Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Halloween.

episode 18.
airdate: 27 October 1997

The first of many good Halloween episodes. This is the one where they become their costumes. Buffy is a helpless southern belle or something, Willow is a ghost, Xander is an army guy (this is where he gets the much-referenced army knowledge), and Cordelia is unaffected because she got her costume somewhere the others did not. It's an enchanted costume shop thing. The proprietor cast a spell on the costumes, etc.

It's supposed to be a slow time for demonfolk on Halloween. It's too "commercial", so they generally stay in.

Buffy's eyebrows are a bit overplucked...but that was a thing, I suppose.

Second episode with Spike. He's gonna try to kill Buffy on Halloween instead of staying in like a good vampire because Drusilla had a vision that Buffy would be rendered helpless somehow. Second ep with Oz too. Cordy looks hot in her cat outfit. Kid demons everywhere and Ethan Rayne worships chaos and sounds like he's reading from the Necronomicon.

Willow: She couldn't have dressed up like Xena?

First instance of Willow taking command when Buffy's absent or disposed. First mention of Giles' dark past and his nickname "Ripper" when he recognizes Ethan. Xander is kicking some ass! Yeah, so is Giles! This is the ep of peeps not usually ass-kickin' ass-kickin'. Nice. mmm, peeps.

Cute little sub-plot of Willow becoming more confident with herself in a skimpy outfit over the course of the episode. She walks confidently by at the end of the ep and Oz sees her and says "Who is that girl?" for the second time. Yeay, it's almost Oz time!! Yuck, I still hate Angel/Buffy kissing.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Reptile Boy.

episode 17.
original airdate in the US: 13 October 1997.

The show opens with one of my favorite scenes ever. Buffy, Xander, and Willow are watching a Bollywood film in Hindi and speculating on the meaning, all on Buffy's bed. I love the scenes that emphasize the friendship between the three of them. It reminds me of Kim, Mike, and me in high school, and every time the three of us are together now. Cut to woman running for her life through the cemetery. It looks like monks are chasing her, but then you see it's a posh rich boy of teen-age.

Giraffe pants! Buffy's wearing giraffe pants! They ALMOST cancel out the horrible white see-through lace top she's touting.

Cordelia and Buffy are going to a fraternity party together. And the fraternity are into reptile demon-y stuff, of course. That's the episode premise. There are virgin girl sacrifices involved, of course. Cordelia and Buffy end up being drugged and kidnapped and chained up in the basement. Xander infiltrates the party to "keep an eye on Buffy" and then finds out what's REALLY going on at some point.

Buffy lies to Giles about going to the party--she tells him she's not feeling well and has homework. Have you ever seen someone slow dance at a party? Seriously? Never happens. Buffy has a nice smoky-eye thing going on at the party. Xander gets found out as a party-crasher and the frat boys dress him in a dress and wig and make him pledge.

Willow gives Angel and Giles a cute lecture about how they each treat Buffy (Angel being aloof and Giles overworking Buffy). Xander punches a guy out for the first time (I think)! The Reptile Boy looks like a giant penis, of course.

GIles/Buffy exchange of cuteness:

B: I told one lie. I had one drink.
G:Yes, and you were very nearly devoured by a giant demon snake...the words "Let that be a lesson" are a tad redundant at this juncture.
B: I'm sorry.
G: So am I. I...I drive you too hard because I know what you have to face. From now on, no more pushing. No more prodding...just an inordinate amount of nudging.

Second sighting of Jonathan. This is the episode of see-through shirts on Buffy. There were three.

Commentary (by David Greenwalt) notes added 5.22.13: This episode is supposed to be about Buffy feeling like a kid, like everyone's treating her like a kid so she makes a bad decision in line with that. I apparently have nothing to say about that.

Ugh, as usual I'm getting nowhere with this. Surely the first two episodes, and thus my last two episodes with commentary, will have Joss.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Inca Mummy Girl.

Season 2, ep 4.

At this point, it seems that they're alternating a semi-serious episode with a fluff episode. Here's another fluff ep. Pretty good-lookin' mummy, actually...accurate, I mean. Cordelia's hair is really light. Yuck. It looks much better as dark brown.

So, this one's about a mummy girl that sucks the life/moisture out of people to stay alive. She takes a liking to Xander, but she's really a sweet girl (mostly) and doesn't want to kill him so she kills other people instead of him. She's very pretty, when she's not a mummy.

Ooh ooh, entrance of Oz! Seth Green with facial hair...weird. And much more talkative than usual.

Buffy looks real pretty in purple eyeshadow.

There's a parallel here between the chosen death sacrifice of the Incan Princess and Buffy the Chosen Slayer, obviously.

