In the fourteenth episode of the third season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy opens up to Faith’s philosophy towards being a Slayer, but finds it has catastrophic consequences. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Buffy.
I have a feeling that when I finish Buffy sometime in the next decade, it’ll be easy for me to look back and name “Bad Girls” as one of the most entertaining and thought-provoking episodes of the entire show. This is an immense story, one that parallels the lives of Buffy and Faith and addresses the idea that violence and death is an inherent part of their lives. I think the introduction of Faith is a large part of why I am enjoying season three more than season two. (WHICH WAS STILL A REALLY GOOD SEASON, BY THE WAY.) The dynamic she has with Buffy is one that allows us to examine how Buffy copes with her life; at the same time, the writers respect the character of Faith enough to give her her own story as well.
That’s something we don’t necessarily see all the time. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope often gives us a character who is rarely developed and exists just to explore the main character, who’s always a dude. While that’s obviously not the case here, since both characters are young women, I adore that while you can use Faith to expand Buffy’s characterization, but she’s still a person with motivations, flaws, problems, and emotions. Plus, I almost feel like I don’t need to say this at this point anymore, but who cares? I LOVE CHARACTER PARALLELS. And the Faith/Buffy dynamic is a wonderful parallel to Wesley/Giles as well, and LOOK, I JUST LOVE THIS EPISODE SO FUCKING MUCH.
We’ve seen that Faith is much more relaxed in her role as a Slayer, relishing in the opportunity to wield her strengths as an exercise in power. She likes being in control, and I think that’s why she runs into situations without a plan. By using chaos and the element of surprise, she can use her sheer physical and mental fury to control an environment. There’s also this subtext that the act is almost sexual for Faith. (Though I don’t know that it counts as a subtext if Faith openly talks about it.) Buffy herself isn’t as openly sexual as Faith, and the show makes this perfectly fine. They’re two different people with different desires. I never felt that the show punishes Faith for expressing a higher degree of sexual interest, either. Instead, this story wants to explore how Faith’s actions relate to the concept of violence.
It’s also a story about Giles, despite that this is mostly Faith-centric. I’m genuinely curious now why Whedon chose to make all the Watchers British. It’s clearly an intentional thing, and in the first two seasons, it operated to contrast the very Southern Californian way that the Scoobies behaved. That’s something I haven’t commented on much, so let me just say here that Whedon and the writers have captured how people in Southern California speak, especially those in high school, in a frighteningly accurate way. The drones, the intonations, the witty, reference-filled conversations they have are brilliantly contrasted with Giles’s proper style. I’d even venture to say that Giles acted as a foil to the Scoobies quite often, too. What’s so remarkable, then, is how much Giles has changed over the past couple years. When Wesley arrives, it’s now so obvious how much he’s adapted to his friends. He’s more relaxed, much quicker towards sarcasm and witty remarks, and far more willing to react to difficult situations. Wesley, while well-meaning and dedicated to his job, is what Giles was at the beginning of season one. I think Wesley also represents the idea that it’s not Giles who is out of touch with the society of Watchers, but rather the opposite. Wesley witnesses so much over the course of “Bad Girls” that all his rigorous training and studious attention to detail doesn’t prepare him for. It’s Giles who truly understands how to combat the vampires, demons, and monsters that pass through Sunnydale. And it’s Giles who knows how to deal with Faith and Buffy, not Wesley.
I’ve commented before that I really enjoy the show’s use of self-esteem and self-worth to build Buffy’s character, and this particular episode is evidence that all that storytelling was worth it. Buffy’s never been 100% comfortable with being the Slayer, and we’ve seen multiple times how she’s struggled with her own identity. And then Faith comes along, and even if she’s rash and makes mistakes, she seems so content. She seems to relish every opportunity to act out her destiny. She seems happy, vibrant, joyous, and alive. For Buffy, that’s got to be a difficult thing to see! I think that’s something a whole lot of us have had to deal with in our lives. We question what we’re doing wrong when it appears that others have better lives than we do. That’s not to say that there isn’t truth in that, but I think “Bad Girls” peels away the layers of Faith’s happiness to expose the danger of Faith’s reckless behavior. I worried that this story would blame Faith too much for what happens, but I think the situation is handled delicately. It’s true that Faith’s influence on Buffy inspires Buffy to do things she wouldn’t normally do, like skip her chemistry test.
Here’s the thing, though: Haven’t we all done something impractical or foolish because we believed it would make us happy? I can’t deny that reality. I know I’ve done that. I still do it from time to time. I also can’t deny that as Buffy and Faith raid the nest of vampires and then spend that night dancing at the Bronze, I FELT HAPPY FOR THEM. I want Buffy to be happy so badly, so I projected my own feelings on to her. Figuring out one’s identity is such a difficult and troubled process, and to watch her have a good time is so entertaining to me. I’m not going to sit here and say I tried to moralize her skipping the test or not including Giles/Wesley in her plans. I didn’t. I saw her and Faith getting along and enjoying their duties, and I liked it. And you know what? I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Impractical or lacking pragmatism? Sure. But why can’t they be happy for once? (That’s not a question for Joss, by the way. He would tell me that happiness makes him lose four years of his lifespan.)
It’s about here that “Bad Girls” starts to get uncomfortable to watch. Eventually, it becomes downright disturbing, but once Buffy and Faith break into the sports and tackle store, I began to worry about what Faith was advocating for Buffy. I get what Faith’s philosophy is. I understand that she is basically saving lives (and the world!) nearly every day, and for that, she should be able to have what she wants. That sense of entitlement is partially justified in a way. I won’t ignore that. But the world doesn’t understand who these two women are, and it’s not like they can just explain that they’re Slayers and people will just give them carte blanche to do as they please. I must admit that I love when this show acknowledges the reality that the Slayers are in and forces them to deal with being exposed and being arrested. It is frustrating to watch! We, the audience, know that Buffy and Faith are genuinely trying to SAVE ALL OF SUNNYDALE. Is a little theft that bad?
Well, we can argue and discuss that until the cows come home and I don’t know that we’d ever have a definitive answer. (Okay, that colloquial phrase barely makes sense to me. Are cows notorious for running away or something?) However, I think it’s pretty easy to find something wrong with Faith and Buffy causing an accident that gravely wounds two cops who are just doing their job. Like, for real, from about that point on, I just watched this episode with my face in my hands. I wanted to tear away from it so badly because MY SLAYERS, WHAT IS HAPPENING??? What are you doing? LOOK AT YOUR LIFE, AND LOOK AT YOUR CHOICES.
Concurrent with this, there’s a plotline involving the Mayor, Mr. Trick, and the demon Balthazar that I didn’t really understand until it was clear that both the demon and the Mayor were at odds with one another to achieve power. I really, really love stories that have plots that seem unconnected until they collide with one another. (Plus, y’all, I just LOVE THE MAYOR. He is so weird and hilarious to me. I know he’s evil, but he’s just so happy that I can’t help but like him.) So when these two plots collide, it’s in one of the most horrifying ways imaginable:
Faith accidentally stakes the deputy mayor to death.
When it happened, I swear to you, at first I thought that was Angel who had run into the scene and I nearly peed myself. (I’m not exaggerating. I had to pee like five minutes into this episode, but I was so engaged with the story that I refused to pause it and walk fifteen feet to my own bathroom. I really need to stop doing this because one time I did sort of pee myself. Have I told that story? I was playing Fallout 3 late at night and I was sitting maybe three feet from my tiny television in Los Angeles. I was exploring a bunker that was super dark and I’d been playing so long that everything was sort of blurring together because it was one in the morning and I hadn’t stopped for FOUR HOURS. What is wrong with me? Anyway, this particular fallout shelter was partially submerged in water, and I was trying to explore a stairwell that was flooded, and a Mirelurk came out of the dark water, and I yelled really loud and I may have peed just a little bit. I can’t believe I just told this story, but fuck it. It happens, and I don’t care.) Of course, it wasn’t Angel because that didn’t even make sense, so then I thought, “Oh, the deputy mayor will disintegrate and we’ll find out he was a vampire the whole time.”
Nope. He bleeds to death from a punctured lung in front of Faith and Buffy. It is honestly the most disturbing moment of this whole show so far, and I suddenly felt awful. I’d been so gung-ho about Buffy enjoying herself that I was willing to look past mistakes that Faith made. It’s this sort of conflict that makes up the heart of what happens here. Buffy can see that Faith’s actions are becoming more and more heartless, and she’s been following in her footsteps. Is this what’s going to happen to her, too?
While this episode definitely deals with Buffy’s horror-filled reaction to the ramifications of what Faith has done, this is more about Faith than anything else. The fact that the writers chose to have her moment with the deputy mayor’s corpse be entirely silent is SO BRILLIANT TO ME. She is not necessarily a woman of words, and her quiet reflection and numbness is so powerful to me. She refused to deal with what happened when she killed the man, and standing there before him is her way of silently acknowledging that she killed someone. And what does she do? NOT CARE. I know that Joss is a fan of existentialism and I might be projecting my own love for that philosophy into this episode, but Faith represents what nihilism looks like. It’s existentialism taken to a horrifying extreme. She assigns meaning to her life and to those around her, but does so in a way where she ultimately believes it all means nothing anyway. Things are temporary and fleeting to her. Buffy can be her friend if she needs her, but otherwise, she’s just another person who happens to slay. She lives in a crappy motel room because it’s a means to an end, an unfortunate necessity. She has sex because it is a temporary release. And at the end of this episode, she is frank with Buffy: she does not care that she killed someone. I believe her. I believe her trust issues have lead her to this point, and I believe that her distaste for everything and everyone that isn’t her contributed to this.
Oh god, it’s just so heartbreaking to me. I really enjoy this character, and to see her disengage like this is upsetting. I mean, this has to play into future stories, doesn’t it? Is Faith just going to disappear for a while? Will she keep slaying? I’m also curious to see how Wesley is dealt with as well. I kind of expected him to die in this episode as a way to show how unprepared he was for Sunnydale. But it looks like he’ll continue being the new Watcher in town. How will he adjust his behavior to account for what he just witnessed?
Oh, right. One more thing:Â WHAT THE FUCK, THE MAYOR IS INVINCIBLE. WHAT THE FUCK JUST HAPPENED. OH MY GOD THIS SHOW IS SO INCREDIBLE.
Death Count: Okay, so since I wrote these posts in advance so I didn’t have to do them on tour, it’s harder to correct mistakes I’ve made. I think that this episode had 18 deaths on screen, but I could be wrong. I know some of you are keeping track in the comments, so I’m okay doing that and responding to you so we have accurate numbers. But whenever I add them here, I have to edit anywhere from one to six posts all at once and it’s getting to be a huge hassle. So, let’s do the death count in the comments from here on out, okay? YOU ARE ALL THE BEST.Â
ALL RIGHT, NOW WE'RE TALKING. <3 Love this episode!
I have but one thing to say to these three: Calvin & Hobbes will forever be the greatest comic strip ever. WHO'S WITH ME?
Xander: The comedy stylings of Miss Cordelia Chase, everyone. Who, uh, incidentally, won't be needing a higher education when she markets her own very successful line of hooker wear.
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Yeah, you just lost any cool points you won in the last episode, Xander. Yes, I know that she called him a loser, and that's not a nice thing. However, it's not remotely on the same level as his slut-shaming response.
V yvxr ure erfcbafr nobhg ure sngure univat n wbo, abg orpnhfr vg'f pehry gb uvz, ohg orpnhfr vg freirf va uvaqfvtug nf arng sberfunqbjvat sbe jung'f nobhg gb unccra jvgu ure bja svanapvny fvghngvba. Ba svefg jngpu, gur snpg gung vg'f n unefu guvat gb fnl vf jung fgevxrf lbh, ohg ba erjngpu, V pna bayl guvax bs vg sebz guvf natyr.
Vg vf fb. jrveq. jngpuvat Jrfyrl va gurfr rneyl rcvfbqrf, xabjvat bs uvf yngre qrirybczrag naq tebjgu.
You know, I hated Wesley the first time I saw this, but now I feel sorry for him. He's just trying to do his job the way he's been trained to do it, in a difficult situation, and those insults Buffy and Giles keep tossing his way have to hurt even if he tries not to show it. He's a bit smug and off-putting, yeah, but I feel bad for him. Plus I'm still side-eying Giles really hard for the events of Helpless, so I have less sympathy for him (though admittedly it does suck that they fired him).
Shipping Faith and Buffy even harder this episode.
Well, that clinches it: none of us can ever be Slayers, least of all Mark. 😀 NO PREPARATION HERE.
Yeah, about that whole shipping them thing… see above. AND ACTUALLY, SHIPPING FAITH WITH ME. <3
Angel, you're really harshing the mood here. I want to see more of Faith and Buffy dancing together. Go away.
Rrrrr, svefg zrrgvat bs Jrfyrl naq Natry! YBY, V snatvey fb uneq sbe gur Natry Vairfgvtngvbaf grnz. Jungrire, vg'f whfg fb sha gb frr gur ortvaavatf bs rirelguvat.
Oh shit. 🙁 🙁 🙁 That poor guy. I'll always wonder what he was doing there.
Okay, Giles, your snark and badassery here is doing a lot to win back my sympathies. <3
Rather ominous end to the fight.
The Mayor's to-do list will never not be hilarious. <3 <3 <3 I love this guy. Fantastic villain.
I think Faith does care. I think she cares a lot. I could tell from her face earlier when she went back to the body. But she's in denial and doesn't know how to deal with it and I just – I want to give her a hug or something. I feel awful for her. She needs a support system and she doesn't have that in place the way Buffy did when she thought she killed Ted. I'm worried about her.
Rrrrr, svefg zrrgvat bs Jrfyrl naq Natry! YBY, V snatvey fb uneq sbe gur Natry Vairfgvtngvbaf grnz. Jungrire, vg'f whfg fb sha gb frr gur ortvaavatf bs rirelguvat.
Gur bgure qnl ba Snprobbx, V jnf wbxvat jvgu Znex nobhg gur cuenfr "irtna ghan zryg," naq jurgure vg ersreerq gb n ghan zryg gung jnf irtna be n zryg bs irtna ghan, naq V pbhyq abg erfvfg pbzzragvat (va ebg13), "Jung'f n ebthr qrzba?" Zbfgyl gb znxr uvz jbaqre jung cbffvoyl fcbvyrel pbzzrag pbhyq unir erfhygrq sebz gung pbairefngvba. FCBVYRE JNEAVAT: OHSSL SVTUGF N IRTNA GEBHG.
YZNB, gung vf ornhgvshy.
Marry me, Jon Stewart.
Angel, you're really harshing the mood here. I want to see more of Faith and Buffy dancing together. Go away.
THIS, so very much this! Although I tend to feel that way about Angel all the time. Less brooding, more dancing please!
V ERNYYL JNAG GB CBFG N FCBVYREL TVS URER. FB HZ, WHFG VZNTVAR GUNG V'Z CBFGVAT GUR TVS SEBZ NATRY JURER NATRY VZNTVARF UVZFRYS QNAPVAT YVXR N QBEX.
I knew exactly what your capslock was about.
Bu Tbq, gung rcvfbqr. V pna'g jnvg hagvy jr trg gb gung. Vg fubhyq or sha. Cneg bs jung V rawbl fb zhpu nobhg Natry nf n frevrf vf ubj zhpu gurl fhoiregrq gur vzntr bs uvz gurl'q ohvyg hc ba Ohssl jvgu vzntrf yvxr gung naq zhccrg Natry jvgu uvf qrgnpunoyr abfr. Vg'f ornhgvshy jura n fubj pna znxr sha bs vgfrys yvxr gung.
Guvf, fb zhpu. Vg'f bar bs gur znal ernfbaf V cersre Natry ba uvf bja fubj, orpnhfr bs guvatf yvxr gubfr.
Gurl fgneg bhg qbvat gung n yvggyr ovg ba Ohssl, jvgu gur pbzzragf nobhg "ubavat zl oebbqvat fxvyyf" naq fhpu, ohg gurl xvaq bs ybfr vg naq fgneg gnxvat Natry n ovg gbb frevbhfyl (Gnv Puv naq Fneger, ERNYYL?), fb lrnu, vg'f erserfuvat gb frr gubfr zbzragf pbzr onpx ba uvf bja fubj.
Ur qnaprf ba Natry, naq vg vf n ornhgvshy guvat… jura lbh fgbc ynhtuvat ybat rabhtu gb frr gur fperra pyrneyl, naljnl.
