Buffy the Vampire Slayer + Angel Watchthrough

School Hard - Series Two, Episode Three

Notes:
- Oh, I really want an evil Principal Snyder episode. MEGA SNYDER!?
- Ah, so it's Piccolo's debut.
- Well, this is going to be my first impression of Spike, since I've mostly forgotten what he's like from when I watched the show as a kid. But since he's English, I imagine he'll be cynical and sarcastic and hopefully funny.
- Drucilla or however you spell her name is clearly not English too. If you can get the infallible Anthony Head to appear on your show Mr. Whedon then you can hire some other real English actors.
- "EVERYFINK I PUT IN THE GROUND WIVVUS AND DOYS... SPOIKE, I'M COLD."
- Plus she's fucking ugly as well.
- Credits say it's spelled Drusilla.
- Xander literally is Chandler. I'm pretty sure Chandler made a joke about whittling and whistling a jaunty tune.
- "The cow should touch me from Thursday." Let me show off:
- "La vaca debe tocarme de Miercoles." Woo, flawed high school Spanish.
- I love Willow pretending to like the punch.
- William the Bloody is a fucking silly name.
- Oh, I like Spike: "I couldn't wait."
- Plus he took my advice and attacked Buffy with more than three vampires.
- Buffy's mum is a terrible actress. Her "Nooo" when one of the parents tried to escape the school was delivered with no emotion.
- Hurrrhurr, Willow's trapped in the closet with a girl.
- I like the buddy-buddy relationship between Spike and Angel. I imagine we'll learn more about their history together.
- Fucking Buffy's Mum has to save the day. Why couldn't it have been Giles?
- Hell yeah Spike. Kill that little bastard.

Episode Rating

9.5/10

Episode really picked up when Spike attacked the school. Spike's a really awesome character so far, it's a shame I know that he turns good later on because then the surprise would be stronger, oh well. It would have been a ten if anyone other than Buffy's Mum who had driven Spike away. Plus Drusilla's a ham and an unlikable one.

Funny thing. Buffy started airing reruns here yesterday on Comedy Central. Right after Community reruns. And it's followed up by new episodes of Community.

It's the greatest thing ever.

Laughing at The Harvest's badness right now. Julie Benz really has come a long way.

Inca Mummy Girl- Series Two, Episode Four

Notes:
- The title reeks of stand-alone b episode.
- We are introduced to a bully named Rodney, I wonder if he's going to die or become the villain.
- Welp, he's dead.
- I wonder how many plot points in this series rely on one character walking in on two other characters having a private conversation about them.
- There's this Latin Kraven the Hunter running around, pursuing the Mummy to stop her from escaping.
- "Buffy, where are your priorities? Tracking down a mummifying killer or making time for some Latin lover whose stock in trade is the breakage of hearts?" - That's such a Chandler thing to say, Xander.
- So the Mummy Girl can rejuvenate herself by sucking the life out of other people. I'm vaguely reminded of the Shemantis episode. The Mummy masquerades as a foregin-exchange student, after killing the real one. Then she starts dating Xander. I'm definitely reminded of the Shemantis episode.
- Suddenly, Seth Green! Sporting a terrible goatee.
- "Do you know how many girls you could have, [Oz]?" None. Not with that moustache at least.
- Haha, I like that Xander asked the Mummy if she was a praying mantis.
- Is this gonna be a running theme then? Xander dating monsters disguised as humans?
- And the Mummy kills the bodyguard. Good on her, he was boring.
- Oh good, hints of BuffyxXander. I still haven't given up on that, they're interesting when they're together.
- God, Buffy's Mum is the worst, most shoehorned actress in the show.
- Ahaha, Eskimo Willow is adorable.
- Man, Seth Green is just there in this episode. There's this weird focus on him but he doesn't actually do anything.
- Oh, so he's there to fall in love with Willow and presumably drive her into the wonderful clutches of lesbianism.
- The logistics of this episode suck completely, but the ending bugs me the most: The mummy shouldn't have had time to get to the museum from the bar in time to interrupt Giles unless she can move as fast a car.
- Why can the Incan Mummy fight toe-to-toe with Buffy? Ugh.
- The kisses in this episode are the most drawn out things ever. The mummy moves in for a kiss and it'll take her about ten seconds of rapid camera changes and heavy breathing before her lips touch the other person's.
- Skeleton's don't break apart like clay vases.

