uvag, fur gbgnyyl qvqa’g erpbtavmr gur Oevatref va frnfba 7 hagvy Ohssl naq pbzcnal svtherq vg bhg. Nyfb pbagvahvgl reebe! Gur Svefg gbhpurf crbcyr va guvf rcvfbqr!
This is a really great episode. It’s not one of my personal favorites, but there is a lot of really great stuff going on here. The title of the episode is “Amends”, and there is a lot of amend-making going on. I think it’ll be easier to talk about this episode if I split it up by the characters who are making the titular “amends”.
First up is Buffy and Faith. After some prompting by Joyce (JOYCE!!!! I LOVE YOU FOR THINKING OF FAITH! Nyfb Puevfgznf eryngrq Wblpr guvatf znxrf zr fnq abj orpnhfr bs gur Puevfgznf fprar ng gur ortvaavat bs Gur Obql.), Buffy asks Faith over to Christmas dinner. Faith, being Faith, is not one to be vulnerable, so she tells Buffy she has a fake party. But then she shows up anyway, like you knew she would. And I just feel happy that maybe Buffy and Faith are back to getting along. Whee!!!
Willow is trying to make amends with Oz too. Oz is willing to try to work things out with Willow, so they make plans to watch videos together. Willow, being Willow, is looking for something she can do to make things better and she lands upon the idea of having sex with Oz to prove that she loves him and to show her commitment etc etc. But Oz, wonderful Oz, doesn’t want to have sex with Willow if it’s just about her making things up to him.
But the centerpiece of the episode is Angel and Buffy. First some shallow notes: EL OH EL. Angel’s moustache in the first flashback. What is that even? Also the return of the ~fabulous Irish accent! Oof. Buffy’s bangs in this episode are Not Good. Those bangs are not working for you, Buffy. Also that butterfly shirt Buff is wearing? I had a VERY similar one when I was in 6th grade back in 2000. I was so stylin’.
Anyway, Angel is being haunted by visions of his past victims, and Buffy is sharing dreams with him and it all leads to some pretty fabulous scenes.
This is the note I write while rewatching the scene where Angel goes to Giles: “OMG. ANGEL SHOWED UP AT GILES’S PLACE. Showing up at the home of a guy you once spent hours torturing? Awkwaaaaard. Socially awkward penguin wouldn’t even do that, Angel.”
Anyway, Angel is being tormented by his past victims and actions and he’s not doing great. The scene in the mansion where the apparitions of his victims talk to him is some good TV.
Buffy is worried about him because she still loves him. Giles might be wary of Angel (understandably), but he knows it’s important to Buffy so he helps her try to figure out what is going on. Eventually they figure out that it is the First and its Bringers who are messing with Angel. The scene where Buffy tells Giles that she’s scared that Angel is slipping away from her again and Giles tells her that she might have to kill him again if he becomes a danger is pretty great. The show isn’t letting us forget everything that happened last season. Angel hurt Buffy and he killed people, and killing Angel nearly destroyed Buffy. There is nothing easy about any of this.
The First is has convinced Angel that he’ll hurt Buffy. So Angel decides to kill himself so that he won’t hurt any more people. The First says that this wasn’t the plan, but then… what was? Convince him that he is evil so that he’ll embrace his dark side, I guess. But apparently taking him out of the equation is good enough for the First. Ohg gura Gur Cbjref Gung Or fnirq uvz orpnhfr gurl arrq uvz gb or gurve Punzcvba, lrf? V zrna vg vf ernyyl purrfl, ohg vqx. V qba’g zvaq vg. Gurer ner n ybg bs guvatf gung ner n ovg pbeal va gur Ohsslirefr.
Buffy figures out where the First is and goes to kick Bringer ass. She finds the First who monologues for a bit about how evil it is (which Buffy laughs off). And Buffy realizes that Angel is going to kill himself..
Nyfb pbagvahvgl reebe! Gur Svefg gbhpurf crbcyr va guvf rcvfbqr!
V abgvprq gung, gbb, naq vg ohttrq zr.
But Oz, wonderful Oz, doesn’t want to have sex with Willow if it’s just about her making things up to him.
This is a nice callback to his refusal to kiss her in Innocence. He's incredibly aware of what she really wants and I love him for it
Excellent thoughts, all of them.
Nyfb pbagvahvgl reebe! Gur Svefg gbhpurf crbcyr va guvf rcvfbqr!
V yvgrenyyl bayl whfg (er)jngpurq gur rcvfbqr ohg V pna'g ernyyl erzrzore Gur Svefg gbhpuvat va n qvssrerag jnl guna vg qbrf va frnfba frira…frireny gvzrf va gung frnfba vg nccrnef gb fgebxr Fcvxr'f snpr rgp, V nyjnlf svtherq gung Natry/Fcvxr'f vagreany gbezrag pnhfrq gurz gb srry gbhpu jura gurer jnf abar.
I think that scene on the hill with Angel and Buffy is some really strong acting by both David and Sarah. Angel can’t risk becoming a killer again. And he’s SO tempted. He wants to be with Buffy and a part of him doesn’t care that he’ll lose his soul, so he has to die. He can’t risk becoming a monster again. But Buffy convinces him to stay and fight. If he kills himself, then the First wins. Angel has to fight. He has to fight for good. He can live and save people and try to start making amends for everything that he’s done. It’ll be hard and painful. But it’s the only way to not let evil win.
Oh Buffy. She still loves Angel so much. She can’t stop loving him. And it hurts. Their love is the kind of love that hurts and burns and consumes. The hill scene definitely makes me think that Spike was on to something when he said that they’d never be friends back in “Lover’s Walk” and that they’d always have this intense relationship.
Nyfb pbagvahvgl reebe! Gur Svefg gbhpurf crbcyr va guvf rcvfbqr!
V abgvprq gung nf jryy! Gurer ner n srj gvzrf jurer lbh pna frr gur Svefg vf *nyzbfg* gbhpuvat (yvxr gur fprar va Tvyrf' ncnegzrag) ohg yngre va fprarf jvgu Natry, gur Svefg vf PYRNEYL gbhpuvat uvz…
Wbff naq pb ner hfhnyyl fb tbbq jvgu guvatf yvxr gung, V jnf qvfnccbvagrq.
Oh god. Magic snow. I HATE magic snow. Unless it is sad, like this:[youtube GzJNDxmAuFE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzJNDxmAuFE youtube]
So, the magic snow is bad. Very bad. But! There is one redeeming thing.
THIS EPISODE RIGHT HERE IS WHY I LOVE GILES. I dunno. There's something about the whole, 'I have every reason to hate you, to hurt you, to kill you; I am even deathly afraid of you — and yet I will invite you into my home and help you' that IS THE MOST GRACIOUS. THING. EVER (even with the crossbow on a hair trigger). It reminds me of the end of the film 'Malena'. It just — tears, people. I have tears about this. This, to me, is the epitome of what it means to be, well, grown up. To have the strength to just let go of justified vengeance. And I love that we get to see how NOT EASY it is. How afraid he is. How it is ultimately a decision his brain makes, and not his heart. How he is still on the edge, even when he makes the decision.
