Buffy - Season 4 impressions (episode 12)
Nov. 23rd, 2005 04:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thalia_seawoodA New Man
For a summary click here.
- Overall a fun episode that has some serious moments when it touches on the mentor relationships between Walsh-Riley and Giles-Buffy.
- I feel a bit nitpicky about Spike being conveniently able to speak the demon language Fyarl. It's nice that Spike gets some interaction with Giles, of course, but I would have found it more logical if it had been Anya who knew this demon language. I just can't see Spike studying demon languages in his free time, because wouldn't that be too reminiscent of William who most likely studied Latin and Greek.
- This is the first birthday for Buffy that is catastrophe-free.
Buffy: [...] But this is so nice. Having everyone together for my birthday. Of course, you could smash in all my toes with a hammer and it will still be the bestest Buffy Birthday Bash in a big long while.
- Giles at Buffy's party really feels left out. Comments like don't help:
Buffy: You should meet her [Prof Walsh]. She's absolutely the smartest person I've ever met.
Giles: (feeling a bit slighted) Perhaps we should have invited Professor Walsh to the party? (takes of sip of punch)
Buffy: Oh, no. I mean, she's like forty. She's got better things to do than hang out with a bunch of kids.
- He and Professor Walsh do not get along. Small wonder: Giles's approach is humanitarian, Walsh's is military command style. I don't doubt she's a successful leader, but she makes me feel uneasy. I don't think she lacks empathy, but she would never *act* on it. The way I see it she regards feelings as a weakness.
- Drat. So not good that Giles learns the truth about Riley's secret double life after everybody else.
- Love it when Giles calls Professor Walsh "that fish wife". :-)
- Ethan Rayne's first scene in this episode is sheer brilliance. He gets the traditional "the villain reveals his sinister ambitions behind the good guy's back" speech - only it's interrupted by Giles coming back. :-)
Giles: Who am I kidding?
He stuffs his supplies back in his bag and hurries to the door.
Giles: (muttering) Nothing is gonna happen.
He leaves closing it behind him and all is quiet for a moment. Then we see the back of a man wearing a gray trench coat step into the frame looking at the closed door.
Ethan: I wouldn't say that. (cut to front closing shot of Ethan Rayne) I wouldn't say that at all. In fact, Ripper, old mate, I'd say something rather interesting was about to hap--
Shot of the door opening again and Giles shining the flashlight inside.
Giles: Did someone--?
Ethan: (caught) Oh, bugger! I thought you'd gone!
- When Giles and Ethan get drunk together, it becomes very clear how much Walsh's comment about an "absent male role model" stung Giles. IMO, Walsh knew exactly what she was doing when she made that comment; I think she wants to drive Giles away from Buffy so she can take over Buffy's reeducation.
- Ethan Rayne and Giles so have had an affair with one another in the past.
- Giles: (faltering voice) You know what gets me? This is what gets me. Twenty years I've been fighting demons. Maggie Walsh and her Nancy-ninja boys come in and six months later, demons are pissing themselves with fear. They never even noticed me.
Ethan: (drunkenly) Who's Maggie Walsh?
Giles: Oh, she's awful. She said I was an absent male role model. Absent my ass. I'm twice the man she is.
Ethan: (OS) You know you're really very attractive.
Giles: Hm?
He sees that Ethan is talking to the waitress, who is serving them another round. He starts writing something on a piece of paper.
- When Giles gets turned into a demon I was frightfully worried for his good health. I was 99,9 % sure he would not be killed off, but I still fretted. All the same, I had to laugh a lot. It's such a contrast that we still here him talking in his fuzzy British accent, but everyone else only hears demonic grunting. And his body language is so aggressive due to his clumsiness, it's not amazing Xander freaks out.
- Tara's and Willow's rose experiment: Not exactly the best of omens for their relationship.
- Spike is willing to help out when he's given money. I guess it will not be the last time that he doesn't do things out of friendship/obligation/loyalty, but will request money for his assistance. Mind you, I'm not complaining. It would be odd if he were helpful without asking for anything in return.
- My favorite scene in this episode:
Giles: I refuse to become a monster because I look like a monster. I have a soul. I have a conscience. I am a human being. Oh, stop the car!
