Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Helpless.

I'm actually writing during the commentary of this episode, but I'm needing to create a whole new entry because I was immediately post-tornado when I watched this episode and didn't technically write an entire entry about it.

The commentary is by David Fury, writer of the episode. 

Buffy and Angel are dealing with the fact that they really can't ever consummate their relationship, and then he disappears for the rest of the episode inexplicably. 

This episode deals a lot with father figures betraying you. The patriarchy oppressing you, and in this case Buffy's father really never talks to her again and Giles ends up betraying "The Man" instead and choosing Buffy. He subverts the system, derails a tradition that's really just cruel and shitty (rendering the Slayer helpless with drugs in order to "test" her mental abilities? The premise doesn't even make sense. The fact that they're doing this to all Slayers on their 18th birthday is just a reassertion of their power over the Slayer. It's sick and gross and not cool at all. It's intensely dangerous to make a Slayer, someone who is used to having superpowers, suddenly helpless. But again, patriarchy of the Council...bullshit bullshit. They probably genuinely don't care if Buffy dies on her 18th birthday because if she does, a new Slayer will be called and everything will remain the same for them...wilted little boys not in danger ever. They're evil. 

Urgh. There's a severe thunderstorm happening right now and a tornado watch and Michael just packed an Apocalypse bag and the puppies are a little worried and there are the words "storm cell" and "squall line" in my vocabulary and I hate it. It's also kind of the tornado anniversary in that it's a Sunday, like 5.22.11 and today was the high school graduation like 5.22.11 and I'm on my period like 5.22.11. It's all very scary and I'm trying to watch Buffy instead of think about it but when I saw Michael packing the Apocalypse bag I started to freak out. *deep breath* Buffy is strong, even in her helplessness. She can save me. Only an hour until the watch has passed and then I'll really relax. 

I don't like that Buffy acts as helpless as she is. I realize she's really freaked out, but I think she would have acted a bit more fearless because even though the Slayer-strength is no longer there, she still has learned fighting techniques and has the memories of kicking ass for the last 3+ years. I just think the total helplessness is a bit exaggerated here. 

Apparently, the fact that the vampire took Buffy's red-hooded jacket is a Red Riding Hood thing. Not sure if I'd noticed that before or not. Maybe the image, but not necessarily thinking so far as to call the vampire the wolf in the scenario. 

I wonder if the reason B is more empowered at the end when she defeats the vamp is because she knows what's going on now or because she has just gotten used to the feeling of helplessness...or is she beginning to regain her prowess since she hasn't been dosed in awhile. This episode would have been way better if Joss had written it. The fact that Buffy is in overalls is pretty degrading too. It really denotes MORE of her lack of power. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Bad Girls

Episode 48.
airdate: 9 Feb 1999.


I've been avoiding this episode because it is so emotional. This is the turning point for Faith. It is the time in her life wherein she is finally pushed off the deep end of that cliff she's been teetering on...it's heartwrenching. I don't like to even watch it, but it's an important episode...

We start with a fight between Buffy, Faith, and two vampires. Vampires versus Slayers. Mayor is talking about his Ascension (different scene).

--I can't decide how to approach these blogs, still. Do I describe the action as if you can't see it for yourself or do I assume y'all have seen the episode or would be watching it along with me while reading the shownotes? I don't know if I feel like describing today, so I'm not going to try. Perhaps I'll just theorize and you can watch along with me if you have the DVDs or the entire series is available on Hulu AND Netflix streaming. So, nothing's stopping you.--

Enter Wesley...there's no way he could have found the musty old book he wanted while he's still unpacking.

(enter Faith into the library...sizes up Wesley)
Faith: New Watcher?
Buffy and Giles: New Watcher.
Faith: Screw that!
(Faith exits library)

Buffy goes after her and Faith does her whole "We're Slayers, we're better than everyone" thing.