That's what I want to be when I grow up.
God yes to everything you said about Giles.
Just…what an amazing person. He has more reason than anyone to hate Angel, and he still goes out of his way to help him.
This is very much adult Giles. I imagine he went through a lot to reach this level of zen. He isn't rejecting those feelings. He acknowledges them, but like you pointed out, he is still a gracious host.
Ever since Band Candy, after seeing Giles so gun-ho about hitting Ethan, I always wonder in these situations, "What would teen-Giles do?" Speaking of, I think Joyce and Giles making out in Band Candy had something to do with her immediate rejection to the idea of him over on Christmas. She is still so embarrassed for not being able to resist his bad-boy charms.
-Speaking of, I think Joyce and Giles making out in Band Candy had something to do with her immediate rejection to the idea of him over on Christmas
Yeah, that + "I blame you for Buffy's disappearance" = awkward, I'm sure.
"Amends"
• Of the episodes I hadn't seen, this was the one I was looking forward to the absolute least.
• According to Wikipedia, the familiar English translation of "Silent Night" dates to 1859, 20 years after this. I think to check these things. I don't know why.
• He looks so unfamiliar, but there's no mistaking that wonderful attempt at an Irish accent.
• Heh at Joyce's reaction to Buffy's suggestion to invite Giles.
• …how did he get in to arrange Jenny's body? I assume he got invited in at some point and Giles did the deinvitation spell between "Passion" and now, but I can't think when he would have been invited in, and that's the kind of thing they usually try to show.
• "V arire unq n punapr…" "…gb qvr bs flcuvyvf?" Ab, gung'f Qneyn. Naq fur trgf nabgure punapr yngre. Raqf zber be yrff gur fnzr, gubhtu.
• "Rire unir gung qernz jurer lbh'er va n cynl…" Abg hagvy "Erfgyrff," Bm.
• So… that's all my point-by-point thoughts.
• I can't say I hated this episode, or even disliked it. Seeing Buffy and Faith, Buffy and Xander, Buffy and Giles, and Oz and Willow reconcile was great. In fact, the montage of the group working together in the library, all at peace between the four of them, was the highlight of the episode.
• Natry'f fgbel, va znal jnlf, erzvaqrq zr bs uvf bja frevrf, naq jul V ybirq vg fb zhpu. Gur fprar jurer ur'f nethvat jvgu gur Svefg va nyy vgf sbezf jnf rkpryyrag.
• On the other hand, and getting to the reason I was never terribly interested in this episode, Buffy/Angel drama makes me tune out quickly. About the only part that got through the apathy was Angel's "Am I a thing worth saving? Am I a righteous man?"
• As for the snow in the end… I don't know. It's like this episode. I love watching everyone react to it. I hate that it's a plot device to stop Angel from committing suicide by sunrise. (Abg gung V'z fbeel ur fheivirq, orpnhfr uvf fubj jbhyq unir orra yrff vagrerfgvat jvgubhg uvz.)
"• …how did he get in to arrange Jenny's body? I assume he got invited in at some point and Giles did the deinvitation spell between "Passion" and now, but I can't think when he would have been invited in, and that's the kind of thing they usually try to show."
I don't think it's ever shown, and by the time they realized what they wanted to have Angel place Jenny in Giles's apartment, Angel was already evil and it was too late, so they just ignored it.
And yeah, I'm assuming Giles did do the disinvite spell soon after he found Jenny's body.
I don't like this episode. I didn't like it back when it was being billed as a Very Special Christmas Buffy, and I don't like it now. It just— really rubs me the wrong way.
But Xander is halfway maybe getting back in my good graces.
I haven't had a chance to watch this episode again yet due to extremely slow downloads but it's not one of my favourites anyway so I doubt I would have had much to say about it. I'm not a big fan of melodramatic cheesiness in my Buffy, unless it's so over the top that it's hilarious.
'Bxnl, V arrq n Knaqre-pragevp rcvfbqr rkcynvavat guvf fbba.'
Onunununun, rvgure lbh'er cflpuvp Znex be lbh'ir jngpurq Gur Mrccb nyernql naq lbh'er zrffvat jvgu hf gb nccrne gb or cflpuvp :).
[youtube 9J3k_NUdH4E http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J3k_NUdH4E youtube]
Buffy's speech at the end to Angel always kills me. These words are so good, too good.
BARRING ALL THE INCONSISTENCIES (Angel needing to be invited in… so did he order someone else to place Jenny's body in Giles's house in season 2? Or was he invited before, and they deinvited him when the spellcasting was going on? And the snow, I don't even give a fuck, and I live in a snowy mcsnow state) I just really love this episode.
Oh fuck, my editjob somehow annihilated my youtube embed of Magic Snow.
ok fixed
Ooh, how'd you fix it? I've been unable to do that with edited comments with videos.
I just click on "embed video" as if I'm making a new comment/reply and just copy+paste the html again. It doesn't seem to work at first, but if you refresh the comments it'll show up again.
Basically just re-edit [ "youtube videaddress http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vidaddress youtube" ] back into the comment
Oh! I didn't try refreshing.
I think Angel first got invited back in the first season when he was getting the Codex for Giles. Or thereabouts. It's the only thing I can think of that makes sense. I imagine Giles disinvited him after he found Jenny's body (he was planning on doing it that evening anyway). So I actually saw this as the writers paying attention to the subtle consistencies of the series and love them for it.
Though as far as I remember, they never actually showed Giles inviting Angel in – all the scenes involving the Codex take place at the highschool. I guess Giles invited Angel in at some point when they needed to do research or something? But it's stated that Giles needs to do the disinvite spell in Passion, so…clearly he did invite Angel in at some point and then did do the spell.
Love Oz.
Poor Sander. Poor Giles.
Although I can't handle the thought of listening to that Irish accent or seeing the hair again, I may need to rewatch because I jus don't get The First.
I remember thinking how deep this ep was when I first watched it back in Highschool, but after growing up, and rewatching it, the melodrama just drips of of it.
I also don't like how easily Willow gets forgiven. juvpu vf hasbeghangryl gur fgneg bs n irel qnatrebhf cnggrea jurer Jvyybj vf pbaprearq. She always seems to get away with things. It doesn't help that she's Joss' favorite and that he's under the mistaken impression that everyone must love her.
Fb zhpu nterrzrag. Vg jvyy nyjnlf veevgngr gur fuvg bhg bs zr gung fur trgf sbetvira fb rnfvyl sbe jung fur qbrf ng gur raq bs frnfba fvk naq jr'er fhccbfrq gb sbetvir nyy ure fvaf fb rnfvyl gbb. Rkprcg shpx ab, Wbff.
va uvaqfvtug, guvf ernyyl obguref zr, gbb. "url, jvyybj, lbh pna qb jungrire lbh jnag orpnhfr lbh'er nqbenoyr." AB. guvf frgf n irel onq cerprqrag.
I'm glad that Willow still feels really guilty about the Xander thing and gracefully accepts Cordelia's meanness towards them in this episode – I hate cheating stories, but I do at least appreciate characters being truly remorseful about it. And I'm glad she and Oz are attempting to work it out. Go Oz, and I'm happy for Willow's sake.
