Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Consequences

Episode 49.
airdate: 16 Feb 1999.

In the Buffyverse, rule #1 is that every action has consequences, and Faith fucking KILLED somebody. So, there will be consequences...

Opening sequence is Buffy dreaming of Faith drowning her. She is wearing innocent flannel sheep pajamas, of course. Joyce is watching the news; of course they've found the body of the deputy Faith killed.

Icky: sexual tension between Cordelia and Wesley.

Angel is lurking at the scene of the crime and knows what's up 'cause he saw Buffy right afterwards in that area with blood on her hand...and I'm sure he can smell the blood on her hand and the blood on the scene and know it's the same blood. Vampire senses.

Faith has infinite wisdom, as per usual: "It doesn't matter what kind of vibe you get off a person 'cause 9 times out of 10, the face they're showin' you ain't the real one." Buffy wants to tell and Faith is wanting to let it blow over. She tells Buffy that they've saved thousands and she "missed the mark" with that guy and she's sorry, but they're in the plus column. Buffy says that doesn't make them better than anyone else and Faith says "We ARE better." I kinda agree with Faith on this one. I would trust telling Giles, but you have to reconcile the good with the bad. It sucks that it happened, but seriously, when you're built to be a killing machine, how can you not ever harm a human amongst all the baddies? How many accidental deaths have happened at the hands of well-meaning police officers? I'm sure it haunted them forever, but it's part of the territory. You can't be perfect. You can't unendingly do good. There's no use beating yourself up about this if you're a Slayer. Buffy will always have trouble confronting how she feels about her duty as a Slayer. She DOES think she's better. If she could admit that, she might be able to use it to her advantage. Her insistence that they do everything HER way alienates Faith. There was some openness to her...she could have gotten in if she had given just a little.

Cops question Buffy and Faith. Angel is still lurking about...Mr. Lurky.

Buffy tells Willow first. I like it when they emphasize their friendship; it doesn't happen often, but it's meaningful. Willow suggests she go to Giles, of course. She does, but Faith has already told him the story backwards. I'm callin' it: She has officially turned to the Dark Side. Buffy rushes to defend herself but as soon as Faith leaves Giles reveals that he could tell she was lying. Giles tells her its "not the first time something like this has happened" and she's shocked of course because she can't see anything beyond her dramatic and tiny little sphere. They agree on a meeting of everyone (everyone being Xander and Willow, I presume) to talk about how to help Faith deal with what has happened. Wesley overhears the whole conversation, so of course he's going to call the Council and be impetuous and fuck everything up for Faith even more. My heart really goes out to Faith. I hate to see her fall every time. It's devastating to watch someone so close to recovery from a life of emotional turmoil just be shoved in the opposite direction.

During the talk between the Gang they agree one-on-one is the best way to approach Faith and Xander suggests he do it because they've been close. He reveals that they slept together and Willow is visibly upset. She is later shown crying in the bathroom. The way they dealt with her later lesbianism ruins the gravity of moments like this. I've always thought it would be much more believable if they would have wrote her as being bisexual once she met Tara. It is clear that she at one time really loved both Xander and Oz. I don't understand the shift they made in her later...she never looked at another boy once she got with Tara. That's not how being a lesbian works. She could have had the exact same relationships she has season 4 and beyond without suddently BECOMING a lesbian. That's just a pet peeve of mine.

Xander goes to talk to Faith. He says insightful things, like Xander does. Faith kind of almost rapes Xander. Scary. Kind of almost strangles him. Good thing Angel has been lurking. He saves Xander then kidnaps Faith and chains her up in his house. Then you go, "AHA! Angel is the perfect person to talk to Faith!" He really is. He's on a path to redemption and knows what it feels like to kill. And JUST as he's starting to get through to her, Wesley and the Council show up. Grrr.

She escapes. After Faith bests Wesley, he is remorseful and finally lets them have the power instead of trying to exert his control. Buffy finds Faith.

Faith: You need me to tow the line because you're afraid you'll go over it, aren't you, B?

