In the first episode of the fourth season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Buffy discovers that college is just as overwhelming and terrifying as she thought it would be. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Buffy.
Before I begin this proper, I’d like to take a chance to elaborate on what I think the schedule will be for this new format. Any crossover episodes (where there is a direct crossover from one show to the other) will be reviewed on the same day, with the first show (Buffy for now) going up at 6am PST, the same time Mark Reads is updated; the second review will go up at 1pm PST, which is the normal time for Mark Watches to be updated. I wanted to split them up with some time between them so that folks can generally focus on one show before talking about the other later in the day.
Additionally, I am going to experiment with having two days per week being double review days. There are not that many crossover episodes, and it wasn’t too time consuming to do seven Mark Watches reviews instead of five. THIS IS TEMPORARY AND I RESERVE THE RIGHT TO REVOKE THESE OR ADD TO THEM AND THAT IS INTERNATIONAL LAW OR SOMETHING. But adding a couple extra reviews per week will be fun, and I don’t think there’s a Buffy fan on the planet who will complain about me giving y’all more to discuss. Well, there might be, but his name is Joss Whedon and he hates joy.
So here’s the schedule for now, organized from here on out through the end of both season four of Buffy and season one of Angel. I will create a new schedule for the next season of both shows! NEAT! The order the shows are listed on double days is the order the reviews will post.
Master Schedule for Buffy S4 / Angel S1
March 5th: Buffy S4E01, Angel S01E01
March 6th: Buffy S4E02
March 7th: Angel S01E02
March 8th: Buffy S04E03, Angel S01E03
March 9th: Buffy S04E04
March 12th: Angel S01E04
March 13th: Buffy S04E05, Angel S01E05
March 14th: Buffy S04E06
March 15th: Angel S01E06
March 16th: Buffy S04E07, Angel S01E07
March 19th: Buffy S04E08, Angel S01E08
March 20th: Buffy S04E09
March 21st: Angel S01E09
March 22nd: Buffy S04E10, Angel S01E10
March 23rd: Buffy S04E11
March 26th: Angel S01E11
March 27th: Buffy S04E12
March 28th: Angel S01E12
March 29th: Buffy S04E13, Angel S01E13
March 30th: Buffy S04E14, Angel S01E14
April 2nd: Buffy S04E15
April 3rd: Angel S01E15
April 4th: Buffy S04E16, Angel S01E16
April 5th: Buffy S04E17, Angel S01E17
April 6th: Buffy S04E18
April 9th: Buffy S04E19
April 10th:Â Angel S04E18 (Yes, this is intentional. I’ve been told this has a better story flow.)
April 11th: Angel S01E19, Buffy S04E20
April 12th: Angel S01E20
April 13th: Buffy S04E21, Angel S01E21
April 16th: Buffy S04E22, Angel S01E22
April 17th: Predictions for Buffy S5, Angel S2
April 18th: Buffy S05E01, Angel S02E01
OH GOD I HOPE THIS WORKS OUT.
*****
Can I just start this by pointing out that Xander’s “Avengers assemble!” line just made me so giddy? HE FUCKING KNEW, DIDN’T HE. Goddamn you, Joss Whedon. GODDAMN YOU.
Anyway, I just have so many feels? There are too many of them. WHY.
Mark Has Feels
Let Mark Share Them With You
- I went to college in southern California, specifically Cal State Long Beach. I know for some of you, the opening scenes of “The Freshman” might have seen campy, strange, or exaggerated to you. There’s certainly a humorous flair to the way Buffy chooses to portray college life. But sweet baby Willow, that was so accurate to what Cal State Long Beach was like that I kind of creeped me out? It’s sort of similar to how I felt to the season three opener in Los Angeles. It’s remarkable to me how stunning the setting is.
- On that note, Buffy’s first day at UC Sunnydale (where she and Willow tour the campus) captures how overwhelming the experience of going to college can be. I think that’s especially true for those of us who went to massive, gigantic universities. In my case, the campus at Cal State Long Beach is apparently bigger then the whole of Disneyland? That’s what they told us during orientation. I didn’t verify whether it was true or not, but that sort of doesn’t matter. I remember thinking that I would fail an English class because it was on the opposite end of campus from a class I had before it. I actually tested out walking times on the day before classes started because THIS IS THE KIND OF PERSON THAT I AM. I had ten minutes to get to English, and the walk took eighteen. I ended up utilizing a skateboard to cut down the time, but the whole concept terrified me that night before my first class.
- Willow’s joke about feel angry about everything she was given a flyer for just made me love her so much.
- Oh my god, the characters all look like the grew an inch over the summer my babies are growing up. Actually, Oz clearly did not grow an inch.
- WHERE THE FUCK IS CORDELIA. Was she not in the credits? I’ll have to watch it again, but I don’t recall seeing her. OH GOD WHAT.
- It’s fun and enriching to find ways to relate to fictional narratives. That’s not a surprise to anyone who reads this site or Mark Reads, but there’s a beautiful power in fiction that makes you feel whole and acknowledged. I started out college feeling exactly like Willow. I believed I was giving myself over to this institution of knowledge, that I was immersed in an environment of learning, and that I was going to become a Better Person for having gone to college. It didn’t take long until I then felt like Buffy: overwhelmed, ignored, without a place to belong, and lost.
- Buffy’s story is so fascinating not only because it’s executed well. She was sort of the star of the show in the end at Sunnydale High, but Joss so accurately shows us that once you go to college, no one gives a shit who you were in high school. It’s still so beautiful to me that we have a heroine who is unsure of herself, awkward, and clumsy. She’s not just some cookie cutter version of a superhero. Because of this, her college experience is especially difficult. What’s interesting to me is how that can differ for other people. I also felt like I didn’t belong, that no one cared who I was, and that I was a stranger in a vast sea of students. (Over 30,000 students attended Cal State Long Beach in 2002-2003. !!!!!!!!!) However, this was a good thing for me. This newfound anonymity allowed me to be myself, to not have to worry about the bullying and homophobia I grew up with. I could start over, and no one would expect me to do their homework, and no one would care that I listened to loud, screamy music. IT WAS BEAUTIFUL BECAUSE NO ONE CARED.
- Damn it, Giles isn’t the librarian. LOOK AT THAT LIBRARY.
- Hi, Riley. You’re a decent character. I like you. I also think you’ll be dead by the end of the season.
- Hi, Professor Maggie Walsh. I really like you. That means I have made a huge mistake by stating this, and you’ll be dead by mid-season.
- KATHY. KATHY. LET ME COUNT THE MILLION WAYS THAT I LOVE YOU. Look, I don’t care, when she put up that Celine Dion poster I nearly choked. Bless you, Kathy. Bless you and your blissfully unaware music taste. I will never judge you. Oh god, I suddently want her to be a Scooby so bad.
- I watched this episode with some new friends I made in Philadelphia (HELLO!!!) and they were all horrified by the professor who ejected Buffy from his class. Yeah, is this a California only thing? Most of my professors were huge assholes, extremely elitist, rude, and presumptive. You just learned to deal with it and get on their good side so that they were funny instead of horrifying.
- I knew Eddie would die the second he came on screen. He just had that “I’m Going To Be Killed Off” gait.
- AHAHAHAHAHAAH BUFFY’S LINE ABOUT PORN AND OF HUMAN BONDAGE I CAN’T BREATHE.
- Olivia. Hi. Hi, can we be friends? You are beautiful and you called Giles “Ripper.” So that means we have to be friends.
- Giles, my god, you beautiful person. I love that he genuinely looks like he’s enjoying his time as an unemployed librarian.
- Oh god, Giles tells Buffy that she has to learn how to do things by herself now. Help me, I’m so full of feelings.
- You know, for only being in an episode for like thirty-five minutes, Sunday was a fantastic vampire. I was hoping she would stick around, but no such luck in the Buffy universe.
- JOOOYYYYCCCCEEEEEE. I always forget that she has a job working for a museum. Hopefully, she makes enough money to not have an aneurysm from paying for Buffy’s books. Because for real, that is the worst thing about college. I’m so jealous of people going to school now with digital books and iPads. Fuck, books were a FORTUNE.
- For real, when Buffy finds that her own stuff is missing, I WAS SO DISTURBED. Could you imagine discovering something like that? It’s so personal and creepy!
- XANDER XANDER XANDER XANDER. I cheered when he came on screen, and then I held my face in my hands with delight as he told Buffy what he’d been up to all summer. I BET THERE IS A POWER ON EARTH THAT CAN GET YOU TO TELL US WHAT HAPPENED AT “LADIES’ NIGHT.” Oh my god, I kind of missed you? Does this also mean that since you now live in your parents’ basement, the show has to show us where you live? I WANT TO SEE YOUR PARENTS.
- You know, I’m really coming to adore how dependable Xander is to Buffy as a friend. This is now the second time he is explicitly the first person to come to her and say that he’ll help her. I know I have issues with his characterization because he reminds me of so many of the Nice Guy douchebags I’ve met, but when he does shit like this, I totally get why people love him. He can be so genuinely funny and caring!
- DID YOU JUST DESTROY THE CLASS PROTECTOR AWARD? SORRY, SUNDAY, I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOU ANYMORE.
- “Some friends of Buffy’s played a funny joke. They took her stuff, and now she wants us to help get it back from her friends who sleep all day and have no tans.” BLESS YOU, XANDER. BLESS.
- HAHAHAHAHA oh Giles. You looked so adorable when you came running up to Buffy with that look of guilt and excitement on your face.
- FFFFFFFUUUUUUUUU I THOUGHT THAT WAS ANGEL AT THE BRONZE FFFFFUUUUUUUUU
- WHAT THE FUCK IS WITH THE TAZER AND THE PEOPLE IN FATIGUES AND WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!
OH MY GOD I AM SO UNPREPARED FOR SEASON FOUR WHO THE FUCK WERE THOSE PEOPLE!!?!?!?!?!?!?
Thoughts on The Freshman:
-It's funny because Buffy and Willow are talking about being caught unawares while they are on the verge of being caught unawares by the vampire they're waiting for! O, what fiendish dramatic irony!
-No, but seriously how hard would it be to sit down facing the grave you are there to watch?
-New credits! Willow doing the secret wave! Knaqre fdhrrmvat gur whvprobk! Buffy and Faith being dancing queens! Anya all demoned up! Tvyrf jvgu n zbgureshpxvat punvafnj!
-For somebody who hasn't accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior, Buffy sure does have a lot of cross-themed knickknacks.
-Willow is super duper cute.
-I like the UC(sun)D logos.
-A whole new library. ~a dazzling place I never knew~
-Riley seems pleasant enough.
-Cathy, eh? DOES SHE LIKE TO BE READ BY DEPUTY MAYORS?
-Mr. Pointy? Buffy, you still care. <3
-Oh Sunday, you're so hipster. Also you're a broad mean girl stereotype who doesn't have the personality of a Darla or Mr. Trick, let alone a Spike or Drusilla. Vampire stoner, you are also disappointing me.
-I love the concept of their lair, though.
-Haha, well done, Mr. Giles. Also, well done, Olivia.
-All things considered, Buffy, this could be more awkward. What if that had been Joyce? OH GOD WHAT IF THAT HAD BEEN JOYCE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN AMAZING!