Although her uh, seduction of Oz was really uncomfortable. I feel for Willow in that scene since she just wants to do something special and affirm her relationship with Oz since she almost lost him before, but it really does come across somewhat as 'sex as a bribe' or 'sex to prove the relationship.' Which is not something either of them would appreciate, I don't think, so Willow is attempting something that really she should have realized puts Oz in an awkward situation. I get why Willow does what she does, but realistically, initiating sex for the first time so soon after their breakup and when the relationship is still shaky just comes across as something more than 'I like you and want to have sex with you.' But I like that Oz simply says he's not ready, or that the circumstances don't feel right for him.
Hey Buffy, you may not hang out with Faith all that much, but SHE'S LIVING IN A CHEAP MOTEL. INVITE HER OVER FOR CHIRSTMAS EVE, GODDAMN. And Joyce, could you not have considered just inviting Faith over permanently so she doesn't have to live in a cheap motel by herself? Jeez. She's Buffy's age, maybe younger, living by herself in a super dangerous town and with little to her name.
"Faith: I don't really get it, though.
Buffy: I'll explain later. Everything. I promise."
Seems like a pivotal moment of your relationship with Faith, Buffy; don't fuck it up.
So, important points first:
1. As just about everyone else has commented, the snow was completely ridiculous – with Buffy and Angel wandering around in it, it looked like they'd gotten a foot or something which, lets be real, wouldn't happen.
2. I am NOT a fan of Buffy's bangs, and it was even weirder that they randomly disappeared for like one scene.
3. While the accent and the hair on flashback!Angel were bad, I think it was the mustache that really sold me on it.
Anyway, this episode was awesome, especially because of the Giles/Angel confrontation. I had been wanting to see that for a while now! I love that Giles didn't just outright forgive him, he's not going to be able to forget those harmful memories anytime soon, but he put his own feelings aside to help Buffy, like he promised.
The Xander stuff was heartbreaking, particularly since every other character was out looking at the snow in wonderment/excitement, and his response was to curl up in his sleeping bag and block out the cold.
Just got done watching Amends:
Angel + past + porn-stache + bad accent! YES! YES! As much as it focused on his horrible past, and as much as the first demon will haunt my nightmares, that mustache instantly makes me feel all fuzzy and full of joy. I know when Buffy saw Angel in the dream for the first time, she was really shocked by the facial hair. Heck, she already experienced him as a monster, but not like that. I wonder if I got anything from this show that was non-mustache related.
Oh, only in California (or at least the part Hollywood depicts as California) can someone be interrupted by the snow. If that happened to me, I would keep arguing with a, "And now IT's SNOWING! Happy now?" We are so disenchanted with snow.
Good episode. I am also glad they are taking the time to address the events of past episodes: Giles anger, Willow and Oz's awkwardness, Angel's never-ending torment, Cordelia's grudge, and Xander. Xander is actually addressing and recognizing past issues. He can be an awesome character with some development and background – sleeping outside on Christmas : ( He gets a gold star for this, and another one for his attempted intimidation, which was adorkable.
P.S. I wonder if Spike and Drusilla ever made up.
P.P.S. Jenny is so gorgeous, even if it is an evil spirit using her form to do evil things with evil thoughts, and being evil. Did I mention evil?
You know, were it not for the incredibly sad reasoning, and like vampires and demons about, I would think camping out on Christmas Eve would be fun (but only if you lived in Southern California…or Australia or something….I grew up in CA and no one from wintery states ever get CA Christmas traditions)
Willow trying to be sexy is so sweetly awkward. And Oz gets all the points forever for rebuffing her because he doesn't want their first time to be born out of guilt. Naq vgf abg, vgf obea bhg bs zbegny crevy
V svaq vg ulfgrevpny gung gurer vf fb zhpu ebg13 jbegul va GUVF rcvfbqr bs nyy gur rcvfbqrf. GUR SVEFG
Zna, Wbff fher ybirf uvf frkl qernzf gheavat ubeevsvp. Ng yrnfg ab bar ghearq vagb n mbzovrsvrq pbecfr guvf gvzr
Gur orfg cneg nobhg nyy gur ebg13 vf gung V org nyy gur abbof whfg guvax jr'er gnyxvat nobhg Natry gur frevrf.
"Willow trying to be sexy is so sweetly awkward. And Oz gets all the points forever for rebuffing her because he doesn't want their first time to be born out of guilt. "
Kinda like how he rebuffed her when she wanted to kiss him out of making Xander jealous? I sense a pattern, Willow….
Natry: “Vg’f abg gur qrzba va zr gung arrqf xvyyvat, Ohssl – vg’f gur zna.”
Naq gurer jr unir vg: Natry, va bar fragrapr. Ybir vg. (Naq uvz.) Ybbxvat onpx, gura guvf pna npghnyyl or frra nf gur svefg rcvfbqr bs NgF, juvpu vf cerggl avsgl. 🙂
Rot13'd.
V npghnyyl arire gubhtug bs gung yvar nf gehr. V gubhtug vg jnf whfg jung uvf wrex-oenva jnf gryyvat uvz va uvf fgngr bs thvyg naq funzr.
Things I concluded from this episode:
1. People in California have no clue what snow actually looks like. Or a snowstorm. Especially a street covered in snow. Does someone please have that last shot as a picture to share? Because I just want to look at it and laugh whenever I'm feeling down.
2. People in California have no clue what an Irish accent sounds like. SO MUCH LAUGHING. You know, between the tears.
Come on, people. Come visit Boston and you'll get both of these things in plenty!
“Strong is fighting. It’s hard and it’s painful and it’s every day. It’s what we have to do, and we can do it together, but if you’re too much of a coward for that, then burn.”
Guvf! Guvf, evtug urer, vf gur ortvaavat bs Natry'f RAGVER PUNENPGRE NEP sbe uvf frevrf. Fgebat vf svtugvat, naq vg'f jung ur unf gb qb, naq vg'f jung ur qbrf sebz guvf zbzrag bajneq. Vg'f guvf gung yrnqf gb…
"Vs abguvat jr qb znggref, gura nyy gung znggref vf jung jr qb."
…naq gung, va ghea, yrnqf qverpgyl gb…
"Yrg'f tb gb jbex."
Frr, V ybir gung frpbaq gb ynfg yvar. Naq V yvxr gur ynfg yvar va grezf bs n terng rcvfbqr, ohg V qba'g yvxr vg va grezf bs pnccvat bss Natry'f nep. Sbepvat n ynfg fgnaq xvaq bs fvghngvba nyjnlf frrzrq gb or n pbc-bhg ba npghnyyl pbagvahvat gb qb tbbq. ASN vf fgvyy n terng rcvfbqr, V whfg jvfu gur raq jnf n ovg zber pbafvfgrag jvgu ubj V ivrj Natry'f punenpgre naq uvf rkvfgragvnyvfz.
Ohg naljnl, jr'yy or trggvat gb gung va n srj zbaguf. 🙂
V thrff V arire fnj vg nf n "ynfg fgnaq" yvar. Vg qbrfa'g pnc bss Natry'f nep nf zhpu nf rafher gung vg jvyy pbagvahr rgreanyyl.