Episode Rating

1/10

What a stand-alone b episode. It's Shemantis 2.0. It gets one point less for having the gall to be like Shemantis at all.

Sarbud wrote:

- Is this gonna be a running theme then? Xander dating monsters disguised as humans?

yup

Reptile Boy - Series Two, Episode Five

Notes:
- Buffy is frustrated that Giles is forcing her to train harder despite there being no danger.
- But it turns out there's a college Fraternity cult (Delta Zeta Kappas) that kidnaps young girls.
- Angel is such a paedo. She's still 16, you monster.
- The Fraternity invites Buffy and Cordelia to a party after they meet two members, Richard and Tom - whom Buffy takes a shine to.
- No 16 year old girl in the world would refuse to drink alcohol. TV land is a scary, scary place.
- Oh god, Buffy had a sip of alcoholic. This is the worst thing she's ever done. Her mother deserves to die for this.
- Xander crashes the party to check on Buffy, but gets accosted by some of the Frat bros. He's hazed pretty badly.
- Buffy drinks a spiked drink and passes out, as does Cordelia. Richard and Tom declare that they are for the pleasure of the one they serve.
- Ha, I love Willow asking Angel how he shaves.
- Turns out the cult worships a giant Demon Snake, who gives them good luck in exchange for human sacrifice.
- Angel, Xander, Willow and Giles arrive to provide a distraction. Buffy gets free and cuts the Demon Snake in half with a sword. The cult member gets arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment.
- David Bannanarama is criminally underutilized right now. So far, all he does is frown and fight off minor henchmen. At least this episode ends with the possibility that he and Buffy might get more serious.

Episode Rating

5/10

Could've been better, could've been worse. I hated the alcohol aesop.

