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thalia_seawoodAs I still got holidays, I had enough time to watch some more Buffy episodes.
Homecoming
When it comes to the demon plot, the episode isn't very impressive.
However, we do get the Mayor as a new character and he's a nice addition to the band of villains. A bit too clean, a bit too focused on keeping his metaphors straight and definitely dangerous. Before seeing the episode Band Candy I thought he was a demon himself, but right now it seems he's "only" made some profitable bargains with them. Which explains why Trick doesn't kill him; so far the Mayor is a very good client of the demon population.
The scene with Buffy and Angel in the beginning of the episode is lovely. His reaction to Buffy's declaration that she's now dating Scott is intense as is his realisation that he has no right to tell her not to date another guy.
The relationship with Scott is *very* short-lived, though, because Scott is looking for Fun!Buffy, and can't deal with GrownUpDueToGrief!Buffy. Good riddance. He was a shallow little weasel anyway. And the friends he had weren't a recommendation for him either. He totally deserves what Faith dishes out:
Behind Giles, Faith moves around the table, and the camera follows her over to Scott. He is dancing slow and close with his date.
Faith touches the couple, and they pull apart.
Faith: Scott? There you are, honey! Hey, good news. (with lots of gesturing) The doctor says that the itching and the swelling and the burning should clear up, (puts her hands on his chest) but we gotta keep using the ointment.
Yes, I know revenge is immature, but this scene made me chuckle quietly.
The most interesting theme of this episode is that Buffy is trying to reclaim her life as it was before she became the Slayer. She wants to be popular and glamerous, she wants to be a high school celebrity. Things don't work this way, however.
When we see the two girls who get crowned as Homecoming Queens, it's very clear that Buffy and Cordelia play in a totally different league. They're way more mature than the winners. Considering how silly they've acted over the last couple of weeks that says it all. :-)
This time around I wanted to shake Willow. I'm quite uncomfortable with how she tries to help both Cordelia and Buffy and in the course of this ends up not being loyal to either of them. Willow needs to learn to stand up for herself and most of all to say "no" to others once in a while.
Band Candy
Once again the plot isn't very strong. But I don't care; this show is fun!
The theme of the show is acting in a responsible way and it's lovely how this them is developed.
First we get Buffy behaving in a way that's understandable, but still causes her mother and Giles to worry. When eating candy bars transforms every adult in the town into teenagers, the roles get reversed. Now it's Buffy who has to make sure her mom and Giles don't cause more trouble than is good for them.
Joyce and Giles get the chance to be wild in this episode and you can see how much the actors enjoy this! I'm smiling just thinking about their scenes together. ("Oh Ripper, that was soo brave!" *g*)
Armin Shimmerman as Principal Snyder finally plays a bigger part in an episode and every scene with him in it is simply delightful. The way he wants to hang out with the cool guys, the way he is coming on to Joyce. Funny.
Seeing Joyce in this episode made me realise once more that Buffy has a lot in common with her mom. E.g. her facial expression when Snyder is putting the moves on her is Buffy all over again. And, of course, Buffy inherited her courage from her mother, too.
Nice to have Ethan Rayne back. It makes sense that he would do contract work for demons. All in all, his character is underused in this episode, though.
The ending of this episode made me laugh out loud. Giles and Joyce meet again after the effects of the candy have worn of:
Buffy walks around to the passenger's side to get in. Giles and Joyce both look at the pavement, embarrassed and not willing even to go there, but knowing what they did.
Joyce: Right.
Giles: Indeed.
Joyce: Y-yes.
They both quickly pivot and head off in opposite directions.
Revelations
One of my favorite shows in season 3. It had me on the edge of my seat at times. I knew that Angel would survive this episode, nevertheless the plot was so good that I got seriously worried for him anyway. :-)
General observation regarding Angel:
Joss loves his fangirls. Angel has been shirtless at least temporarily in every single episode so far. By now I expect to see Angel sans his shirt as least once. Quite a nice treat.
My advice for Buffy would be to get him to wear shirts more often, then accidental kissage would reduce. *g*
Gwendolyn Post:
While I knew that there would be more to her than met the eye at first, I expected her to develop in a positive manner. So yes, I was surprised when she hit Giles over the head repeatedly.
Xander:
I hated him in this episode. Many of his actions here piss me off. I want to like him, but this episode makes it very difficult for me.