I love that line! She's right. The Mayor's people show up and Buffy and Faith fight them. Faith has a chance to escape while Buffy is in danger of being drained by Mr. Trick, but she saves her. Hopeful convo with Buffy and Giles afterwards, then

Faith shows up at the Mayor's office. She convinces him to give her a job. I forgot she went to him and not the other way around! Much as I hate to watch her fall, Faith's relationship with the Mayor is really fun to watch.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Phases

Episode 27.
airdate: 27 January 1998

Time for an Oz-centric episode to get the awful taste of Angel out of our mouths. Werewolves! Giles and I are both giddy.

Buffy always looks like such a thug in a black beanie. Best effect on the show so far: watching Oz turn from werewolf to himself again. Sort of uncharacteristic of Buffy to start blaming the werewolf who's a person 28 days out of the month. I wonder if that gay bully on Glee was modeled after the gay bully on Buffy.

Oz is gonna lock himself up when Willow comes over. Apparently, watching this episode has made me as monosyllabic as Oz himself. Weird menstruation parallels...not sure how that makes sense, as it's Oz and he's a boy. Maybe Joss' regular feminization of boys thing.

..."a werewolf in love".

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Surprise and Innocence.

Episodes 25 and 26.
airdates: 19 and 20 January 1998.

Surprise-

I really dislike Angel and Buffy together..have I mentioned that? So, I'm just gonna rip these last two episodes wherein she loses her virginity to him and he turns evil off like a Band-Aid, right now. You ready? I might have to drink heavily during this one, so don't mind my increasing deterioration of vocabulary.

Surprise starts with a Buffy nightmare. She's dreaming about Drusilla killing Angel on her birthday. Willow is speaking French to a monkey, too, just for inexplicable dream-ness.

Angel's topless again. And I'm drinking every time Buffy and Angel kiss in these two episodes. Drink. And again. And again. I'm counting every time they actually stop long enough to stare into one another's eyes (drink again) and talk. OMG, again!

Willow and Buffy talking about whether or not B will lose her V-card. It's a short convo, not super over-the-top like a lot of TV shows deal with the subject, though the fact that Joss turns Angel evil after they do it and makes him the cruelest person ever means that he's making a HUGE deal of it, but at least the deal is metaphorical.

Oz asking Willow out!!! Love it! Ok, I really love Willow as a lesbian and I also loved her with Oz and I am not one of those people that doesn't believe in bisexuals, but I'm just a little put-off by the way they treated the issue. After Tara, Willow is gay. I don't like that after her obvious attraction to both Oz and Xander, she just becomes gay. That's not how that works. It would have been a MUCH better explanation to just say that Willow is attracted to men and women. And they could have done this by simply never calling her a lesbian, or showing her attraction to men occasionally, but they don't. That's just my mini-beef with the series.

Xander calls Giles a "funky party weasel"! Cute.

First sighting of Spike in a wheelchair. Drusilla is getting pieces of a big butch vampire to reassemble for evil Apocalypse-ness, for her birthday.

Oh shit! This is the episode where you find out Jenny is not Jenny. She's part of the Gypsy tribe that cursed Angel.

I love that Oz is immediately, on their first date, introduced to the entire world of demon-ness and is not at all surprised by it. "Actually, it explains a LOT."

Angel just gave Buffy the claddagh ring and Michael just threw up a little bit in his mouth. Drink. Giraffe pants! Oh, man! She's going to lose her virginity shortly after wearing giraffe pants! I love that characters on this show actually rewear outfits.

Perfect Drusilla moment: she's dancing in a red satin dress to "Transylvanian Concubine" by Rasputina. Awesome!

There's a sense of real foreboding for me as Buffy and Angel run through the rain...there's only scant moments before they do it. And it's going to be gross. I hate the way Buffy kisses. She's sooo into it and there's a lot of head bobbing. This is the end of the really-in-love Buffy. It never happens again. Drink. Ohh, Angel's convulsing!

Innocence-

Angel is definitely evil again. He kills a woman, Drusilla can feel it...I'm excited that Buffy will now be the tortured soul she remains throughout the series (just because she acts tortured better than acting in love), but I hate it when Angel's evil. He's just too good at being a total dickface. The claddagh ring on Angel's finger is now pointed away from him as well. That's a nice little detail.