-Sunday and Vamp-higher (do you see what I did there) are really over-acting, and not in the fun hamming it up sort of way, but the "I have one note and I'm gonna play it as loud as I can" sort of way. Plus I will forever be disappointed that they aren't being played by Gillian Jacobs and Eric Christian Olsen, respectively.
-The first time I saw this, I was expecting some sort of Helpless-ish explanation for Buffy getting her ass kicked, but she just… lost her mojo, which I'm not really satisfied with. I transitioned to college pretty easily, maybe that's why I'm not feeling this episode?
-What if Giles came out dressed in a bathrobe at the end of this scene? BEING JOSS WHEDON CAN'T BE ALL THAT HARD IF I'M COMING UP WITH SO MANY GREAT IDEAS SO EASILY.
-A handful of not-great lines ("what is Buffy wearing" seems like it's supposed to come off as funny, but it really doesn't. I hold that more against the writers than Xander, though) aside, I really like this Xander & Buffy scene.
-Too bad his car broke down. He should've took turns driving with Anya when that was still an option. Or at least Buffy's roommate should have turned out to be Anya OMG HOW AMAZING WOULD THAT BE?
-"how can you be so calm?" "long, arduous years of practice."
-"From her friends who sleep all day and have no tans."
-IT'S SUNDAY SUNDAY, GOTTA BEAT DOWN ON SUNDAY.
-Maybe this is just my undisguised dislike of Sunday and her posse coming through, but I do love me this fight scene.
-And Giles. I love me some Giles. "The evil is this way?"
-And here, it seems, is the hook for this season. Some (presumably) humans armed with stun guns and stylish camo outfits have taken the initiative to fight the supernatural denizens of Sunnydale. Won't this be fun?
Stoner vampire reminded me so much of stoner Oz from the second episode of The X-Files…
<img src="http://i41.tinypic.com/amefiv.png" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Even the hair is the same!
LOL amazing
You can't believe how happy I was when I saw that X-files episode after been loving Oz so much. PERFECT!
unir gnxra gur vavgvngvir gb svtug gur fhcreangheny qravmraf bs Fhaalqnyr.
V frr jung lbh qvq gurer, naq yby
unir gnxra gur vavgvngvir gb svtug gur fhcreangheny qravmraf bs Fhaalqnyr.
Unununun, fhogyr. Irel fhogyr.
Plus I will forever be disappointed that they aren't being played by Gillian Jacobs and Eric Christian Olsen, respectively.
"I'm gettin' rid of Sundaaayyyy…"
That would have been amazing.
Ohhh this episode got so far under my skin. Oh god, flashbacks to my year of University…DO NOT WANT DO NOT WANT. THE UTTER MIND NUMBING HORROR. Basically take this episode and multiply it by an entire year, remove the supportive friends and add a really long commute, and you have my Uni experience. Worst year of my life.
I didn’t have much fun at Uni, can you tell? Actually, you know what, I don’t even want to talk about this stuff, so let’s just move on to other things in this episode…
– Both Gwendolyn Post and Giles in a tux are in the opening credits! This brings me great joy.
– I love Willow’s hair I love Willow’s hair I LOVE WILLOW’S HAIRRRR!!!
– Mr Pointy! Oh, someone hold me while I weep.
– What was with that weird phone call Buffy got? Was that explained, and I missed it?
– I miss Sunnydale High. I miss the library. I miss Snyder. But most of all…I MISS CORDY. Where is she?? :’(
– This episode got to me so much that I almost burst into tears when Xander showed up. XANDER. I don’t even LIKE Xander that much. But wasn’t he just the sweetest thing in this ep? This is the Xander I want to see more of.
– Giles was also predictably wonderful. I love he’s trying to be supportive but also forcing Buffy to be more independent, but totally failing. But it makes me sad that he no longer has any official role in her life…I’m kind of afraid they’ll grow apart? More importantly…
– OLIVIA. OLIVIA.
WHERE THE FUCK DID YOU SUDDENLY COME FROM?
I DON’T KNOW IF I LIKE YOU OR NOT. I REALLY WANT TO HATE YOU QUITE BADLY ON PRINCIPLE BECAUSE HOW VERY DARE YOU SLEEP WITH GILES WITHOUT MY PERMISSION. Actually, I like that Giles isn’t just ~forever alone~ and actually has an old friend visiting him. It’s kind of nice. Are we gonna see her again? Because I feel like I should be yelling: ‘GET OUT OF SUNNYDALE OLIVIA YOU ARE A WOMAN OF COLOUR YOU’LL BE DEAD IN FIVE SECONDS.’
– Also, LOL Giles doesn’t bother to lock his door? I mean, dude, you live in SUNNYDALE. Even if you don’t have a half naked woman wandering around your house, it’s probably a good idea to lock the door as a matter of course.
– I really liked both Buffy’s room-mate (I don’t recall her name) and Professor Walsh. I hope they become more important characters. That pop-culture guy was a DICK though, I hope we don’t see more of him. I’m probably shooting myself in the foot by saying that, aren’t I?
– WHO THE FUCK WERE THOSE GUYS AT THE END??
What was with that weird phone call Buffy got? Was that explained, and I missed it?
Ha! You can read this rot13: Vg vf arire rkcynvarq ba guvf fubj, fvapr gur bgure unys bs gur fprar vf ba gur bgure fubj. Vg jnf Natry, bs pbhefr.
I… am not sure why you are saying that rot13 is okay to read. It's clearly spoilerish, even though it's probably moot by now.
Re: not locking his door. Vampires have to be invited, so locking the door doesn't provide extra protection against them. I think most other demons can just knock the door down or crash through it . At least if he leaves it unlocked he maybe won't have to replace it after an attack?
Hello there most of the reasons I couldn't face going to university. The possibility of being completely overwhelmed and not fitting in was a major issue that kept me from even applying and is why I'm now studying with the Open University. Well that and I was too exhausted after my A Levels to face that much work again. And now that I'm done over sharing, list of thoughts!
– "Is this guy ever gonna wake up?" hee
– Willow and Oz being completely comfortable right away makes perfect sense for both of them. Willow's enthusiasm is adorable, until it goes in a slightly different direction.
– That said, Willow please don't criticise the Sunnydale High Library! Some of us are still in mourning for the destroyed set!
– "V ubcr vg'f n shaal narhelfz!" V'z abg pelvat nyernql! Nyfb ubj znal bs gur arj ivrjref unir whfg erpbtavfrq gung cuenfr sebz GiGebcrf?
– Plcurevat guvf orpnhfr vg'f bayl uvf svefg rcvfbqr ohg HTU EVYRL, nqzvggrqyl va guvf rcvfbqr ur'f whfg…gurer naq abg arneyl nf HTU nf ur orpbzrf yngre.
– Hello there Kathy, you're so perky.
– The first lecture hall we see Buffy in, the one she gets thrown out of (juvpu ybbxf abguvat yvxr nal bs gur HPFhaalqnyr frgf jr frr nsgre guvf cbvag) is a really interesting choice. There's something intimidating about the size and sterileness of it that works for what Buffy's feeling.
– Nice diplomatic answer about changing your mind there Buffy.
– Aww Eddie, he seemed so nice so of course he immediately gets turned into a vampire.
– Sunday and her vampire gang are really fun, especially Sunday. She's so snarky!
– Vagrerfgvat gung Tvyrf vf nyernql gelvat gb chfu ure gb or zber vaqrcraqrag naq abg eryl ba uvz. Vg gnxrf n ybat gvzr sbe gur zrffntr gb trg guebhtu gb ure.
– "Or is there just going to be a monster sarcasm rally?" These guys are stupidly funny, shame they all got staked.
– Fb V'z tbvat gb thrff gung va gur nygrerq gvzryvar vafgrnq bs pbzvat ubzr gb svaq Wblpr unq svyyrq ure ebbz jvgu obkrf Ohssl sbhaq Qnja unatvat bhg va gurer be nggrzcgvat gb pynvz gur ebbz sbe urefrys hfvat gur "Lbh'er abg yvivat urer nalzber" ybtvp.
– God I hate phone calls that hang up before speaking. I made the effort to answer you could at least say SOMETHING. Sorry this is just a pet peeve of mine.
– Lrf V'z njner vg'f npghnyyl Natry ba gur cubar. Vg'f fgvyy naablvat.
– "I didn't want to help you, you know, move." Hee
– "What would Buffy do?" Is really sweet, shame he had to spoil it slightly with the "What is she wearing?" joke.
– "Mr Gordo?!" Awww cute continuity.
– lol at Xander accidentally hugging Kathy.
– And then Sunday breaks the Class Protector award and I stop liking her as much.
– The spinning stake looks cool but doesn't really make much sense when you stop to think about it. Surely she'd just sdrop it? If you look there's something around Sarah's hand to keep it in place but it's obviously not really meant to be there (if that makes sense). Throwing it into Sunday is pretty awesome though. As is Sunday's pissed off reaction to getting staked.
– Naq gur Vagvgvngvir envfrf vgf zvfthvqrq naq bhg bs vgf qrcgu urnq. Fvtu.
Ybir lbhe Qnja urnqpnaba. V gel (naq hfhnyyl snvy) gb svg ure ernyvfgvpnyyl vagb rcvfbqrf.
The first lecture hall is an actual UCLA lecture hall, juvpu vf jul vg ybbxf qvssrerag sebz gur bgure frgf.
Also, the stake trick isn't that hard to do. It's called a palm roll, and the slight angle of the hand (so that the palm is not vertical) and the fact that it is spinning makes the object stay on your hand. No trickery needed 🙂 Oddly enough, I was doing them this morning with a sabre.
WHERE THE FUCK IS CORDELIA. Was she not in the credits? I’ll have to watch it again, but I don’t recall seeing her. OH GOD WHAT.
Jebat fubj!
Hi, Riley. You’re a decent character. I like you. I also think you’ll be dead by the end of the season.
Nj, lbh yvxr Evyrl! V yvxr uvz gbb. Guvf jvyy or sha, fvapr ab bar ryfr qbrf.
Hi, Professor Maggie Walsh. I really like you. That means I have made a huge mistake by stating this, and you’ll be dead by mid-season.
Gung vf nccebkvzngryl pbeerpg! Rcvfbqr guvegrra.
You know, for only being in an episode for like thirty-five minutes, Sunday was a fantastic vampire. I was hoping she would stick around, but no such luck in the Buffy universe.
Yes! Oh, Katharine Towne, I love seeing you in other things! Sunday is one of my favorite one-shot villains.
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz sebz cnlvat sbe Ohssl’f obbxf.
BU TBQ ZNEX V JBHYQ ABG FNL FHPU GUVATF VS V JRER LBH.
Nj, lbh yvxr Evyrl! V yvxr uvz gbb. Guvf jvyy or sha, fvapr ab bar ryfr qbrf.
V yvxr Evyrl gbb. Ng yrnfg orsber ur fgnegf trggvat tehzcl nobhg ubj Ohssl'f fhcreuhzna naq ur'f abg (nalzber).
Rira gura V qba'g ungr uvz orpnhfr yvxr, univat gung fhcre fgeratgu naq orvat cneg bs gur Vavgvngvir naq orvat n ureb jnf n UHTR cneg bs uvf vqragvgl. Fb vqx. V qba'g ortehqtr uvz gur snpg gung ur jnf fgehttyvat jvgu srryvat hfryrff.