I have but one thing to say to these three: Calvin & Hobbes will forever be the greatest comic strip ever. WHO'S WITH ME?
*raises hand*
Mememe! Ooh, pick me!
Yay Calvin and Hobbes! The first time I read it was for my high school Spanish class. I didn’t realize until years later that it was actually an English comic that was translated lol.
Awww Rot 13! I can add nothing of substance to this discussion so I will just say that I watched your gif for like 10 minutes.
Agree with pretty much everything you said. As I may or may not have said before, I want a mini-Giles to carry around in my pocket and be wonderful and sarcastic and sassy. Although I do feel bad for Wesley, he's just so out of his depth here. (Ohg ur trgf fb onqnff ba Natry naq abj ur'f zneevrq gb Nyl Unaavtna fb ernyyl, ur qvq dhvgr jryy sbe uvzfrys!)
Also, Calvin and Hobbes is THE BEST EVER, and *shameless bragging* Bill Watterson went to the college I go to and drew comics for our newspaper. My life would be SO complete if I could meet him (but I doubt that'll ever happen, sadly) and thank him for my childhood.
Screw you, Xander! How dare you insult someone who just insulted you!
– It's the sexist, slut-shaming content of his insult that bothers me, not that he chose to fire back at her.
– Didn't we just see him picking the option to not engage at the end of The Zeppo? This contradicts the character growth he supposedly underwent in that episode.
I suppose it's a matter of personal buttons. The classism in both of Cordelia's insults bothered me more than the sexism in Xander's.
I saw The Zeppo as more about him becoming secure about his role in the group so Cordelia could no longer bother him about that specific issue.
That's all well and good, and you're entitled to feel that way. However, I'm just as entitled to be more bothered by Xander's sexism.
Never said you weren't. The fact that I disagree with your extremely low and oft-repeated opinion of the character should not be interpreted as an attack on your entitlement to feel how do, and I apologise if that's how I came off.
Well, that's a passive-aggressive "apology" if I ever saw one.
To be fair, you are bothered anytime Xander insults Cordelia (we had this discussion last post).
I find Xander's characterisation to be the most inconsistent overall. They use him as comic relief too often, in ways which undermine the moments of growth and maturity he experiences at other times. I guess that's fairly realistic for a teenager (and its understandable when Nick Brendan is so good at comedy), but it's a shame given the development Willow and Buffy get.
And that justifies criticism of my feelings towards the character and how often I voice them? Is there some kind of limit to how many times I'm allowed to call out his bad behavior? No, and no.
No, of course not, and that wasn't what I was saying. I was commenting on your identification of slut shaming as the problem. And I was saying, well, you don't like Xander as a character, and you said last post that ANY insult from him to Cordelia was unacceptable to you, so it's about more than just the slut shaming here (which I agree is a crappy Xander thing to do). You have every right to your feelings about these characters and the way you express those feelings. No one is disputing that. But when I read the thread I felt that it was disingenuous to say it's only because of the slut shaming, and I suspect Erin-Teacup was reacting to that (though I can't speak for her/him). That was certainly what I was reacting to, and since I neither criticised nor attacked you, I feel that is as valid as your reactions.
what are you even doing
I posted a reply to this where I asked what you meant but it hasn't shown up yet so I'd like to explain my question. I'm assuming your comment is a criticism of my reply. I can see why, in the cumulative thread, that artic_hare felt she was being criticised and I've tried to explain to her where I was coming from. If she wants to point out what she feels is problematic about that/my initial comment/my reply, I'm more than happy to take that on board.
But I can't help but feel disappointed at this response from you. It's giving me negative feedback without bothering to explain why you're giving negative feedback. I've seen this happen to other people on this board and on the spoiler board, from mods and regular posters alike, and I just find it surprising given that I know (assume) that everyone here wants to create a community that is not just safe but also encouraging people to engage with media and social issues in a critical and compassionate way. There was some dude who found him/herself on the awful comments thread and had the guts to say 'I didn't realise I was being awful, can you explain to me what the issue was'. The last time I saw that post it hadn't been answered. What is the point of assuming people are trying to be jerks/derailers/enablers? What is the point of jumping on them without saying, 'ok, here's why I'm not ok with this comment'. When people use 'crazy' on this site the mods generally ask them not to and explain why, so that those people can understand the issue. Engaging with comments that are found by others to be problematic seems like something this community should support, to help educate others and keep lines of communication open.
I'm really hesitant to post this comment because I'm not interested in making waves, but I just felt it worth saying. I'd say the amount of people on here actually trying to cause a fuss or be a jerk would be really, really minimal. I have seen multiple instances where there have been misunderstandings and miscommunications. Sometimes people genuinely don't understand or see the same problem you/others do and I think it's worth talking about. And yeah, it's your site, you can run it exactly as you like, but saying, 'my problem with this is… ' or 'please don't do this because…' would be so much more helpful than just writing 'what are you even doing'.
Here's the thing. This is arctic_hare's comment thread. You came in it to be SPECIFICALLY a contrarion asshole, and now you are begging them "not to interpret" it as an attack. So you don't get to do that.
I get that people don't like some folks' opinion on Xander. You are allowed to dislike those opinions, and you are allowed to disagree with them. What you are not allowed to do is what you've done here: personally single out someone to shame them and make them feel shitty for expressing their own opinion. My moderator's opinions on Xander are theirs and theirs alone (though I generally tend to agree with arctic_hare), and I'm fucking tired of seeing people think they can be shitfucks to my mods because they don't like their opinions.
Knock it the fuck off.
The mere mention of Calvin and Hobbes makes this comment flawless.
Thumbs-up just for that Jon Stewart gif.
I don't hate Wesley, I just find him hilarious. He's just so utterly pompous and then later so utterly inept at the actual fighting of evil.
I AM ALSO SHIPPING FAITH WITH ME.
I think Faith does care. I think she cares a lot. I could tell from her face earlier when she went back to the body. But she's in denial and doesn't know how to deal with it and I just – I want to give her a hug or something. I feel awful for her. She needs a support system and she doesn't have that in place the way Buffy did when she thought she killed Ted. I'm worried about her.
Me too. 🙁
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Actually, is it wrong that I kind of like the new Watcher? He’s just so…cute! He’s like Giles-lite. Giles without the added badass. And he’s such an idiot and a coward and he’s so unintentionally rude. I think the word I’m looking for is ‘prat’. And they’re all so mean to him on principle and it’s kind of adorable? But here’s a question – how is he just hanging out in the school library? I mean, Giles is still Librarian, and as far as I know, this new guy isn’t employed by the school in any official role. So…aren’t people gonna get a little suspicious of this random dude hanging around?
But oh my god, Faith. I hate what’s happening to her! We’ve seen before that she may not be quite stable, and really, who can blame her? She’s been through a hell of a lot – living in a crappy motel, her Watcher killed in front of her…as far as we know she has no living family or anyone who cares about her. We know it’s given her a certain attitude towards life, and it’s not necessarily a bad thing. She lives in the moment. But she just killed a man, a human man, and not only does she not want to face the consequences, she genuinely doesn’t care. She took a life and it means nothing to her. That’s really quite terrifying, especially in someone with that kind of power, and in stark opposition to how Buffy felt in ‘Ted’, despite the fact that she was arguably justified in that case. I feel like this is the first indication that there is really something quite wrong with Faith, and I’m intrigued to see how it plays out. Man, this episode was dark.
Huh, I don’t have a lot else to say about it, weirdly.
This comment is quite short for me.
What else can I say?
…
I SHIP GILES WITH AUNT ZELDA FROM SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH.
I think the word I’m looking for is ‘prat’.
Indeed, Wesley is king of the prats!
I mean, Giles is still Librarian
When you capitalize it like that, I fear that (Discworld spoiler) ur'f tbvat gb or ghearq vagb na benathgna.
Actually, I have just been re-reading some Discworld, I think that may be why I subconsciously did that. 😛
Now I really want to read a fanfic where all the fictional librarians meet up in L-Space somewhere to compare notes on the relative dangers of their jobs…
Also, ever since I took German lessons for a couple of years back in school, I have the tendency to randomly capitalise words that seem important (and yes I know that's not how German works). It's kind of ironic that instead of making me better at another language, that class actually made me worse at this one.
Ook.
Oh I do that too, so much!!!! With the random capitalisation of nouns that seem important. Thankyou German GCSE!
I'm pretty sure I've read that fic. BRB, looking for it.
Here's one, but not the one I remember: http://archiveofourown.org/works/81302 (Spoiler free)
There are several fics that deal with Y-fcnpr crossovers, though. http://archiveofourown.org/tags/The%20Librarian%2…
And now I've discovered a series in which Giles is a Highlander-style Immortal and I have to go read it.
I am now picturing Giles with a Queen soundtrack. Thank you for that.
I don't know whether to be horrified or amused by that idea. Kinda going for both.
“Phccn grn?”
“Bbx.”
“Wbyyl tbbq.”
“Bbx.”
"Nyzbfg tbg funttrq?"
"BBX!"
Hah! Nice.
Bbx?
Sorry, couldn't resist. I've been reading a fair amount of Discworld myself recently.
I support this ship!
haha YES COME TO WEIRD SIDE OF THE FORCE.
It's probably the crackiest ship I'v ever come up with but I made the mistake of watching an episode of Sabrina the Teenage Witch right after Buffy and they're weirdly similar and now all I want from life is a crossover.
"So…aren’t people gonna get a little suspicious of this random dude hanging around? "
I guess it's just Sunnydale, where people suppress the entire gamut of oddness, from public demon attacks to sudden extra British guys.
I've been wondering the same thing about Faith and how she just walks into the librairy as well. You'd think Sunnydale would have more security
Oh yeah, I didn't even think of that.
I guess at least she looks like she could be a student so it wouldn't be questioned as much. But Wesley is a grown man who just hangs around a high school, which would probably raise a few red flags, I would think?
Well, considering the whole 'shouldn't someone notice that Giles keeps a naked student in the book cage every month' discussion a while back . . .
There's probably already a ridiculous amount of gossip about the library. Wesley's a blip on the radar, I'm sure.
And really, who uses the library for schoolwork apart from Cordelia? They pretty much have the place to themselves.
Hey now, we've seen Wbanguna use it. Once.
(I COULD put his name there unciphered, but I love "Wbanguna" too much not to use it.)
Xander: "Hello! Excuse me, but have you ever heard of knocking?"
Wbanguna: "We're supposed to get some books. On Stalin."
Xander: "Does this look like a Barnes and Noble?"
Giles: "This is a school library, Xander."
Xander: "Since when?"
"Well, considering the whole 'shouldn't someone notice that Giles keeps a naked student in the book cage every month' discussion a while back . . . "
Ah, it's obviously some sort of avantgarde art performance.
Snerk!
I don't get it. What is it?
I like that gif!
Wesley delenda est (both of them)
Good to see Cato's branching out in his rhetoric.
"I SHIP GILES WITH AUNT ZELDA FROM SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH. "
Hah! Good idea. Though I can only sympathize for Buffy and Sabrina if that happened.
It'd be kind of amazing, but Qnja jbhyq or yrsg ybbxvat nsgre Fnyrz juvyr ure byqre fvfgref jrag bhg cneglvat/svtugvat qrzbaf rirel avtug… juvpu zvtug or gur zbfg qnatrebhf bhgpbzr bs gur jubyr guvat…
nf ybat nf fur qbrfa'g yrnir ure pebffobj whfg ylvat nebhaq
"But here’s a question – how is he just hanging out in the school library? I mean, Giles is still Librarian, and as far as I know, this new guy isn’t employed by the school in any official role. So…aren’t people gonna get a little suspicious of this random dude hanging around?"
Indeed! Imagine if Buffy was actually happening in a real UK school – totally aside from all the random creepy murders, the Child Protection Officer at their local council would be down on them like a ton of bricks!
Does Wesley have a CRB check? Does Giles? What's all this with students on school premises overnight? Students being locked, nude, in a school library book cage? Weaponry on the premises? Probably all the demon almanacs wouldn't be a problem (at least not at my school, though my school library was fairly out of the ordinary) but only as long as the library also contains textbooks!
But she just killed a man, a human man, and not only does she not want to face the consequences, she genuinely doesn’t care. She took a life and it means nothing to her. That’s really quite terrifying, especially in someone with that kind of power, and in stark opposition to how Buffy felt in ‘Ted’, despite the fact that she was arguably justified in that case.
I totally agree that it's terrifying. People can debate whether or not deep down she's feeling anything, but at the end of the day… if she's repressing it enough to BELIEVE she doesn't care, then it's not unreasonable to fear that she might BEHAVE like she doesn't. And that's a super yikes for someone with superpowers.
I feel like this is the first indication that there is really something quite wrong with Faith, and I’m intrigued to see how it plays out.
To me, an earlier indication of this was when she'd beat on a vampire to a point where even Buffy was disturbed by it. It was one of many events I have no memory of from watching the show previously, but this time during our rewatch that raised a "red flag" for me personally. Unnecessary torture when you could just cleanly kill the enemy… that's just not a positive indication of a Solider For Good's state of mind.
I wish Giles hadn't brushed off Buffy's concerns when she tentatively expressed them to him, because I think it should have been a sign that Faith needed HELP and support, not benevolent neglect. (I mean, it's totally believable that no one did anything about it, it's just sad to me.)
I really hate myself now for not realizing how usable Star Trek TNG gifs are today. Also, ILU.
Wesley is such a Percy, and sometimes a show needs a Percy. I'm not saying anything else even though I want to say all the things.
I hate to do this to a fellow mod, but I'm pretty sure "idiot" is one of the Words We Do Not Use Here. (I'd link to FWD's post about it, but it appears to be down! I hope not permanently!)
I LOVE AUNT ZELDA
I had subconsciously been putting off watching this episode because I know it's where everything gets broken. For most of the episode it's just kind of fun and things are little bit off, and then BAM! things get serious.
Firstly though, I want to talk about Wesley Wyndam-Pryce. He has such an awesome name! I love that he seems to exist as a way to show off how awesome Giles is in comparison (also, that shot where they are both cleaning their glasses cracked me up). But, otherwise, he is pretty much Percy Weasley in Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire; irritating, entirely pompous, but still kind of amusing. He's so proud of the fact that he's faced two vampires, thinking he's prepared for anything. And then he gets put in real danger and crumples immediately, while Giles gets more snarky.
Do I have to talk about Buffy and Faith's storyline? Because, really, it hurts to much. They're having fun, being irresponsible, and then things start to get problematic. Robbing the store was not a good thing, but ultimately they got away with it. And then disaster strikes, and Faith has accidentally killed a man. The look on her face before she schools it into a mask of indifference is utterly devastating. By the end of the episode neither Buffy or Faith is dealing with the whole ordeal well, and Faith's way of dealing is to just pretend nothing bad has happened at all (I think I'm trying to do this too).
Also, the Mayor is invincible! Yay…………………………………..
I don't have the episode guide with me today (no work today hurray!), so I'll post both today and tomorrow's on the next post.
Nccneragyl Crepl urer jnf urnq obl!
MARK, U Y NO POST SEASON THREE BANNER?
<img src="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/089/665/tumblr_l96b01l36p1qdhmifo1_500.jpg">
This face drawing hurts my heart.
I agree, the rose in this banner just makes me so sad. We need a new Buffy banner that depresses us in completely different ways!
First a note on Xander in this episode. I hate that Xander goes for the “hooker” insult when Cordelia walks up and starts being snooty (which btw, I hate that the writers couldn’t think of a better way to keep Cordelia on the show even if she wasn’t part of the Scoobies anymore). XANDER’S SLUT SHAMING IS SO GROSS. UUUGH. In the last Buffy post, there was some discussion about how I (and some other commenters) give Cordelia a lot of slack while being hard on Xander at the same time. And really, I have to say it comes down to personal preference for me. Yes, Cordelia is mean to Xander, but he fires right back at her, so I’m not sure that this is bullying exactly so much as two people being awful to each other. Maybe it is bullying though. Idk. Anyway, the point is, Xander’s Nice Guy-ing and his tendency towards slut-shaming presses all my rage buttons because those are issues that bother me personally, so I tend to come down hard on him. Cordelia’s put-downs don’t affect me the same way, so while I acknowledge that she is being mean, it doesn’t make me dislike her. Anyway, on to the episode at hand!