Oz notices Willow in her Eskimo outfit. Boys never wear black nailpolish anymore! I miss that! To me it seemed so masculine and sexy. First Jonathan appearance! Xander is too skinny right now; I like it when he's a bit pudgy.

I seem to be getting all taciturn like Oz, so I think that means I'll quit for the day. Goodnight!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: School Hard.

Season 2, ep 3.

Spike!! Spike!! Spike!!

Buffy and the other most meddlesome kid in school, a girl named Sheila, have to organize Parent/Teacher Night. Ope, Buffy has camel toe! Why do I keep noticing camel toe?

Hell, yeah! Metal music, Spike running over the Sunnydale sign and smoking a cigarette in his long black leather trenchcoat. I'm headbanging and holding up hardcore hand signals right now...and rewinding, so I can watch that entrance again. Also, combat boots, black nailpolish, a Zippo, and he exhales the smoke through his nostrils. Baaaaaaad boy, Spikey! Yeow!

So far, they haven't showed any vampire except Angel NOT in vamp face...I'm thinking Spike may be the second...oh, nope. The entrance of Drusilla, she was without vamp face and immediately when Spike sees her his goes away revealing his most human trait immediately, as love, of course.

Spike's first interaction with Buffy is a slow clap and a "Niiiice work, love" and then a threat to kill her on Saturday. Cordelia is helping whittle stakes. She's almost fully integrated into the gang these days.

Giles had to do research to find that Spike has fought and killed two Slayers in the last century? Why would he not have already known that? He's a professional Watcher, right? Perhaps Giles doesn't read as much as he says he does, eh?

This is Joyce's first time seeing Buffy in fighting action, I think.

Continuity Issue: Spike calls Angel his "sire" when we all know Spike's sire was Drusilla. But to be fair, they didn't know at this point they would be keeping Spike on for six whole seasons.

Yeah, Joyce hits Spike in the head with a fire ax!! Go Joyce-y!!

The first indication that Principal Snyder and the Chief of Police, later the Mayor, know about vampires is at the end of this ep. Snyder is talking to the Chief of Police and they decide to tell the press the "usual" story; "gang-related, PCP" instead of the truth.

Joyce gives Buffy a little approval and validation, making her into a little more of a sympathetic figure and not just the big scary mom.

Spike: A Slayer with family and friends, that sure as hell wasn't in the brochure!

Spike kills the Anointed One. Yeay for Spike and Drusilla!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Some Assembly Required

Season 2, ep 2.

Cute little Buffy/Angel argument. God help me, I think they're cute these days.

So, in this ep there are high school boys trying to assemble the perfect zombie girlfriend for their dead friend/brother they've already resurrected. They've been doing this task by digging up recently dead girls, but they need a very fresh head, so they start hunting live girls.

And they reveal who the boys are by 8 minutes in.

According to Giles "zombies don't eat the flesh of the living". How come in movies when football stars die, the moms always sit in an armchair in their nighties smoking and watching home videos of the kid's games of yore?

Giles is wearing a pink sweater vest...yum. And I think Buffy's braless, and her boobs are better than mine...damn!

Cordelia has the head they wish to harvest. Cordelia in peril in BOTH of the first two eps of the season. They just like listening to her scream. If I were taking a shot every time Cordelia squeals in this episode, I'd be WASTED by now.

Buffy was almost defeated by an undead jock?! What? Why does she seem weaker when fighting (almost) humans? Lame. This is one of the worst episodes ever. Buffy and Angel are acting like bf/gf...holding hands, fighting as if they have a relationship...aw, and Buffy is walking Angel home. How cute is that? Earlier, Cordelia opened a door for Angel too. I wonder if Joss intentionally does little gender role reversals like that on purpose...wait, of COURSE he does.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: When She Was Bad

episode 13.

First ep of season 2, here we go! This is the one where Buffy comes back from her summer in L.A. and she's like a total biotch, yo! Dealing with that post-death angst..at least it doesn't last a whole season...OH! Sarah Michelle Gellar looks instantly older. She's hiding her pain for the first time. Secretive Buffy has arrived. Damn! That season 1 cutesy innocence is over.

Giles' interest in Ms. Calendar is revealed.

Terrible music in the training montage! Ew.

What school has a lounge area with couches? Buffy's crocheted pillowcases make me laugh. Ok, Angel was in her room watching her sleep...again, how creepy is that? Yuck, Buffy's wearing mom pants and an ill-fitting tank top. Only in 1997 could Cibo Matto just happen to be playing in a fictional town called Sunnydale. Color me jealous!

Sexy bitch dance with Xander. Not fair! I wanna dance with Xander like that! He looks totally taken advantage of, like he feels like a whore.