V yvxrq Evyrl n ybg ng svefg orpnhfr ur jnf fhpu n qbex jura ur jnf gelvat gb nfx Ohssl bhg naq vg jnf ernyyl phgr. Ohg abj gung V'ir tbggra gb gur rcvfbqrf jurer ur naq Ohssl unir npghnyyl tbggra gbtrgure, ur'f fgnegvat gb trg zber obevat … jr'yy frr jung V guvax bs uvz ol gur raq!
Nj, lbh yvxr Evyrl! V yvxr uvz gbb. Guvf jvyy or sha, fvapr ab bar ryfr qbrf.
V erzrzore yvxvat Evyrl sbe n juvyr naq gura tbvat bss uvz gbjneqf uvf raq ohg V pna'g sbe gur yvsr bs zr erzrzore jul fb vg'yy or sha gb frr vs V fgvyy srry gur fnzr guvf gvzr ebhaq.
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz sebz cnlvat sbe Ohssl’f obbxf.
BU TBQ ZNEX V JBHYQ ABG FNL FHPU GUVATF VS V JRER LBH.
V arneyl unq na narhelfz zlfrys jura V ernq gung. Bu Znex.
"Jebat fubj" is almost as much fun to say as Wbanguna.
JEBAT FUBJ! JEBAT FUBJ! JEBAT FUBJ!
See?
V yvxr Evyrl gbb! V qba'g ybir uvz, ohg V yvxr uvz!! Ng yrnfg, hagvy V jnag gb xvpx uvz zvq-frnfba 5….
V qvqa'g ungr Evyrl, abg ng guvf cbvag. Ohg V whfg sbhaq uvz obevat naq hanoyr gb haqrefgnaq Ohssl be npprcg gung fur'f fgebatre naq zber cbjreshy guna uvz.
Ubyl fuvg, V XABJ, evtug? V tnfcrq fb ybhq jura V ernq gung, naq V guvax zl gubhtugf jrer "Bu, Znex…bu, ubarl, AB." V jbaqre vs ur'yy rira erzrzore znxvat gung pbzzrag pbzr Gur Obql.
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz sebz cnlvat sbe Ohssl’f obbxf.
Bu Znex. Bu qrne, fjrrg Znex. Bar qnl lbh ner tbvat gb ybbx onpx ba guvf naq pel. Naq Wbff Jurqba jvyy obggyr gubfr grnef naq hfr gurz gb shry uvf arkg cebwrpg.
"The Freshman"
• "For credit?" "Isn't college cool?" I generally tried to make sure I had a "fun" class every semester at college. Sometimes I worked harder at that class than any other.
• "Just haven't had a whole lot of time to think about life at UC-Sunnydale." Oh, please, like Joyce wouldn't have been on her 24/7 about registering for classes.
• Why couldn't Buffy and Willow have asked to be roommates when they applied for student housing? V xabj univat gurz or ebbzzngrf sebz gur fgneg jerpxf "Yvivat Pbaqvgvbaf." Ohg, ubarfgyl, abg n ovt ybff.
• "You know, I meant to, and then I just got really busy." Ah yes, the day one fliers. Somewhere, I still have the New Testament I got my first week at school.
• …okay, I keep getting distracted about things that Buffy and Willow are apparently just now doing that I did three months before school started. Granted, my school was ~50,000 students, so if everyone tried to do all the new studenty things in one day… "logistical nightmare" is probably a massive understatement.
• "V ubcr vg'f n shaal narhelfz." GI Gebcrf qhyyrq gur vzcnpg bs gung bar. Fgvyy, lbj.
• "Everyone's got a brain… or, almost everyone." Bet Riley wishes he didn't after getting a bunch of books dropped on his head.
• "It's a pretty nice room." Well, it's big. I wouldn't bet that it's not bigger than my apartment.
• Celine Dion. Okay, I'm not saying my first-year roommate's taste in music was chosen to irritate me, but swear to God, if it was, it wouldn't have been much worse. And he didn't have, or didn't believe in, headphones. (And yes, he was a Celine Dion fan. If I never hear that damned Titanic song again…)
• Damn that professor has good hearing. And… I think if I were signed up for that class I would consider dropping it. Yeesh.
• "Rivy Ovpu-Zbafgre bs Qrngu." Gur cerivbhfyvrf arire tbg fvpx bs ehaavat gung bar. Gbbx zr n juvyr gb nterr jvgu vg, ohg… lrnu, gung'f snve.
• "Remember before you became Hugh Hefner, when you used to be a Watcher?" I had a sound clip of that attached to… something… I don't remember what or why, but the line is pretty well drilled into my head.
• "I thought people were supposed to get smarter in college." Buffy, I would guess that this guy was no genius before college.
• Sunday may well be my favorite one-off villain on the show.
• I guess vampires don't need an invitation to enter dorm rooms. Eddie had a single room, so that one's fine. On the other hand, Buffy does have a roommate and isn't dead. Ybbxvat hc gur ehyrf ba ohssl.jvxvn, vg frrzf gung qrzbaf' erfvqraprf nera'g cebgrpgrq, rira vs uhznaf yvir gurer. Fb jvgu jung jr yrnea nobhg Xngul va gur arkg rcvfbqr, V thrff gung'f abg arprffnevyl gur pnfr.
• "Bxnl, bapr zber, jvgu rira yrff srryvat." Uru.
• "Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to anger." "I'm guessing "stupidity" also has a place in that progression." "You have no idea."
• "Let's put this bitch in the ground. What do you say?" "I think I say, 'Thank you.'" That's probably my favorite Buffy/Xander moment.
• "You mean where we sculpt and paint and such?" "No, that was the Renaissance." "Oh." Seems the roles here are reversed. V thrff vg znxrf frafr, orpnhfr Ohssl'f fgbel va guvf rcvfbqr vf n zvav irefvba bs Knaqre'f fgbel nep guvf frnfba. Pbzr gb guvax bs vg, vs "Gur Mrccb" unq orra n sbhegu-frnfba rcvfbqr, vg zvtug unir pyvpxrq sbe zr.
• "When you look back at this, in the three seconds it takes to turn to dust, I think you'll find the mistake was touching my stuff." The Class Protector umbrella 🙁
• Vg'f uneq gb gryy, ohg ybbxvat ng gur unaqf bs gur pbzznaqbf, abar bs gurz nccrnef gb or oynpx, fb Sbeerfg vfa'g nzbat guvf grnz.
Body Count
• Eddie, killed by Sunday's group.
• Vampire Eddie, killed by Buffy.
• Rookie, killed by Willow.
• Jerry, killed by Xander.
• Sunday, killed by Buffy.
Vg'f uneq gb gryy, ohg ybbxvat ng gur unaqf bs gur pbzznaqbf, abar bs gurz nccrnef gb or oynpx, fb Sbeerfg vfa'g nzbat guvf grnz.
V gevrq gb purpx gbb, V gubhtug znlor gur bar va gur zvqqyr gung pbzrf pybfrfg gb gur pnzren zvtug or uvz ohg V pbhyqa'g ernyyl or fher tvira gur yvtug ba uvf unaq. Ur qbrfa'g nccrne sbe n srj rcvfbqrf fb gurl znl abg unir pnfg uvz, be Tenunz, ng guvf cbvag.
Their rooms are so big! We had these stackable bed/desk things and there was barely enough room to unstack them if you didn't want to be sleeping up on the top bunk. The common solution was to put the mattress under the desk, though that had a tendency to result in banging your head every morning.
Um, not actually sure if this is spoilery, so better safe than sorry (regarding vampires and dorm rooms): V guvax gurl qba'g arrq na vaivgngvba evtug nsgre lbh zbir va. Vg'f yvxr jvgu Snvgu'f ubgry ebbz ynfg frnfba. Vg gnxrf n juvyr sbe n cynpr gb npghnyyl orpbzr "ubzr", ng juvpu cbvag gur inzcverf *qb* arrq na vaivgngvba
Why couldn't Buffy and Willow have asked to be roommates when they applied for student housing?
Do larger schools let freshmen choose their roommates? I went to a small school so it was probably easier for them to organize freshman housing, but they were very careful not to place people from the same town as roommates or (if they could) on the same floor. Our RAs didn’t like to move people around either, so unless it was something serious, you were probably stuck with your roommate.
All the up votes for the Order of the stick link. I love those comics so much. (And I'm finally starting to understand all those references to LotR.)
OOTS!
All the upvotes.
Before I read the review properly, slight amendment suggested for the second week of April:
[Edit: amendment removed as Mark has made the change now – I don't want to confuse things by leaving it here.]
And for anyone curious about the doubling of episodes – aiming for seven episodes a week makes some of the selections a bit arbitrary. So don't always expect some connection between episodes both reviewed on the same day.
Hmm, personally I would have advised him otherwise because there are other examples where he could have done this and doesn't, so why bother with this one?
My first few weeks in university were pretty horrible. I didn’t just leave home, I moved countries (for reasons that are still inexplicable to me), so there was no one I knew within 900 miles of me. I’d also never lived by myself, and had to adapt to some fairly crappy conditions. Worst of all, I had failed to get a dorm room ahead of time, so I had to stay in a hotel for a while and despair over my funds while learning how to find and rent an apartment. Plus, some other stuff.
With that in mind, I’m not sure whether it’s surprising or unsurprising that I find Buffy completely impossible to relate to in this episode. Her sense of being overwhelmed and disconnected from her friends seemed so banal to me…
Okay, "banal" is the wrong word. More like "frivolous."
Yeah, I kind of agree (though wow your first few weeks sound awful!)
I mean, I get that Buffy was overwhelmed and all, but she already had friends there who she'd known for years. They were even taking a lot of the same classes as her! That gives her a massive head start on most people. Plus, her room-mate seemed really friendly too?
Well she did get over it at the end of the episode so I suppose it was just the initial shock in her case.
I’m so jealous of people going to school now with digital books and iPads. Fuck, books were a FORTUNE.
I just got an eReader, so I was looking to get some of the books off my Amazon wishlist as eBooks. One of them was a textbook on Victorian family structure and sexuality (DON'T JUDGE ME) – the eBook cost the same as the physical book!
I know they are way more convenient for students, but they're really not any cheaper unless you're pirating them, especially since there's no used eBook market.
I was a literature student and at least 75% of the books I used for my major are free on Amazon. Ebooks/ereaders didn't come out the year after I graduated, but when I got my Kindle and saw all those free books, my first thought was, "I would've saved SO much money in college!"
…as it was, I downloaded them all anyway. Because, hey, free!
Obviously, it does depend on your major/what other classes you took [in addition, I was a French minor and there are so many resources for studying French online these days!], but in my case, it would've been a godsend.
The pricing is very dependent upon the publisher. I've had some eBooks that wound up being the same price as a physical copy and I've had others that were significantly cheaper. From looking around, I'd say you can save around 10-20% off your total book costs on average, though this can vary from 0% to 100% depending on your classes and luck.
WBBBLLLLPPPPRRRRRR. V nyjnlf sbetrg gung fur unf n wbo jbexvat sbe n zhfrhz. Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz sebz cnlvat sbe Ohssl’f obbxf.
Bu Tbq, Znex vf fb hacercnerq. Ur'f tbvat gb jvfu ur arire wbxrq nobhg gung!