"Slayin's what we were built for...if you're not enjoying it, you're doin' somethin' wrong." The theme here is Slayer vs. Slayer, how two very different girls handle the same job. Buffy tries to be pious and denies the corruption the job inevitably dispenses in great abundance, while Faith embraces it and takes it to its opposite extreme. Buffy and Faith both need to be a bit more like one another, but in this episode Buffy gets a little too into Faith's point of view. I am getting ahead of myself. Right now Faith is telling Buffy she doesn't have a plan and she's going anyway to fight 6 vamps all by herself and Buffy has to save her from her recklessness, so she goes too...

One of the vamps attempts to drown Buffy, and of course when she comes up from the water she's more hardcore than ever. This is the first time we really see her being heartless, a ghost of the Cold Buffy to come. She's growing up, you guys! It's sad, really. A hero's life would really suck. The next morning, her newfound darkness is prevalent in her wearing of a black leather jacket in contrast to her pastel of earlier in the episode.

Faith sneaks Buffy out of class to infiltrate a vampire nest and then they go out dancing at a club in the middle of the day...riiiiight. Oh, wait, it must be night 'cause there's Angel. Ew, Buffy's doing baby talk to Angel. Gross. The Bronze is so cool. Why isn't there a Bronze in real life? '90s music, Lush couches, Cibo Matto as regulars. Now there's breaking and entering. "Want. Take. Have." I suppose this is Wave of Corruption Phase 2. 1 was recklessness and the delusion of invincibility. Two is theft. The cops caught them as well so they're running from the police...after they wreck the squad car and break out. Morning two and Buffy is now wearing all black, and Faith is wearing a white shirt. I wonder if that's a nod to Buffy rubbing off on her just a little.

And then it happens. Buffy and Faith are fighting vampires in an alley and Faith accidentally kills a human. She's initially remorseful, which exhibits her propensity for good. This act of killing a human in the Buffyverse is a big no-no. There will be huge moral repercussions for both Buffy and Faith.

At the end of the ep Buffy goes to visit Faith as she's obsessively scrubbing blood from her shirt of the night before in the sink. She's still wearing the same amount of white as before while Buffy is now wearing pale blue again, though she looks like someone's mom here...Faith denies responsibility and her real feelings about everything. It ends with Buffy saying, "You don't get it. You killed. a. man." Faith, "No, YOU don't get it. I don't care." End credits.

Commentary (by Doug Petrie) notes added 5.19.13: Doug talking about Buffy's almost-drowning being a sort of baptism. Duh. Petrie isn't completely boring, but I may skip forward anyway...I'll give it a few more minutes. I never realized the heart that Faith draws on the window to lure Buffy out of class was a heart with a stake in it. I assumed she didn't finish a heart with an arrow through it. Doug keeps mentioning "lesbian subtext" but I don't really get that from this. When women are bonding in a new friendship, they're a little flirtatious. Big deal. That's the way of things. It would have been nice to see B and F building a good friendship over more than just this episode. I wish it could have been a longer run. If they had been allies longer, they could have BOTH felt less alone in the world.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Zeppo

Episode 47.
airdate: 26 Jan 1999.

This is the Xander-centric episode told mostly from his POV. He has his own little plucky soundtrack and the whole vibe is whimsical and much less dramatic than most episodes. Does this mean we take Xander less seriously? Perhaps. Let's dive in, shall we?

We begin with fog and Giles, Buffy, Faith, and Willow fighting a scary lady demon. They kill her. Willow is fighting with spells (turns out the fog was hers), Giles is fighting with knowledge, and Buffy and Faith are the brawn, of course. Xander is an afterthought. You don't even find out he's there, offscreen passed out, until the foe is vanquished and they've been assessing for a few lines of dialogue...

Buffy then encourages Xander to be "Fray Adjacent" from now on, stay out of danger etc. Giles concurs. So, the premise is set that Xander doesn't feel like a man and has some insecurities surrounding his place in the pack, etc.