The Mayor loves The Family Circus. Incontrovertible proof that he is evil. And Trick loves Marmaduke. EEEEVILLLL. And the aid (Alan, I think his name is?) likes to read Cathy. OMG. PROOF THAT THESE MEN ARE EVIL. Anyway, the Mayor has something called the Ascension coming up. But before that happens he does this weird ritual that makes him invincible. That moment where he checks “become invincible” off of a list that includes “meet with the PTA” is brilliant. The reason the Mayor is such a fun villain is because he swings so fast between PURE EVIL and weirdly normal government person who is a bit persnickety.
But the main conflict of the episode (other than the assassin stuff- that’s just the setting for what is happening) is between Buffy and Faith and their different approaches to slaying. The episode opens with Buffy and Faith fighting in a graveyard and sets up the basic premise of this episode which is that Faith doesn’t play by the rules. She doesn’t think; she just acts. And Buffy is starting to see the appeal of that approach.
This episode also marks the first appearance of Wesley. He’s such a huge dork. I kind of love him for it. He’s a very different kind of Watcher from the kind Giles was. Wesley views Giles’s love for Buffy as a disadvantage and a problem. Welsey is the opposite. He’s all facts and knowledge. It’s actually a lot of fun to see how Welsey and Giles play off of each other in the warehouse with Balthazar. Seeing them in contrast shows us how far Giles has come since the pilot. Watching Giles fight in the warehouse is a lot of fun too.
Wesley also plays into the caution vs recklessness dichotomy that is being set up between Faith and Buffy. He’s too serious and therefore not a good Watcher for Buffy and his presence exacerbates what is happening with Buffy and Faith. Without Giles as her Watcher, Buffy is more prone to spin out of control. Buffy respected Giles and he could control her. Buffy doesn’t respect Wesley though, and she’s mad that he’s replacing Giles, so she’s SO ready to join forces with Faith and rebel, especially because she’s getting a bit of a high giving in to her Slayer side. Faith enjoys slaying and is pushing Buffy to do the same. She doesn’t take orders and is encouraging Buffy to be rebellious. Unfortunately, Faith encourages Buffy to steal some weapons from a store and they get busted by some cops. They cause an accident in order to escape and that’s when things really start to spiral out of control. I think Buffy is starting to feel guilty or at least not good about the way things are going with Faith which is why she doesn’t want Willow around.
Oh god. And then everything takes a horrific turn as Faith gets carried away in the fight and since she doesn’t think, she inadvertently stakes a human. The show started to explore the idea of a Slayer killing a human back in season 2 with “Ted” and now it’s actually happening. A Slayer killed a human. Buffy was horrified when she did it to Ted, and she’s horrified here. Faith seems pretty freaked out too, but her response is to panic and run and then to try to dispose of the body. When she’s alone with the body you can see how upset she is, but she puts on a brash exterior. When Buffy goes to see Faith at the end of the episode, Faith says she doesn’t need any help and that she doesn’t care.
Random thoughts that didn’t fit anywhere else:
– Omg. The chemistry test scene. All I can think is that if people had been talking like that during a test in MY high school, our asses would have been out the door and we would have gotten a zero on the test.
– Joyce is too cute, wanting to make waffles for Buffy. “They only don’t have calories if I make ‘em for you.”
Agreed 100%, especially with the first paragraph.
Hello everyone!
I completely understand the concept of slut-shaming and I'm honestly not sure it applies to this conversation (if there are other conversations in which Xander does so, I don't remember them, so I'll stick to this one).
Xander comments that Cordelia needs no higher education because she's starting a line of hooker wear. The difference here is that he's not saying "Cordelia sleeps around, what a dirty girl!" He's saying that she dresses like a hooker. He's not saying she dresses to accentuate her body, or that she wears revealing clothing, he is saying she dresses like the women that one might see on a street corner who are bent over leaning into a car window.
Is prostitute bashing okay? No, certainly not. I think it's extremely easy to take a moral stance here: Talking shit to people is wrong. Right? So I'm not here to defend Xander's (or Cordelia's) comments, I'm just saying I think you're mis-classifying them. It wouldn't make sense for Xander to slut-shame Cordelia as no one has ever mentioned her sleeping with anyone (that I can recall).
Lastly, as another commenter mentioned, Xander's insults are rarely on target, Cordelia's always are. So whether or not Xander is saying Cordelia sleeps around, it's pretty clear that she doesn't, and that his comment is only directed at her, not women's sexual behavior in general. He only slept with Faith a few episodes ago and she has had several sexual conversations that show us she is not ashamed of nor hesitant to express her sexuality, so I think it's clear he has no problem with sexually active women.
Anyway, these are just my thoughts. Maybe Xander has said a few things that crossed that line but I honestly can't remember. I just think this was an off-handed comment that simply tried much harder than it succeeded to be offensive to Cordelia.
Context and tone matters. There is a negative implication behind his words. It's a value judgement. He isn't saying she dresses like a hooker as a neutral statement. The subtext is that she dresses like a hooker and this is a BAD thing. And presumably this is a bad thing because hookers have sex for money. So yeah, he's saying that she dresses like a woman who has sex for money and he's saying it in a way that implies that it is a bad thing.
He only slept with Faith a few episodes ago and she has had several sexual conversations that show us she is not ashamed of nor hesitant to express her sexuality, so I think it's clear he has no problem with sexually active women.
So? That doesn't mean he can't slut shame. I'm sure all the men out there who call women sluts or whores don't have problems with having sex with women. Even though he has sex with women himself and is fine with women who are having sex with him, he can still denigrate other women for having sex.
Something that Xander said in 2×09 that crossed the line:
CORDELIA: I can't even believe you. You dragged me out of bed for a ride? What am I, mass transportation?
XANDER: That's what a lot of the guys say, but it's just locker room talk. I wouldn't pay it any mind.
ETA: Also, I don't want to make it seem like Cordelia is innocent in this whole mess because she's not. She's generally the instigator and she says some nasty things too. But it's just that personally, Xander's tendency to call Cordelia a slut or a hooker combined with his Nice Guy-ness around Buffy bothers me personally in a way that Cordelia's insults don't, so it's his remarks that I tend to comment on.
Yeah, comparing a woman to a hooker is almost always used to imply they sleep around a lot. Wow, I just realized that Cordelia is probably supposed to be a subversion of that one character in every slasher movie that sleeps around a lot (usually first seen during the act) and is really mean or just unlikeable and annoying. She doesn't sleep around a lot, but if this were a slasher movie and not a series it would probably be expected of her (unfortunately). I feel like this is unrelated, but I knw I had a point here somewhere. Damn! I lost it. Something to do with Xander and Cordelia. This isn't completely random as buffy is always compared to the hero of horror movies by critics only one that fights back. I was just trying to apply the same logic to xander and cordelia to further understand why they are written this way in the first place. I could be full of it though.
I totally understand what you're saying and I agree that Xander's comment was rude.
I think a few of my original points were not clearly expressed, so I'll try to reiterate them.
A prostitute and a slut are completely different. I understand that calling someone a hooker is typically a way to say they sleep around a lot, but I think to be fair, there's a difference. He's saying her hooker-like attire is the issue, not her sexuality itself. You can dress like a hooker and be a virgin. So that was my point with that. It's the attire, not the act that he's addressing (in a negative way, yes, he is insulting her).
The quote you gave from the season 2 episode is a good example of what I would not call slut shaming, so it may just be that we see it differently.
Xander and Cordelia have a thing. Their thing is that they say mean things to each other. Cordelia says things to Xander that are belittling and personal. Xander says things that are rude, but rarely impactful. Xander saying that a lot of guys say Cordy sleeps around is not the same as saying Cordy sleeps around and it's bad.
I get that there's a negative tone but that's because that's their thing. I have had friends who like to say mean things to each other, but it was understood that they aren't serious. Saying to someone that they're really annoying is rude, but when you jokingly say it, it's clear that you don't really think that of them. But yes, being annoying is still considered a bad thing. Dressing like a hooker is not really a good thing. Even if you have no judgment about prostitution (or sleeping around), the way that a hooker dresses is typically considered to be unappealing.
I don't think Xander is at all saying that Cordelia should feel bad about her sexual experiences, etc. I think he's trying to make jokes that are mean, and obviously if you were Cordelia you'd be really offended (which you have every right to be if you feel strongly about it). Cordelia doesn't get offended that we can see. She is upset when other people at school start to question her social standing because she's dating Xander, but doesn't get upset when Xander says things about her sexuality. I think we can deduce (CAN deduce, not must deduce) that this means what he says really doesn't bother her in the slightest. Probably because she knows that he doesn't really think those things.
Your comment about how just because Xander slept with Faith doesn't mean he has any respect for women who sleep around is absolutely true. But my point in bringing that up was that he has never said anything negative about Faith's sexuality. My point in bringing THAT up is that if Xander had a problem with women who have had a lot of sex, he'd talk shit about Faith, not Cordelia.
Obviously we disagree which is fine, I'm not trying to say you aren't justified or that you shouldn't feel what you're feeling, I just don't think Xander is making general statements about all women and their sexuality. I think he's trying to say mean things to Cordelia and while he's in the wrong in doing so (although to be honest, the way they go back and forth, it's up for debate whether they're right or wrong for each individual insult), he's not a misogynist be any means.
I don't think I've seen Xander say anything about how he treats women really well or he deserves to be loved or whatever, so I can't really comment on the nice guy thing. I get that his character bothers you and again, I can understand why, but I don't see him the way you do. His comments are always directed at Cordelia, so it seems to me he's not really slut shaming, he's just coming up with insults he thinks will be offensive.
<img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/ouzfw2.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
*applause*
Except when he's taking about Buffy giving Angel "a happy."
You know, I tried to read this post, and then you said this:
"A prostitute and a slut are completely different."
oh my fucking god please never post again if you are going to share such abysmal opinions with this community. holy FUCK
His comments are always directed at Cordelia, so it seems to me he's not really slut shaming, he's just coming up with insults he thinks will be offensive.
There is so much to address in this whole post, but this line jumped out at me. It is possible for him to insult her AND slut-shame her at the same time. They're not mutually exclusive. Of course Xander wouldn't see it as slut-shaming, because he wouldn't know the term, he would just see it as a way to insult her. That doesn't make it less slut-shaming. When an insult is directed at a woman for her perceived sexuality, whether it is the clothes she wears or the sex she is purported to have, that is slut-shaming.
I'm not down with Cordelia's classism, for the record, and I get pretty annoyed with her too in this scene. But a spade is a spade, and he's shaming her for her sexuality while she's shaming him for his class status, and saying that he's actually talking about her clothes or what other guys think of her is…sort of ridiculous.
lol I'm sorry you guys hate my ideas. I respect the fact that not everyone sees things the way I do.
If you don't think there's a difference between having a lot of sex and having sex for money then I guess I have no place posting here, so I'll agree with you there.
Jenny M, I think what you said had the most relevance to my post. What you said makes sense to me. Xander may slut shame whether he knows it or not.
I think the difference in my opinion and everyone else's is that it's my opinion that you have to intentionally trash someone's sexuality in order to "slut shame." Basically, you have to feel that sleeping around is wrong. I understand that the majority of you don't feel that way.
To be honest I'm surprised how intensely everyone feels about the things I said so I'm sorry if what I said was offensive. I figured people would think "that's the way you see it but I see it differently" and move on.
I can certainly see ambiguity in the issue but if no one else can then maybe this is a great opportunity for me to re-evaluate my stance and see if how I feel holds up. So far, I can't see the flaw in my logic, but who knows. It's actually really fascinating to see the context in which other people view certain scenes so that's been really interesting for me. I'm only sorry I wasn't able to illuminate a differing perspective to anyone else.
I think part of the reason what Cordelia does feels like bullying to me is that she almost ALWAYS is the one who initiates the nasty, and because she is so goshdarn GOOD at it.
(edit to clarify this – As a result of these two things, it feels VERY one-sided, because even if Xander is saying slut-shamey things, it never seems to touch her, she's always ABOVE it, whereas her insults almost always find the mark.)
Xander, of course, virtually never responds maturely. He's usually trying to one-up Cordelia and almost always fails at it because, well, she is way better at insults.
The question of whether or not the content of his insults are worse than hers is a different discussion, I think.
I've kinda always empathized with Xander. I always hate seeing people called losers so I guess thats why that has more weight for me than the slut-shaming of Cordelia (a concept which I am pretty much unfamiliar with, but thanks to this site am learning about). I guess one could say they are both being unfair in how they treat one another? I don't know, I haven't seen these episodes in quite a while. Really though, is it ever okay to ridicule your ex like this? (Is it? I don't know, I've never really been in a relationship or had someone cheat on me).
Ridiculing anyone is almost never the mature thing to do, no matter what they've done to you.
I do have a problem with Cordy's bullying, because it comes from a place of class privilege and power, and she can be unashamedly cruel. She uses/has used her intelligence to ferret out weakness and insecurity in her targets and is merciless with it. And don't get me wrong, I do love her character and her arc, but I would never want to be on the receiving end of her barbs. And Willow and Xander have been on the receiving end of her cruelty for years. She's toned it down and is growing.
However, as they say, two wrongs don't make a right, fighting fire with fire just leads to out of control conflagration, etc. and so forth.
And Xander, really? He always goes for the most silliest obvious culturally generic taunts ever. His barbs, though they are intended to be cruel, feel less personal to me. It could be because he doesn't really understand how to psychologically wound, but it's not for lack of trying, so he gets no passes from me either.
What I like about the show? Cordelia isn't shamed by his ridiculous flaily insults, and none of the other characters support his behavior. I also think the show shows the limitations of Xander's approach to women, because we know he is wrong.
Xander's remarks are horrible and I'm not excusing them in any way, but honestly Cordelia's aren't much better. She knows about Xander's family and that he's pretty ashamed of them [so far, what do we know? They drink and fight too much, are possibly/probably abusive, and we now know that his dad is unemployed]. A person isn't responsible for their family members' actions, and Cordelia constantly bringing up private things about his family is really low. I know you said that you aren't affected by them because those issues don't affect you personally, but they can be just as, or possibly even more, awful to someone who has an abusive/alcoholic/unstable family member and they're being shamed about that person's actions.
Again, I do understand that Cordelia is hurting [cyhf, vf ure snzvyl nyernql tbvat guebhtu gurve "gnk ceboyrzf" naq fur'f whfg gelvat gb pbire vg hc jvgu ure uhegshy pbzzragf gb Knaqre?] but I don't think her comments on Xander's family are any better than his comments about her choice of clothing or sexual activities.
Also, I think it's also worth noting that pretty much every teenage character at this point has made some slut-shaming remarks, the exceptions being Oz, Faith and possibly Cordelia [I could be wrong about her, I think I remember one instance but it's fuzzy in my memory]. Buffy and Willow have both made comments [naq pbagvahr gb qb fb va yngre rcvfbqrf] but they don't get nearly as much hate for their comments as Xander does. It's probably because they don't do it as vindictively as Xander does, but it happens. Personally, I'm side-eyeing the writers for constantly thinking these are okay as insults. I mean, I'm still definitely side-eyeing Xander as well, but yeah. I just want it to stop all around.
I think it's because Buffy and Willow don't do it as often as Xander does. I can't speak for anyone else, but I gave them major disapproval in Phases for that conversation at the beginning, for one thing.
Ugh that side of them is so unappealing. Buffy also goes straight for "vapid whore" during her fight with Cordy in homecoming.
Ew, yeah, I facepalmed majorly at that too. I hate it when they do that. 😡
V guvax gur ernfba V svaq Pbeql'f vafhygf rnfvre gb unaqyr ner orpnhfr fur qbrf ybfr ure zbarl naq fur ybfrf gung cynpr bs cevivyrtr naq yrneaf n yrffba nobhg jung vg'f yvxr gb abg unir n gba bs zbarl. Knaqre arire yrneaf nal fvzvyne yrffba. Fb va uvaqfvtug, Pbeql'f pynff-onfrq vafhygf frrz zber vebavp guna nalguvat orpnhfr cerggl fbba fur'f tbvat gb or gur bar jvgubhg zbarl, ohg Knaqre'f vafhygf ner fgvyy whfg cynva tebff.
Cordelia has made at least one slut-shaming remark, she called Faith "Slut-o-rama" when she first saw her dancing in the club.
Yeah, that's the moment I was thinking of but wasn't sure.