V xabj vg'f uvf pngpucuenfr ohg vg'f FB CNVASHY gb frr ubj hacercnerq ur vf. Wblpr :'(
Bhpu. Qvqa'g rira abgvpr gung. V guvax zl ubeebe fyvtugyl bhgjrvtuf zl nzhfrzrag. :/
Gur svefg gvzr V abgvprq gung jnf lrfgreqnl! BZT "V ubcr vgf n shaal narhelfz." V jnf fubpxrq naq n yvggyr ubeevsvrq. V xarj Wbff jnf cynaavat Wblpr'f qrngu guvf rneyl, ohg fgvyy vg urnegoernxvat.
"The Freshman" brought up SO many of my Feels about the first few months of my college experience. And while I appreciate that she was a great and formidable vampire, Sunday pushed some of those buttons extra hard. I knew people like her and I HATED them.
Favorite line of the episode goes to stoner!vampire – "Are you two gonna fight or is this just gonna be a massive sarcasm rally?"
Oh, and a little spoiler talk: "V ubcr vg'f n shaal narhelfz." Bu, Ohssl.
Npghnyyl, jnfa'g gur qrpvfvba nobhg Wblpr'f qrngu znqr jryy va nqinapr, qhevat frnfba 3 be fbzrguvat? Fb gung yvar jbhyq npghnyyl or vagragvbany sberfunqbjvat, abg whfg enaqbz punapr, jbhyqa'g vg?
I have so much I'd love to rot13 flail about with this. But sadly….work. So I will just say, in regards to ipad and digital books, I recently did some more colleging and remember the days when your book came with a cd in the back that contained the PDF of the book? Yeah not so much any more. They've quit doing that and now want you to pay *another* $150 for the e-version of the book. All book publishers should burn in hell.
And so begins bar bs gur zbfg haqreengrq frnfbaf bs Ohssl rire. Frevbhfyl, bar bs zl snibhevgrf, frnfbaf 3 gb 5 ner cerggl zhpu guerr fgenvtug lrnef bs tbyq. Nqnz vf snagnfgvp, gur vavgvngvir vf n terng pbaprcg, naq fcvxr vf snagnfgvp. Gur wbhearl naq oernxvat hc naq gura erhavba bs gur pber pnfg vf nznmvat. Cyhf vg unf Gnen, bar bs gur frevrf orfg punenpgref. V ubcr Znex rawblf vg rira unys nf zhpu V qb. V rira engure yvxr Evyrl.
Brilliant first episode, and love the death of the stoner vamp.
V nterr gung vg'f haqreengrq, nygubhtu V qvfnterr gung frnfba svir vf tbyq. Frnfba sbhe unf ybgf bs terng rcvfbqrf, gubhtu vg qbrfa'g unir nf n fgebat n frnfbany nep. N fgebatre nep guna frnfba svir, gubhtu.
V nterr gung sbhe vf haqreengrq, gubhtu V'z abg gur ovttrfg sna bs Nqnz. V nyjnlf srry yvxr ur'f n pbby pbaprcg gung whfg qvqa'g trg rkcyberq rabhtu.
Nterrq, V ybir frnfba 4! Vg'f zl guveq snibevgr frnfba, nsgre frnfba 6 naq 5.
Oh man. I'm going to have to suck it up and finish watching Angel, aren't I?
– SUCCESS!! TWO PREDICTIONS CORRECT! I don’t care if later on they become incorrect, I’M COUNTING THEM! This probably means the rest of them are wrong. Boo. Can we just take a moment to discuss Buffy’s living situation? What kind of freshman dorm room looks like that? It’s not the room’s size that annoys me (I think most colleges would try to shove 4 people in that room), but the furniture. Has dorm room furniture EVER looked like that? And the show was doing so well at a somewhat believable college setting!
– OLIVIA, KATHY, AND PROFESSOR WALSH ARE FANTASTIC AND THEY MUST SHOW UP MORE OFTEN
– I’m pretty sure I had the same haircut as Willow at some point in my life. But it was worse. Much, much worse.
– I LIKED Sunday. I’m sad she’s gone. And her henchmen were fun (I loved their Klimt, Monet tally)
– Aww, Buffy, I feel your loneliness. The first 3 months of college weren’t all that fun for me, but then things started coming together. It probably helped that I went to a very small school.
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz sebz cnlvat sbe Ohssl’f obbxf."
V qba'g xabj jurgure gb ynhtu be pel…
Overall I quite like this episode but it’s never really grabbed me. I love bits of it – how fish-out-of-water Buffy seems, Willow’s utter joy and excitement, Oz being Oz, but it just doesn’t relate to my experiences.
When I first saw this ep I was 16(ish) so had no connection with Uni, and now I’m at Uni it’s a completely different world. I got to a small Uni in a small town – the town virtually IS the Uni – with fewer than 6,000 undergrads and I settled in really quickly. I didn’t have a roommate, I loved my classes from the beginning and I felt so at home right from the first day. So this episode doesn’t really speak to me.
Other things:
•Buffy walking into Giles’ house to find Olivia – awkward in the BEST POSSIBLE WAY.
•I’m usually in the Xander Ambivalence Club, but I actually really liked him in this episode. Loved the “friends who sleep all day and have no tans” line.
•V ybir gung Znex ybirf Xngul, Evyrl naq Cebsrffbe Jnyfu. Xngul – fbhy fhpxvat qrzba, tbar arkg rcvfbqr. Evyrl – jryy, V qba'g ungr uvz ohg ur'f abg gur zbfg qlanzvp punenpgre. Naq Znttvr….lrnu. Jryy, ur'f evtug gung fur'yy or qrnq fbba!
•Jryy uryyb Vavgvngvir! Jurer unir lbh orra gur ynfg 3 lrnef??
It’s a pretty solid opener, but one I usually skip on rewatch.
"Can we just take a moment to discuss Buffy’s living situation? What kind of freshman dorm room looks like that?"
RIGHT?? I was watching this with my sister and she was like '…my room was an eighth of that size." I mean you could fit in a bed and a desk and have about a square foot of floor left to stand on. What a HUGE room! Also, since it's so big, couldn't they just have put a wall across the middle and given each girl a personal room instead?
My freshman room was big like that, but there were three of us living there and it was actually meant for four people (we moved out a desk and a closet). While I really wasn’t a fan of multiple roommates because I have social anxiety and shyness issues and one of my roommates was terrible, I still really missed that room sophomore year when I moved into my teeny tiny regular room.
Man, you weren't kidding about these going up super early. Now I'm going to be even less productive. Though hopefully the comments section will be a bit more manageable? Like, I won't refresh the page to find 150 new comments that I then feel obliged to read.
Anywho. This is my list of things to get your Buffy fan before she goes to college (I received all of the things on this list for my 18th birthday from various friends and family members. They know me so well)
*A copy of Of Human Bondage for her to place on her bookshelf so she can smile every time she sees it. (I still own this book. I still haven't read it.)
*A print of that Monet painting to hang on her wall
*Season 4 of Buffy on DVD so she can remember that college isn't any scarier than high school was
*A figurine of Spike so she can announce her geekiness with decorations
*A book of essays about Buffy in case she has time for pleasure reading
*A lego figurine of season 2 Buffy with a rocket launcher
*A poster of "Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Buffy" (Okay, I actually made this rather than receiving it as a gift)
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz
V pubxrq ng guvf frpgvba bs gur fragrapr. Ab, fur qbrf abg znxr gung zhpu zbarl naq vg vf fb fnq. Naq ubarfgyl, va ergebfcrpg Ohssl'f yvar nobhg "V ubcr vg'f n shaal narhelfz" vf bar bs gur zbfg cnvashyyl sberfunqbjvat yvarf va guvf jubyr qnza fubj
I get so mad at Sunday when she breaks the class protector award. But it pushes Buffy into that anger that gives her the edge she needs. I wish we didn't have to sacrifice the reminder of Buffy's special high school moment. But I suppose it does drive the point home that once you get to college, no one cares who you were in high school.
Aw, you have such great friends and family members!
Naq frevbhfyl nobhg gung narhelfz yvar.
A poster of "Everything I Need to Know I Learned from Buffy" (Okay, I actually made this rather than receiving it as a gift)
Ooh, do you have a picture of this? I'd love to see it.
I never went to college, just took some courses at the local junior college after work for a few years. Night school is way different from day school, as the students are generally older and employed. Still, I was incredibly shy (still am, but not so bad, or at least that’s what I tell myself to make myself feel better) and never got to know any of the other students in my classes. It was certainly a different experience from high school, but in no way comparable to university.
All that said, I heard the same rumors that freshman dorming sucked, and I am upset they have such a nice room, ok. It should be smaller! Right? Was I lied to?
XANDER! “Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to fear. No wait…” Someone obviously didn’t have time to watch TPM ten thousand times like everyone else while working at the fabulous Ladies Night Club.
“V ubcr vg’f n shaal narhelfz.” Bu, ubj V pevatr rirel gvzr V urne guvf yvar abj. Jul ner lbh fb zrna, Jurqba?
Rirelbar ryfr jnvgvat sbe Znex’f syvc bhg jura ur frrf Pbeql ba gur perqvgf sbe Natry? V xabj V nz.
RILEY! Ybbx, V yvxr Evyrl. Ur’f whfg jung Ohssl arrqf ng guvf cbvag va ure yvsr. Ur’f fbyvq, qrprag naq qrcraqnoyr. V qb unir vffhrf jvgu uvz arkg frnfba, ohg sbe abj, ur’f cresrpg sbe ure.
Maggie Walsh – You’re scary, but funny? And sort of endearing in a strange way?
Kathy! Jnvgvat sbe Znex’f syvc bhg ba guvf bar gbb! urururur Guvf frnfba vf tbvat gb or fb zhpu sha!
I had the same “WHAT THE FRICK” moment at the end of this episode the first time watching. Who are these guys? What are they doing with the vamps? Are they making super vamps? Using them as test subjects for make-up and haircare products because the universe passed a law that they can no longer use puppies? WHAT?!?!?!?!
Naq nyfb jnvgvat sbe Znex’f syvc bhg jura ur yrneaf Evyrl vf bar bs gur yngr-avtug Fgbez Gebbcref – naq Znttvr’f gurve yrnqre! Qvq V zragvba guvf frnfba jnf tbvat gb or sha?
OMG BUFFY DON'T BLINK! IT'S A WEEPING ANGEL BEHIND YOU
OH NO SETH GREEN IS IN THE CREDITS. PLEASE DON'T HURT OZ, PLEASE
Wait. Where's Cordelia? Is Joss denying me Cordy?! That bastard!
Ok, so that's a really huge dorm room and I'm uncool with the fact that my living space was half that size (with a roommate too). Roomies are such interesting things. Mine didn't make noises in her sleep (that was my job, but not nearly as often – but quite possibly more embarrassing) but she did let her alarm clock go off for an hour before she got up. She also drank loads and loads of Coke. She needs caffeine to function but she cannot stand coffee so, at 8 in the morning, there she'd be with her bottle of Coke.
I'm glad Sunday's dead. She annoyed me, quite possibly because she hurt Buffy while she was feeling scared and was still getting her sea legs. I mean, I guess that makes a good villain, but I don't care. BUT WHO WERE THOSE PEOPLE AT THE END??? Also, I thought vampires needed to be staked in the heart otherwise it's just a big ouch? And most of the staking looked like it was done in the stomach region.
Willow's so cute with how into learning she is and I had a similar experience with knowledge in high school. And it was interesting seeing Buffy referred to as Willow's friend, rather than the other way around.