Ohg rira vs ernq nf n "ynfg fgnaq" yvar, V thrff V qba'g frr ubj vg pbhyq or vagrecergrq nf n pbc-bhg sebz gur frevrf' pber gurzrf. Vs nalguvat, gur yvar ervasbeprf gur vqrn gung Natry unf pbzzvggrq gb svtugvat rira va gur nofrapr bs n arohybhf ubcr. Gb zr, vg'f zhpu gur fnzr nf Xnen Guenpr'f yvar ng gur raq bs OFT Frnfba 2.
"Svtug hagvy jr pna'g."
this
"Vs abguvat jr qb znggref, gura nyy gung znggref vf jung jr qb."
V guvax… be ng yrnfg, V UBCR gung Znex jvyy raq hc nccerpvngvat gung cneg bs NgF. Nf na ngurvfg zlfrys, gurer'f fbzrguvat nobhg gung gurzr gung ernyyl erfbangrf jvgu zr va n qrrc jnl. VZB gurer'f n fhogyr guernq bs uhznavfz guebhtu NgF, rkcybevat gur vqrn gung jung lbh qb gbqnl znggref zbfg naq lbh hygvzngryl pna'g yvir lbhe yvsr guvaxvat nobhg erjneqf sbe qbvat gur evtug guvat. (Abgr: V'z abg fnlvat gung Puevfgvnaf/Zhfyvzf/rgp pna'g trg bgure zrnavatshy gurzrf sebz gur fubj, whfg gung nf na ngurvfg gur frevrf fbzrgvzrf fcrnxf gb zr va n jnl gung bgure frevrf qba'g.)
Naq V nterr gung vg fgnegf urer va guvf rcvfbqr… Ohssl gryyvat uvz gb fhpx vg hc naq zbir sbejneq, jurgure be abg fbzr qvivar rivy unf cynaf sbe uvz. Orvat nyvir vf uneq, naq cnvashy, naq qbvat gung vf jung'f nqzvenoyr — abg znegleqbz nf n fubegphg gb xnezvp sbetvirarff.
Beautifully put. 🙂
More stuff that mentions AtS: Nyfb, znlor V'z nybar va guvf, ohg V guvax Gur Svefg vf gur zbfg obevat, fuvggl ivyynva gur fubj rire unq (naq gung vf fnlvat fbzrguvat). V'z abg pbaivaprq vg'f rira gryyvat gur gehgu nobhg vgfrys. V zrna, vg vf pyrneyl fznyy cbgngbrf sbe Jbysenz naq Uneg gb pbbx hc n cvrpr bs wrjryel gb qrny jvgu gur guvat, naq gur Fravbe Cnegaref ner n cerggl ovt shpxvat qrny, fb. Vg whfg chgf vg nyy va crefcrpgvir, V guvax, gung J&U pna fuhg vg qbja fb rnfvyl orpnhfr vg'f orvat n ahvfnapr gb gurve cynaf. Gur Svefg vf boivbhfyl abg pbafvqrerq ol gurz gb or n znwbe ceboyrz, ohg zber yvxr n tang gung arrqf gb or fjnggrq. Ohg gura, V guvax J&U vf gur orfg ivyynva rvgure fubj rire unq, fb gurer vf ovnf urer.
Svefg vf gur jbefg! V whfg svther, jryy, vg'f gur Svefg rivy, qbrfa'g zrna vg'f gur orfg rivy. Ohg nterrq, vg'f cerggl jrnx va gur ybateha.
V guvax gur Svefg unf n ybg bs… jnvgsbevg… qehzebyy.. nurzurz… CBGRAGVNY, ohg gur rkrphgvba whfg fhpxf. Naq lrnu, vs lbh gnxr NgF naq OgIF nf Bar Pnaba, gura vg'f whfg… jrnx.
(Spoilers for both shows)
Lbh'er abg nybar, sbe fher. Rira Nqnz naq gur Gevb jrer zber vagrerfgvat guna gur Svefg (jryy, znetvanyyl).
Gur zber V guvax nobhg vg, rfcrpvnyyl pbafvqrevat gur J&U nfcrpg juvpu V unqa'g rira gubhtug nobhg orsber, Naln'f pbzzragf va Oevat ba gur Avtug pbhyq jryy or zber be yrff gehr bs Gur Svefg, gbb:
"Cyrnfr. Ubj znal gvzrf qvq V urne gung yvar va zl qrzba qnlf. "V'z fb ebggra gurl qba'g rira unir n anzr sbe vg… V'z onqql onq onq onq."
Sandman Spoilers
Jbysenz naq Uneg vf cna-qvzrafvbany juvyr V trg gur frafr gung Gur Svefg vf pbasvarq gb guvf ernyvgl. V pna chg vg va Fnaqzna grezf ol fnlvat gung JS&U jbhyq or bar bs Gur Raqyrff gb Gur Svefg'f Puevfgvna Tbq. Qernz xabjf gung ur'f orra nebhaq ybatre guna Tbq naq hygvzngryl unf zber cbjre guna Uvz, ohg ur fgvyy unf gb qrsre gb Uvz va gur Fvyire Pvgl orpnhfr gung'f gur ernyvgl gung rkvfgf gurer
V ybir gur Svefg va "Nzraqf," orpnhfr V ybir gur vqrn gung gur "bevtvany, gehr rivy" vf n fhogyr bar, jub perngrf punbf ol chfuvat crbcyr whhhhhhhfg cnfg gurve oernxvat cbvag. Jubfr terng tvsg vf svaqvat gur ubeebe va gehgu naq gur pehrygl va yvrf naq hfvat jbeqf nf gur hygvzngr jrncba. Jub qbrfa'g arrq fbzr tenaq, ncbpnylcgvp cyna jura fbjvat gur frrqf bs qvfgehfg, ncngul, be (va Natry'f pnfr) frys-ybnguvat naq thvyg jbexf whfg nf jryy.
Jr trg nabgure fznyy gnfgr bs gung njrfbzr Svefg Rivy va "Pbairefngvbaf Jvgu Qrnq Crbcyr." Ohg gura gur horeinzcf fubj hc naq vg nyy tbrf gb shpxvat uryy.