Willow catches Cordelia and Xander kissing. She has to go to the bathroom and cry a little for the final closure before she's ready to move on.

Oh, Angel's a dick. The quintessential asshole after sex. Sarcasm. Insults. It's positively horrific to watch. It's surprising that David Boreanaz hasn't been cast in more asshole roles. He's too good at it. Seething.

Buffy finds out about Jenny. Giles finds out about the sex. Everything is all effed up.

Oz's sweetness almost cancels out Angel's total dickness. Almost. And he's already helpin' out with the Scoobs! I love Oz so much!! More than Xander, really.

There's a lot of water (rain, lakes, sprinklers in malls) in these last two episodes. It must be a rebirth thing. Buffy lost to her virginity, Angel is now Angelus, Jenny is found out, Oz and Willow are starting, Cordelia and Xander were found out...lots of changes.

Commentary (by Joss Whedon) notes added 5.20.13: Joss is talking as if it's his first commentary. Hmm. Interesting. He calls this the most important episode he ever did. It exemplifies the emotional resonance that horror can have. Joss brought emotional resonance to horror for quite possibly the first time ever. The idea of Spike and Drusilla as villains is about two younger (looking) characters that could overlap in the lives of the Scoobies a bit more than the Master did in season 1. 

Joss talking (and I've wanted to hear his explanation on this for awhile) about the fact that he didn't want to kill the girl for having sex, though he punishes "the shit" out of her instead. He believes that Buffy and Angel were very much in love and what they did wasn't wrong, yet in horror you have to make consequences for everything in order to find the horror, find the emotional resonance. 

People didn't love Oz at first? That doesn't make sense to me at all. Something about wanting Willow to be with Xander, but Oz! You have to love Oz. I like the image of Giles and Xander together having to carry the rocket launcher in its box and then Buffy wields it by herself when she uses it. That's hot. 

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Teacher's Pet

Episode 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: shownotes of a big fat geek.

This is the one that's a badly veiled metaphor for teachers as sexual predators. This teach is a praying mantis and is the first, of many, demon-like creatures attracted to Xander. I had a teacher I liked once. He's still cute, but fortunately, he was not a predator, because I was dumb enough that I would have probably madeout with him and then been pissed at him later for taking advantage. It's not cool to make out with a 16 year old if you're a teacher; even if you're a really young hot teacher, ok? Don't do it!

Buffy in red satin. You'll never see that again! Wait, this is a dream sequence. Oh, man, seriously, who is doing the costume design here? They've got Buffy in a baby blue sleeveless sweater...oh, and it has a collar. And fucking pearl buttons! WTF?! I'm not even going to look up the costume designer because I don't want to hate her/him. Maybe they were having a bad year. I imagine the budget was terrible at this point and they didn't realize, apparently, that Buffy is a fashion icon, not a soccer mom. Yeesh! How come all I can talk about is fashion on these shownotes? Wow, I guess I do think about physical image a lot. I never really noticed. I suppose I did just spend 96$ this very night on glitter makeup online. Ok, I'm vain. I knew that. But glitter is priceless, man! And it was cruelty-free and neon, too!

First ep to get Angel (mostly) topless.

OMG, Giles is wearing a sweater vest, tweed, gingham, AND a tie. Sexy librarian!

Mmmm, a mayonnaise sandwich with crickets!

Ooh, remember babydoll shirts? I used to have one with a big lemon on it.

I usually like organic girl-predators, but the pedophile aspect here is throwing me. And insects just aren't as awesome as Poison Ivy. And at least she had a global goal!

This is the first ep where Buffy takes charge and tells everyone what to do instead of Giles. I've said it once and I'll say it again, I like Buffy with a little more meat. Her ass is poppin' in yellow pants! If only my ass stayed lush at such thinness levels...Sarah Michelle Gellar's genetic gifts are plentiful, that's for sure.

How come in TV shows and movies, everyone assumes you're NOT a virgin, until proven otherwise when you're in high school? Wouldn't it be the other way around? At 15, I didn't know a whole lot of nonvirgins...guess I wasn't enough of a delinquent.