Xander, I really hate your shirt but good job cheering Buffy up. I WANT XANDER FAMILY BACKSTORY NOW PLEASE
Giles, I love you. The end.
Also, I thought vampires needed to be staked in the heart otherwise it's just a big ouch? And most of the staking looked like it was done in the stomach region.
The show never seems terribly consistent about this. Angel survived being shot JUST past the heart in Graduation Day Part 1 but Candy Gorch was pretty obviously staked in the stomach in Homecoming and she still dusted. It seems to depend on if they're a regular character or not.
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz sebz cnlvat sbe Ohssl’f obbxf.
Ab, frevbhfyl, lbh thlf, ZNEX VF WHFG FB HACERCNERQ BU ZL TBQ JR'ER TBVAT GB UNIR GB UBYQ UVZ BA GUR NFGENY CYNAR.
Maaaaaybe a couple of juniors or seniors at my college could get a room that size (if they had any), but all our rooms were oddly shaped so you couldn’t utilize the space properly. Plus, two people accumulate a lot of stuff. A room might start out large, but as soon as you both move in it shrinks down. After all the boxes and books and clothes, you’re left with not a whole lot of space.
You’re right, with a room that size they could have made it a split double. I wonder what the other rooms look like o_O
Season 4! Post High School years! As much as I love earlier seasons of Buffy, I can relate more and rewatch more the post-high school seasons. Maybe because I saw some older episodes on TV randomly first and other reasons which are spoilery. But with these seasons, it is kind of hard to stop with just 3-4 episodes per week!
My college experience was fun. I loved being away from home and going to classes. I think I was overwhelmed only in the first weekend – so I think my college experience was just like Willow's. But I was a little nervous in the first week and it didn't help that the school changed the rooms for my first class and half of us didn't know it. And when we showed up late to the first class, and asked if we were in the right place, the Professor deadpanned that it wasn't – seriously, nervous freshmen here!
My favorite part was probably Buffy showing up at Giles' and seeing Olivia and realizing the Giles is a real person and not just an authority figure. He is moving from teacher/librarian authority to friend and I love that development. With every re-watch I love Giles more and more.
Ubyl fuvg, V nyzbfg qvrq jura ur znqr gur Wblpr pbzzrag nobhg gur narhelfz. Vg'f yvxr ur XABJF!
This episode makes me glad I didn't go to a giant college. I can't imagine dealing with classes the size of the ones Buffy is in (ours were max 50 students), and I got lost on our rather small campus (only 1200 students total). Still, I remember that feeling of having no idea where you stand at the new school. It's kind of staggering dealing with having to re-evaluate the system you've been used to living with.
This episode is kind of uncomfortable to watch in general, because Buffy is so thrown out of her element. And then she feels she has no one to turn to. I actually just found, on Friday, a paper that I wrote in college about this: “I was ripped away from everything I knew, away from my support group, from the people I turned to when I didn't know the answers; in this new place I could not turn to my family and old friends for help, they were just as unknowledgeable about this place as I was. So, I really had to find out all the answers on my own….”
Also, I really, really dislike the vampires in this episode, because I really love when Buffy gets her umbrella in “The Prom,” so when Sunday breaks it, so much anger!!!! Plus they are just so irritatingly arrogant about everything.
Anyway, besides all of this, I love the reunion of the Scooby-gang (including a-little-bit-late-Giles) at the end, and that Buffy gets her confidence back!
I'll post the official stuff later, I don't have my episode guide a the moment!
I believed I was giving myself over to this institution of knowledge, that I was immersed in an environment of learning, and that I was going to become a Better Person for having gone to college. It didn’t take long until I then felt like Buffy: overwhelmed, ignored, without a place to belong, and lost.
I have just recently started feeling like this. I don't know whether it's the classes I'm taking, or what, but…ugh. I'm a sophomore right now and I am realizing that I am completely fucked, because i really just coasted through High School. I mean, I did the work, but I never really had to work all that hard to get good grades. And now I actually have to study, because the classes are about more than just memorization. And I'm finally realizing that my dad is full of shit, and just because I'm smart, doesn't mean I'm going to be able to get good grades. Partly because so much of the grade depends on participation and I don't, because I have a hard time feeling comfortable enough to speak if I'm not sure I know what I'm talking about.
Sorry, I've just been having a rather lousy couple of weeks and what Mark said hit kind of close to home. I mean, last year everything seemed all bright and shiny and interesting, and now…ugh.
I am currently reading this review in my university which is quite apt. I SHOULD BE DOING MY ESSAY BUT I AM PROCRASTINATING AS USUAL. Oh well it's Mark, that's a good excuse!
LOL that you time the distance beforehand. Glad it's not just me who does that although me trying to ride a skateboard to cut the journey down would probably triple the time it takes me. I just learnt to powerwalk super fast.
It's a really fun episode that reflects well about stepping out of your comfort zone and being in new terrority although I do miss that Scooby gang dynamic that we had at high school. I want to be in that gang and research stuff in the library. Yeah I miss that 🙁
My roommate slapped a giant life-sized Britney Spears poster on her wall the first day we moved in.
We were not friends.
I went to a college with 700 students and no graduate school. I'm still convinced that I would have flunked out if I'd attempted to go to a large university. Though we did have a couple of classes with the entire freshman class in attendance (190 students), the school itself was so small that I still knew everyone in the class and that went a long way to making it less overwhelming. I really needed that intimate environment to succeed
Lrnu Wbff nyernql xarj ng guvf cbvag. Xevfgvar Fhgureynaq zragvbaf va gur frnfba svir rkgenf gung fur gbyq uvz fur jnf tbvat gb or bhg bs gur pbhagel guvf frnfba (urapr gur ynpx bs Wblpr) naq ur gbyq ure ur arrqrq ure onpx sbe frnfba svir fb ur pbhyq xvyy Wblpr.
Lrnu, Xevfgvar Fhgureynaq npghnyyl pbhyqa'g pbzzvg zhpu gb Ohssl guvf frnfba (juvpu vf jul fur'f bayl va guerr rcvfbqrf). Ohg Wbff znqr ure cebzvfr gb pbzr onpx sbe gur svsgu frnfba fb ur pbhyq xvyy ure. V'z fher gung yvar jnf gurer ba checbfr.
Naq BZT, gur ernpgvba gb gur ynpx bs Pbeqryvn jnf rirelguvat V gubhtug vg jbhyq or. Cbbe Znex. V zrna, ng yrnfg onpx gura jr xarj gung Pbeqryvn jnf tbvat gb or ba Natry'f fubj naq gung'f jul gurer jnf n fhqqra ynpx bs ure va Fhaalqnyr, lbh xabj?
V'z nyfb cerggl qnea nzhfrq ol gur cerqvpgvbaf sbe Xngul, Evyrl, naq Znttvr. Bu, Znex, lbh unir AB VQRN. V pna'g jnvg sbe gbzbeebj naq Bm'f yvar "Ab bar qrfreirf n zvzr, Ohssl." Vg'f n dhbgr gung zl sevraqf naq V guebj bhg ng rnpu bgure gb guvf qnl.
Bu! Bar ynfg guvat, V pna'g jnvg sbe gung zbzrag jura Znex ernyvmrf gung gur fvyrag cubar pnyy gung Ohssl tbg jnf sebz Natry.
Is it time for Angel yet? It goes up at 2pm my time so can someone find a way to move time? No? Damn.
I wish I had something more to talk about other than a love of the dialogue and other than me going: I'M SO EXCITED ABOUT THIS, YAYAYAYAYAYAY! 😀
Mark is so right about all the reasons to love this episode. Even the vamps despise the freshmen! The poster contest! (My roommates had BOTH of those posters!)
Jul ner lbh fb zrna, Jurqba?
Orpnhfr ur srrqf ba bhe zvfrel.
So this was a nice, ease back into the season episode (although the ending really added a different twist – is this the next step up from the mayor??). It was disheartening to see Buffy so unsure of herself, but I'm glad she got her groove back by the end of the episode, and glad that Xander could help talk her out of it. Giles at the end was cracking me up. I was sad when Buffy's new friend was turned into a vamp, I was really hoping she had found someone to branch out with! It'll be interesting to see which of these new college characters start to become regulars!
Other thoughts:
New credits! But Cordelia is not in them?? 🙁 I hope she's not gone this season, she wasn't in the episode at all! I was afraid since Xander wasn't in the first half either, but happy to see him reappear. Is he going to find some kind of job since he is apparently not going to college?
As usual, the dorm rooms are way to nice to be actual college dorm rooms.
Buffy's joke about trying to cut way back on porn made me laugh more than it should have.
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/25z7a5e.gif" alt="Buffy spinning a stake in her hand">
<img src="http://i40.tinypic.com/25z7a5e.gif" alt="Buffy spinning a stake in her hand">
Hey, it's another future USA Network guy! Riley is on Necessary Roughness.
Nyfb, V nz tbvat gb jngpu Uhfu yngre gbqnl naq V nz fpnerq?
My school was about the same size as yours (lectures were max 45-50 people, and by the time I was an upperclassman, most of the classes had fewer than 10 people in them). I never, ever would have made it in a large school, but I remember how completely alone and lost I felt the first couple of weeks. I can’t imagine what it must be like to go to a school like University of Michigan, or even a school in the city where people are spread out (my school was in the middle of nowhere).
For real, when Buffy finds that her own stuff is missing, I WAS SO DISTURBED. Could you imagine discovering something like that? It’s so personal and creepy!
Unfortunately, no need to imagine it. Lived it, still dealing with the post-traumatic stress more than twelve years later. And it's not really the loss of stuff that hurts (stuff is replaceable, and I was insured), but it's beyond unsettling to find that someone has been in your private, personal space without your permission or control. A group of strangers saw how I lived and went through my stuff without me being able to direct them or indicate what was off limits (not that it would have mattered – it's pretty illogical to think I could negotiate with people breaking into my apartment about what to steal and what to leave, but I still feel like if I'd just been there I could have changed it somehow) And that I had no idea when they were there or for how long or what they said or discussed while there. (Or, for that matter, who they were, since no one was ever caught, though I'm fairly certain they were not vampires.)
And I couldn't sleep in that apartment again. I moved out immediately, returned home to Virginia (and made my initial trip with my car loaded with stuff that wasn't stolen that I didn't want to risk leaving until my parents and I had a chance to bring a rental truck) and then somehow, despite always wanting to go back to Pittsburgh, ended up staying in the area ever since. But never again in a place with ground floor exterior access.
I watched this episode with some new friends I made in Philadelphia (HELLO!!!) and they were all horrified by the professor who ejected Buffy from his class. Yeah, is this a California only thing? Most of my professors were huge assholes, extremely elitist, rude, and presumptive. You just learned to deal with it and get on their good side so that they were funny instead of horrifying.
Huh. I always thought it was just a TV/movie only thing. I can't imagine a professor in a large lecture course interacting much with the students at all, let alone having a roll sheet (I mean, really, was he planning to read all the names off the list for 10 minutes out of a 50 minute class?) or caring if anyone audits, or even whispers quietly during the lecture. Most professors I had (granted, I went to a significantly smaller school and never sat in a lecture with more than 100 students) would have just kept right on lecturing unless someone was being truly disruptive, which Buffy wasn't. That professor was just on a power trip or something.
I definitely had professors who were elitist assholes (one even told me my work was crap and essentially called me stupid when I went to his office hours to ask for help), but none who pulled any shit like that during a lecture.