THIS.
v svaq znavchyngvir crbcyr gb or sne zber sevtugravat gur gur fgenvtugsbejneq ungrshy barf. v ybir "pbairefngvbaf jvgu qrnq crbcyr." vg'f bar bs gur bayl ogif rcvfbqrf (vs abg gur bayl) gung npghnyyl fpnerf zr.
naq v nterr gung jura gur horeinzcf fubj hc guvatf trg…abg tbbq. frnfba 7 whfg qvfnccbvagf zr. gur rkrphgvba bs gur svefg'f fgbelyvar pbhyq unir orra unaqyrq fb zhpu orggre guna vg hygvzngryl jnf. nf n ivyynva, gur svefg vaureragyl qrznaqf fhogyrgl naq svarffr, naq gurer jnf n qrsvavgryl ynpx bs gung.
naq gur arpxynpr jnf whfg ynml jevgvat ba wbff'f cneg, vzub.
uz, V nyjnlf ybbxrq ng vg nf J&U nf orvat ohfvarff rivy juvyr gur Svefg jnf zber cevzny rivy. Qhevat guvf gvzr, jnfa'g J&U qrnyvat jvgu gurve bja ncbpnylcfr? (pna'g ernyyl erzrzore F4 Natry nf vg'f zl yrnfg snibevgr) naq gurl frrz gb jnag gur orfg ncbpnylcfr bhgpbzr ohfvarff-jvfr juvyr gur Svefg whfg jnagf gur jbeyq gb ohea. Naq gur arpxynpr qvqa'g qrfgebl gur Svefg, gur Svefg pna'g or qrfgeblrq, vg whfg jvcrq bhg vg'f nezl. V qba'g xabj, vafgrnq bs jngpuvat gur gjb fubjf gbtrgure, V jngpurq bar frevrf guna gur bgure fb V thrff V graq gb frcnengr gurz zber va zl zvaq, yby. Unir gb nterr jvgu lbh ba J&U orvat gur orfg ivyynvaf.
V graq gb guvax bs Gur Svefg Rivy nf Jbysenz & Uneg yvgr — gung gurl jrer n ebhtu qensg bs na vqrn sbe gur NgF fhcerzr ovt onq, ohg gura gur vqrn tbg vzcebirq naq ersvarq.
… ohg gura sbe fbzr ernfba gurl qrpvqrq gb oevat gurz onpx sbe OgIF frnfba frira.
I know the snow is cheesy, and objectively I understand people's problems with the episode, but goddamn that entire last conversation between Angel and Buffy kills me every time:
ANGEL: Am I a thing worth saving, huh? Am I a righteous man? The world wants me gone!
BUFFY: (tearfully) What about me? I love you so much… And I tried to make you go away… I killed you and it didn't help. (crying) And I hate it! I hate that it's *so* hard… and that you can hurt me *so* much. I know everything that you did, because you did it to me. Oh, God! I wish that I wished you dead. I don't. (whispers) I can't.
ANGEL: Buffy, please. Just this once… let me be strong.
BUFFY: Strong is fighting! It's hard, and it's painful, and it's every day. It's what we have to do. And we can do it together. But if you're too much of a coward for that, then burn. If I can't convince you that you belong in this world, then I don't know what can. But do *not* expect me to watch. And *don't* expect me to mourn for you, because…
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeirftHoz1qz5stv.png">
Yeah, Xander. Shut your pie hole.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeirz9ghu1qz5stv.png">
Oz is his typical brilliant self here. I'm sure that Cordelia and Oz had a conversation or two about Willow and Xander and how close they are and how they just need to trust them. And then to have a betrayal of that specific trust, where there was always a concern in the back of their minds, is why it cut so deep. It wasn't just a random fling; Willow and Xander hit the rawest nerve possible.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeisd0pG01qz5stv.png" />
Giles is rockin the unbuttoned look so hard.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeisupYUC1qz5stv.gif" />
Gif shamelessly stolen from arctic_hare
(continued in reply)
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeitg8gXb1qz5stv.png" />
This is a great demonstration of the class dynamic to rape culture.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeittLVMZ1qz5stv.png" />
We didn't get to see a lot of Angel's victims from when he recently lost his soul. I like that they place the businessman in this time frame with his suit. Also Evil!Margaret's last line here is spectacular.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeiu7IIWT1qz5stv.png" />
"It's been three weeks since you were looking for your friend…"
Seriously though, if you can't say "have sex" perhaps you're not ready for it? I adore the prop touch of the 2 liter plastic bottle in the champagne bucket.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeivfLxcy1qz5stv.png" />
I love puns so much I'd marry them.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeivqlmFu1qz5stv.png" />
Robia LaMorte plays sultry evil perfectly.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeiw4OXxP1qz5stv.png" />
THIS IS MY EMOTING FACE.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzeiwgb6NX1qz5stv.png" />
That's… not how weather works…
Not shown are Faith being hot and Xander being a decent human being.
Transcripts modified from BvA.
Oh god that last one. I forgot how much they don't know how freshly fallen snow looks. SO MUCH NOT LIKE THIS oh lols forever
I know, right? XD Seriously you think they could have looked up some pictures of snow or something
It's very… sad, that fake snow. And it keeps bugging anew me every time I scroll past the screenshot because I have snow right outside and it's. smooth.
It's hilarious how much it looks like they just got a bunch of cotton batting and spread it all over the place. The stuff on top of the cars is the closest, but it should be all over the windows and on top of the mirrors too.
Also, I just realized the trees in that shot have NO SNOW at all on them. It's like the most selective snow ever!
It truly is magic!
Wasn't the sun about to rise? SHOULDN'T ANGEL GET INSIDE? Oh wait no… magic snow means the sun LITERALLY DOESN'T RISE. AMAZING.
Seriously though, if you can't say "have sex" perhaps you're not ready for it?
"The mere fact that you call making love "Pop Pop" tells me that you're not ready."
This is a great demonstration of the class dynamic to rape culture.
Agreed! V inthryl erzrzore Natry cbffvoyl chyyvat fbzr perrcl va guvf jnl nf n uhzna va na NgF synfuonpx. Nz V zvf-erzrzorevat gung?
V guvax gung'f evtug – jvgu bar bs uvf sngure'f freiragf. V oryvrir vg'f va Cebqvtny
V xvaq bs ybir gur jevgref' pbzzvgzrag gb uhzna!Natry orvat n penc crefba. Vg'f fhpu n fhoirefvba bs gur pbzzba gebcr bs gur fjrrgre, vaabprag uhzna abj znqr vagb n zbafgre.
Gurer'f nyfb n fprar va NGF F5 "Qrfgval" jurer Natry unf ivpgvzvmrq n oevqr, naq va n frpbaq synfuonpx gung fnzr rcvfbqr Fcvxr zvfgnxrf Qeh sbe gur oevqr jura ur frrf Natry univat frk ohg pna'g frr gur tvey'f snpr. Fb V guvax vg'f snveyl pyrne gurer gung ur hfrq encr nf cneg bs uvf gbegher zrgubq.
That's… not how weather works…
HUSH NOW IT IS MAGIC WEATHER
THAT IS HOW MAGIC WEATHER WORKS
That "snow" looks like it's boiling or something.
Also, about the rape culture thing, I was actually kind of relieved when Angel just bit her neck because I was so skeeved out by the rapey stuff. *shudder*
Giles rocks every look. Rkprcg gung jrveq onttl fjrngre va Fbzrguvat Oyhr. Vg jbexf va bgure rcvfbqrf, ohg vg whfg ybbxf jrveq va gung bar.
V ybir gung crbcyr ner cebonoyl guvaxvat jr'er gnyxvat nobhg frevbhf fcbvyre fghss va ebg13 jura ernyyl jr ner whfg cynlvat snfuvba cbyvpr. 🙂
Tvyrf' onttl fjrngre = Ohssl'f birenyyf bs fnqarff.
Except I like the overalls of sadness
Responding to your question. Yes, time did pass diffrent and for Angel it was actually 100 years spent in Hell. Thats also the reason why he behaved like a wild beast when he returned.