While slut-shaming annoys and angers me as a woman, I find bringing up someone's homelife to shame them in front of their friends far worse. Not to mention that it's usually Cordelia who starts these fights. I get that she's angry about what Xander had done to her, and in a way she's justified, but insulting his fashion sense for example or the way he kisses and gropes are much more acceptable to me than going through personal secrets. Xander's comment was gross, but Cordelia's homelife-shaming is far grosser in my book.
Sbe zr vg'f xabjvat gur ybat grez punenpgre nepf bs gur gjb punenpgref. Knaqre arire ernyyl vzcebirf va zl rlrf, jurernf Pbeqryvn'f nep vf fcrpgnphyne. Fur srryf nobhg urefrys va Fhaalqnyr gur jnl gung Ohssl srryf nobhg urefrys va YN.
I see Cordelia's constant coming up to Xander and insulting him as her using the trust he gave her against him. He doesn't really open up very much, and when he does it's caged in humor. The subtext is that they had conversations where he actually talked about his feelings about his abusive, no-good family. After having the trust she gave to him broken with the whole cheating on her with his best friend thing… she is spiteful and mean in retaliation. She gave up her friends to be with Xander and they didn't take her back… whereas Xander still has his friends. She's demonstrating that she doesn't want to give up on the scoobies as a whole… this is her excuse to come up to them, not just Xander. She doesn't have anybody. It's not necessarily the best writing… but it is there.
I hate the way that she goes for the classist insults and I don't think they're any better than Xander's typical nice guy slut shaming. But if you add up the points Xander's got a much higher batting average for rage inducing comments than Cordy does.
I never thought of Buffy's behavior here being an indicator of a) Giles absence as her watcher or b) her rebellion against Wesley….. Adds a whole new layer….
Me neither, great observations Karen.
Stray Observations:
-Faith sounds almost… disappointed that Buffy hasn't slept with Xander. Is this a thing where you drink out of somebody's water bottle and make a big deal about "haha, it's like we kissed!" except Xander is the water bottle? Is this all part of Faith's plan to be two degrees of sexual separation from Buffy?
-Mr. Trick, it's nice to have you back. Also, this whole newspaper comics thing is one of my favorite comedic scenes of this entire show. "I LIKE TO READ CATHY. 😀 … 😐 … :("
-God damn, Cordelia, this show needs to figure out what to do with you.
–In defense of Wesley Wyndam-Pryce
I know what a lot of you are thinking: Watchers are dicks and so is this Wesley guy. I know more of you are going to be rot13ing about how Wesley maybe does something in the future that makes you like him even though he sucks now, but I gotta disagree with you. Wesley is already wonderful and special just the way he is. His chipper demeanor in the face of everybody else barely disguising their hatred is hilarious, and he's not completely incompetent, just in a position unsuited to his abilities (He's awful at leadership, but he knew the type of vampires which Buffy was referring to, and was able to look up more information about them almost immediately). His character flaws seem to be driven more by denseness and naivete than any sort of spite or malice.
-The heart Faith draws on the window. <3 No lie, the first time I watched it, I didn't realize that she was supposed to be staking the heart. I thought she just loved Buffy. I MEAN, CLEARLY SHE DOES, SHE JUST ALSO WANTS TO STAKE SOME VAMPS.
-Buffy's transition from responsible worrywart to Faith-in-Training seems really sudden. Is this just something that happens every time a vampire almost drowns her?
-Joyce is amazing.
-Can the Mayor and Mr. Trick be partners for the rest of the show?
-RIP Alan, he'll never read Cathy again.
-OK, I'm defending Wesley a lot, but don't get me wrong, Giles is still way cooler.
-Seriously, The Mayor, be on my TV forever. YOU'RE THE MAYOR ~OF MY HEART~
-That is one hell of a line to end the episode on.
+1 on the Wesley love. He provides a hilarious contrast to Giles that, as Mark aptly noted, creates a lovely parallel with the contrast between Faith and Buffy.
Naq lrnu, jr ner tbvat gb unir gb or ERNYYL SHPXVAT PNERSHY jvgu gur rkcrpgngvba fcbvyref ertneqvat Ze. Jlaqunz-Celpr. Gur TVABEZBHF punenpgre nep ur tbrf guebhtu, sebz ohzoyvat pbzvp eryvrs/ sbvy gb qnex nagvureb vf bar bs zl fvatyr snibevgr fgbevrf sebz gur Ohsslirefr, naq bar gung vg'q or funzr vs Znex jrer fcbvyrq sbe va nal jnl.
Wesley is already wonderful and special just the way he is.
I agree with you so much, you don't have to watch future episodes to know Wesley is a great character.
He maybe a bit like Giles, but he is very much his own person with his own quirks and skills.
I found him adorable from the start, he seems to be fresh out of Watcher academy or training or whatever and even though he says that they now care more about the practical part of Watcherdom, he is quite out of his element. It's like we see a new Slayer being called just in the Watcher-version.
V tbg gb zrrg Zreprqrf ZpAnoo ng n pba qhevat gur svany frnfba bs Natry & gur bayl fcbvyre V nfxrq ure sbe jnf nobhg Jrfyrl, naq jurgure ur yvirq be qvrq. Fnqyl, fur qvqa'g gryy zr jung unccrarq gb uvz…
Wesley love seconded! I loved him from the moment he showed up. ^_^ Partly, I think, it's Alexis Denishof's acting that does it — and partly it's how funny he is. Most of the characters on the show get some hilarious moments, but Wesley brings a new type of comedy here; the pompous git who means well enough but is completely out of touch with reality.
I feel kinda bad for him in the episode; though he talked about how important preparation is, he was sadly unprepared himself.
Faith sounds almost… disappointed that Buffy hasn't slept with Xander. Is this a thing where you drink out of somebody's water bottle and make a big deal about "haha, it's like we kissed!" except Xander is the water bottle? Is this all part of Faith's plan to be two degrees of sexual separation from Buffy?
During that scene it totally plays to me like Faith is feeling out how Buffy feels about f-buddies, as in SAY WOULD YOU MAYBE BE DOWN FOR SOME POST-FIGHT SLAYER ON SLAYER ACTION SOMETIME? hint hint hint.
And if that's wrong… I don't wanna be right. 😉
His character flaws seem to be driven more by denseness and naivete than any sort of spite or malice
You make a good point about Wesley here. I'm big on intent and it definitely makes him much more sympathetic to me that his failures here are more about execution and lack of experience than him being a bad person. He's failing but he's TRYING, and that does matter.
There is nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.
Really, if the Watchers were sensible, they'd assign a new guy like Wesley to serve as Giles' assistant or something. He could research for them and get some seasoning at the same time.
It's the bosses you have to blame, I think – assigning such a new guy to TWO slayers is ridiculous. And it's not like they don't have enough people… Travers was travelling with two assistants, and they're having retreats as well.
I am seriously beginning to believe that being the Watcher assigned to the active Slayer is actually considered a crap assignment they give to the person they want to make sure doesn't have time to attend their lovely little retreats or who has pissed someone off. The well connected Watchers are safe at home and sit around drinking tea, the schmuck gets to go deal with the superpowered teenage girl.
(I'm putting Giles in the 'pissed someone off' category and Wesley in the 'go away, you're annoying'** category, for the record.)
** Sbe abj naljnl. Yngre ur pna wbva Tvyrf va gur sbezre qvivfvba.
Wesley is a great Percy. I like a Percy in a fictional setting, though I definitely wouldn't want one as a boss.
I'll just leave this here:
JRFYRL GUR JRNCBA JRFYRL GUR JRNCBA
The image of Xander as a water bottle is pretty hilarious to me, but I think that scene was about Faith trying to relate to Buffy. If she HAD slept with Xander, they'd have one more thing in common that they could talk about. Of course, it can also be read in many wonderfully shippy was and I have no problem with that 😉
Wonderful episode: we get a funny, little new Watcher, a weird squishy demon, the Mayor finally becomes immortal and Faith breaks the universal superhero code.
Nyfb n ybg bs sberfunqbjvat.
Villains who discuss newspaper comics. Why is that so scary?
And I still don’t know any of these comics, I’m missing out on all the cool stuff here. : (
Who else is getting tired of Cordelia insulting Xander?
“At least my father has a job.” No that’s just below the belt. *pbhtu*gnkrinfvba*pbhtu*
V jnag gur fgebat, urycshy Pbeql! Gur fcva bss pna’g pbzr rneyl rabhtu.
Wesley! You cute, snobbish Council’s pet, finally you’re here!
He looks so young, it always surprises me. (Bs pbhefr gung jnf orsber ur tbg uvf guebng fyvg naq obhtug gurfr snapl fjbeqf.)
V nyjnlf jbaqrerq jul gur Pbhapvy qrpvqrq gb frag uvz. Fher ur vf rnfvre gb pbageby, ohg gurl zhfg unir xabja gung ur jbhyq abg or noyr gb pbageby rvgure Ohssl be Snvgu.
Qvq gurl whfg jnag uvz gb snvy naq trg bar bs gur Fynlref xvyyrq??
“And afterwards I get a cookie” I love that line and Giles’ grin is priceless.
“You're not helping.” “I know. I feel just sick about it.” The dynamic between the two Watchers is the best part of this episode.
Lnl, Jrfyrl naq Natry zrrg sbe gur svefg gvzr! Fb jrveq gb frr Natry vtaber Jrf.
That demon is so un-scary, definitely not what I expected. So he was cursed into a beach ball? Who did this, Harry Potter?
I don’t think you would find even one store here that sells functioning crossbows with ammunition. Would modern bows even use wooden arrows?
“Pna’g fnir gur jbeyq va wnvy.” V thrff lbh jbhyq xabj Snvgu.
“If you want to criticize my methods, fine… and while you're at it, don’t criticize my methods!” Beautiful.
Oh god, poor Allan, poor Faith, now they crossed the moral event horizon forever.
I love Buffy’s reaction at his death and later Faith touching the body, as if she had to make sure it was real.
The Mayor is really the perfect villain: demonic ritual, getting cut in half and a funny checklist “Become invincible, meeting with PTA, Haircut”. I just love the guy.
That Faith got rid of the body creeps me out, it’s so cold blooded.
Gurer tbrf gur nethzrag bs “fbzrbar jvgu n fbhy qvq guvf”. Fbhyrq orvatf pna qb n ybg bs dhrfgvbanoyr guvatf naq Snvgu vf abg rira n ivyynva.
The thought that Faith would have killed herself at the end of this episode if the writers had not changed their plans for her character gives me chills, though it would have been interesting to see it play out. That would have changed the show drastically I think.
When i first found out that the original plan was for her to kill her, i got irrationally scared. Like, i wanted to warn her/do something to save her. Then i remembered that the plans for that were scrapped ten years ago and was unbelievably relieved. Even now thinking about all the awesomeness we woukd have missed on makes me panic a little, like it still might happen.
Now i think im really weird
No, not weird at all.
Jura V svefg ernq nobhg guvf V jnf nsenvq gung gurl zvtug gel vg jvgu nabgure punenpgre, fb jura rire nalbar tbg gbb qrcerffrq V gubhtu vg pbhyq unccra gb gurz. Rfcrpvnyyl va gur fcva-bss gung jnf nyjnlf n cbffvovyvgl.
Hahaha you are not missing much by not knowing about Family Circus, Marmaduke and Cathy. They're all kind of horrible. Which is pretty much the point.
hello, wesley wyndam-pryce, you pompous prat. you have the thankless job of making everyone around you look much cooler by comparison, and I LOVE YOU for it.
<img src="http://www.thetvcritic.org/assets/Buffy/vlcsnap-532040.png">
in other news, buffy and faith were very naughty. OH AND SHIT JUST GOT UNBELIEVABLY REAL.
"Sbe Tbq'f fnxr, zna, fur'f 18, naq lbh unir gur rzbgvbany znghevgl bs n oyhroreel fpbar. Whfg unir ng vg, jbhyq lbh, naq fgbc syhggrevat nobhg"
I will never not love this line.
All I needed was the number to know exactly what you were saying, and I 100% agree that line is awesome.
I love the contrast between how buttoned up Wesley is and how crumpled Giles seems to have become since being fired. It just makes Giles look even cooler than he already did in comparison with Wesley.
giles can't help but rebel when there's any sort of authority figure around. it's one of his most charming traits, imo.
Definitely!
Synchronized glasses polishing = twice teh sexy.
Well, OK. One and a half times the sexy.
un! jrfyrl vf abg oevatvat gur frkl fb zhpu evtug abj, ohg ur jvyy. fpehssl zpgbegherq pbzvat evtug hc!
Fnqyl, gubhtu, jvgubhg gur tynffrf. Ohg gur erfg, bu lrf; fpehssl Jrf vf n gerng.
bu, zna. v qb ybir tynffrf. v ernyvmrq n srj lrnef ntb gung rirel fvatyr thl v'ir qngrq unf jbea tynffrf. vg'f n guvat, nf wbff jbhyq fnl.
I am going to be completely shallow, but my first thought was, "Yay, another hot librarian!" It's like "good cop, bad cop." Giles is the cool librarian I want to do unorthodox things with, and Wesley is the one I want to corrupt. I just want many more things to happen to him, and see him taken out of his cute neat librarian comfort zone.
Edit: Wait, is he even a librarian?
Isn't 'hot librarian' kind of redundant?
Remember the three key words for any Slayer: Preparation…preparation…preparation.
Luckily, Mark is not a Slayer.
HEE that line was clearly written for Mark.
that's just one word repeated three times 🙂
(had to do the follow up. love buffy's delivery there.)
<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_log3lbcCP91qkbybho1_500.jpg">
(I know I just reiterate everything people say by screencaps not made by me but hey, maybe someone enjoys it!)
I enjoy it!
oh, thank you 🙂
Til the cow come home, just means late. Cos the cows come home from the fields at night, slowly cos cows aren't know for speediness, and bed down in the in the cow shed.
Wesley!!!
Bu Nyrkvf Qravfbs, orfgvyy zl urneg. V'z evtug gurer jvgu lbh Pbeql/Serq!
Grnz Yvynu
Bu bu bu ubj qvq V sbetrg!? V'ir nyjnlf ertneqrq zlfrys nf n shyyl fvtarq naq cnvq hc zrzore bs Grnz Yvynu. Bu, V'z n onq onq syna …
Hooray Wesley! And Alexis Denisof! It's not a spoiler to talk about real life things, right? Because I think it's adorable that he met Alyson Hannigan on the set of Buffy and now they're married and have the most adorable family ever.
i love them so much that it's probably bordering on creepy. and i don't care!
V xabj! Rirel gvzr V jngpu gurfr rcf nyy V pna guvax bs vf ubj phgr gubfr gjb ner.
MOST ADORABLE FAMILY EVER!!!!!
<img src="http://celebritybabyscoop.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/main_pic/pictures/52529PCN_Hannigan29.jpg">
oh my god how are they so cute what is happening
"Until the cows come home" Cows are actually fairly notorious (if notorious is the word….) for coming home at the end of the day. Cows are deeply fond of routine, and they know when milking time is, so they go and get ready for milking time without too much prompting.
Laura Ingalls Wilder speculates on this a bit when she notes that the cows could be trusted to go to the watering trough, have a drink, then go back to their stalls, but the horses have to be lead. And does this make the cows smarter, because they can be trusted, or are they dumber, and it just doesn't occur to them to do anything else?
This has been your cow related trivia.
I love Laura Ingalls Wilder so terribly much. All that the phrase "cows come home" reminds me of is when the cow fell through the roof of the sod house on the banks of Plum Creek.
hee hee hee. ANd then later the roof collapsed. But not one anyone, because Ma is observant and quick.
I always thought it was because you would lead them out to pasture in the morning and then round them up back to the barn at night
I've visited a few dairy farms, and in all of them, the cows came back to the milking barns of their own accord. In one, they'd just leave the door open and they'd go to their spots to be hooked up to the milking machines.
Cows cooperate with milking time because they experience pain, or at least discomfort, if they aren't milked in a timely manner.
Notorious C.O.W. is my fresh new rap name.
Yeah, having worked on a farm, those cows are real slow. But they also amble back quite regularly, being extremely motivated by food options and warmth.
Horses are much smarter. They get all *side eye* and *i remember you human* and *i will kickstomp youuuuu for that one time you touched my earrrrrrr*
But cows can kick sideways, which may be their secret weapon to make up for their stupidity.