That look in her eyes is supposed to be resolve, but all I see is Sarah Michelle Gellar going "OH FUCK YES I FINALLY DID IT CAN WE PLEASE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SCENE NOW?"
– Now, I am certain there are nice psychology students out there, but honestly, 90% of first semester psych students I’ve met were… weird, to say the least. I remember one guy who was one of the few people I officially ended a friendship with, one of the reasons for which was a long rant about how BDSM is wrong because the ICD says so.
– I’m on your side, Buffy, having your life organised is overrated.
– LOL IRONY
– ahaha that Christian girl, which reminds me it’s been a long while since the Jehova’s Witness peeps came around. Maybe they got scared off when I opened the door just in my boxers and a shirt last time?
– ew jello shots ALCOHOL IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE DRUNK LIKE THAT no drinking culture well i really
– sexualise that knowledge, Willow, SEXUALISE ALL THE THINGS
– No really GET SOME DRINKING CULTURE, this is unacceptable to me and offensive to my meness
– …why would you need a ceiling this high if you’re not using the wallspace for shelves?
– hello Riley, get another hair cut and I’ll find you cute.
– SUPERFUN! Yeah, being told you’re cool by a Celine Dion fan is… bracing
– aww, Eddy 🙁
– HELLO OLIVIA, I APPROVE OF YOUR EXISTANCE ON THIS SHOW
– ahaha, look at Giles’ smug "I got laid just now" face
– lbh'er zl snibhevgr gjb-naq-n-unys rcvfbqrf punenpgre
– "I’ll always be here when you need me", but right now I’m too busy having sex with your m- Olivia
– ahaha oh god the stoner vamp being insistent about, er, what’s the English terminology? pass a toke? I DON’T DO DRUGS IN ENGLISH SORRY U GUISE
– Sunday, LOOK AT YOUR HAIR LOOK AT YOUR CHOICES before criticising other people’s outfits
– and again it’s Appropriately Melancholy Music Night at the Bronze. HOW MANY CHAIRS ARE IN YOUR HEAD, BUFFY?
– I assume Xander’s story makes more sense if you know what Oxnard is. But didn’t Alf drive past Oxnard in the ep where he accidentally drove a car?
– aww, Xander is being a friend for Buffy, and supportive and all things, I approve of this interaction. Hero pep talk!
– "what is Buffy wearing"
<img src="http://30.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m06ssknGjw1r7k3tso1_400.gif">
– not your smoothest entrance, Buff
– Willow, I don’t think you should share about her disappearing to LA in front of strangers
– friends who sleep all day and have no tans? what do I have to d- OH I GET IT
– aaand, another table’s gone
– and so’s Sunday BYEEE
– you’ve been awake all night, Giles? UHUH I BET YOU WERE
– masked guys in camo pants? when did BtVS turn into Gay Bar: the Series?
German title: Frischlinge – Freshmen. Fun fact: It's also the term used to describe young boars.
Wow, I think putting the review up early just broke the site. Still, I’m really excited to comment on a Buffy episode when there is light outside! Finally a review were I don’t have to be afraid of falling asleep while writing. : )
A weird episode, one I can’t relate to really, because I never went to college. However I do love that the Scoobies lose each other and then slowly come back together to fight the evil college vampire thieves.
Buffy still can’t sense vampires ohg fur hfhnyyl xabjf jura Natry be Fcvxr ner arne, juvpu cebonoyl unf zber gb qb jvgu ure rzbgvbaf guna n Fynlre cbjre.
Wow, so many people, so confusing. I think I would have been as overwhelmed as Buffy. I mean, you need a map to find your way around it.
I love Willow’s hunger for knowledge, the only thing that would have convinced me to attend college, because Yay! Knowledge!
I want that library; I would simply never leave it.
“V ubcr vg’f n shaal narhevfz.” Bu tbq, gurer vg vf. Fb cnvashy va uvaqfvtug.
Evtug sebz gur fgneg V qvfyvxrq Evyrl, ur whfg gbb avpr naq fzvyrl. *fuhqqre*
Can I just punch that teacher? Way to make people want to study, by insulting the first person to ask a question.
“Lbh'er Jvyybj’f sevraq.“ Ubj avpr. Jryy, ng yrnfg fur bayl vf gung sbe bar rcvfbqr, hayvxr Ghpxre’f oebgure.
“Of Human Bondage. Have you ever
read it?”
“No, I'm not big on… porn…”
I love the delivery of that line; Buffy is so cute when she is clueless.
“You’ve made friend, good for you” that he’s dead. Man, Joss doesn’t want Buffy to feel any joy today.
How can a vampire be fat when they eat nothing but blood?
Olivia! I kind of love that woman, she is so cute and she makes Giles smile so nice.
Rot13ing, just in case.
Bbu, gur pebffbire cubar pnyy. Fhpu n terng vqrn gb pbaarpg gur gjb fubjf.
“Everything's exactly as it was except I sleep in the
basement and I have to pay rent..”
Wow, Xander’s life keeps getting better and better.
“qvntabfrq jvgu pnapre bs gur chccl.” Frevbhfyl, pna lbh cyrnfr fgbc gung Gur Obql sbefunqbjvat. V qbrfa'g ernyy znxr vg orggre gnug gurer vf n chccl va gung fragrapr.
“When it's dark and
I'm all alone, and I'm scared or
freaking out or whatever, I always
think, "What would Buffy do?"
I want to hug Xander so much, he is just the best of friends.
Sure he has to lighten up the serious stuff with unnecessary jokes, but that’s something I’m used to by now. Still, very sweet.
"Bapr zber, jvgu rira yrff srryvat." Qvq gurl jevgr gur zhfvpny ng guvf cbvag nyernql be ng yrnfg znqr hc gur anzr? Be vf guvf whfg n shaal pbvapvqrapr?
They are so very bad at stealth. Will they ever learn?
V thrff gur Vavgngvir vasvygengvba jnf abg onq, ohg birenyy gurl ner zhpu orggre ng syng-bhg pbasebagngvba.
(V ybir nyy gur flabalzf gurl pbzr hc jvgu sbe inzcf guvf frnfba. “gur thlf jub fyrrc nyy avtug naq unir ab gnaf”, Unezbal gur chccl gung ovg Jvyybj, ubfgvyr fhc-greerfgevnyf.)
Giles coming to the rescue, when there is no rescue needed anymore is making me tear up with laughter. Here he is, the super ex-Watcher with all his weapons and a ton of guilt, just a little too late. But I guess it’s the thought that counts.
This is the episode that stars my alma mater, UCLA! Whee!!! UCLA is all over this episode, so I’m gonna take a moment to reminisce/gush. The establishing shot of UC Sunnydale is actually picture of Dodd Hall which is where the Classics and Art History departments are house. And then Buffy is in Bruin Plaza and you can see the Wooden Center (the on-campus gym) and the Ashe Center (student health center) and the Student Activities Center (self-explanatory). And the Buffy is walking up Bruin Walk and it is a pretty accurate depiction of what walking there is like. Student groups everywhere! I developed a ~technique for avoiding them. Step 1: Put on headphones – even if you are not actually listening to anything. Step 2: Follow someone behind a person super closely so that the people trying to talk to you talk to the person in front of you and you can walk on by free and clear.
Oh and then there’s Kerckoff! That’s where the student government is and various administration things. Also, a coffee shop. I am going to take this moment of Buffy and Willow walking up the stairs to complain about the design of the UCLA campus. See, all the dorms are at the top of a big hill called “The Hill”, but to get to class, you have to walk down the hill, past the athletic fields, and then UP another hill (the one Willow and Buffy are walking up) in order to reach any of the academic buildings. THESE HILLS WERE THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE IN THE SUMMER WHEN IT IS 100 DEGREES OUTSIDE. Also, I used to take naps on that hill that Buffy, Willow and Oz are talking on.
Oh oh oh! And this is the actual UCLA undergraduate library, Powell. Although this pretty part where Willow and Buffy are is just a reading room and where periodicals are kept. The bookstacks are in the basement and it’s much less impressive. (But also a good place for napping.)
Also, the building they use as the establishing shot for Buffy’s dorm is Haines Hall, which is an academic building that houses the Asian American Studies, Chicano Studies, and African American Studies among other departments.
Anyway, on to the actual content of this episode. This episode is full of those quintessential college moments, like that little scene with Willow and Buffy in the graveyard at the beginning. Ah the joys of picking out classes. I loved going through my course catalogue and finding all the classes that I thought sounded interesting. Oh and that college rite of passage, seeing the cost of textbooks for the first time. Bbbbu abbbb… Ohssl’f wbxr nobhg ure zbz univat na nalhevfz jura fur frrf ubj rkcrafvir gur obbxf ner… NYY GUR GRNEF. Buffy meets the TA for her psych class and he’s cute and totally crush-worthy. Is having a crush on your TV a college rite of passage? IDK. I think it might be. I definitely had a huge crush on my astronomy TA when I was in college at any rate. Buffy even has an egotistical asshole professor. I was lucky enough only to have one of those in my years in college.
Also, I call BS on Buffy having such a large dorm room. Ok, maybe it was just UCLA, but our dorm rooms were half the size of that. And usually we had to fit three people into one dorm (one bunk bed + one loft bed with an armoire and a desk underneath the loft).
The main plot of the episode is pretty… whatever. A group of vampires prey on freshmen. BUT LMAO. THEY KEEP COUNT OF KLIMT VS MONET POSTERS THAT THEY FIND. Are college students that predictable? (Although for the record, I had JW Waterhouse on my dorm room walls and my friend had Dali.)
Giles has a giiiiiirfriend. Sort of. And NO YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO HAVE A PRIVATE LIFE, GILES. I AGREE WITH BUFFY. But Buffy has quit the council. She’s in college. She’s becoming an adult. Giles is trying to make her see that, but Buffy is clearly struggling a bit with that. The transitional period of college can definitely be rough. So of course Buffy goes home. One of my freshman year roommates went home EVERY WEEKEND. I went home a fair amount in the beginning (since I did live pretty close to campus. Lol. My parents’ house is 20 miles away from UCLA, but I just didn’t want to face doing the 101 to the 405 every day to get to class and I wanted the “real” college experience, so I lived on campus.). I think when you’re feeling like college is hard, it’s really easy to just go home for a while. Home is safe. I like home.
She goes to another familiar place – the Bronze where she finds Xander! She talks to him a bit and one of the things she says is,“Maybe in high school I was Buffy.” Buffy is feeling out of sorts in her new environment. The theme of identity is a huge theme in Buffy and she’s struggling to define herself in this new context.
Xander’s speech to Buffy is really sweet, but he has to ruin it with saying that at he sometimes wonders what she’s wearing. UGH. STOP BEING GROSS.
In the fight for her stuff, vampire person breaks her Class Protector award! And I think that is what motivates her to really start kicking ass. It’s a reminder of who she is and what her purpose is and how she can still be that person in even the new setting of college.
I love that in end, Giles does show up. He can’t leave her to fight alone. And then at the end of the episode, dun dun duuuuun, some men in black stun a vampire and then appear to be capturing him.
"Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz sebz cnlvat sbe Ohssl’f obbxf."
YNHTUVAT NAQ PELVAT. BU AB, AB.