Halloween - Series Two, Episode Six

Notes:
- For fuck's sake. Buffy sees Cordelia talking to Angel and instantly decides that the relationship can never work. They haven't even been at this for an episode yet and Mr. Whedon's already throwing in shitty relationship stuff.
- Dammit, I saw Drusilla's name in the credits. Oh well, at least that means we'll get Spike.
- Buffy, Xander and Willow are forced to chaperone trick-or-treaters by Principal Snyder.
- Buffy saves Xander from a bully and he freaks out because he doesn't want to be protected by a girl. Wow, we're just hitting all the worst tropes today aren't we Mr. Whedon?
- Buffy and Willow try to sneak in Giles' office and steal a book about Angel so they can read up on him. He seems to linked with a noblewoman/princess.
- Buffy buys a Princess' dress for Halloween so she can impress Angel. The shop owner who sells it to her prays to a statue and covers himself in blood. The statue is Janus, the god of two faces (thanks Chrono Trigger!)
- Yay, Spike's back!
- Fuck, Drusila's back. Her face is creepily long and her accent is still atrocious.
- I like that Vampires stay in on Halloween because of all the bystanders.
- Willow dresses sluttily on Buffy's recommendation but ends up throwing on a ghost costume because of her low self-esteem. Shame.
- Buffy looks good with a black wig. The princess costume ain't half bad either.
- Xander dresses as a soldier and carries around a tiny fake gun.
- Suddenly Seth Green! Again! Still with a weird moustache. He encounters Willow, but doesn't recognize her because of her ghost costume.
- The shop owner completes the ritual and suddenly, all the costumes
people are wearing become real. (People become whatever they're wearing)
- Hell yeah, Xander becomes a real soldier, complete with an assault rifle.
- Haha, Willow becomes a slutty ghost. And damn, she has abs. Well, not abs. Girl abs. She has a toned stomach, okay?
- Why is Willow the only one to remember who she is? Is Slutty Ghost not a real character?
- Buffy becomes a real princess, and promptly faints at the sight of monsters.
- Ahaha, SMG can't do an English accent to save her life.
- Cordelia dressed up as a cat, but doesn't become a cat person, just a girl in a costume.
- So, what happens to people who wear uniforms, like Police Officers, EMTs and Doctors? Do they become themselves or are they unaffected?
- Cordelia remembers who she is. Why are she and Willow exempt?
- 1700s Buffy is such a fop.
- Angel arrives and no one recognizes him, except Cordelia.
- Giles' freak out when Willow walks through the wall is amazing.
- Buffy and Angel are attacked by a vampire (presumably, a kid turned into one). Buffy runs away when she sees Angel's vampire face.
- So it turns out only people who bought their costumes from the evil costume salesman become what they dress up as. Still doesn't explain why Willow can remember who she is, since at least part of her costume was cursed.
- Spike and the vampires overhear that Buffy is currently not the Slayer and begin hunting her.
- Willow and Giles confront the Evil Costume Salesman. Giles recognizes him as Ethan and tells Willow to run away. Ethan calls Giles "Ripper".
- Soldier Xander gets his revenge on the Bully (who has become a Pirate) from before. "It's strange, beating up that pirate gave me a weird sense of closure."
- Ethan has a chat with Giles. He implies Giles has a ~*dark and mysterious past*~ before Giles flips out and kicks the shit out of Ethan. This is completely inconsistent with how he's been portrayed so far: dashing and intelligent but completely inept at combat. He gets his ass kicked by everyone.
- Spike and the vampires corner Buffy and the rest. Giles breaks Janus' statue just in time for Buffy to regain her senses and fight back. Ethan escapes.
- Seth Green spots Willow walking around dressed all slutilly. He once again remarks how much he likes her. I wonder when Oz is going to become a real character.
- Willow kicked ass this episode and is really hot when she isn't wearing dungarees or frumpy jumpers.

Episode Rating

8/10

I like the concept but the execution could have been better though. Spike was completely under utilized, he could have been replaced with any other vampire and it would all be the same.

Lie To Me - Series Two, Episode Seven

Notes:
- Drusilla straight off the bat. Maybe this episode she'll get some substance beyond ugly, weird and annoying.
- Two episodes in a row, Buffy sees Angel talking to another woman (this time Horsella of all people) and instantly assumes the worst - thus forming the major emotional conflict of the episode. Mr. Whedon, I thought you were supposed to be good at writing relationships? Or did you learn that between now and Firefly?
- I can't be the only one who doesn't see Drusilla as being pretty, right? She's all mouth.
- Buffy is reacquainted with old crush Billy Ford. I wonder if he's going to die or turn evil?
- Willow's sudden realization what Divinyl's "I Touch Myself" is about is amazing.
- I don't know why, but Buffy isn't as pretty as she used to be in Season One; I can't stop staring at her weird nose.
- Oh, so Ford knows Buffy's a Slayer. I wonder what sinister reason he has for that?
- Yeah, he's evil alright.
- At least Willow is still eternally endearing and lovable.
- I didn't know 'newbie' was a colloquialism in 1998.
- So it turns out Ford's a weirdo nutjob with an obsession with vampires. He strikes a deal with Spike; turn Ford into a vampire in exchange for Buffy.
- Turns out we have Angel to blame for Drusilla being batshit crazy.
- Once it becomes clear that the vampire fanatics are serious about sacrificing her to Spike so they can become vampires, why doesn't Buffy just fucking kill them all? Who cares if they're human? They're all clearly going to be killed by vampires anyway, and they're evil.
- Oh boo hoo, Ford has cancer. Now there should be nothing stopping you from fucking kill him, Buffy.
- Good, Buffy got out of it by holding Drusilla hostage. Everything went better than expected.
- Buffy you shouldn't feel even remotely bad for Ford. Seriously.
- Oh, title drop.
- I've found these last three episodes really difficult to watch. I desperately hope things get more exciting soon.