Horses are much smarter. They get all *side eye* and *i remember you human* and *i will kickstomp youuuuu for that one time you touched my earrrrrrr*
Or "Look, I know you SAY those are just trotting poles on the ground, but I really need to make sure they aren't snakes. And it's entirely possible that so-called tree is actually a horse eating LION. You won't check these things out, so I have to. Dumbass."
…now I'm starting to wonder why Matthew Cuthbert was having to pull so hard on that cow's harness when he has his heart attack in the first AoGG movie… 🙁
I love the look on Faith's face because for second, you think she's shocked, disgusted, and sorry. And then you realize…she was just feeling the Rush.
This Rush?
[youtube KNZru4JG_Uo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNZru4JG_Uo youtube]
The thing with Wesley is… his behavior isn't really bad enough to warrant everyone's scornful behavior towards him.
I suppose part of that is the legacy of Gwendolyn Post, but still, I feel there's a certain disconnect in how annoying he's supposed to be.
I think that Buffy was just predisposed to dislike him because he's replacing Giles and she doesn't want him to.
I think it's really just a reaction to him being "not Giles" and the fact that he's being imposed upon them by the Watchers Council. I don't think his behavior helps, but I also don't think it's necessarily the root cause of everyone's attitude towards him.
It's also a general distaste for the Watcher's Council after the events of "Helpless," I think. Wesley's just unfortunate enough to be the perfect (and available) vessel for the projected scorn the Scoobies hold for his entire organization.
I think part of the problem might also be that when you're risking your life on a daily basis, someone with Wesley's attitude, inexperience, and misconceptions about his experience could easily lead to one if not all of them dying rather quickly.
I think I remember being irritated by Wesley Wyndam-Pryce the first time I saw this episode which I think was the intention, but… Honestly? This time around, I thought he was hilarious. Like, every time he was on screen, I had this huge grin on my face because he was so out of touch but not really in a nasty way. He was just a guy trying to do his job as best he could under the incorrect assumption that he was prepared.
I really love the fact that he wasn't actually either incompetent (as evidenced by how rapidly he came up with the background information for Buffy's sword-vampire) or a jerk about it. He was just out of touch with the realities of the job because he didn't have direct experience yet. He actually reminds me of the way a lot of young soldiers in historical wars are portrayed, all gung-ho and confident that they know what they're getting into when really they have no idea.
I love this episode. And I love your analysis of Faith. I know Joss has this whole existentialism thing going that very much informs his work, but I'd never looked at Faith as encompassing Nihilism before. Very interesting. The commentary on this episode mentions that the final scene, when she's scrubbing her shirt, is supposed to be an homage to Lady Macbeth. It's the "out, out, damn spot" bit.
Somehow I always forget about the last act of this episode. Faith kills the deputy mayor and I fully expect the episode to end. I guess because that's what I would do? But then they do come back and start to deal with some of the ramifications. Or Buffy starts to deal and Faith straight up refuses to.
The scene in the Bronze with Buffy, Angel, and Wesley is absolutely brilliant. Back in the beginning, Giles told us that he recognized that the Slayer Handbook would be of no use in Buffy's case. She's not one to sit back and take orders. She accepts guidance from Giles and he acts as a mentor to her. But Buffy is ultimately in charge of herself. And we've seen her grow and mature over the last few years. She is capable of not only staking vampires, but coming up with plans and strategies. Gur ynfg frnfba qvtf va qrrcre gb Ohssl nf n trareny. Fur'f gur fynlre juvyr Snvgu vf gur bgure fynlre. Fur pynfurf jvgu gur Pbhapvy naq gur Vavgvngvir orpnhfr fur jba'g whfg fvg qbja yvxr n tbbq tvey naq qb jung gurl fnl. Buffy is in charge, and that side of her really starts emerging in this scene.
and here I thought I was just being clever by referencing Macbeth.
(Npghnyyl zbfg bs zl Znporgu ersreraprf pbzr sebz Jleq Fvfgref)
I just leave this here so we don't forget
<img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lnayewYk7S1qkbybho1_500.jpg">
THANK YOU
*raises team Fuffy banner*
And then you need a screencap of them dancing together in the Bronze and everything would be perfect!
<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cajX58Z6HsI/Tl_g2iItJ_I/AAAAAAAAAHc/Eq1aGCgCjbU/s1600/tumblr_lc1rn82jml1qzr77io1_500.jpg"</img>
<img src="http://i1021.photobucket.com/albums/af333/BlackFrancine/Buffy%20Gifs/badgirlsdance1.gif">
. . .I'll be in my bunk.
Someone just needs to add the text "SLAYER RAVE, LOL" and I'm set
<img src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzsfx7P7pX1r7k3tso1_250.gif">
<img src="http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzsfx7P7pX1r7k3tso2_250.gif">
😀 😀 😀
I'm pretty sure this scene was when my mind went to "Faith is totally in love with Buffy." and I haven't changed my mind about that either.
This post sufficiently summarized the bulk of my thoughts on this episode, I think.
The only thing I have to add: I know it was super heavy-handed and obvious, but I still like the fact that Buffy's style changed with her attitude. She starts off in bright colors to contrast Faith's dark clothing, then when they're partying together and being "bad," Buffy's in her dark pants and leather jacket getup. Then, after the murder, she reverts back to her pastels when she goes to see Faith, regressing into her "goody-girl" role, as Faith would call it. It's definitely not subtle, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
Hmmm, I don't really like this episode as much as everybody else seems to. I don't enjoy Faith being a killer, although I don't think she's as okay with it as she says she is. This episode felt like they had a bunch of ideas that they just didn't follow through on. The sword cut Buffy gets, why concentrate on it? I thought it had to be part of the reason for the personality shift, but apparently not.
Balthazar and his minions were rather dull. He also reminded me of a mix (physically) of the Face of Boe and the guy from Love and Monsters, from Klom or whatever. I prefer this guy as Balthazar
<img src="http://i170.photobucket.com/albums/u247/cheatingatlife/balthazar_6696.jpg">
Other British guy clearly doesn't appreciate Giles, who I did love in this episode. And I surprisingly very much enjoyed Angel's bit. Are he and Buffy back together? When did that happen?
Overall reaction: meh. I'd probably enjoy it more if I rewatch with out certain expectations.
I think the drowning has a bit more to do with her personality shift. It's a metaphorical baptism in the more reckless lifestyle. Also, a brush with death is probably going to make you want to act more alive. I think it gave Buffy a bit of a rush that lasted until she encountered an actual death again.
I totally forgot that Buffy drowned again. Thanks, that definitely makes sense. I don't know why my brain focused on a sword cut instead of a brush with death.
For me the sword cut was symbolic, just to a lesser degree. It's placement on Buffy's arm mirrors Faith's tattoo. Just one more neat parallel between them in this episode.
A metaphorical baptism! See, this is why I love this community, because I never would have thought of that on my own.
I think the near-drowning was part of the reason for the attitude shift. Like a symbolic call-back to her death in Season One.
I can't believe I forgot that Buffy nearly drowned again. That definitely makes sense. She was much more ready to kickass immediately after that in Season 1.
ROFL somehow I'd never made the connection between the two Balthasars. Definitely agree with you about them.
Yes! I was hoping someone would post Balthazar! And I had similar thoughts about this episode's Balthazar. Also my eyes kept being drawn to his weird chin pincer things.
Mirelurks are fucking terrifying.
That is all.
THIS ^^ Also, Mark? Four hours? What are you, an amateur? 16 hours on Skyrim which beat my previous PB of 14 hours on Mass Effect 2
I AM AN ADULT AND I HAVE A REAL LIFE WHICH I CHOOSE TO IGNORE TO FIGHT DRAGONS AND THAT
I have no idea how this would possibly work, but I would LOVE to see "Mark Plays the Mass Effect Trilogy."
Oh god, can you imagine a liveblog of lots of people playing – we'd have to ustream it or something….
No, deathclaws are the most terrifying. They're the number one reason I carry a dart gun, even at max level.
I am really not a fan of Wesley. His confidence greatly exceeds his ability. I think that is what differentiates him from season 1 Giles. Ubjrire, uvf punenpgre nep vf bar bs zl snibevgrf. Fhpu n fgnex pbagenfg gb jurer ur raqf hc.
Ohg gb trg gb jurer ur raqf hc zrnaf V unir gb jngpu "Ubyr Va Gur Jbeyq" ntnva, naq V'z abg fher V unir rabhtu grnef yrsg gb trg guebhtu vg ntnva!
Oh my god, THIS. GPOY.
It’s making it fun for me that I haven’t watched S3 for years, because I’m seeing things that I don’t think I appreciated before. I’ve definitely been enjoying it much more this time.
So if “Revelations” and “Helpless” demonstrated to me the problematic nature of the Watcher’s Council, "Bad Girls" now explores the potential abuse of Slayer power.
Just as the Watcher’s insidious patriarchy can be a destructive force, assuming a right to direct Slayers without being beholden or answerable to them, so is the idea that Slayers are not beholden or answerable to greater society –having a “right” to do whatever they wish, no matter who it harms, because of the power that they wield… And any bad deeds they perform cancelled out by the monsters they kill.
Absolute power corrupting absolutely.
Wesley’s appearance, with all of the trappings of his privilege and arrogance, and its reminder of the Council’s betrayal, puts Buffy in the perfect mindset to be tempted by Faith’s tainted philosophy — a worldview as insidious as the Watchers' because certain elements of it ring with truth.
Events begin to spiral out of control as we see the natural consequences of this POV, which culminates in a shocking event that would not be a permanent mark against either of the girls in and of itself (another display of Faith's recklessness, but still a simple accident with no cold-blooded intent) — except for Faith's matter-of-fact body dump & ominous denial of accountability and remorse.
‘Till the cows come home.’
I think this refers to the fact that when you herd cattle into the barn for the night (after they have been grazing in the field for the day), it takes a long time. Cattle are typically pokey movers, unless they are startled.
Or, it could have to do with true cattle ranching. Those ranches can be HUGE and it takes a very long time to move the herd of cattle from ‘far out’ on the ranch to closer to the barn/homestead.
– Synchronised slaying and awkwardly timed conversation about Xander, yay!
– V qba'g guvax V pnhtug vg hagvy erjngpuvat gur bgure qnl ohg V ybir ubj guvf naq gur arkg rcvfbqr ner xvaq bs obbxraqrq ol Snvgu fynlvat n inzcver fgnaqvat bire Ohssl jvgu gur qhfg erirnyvat Snvgu (gur Ryvzvangv zrzore urer naq Ze Gevpx va gur arkg rcvfbqr).
– Cordy's interruption of the opening scene is…kind of random and not necessary. It feels like it could be cut from the scene with no overall change.
– Oh Wesley, he just doesn't get what it's like to be in the field. He's annoying but it gives Giles someone to snark at (and he does it so brilliantly). The pair of them cleaning their glasses at the same time is hilarious.
– "New Watcher?" "New Watcher." "Screw that." hee
– Giles' early Watcher Diary entries kind of make me wish we could see the rest, hear his thoughts about everything that's happened since then.
– What must the guy sitting next to Buffy during the test think about her conversation with Willow and Xander?
– Faith and Buffy dancing in the Bronze is…well yeah. Faith looks way more into it than Buffy, but that's just my opinion.
– I'm now torn during scenes with Balthasar, I'm both squicked out and giggling at the memory of the moment in the bloopers where the door in the tub opens and the actor's legs are revealed (it's funnier than I make it sound).
– And of course Faith flirts with the cop arresting her, because she would.
– Znlbe nobhg gur obl fpbhgf: "V pbhyq whfg rng gurz hc" Abg fb shaal pbafvqrevat uvf cynaf sbe gur tenqhngvat pynff, naq Falqre'f sngr.
– Poor Willow being pushed aside so Buffy can hang out with Faith. She sounds so disappointed when she reminds Buffy she didn't come over to study and it just gets worse when Faith shows up at the house.
– Oh Allan. It's a difficult sequence to talk about, the build up to the tragic moment is really well done. It's easy to see how Faith reached the moment of accidentally stabbing him. It doesn't make it any less difficult to watch though.
– Go Giles with the sword-y!
– I may be seeing things but it looks like a trail of dust follows the stake Mr Trick pulls away from the vampire. It's a nice detail if that's what it is.
– The Mayor's to-do list wins all of the things!
– Cordy's interruption of the opening scene is…kind of random and not necessary. It feels like it could be cut from the scene with no overall change.
It feels like the writers just didn't know what to do with her after she was no longer dating Xander and therefore wasn't a Scoobie anymore. So they tried to put her back in her season 1 role, but it just doesn't quite work.
Vg jbexf n yvggyr orggre nsgre guvf rcvfbqr, orpnhfr abj fur unf ure ovt pehfu ba Jrfyrl naq fb unf na rkphfr gb ivfvg gur yvoenel zber bsgra. Ohg lrnu, gurfr srj genafvgvbany rcvfbqrf unir Pbeql va n jrveq cynpr.
"Giles' early Watcher Diary entries kind of make me wish we could see the rest, hear his thoughts about everything that's happened since then. "
*starts writing fanfic*
You think I'm joking, but…
The Diaries always made for a fascinating read – half official work log, half private thoughts and observations, they varied widely from Watcher to Watcher. One might make only a few brief notes, giving only the bare facts of important events. The next might read more like a sensational tabloid newspaper, giving a personal and unreserved commentary on the supernatural events and the people involved. It was easy to forget that others would eventually be reading your own diary. One Watcher was infamous for keeping careful note of the physical attractiveness of any demon she encountered, as well as detailing an ongoing and utterly petty feud with her neighbour over an unruly privet hedge. Wesley’s personal favourite was a man who had clearly missed his poetic calling in life, and wrote a brief haiku after every entry, giving his feelings on what had transpired.
Mr Giles’ diaries took up more volumes than several of the other Watchers combined. Clearly the Hellmouth was an eventful place. Struck by a sudden inspiration, Wesley flipped to the back of the last volume and, yes, there was an index. None of the other Watchers’ diaries had one – old librarian’s habits died hard, perhaps?
…is now a good time to mention that I'm a little zoned out on painkillers right now? I'm gonna really regret this later.
Excellent beginning!
There's a nice little fanfic that happens right after this episode, in which Giles goes over the library policy with Wesley. You may be interested in it (it's spoiler free): http://antennapedia.com/stories/gen_welcome_to_th…
Oooh that was pretty good! Thanks!
Is it weird that I'm secretly looking forward to when I've finished this show and can look for fanfic without fear of spoilers?
Nah, not weird at all!
Ha, no, it's not weird. I'm really enjoying rewatching this 'cause I've got an idea for a Doctor Who/Buffy crossover fanfic and have been trying to figure out when in the Buffyverse I should set it. 😛
I think you might like one of my favourite fanfics because your favourite bits of Buffy so far seem to be similar to mine, but it is a virtual season eight so you can't read it until you've watched the whole show (well, I read it before I saw a single episode, but that wasn't the best way to do things). I think of it every time you make comments on certain things.
Oooh save me a link and post it when we're done with the show! Which is…a while off yet, but still!
I shall. Though now I'm worried that you won't enjoy it at all. That's something for me to be paranoid about for the next few months.
Would you mind posting the link in rot13? I suspect I know what it is, but I'm curious.
ogifpubfra.pbz by Jet Wolf
This is amazing and you should feel good about it!
Gur cneg nobhg gur srznyr Jngpure xrrcvat abgrf nobhg nggenpgvirarff vzzrqvngryl znqr zr guvax bs gur bar sebz frnfba svir jub jebgr ure gurfvf ba Fcvxr.
Don't regret it! That was awesome and I want to read more! <3
I usually don't read fanfics, but I really want more of this!
I feel like I've read that before.
It's unlikely, since I only watched the episode and then wrote it a few hours ago. 😛
I SO LOVE the idea of Giles indexing his diaries <3 that is perfect 🙂
-Something I dislike about sword fights on tv. (Also a problem with the slaying methods) No one ever goes in for the straight kill. There is always posturing and wild swings involved. I know it is for dramatic effect; I don't actually mind it when it is beautiful/decent swordsmanship (Becoming Part II) but with the Crusader vamp, he basically let the sword and dagger get knocked out of his hands while hardly fighting back. /end rant.
-You are fast Trick.
-Ascending? I didn't think demons did that. Sounds like the other side's job.
-I know I am not supposed to but I like the new Watcher and his smarmy overconfidence.
-I suppose Balthazar is the most popular demon baby boy name. I wonder what the girl one is.