Znex jura lbh cbffvoyl frr gurfr pbzzragf znlor bar qnl nsgre lbh'ir jngpurq gur frevrf naq qrpvqr gb ha-Ebg13 rirelguvat… unir guvf uht.
To this day, every time I see a piece of art by a certain painter I can't help but want to shout, "WE HAVE A KLIMT!"
Dammit, Joss. 😉
Lrnu gung frrzf zber nobhg gur arkg gjb rcvfbqrf. Xngul'f naablvat urer ohg qbrfa'g ernyyl pbzr npebff nf yrff-guna-fgnoyr.
rot-13'd just in case.
lol my artists of choice were Escher and Dali. College students really are that predictable!
I pulled the list from here It's full of spoilers for the whole show.
I did make one change for my poster, to the lesson from Passion. Instead of "No matter how bad the pain of loss is, you need to remember that people still need you, too. Don't do anything stupid.", I wrote "Back up your data".
uryyb, evyrl! vyh. nyfb, vg znqr zr syvapu jura ohssl znqr gung pbzzrag nobhg wblpr univat na narhelfz. nalbar ryfr?
LOL. Oh. My typo of "TV" instead of "TA" is making me laugh. OMG. YOU SHOULD NOT LET ME NEAR KEYBOARDS. Why do I make the worst typos? And then I NEVER catch them.
lol. To me, that would have been the indication that we were definitely going to be friends.
I WILL LOVE BRITNEY FOREVER. BLACKOUT IS A PERFECT ALBUM.
HATERS GONNA HATE.
<img src="http://i.imgur.com/HLYGd.gif">
I love this episode SO MUCH. I want to give it ALL THE HUGS. Seriously, it's amazing. Reasons why:
-OMG OMG RILEY WHY ARE YOU SO ADORABLE
-MONSTER BITCH OF DEATH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA
-STEVENSON HALL OMG LIKE STEVENSON COLLEGE AT UCSC I WAS JUST THERE AN HOUR AGO THIS IS AMAZING
-ETHAN RAYNE, WHY ARE YOU ON BUFFY? IT'S AWESOME ANYWAY.
-OLIVIA OLIVIA OLIVA
If I could make love to this episode, I would.
"Lbh xabj gung eryngvir ab bar yvxrf? Vaivgr uvz gb Gunaxftvivat naljnl. Ur znl riraghnyyl fnir gur jbeyq guerr gvzrf."
Best. Line. Ever.
Jura Ohssl fnvq, va gur rcvfbqr "V ubcr vg'f n shaal narhelfz" V unq gb cnhfr naq V qvqa'g xabj jurgure gb ynhtu be jrrc.
LOL in college I should have wallpapered my room with "Back up your data." TRUER WORDS.
The best, the best, the best: Jura nyy ryfr snvyf, fvat.
This!
"Vs fbzrbar yrgf uvzfrys or gbegherq gb fnir lbhe fvfgre, vg'f n cerggl tbbq fvta ur vfa'g 100% rivy. Tvir uvz n yvggyr xvff."
is also pretty Aww-worthy.
Oh and I also wanna talk about how when I went home for the first time, my room was COMPLETELY different and I was never informed. I didn't say anything aloud, but on the inside I was sooo sad. I felt like my place at home was gone. So I hate the scene where Buffy comes home and sees her mom threw a bunch of her work things in her room, because I know how that feels.
Bu tbq 67: Tb jvgu lbhe svefg vafgvapg. Bxnl, fb gung'f abg gur cbvag bs gur rc, ohg vg jbhyq unir fnirq hf sebz O/E. Gung'f nyzbfg rknpgyl jung V unir va zl abgrf sbe gung rcvfbqr.
-The show is in widescreen now. Neat.
-Oh the joy of choosing your own courses. Thanks for robbing me of that Engineering Degree.
-Hey! Its the class that people watch Buffy in.
-A smart vamp with self preservation on the mind. This is shocking.
-S
I meant to get up earlier to post but my bed was too comfortable.
-The show is in widescreen now. Neat.
-Oh the joy of choosing your own courses. Thanks for robbing me of that Engineering Degree.
-Hey! Its the class that people watch Buffy in.
-A smart vamp with self preservation on the mind. This is shocking.
-Spike was in the opening quite a lot!!!!!!!
-I think I was more the Willow during move-in, but with less excitement/joy.
-The beds come with a complete sheet set? And that room is huge!
-Riley knows Buffy is looking for Psych but he doesn't remember meeting her…?
-Rocks for Jocks!! Does every college have that?
-Hi Eddie!
-Nooo, Eddie, I liked him. 🙁
-That is actually disturbingly clever, vamps.
-My friend has a Klimt. I had a picture of sunrise over Stonehenge and a forest in Hampshire.
-I waited til Fall Break to go home for the first time and when I got there my stuff had been switched to the other, less spacious, side of the room I share with my sister. Its painful.
-It wouldn't be Angel calling her at home? He knows she is at college. Has Spike been keeping in touch with Joyce?
-Xander sounds very scripted. Even the muddling through movie references part.
-I love his sweater vest though.
-Discovering this youtube video was a strange coincidence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA7uAj106Zo
-Why did Buffy leave the note and let people to get the wrong idea.
-Love the way Sunday stood when dusted. As if it was just an inconvenience
-Giles. 🙂
-Who are these amateurs with tasers. I have a theory.
I meant to get up earlier to post but my bed was too comfortable.
-The show is in widescreen now. Neat.
-Oh the joy of choosing your own courses. Thanks for robbing me of that Engineering Degree.
-Hey! Its the class that people watch Buffy in.
-A smart vamp with self preservation on the mind. This is shocking.
-Spike was in the opening quite a lot!!!!!!!
-I think I was more the Willow during move-in, but with less excitement/joy.
-The beds come with a complete sheet set? And that room is huge!
-Riley knows Buffy is looking for Psych but he doesn't remember meeting her…?
-Rocks for Jocks!! Does every college have that?
-Hi Eddie!
-Nooo, Eddie, I liked him. 🙁
-That is actually disturbingly clever, vamps.
-My friend has a Klimt. I had a picture of sunrise over Stonehenge and a forest in Hampshire.
-I waited til Fall Break to go home for the first time and when I got there my stuff had been switched to the other, less spacious, side of the room I share with my sister. Its painful.
-It wouldn't be Angel calling her at home? He knows she is at college. Has Spike been keeping in touch with Joyce?
-Xander sounds very scripted. Even the muddling through movie references part.
-I love his sweater vest though.
-Discovering this youtube video was a strange coincidence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA7uAj106Zo
-Why did Buffy leave the note and let people to get the wrong idea.
-Love the way Sunday stood when dusted. As if it was just an inconvenience
-Giles. 🙂
-Who are these amateurs with tasers. I have a theory.
I meant to get up earlier to post but my bed was too comfortable.
-The show is in widescreen now. Neat.
-Oh the joy of choosing your own courses. Thanks for robbing me of that Engineering Degree.
-Hey! Its the class that people watch Buffy in.
-A smart vamp with self preservation on the mind. This is shocking.
-Spike was in the opening quite a lot!!!!!!!
-I think I was more the Willow during move-in, but with less excitement/joy.
-The beds come with a complete sheet set? And that room is huge!
-Riley knows Buffy is looking for Psych but he doesn't remember meeting her…?
-Rocks for Jocks!! Does every college have that?
-Hi Eddie!
-Nooo, Eddie, I liked him. 🙁
-That is actually disturbingly clever, vamps.
-My friend has a Klimt. I had a picture of sunrise over Stonehenge and a forest in Hampshire.
-I waited til Fall Break to go home for the first time and when I got there my stuff had been switched to the other, less spacious, side of the room I share with my sister. Its painful.
-It wouldn't be Angel calling her at home? He knows she is at college. Has Spike been keeping in touch with Joyce?
-Xander sounds very scripted. Even the muddling through movie references part.
-I love his sweater vest though.
-Discovering this youtube video was a strange coincidence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA7uAj106Zo
-Why did Buffy leave the note and let people to get the wrong idea.
-Love the way Sunday stood when dusted. As if it was just an inconvenience
-Giles. 🙂
-Who are these amateurs with tasers. I have a theory.
I meant to get up earlier to post but my bed was too comfortable.
-The show is in widescreen now. Neat.
-Oh the joy of choosing your own courses. Thanks for robbing me of that Engineering Degree.
-Hey! Its the class that people watch Buffy in.
-A smart vamp with self preservation on the mind. This is shocking.
-Spike was in the opening quite a lot!!!!!!!
-I think I was more the Willow during move-in, but with less excitement/joy.
-The beds come with a complete sheet set? And that room is huge!
-Riley knows Buffy is looking for Psych but he doesn't remember meeting her…?
-Rocks for Jocks!! Does every college have that?
-Hi Eddie!
-Nooo, Eddie, I liked him. 🙁
-That is actually disturbingly clever, vamps.
-My friend has a Klimt. I had a picture of sunrise over Stonehenge and a forest in Hampshire.
-I waited til Fall Break to go home for the first time and when I got there my stuff had been switched to the other, less spacious, side of the room I share with my sister. Its painful.
-It wouldn't be Angel calling her at home? He knows she is at college. Has Spike been keeping in touch with Joyce?
-Xander sounds very scripted. Even the muddling through movie references part.
-I love his sweater vest though.
-Discovering this youtube video was a strange coincidence: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NA7uAj106Zo
-Why did Buffy leave the note and let people to get the wrong idea.
-Love the way Sunday stood when dusted. As if it was just an inconvenience
-Giles. 🙂
-Who are these amateurs with tasers. I have a theory.
-Why did Buffy leave the note and let people to get the wrong idea.
The Vampire gang leaves the notes so the absence and missing stuff is not so suspicious. They probably should have waited until Buffy was actually dead to do so, especially since they knew she was the slayer.
-Who are these amateurs with tasers. I have a theory.
Vg pbhyq or ohaavrf?
Heh, I have grown to enjoy Britney more! However this girl also read my personal journal and spread rumors about me and stole all my friends and then got pissed when I covered my side of the room in Liv Tyler pictures. QUID PRO QUO, LADY. QUID PRO QUO.
She was not a nice roommate! I bet you and I would have gotten along, though, because we could have just plastered the room in Billie Piper pictures and listened to "Because We Want To" all day long.
"V unir n gurbel."
N qrzba? N qnapvat qrzba? —
Jubbcf… gbb fbba, gbb fbba…. 😉
I love it when I don't have to ROT13 things to know what they say!
“Everything's exactly as it was except I sleep in the
basement and I have to pay rent..”
Wow, Xander’s life keeps getting better and better.
Personally I don't so much mind the paying rent part. As soon as we stopped going to school and had an income our mother asked the same of me and my siblings. Looking back on it, I'm actually grateful to her for doing so, because the rent she asked was much lower than that of your average apartment and still got me used to paying rent in the first place, so that it was less of a shock to have to start doing so when I moved out.
As for the basement…sebz jung jr frr bs vg yngre, vg'f npghnyyl abg nyy gung onq. Vg'f avpr sbe n svefg fghqvb naq tvirf uvz uvf bja ragenapr, nyybjvat uvz zber vaqrcraqrapr guna ur'q unir vs ur fgvyy yvirq va uvf byq orqebbz.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0exgri8bD1qz5stv.png" />
This is absolutely hilarious.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0exhmXmoc1qz5stv.png" />
I love her look of amusement as he picks his words for how to describe their relationship. Phina Oruche is stunning, btw. GOOD TASTE GILES.