I can understand that he follows Angel secretly; it must have been a shock for him to see him.
I can even understand that he then stays and watches when Buffy and Angel kiss. Must be an even bigger shock.
But then I get less understanding: Instead of confronting Buffy about what happened, he tells this not only to Giles, but also to Willow, Cordelia and Oz. And then Faith. In detail.
Then he assaults Buffy verbally. Comments like these are really unacceptable coming from a friend:
...you would stop him. Like you did last time with Ms. Calendar.
Right! Great plan. Leave tons of firepower with the Scary Guy, and leave us to clean up the mess.
And then he actively plots to go behind her back. Namely getting Faith on his side and planning to kill Angel together with Faith. And when he find the unconscious Giles he doesn't even try to looking for the truth, but shifts the blame on Angel.
I can understand that he doesn't trust Angel. But as Buffy's friend shouldn't he trust her jugdement? Or at least be loyal enough to not act behind her back?
And once again he gets away very easily. He apologizes and all is kind of well again.
Giles:
He's the one person who has plenty of reason to be angry with Buffy.
He's her watcher and Buffy shouldn't kept it from him that Angel is alive. I can totally understand why she did it considering that Angel killed Jenny and tortured Giles. So, yes, Giles has a lot of legitimate reasons to be upset and angry with Buffy.
Faith:
After being the center of attention in her first episode, this time around she is made to feel an outsider.
She isn't included in the meeting of Buffy's friends and all in all things go badly for her. She's beaten by Lagos (who's later on defeated by Buffy), Xander stirs her up and makes her fight his own fight, her watcher betrays her and calls her an idiot.
I really liked the conversation she and Buffy have in the end about trust.
Angel:
Good to see he can make up for some of his past actions by getting the glove and saving Willow's life.
All in all, this episode is about trust. About trusting the wrong people and trusting the right people and betrayal of all kinds.
This is definitely an episode I will watch again soon.
Homecoming
When it comes to the demon plot, the episode isn't very impressive.
However, we do get the Mayor as a new character and he's a nice addition to the band of villains. A bit too clean, a bit too focused on keeping his metaphors straight and definitely dangerous. Before seeing the episode Band Candy I thought he was a demon himself, but right now it seems he's "only" made some profitable bargains with them. Which explains why Trick doesn't kill him; so far the Mayor is a very good client of the demon population.
The scene with Buffy and Angel in the beginning of the episode is lovely. His reaction to Buffy's declaration that she's now dating Scott is intense as is his realisation that he has no right to tell her not to date another guy.
The relationship with Scott is *very* short-lived, though, because Scott is looking for Fun!Buffy, and can't deal with GrownUpDueToGrief!Buffy. Good riddance. He was a shallow little weasel anyway. And the friends he had weren't a recommendation for him either. He totally deserves what Faith dishes out:
Behind Giles, Faith moves around the table, and the camera follows her over to Scott. He is dancing slow and close with his date.
Faith touches the couple, and they pull apart.
Faith: Scott? There you are, honey! Hey, good news. (with lots of gesturing) The doctor says that the itching and the swelling and the burning should clear up, (puts her hands on his chest) but we gotta keep using the ointment.
Yes, I know revenge is immature, but this scene made me chuckle quietly.
The most interesting theme of this episode is that Buffy is trying to reclaim her life as it was before she became the Slayer. She wants to be popular and glamerous, she wants to be a high school celebrity. Things don't work this way, however.
When we see the two girls who get crowned as Homecoming Queens, it's very clear that Buffy and Cordelia play in a totally different league. They're way more mature than the winners. Considering how silly they've acted over the last couple of weeks that says it all. :-)
This time around I wanted to shake Willow. I'm quite uncomfortable with how she tries to help both Cordelia and Buffy and in the course of this ends up not being loyal to either of them. Willow needs to learn to stand up for herself and most of all to say "no" to others once in a while.
Band Candy
Once again the plot isn't very strong. But I don't care; this show is fun!
The theme of the show is acting in a responsible way and it's lovely how this them is developed.
First we get Buffy behaving in a way that's understandable, but still causes her mother and Giles to worry. When eating candy bars transforms every adult in the town into teenagers, the roles get reversed. Now it's Buffy who has to make sure her mom and Giles don't cause more trouble than is good for them.