-Yum, cookies.
-Jumping into a crypt isn't bad enough she jumps into the one without the amulet.
-Poor Buffy getting drowned again :/
-The cinematography of this episode is a little weird. They keep throwing in random close-ups and the editing bothers me.
-She can talk to Giles about whatever she wants Westley. He is her father figure.
-The teacher just…leaves?
-Strobe lights hurting my head.
-Hmmm, which one is Balthazar's enemy? Angel? The Watchers? The Mayor?
-Why was Alan out and about at night? 🙁
-Since this seems to be my topic of the day, I will continue because I don't have a comment on how this makes me feel. Is this the first time ever of a Slayer going for the heart without any pre-punching? If so than I can accept this situation as the reason pre-punching is necessary.
-If Giles ever stops sassing demons I might cry.
-Now see there, Giles' sword fighting is effective and reasonably realistic.
-I can't tell if Faith is being honest or bottling her feeling. Her expression is always so neutral that it is hard to read.
"I suppose Balthazar is the most popular demon baby boy name. I wonder what the girl one is"
Joan.
Bu, gung'f fjrrg, ohg V guvax V pna anzr zlfrys. (guvaxf) V'yy anzr zr … Wbna.
Grrurr….
"Jungrire Wbna!" "Jungrire HZNQ!"
Fbzrbar arrqf gb erzvaq ravtzngvpntragfphyyl bs guvf cbfg jura jr trg gb Gnohyn Enfn (vs fur qbrfa'g erzrzore urefrys).
This isn't really spoilers but it might spoil the spoilers so I coded it. Though, I haven't actually read the spoilers so I don't know.
V guvax V xabj jung gurl fnl nf gung vf gur rcvfbqr V unir frra naq V trg gb wbva va gur sha sbe bapr!
  This is Eliza Dushku’s favorite episode.Â
Thoughts:
-Faith was wondering if Buffy ever slept with Xander after all their nightly side by side fighting, right after she and Buffy had finished their nightly side by side fighting.
– Fun fact, Alson Hannigan and Alexis Denisof (Wesley) are married now.
-does anyone else think it’s intertaining to just watch Eliza move? Or just listen to her voice? Is that creepy?
– (paraphrased)
 Buffy: wait, stop, think!
 Faith: no, no, no.
 Buffy: we’re really outnumbered! There could be more of them down there!
 Faith: Yeah, that’s the best part!
 ILU Faith.
-Buffy proves that she is smarter than your average character by pretending to drown before she dies. Of course, then she ruins it by pausing the action to quip not-so-dramatically.
-thank you for pointing out the one word three times thing. I hate when people do that.
-Faith calls Buffy girlfriend and then draws a heart for her. Awwwwwwww. The commentary even says the ’subtext’ is on perpose.Â
-Buffy is now dressed like Faith, in black instead of pale purple
-Faith and Buffy are clearly dancing together before Angel shows up
-Eliza bow hunts in real life, and in Dollhouse
-Mayor, that is NOT the right way to test your invincibility
– and Buffy is back to her pale blue…whatever that is…by the end
-Faith has a punching bag made of foam padding, pillows, duct tape and a X_X face. I kind of feel bad for it, even though its not alive
  I like this episode, but i wish the arc of Buffy acting like Faith could have lasted longer. This episode reminds me about why I like Faith, which is that she loves fighting demons. It’s nice to see a chosen one enjoy being chosen for once, rather than complaining about it. I’m not saying Buffy’s whining isn’t justified, but personally, I’d love to be the slayer.
Can’t wait for Pbafrdhraprf, which has the second main reason why I love Faith (there are seven total, she loves slaying, gheaf rivy, jnf va n pbzn, Ryvmn’f novyvgl gb cynl ure tbvat ongfuvg, ure yblnygl (juvpu pbzrf yngre), fjvgpurf onpx gb tbbq, naq fur’f whfg FB ivbyrag)
  The only thing i hate is the lying about caring that she killed Alan. Come on Faith, you can trust Buffy. How else will Fuffy work?
For a second I thought you said "least favorite episode", and I thought "wait, that's impossible."
Faith's punching bag: I was reading reviews for punching bags earlier today because I'm getting one for kickboxing, and I came across this one:
<img src="http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq7m84AGc1r3iy7xo1_r1_500.png">
Something tells me Faith would've loved to have that.
Alyson and Alexis are my favourite celebrity couple. I can't wait for them to have their new baby.
omg what, how come I never knew this!! I'm not going to be able to look at these episodes now without seeing this!
Please don't use "ongfuvg" on this site.
Yay, Wesley Wyndham-Price! I can't help but love the guy — he's Season One Giles cranked up to eleven, and manages to annoy absolutely everyone, including Giles. He gets absolutely no respect, partly because everyone's in "he's here to replace Giles, so we hate him" mode, and partly because he expects to be treated with respect even thought he hasn't done anything to earn it. To me at least, he's so annoying that he's likeable.
Faith is an interesting character… She's pretty much Kenda's total opposite, yet she fulfills the same "contrasting reflection of Buffy" purpose. Where Kendra was very much by the book to contrast Buffy's more unorthodox approach to Slaying; Faith is so unorthodox and plain wild that she makes Buffy look like Kendra in comparison. I think, ultimately, that Buffy has a stronger moral character than either of them; she'll do the right thing because it's right, while Kendra would do the right thing if that was her duty and Faith will do the right thing if it's convenient.
That said, I think Faith was lying when she said she didn't care she'd killed a man; I think she does care, she's just telling herself (and Buffy) that she doesn't. Faith has obviously had a rough life, and while she likes to pretend it's all fun and games, it has left its mark on her.
IA with you about Faith. I think she does care (I think that much is evident on her face when she returns to the body), but she's made a conscious decision to NOT care. She's denying her real feelings to everyone, even herself.
"Chinese Burn"
[youtube Pk2ZX8UqHaQ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk2ZX8UqHaQ youtube]
Yayyy, I finally managed to get the episode downloaded on time to do a massive post again, just in time for the serious side of season three to kick in as well. Excellent.
– 'What are friends for?' That line always seems sadder to me than she probably intended it to be. I doubt she got the chance to make many friends.
– Faith really isn't a team player. Maybe if Gwendolen Post hadn't happened that would have started to change a bit, I guess we'll never know.
– I see your name there Alexis. Ah, this is going to be fun :D.
– 'Hooker wear', really Xander? This is beginning to get incredibly dull, hence why everyone else ignores this exchange. Move on man. It also kind of counteracts the end of The Zeppo in that then he seemed to be past this.
– WESLEY! He's such a git but it's hard to completely hate him because he's so oblivious and hilarious (nyfb xabjvat gung ur orpbzrf n 'ebthr qrzba uhagre' naq gbgny ONZS urycf, rira vs gura V erzvaq zlfrys gung ur qvrf, tnu).
– I like how in contrast with Wesley Giles immediately becomes much cooler and more casual. I love rumpled Giles slightly more than regular Giles too.
– How many vampire cults are there? It seems to be the go to enemy when no one can be bothered to think of anything better.
– Synchronised glasses cleaning, the Watcher's sport of choice :).
– 'Again with the grunting.' You're doing a very good job of showing that there is “nothing between them” writers, although I think this is one of the more obvious episodes subtext wise.
– I don't know why those vampires jumping into that manhole is so funny to me.
– 'Knock yourself out… please.' Oh sassy Giles, you really are my favourite.
– Obvious stunt double is obvious.
– 'You're not helping.' 'I know, I feel just terrible about it.' Let me hug you forever Giles.
– (Knaqre pbirevat hc uvf rlr yvxr gung tvirf zr fhqqra synfuonpxf. Vg'f nyzbfg yvxr gur jevgref jrer cynaavat ba uvz ybfvat na rlr rira guvf sne va nqinapr, nygubhtu V xabj gurl pbhyqa'g unir orra.)
– 'Hey girlfriend, bad time?' Shipping them forever.
– Oh the dance scene, terrible music and dancing but I love it anyway :).
– (Ubj Ohssl npgf jvgu Natry va guvf fprar erzvaqf zr bs ubj Snvgu va ure obql npgf gbjneqf Fcvxr. Pyrneyl gurl'er abg gung qvssrerag fbzrgvzrf.)
– Balthazar is one of the more disgusting demons but also one of the hammiest. Did he really have to talk like every sentence has an exclamation mark at the end?
– 'Want. Take. Have.' Is it me or could they easily be talking about sex?
– 'So, what did you and Faith do last night?' This whole conversation could easily be applied to sex too, although maybe I'm just sex obsessed :).
– FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT. It's a good job Wesley didn't seriously annoy Giles as I'm sure Ripper could have easily beaten him.
– And shit just got real. It's taking the first half of Ted to the extreme in a way that you couldn't if Buffy herself was the one who did it. Well you probably could but only if the whole thing turned into a prison drama halfway through. Generally if a 'good guy' does something like that you have to show them being punished for it as otherwise it'd send out the wrong message anyway.
– This whole episode has been trying to show that Faith doesn't care about anything but clearly she does. If she was completely amoral she wouldn't be as scared about accidentally staking that guy as she was.
– Bleakest place to put an advert break ever or what?
– Of course Faith reacts in the way someone who's clearly had a terrible childhood and has problems with authority would so I can't hate her for it. It's just realistic for her character at this point.
– Why does everyone always kidnap Giles, even if they don't know his significance?
– The contrast between Giles and Wesley is my favourite thing. Giles seems to get even more sarcastic when he's around.
– Can I get a gif of Giles headbutting that vampire please? Total BAMF.
– UNACCEPTABLE! Suddenly reminded of 'inconceivable!' from The Princess Bride.
– The Mayor's to do list is a beautiful thing.
– Oh Faith, let me hug you. Well, and other things but hugging is a good start.
– 'Slaying isn't the same as killing.' Oooh, continuation of the big philosophical debate.
– 'You don't get it. I don't care.' Yes you do Faith, yes you do.
I think your comment on Faith's nihilism is interesting. I'd never really thought about it much. V guvax vg tbvat gb or vagrerfgvat bapr jr trg gb Snvgu'f rcvfbqrf va Natry fb ur pna frr ubj gung srrqf vagb guvatf, jvgu ure nggrzcg gb trg na nffvfgrq fhvpvqr sebz Natry. Gubfr rcvfbqrf ner whfg urnegoernxvat gb zr naljnl ohg gurl'er cneg bs jul V ybir ure fb zhpu.
"I love rumpled Giles slightly more than regular Giles too."
I am a biiiiiiiigggggggg fan of rumpled Giles.
Definitely. I have never had an urge to buy some braces until tonight either, they just look so good on him. I think breats lead to slight issues with them though if women try to wear them. Worth a try though :D.
Oh yeah, I'd love to wear braces but you have to be pretty flat chested unfortunately. The straps tend to wander off to the sides.
~the voice of experience~
:/
Gah, damn you boobs!! I seem to remember gingerhaze of Tumblr fame doing a comic about that. I suppose if you can get them to look deliberately wonky it'd be alright, or pin them into place somehow.
Ha! Yes I saw that too!
I suppose a couple of safety pins might work…
It's definitely worth a try. I'm determined to get my hands on some one day, even if they do end up falling off my ridiculously narrow shoulders.
I feel exactly the same about your rot13 section at the end. Eliza and the writers did an AMAZING job
BALTHAZAR
You know what I want.
GILES
If it's someone to scrub those hard to
reach areas, I'd like to request that
you kill me.
HEE! 🙂
<3 Giles
Not quite "You must perform the ritual… in a tutu," but pretty damn great as Giles wisecracks go.
naq, fhpu n pbagenfg gb jrfyrl'f unovg bs "fpernzvat yvxr n jbzna" 🙂
Ur qbrf uvg gubfr uvtu abgrf jvgu vzcerffvir cerpvfvba, qbrfa'g ur?
zl snibevgr bs gubfr zvtug or gur zbzrag snvgu puhpxf gur xavsr ng gur znlbe'f vpxl fcvqre pyvzovat hc gur jnyy. znxrf zr penpx hc rirel gvzr. gbgny cerpvfvba! 🙂
I love Wesley. I love his bumbling. V ybir uvf abg ohzoyvat. V ybir uvf qnex penmvarff va Natry. Jrfyrl vf cebonoyl bar bs zl gbc 5 Ohsslirefr punenpgref. Naq vg nyy fgnegf urer!
Please don't use the word "crazy" on this site. Also, edited your comment to remove expectation spoilers.
I had the same thought!
So from this point on, I've seen, or think I've seen, eight of nine remaining episodes this season. (Gur rkprcgvba vf "Gur Cebz.")
The problem, for me, with commenting on this episode is I've seen where the story goes from here, and it's hard to comment on this episode without references to later points. I had started to watch the next episode when I realized I'd better get some thoughts on this one down before I let the fresh memory of that one color it.
• Love ANY scene where Giles is mocking Wesley, with or without Buffy's help. Or mouthing off to Balthazar. He stole this episode.
• That chemistry teacher is inordinately tolerant of Buffy's (and Willow's and Xander's chatter). Willow and Xander are putting up with a lot, too.
• Willow calling herself stupid after Buffy rejects her and goes off with Faith = :'(
• My one real complaint about the episode was that I couldn't take Balthazar seriously as a villain. I don't know if I was meant to. Still, aside from his occasional telekinetic tricks, all he seemed able to do was flail his arms and whine.
Body Count (I may have missed some random vampires):
(Graveyard Scene)
• Vampire, killed by Buffy.
• Vampire, killed by Faith.
• Vampire, killed by Faith.
(Sewer Fight)
• Vampire, killed by Buffy.
(First meeting Balthazar)
• Vampire, killed by Balthazar.
(Buffy and Faith move on Balthazar's hideout)
• Vampire, killed by Faith.
• Vampire, killed by Buffy.
• Vampire, killed by Buffy.
• Allan Finch, killed by Faith.
(Final battle)
• Vampire, killed by Giles.
• Balthazar, killed by Buffy.
(The mayor becomes invincible)
• Vincent, killed by Mr. Trick
That's 12, but I tend to be way on the "make sure you see/hear it before you count it" side.
"My one real complaint about the episode was that I couldn't take Balthazar seriously as a villain. I don't know if I was meant to. Still, aside from his occasional telekinetic tricks, all he seemed able to do was flail his arms and whine."
Yeah. I sort of see him as if Salacious Crumb had the body of Jabba the Hutt.
</starwarsnerd>
V'yy whfg hfr lbhe pbhag, sbe gur fnxr bs rnfvarff.
Fb sne, jvgubhg Wvfuirefr: 39
Jvgu Wvfuirefr: 46
"Wvfuirefr"? Abg "Jvfuirefr"?
V zrnag "Jvfuirefr," V whfg ybfg gur cbfg naq erglcrq vg jebat.
This episode is when season 3 starts to take its definitve direction. When shit got real.
Whedon always loves to make his characters deal with the consequences of their actions. He shows us Buffy and Faith enjoying the entertaining free side of their powers and then the price to pay. Not in a punishing kind of way but more in a responsible kind of way. And definitely shows us the radical difference between the 2 Slayers.
I watched the commentary of this episode by Douglas Petrie the script writer, and he says everything so well.
Giles is so much cooler in comparison of Wesley. Their scenes are hilarious.
Buffy feels free and wild for the 1st time, and it's nice to see her enjoying "life" ( The dancing scene is extraordinary ). But she is already responsible and she already knows the price to pay.
I love how Angel already senses that things will go wrong. And the "his name is Angel" definitely settles the beginning of the future Angel series.
Willow needs hugs.
Faith has crossed the line. And things can't stay the same…
I wish I had something intelligent to say about this episode, but my brain is mostly: "FAITH BUFFY HOLY SHIT AAAAH." Oh well…
Also: "Well, we can argue and discuss that until the cows come home and I don’t know that we’d ever have a definitive answer. (Okay, that colloquial phrase barely makes sense to me. Are cows notorious for running away or something?)"
LOL this phrase has always seemed odd to me as well (even as I find myself using it *all the time*), but nearly so odd as the "I had a cow" phrase. It always sounds to me like someone has *literally just birthed a cow*. And wouldn't that be painful as all hell?
Though, I suppose if someone had a lot of cows, and they ran away, they'd have to come home at some point….
It always sounds to me like someone has *literally just birthed a cow*. And wouldn't that be painful as all hell?
