Buffy - More Season 3 impressions (episodes 9 - 11)

[thalia_seawood]

I'm slowly catching up with the episodes I've already seen. :-)



The Wish
Dark alternate universes are a lot of fun on TV as has been proved by Star Trek. Seems as if Buffy also makes good use of the alternate universe.

I felt really bad for Cordelia in this episode. The scene where she removes Xander from all her photos while listening to the messages Xander left on her answering machine, shows how deeply she has been hurt.
When going back to school, she tries so hard to appear cool and composed. (In fact, she overdoes it a bit; her make-up usually is very subtle. This time around it's more like war-paint, though. :-))
Still all her former acquaintances let her feel that she's no longer part of the elite.

Oz also has been hurt by the Willow/Xander interlude. He's even more low key than usual.

As for Xander and Willow: Now that they have lost Cordelia and Oz, they all of a sudden realise how much they meant to them after all.

Anya/Anyanka makes her first appearance. I've see her in one of the later episodes selenak showed me, so I know she will play a bigger part later on. I liked the little transformation she undergoes when Cordelia makes her wish.

The alternate universe is not a place you want to be living in. Actually, I'm amazed that any humans are still living in Sunnydale. I'd also think that if there were so many vampires in one place for a longer period of time, they would run out of prey.

What I found very cool about this episode is that it's consequent:
- Cordelia dies quite quickly.
- Xander and Willow don't survive the episode.
- Angel and Buffy are killed when they attempt to defeat the Master.

Whereas Willow and Xander don't work for me as a human couple, I find them wonderful as a vampire couple. The reason is that their relationship feels too much like brother-sister to me when they are human. But seeing that vampire relationships often have an incestuous vibe, Willow and Xander form the perfect vampire team.

AU Buffy has lost all girlishness. She reminds me a bit of Faith in this episode.

And once more we see a shirtless Angel - and he even gets tortured.
If I created a Buffy Drinking Game, there would be the following rule:
- Drink once if Angel is shirtless.
- Drink twice if he also gets tortured while being shirtless.
- If he gets tortured by a female vampire, drink a third time.


Amends
That's a really powerful episode.

I loved the dream sequences and flashbacks.

For me the most breathtaking scene was Angel visiting Giles:
Giles: Hello.
Angel: Um... I'm sorry to bother you.

Giles finds himself unable to keep from laughing bitterly.

Giles: Sorry. Coming from you that phrase strikes me as rather funny. 'Sorry to bother me.'
Angel: I need your help.
Giles: (straight-faced) And the funny keeps on coming.
Angel: (swallowing his pride) I understand I have no right to ask for it, but there's no one else.

Another scene I enjoyed was Buffy visiting Faith and inviting her to the Christmas dinner. Faith is obviously still trying to cope with the aftermath of the last episodes:
Buffy: No. Um, (steps further in) we're having Christmas Eve dinner at my house, and I thought that, um, if you didn't have plans...
Faith: (smiles sharply) Your mom sent you down, huh?
Buffy: (taken aback) No.
Faith: Well, thanks, but I got plans. There's this big party I've been invited to. It should be a blast. (smiles evasively)
Buffy: (unconvinced) Okay. Cool. But if you change your mind, the offer...
Faith: That's nice of you. Thanks. But I got... I got that big party that I've been invited to, so... (smiles dismayingly)

What took me by surprise was Xander offering Buffy to help her with the research for Angel. I have to admit that I kind of expect hidden motives from Xander, i.e. Cordelia has left him, so he's free once more. One way to get closer to Buffy is by being really helpful and generous. Yeah, I know I'm being too distrustful of Xander.

While I like the final confrontation between Angel and Buffy, I'm not totally sure I like the magical cold-front with so much snow that the sun never comes out. The romantic part of my personality sighs: Ohhh, it's a miracle. The realistic part of my personality just thinks it's tacky. :-)

This Buffy quote is wonderful. Seems to me it will be the motto of Buffy's life - though I'll think she will have to fight by herself in the very end:
Strong is fighting! It's hard, and it's painful, and it's every day. It's what we have to do. And we can do it together.


Gingerbread
I have a hard time judging this episode.