Actually, given that the Hell-dimension Buffy went to in Anne was 1 earth day = ~100 hell years (people aged and died within a day of disappearing on earth), it's likely that Angel was actually in hell for significantly longer than a century. Even if it was only a couple of months for Buffy, that would make it ~6000 years for Angel.
Though it may not have passed at the same rate.
"Ohg gura V tbg fghpx va n uryy qvzrafvba ol zl tveysevraq bar gvzr sbe n uhaqerq lrnef, fb guerr zbaguf haqre gur bprna npghnyyl tnir zr crefcrpgvir."
Natry, Qrrc Qbja (NgF 4.1)
I have to say, I would not be too upset if Evil-Jenny makes further appearances, since we will never get Real-Jenny back.
YUSSSS.
Also, throwing my lot in with the 'Jenny is gorgeous' crowd.
She is, isn't she? Those dark eyes. That easy drifting movement.
Oooh that's rather poetic! 🙂
Even when I am on time I am late. My internet is slow today.
-Note: I do not approve of certain amendings going on quite yet.
-Back in Oirland? What's Angel up to now?
-What is that mustache?
-If it is Angel making the amends I'm cool with that.
-I have mixed feelings about these scenes. I feel bad for Xander, and Cordy really shouldn't have shared that secret. But I am also glad that Xander didn't throw any quip's back because Cordelia is still the one with the high ground so to speak. I think I might be ok with Willow and Oz since he thinks he is ready. I kept thinking to Willow to let him finish because she had looked like she was going to jump in. I also like that she is letting him set the boundaries by asking if they can hug.
-The trees with snow on them scare me. We don't really get much snow on our trees up here in the north-east and when we do it looks nothing like that.
-Yes! Invite Faith! Christmas Shenanigans please.
-Oh Joyce, that isn't obviously evasive.
-Angel? What are these scary things you are dreaming?
-Oh Joss, that was cruel. Poor Alice.
-Whoa, tandem dreaming. That's weird u guiz.
-Jenny Calender, even in death your snark is the best.
-Aww, Xander. I am liking these amendings.
-It sounds like Jenny is trying to lure Angel back to Angelus?
-Well then…
-Nooooo, Willow, you were doing so well. I understand your logic but that is a lot at once.
-Oz continues to be awesome.
-Yay Faith!
-Stop that Jenny. It seems that the priests have realized that she has the most sway over Angel's guilt.
-…Snow? What magic is this? OMG Xander! You're gonna freeze to death!
-Mwahaha, Universe, you're so very subtle.
-The snow looks like pillow stuffing.
Stupid snow.
(There's nothing spoilery at that link, but there is at the rest of the site, so the unspoiled should not wander off.)
LOL the Cordelia skiing panel.
Maybe that's how MAGIC SNOW works. How would you know if you've never experienced MAGIC SNOW?
Five episodes? I thought Whedon had already scooped all the optimism out of Mark like some sort of delicious ice cream. Clearly there is more work to be done.
I thought Whedon had already scooped all the optimism out of Mark like some sort of delicious ice cream.
Oh God I laughed. Optimism is Joss's ice cream, topped with our tears.
Sprinkled with regret and finished off with the cherry of despair.
and eaten with a spoon of SORROW
Hell – uh, canon never really says how long Angel was there (as I recall ) but fanon speculation I've read goes from 100 years to 500 years (with a mode of 200) Fanon also has a great deal of speculation about exactly what happened in Hell – .much of it NC 17 for some reason or another.
I'm not much of a B/A shipper – but that snow scene even made me puddle up a bit.
I really do enjoy this episode and a lot of people have probably already pointed out a lot of the reasons why – Angel's past, Xander acting like the friend that we know he can be, Willow and her declaration that not everyone worships Santa, and Oz being Oz which means he's being pretty damn awesome. Also? I love that Buffy trusts Faith enough to watch out for her mom. Ntu, whfg or sevraqf, bxnl? Qb jung V jnag naq abg jung gur jevgref unir lbh qb, qnea vg. (Fher, V frr gung unccravat. YBY.)
And again, this second paragraph is too long so I'll just post the rest in a reply.
As for Xander's parents….yeah, he really does have a crappy homelife when you think about it and they've been very subtle up until now in showing that on the show. I can't remember the episode but I want to say it was season one when Xander invites Willow over for dinner and says something along the lines of "Mom's cooking so that means she's ordering Chinese." and Willow asks if their house even has a stove. But the one that really gets me is in season two – I believe it's right after Angel has gone evil and they're doing the round robin so they can stay out and go after the Judge. Xander calls home and says "Hey, Mom, it's me." and then there's this pause and, despite the fact that he's an only child, he has to clarify by saying his name. That's just so sad to me that even being an only child, his mom has no clue who is on the phone when he calls. So that scene at the end with him sleeping out in the snow just makes me want to hug him.
yeah, that "it's me Xander" phone call is just THE WORST. I always assume that it was drunk mommy confusion. ;_;
"Mom's making her famous Call To The Chinese Place." Always liked that line.
Ugh my computer charger cord decided it hates me so I have to type this out on my iPod which is super weird but I can’t not comment lol. Mostly because holy shit buffys bangs are So Bad, along with angels hair and accent. Also I read a fic once where Giles showed up at the library the next morning and Xander was sleeping there and Giles told him he could always come sleep on his couch. Basically it made me go awww and I’ve always been sad I couldn’t find it again 🙁
Oooh I've read all kinds of fics like these. Giles being there for Xander on Christmas. I wish he saw it on screen.
Yeah I always feel like I wish there were more scenes of them just hanging out living their semi-normal lives before the evil shows up. I guess if my biggest complaint is I wish there was more the show is probably doing something right lol
Qbrfa'g nalbar xabj gur Svefg pna nccrne nf nalbar jub unf qvrq? Vfa'g vg zragvbarq naljurer – V sbetrg.
It is, I'm sure.
Is it ridiculously hot Buffy? Really? Then why are you wearing a jacket!? I don't know why, but this is a serious pet peeve for me, I hate it when characters complain about hot weather while wearing jackets, jeans and boots.
As an Aussie who's never seen snow before (I imagine that it feels like cotton balls and dreams) the fake snow at the end seems perfectly legit to me. I'll buy that it stays pitch black all day, and doesn't melt when it touches the ground. Also it doesn't seem that strange to me that it's snowing in California. My thought process = They're in America, it snows there.
I'd forgotten how good this episode is, it's not one that I've re-watched a lot (V bsgra trg vzcngvrag naq fxvc gb gur rcvfbqrf jurer Fcvxr pbzrf onpx, rira gubhtu V ernyyl yvxr frnfba 3) all I could remember was the scene at the end. It's a nice episode, a lot of it is just the Scoobies lives and celebrating the holidays. I really like Xander in this episode, and Willow and Oz are adorable, and SMG does that thing with her face that makes my heart break for her. Cordelia is back to being really mean, but I can't really get upset at her for it…I MISS YOU SCOOBY!CORDY.
And finally, of course Jenny comes back like this, Joss Whedon was definitely thinking, "You want to see Jenny again? Well sure, she can get another appearance MU HA HA HAH HA."