That's actually exactly what the point of the saying is. To quote from Wisegeek.com:
"The idea is that certain bits of unexpected or bad news might create the same agony and pain as literally giving birth to a cow. There is every chance that the recipient of bad news might "have a cow," in the sense of going ballistic or blowing his or her top."
Pretty funny how language evolves, until we have all these sayings that nobody knows what really mean. ^_^
nalbar ryfr guvax *sver onq. gerr cerggl* urer?
ab?
whfg zr?
🙂
I am LOVING THESE COW TALKS that have sprung up throughout the threads.
Its balthazar from charmed
Oh, Wesley.
V pna'g jnvg sbe Znex gb trg guebhtu Natry whfg fb ur pna frr ubj shpxvat qnex naq onqnff Jrfyrl orpbzrf. Naq nyfb fb ur pna frr gur guerr-cneg Snvgu gevybtl va gur sbhegu frnfba bs Natry, juvpu ernyyl cynlf bss bs gurfr rcvfbqrf fb fgebatyl.
abg gb zragvba gur frnfba 1 pebffbire rcf svir ol svir naq fnapghneyl… ba nabgure abgr, fnapghnel vf cebonoyl bar bs zl nyy gvzr snibevgr natry rc'f. gvz zvarne uvgf vg bhg bs gur cnex jvgu gung bar.
Rirel rcvfbqr gur sbphfrf ba Snvgu naq Natry vf cerggl terng. Gurve punenpgre whfg cynl bss bs rnpu bgure fb jryy orpnhfr gurve fgbevrf funer n ybg bs gur fnzr gurzrf naq vqrnf. Fb "Rarzvrf" sebz frnfba 3 bs Ohssl naq Snvgu'f nccrnenaprf ba Natry ner nyy uvtuyvtugf sbe zr.
It's kind of brilliant how Whedon has everyone hating so hard on Wesley, giving the audience the opportunity to just feel sorry for him and love him immediately. When he and Giles are wiping their glasses – LOL! The three key words to any Slayer – so hilarious! I love that he outlines their missions down to the minute, as if he can predict the unpredictable. And he likes his knee caps. Can't blame a guy for that. And he's so proud that he faced two vampires himself – in controlled circumstances. Wesley and Mark – Forever Unprepared.
Buffy playing with being bad didn't end well. This ep drives a massive wedge between the two slayers. Faith really doesn't care that she just killed a man. She only cares about not being caught. Buffy is understandably paranoid about what happened and that Faith is a little more off her rocker than Buffy originally suspected (let's face it, Faith isn't even holding a 3 card at this point anymore). But it's written in a way that you can almost see and understand Faith's POV too. She's saving the world, accidents happen, they're still fighting for good, so why this need to share feelings about it?
Random things I love: Xander's eye twitching every time he hears Faith's name and his declaration that he's highly caffeinated; Willow trying so hard to be the best friend and her attempt to make magic not smelly, Giles decapitating a vamp right behind Wesley, Angel's entrance into the factory, the Mayor's to-do list, the scene cut between Faith and Buffy breaking into the vamp nest to them dancing at the Bronze, and last but not least, Oz's hair.
Please don't use phrases like "off her rocker" here, it's ableist.
Noted. Sorry.
“She assigns meaning to her life and to those around her, but does so in a way where she ultimately believes it all means nothing anyway. Things are temporary and fleeting to her.†– Mark.
Ah, yes! Yes!!! Brilliant!! This is because we cannot assign meaning and still hold ourselves to it. Meaning MUST be discovered, not invented. We discover meaning by meeting life face to face, not by experiencing it.
“The atheist staring from his attic window is often nearer to God than the believer caught up in his own false image of God.” – Martin Buber.
I aways had mixed feelings about Faith, and particularly this episode. It's a very good one of course, but I never reay liked girls like Faith (mostly because they always destroy the trust I, foolish me, gave to them and they bring down a lot of my friends). So when I watch this episode, I always feel anxious for Buffy because I don't think she is having fun but she is "disconnecting" herself from the bad side of her life yes, but also from the good side (especially her friendship with Willow). Buffy needs (like a lot of my friends had to) to face the consequences of Faith's philosophy to realize that's not what they want, that's not what they are. Bad Girl is a bit like The Zeppo for Buffy, she is trying to "act cool", to find another way to be more herself (especially to reconcile her personnality with the violence the slaying imply) and realize that she was more herself in her previous way. That Faith isn't "freer" than her but on the contrary she locked up herself in her solitude.
Good points about Buffy disconnecting herself from both the good and the bad. I feel sorry for Willow in this ep. She is realizing that a witch isn't as 'good' as a slayer in Buffy's eyes.
So in this episode we see:
* Buffy and Faith lying side-by-side on the grass talking about sex.
* Faith making thrusting arm gestures and grunting noises at Buffy, who "Isn't really comfortable with this".
* Faith saying that Slaying gets her "a little bit juiced".
* Faith asking if Slaying gets Buffy a little bit juiced as well.
* Buffy's denial being unconvincing.
* Buffy talking nonstop to her friends about how awesome Faith is.
* Xander calling this an 'ode to Faith'.
* Faith breathing on the window and drawing a heart for Buffy.
* Then raising her eyebrows suggestively.
* Buffy and Faith dancing intensely with each other.
* Willow getting jealous of Buffy and Faith being together.
And apparently Joss didn't recognise that there was any sexual subtext in the Buffy/Faith relationship, huh?
Heck, even Eliza Dushku is well aware of the subtext, if her Tweet a while back about the "lost episode of Buffy" where they hooked up is any guide. 🙂
anyone have a screen cap of this moment – cause it makes with the funny 🙂
BUFFY:
How come your eye twitches every time I say Faith's name?
XANDER:
(twitches his eye) (defensively) What? (chuckles) No, it doesn't.
BUFFY:
Faith.
XANDER:
Cut it out! We got a test to take, okay? And I'm highly caffeinated, and I'm trying to concentrate. Some of us actually care about school. You know.
Wesley Wyndam-Pryce owns my heart. Alexis Denisof is fantastic.
V’z cerggl zhpu whfg tbvat gb ercrng guvf pbzzrag sbe rirel rcvfbqr sebz urer ba bhg.
I know this is so late as to not matter, but I'm rot-13ing this because vg vzcyvrf gung Jrfyrl vf va znal rcvfbqrf va gur shgher.
I know my opinion is unpopular but I do not like Faith and I do not like Wesley. Period. End of story. Fuvg tbrf gb uryy (fbzrgvzrf yvgrenyyl) jura gurl ner vaibyirq naq V whfg arire rire yvxrq gurer punenpgref.
I don't care about either of them. Especially Faith. She does nothing for me.
V nyjnlf xarj Jrfyrl terj ba pregnva crbcyr ohg V gubhtug Snvgu jnf zber jvqryl abg yvxrq. Ohg nccneragyl orgjrra gur gjb bs gurz gurl ner rirelobql’f “snibevgr punenpgre nep”f. Jryy. Abg zr.
rot-13ing this because vg URNIVYL vzcyvrf gung Jrfyrl vf nebhaq sbe n ybat gvzr. Expectation spoilers, people.
I think that, while there is indeed a big parallel between S1 Giles and Wesley, it's also a factor that Welsey appears to be a sheltered academic boy, while we know that Giles had a pretty wild period in his youth (RIPPER), so I doubt he was ever really as innocent and useless as Wesley is here.
There is so much to love about this episode for me. Buffy and Faith letting loose and having a little fun with their calling makes me extremely happy even knowing how it will end, and the introduction of Wesley is super amusing to me. For some reason, the shot that sticks in my mind is Wesley leaning towards Buffy and both Buffy and Giles leaning away. Such a simple thing, and it makes me laugh SO MUCH. Also, "Is he evil?" is pretty great too.
Snarky!Giles is the best ever, both with Belthazar and Wesley. The contrast between him and Wesley, both in his relationship with Buffy and sometimes Faith, and in his bravery and fighting ability is just a fun dynamic to see happen. I had mentioned a while ago that Giles in Band Candy always reminds me of the fact that ASH is.. well.. pretty freaking attractive, but Giles with a sword is also definitely not bad either 🙂
V xvaq bs rkcrpgrq uvz gb qvr va guvf rcvfbqr nf n jnl gb fubj ubj hacercnerq ur jnf sbe Fhaalqnyr. Ohg vg ybbxf yvxr ur’yy pbagvahr orvat gur arj Jngpure va gbja.
UNUNUN. BU ZNEX V FB PNA ABG JNVG SBE LBH GB FRR NATRY GUR FREVRF. NAQ GURA UNIR NYY GUR PERLF SBE JRFYRL VA GUR SVANYR.
"Jbhyq lbh yvxr zr gb yvr gb lbh xabj?" 🙁
Can we also talk about how cute it is that Willow and Wesley are married in real life have a totally adorable little girl???
Alyson is pregnant again too!
Oh! I had not heard that. Yay for them!
Have you seen the picture of them trick or treating? All 3 of them are dressed as kangaroos but Alexis is wearing a white suit over his costume. The baby is in Alyson's pouch and it is adorable.
what is this picture and where can I find it?!!?
<img src="http://img2.timeinc.net/people/i/2009/cbb/blog/091116/alyson-hannigan-2-300.jpg">
Hi everyone! I’m watching this show for the first time, and I’ve only just caught up to Mark. So, some of my thoughts as a New Watcher:
• I love seeing Buffy’s loyalty to Giles here. But I’m still a bit surprised at how readily she seems to have forgiven him after the events of “Helpless.”
• Like Buffy, I was fully prepared to hate the new Watcher on principle, whoever it turned out to be. So far, though, Wesley doesn’t seem like a bad guy – just hopelessly inexperienced. He doesn’t understand how things are done in Sunnydale, but that’s to be expected. Give him time.
• The Mayor is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters. His toâ€do list is a wonderful thing.
• What the hell is going on with Faith? I like Faith (most of the time), and now I’m really worried about her. Her behavior in this episode is disturbing, but in retrospect, not all that surprising. I don’t believe that she could possibly be as callous as she pretends to be. (Not wanting to talk about it, though – that I can believe.) There must be more to her backstory than what we’ve heard so far.
Also: Chemistry is a lot like witchcraft, only with less newt. Good to know.
That to-do list was amazing. Priorities!
Obtain invincibilityStudent-teacher conference
I may be para-phrasing.
A New Watcher? So you're like a Wesley, then?
Okay so the more I think about it, the more I wonder … if the Council of Watchers has this much structure and internal organization and mini-Watchers to send out to replace straying!Watchers, how is it that nobody thought to tell Giles/Buffy about Kendra way back when? Nobody thought, "Hm, we have a new Slayer and no report that the old one died. We should investigate this"?
I think it just goes to show how expendable they think of slayers as being. A new one is called and they go "Oh, whoops, looks like the last one died!" because let's face it, slayers must die ALL THE TIME. Like, very, very frequently. It's probably rare for a slayer to last more than a few years.
Va gur yngrfg Frnfba 9 pbzvp, va n synfuonpx, Avxxv Jbbq'f Jngpure gryyf ure gung fur'f orra n Fynlre sbe guerr lrnef naq "zbfg Fynlref qba'g znxr vg unys gung ybat".
Particularly since they practically ensure their deaths during the 18th birthday ritual.
Instead of being afraid when the mayor started chanting in Latin, my first thought was, "Wow, his pronunciation is some of the best this show's seen!"
Yup, I'm a dead language nerd.
Also,
"V qvqa'g trg guvf wbo orpnhfr bs zl ybbxf."
Bu, Jrfyrl, lbh'er ybbxf ner tbvat gb trg fb tbbq!
yes to all of this.
*dead language nerd high five*
And yep, it really is. Clear monophthongs and everything <3
Anytime you feel like translating, you'd get a lot of love…. I always wonder what the spells are really saying!
I was like "Wow, the Mayor makes Latin sound cool!"
I feel obligated to post this now (hyperlinked because I forgot how to embed video).
Am I the only person who got to the end of that episode and thought Faith was lying through her teeth, trying to convince both herself and Buffy that she doesn't care? Because from where I'm sitting, Faith's trying to keep from showing weakness. She's got this feeling that Buffy looks down on her, that everyone looks down on her, so she's not going to let that get to her. She feels the remorse, but the fear of what happens if she shows it (Don't show weakness or they'll eat you alive) has her telling Buffy she doesn't care.
I tend to agree with your reading of the situation. I think she's even got herself convinced she doesn't care.
No, I completely agree with you.
Definitely not.
I totally agree that she's repressing it, both from Buffy AND herself. Glad to know I'm not the only one either. Her image is her only coping device.
No you're not the only person.
Oh Whedon, you just can't keep everyone happy for very long can you? I mean Faith was adjusting, we had the entertainment of Wesley Wyndum-Price (which is SUCH a fun name to say), and then you throw the murder at us.
Daily Buffy Quotable
"Count of three isn't a plan. It's Sesame Street"-Buffy
"Who knows with any luck they'll kill each other and then everyone wins!"-Mayor
"They're wooing me. They're pitching woo."-Willow
"Is he evil?"-Buffy re: Wesley
"Whenever Giles sends me on a mission he always says please and afterwards I get a cookie."-Buffy
"I hate it when they drown me."-Buffy
"Ah, speak of the annoying person."-Buffy
"They only don't have calories if I make them for you."-Joyce (I like the way she thinks personally…)
"Gosh I'm feeling chipper. Who's for a root beer?"-Mayer
Well, we can argue and discuss that until the cows come home and I don’t know that we’d ever have a definitive answer. (Okay, that colloquial phrase barely makes sense to me. Are cows notorious for running away or something?)
I worked on a dairy farm for a while (God, I loved that job!), and I'm going to venture to say that the thing about cows is that they *don't* just come home; you have to go and get them. So waiting until the cows come home essentially means waiting forever.
As important as this episode is for the introduction of Wesley, and Faith's killing of the deputy Mayor, I have mixed feelings about it. For most of it, it's a very predictable episode about the evil influence of hanging with "the wrong crowd." I don't really buy all of Buffy's behavior here. And I find the sporting goods store scene really unrealistic and cheesy. The fact that it all ends in a slayer killing a human is awesome and unexpected, but until that it's kinda a boring plot. And I hate the demon-guy. He's gross and ridiculous.
Wesley, on the other hand, I love. He's hilarious. And adorably clueless and dorky. Plus, Alexis' Denishof has one of the best fake British accents ever. I STILL can't believe it when I hear his real accent.
Nyfb, Jrfyrl tebjf vagb zl frpbaq snibevgr punenpgre bs gur Ohssl-irefr. Bayl frpbaq gb Tvyrf. V whfg fgnegrq erjngpuvat Natry naq Jrfyrl unf svanyyl nccrnerq naq V YBIR UVZ FB ZHPU!
"SO BRILLIANT TO ME. She is not necessarily a woman of words, and her quiet reflection and numbness is so powerful to me. She refused to deal with what happened when she killed the man, and standing there before him is her way of silently acknowledging that she killed someone. And what does she do? NOT CARE. I know that Joss is a fan of existentialism and I might be projecting my own love for that philosophy into this episode, but Faith represents what nihilism looks like. It’s existentialism taken to a horrifying extreme. She assigns meaning to her life and to those around her, but does so in a way where she ultimately believes it all means nothing anyway. Things are temporary and fleeting to her. " ~ Mark
I feel bad for just copying and pasting so much text, but I am head over heels in love with this analysis of Faith.
When I first read "Mark Reads Twilight" I became interested in the sociological and ethnic issues you brought up in regards to the book. After this, I was actually very curious and took culture diversity classes, one of them being called "Culture Diversity" and some like "Latin American History", "Eastern Philosophy", "Sociology", and "Social Psychology". It's weird to think that someone on the internet could have so much influence. I feel odd thanking you. Hey , a complete stranger on the internet was influenced enough to take time to learn about social issues. Actually, the first class was influenced by "mark reads", and then I enjoyed it so I took more social classes for extra curriculum. My path did not lead towards social service or even psychology, but I do not regret those classes.
However, I took Philosophy on my own (I am actually majoring in Biology), having an interest in the subject, and an exceptional teacher. In short, I enjoyed it. You discussed Nihilism with a pretty accurate description (Not that I doubted you would)! I am oddly excited by this. Faith kind of reminded me of Epicurean philosophy, seeking pleasure, only worrying about the immediate future, and not really believing that pleasure will last. Except, they preached pleasures in moderation. There are so many simple philosophies that just boil down to, "crap happens and we have to deal with it."