Episode Rating

6.5/10

Spike was great, but the sheer retarded actions of Buffy and the sheer unlikability of Ford pissed me off.

Halloween and Lie to Me were both great episodes. Don't be a Moose.

They were alright. What exactly sets them apart from any other b plot? Cancer boy? Is he a much-loved antagonist in the Buffy fanbase?

Spike's barely Spike in them. Like I said before, he could be replaced with any other ol' vampire and it would all be the same. He got nerfed badly after his first appearance.

Halloween was good as a character piece, especially for Willow who's barely done anything so far this season.

As long as Spike becomes threatening again, Willow keeps being adorable, Xander keeps being funny and charming and Giles keeps being Anthony Head, then this season will pick up. Buffy and Angel need to stop being the primary focus, especially if they're just gonna run through the tired old tropes that every "Star-Crossed Lovers" (ie. it can never work out) romance plot goes through.

I'm not saying they're brilliant, but the costume switcheroo, in-charge Willow and the ending of Lie to Me put both of these episodes above the shenanigans of season 1 which you either rated similarly or higher.

Spike is dangerous because he's impulsive and unpredictable. None of the vamps look particularly well against Buffy though. Angel's strength feets increase tenfold once he gets his own series.

There's a nice shake-up in the romance stuff in a couple episodes that makes it interesting again.

The Dark Age - Series Two, Episode Eight

Notes:
- This episode is gearing up to be a GIies centric. I'm okay with that.
- Buffy totally killed a guy with her music.
- Amy Yip at the waterslide park?
- I'm glad Giles is finally getting some action. He deserves it.
- Angel kicks a vampire right into the driver's seat in the car and then acts all surprised when he drives off.
- Someone's assassinating all of Giles' old friends. By someone I mean a blue goo monster.
- Aha! Buffy shows up unexpectedly and Xander quips, "Huh, did I fall asleep already?" That's genius.
- I love that the thing that really worries the main characters is that Giles has been drinking.
- Ethan reappears, searching for Giles. Meanwhile, Giles has some "Event Horizon"-esque dreams.
- The blue goo monster possesses Ms. Calender. I guess it's now Giles' turn to fuck a monster.
- Ms. Calender speaking with a man's voice is unintentionally hilarious.
- So it turns out Giles summoned the demon - Eyghon - back in his rebellious occult days - and now it's back, killing all the people involved in the summoning.
- I hope they have to kill Jenny to stop Eyghon. I like Jenny, but this feels a lot like the kind of episode where Whedon wants to tug on the heartstrings of the audience by killing a beloved character.
- Buffy needs to stop turning her backs to villains, the silly bitch.
- Willow, Xander and Cordelia need to hang out more.
- Woah, Angel saves the day for once. He kills the demon by absorbing it into himself and letting his vampire self kill it. Granted, it was Willow's plan, but it's nice to see Angel do something important.
- Ah, so Jenny doesn't die, but her relationship with Giles is ruined. That's almost as bad, poor Giles.
- I do like Buffy and Giles little talks at the end of the episode.