I don't have time to do a lengthy review so just my two favorite scenes today. Also a recognition of Xander being loveable Xander in this ep.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0exgri8bD1qz5stv.png" />
This is absolutely hilarious.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0exhmXmoc1qz5stv.png" />
I love her look of amusement as he picks his words for how to describe their relationship. Phina Oruche is stunning, btw. GOOD TASTE GILES.
I don't have time to do a lengthy review so just my two favorite scenes today. Also a recognition of Xander being loveable Xander in this ep.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0exgri8bD1qz5stv.png" />
This is absolutely hilarious.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0exhmXmoc1qz5stv.png" />
I love her look of amusement as he picks his words for how to describe their relationship. Phina Oruche is stunning, btw. GOOD TASTE GILES.
I don't have time to do a lengthy review so just my two favorite scenes today. Also a recognition of Xander being loveable Xander in this ep.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0exgri8bD1qz5stv.png" />
This is absolutely hilarious.
<img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0exhmXmoc1qz5stv.png" />
I love her look of amusement as he picks his words for how to describe their relationship. Phina Oruche is stunning, btw. GOOD TASTE GILES.
I don't have time to do a lengthy review so just my two favorite scenes today. Also a recognition of Xander being loveable Xander in this ep.
V'q sbetbggra ubj uvynevbhf gur Vavgvngvir vf va gur svefg srj rcvfbqrf orsber jr ernyyl svaq bhg nobhg gurz. Whfg enaqbz thlf va pnzbhsyntr perrcvat nebhaq va gur ohfurf!
V guvax zl urneg fxvccrq n orng ng Znex'f narhevfz ~cerqvpgvba~. Abg pbby, Znex, abg ng nyy.
Ok, over-identification time!
This is an episode in which I connect deeply with Buffy so I find it hard to be objective. I also went to Uni with a couple of my friends and made the mistake of thinking that it'd be just like school except with perhaps a bit more freedom. Both my best friends fitted in instantly while I floundered, I think I'd perhaps been relying on their support too much so when they didn't meet up when they promised to or when they left me in places by myself I felt completely lost (I was also a lot further away from home than Buffy is here). Also I had a pretty mean lecturer who in the first lecture said something suitably harsh to me like Buffy experiences here. So I did drop out of Uni. I hadn't really prepared myself for such a drastic life change and the difference of suddenly being thought of as an adult who was supposed to solve all of her own problems as opposed to a child (as it felt at the time) I found pretty hard and I didn't really want to bother other people with my problems as I felt ashamed of not being able to handle things on my own. What followed that was a pretty difficult year before going to a different Uni and having a slightly more successful time there (well, I graduated anyway!)
So I love this episode of Buffy, the first half just perfectly captures how I felt at that time in my life. And then Buffy, being the heroine that she is, gets to defeat the physical embodiment of those feelings and make me feel better. 🙂
Since we're all sharing college stories….
I guess I'm one of the odd ones out. Or maybe I'm just more a Willow than a Buffy. Left the Pacific NW to go to university in Scotland, and I never looked back. Loved every minute of it and was never homesick. There were probably times when I felt overwhelmed, and there were a few profs I was not thrilled with, but all in all, it was an awesome experience which I would not trade for anything. I continue to recommend it to other people who do not realise that going overseas is not actually more expensive (and in some cases considerably less so) than going to an equivalent school in the US. (Also, they don't tend to fuck around with things like a "core curriculum". I never had to take a single math or science class. I took three or four classes a semester (12 class hours per week), studied History [my major], English, and Moral Philosophy [for fun], and graduated with an MA at the end of four years.)
It's a fabulous typo!!! Because I'm pretty sure I developed a crush on my TV in college….I had free cable my senior year….so little productivity, way too much Project Runway……..
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz
I was wondering when someone was going to mention UC Sunnydale is UCLA! Also my alma mater! They filmed so much of the freshman there, almost all of the exterior shots. I love how much time they spent in Powell and the very accurate scene up Bruin Walk. They do have some shots of Haines in later episodes, but I'm pretty sure Buffy's dorm is Franz Hall, the psychology building. I'm gonna try to post a pic but I may fail: : <img src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTCBWbjib0xiJVSA6XF5d9y6yKHIUyRHnzlpIOOxs5jIkkoVpYRrQ">
I was wondering when someone was going to mention UC Sunnydale is UCLA! Also my alma mater! They filmed so much of the freshman there, almost all of the exterior shots. I love how much time they spent in Powell and the very accurate scene up Bruin Walk. They do have some shots of Haines in later episodes, but I'm pretty sure Buffy's dorm is Franz Hall, the psychology building. I'm gonna try to post a pic but I may fail: : <img src="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTCBWbjib0xiJVSA6XF5d9y6yKHIUyRHnzlpIOOxs5jIkkoVpYRrQ">
SCOTLAND!!!!!!!!!
Scottish Unis are clearly the best. Obviously don't answer this if you're not comfortable, but can I ask which Uni you went to?
Ubcrshyyl, fur znxrf rabhtu zbarl gb abg unir na narhelfz sebz cnlvat sbe Ohssl’f obbxf
Jryy, gurer jrag GUNG pbssrr. Nyy bire gur zbavgbe.
St Andrews. I graduated in 2001 with an MA in Mediaeval History & Archaeology.
Re your rot13: gurer ner arire unccl nppvqragf jvgu Wbff. Ur rvgure qbrf vg ba checbfr, be qbrf vg naq gur ergpbaf rirelguvat gb znxr vg ybbx yvxr vg jnf qbar ba checbfr.
Oh Mark, I love your feels as always. You are so unprepared, I just want to point and giggle 😀 But re: the professor who kicks Buffy out, really, people like that exist? That just seemed really really unrealistic to me and like a desperate attempt by the writers to point out that Buffy does not fit in, like OK we get it already. But then I haven't been to college in the US so I don't know how it works.
I like this episode. It's not the most amazing or groundbreaking episode ever, but it stands up on rewatch and has fun moments. I enjoyed the portrayal of Willow as the smart high school outcast who absolutely blossoms in college. You can tell immediately that Willow is going places while Buffy seems petrified and awkward. To be honest the first day shenanigans kind of bored me. It's not as if it's the first time we see a depiction of the awkward first days of college on TV. My experience at college was more like Willow's so I couldn't really relate to Buffy and just kept wanting her to get it together. Sunday was fun though and it's too bad they got rid of her so early.
What made the episode for me was Xander's speech to Buffy at the Bronze. It's my favorite Xander moment of all time. How fucking amazing for Buffy to hear "You're my hero. I look up to you."
Oh Mark, I love your feels as always. You are so unprepared, I just want to point and giggle 😀
Wblpr'f narhelfz, Pbeqryvn, Evyrl, Jnyfu!!! FB HACERCNERQ!
But re: the professor who kicks Buffy out, really, people like that exist? That just seemed really really unrealistic to me and like a desperate attempt by the writers to point out that Buffy does not fit in, like OK we get it already. But then I haven't been to college in the US so I don't know how it works.
I like this episode. It's not the most amazing or groundbreaking episode ever, but it stands up on rewatch and has fun moments. I enjoyed the portrayal of Willow as the smart high school outcast who absolutely blossoms in college. You can tell immediately that Willow is going places while Buffy seems petrified and awkward. To be honest the first day shenanigans kind of bored me. It's not as if it's the first time we see a depiction of the awkward first days of college on TV. My experience at college was more like Willow's so I couldn't really relate to Buffy and just kept wanting her to get it together. Sunday was fun though and it's too bad they got rid of her so early.
What made the episode for me was Xander's speech to Buffy at the Bronze. It's my favorite Xander moment of all time. How fucking amazing for Buffy to hear "You're my hero. I look up to you."
Buffy's roommate reminds me of my first freshman roommate. She came in and put up several posters of Marilyn Monroe and started unpacking her makeup. She wasn't bad, just really girly and neat and totally not my kind of person. Plus, she went to bed at like 10PM every night and I was up till 2-3. Finally, she moved out to move in with another friend of hers and I talked a friend from down the hall to move in with me so they wouldn't stick someone random in there. And then I had an awesome roommate!
I'm at St Andrews now 🙂 IR, like half the population here.
I seem to be in the minority, but I don't really like this episode. There are a lot of good moments and themes that are explored about the newness of college, all of the challenges of discovering who you are and the loneliness of a big, unfamiliar campus. But when Buffy hurts, I hurt. She is so lost and alone and she makes me feel exactly that (which I guess makes it a good episode?). I was a Willow when I started school. Everyone was new and didn't know anyone, so everyone was friendly. We had a week before classes started, so that helped everyone get oriented. And I never had a professor like Buffy's first pop culture teacher, and I went to college in California (UCLA! aka UC Sunnydale)
But this episode had a lot of good moments, most of which have already been mentioned, but here are a few more:
Gur sberfunqbjvat bs gur narhelfz "V ubcr vgf n shaal narhelfz" V lryyrq jura V urneq gung! naq Bapr Zber jvgu Srryvat.
“The books were just too high and then everything was bad.” I still say "…and then everything was bad"
“I’m nice to meet.” LOL
Professor Walsh saying she’s the Evil Bitch-Monster of Death.
“I just go slip into something a little less comfortable.”
“I’m not supposed to not have a private life?”
“No! Because you’re very, very old, and it’s gross.”
Cancer of the puppy lol
Xander said Avengers assemble! Can’t wait!
Renaissance and reconnaissance 🙂
¡Uv, Cebsrffbe Znttvr Jnyfu. V ernyyl yvxr lbh. Gung zrnaf V unir znqr n uhtr zvfgnxr ol fgngvat guvf, naq lbhÂsyy or qrnq ol zvq-frnfba.
bu, v ybir lbh znex!!! unununuununununuun!!!
It looked like a legit UCLA lecture hall, but I can never figure out which one! I obviously never had a lecture in it.
And I am convinced that the design of the sets used for UC Sunnydale (the ones we see when Buffy is taking psychology) are based on the interior design of Royce Hall because the resemblance is too much to be a coincidence.
I like Riley.
Va zl bcvavba ur qbrfa'g qb nalguvat gb znxr uvzfrys na hayvxrnoyr punenpgre hagvy zvq Frnfba 5, naq ur'f abg obevat. V guvax gur jevgref znqr n zvfgnxr va trggvat evq bs uvz. Ur jnf fbzrguvat Ohssl arrqrq va ure yvsr.
Vs vg urycf ng nyy, gurer ner shaal cnegf gb vg! Vg'f abg nyy fpnel!
Guvf. Evyrl vf phgr, gura gheaf gb ornenoyr, gura naablvat. Naq jryy nsgre gung, fuvggl fuvg jub V srry ab fbeel sbe. Ur oernxf Ohssl'f urneg qhr gb uvf bja srryvatf bs vanqrdhnpl. Ohg sbe gur zbzrag ur vf bx, naq znxrf gur jubyr vavgvngvir guvat ornenoyr. (V'z zber bs n qrzba thl guna Senaxrafgrva'f zbafgre sna)
He does.
I hope once I get to be a slacker in my forties (instead of a slacker in his twenties), I can still score some fine examples of human beings of my preferred gender like he can. GILES YOU ARE MY ~IDOL~
Is something up with the comments? I’m only seeing 138 for this and 6 for Angel, and I know that can’t be right!