Snow definitely looks like cotton balls and dreams, but mostly it's just cold and wet. Like…hm, more like when a dog shoves a cold wet nose at you? Only all over? Which might be the most unromantic explanation of snow ever. It does look really pretty, though.
When it snows it's mostly just overcast like when it rains, and it can actually be lighter, because the snow is bouncing the little bit of sunlight all over the place. My favorite lighting ever is sometimes, during late-night snowstorms, you can go out in the street and the snow bounces the light so much that everything is sort of yellowish and it's actually brighter and clearer than day— in the middle of the night. 🙂
Also, generally only the northern half of the country gets snow, though I don't know the exact latitude, and southern areas get occasional frostings of snow every few years. Generally this results in a complete shutdown of the southern areas, and all the northern cities laughing.
The thing I hate though is "wintry mix" where it decides to rain, snow, and sleet, all at once. It results in a half-frozen icy slush on everything, which is incredibly slippery and super dangerous if you're driving. Or, sometimes, it results in an inch of ice hidden under snow! Also incredibly dangerous.
This has been your daily infomercial on snow. 😉 (If it helps, I am probably equally weirded out by the idea of summer happening in January. That's just strange to me.)
I'm a fan of pink skies during snowstorms, which we seem to get a lot where I live. The yellow sky just before a thunderstorm always kind of freaks me out, though, like a tornado is going to come whisk me away.
I'm with you on the wintry mix. Every time that happens I pray the temperature will drop just a few degrees so we can have some legit snow.
I live right on the border zone; half the city is usually north enough to get snow, the bottom half to get rain… and my house is in the middle where we get slush/freezing rain/ice. We had a storm last year that left 3" of solid ice all over my car. I thawed the car but still couldn't get it out of the driveway for over a week. I would so, SO much rather have had the 2 feet of snow that my parents got in the northern half of the state. ):
"like when a dog shoves a cold wet nose at you?" – Best description ever. 😀
Thanks, this is very interesting, although now the end of the episode seems sillier XD
Ha ha, yes, air-conditioning is very Christmassy to me, and every year on Christmas day we go to the beach.
The snow doesn’t look like that because they think snow looks like that. It looks like that because they asked for snow and that’s what the set decorators or whoever gave them. Whatever they use has to be easy to clean up and non-polluting, as well as resembling snow.
Frankly, it always makes me hungry for instant mashed potatoes.
Instant mashed potatoes is one of my weaknesses.
"Magic Snow Music"
[youtube fWBmlLjwRyI http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWBmlLjwRyI youtube]
Yes, you remember correctly. Giles said that Angel would have been in Hell for hundreds of years.
I think the First was lying about being behind Angel's return. For one thing, it's a lying liar who lies. For another, we saw a beam of light come out of the claddagh ring and turn into a portal that Angel fell out of in "Faith, Hope & Trick", so I think he was brought back by The Power of Love.
The First is eerily good at impersonating dead people. "To die in bed surrounded by fat grandchildren, but I guess that's off the menu" is something Jenny so would have said.
I think the miracle is beautiful, not cheesy.
I think the First was so good at imitating because it used Angel's memories, that is the easiest explanation for how it knew what the people looked like as well.
It makes me weirdly happy that Angel's memories of Jenny include her snark specifically.
Vs lbh frr Frnfba Frira, vg frrzf pyrne gung vg npprffrf gur zrzbevrf bs gur crbcyr vg vzcrefbangrf. Bs pbhefr, vg jbhyq nyfb unir npprff gb Natry'f naq or noyr gb nccrne nf uvz, 'pnhfr ur'f qrnq.
I'm not supposed to read this so I am going to have to assume it is a rebuttal.
Well, it's informational rather than argumentative. I wasn't sure if you were one of the people who hasn't seen the series before.
Not everyone worships Santa, you know?
They are rebels, and they shall never, ever be good.
God, I love Whedon's dialog.
It is a annual tradition for me to watch lots of Christmas episodes leading up to Christmas and this is one I always make time to watch even if I still say snow falling doesn't mean the sun won't come up. That's just plain illogical even if it makes for a nice moment in the totally obvious fake snow. And yes, we all need an Oz in our life.
Daily Buffy Quotable
"Not everyone worships Santa."-Willow
BUFFY: You're still number one with the guilt trip, Mom. JOYCE: I try.
"Tis the season. Whatever that means."-Faith
"You did great back there. I was very intimidated by you."-Willy
"You look great and you've got that Barry working for you."-Oz
"All right, I get it, you're evil. Do we have to chat about it all day?"-Buffy
Yes, I really like this episode!
-Oh awesome, more Angel flashbacks. I freaking love these.
-Whoa, not sure how I feel about that mustache, Angel. Also, I see your accent hasn't gotten much better.
-”I'd better go before the magic store closes.” see that would be the best Christmas present ever. Why can't magic be real? These are the things that bother me.
-”Not everybody worships Santa!”
-It's so weird to think that people who live in warmer areas actually come to the colder ones like mine in the winter for vacation when we do the opposite.
-OZ! Oz sharing his feelings with Willow makes me sad. 🙁
-Lol at Joyce insisting that Giles will absolutely not be invited over for Christmas. It's a shame, I find their awkwardness with each other cute.
-Faith, don't lie about the party, just go with Buffy. I hate seeing you unhappy and closed off from everyone. Also it would be adorable to see you hanging out with Buffy and her mom!
-Well if that isn't the most awkward thing ever. I still expected Buffy to be the one who knocked watching this again.
-Oh, Giles. 🙁 I'm feeling bad for the both of them (but mostly Giles). I'm still surprised that he was nice enough to let Angel in his house and talk to him when it would have been completely justifiable for him to say no. Bless you, Giles.
-Holy fuck this is really disturbing. It gives me chills the way he intimidates that woman at the party.
-Xander wants to help? And he's not sassing Buffy about Angel? Okay, you get a gold star today, but one snarky remark and it's gone. I'm warning you!
-David Boreanaz is doing a really good job of making me feel bad for Angel so soon after the second season, I have to say.
-Okay who else loves the little “Mr. Giles” stocking, and who else wishes they could stuff it with tea bags and candy?
-Shared dreamsex….weird.
-Url, vfa'g gung fubg sebz gur Natry gurzr?
-I love that the vamps just casually walking out like “Aaww dammit” when Willy announces Buffy's there.
-Xander you need to be nice and not-annoying like this more often.
-Willow…I don't think this is what Buffy meant. This is hilariously awkward and silly. But I'm so happy you've put so much work into trying to put Oz first!
-All this time and I just now noticed she has two plastic bottles of soda in the ice bucket. LOL!
-But seriously Willow, I think it's too soon for this. You guys just got back together today.
-”So Angel's on top again?” I just snorted out loud. It was pretty undignified.
-FAITH!! YOU SHOWED UP, YAY!
-GAH, that's not creepy at all Angel, nope. Shit, he's losing it, this is not good.
-Uuuuuuugh Angel you ruined the Buffy/Faith bonding time!
-So who else thought the CGI effect was just a tad overkill?
-How…..can you smell the sunrise?
-Buffy's speech to Angel right here
-No, Buffy, you're making me tear up, don't cry!