Joyce and Giles get the chance to be wild in this episode and you can see how much the actors enjoy this! I'm smiling just thinking about their scenes together. ("Oh Ripper, that was soo brave!" *g*)
Armin Shimmerman as Principal Snyder finally plays a bigger part in an episode and every scene with him in it is simply delightful. The way he wants to hang out with the cool guys, the way he is coming on to Joyce. Funny.
Seeing Joyce in this episode made me realise once more that Buffy has a lot in common with her mom. E.g. her facial expression when Snyder is putting the moves on her is Buffy all over again. And, of course, Buffy inherited her courage from her mother, too.
Nice to have Ethan Rayne back. It makes sense that he would do contract work for demons. All in all, his character is underused in this episode, though.
The ending of this episode made me laugh out loud. Giles and Joyce meet again after the effects of the candy have worn of:
Buffy walks around to the passenger's side to get in. Giles and Joyce both look at the pavement, embarrassed and not willing even to go there, but knowing what they did.
Joyce: Right.
Giles: Indeed.
Joyce: Y-yes.
They both quickly pivot and head off in opposite directions.
Revelations
One of my favorite shows in season 3. It had me on the edge of my seat at times. I knew that Angel would survive this episode, nevertheless the plot was so good that I got seriously worried for him anyway. :-)
General observation regarding Angel:
Joss loves his fangirls. Angel has been shirtless at least temporarily in every single episode so far. By now I expect to see Angel sans his shirt as least once. Quite a nice treat.
My advice for Buffy would be to get him to wear shirts more often, then accidental kissage would reduce. *g*
Gwendolyn Post:
While I knew that there would be more to her than met the eye at first, I expected her to develop in a positive manner. So yes, I was surprised when she hit Giles over the head repeatedly.
Xander:
I hated him in this episode. Many of his actions here piss me off. I want to like him, but this episode makes it very difficult for me.
I can understand that he follows Angel secretly; it must have been a shock for him to see him.
I can even understand that he then stays and watches when Buffy and Angel kiss. Must be an even bigger shock.
But then I get less understanding: Instead of confronting Buffy about what happened, he tells this not only to Giles, but also to Willow, Cordelia and Oz. And then Faith. In detail.
Then he assaults Buffy verbally. Comments like these are really unacceptable coming from a friend:
...you would stop him. Like you did last time with Ms. Calendar.
Right! Great plan. Leave tons of firepower with the Scary Guy, and leave us to clean up the mess.
And then he actively plots to go behind her back. Namely getting Faith on his side and planning to kill Angel together with Faith. And when he find the unconscious Giles he doesn't even try to looking for the truth, but shifts the blame on Angel.
I can understand that he doesn't trust Angel. But as Buffy's friend shouldn't he trust her jugdement? Or at least be loyal enough to not act behind her back?
And once again he gets away very easily. He apologizes and all is kind of well again.
Giles:
He's the one person who has plenty of reason to be angry with Buffy.
He's her watcher and Buffy shouldn't kept it from him that Angel is alive. I can totally understand why she did it considering that Angel killed Jenny and tortured Giles. So, yes, Giles has a lot of legitimate reasons to be upset and angry with Buffy.
Faith:
After being the center of attention in her first episode, this time around she is made to feel an outsider.
She isn't included in the meeting of Buffy's friends and all in all things go badly for her. She's beaten by Lagos (who's later on defeated by Buffy), Xander stirs her up and makes her fight his own fight, her watcher betrays her and calls her an idiot.
I really liked the conversation she and Buffy have in the end about trust.
Angel:
Good to see he can make up for some of his past actions by getting the glove and saving Willow's life.
All in all, this episode is about trust. About trusting the wrong people and trusting the right people and betrayal of all kinds.
This is definitely an episode I will watch again soon.
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no subject
Date: 2005-10-26 03:36 pm (UTC)Scott: in season 7 we find out what happened to him, and how he explained his relationship with Buffy. I won't spoil you for that, but it's a very funny moment. And Faith's revenge makes me chuckle each time, too.
My other two favourite moments of Homecoming are probably Cordelia facing down the remaining Gorch brother, and Cordy telling Buffy she loves Xander, in her Cordelian way ("grows on you etc."). This is the first time we hear Cordelia admit it verbally, and of course it would be in the very episode Xander and Willow start to make out with each other.