Faith the Slayer Philosopher! I love the sound of it. Actually, I would love it more if Buffy and Faith could just have fun slaying, but crap happens. DX
Oh Wesley, he's so delightfully adorkable! Ha ha, yes THAT guy is married to Alyson Hannigan. I guess if you look at their characters in the show it fits a little better.
-Faith, did you possibly enjoy your night with Xander more than you want to admit? Or do you just want an excuse to talk about sex with Buffy? I choose the latter.
-I adore this scene where all the bad guys are talking about their favorite comic strips, just because I think every single one of those strips is just “meh”. The Mayor being a fan of Family Circus is unsurprising, but I would have hoped for better taste from Mr. Trick.
-Sadly I was unable to really enjoy the stage where colleges sent me info packets all the time because the scholarship I'm on only lets me go to schools in-state, and that limited my options to about two schools. Most of the packets I got in the mail ended up in the recycle bin.
-”Hooker wear” Hey Xander, remember when I gave you 500 points for awesomeness in the last episode? You just lost them. Good job. You are the epitome of “one step forward, two steps back”
-I guess I'd be a terrible witch. Chemistry is an enemy of mine. 🙁
-And now we meet Wesley Wyndam Pryce! Hurray!
-It just now occurred to me that Wesley gives off a bit of a Percy Weasly vibe.
-”The Chosen Two” please tell me this is the name of some shiptastic Buffy/Faith fic somewhere.
-So who else gets the feeling that the Watcher's Council is really shitty at training its watchers and Giles only got through without being useless because of his past?
-Sassy Giles is my favorite Giles.
-The window heart. I LOVE IT! Thank you so much for fueling this ship, show. (And yeah I know she was trying to mime staking, but my shipper goggles are firmly secured to my head. SHUSH!)
-But, Buffy! You can't skip that test! Your GPA is bad enough as it is!
-Okay not gonna lie, this is a really badass scene. They should have thought of hunting vamp hangouts during the day a long time ago. Also, Buffy and Faith out on a date dancing.
-Wow Buffy just tackle Angel out of the blue why don't you?
-Oh dear, I feel really bad for the actor who had to wear this Balthazar costume. It looks really uncomfortable.
-Um, you guys do know that police tend to show up pretty fast when someone breaks into a store, right?
-And there they are. Buffy is developing quite the relationship with Sunnydale law enforcement.
-Joyce's waffle-mom-logic is the best logic I've heard.
-I love that the mayor is all “Ooops, someone tried to kill me. Oh well that's really going to dampen my day.” How can one man be so damn cheerful?
-Aaaww, Willow. I'll hang out with you!
-How dare you imply that there's something wrong with the fact that Giles loves Buffy, Wesley!
-OHMYGODHOLYFUCKSHITSHITSHITFUCK!!!! FAITHWAHTDIDYOUDO
-SMG's face while that man is dying in front of her still hurts to watch. Watching Faith touch the body afterward is still kind of haunting to me too.
-Wow, Wesley, I guess you love your kneecaps more than Buffy. It's cute how cowardly you are.
-Smart thinking, with the electrical wire!
-Kind of a shoddy CGI effect, but still a cool scene nonetheless. Now we know the mayor can't be killed.
-Oh, Faith, you're hurting me. I still haven't decided if she really didn't care or if that was just her burying her emotions, but it's so painful to watch this character I enjoy so much go through this and completely shut herself off.
On a lighter note, we have now met Wesley, played by Alexis Denisof. I feel obligated to post this picture, because it's adorable.
<img src="http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg515/scaled.php?server=515&filename=alysonhaniganalexishall.jpg&res=medium">
"-”The Chosen Two” please tell me this is the name of some shiptastic Buffy/Faith fic somewhere. "
I think it's the name of a whole fanfic archive, actually.
Edit: It's the name of the fuffyfanawards livejournal community's annual event, a general BtVS & Angel fansite (for some reason), and more than one fanfic on fanfiction.net
I loved a whole lot about your comment, but all I've got now is OMG that is the cutest damn picture I think I've ever seen!! Alexis pulls off that kangaroo hat pretty well I've gotta say 🙂 And obviously Aly and the baby are super cute too!
Ahhhhh they're so adorable! I want them to be my parents!
I don't care that I am a grown adult and had great parents.
Nope, I want to go trick or treating as their baby kangaroo.
i've often said that i want them to adopt me…but then i'd be wanting to make the sexy with my dad so….it wouldn't really work out. ha!
I have always described Chemistry as Magic, but with less logical rules.
Buffy Body Count totals for this episode:
9 El Eliminati vampires.
Several vamps in their nest
Allan Finch
The demon Balthazar
My favorite "brilliant but easy to miss" part is when Faith draws the staked heart.
She's saying "let's go stake some vampires!" BUT ALSO "I ⤠you, baby!".
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3e8qJty1qz5stv.png">
I love how both Giles and Buffy lean away from Wesley. This entire scene is spectacular.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3erPYyb1qz5stv.png">
Fucking flawless delivery.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3fiClXW1qz5stv.png">
So what kind of high school classroom leaves students to take a test without a proctor?
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3grXwpE1qz5stv.png">
Be still my heart. The combination of strobe light and terrible netflix quality made capping anything from the Faffy dance party scene impossible. I tried really hard, y'all.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3herVQp1qz5stv.png">
Oh Buffy, don't you know you're not allowed to have fun? Whenever you let your guilty savior complex down for a second everything gets terrible.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3mtaOeD1qz5stv.png">
I just needed this here, because of reasons.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3ikiqWt1qz5stv.png">
Willow tries to remind Buffy that she's cool too.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3j7VC0n1qz5stv.png">
See, Buffy? You try to have fun and this is what happens. Poor Allan. Notemily and I were talking over the weekend about when did he realize he was working for an evil mastermind. Did he just want a nice quiet job in local government? Was he threatened once he found out? Did he know all along?
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3js4k5N1qz5stv.png">
This cap may come in handy.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lzq3kfXQkF1qz5stv.png">
Such a good gag. I heart u, affably evil mayor.
V qvqa'g jnag gb chg vg arkg gb gur pnc orpnhfr rkcrpgngvba fcbvyref, ohg onfvpnyyl nalguvat nobhg Knaqre'f rlr znxrf zr tb, "BU AB."
Transcripts by BvA.
So, presumably his hair is NOT invincible. Because the haircut's yet to be checked off.
The mayor made a mistake! He intended to get his haircut so he'd look super spiffy …. Ooops.
Gurl zragvba fbzrguvat nobhg Knaqre'f rlr n srj gvzrf guebhtubhg gur frevrf [naq gung gvzr ur qerffrf hc nf n cvengr vf NJSHY BXNL?] naq V whfg jnag gb pel rirel gvzr.
V whfg tbg grnel sebz gung pnc, fb LRNU, ZR GBB. D:
Bah, late for one of my favorite episodes.
There's a bit when Buffy and Faith are fighting 2 against 6 and someone has Faith pinned to a wall. Buffy throws a stake and dusts the guy, then Faith looks at Buffy and gives a sort of surprised 'that was unexpected; good going' smile at Buffy. I interpret that smile to be about her and Buffy being a good team and how they've got each other's backs, and also some admiration of Buffy thrown into that smile; I figure Faith just really cares about Buffy and wants her company and approval and friendship and yearns for them to be an awesome bad-ass Slayer team. The idea that she can have that – maybe already does – makes her feel all unexpectedly pleased. And god, that's kind of sad, isn't it? Faith's just so used to not having someone around for her to rely on that Buffy being there for her like that makes her smile almost innocently – this isn't one of her gameface 'slaying hunger sex rah rah' grins but an honest emotional response. And I love seeing that.
<img src="http://i44.tinypic.com/jt29mb.gif" alt="Faith looks a bit shocked, then smiles at Buffy">
Aww and then Buffy's all caught up in the feelings from her night out with Faith and wants to tell the world about how excited and new she feels and yeah, obviously, obviously, I totally ship Buffy/Faith. How can I not? Faith's so clearly into her and Buffy is so startled by how Faith makes her feel. <3
<img src="http://i43.tinypic.com/2rq0ze1.gif" alt="Faith draws a heart on a window and smiles suggestively">
And then Faith calls her 'girlfriend' and draws her a heart and Buffy skips a test to join her. And they they slay some vamps and of course slaying makes one horny so they go out clubbing and dance together and hold hands. Faith's the only one who has made Buffy have fun being a Slayer. Oh those two. Oh my shipper heart.
But then Faith accidentally kills a human she assumed was a vampire and it all goes to shit. Figures I get about 20 minutes of joy-inducing material before this show decides to take it away. Why can't we just have non-tainted nice things every once in a while!
Oh Faith; she has no clue what to do now. When she goes to the dead guy and touches him – is she making sure he's real? Whatever's going through her mind at that point, my heart breaks for her. She's conspiculously absent from the fight in the warehouse afterwards, so I figure her mental state must be really affected by this. 🙁 🙁 But then the next day when Buffy goes to see her Faith just brushes it off and pretends like she doesn't care. Oh, Faith. Oh oh Faith. She puts up her tough exterior, but she's so vulnerable and transparent when she plays that tough card.
Anyway, I made two gifs of Buffy and Faith dancing together, but there's strobe lighting going on in that scene so I'll put those gifs in a reply to this comment to spare those who don't like that sort of thing.
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/fnva7n.gif" alt="Buffy and Faith dancing">
<img src="http://i42.tinypic.com/2i1e6o5.gif" alt="Buffy and Faith dancing while holding hands">
My love for this episode is great.
The nice counter point to Giles (Wesley) = great.
Shocking plot (Killing the deputy mayor) = great.
Hilarious amulet lusting demon (Balthazar) = great.
Also are really good summary of manic pixie girl trope:
http://blip.tv/feminist-frequency/tropes-vs-women…
those feminist frequency trope vids are made of good stuff.
"[Britishness] operated to contrast the very Southern Californian way that the Scoobies behaved. That’s something I haven’t commented on much, so let me just say here that Whedon and the writers have captured how people in Southern California speak."
LMAO this might be true for Californians, but they didn't really capture anything about English people in the 90s (Because lets face facts, the Watchers Council aren't "British", they're English).
– Late comment!
– avpr Snvgu-oruvaq-qhfgrq-inzc fubg gb pbagenfg jvgu Ze Gevpx'f vzcraqvat qrzvfr
– Xander, shut it with your slut shaming, and Cordelia, shut it with your classism. They’re both getting on my tits in ways that are not pleasurable. Also wait, wasn’t Xander supposed to have ~grown as a person~ last episode? What happened?
– Wesley! Obviously designed to be disliked character. I find the disdain everyone has for you adorbs. Also, what is with Buffy’s outfit here? Could the wardrobe department please look up "subtlety"?
– I want to have drinks with Faith and make questionable fashion choices forever.
– But not as questionable ones as Buffy. LOOK AT YOUR LIFE, LOOK AT YOUR COATS. really, wardrobe department, really?
– ahaha, oh Wesley, fuck your patriarchy. GO BUFFY
– slaying and partying montage! OH, MY SHIPPER HEART <3 but again with the lack of subtlety on the wardrobe department’s choices
– Balthazar is of the scenery chewing type, isn’t he?
– and then of course all goes to shit.
– but the final fight scene is really good! Giles is badass some more and Wesley… isn’t.
– well, thank you for that final bit of crypticness before dying, Balthazar. I guess?
– Harry Groener has what I think is the best pronunciation of Latin we ever encounter on this show (the monophthong for <ae> is not may favourite realisation of it, but eh, I can live with it). The Latin itself seems alright, though the choice of 'in saecula' for 'forever' isn’t as Classical as I like my Latin to be.
– I think you’re really lying to yourself here, Faith 🙁
German title: Der neue Wächter – 'The New Watcher'. Which, uh, kinda misses the point of the episode. As a side note, the German version of watcher focuses on the 'guard' meaning of 'watch' instead of the intensive-of-see meaning.
I hate to post something so unrelated, but I need the help of the MarkWatches community.
I graduated from a Christian university in Texas, and my experience there as a gay man was so full of negativity and hate that I have joined a group of like-feeling individuals to create a website devoted to declaring our stories that were silenced by the school administration. I humbly ask anyone who is interested in reading about my and six other GLBTQ individuals’ story to please check us out at http://www.voicelesszine.com. If you read it and you’re impacted and want to share it further, publicity can only help us.
There may be some triggering stories on our site; there is frank discussion of bullying, “un-gay” therapy, molestation and harassment, and hate speech.
Anything you can do to help, even if you just hit the convenient “Like!” button, is helping make this school a better place for the GLBTQ students who haven’t escaped yet.
I am going to post this again on the 2-21 post and then I will stop, I do not want to be a spam bit. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my plea to you. I hope to see your names in our discussions!
Sincerely,
Eric Wyatt
Staff Writer, Voiceless
Keep up the good work. I firmly believe that we are headed for a better world, but sometimes change can seem frustratingly slow.
I grew up a comic book fan so the whole "Want. Take. Have" attitude the beginning of this episode had was a huge red flag for this "With great power comes great responsibility" old lady. So I wasn't at all surprised when poor Allen bit it.
Love this episode. Poor Allen. Poor Faith. Poor Buffy. Poor Wesley. I think I love you most of all.
All RIGHT! I am FINALLY catching up with MR/MW! Danny_SAP came to visit this weekend and I was already behind. We went to the art museum. It was funtiems. Anyway!
– "I've NEVER! had SEX! with XANDER!"
– Faith is so hott in this episode. Apparently I like bad girls.
– "I just love the Family Circus!" I prefer Bizarro.
– There's Buffy with that pastel shirt and flowers in her hair again. Because she's a GOOD girl, get it?
– Oh great, Xander's back to slut-shaming Cordelia about her clothes.
– Love Giles's little smirk as he listens to Wesley drone on.
– "New watcher?" "New watcher."
– Hee hee, Wesley says "crypt tonight" and it sounds like "Kryptonite." UM NOTHING TO SEE HERE CARRY ON
– "You're not helping." "I know. I feel just sick about it." Giles for Deadpan Snarker of the Decade.
– Love the heart drawing on the window. Great Faith/Buffy ship moment or GREATEST Faith/Buffy ship moment?
– Now Buffy is wearing a leather duster! Cause she's a BAD GIRL, see.
– SLAYER RAVE LOL
– "Who are you?" "A friend." Just like he was in the pilot!
– I see Balthazar getting watered and it's like "Moisturize me! Moisturize me!"
– Is Faith's elbow just filled with bits of broken glass by now?
– Aw, now the Deputy Mayor is dead! But… he liked Kathy! 🙁
– I want to talk about this because this is where Buffy almost went with "Ted." Buffy didn't end up killing an actual person, but she did THINK so for a while, so we got to see the effect it had on her. The difference being that Buffy had a good reason to physically fight Ted, while Faith just mistook the Deputy Mayor for a vampire. (And that Buffy is a very different person from Faith.) And like… we're supposed to think that Faith ended up killing someone BECAUSE she was a "bad girl" and took whatever she wanted? Because it seems like that scenario–person being mistaken for vampire–could have easily happened to any other Slayer. Buffy realizes at the very last second here that the DM is human and yells for Faith not to strike, but it's clearly an accident.
– "His name is Angel." Hero shot!
– "He's usually so punctual!"
– OH MY GOD THE MAYOR'S CHECKLIST. BECOME INVINCIBLE. MEETING WITH PTA. I CAN'T.
– Faith doing her best Out Damn Spot routine at the motel.
– Now Buffy comes over in a pastel blue coat. Because she's back to being a Good Girl. YES WE GET IT COSTUME PEOPLE
– FAAAAITH
– [Gung'f cerggl zhpu tbvat gb or zr sbe gur erfg bs guvf frnfba: "SNNNNNNNVGU!"]
– The problem is, fiction is able to easily present consequences in a way that makes it clear what actions are mistakes and what aren't. Buffy decides to be more like Faith and enjoy slaying, and the consequence is that someone ends up dead? That seems like kind of a harsh lesson for Buffy. Like the show is saying "you can't let loose and go out dancing and skip tests OR YOU WILL BE SEVERELY PUNISHED." But last season they made Buffy's boyfriend a monster after they had sex, so I suppose the show imposing harsh consequences on Buffy for relatively minor actions is not a new thing.
Buffy can't ever have fun without consequences. Never ever ever. Not even once.
I agree.
And afterwards i get a cookie! 😀