The Citroen pulls to a stop at the corner of Main Street and we see that Professor Walsh has just crossed the street. Giles hops out of the car, without his blanket, and creeps up behind her. When he's close enough he roars and waves his claws in the air. Walsh looks over her shoulder, screams like a woman and runs for her life as Giles chases her down the street, past the Espresso Pump. He stops halfway down the street but Walsh continues to flee. Giles hurries back to the car ignoring the gaping stares of a few pedestrians.
Giles: (closing the door) Right. Let's go, then.
- Am very happy that Buffy doesn't take orders from Riley. She didn't quit working for the Council just to obey the orders of the Iniative now.
- Nice moment:
Buffy: You okay?
Giles: (sheepishly) Oh, um, uh, embarrassed, mostly. Ethan's wardrobe's not helping any. (faces her) Uh, how did you know it was me?
Buffy: Your eyes. (off his look) You're the only person in the world that can looked *that* annoyed with me.
- Walsh seems to care for Riley, but I believe she sees Buffy mostly as a useful instrument.
Walsh: Be careful with her. She reacts on instinct. There's no discipline there. Her loyalties are uncertain.
They reach a metal security door.
Riley: You won't be disappointed in her. She's good at what she does. She is the truest soul I've ever known.
Walsh: Oh, no (chuckling) oh, no! Spontaneous poetic exclamations. Lord, spare me college boys in love.
Riley: I'm just saying she'll work out. You'll be proud of her.
Walsh: You want to know what I think? (pause) I think you're probably right.
- So we see a door with the number "314". It seems Walsh has some dark secrets.
I've also noticed that there's another number on one of the door starting with "731". I remember Faith mentioning the number "730" in the vision she shared with Buffy. This is probably only a coincidence, though.
For a summary click here.
- Overall a fun episode that has some serious moments when it touches on the mentor relationships between Walsh-Riley and Giles-Buffy.
- I feel a bit nitpicky about Spike being conveniently able to speak the demon language Fyarl. It's nice that Spike gets some interaction with Giles, of course, but I would have found it more logical if it had been Anya who knew this demon language. I just can't see Spike studying demon languages in his free time, because wouldn't that be too reminiscent of William who most likely studied Latin and Greek.
- This is the first birthday for Buffy that is catastrophe-free.
Buffy: [...] But this is so nice. Having everyone together for my birthday. Of course, you could smash in all my toes with a hammer and it will still be the bestest Buffy Birthday Bash in a big long while.
- Giles at Buffy's party really feels left out. Comments like don't help:
Buffy: You should meet her [Prof Walsh]. She's absolutely the smartest person I've ever met.
Giles: (feeling a bit slighted) Perhaps we should have invited Professor Walsh to the party? (takes of sip of punch)
Buffy: Oh, no. I mean, she's like forty. She's got better things to do than hang out with a bunch of kids.
- He and Professor Walsh do not get along. Small wonder: Giles's approach is humanitarian, Walsh's is military command style. I don't doubt she's a successful leader, but she makes me feel uneasy. I don't think she lacks empathy, but she would never *act* on it. The way I see it she regards feelings as a weakness.
- Drat. So not good that Giles learns the truth about Riley's secret double life after everybody else.
- Love it when Giles calls Professor Walsh "that fish wife". :-)
- Ethan Rayne's first scene in this episode is sheer brilliance. He gets the traditional "the villain reveals his sinister ambitions behind the good guy's back" speech - only it's interrupted by Giles coming back. :-)
Giles: Who am I kidding?
He stuffs his supplies back in his bag and hurries to the door.
Giles: (muttering) Nothing is gonna happen.
He leaves closing it behind him and all is quiet for a moment. Then we see the back of a man wearing a gray trench coat step into the frame looking at the closed door.
Ethan: I wouldn't say that. (cut to front closing shot of Ethan Rayne) I wouldn't say that at all. In fact, Ripper, old mate, I'd say something rather interesting was about to hap--
Shot of the door opening again and Giles shining the flashlight inside.
Giles: Did someone--?
Ethan: (caught) Oh, bugger! I thought you'd gone!