Band Candy: yes, ASH, Kristine Sutherland and Armin Shimmerman definitely had a great time with this one. Some things worthy of note in addition to those you mentioned:
- as Giles regresses to teenage Ripper, his Oxford accent changes to... actually, Spike's accent. Which is a neat inversion of William's accent changing from Oxford to affected Cockney once he becomes Spike. Conclusion: when British boys want to appear tough, they adopt working class accents. *g* (Meta-wise, this is how ASH actually talks; JM, of course, is American but got coached by ASH.)
- Joyce is into handcuffs; I'm just saying...
- obviously, Buffy was right with her guess about Snyder in High School (in "Becoming").
Joss loves his fangirls.
He most certainly does. He also has a female co-producer and writer, Marti Noxon, who specializes in keeping the boys shirtless. (Joss nicknamed her the cains n' pains girl, because the other thing Marti specializes in is the kink that became a trademark of the Buffyverse - her very first episode was the one where Spike kidnapped Angel to cure Dru, and remember how that went.)
Xander is acting like a jerk here, but later on season 3 lets him suffer quite a lot for his actions, so in retrospect, I'm feeling mellow. However, this behaviour is one of the reasons why Xander getting slashed with either Angel or Spike doesn't work for me. He really, really dislikes and hates them (okay, Angel more than Spike), and not in a subtexty way; he wants to see them dead.
Xander trusting Buffy's judgment: I think he does, except when it comes to Angel. Then he doesn't trust her at all, and actions like The Lie or here conspiring with Faith ensue.
She's beaten by Lagos (who's later on defeated by Buffy), Xander stirs her up and makes her fight his own fight, her watcher betrays her and calls her an idiot.
Bear this in mind for the way Faith developes during the course of the season; it's important.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-27 09:36 am (UTC)Very true! Can't believe I forgot to mention this. I *loved* the scene with the Gorch brother and the scene where she admits her feelings for Xander.
Joyce and handcuffs: Very funny. Especially how she's so sneaky about it. And Buffy is so mortified. *g*
I watched episodes 9, 10 and 11 - and there's shirtless and/or tortured Angel every time. Amazing.
Xander is acting like a jerk here, but later on season 3 lets him suffer quite a lot for his actions, so in retrospect, I'm feeling mellow. However, this behaviour is one of the reasons why Xander getting slashed with either Angel or Spike doesn't work for me. He really, really dislikes and hates them (okay, Angel more than Spike), and not in a subtexty way; he wants to see them dead.
Okay, maybe I'll feel more mellow and forgiving when he's suffered a bit. *g* It's just the way he behaves is not how a friend should behave, IMO. At the moment, Xander feels to me like sidekick (it's Buffy who made his life and in parts him interesting) and a jilted lover. Willow has her faults, but at the moment she is a genuine friend to Buffy. Xander, on the other hand, is very demanding; he wants things from Buffy and when he can't get them, he becomes extremely resentful.
I was curious and read some Xander/Spike by Anna S who I knew from the X-Files fandom and is a good writer. I mostly enjoyed the stories, but so far can't judge if Xander/Spike is realistic. I can only say that Angel/Xander would not work for me. They are too different and Xander *hates* Angel; what he feels for him is not some kind of misunderstood passion, it's true loathing. Giles/Angel I would find interesting, especially due to their tragic backstory. If Jenny and the torture hadn't happened I could have seen them becoming close. They are both literate and quiet and have a wildness underneath their calm facade. Of course, the OTP so far is Buffy/Angel.
"Amends" shows us a very depressed Faith already. Am curious for more.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-27 02:51 pm (UTC)Come to think of it, Xander doesn't work for me in any slash combination. I love Xander/Cordelia and Xander/Anya, which are both canon, but the canon romance factor isn't an issue with other characters (can see Giles in various slash combinations, can see Angel in various slash combinations, can see Spike in various slash combinations... just not Xander).
I'm looking forward to reading more of your season 3 thoughts.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-29 06:44 pm (UTC)You're right: Xander doesn't feel quite right in a slash pairing. To me, he just seems to be totally heterosexual. Not that this is something that cannot be ignored by slash *g*, but usually the character that is paired has more subtext. I get the feeling that Xander is only taken up in slash pairings, because he's handsome.