Episode Rating

8.5/10

What's My Line Part One - Series Two, Episode Nine

Notes:
- Of course Willow would like shrubs. Eheheheheh, get it?
- Spike deserves better than Drusilla.
- I swear they're reusing the same vampire fodder for Buffy to kill every episode.
- Ohh, title drop!
- It's career aptitude week. I can't wait for one character to take their results too seriously before learning that the tests are ultimately meaningless. Like every other character on every other TV show that's ever done a career aptitude week has.
- Cordelia's a personal shopper/motivational speaker, Xander's a prison guard, Buffy's a police officer and Willow is... blank. Oooooooohh scary.
- Spike orders the Order of Taraka - some bounty hunters - to take care of Buffy while he tries to fix Drusilla. Why this has not occurred to him before, nor the Master Vampire before him is left unanswered.
- Willow is approached by two FBI Agents, the same - if I'm not mistaken - from Out of Mind, Out of Sight. I literally paused the video so that I could write this, I have no idea if this is actually the case but it's my guess.
- Oz (suddenly Seth Green!) is also chosen. He actually meets Willow for the first time.
- Buffy and Giles visit a tomb and learn that the vampires have been secretly doing some work behind the scenes that is presumably going to justify why this is a two-parter.
- One by one, we are introduced to what I presume are the Order of Taraka. The fact they're all strolling around in daylight leads to me assume they aren't vampires, which is certainly more interesting that more fucking vampires.
- Angel and Buffy go on a date to an ice rink. While there, they're attacked by the first of the Order of Taraka. Buffy slices his throat open with an ice skate, seemingly gotten over her aversion to killing humans. Angel finds a ring on the hunter's finger and tells Buffy to go into hiding when he recognizes it, fearing for her safety. Giles echoes Angel's sentiments when Buffy shows him the ring.
- The Order of Taraka are pretty fucking boss. Each member is a completely autonomous unit that hunts in their own unique way. Some are regular humans, some are demons, all of them are after Buffy. I suspect they will be completely nerfed after these two episodes. Especially since we're only 'introduced' to three of them.
- When is Seth Green gonna actually do something?
- Unable to cope with the idea that her assassin could literally be anyone, Buffy goes into hiding, but doesn't tell the others where she went.
- While searching for information about who sent the Order of Taraka, Angel is attacked by another Assassin. She manages to trap him in a cage and leaves him to the mercy of the sunrise.
- Xander and Cordelia search for Buffy. They encounter the third Assassin from the Order of Taraka.
- Did Xander just call the group the Scooby Gang?
- Buffy is attacked by the Second Assassin (the one who fought Angel) in her safehouse.
- The episode ends with the Second Assassin revealing herself to be "Kendra the Vampire Slayer".

Episode Rating

9/10

Awesome episode. Next week will be a 10 if it keeps this up.

Seth Green does become quite important from what I remember. No idea when though.

What's My Line Part Two - Series Two, Episode Ten

Notes:
- What the fuck kind of accent does Kendra have anyway? Jamaican?
- So I guess Kendra isn't a member of the Order of Taraka. She was sent to Sunnydale by her Watcher.
- Poor Angel, trapped in a cage, watching the sunlight slowly creep towards him. Couldn't he just cover himself with his jacket?
- Kendra says she is Da Vumpire Slayer. We'll take her word for it.
- Haha, only one Slayer can exist at a time. When one Slayer dies, another is created/summoned/called forth or whatever. Buffy's brief death in Prophecy Girl triggered Kendra's awakening. Nice play, Mr. Whedon.
- Though this forces me to ask... why not just induce Buffy's death over and over using current medical technology to spawn an army of Slayers? gg Vampires, have fun dealing with a million Buffys.
- Kendra lets slip that she left Angel to die. Before the others (do I call them The Scooby Gang?) get there though, Spike gets to Angel first. He plans to sacrifice Angel in order to restore Drusilla to full power.
- Cordelia and Xander are attacked by a genuine Assassin from the Order of Taraka. He's a demon comprised of an army of maggots. They end up hiding from him in the basement. This is probably the episode when their sexual tension boils over. And sure enough, they snog.
- Kendra is almost certainly going to die. As a token minority Slayer she might as well paint a bullseye on her face.
- I love Oz's description of the EbDim9 chord as a "man's chord".
- Buffy is attacked by another Assassin while at the career fair. Oz takes a bullet to the shoulder while protecting Willow. The Assassin escapes.
- +10 for Xander for a Beatles reference.
- You'd think vampires wouldn't be able to go into churches.
- Buffy walks into a trap. Fortunately Kendra and the rest of the Scooby... Gang arrive and all hell breaks loose. By the end, all the vampires and Order of Taraka assassins are dispatched. Spike and Drusilla get crushed under a church organ, never to ret
- Nope, they both survive. The ritual appears to have worked - Drusilla has been restored. Spike looks a little worse for wear however.
- Xander and Cordelia begin a relationship on a solid foundation of mutual dislike, while Willow and Oz finally begin hanging out. Kendra leaves town, but I'll expect she'll be back.