On the plus side, we get to see Willow's mother. Seems as if she's the total opposite of Joyce. Her daughter is really her project. She never seems to see Willow as a person. Very odd.
The moment when Willow calls out to demons while arguing with her mother creeped me out. I don't think it's a very safe attitude to use the name of demons to prove a point.

Neat moment: Buffy doubting that her presence in Sunnydale has made any difference. Considering what happens in the episode Wish, the viewers could reassure her. :-)

The idea to show how a witch hunt can develop is also interesting.
The most powerful moment for me was when they started confiscating and burning books.

I loved Cordelia coming to the rescue and Buffy yelling "Did I get it? Did I get it?" after she has stabbed the demon in a rather unorthodox maneuver.

What makes me uncertain about the episode is that the murder of children is such a sensitive topic. In some way I felt cheated by the episode by ultimately avoiding the subject.

Comments

[selenak.livejournal.com]

Ah, the Wishverse. 'Tis our first lovely canon AU.

And yes, Cordelia is hurt really, really badly. IMO, the early scenes from The Wish are CC's best performance of this season. In addition to the scenes you listed, I also love Buffy following Cordelia out of the Bronze, which mirrors Cordelia following Buffy out of the Bronze in "When she was bad", and for a moment, Buffy is able to reach Cordelia, but then a vampire intervenes and ruins it.

Cordelia's early death was a particular shock at the time because normally when you get canon AUs the pov character, who introduces us to the new 'verse, is the one we follow throughout the episode.

Wishverse Buffy: resembles Faith a lot, true, but also post-a-certain-event-Buffy later on, though not completely.

Willow and Xander: that's why I was mightily impressed by your comment in season 2. Very astute that was of you.

Xander helping: no, that's really Xander helping. I think the last time he expresses romantic feelings for Buffy is in "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered", but that's that.

In terms of Xander, Amends also is the first episode (I think) to hint at just how catastrophic his home life is (drunken parents at Christmas, Xander sleeping outside, and that's not meant to be funny), but not the last. Also, note that he told Cordelia this during their relationship, which considering he's very ashamed of it is a subtle clue of how he felt about Cordy.

Snow: I know, but I'm on the side of romance in this instance. It's Christmas. And the last break these two catch. Also ties neatly in what Giles said in season 2 about mercy not being deserved but given.

Gingerbread: don't like it, have never rewatched. And poor Amy stays a rat for years.

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

In terms of Xander, Amends also is the first episode (I think) to hint at just how catastrophic his home life is (drunken parents at Christmas, Xander sleeping outside, and that's not meant to be funny), but not the last. Also, note that he told Cordelia this during their relationship, which considering he's very ashamed of it is a subtle clue of how he felt about Cordy.

Oh yes, I liked that hint and that he told Cordy about it. In the meantime, Cordy also let it drop that Xander's dad doesn't have a job.

Xander's family life makes it quite remarkable that he turned out so well. He usually doesn't resort to violence, but tries to defuse a situation by joking about it.
He's also an interesting contrast to Faith. She also had a tough life, but she has turned bitter and is unable to connect to people. Xander has his humour to cope with things and he has some true friends.

(As you can see I've mostly forgiven Xander. :-) I still see his reactions to the Angel situation as problematic, but he also has plenty of good sides.)

[selenak.livejournal.com]

See, I knew the Xander affection would return. And yes, the contrast to Faith is interesting.

Xander's humour is a protective mechanism in many ways and often used to defuse tension, but it can also be aggressive. Now with Cordelia, this works because she can give as much as she takes, but in a later relationship this can become problematic, and that's where the shadow of his father recurrs again.

[vanimy.livejournal.com]

Gingerbread was meh, IMO. I only watched it once as well. And Amends... *sighs* One of my favorite episodes ever. And I know what you mean about the snow. At first I was like "Yeah, snow in Sunnydale and oh, it's Christmas!" but then I thought it was romantic though cheesy and I was all like "Who cares? Angel and Buffy are back together." :P

[thalia-seawood.livejournal.com]

Well, we're modern women: All torn between realism and romanticism, I suppose. ;-)