Angel/Xander totally doesn't work for me now. What Xander feels for him is not hate that's really unrecognised passion, it's active dislike.
I have a hard time finding fiction for Giles. All the stories I found are Giles/Ethan which is probably off-screen canon, but not something I want to read at the moment. Is there a good Giles fanfiction archive?
no subject
Date: 2005-10-26 07:45 pm (UTC)Of course, I didn't start liking Angel until the end of the fourth season of his own show.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-27 08:19 am (UTC)Angel isn't my favorite character on the show, but I like how complex he is. I mean he has three different types of personality. :-) I also like that Angel with a soul is so introspective and quiet. He also forms a nice contrast to Spike's noisy personality.
I can understand that Xander hates Angel, but I cannot agree to the steps he takes. He can *talk* to Buffy (preferably without resorting to insults), but trying to kill Angel behind her back is totally unacceptable. It takes free will/choice from Buffy, turns her into a dainty little female that needs to be rescued by Xander Harris. It's like: She doesn't know what's good for her, so Xander makes it easier for her.
If someone did something like this to me, I would most likely never trust them again.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-29 11:20 am (UTC)That's why Buffy can trust him again. It's... one of the moments for me that sum it all up is in Dead Man's Party. Buffy and Xander are having a knock-out, drag-down fight, but the second that there's actual outside danger, Xander immediately offers his support to her and she has no problem accepting it.
But Xander definitely has flaws. The Lie was debated by fans into the seventh season of the show and is possibly still being debated, though I stand with Joss Whedon on the matter -- Xander made a tactical call during a time when he knew the fate of the world hung in the balance.
Xander is hot-headed and Xander can be hypocritical and he can be self-righteous. He can. Often is. No one on the show is perfect, which is one of the things that I like best about it. Personally, Xander's flaws are ones that I can forgive, because he means well and, in a pinch, he would give his life for Buffy, for the world. He'll always have her back and he would never hurt an innocent (his hate for vampires, however, was burned into his soul because of Jesse, what Giles told him then, and the fact that he held the stake that killed his friend, so, for Xander, the idea that Angel could ever qualify for 'innocent' status is laughable).
Buffy's always strong enough to hold her own with Xander, and he respects her a lot. Of course, I don't actually want to point out some points of mine, because they haven't happened yet, but I will say that Buffy is just as willing to put Xander out of danger for his safety as he does for her.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-31 09:30 pm (UTC)E.g. I find it totally courageous that he goes to Faith to confront her. Talking about such a difficult issue is not something you do if you don't have true courage.
I also enjoy his sense of humour. He can makes things terribly worse with a joke, but he can also lighten up a room or defuse a difficult situation. :-)
no subject
Date: 2006-03-02 12:35 am (UTC)trying to kill Angel behind her back is totally unacceptable.
And this will not be the last time a trusted friend tries to kill her boyfriend "for her own good".
no subject
Date: 2006-03-02 07:38 am (UTC)I forgave Xander over the next episodes.
Regarding his homelife: I think his social background only was made more clear later on. If I remember correctly we get the first hints in season 3. Things become more overt in season 4, when we hear his parents fight upstairs or when Xander dreams that his father tries to kill him in Restless.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-26 09:15 pm (UTC)I never liked Faith in fact so I'm quite biased. As for Xander I completely understood his behavior but I was with Buffy all the way. Heh and B/A together was the cutest/most angsty thing ever. Season 3 is along with Season 2 my favorite anyway. Glad to see you're enjoying the show.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-27 08:33 am (UTC)I'm not sure I would get along wiht Faith if she was a real person, but she's an interesting character. In fact, I'm liking her better now that I've seen some more episodes. She seems to be very insecure under the tough facade which appeals to my protective instinct. *g*
As for Xander: What he does somewhat upsets me, because loyalty in friendships is very important to me. I don't have many close friends, but all of my friendships are long-lasting, e.g. I've been friends with me oldest friend for 29 years. Being loyal doesn't mean to me to agree on everything, to never state your opinion or argue. In fact, I find it very important to be honest in a friendship; my friends and I have certain views in common, whereas we strongly disagree on other things.
What I couldn't accept, is if one of my friends acted big time behind my back. And Xander trying to take out Angel behind Buffy's back is a huge betrayal, IMO.
no subject
Date: 2005-11-09 10:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-11-10 09:27 pm (UTC)