Scene two shows Xander attempting to join in on a game of catch with some football jocks. He misses the ball when someone finally throws to him and it hits a slimy-looking bully kid who then threatens Xander. Cordelia oversees/hears and torments Xander and his lack of manliness/cool, calls him the zeppo.

Urbandictionary.com defines zeppo as; One person in a group or gang that is either used, ignored, and/or stepped on quite frequently.

Poor Xander.

At lunch, Xander ponders the essence of cool aloud to Oz. Xander decides he needs a thing.

Cut to Giles and Buffy...there's an Apocalypse comin'. The Hellmouth is going to open up and Oz's werewolf self is howling. Everyone is in research-mode but they barely mention it to Xander. Xander shows up in a beautiful turquoise convertible. A girl is interested in Xander because of his car and Cordelia oversees/hears. Turns out the girl is obsessed with cars and pretty boring. Xander sees Angel and offers to help, but Angel tells him "to stay out of harm's way".

Xander hits a car. Bully-dude shows up and threatens Xander with a knife. A cop shows up and Xander covers for bully-dude. Bully-dude decides Xander will be his wheel-man. He has Xander take him to "get the boys", which turns out are in the cemetery, 'cause they're dead. Zombie-dudes.

Cut to dramatic chanting in Latin or Aramaic or whatever from Giles...whoever he just summoned won't help him. Xander shows up along with his whimsical theme music and offers his help, again he is denied. Giles doesn't notice Xander is hanging out with zombies.

Poor Xander.

The Zombie Dudes make Xander take them to break into a hardware store for supplies to "bake a cake". Xander runs into Willow and she hugs him and tells him she loves him all dramatically. Xander escapes the Zombie Dudes and finds Faith fighting another lady demon. They escape to her room without her getting to kill the demon. She seduces Xander...thus he loses his virginity. Xander with his shirt off! Faith promptly kicks Xander out afterwards.

Oz-as-werewolf is pretty wound up 'cause of the Apocalypse and all, so Willow has to shoot him with a tranquilizer gun twice.

Xander realizes the "cake" the Zombie Dudes were making is actually a bomb. Xander decides he's out of his league and goes to find Buffy. Cut to Buffy and Angel in their normal yelling at each other drama...Xander shows up to ask for help, but seeing them yelling at each other decides to handle it on his own. The gang is doing heavy spell action in the library over the Hellmouth while Zombie Dudes are in the broiler room below setting up the bomb...meanwhile, Xander decides to find Giles for help, but at the last minute sees Zombie Dudes and drags one of them alongside his car getting information from him about where the bomb is.

The music in this episode really MAKES the episode. Xander's theme is whimsical fiddle, which plays when you're seeing his POV, whereas the rest of the time it's all drama Apocalypse orchestra...the transitions to and from Xander's theme to the serious movie theme that we'd be used to in an End-of-the-World episode is brilliant. Seeing it from Xander's perspective takes the pressure off a bit from the usual histrionics of the world through Buffy's eyes. It really makes the Buffy-world seem overly ridiculous.

Everyone is in the school now while Xander is trying to dismantle the bomb unbeknownst to the rest of the gang fighting the scary monsters coming out of the Hellmouth in the library. No one knows that the whole school might be blowed up by some mean Zombies and that Xander is on it! It comes down to a staring contest of will between Zombie Bully Dude Leader and Xander as the seconds tick by on the bomb. Xander wins out and Bully Dude dismantles the bomb, thus Xander saves the freaking world AND proves his manliness to Bully Dude, then Oz eats him...Bully Dude, not Xander (but Xander doesn't see this).

Xander's self worth is restored, and he tells no one what he did. So classy. Cordelia attempts to taunt Xander again and he just smiles and walks on by, not validating her at all. Yeah! Take that, bullies of the world!

Moral: Self worth comes from within. You don't need anyone else to validate you. I like it.