-Look I don't care how corny the magic snow out of nowhere is. I'm just glad Buffy isn't crying anymore. Also, I enjoy this music and everything is pretty.
-Aaaawww, poor Xander. I do feel bad about his family life. He's been so mature this episode and hasn't annoyed me at all. And his family history might be an explanation for some of his behavior (even if it can't really be an excuse). I relate to you situation, Xander. Come here and let me hug you.
-…..Snow doesn't look all clumpy like that when it falls in the street, guys. It's flat and uneven.
-Okay who else loves the little “Mr. Giles” stocking, and who else wishes they could stuff it with tea bags and candy?
ME! ME! MEEEE!
ME TOO! I was wondering who put that there! It's so cute!
I would guess Willow, except — 'Hello! Jewish!'
I'm going to go with a nice plump midwestern English teacher that has a big ol' crush on him.
There's a Mr. Giles stocking? I COMPLETELY MISSED THIS.
"Strong is fighting. It’s hard and it’s painful and it’s every day. It’s what we have to do."
holy fuck I can't even talk about this episode because I'm crying my eyes out over this line right now. For brevity's sake, I'll just say I'm dealing with things right now, and everyone tells me I'm strong, and I don't see it that way, except in bright moments like this, where I remember that sometimes fighting means brushing my teeth every day, or getting up and getting dressed, and not necessarily the big battles. Sometimes living is the hardest thing to do, and that line just (no pun intended) slayed me.
***hugs for you.***
Fb… QNJA.
V erpxba fur naq Snvgu znqr n fabjzna va gur tneqra, naq unq n jbaqreshy gvzr obaqvat. Naq Qnja frpergyl jvfurq gung Ohssl jbhyq pbzr naq cynl (bapr fur tbg onpx) ohg qvfthvfrq vg ol unatvat nebhaq znxvat ehqr pbzzragf nobhg Natry'f unve.
Gbgnyyl. V guvax fur jnf nyfb fyvtugyl qvfnccbvagrq jura Ohssl yrsg, ohg znqr hc sbe vg ol unatvat ba Snvgu'f rirel jbeq.
Before I read, a note: This episode and yesterday's are not showing up on the Buffy page nor are they linked in the post before them as a next post.
The accent and facial hair is pretty awful, isn't it? 😉
The thing that really bugs me about this ep though: Record breaking HEAT WAVE – and everyone is wearing pants and long sleeve shirts and jackets??? Ok, I get that you have to dress up your actors in the coolest and the greatest outfits, but come on. This is SoCal! Have the people in Sunnydale never heard of shorts, tank tops and flip flops?
But everything else about this ep is love. Hank Azaria – Always fun to see the KTLA news crew on Buffy. 😀 Willow/Oz – yay! Willow spinning the Barry White – I laugh every. single. time. Oz proving this is a fantasy show by not taking up Willow on her offer – why are there no real guys like this? Xander being the best friend and helping Buffy help Angel – we need more of this Xander. Giles with a crossbow – don't apologize, Mark, it is pretty impressive. Buffy smarting off to the First – she really is good with the one-liners. Faith getting to spend Christmas with the Summers gals, even if she just brought crappy gifts – she's so insecure here and I just want to hug her, though she likely wouldn't let me. Hm… maybe just a shoulder pat then. Buffy's speech to Angel – basically telling him to stop whining and grow a pair – 'bout time.
Amends
This episode just makes me roll my eyes really hard all the time. MIRACLE SNOW. Miracle snow that doesn't make any sense and also doesn't even look like snow! As a Wisconsinite I am contractually obligated to not take this episode seriously.
Notes:
– ["V arire sryg gung jnl orsber. Jura vg jnfa'g n shyy zbba." Vagrerfgvat sberfunqbjvat sbe gur Gnen guvat va "Arj Zbba Evfvat."]
– "Cruelty is the only thing you've ever really had a talent for." Now he'll never be a violin player.
– Xander is actually somewhat likable in this episode. First he helps with Angel research, and then he "interrogates" Willy the Snitch. "Let me get a double shot of… of INFORMATION, pal!"
– I love Willow's little seduction scene, but if you can't say the word "sex," you really shouldn't be having it.
I think it's interesting that this show often paints Willow as the one who instigates things sexually (or… kissing-ly) while Oz wants to wait for the right moment. It's a nice inversion, and I generally think Oz is right that they should be doing those things for the right reasons and not to make Xander jealous/fix their relationship/whatever. But it also disappoints me sometimes, that the sexually forward female character is always shut down by a male character telling her she's moving too fast.
– "DEAD-BY-SUNRISE!" Sorry, First Evil, I just can't take you seriously.
– "Am I a righteous man?" Jesus Christ, shut up, Angel.
– I know I said I don't take this episode seriously, but one thing that actually does make me sad is watching Buffy do everything she can to convince Angel he shouldn't kill himself–and failing. She tries to shame him into being less "cowardly." She yells at him to fight, instead of giving up. She pleads with him to stay alive for her own sake. And none of it works. Such a helpless feeling, when someone you love is convinced that they are worthless and don't deserve to live, and there's absolutely nothing you can say to convince them otherwise.
"Cruelty is the only thing you've ever really had a talent for." Now he'll never be a violin player.
I laughed out loud.
But it also disappoints me sometimes, that the sexually forward female character is always shut down by a male character telling her she's moving too fast.
This is something that really bugs me too. I felt like in this case it was mitigated by Oz framing it with "I'M not ready", but I agree: less of the sexually forward female being shown as wrong, not understanding what she's 'worth', being told what she wants and needs by someone else.
Vagrerfgvat lbh zragvba gung, fvapr jura gurl qb svanyyl unir frk, vg'f Bm jub vavgvngrf vg. Naq V'z abg fher gung cnavpxvat vf nal orggre rkphfr guna gelvat gb cebir gung jub zhpu lbh pner nobhg fbzrbar. Va snpg, V'z pregnva vg'f abg. Ba gur bgure unaq, Jvyybj urer vf thvyg gevccvat nyy bire gur cynpr, fb cebonoyl abg gur orfg pvephzfgnapr rvgure.
Last night, on Ringer: A character asks for an invitation before entering a house.
"Why? Are you a vampire?"
Oh, show 🙂
I really like Amends. It's an episode that in some ways we've been needing since we found out about Angel's past. Not brooding, just guilt.
And caught up with the rest of the weeks episodes so I'm not rushing before the posts come out.
Yay
Just because the First Evil took credit for something, doesn't mean it actually did it.
It is Evil, after all, and fully capable of being a lying-liarpants.
I only have love for this episode.
I love everyone's scenes, I love to death, the hill scene with Buffy and Angel. I love the snow. I love the poetry. I love the music.
You know, what never bugged be with Buffy or Angel, was the imperfections that you can find sometimes in the episodes.
I guess it's because of its genre, that some things that don't look real, are really not a big deal for me.
Yes, some monsters seem ridiculous, some designs seem fake, some stand-in stunts are too obvious…
And yet, it doesn't matter.
What matters with Whedon, is the emotion. And the emotion is always real.
"Amends" brings the emotions at its best.