Cordelia speech!!
C: Buffy! You're really campaigning for bitch of the year, aren't you?
B: As defending champion, you nervous?
C: I can hold my own. You know, we've never really been close, which is nice, 'cause I don't really like you that much, but you have on occasion saved the world and stuff, so I'm gonna do you a favor.
B: ...and this great favor is?
C: I'm gonna give you some advice. Get over it! Whatever's causing the Joan Collins 'tude, deal with it. Embrace the pain, spank your inner moppet, whatever, but get over it. Pretty soon you're not even gonna have the loser friends you've got now.

And of course, Buffy's negligence of her friends and INSISTING she can do things alone has immediate consequences. Willow, Giles, Cordelia, and Ms. Calendar have been kidnapped by the Anointed One and friends and need to be bled in order to resurrect the Master.

Cordelia killed her first vampire!

And now she smashes the Master's bones into dust. Work out those issues, Buffy!!

Oh no, Cordelia has camel toe!

All is forgiven and everyone's happy at the end of 43 minutes...

Xander: We Bronzin' it tonight?
Willow: It's Wednesday, kinda beat...
X: Well, we could grind our enemies into talcum powder, but gosh, we did that last night. (cute Xander smile) Bad piano resolution music!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Prophecy Girl

Episode 12 of Season 1.

Things are getting serious now. I totally didn't realize that the last episode of disc 3 is the last episode of the season! This season is probably the only season wherein there's not a big dramatic buildup to the last ep of the season. Really nice slow motion vampire staking scene at the beginning! You can definitely feel the gravity of the season-ender.

Earthquake. As they're showing all the characters experiencing the earthquake, they show Cordelia, so they are definitely gearing up to make her a bigger cast member. And the Master made his first joke...the first indication of the incredible humor Joss usually gives his Big Bads. Yeay!

And double yeay for short blue snakeskin skirt!

Ohhh, I hate the scene where Xander asks Buffy out. Xander rejection makes me sad. I don't like mean Xander sarcasm.

The word Apocalypse has been used! Ooh, I should count Apocalypses!

"I'm just gonna go home, lie down, and listen to country music. The music of pain." -Xander.

Mmm, faucets pouring blood. Giles sharing prophecy with Angel. Prophecy thus: Tomorrow night Buffy will face the Master, and Buffy will die. Oh dear, Buffy is throwing a fit.

Giles is taking his glasses off an awful lot, but not cleaning them. It's a good thing I'm not counting him just taking them off because I'd have already lost count. Giles is knocked out again; this time, by Buffy.

Xander seeks Angel's help, despite his hurt feelings and hating Angel, like he does, all black-and-white-like. No-gray-area Xander is what we call him.

Buffy's first vampire bite. And her first death too. How quaint. And Xander brings her back. He saves the world. I should count that, too. Cordelia is helping avert the Apocalypse! How cute is that?

There's a lot of Willow screaming going on.

Yeay, an Apocalypse averted! Time for season 2!!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Out of Mind, Out of Sight

*I've decided that the "one-Buffy-episode-a-day" thing is more of a suggested average than a strict rule. Right now I am 6 episodes behind. Hopefully I can finish disc 3 tonight and this week is a light work week for me, so I should have plenty of time to catch up...

Episode #11 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: the shownotes of a Fuchsia-haired weird girl:

This is the episode where a terminally-shy-and-unnoticed girl becomes literally invisible. The "anger of the outcast". This is something, as an outcast myself, I never really experienced. I guess maybe I don't count as a real outcast because I CHOSE the lifestyle. I was called a slut and a freak, but it was because of how I dressed. I knew how to act socially to be popular, I just didn't care to play the game, so I didn't. I can't really imagine what it would have felt like to care about popularity. I was always fine on my own and with the approval of my few friends. As my friend Nicole reminded me last week, I was always nice to everyone, so I think I was well-liked, though again, I didn't pay that much attention.

They're still establishing the rules of the show at this point...reinforcing the metaphoric text (girl feels invisible, then becomes invisible). They still haven't started making Cordelia sympathetic...she's just the stereotypical popular bitch still. But it is clear that she is the symbol, at least to Buffy, of the normal girl life she's left behind and can no longer inhabit.

"Reality is shaped, even created by our perception." Once again, Giles nails it.

Ok, maybe they do know where they're taking Cordelia's character. She just showed up in the library and is asking for Buffy's help. This is the beginning of Cordelia being a part of the Gang. Eep!

Cute little popularity speech from Cordelia:

C: So, are you saying she's invisible because she's so unpopular?
B: That about sums it up!
C: Bummer for her. It's awful to feel that lonely.
B: ...so you've read something about the feeling?
C: Hey! You think I'm never lonely because I'm so cute and popular? I can be surrounded by people and be completely alone. It's not like any of them really know me. I don't even know if they like me half the time. People just want to be in the popular zone. Sometimes when I talk, everyone is so busy agreeing with me, they don't hear a word I say...
B: Well, if you feel so alone, then why do you work so hard at being popular?
C: Well, it beats being alone all by yourself.