Episode Rating

10/10

Yup, first 10. I attribute it mostly to the absence of Buffy's Mum, which means I can only expect good things once she dies.

You can also call them Scoobies.

Spike was supposed to die at the end of the two-parter, but he had already become so popular that they rewrote the ending.

Kaio wrote:

You can also call them Scoobies.

Spike was supposed to die at the end of the two-parter, but he had already become so popular that they rewrote the ending.

Well thank god for that.

Ted - Series Two, Episode Eleven

Notes:
- A Buffy's Mum centric? Fuck.
- Ted's obviously evil. I might as well stop watching now. At least he's played by John Ritter.
- I like Xander selling out Buffy for cookies and pizza.
- Obviously, Ted's controlling people through the food. Or something.
- Giles tries to patch things up with Jenny (Calender) but she's wants nothing to do with him.
- Oh shiiiiit, Ted found Buffy's diary.
- Oh man, Ted fucking decked Buffy there.
- Fucking hell, Buffy killed Ted. Of course, the episode's only half over so he's going to come back, but holy shit.
- I understand Buffy is guilty, but this isn't the first time she killed a guy. She slit some dude's throat with an ice skate two episodes ago.
- So yeah, Ted spiked his food with a tranquilizer, to keep people mellow and happy.
- Giles goes out on patrol because Buffy she's a mess. Jenny follows him and asks for his forgiveness, but they encounter a vampire.
- Buffy, tired of feeling sorry for herself, tries to leave her room through the window, only to find it sealed shot. She turns to find Ted standing in her room. He tells her that he faked his death (somehow...) and is back for revenge. He starts choking her and then eventually knocks her out.
- Giles wrestles with the vampire while Jenny readies the crossbow. The daft bitch shoots Giles in the back, but Giles tears that fucker out and kills the vampire with it. Hell yeah, Giles.
- Jesus Christ, Ted's a robot. Mr Whedon, what is wrong with you?
- Xander, Willow and Cordelia do some snooping and find that Ted's been married four times, once in the 1950s. They trace an address and find a bunker decorated in the style of a 1950s household. In a closet, Xander finds the corpses of Ted's four wives.
- Ted reappears to Buffy's Mum and sells her a fake story that she eats right up. Unfortunately, before he can kill her, he starts malfunctioning and she resists. Buffy wakes up and kills him with a frying pan.
- Robot Ted's backstory is one of the stupidest things I've ever heard. I can't believe a show about vampires and the occult has had two episodes about killer robots now.
- The episode ends with GIles and Jenny reconciling, so at least it's not a total waste of an episode.

Episode Rating

3/10

What a ridiculous step down after What's My Line.

To be honest it would just get boring if it were nothing but vampires all the time.

No, my problem is how thematically inappropriate robots are in a show about monsters. I was expecting stuff like shapeshifters, werewolves, zombies, skinwalkers and shit. If we have robots, why not have aliens? Or pirates? Or dragons?

I understand what you're saying but it's really a non-issue, there's only a problem when the episode is shitty regardless - like Ted.

It would've been a great episode if Buffy actually had to deal with killing an innocent man.

But he's just a killer robot so it's okay.

Your going to love the part of buffy where i gave up on the show, about 10-12 years ago. Though i want to rewatch it, i just can't bear to go through that horrible section and finish it.

Are you talking about the second half of season 2?

Season 4 i think

That's a love it or hate it season. And judging from one of his comments, I doubt he'll love it.