Just when I realize they're not showing any depth to Cordelia, they pull out her tactless truthfulness, perhaps the best part of her character's personality. This is the first time they've really shown any of her traits beyond ruthless popularity.

Creepy that the invisible girl numbs Cordelia's face in order to carve into it while she's on her May Queen throne. It's the opposite of Carrie. This is a little bit TOO creepy. The kid gets a little too crazy too fast just for being unnoticed in high school. I suppose that's how school shootings happen, though.

Oh, yeah, the FBI comes in and uses Invisible Girl for secret agent stuff.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Nightmares

episode 10 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: a girl's inane shownotes.

One of the Slayer's supernatural gifts is premonition-type dreams. The first nightmare of the episode is about the Master (the show's first Big Bad) defeating her, which means they're gearing up for the season's end. It's about time! Outfits one and two are light and fluffy even though she's plagued with nightmares. I miss those big ass rings of the '90s. I need some more of those big plastic colorful globe rings.

In this episode we get to see everyone's secret nightmares. What are my nightmares? Being lost in the church I went to as a child. Being late to class or work and not being able to find where I'm going. I used to have nightmares about not being able to stop my car, then I got a car with better brakes. I used to have nightmares about running from a big scary man and my feet would get stuck and I couldn't move, then I took control of my life and stopped associating with asshole-type-men.

It seems odd that Buffy has a fear of becoming a vampire. Ok, the nightmares are real. Giles can't read. That's the nightmare that is horrifying to me! First appearance of Buffy's dad. First of like two. First time seeing Buffy cry. I love how Buffy cries. Her eyes get all wide and horrified. Mean dad nightmare!

Cordelia's nightmare is crimped hair, apparently...and being on the chess team.

The nightmare demon manifestation has a big club hand and is very scarred and gnarly. Since when does Xander gorge on sweets? Willow has to sing Madame Butterfly in front of people which is inexplicable that she is always having these public performance nightmares in all the dream sequence episodes because they never really discuss the reason for this. Xander just punched out the clown from his nightmare; just confronted it head-on.

This is the first episode where there's a whole Sunnydale-wide epidemic. Everyone is living out their nightmares. So It's not Buffy's nightmare wherein she's a vampire: its Giles'. Or, really, both of theirs at this point in the dream wherein everything is a nightmare. Good episode!

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Puppet Show

Episode 9.
airdate: 5 May 1997.

Introduction of principal Snyder, forcing Buffy, Xander, Giles, and Willow to participate. bwa ha haaaa! I hate ventriloquism, though. Creeps me out. Just imagining these guys sitting at home practicing...talking to the doll, the doll talking back. It's all very serial-killery to me.

This is another episode I normally skip. If I had started watching Buffy back in season one, I might not have been as intrigued, though it is still very high-quality programming. It's just not emotionally-wrenching quite yet. But that's ok, because there shouldn't be dramatic turmoil in a sophomore's life. Really soon, things won't be all cute and calm anymore, so I should just enjoy the lightheartedness at the beginning.

I wish I had a leopard minidress! If only Buffy had stayed this weight. Her thighs are thick in such a hot way at this point.

Giles is wearing a sexy burnt orange cardigan.

I think they actually hired an actor that is phenomenal at ventriloquism! That's impressive, even though it freaks me out.

Buffy wears a lot of white tank tops and white babydoll tees with images on them. I wonder if they put her in white because she's a symbol of goodness and morality and all that. That would make sense, but it's pretty typical symbolism. I swear this is not the same costume designer as in later seasons, unless whoever it is gets MUCH better later on. Buffy pretty regularly is either wearing white and cuddly outfits or dark and vampy outfits, which DOES make sense. And to prove my point, she is now in all black right after the white tank outfit...and right before THAT outfit was the leopard minidress with black go-go boots. I wonder how consistent this formula is. They probably phase out the lighter, cuddlier outfits as time goes on...as Buffy herself gets darker and more tortured. Right now she hasn't reconciled her Slayer self with her Cutesy Blond self. It's odd to see her in white and pink with bows.

What is the real-life metaphor for this episode? The dummy wants to be human and is an entity trapped in an inanimate object...but what real-life parallel is there? Besides ventriloquists being creepy and probably, just to be on the safe side, you shouldn't trust them.

Oh, wait, the dummy isn't evil? I'm confused. The demon is one of the kids in the talent show? Nope. Ok, maybe he is evil. Xander saves the day by keeping Giles from getting his skull sliced open by a guillotine and some teen demon guy. ANd now there's another demon guy. Wtf is going on with this episode? Ok, the puppet is not evil?

"I don't get it." -principal Snyder sums it up.