- When Giles and Ethan get drunk together, it becomes very clear how much Walsh's comment about an "absent male role model" stung Giles. IMO, Walsh knew exactly what she was doing when she made that comment; I think she wants to drive Giles away from Buffy so she can take over Buffy's reeducation.
- Ethan Rayne and Giles so have had an affair with one another in the past.
- Giles: (faltering voice) You know what gets me? This is what gets me. Twenty years I've been fighting demons. Maggie Walsh and her Nancy-ninja boys come in and six months later, demons are pissing themselves with fear. They never even noticed me.
Ethan: (drunkenly) Who's Maggie Walsh?
Giles: Oh, she's awful. She said I was an absent male role model. Absent my ass. I'm twice the man she is.
Ethan: (OS) You know you're really very attractive.
Giles: Hm?
He sees that Ethan is talking to the waitress, who is serving them another round. He starts writing something on a piece of paper.
- When Giles gets turned into a demon I was frightfully worried for his good health. I was 99,9 % sure he would not be killed off, but I still fretted. All the same, I had to laugh a lot. It's such a contrast that we still here him talking in his fuzzy British accent, but everyone else only hears demonic grunting. And his body language is so aggressive due to his clumsiness, it's not amazing Xander freaks out.
- Tara's and Willow's rose experiment: Not exactly the best of omens for their relationship.
- Spike is willing to help out when he's given money. I guess it will not be the last time that he doesn't do things out of friendship/obligation/loyalty, but will request money for his assistance. Mind you, I'm not complaining. It would be odd if he were helpful without asking for anything in return.
- My favorite scene in this episode:
Giles: I refuse to become a monster because I look like a monster. I have a soul. I have a conscience. I am a human being. Oh, stop the car!
The Citroen pulls to a stop at the corner of Main Street and we see that Professor Walsh has just crossed the street. Giles hops out of the car, without his blanket, and creeps up behind her. When he's close enough he roars and waves his claws in the air. Walsh looks over her shoulder, screams like a woman and runs for her life as Giles chases her down the street, past the Espresso Pump. He stops halfway down the street but Walsh continues to flee. Giles hurries back to the car ignoring the gaping stares of a few pedestrians.
Giles: (closing the door) Right. Let's go, then.
- Am very happy that Buffy doesn't take orders from Riley. She didn't quit working for the Council just to obey the orders of the Iniative now.
- Nice moment:
Buffy: You okay?
Giles: (sheepishly) Oh, um, uh, embarrassed, mostly. Ethan's wardrobe's not helping any. (faces her) Uh, how did you know it was me?
Buffy: Your eyes. (off his look) You're the only person in the world that can looked *that* annoyed with me.
- Walsh seems to care for Riley, but I believe she sees Buffy mostly as a useful instrument.
Walsh: Be careful with her. She reacts on instinct. There's no discipline there. Her loyalties are uncertain.
They reach a metal security door.
Riley: You won't be disappointed in her. She's good at what she does. She is the truest soul I've ever known.
Walsh: Oh, no (chuckling) oh, no! Spontaneous poetic exclamations. Lord, spare me college boys in love.
Riley: I'm just saying she'll work out. You'll be proud of her.
Walsh: You want to know what I think? (pause) I think you're probably right.
- So we see a door with the number "314". It seems Walsh has some dark secrets.
I've also noticed that there's another number on one of the door starting with "731". I remember Faith mentioning the number "730" in the vision she shared with Buffy. This is probably only a coincidence, though.
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no subject
Date: 2005-11-24 06:55 am (UTC)Not quite. After all, Giles gets transformed into a demon.*g*
Ethan Rayne and Giles so have had an affair with one another in the past.
They are so canon. Jane Espenson (writer of this episode) said so.
Faith's "730" had a meaning, but it has nothing to do with the Initiative.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-07 07:22 pm (UTC)Spike, however, has always been one to take advantage of opportunities. He mentions to Giles that he once had some Fyarl minions - his knowledge of Latin and Greek seems to me to be a perfect starting point to his learning other languages to communicate with his 'minions'. After all, what good are they if they can't understand your orders? Also, Spike has probably learned many other languages during the course of his unlife. In Something Blue we see him immediately go to the books and suggest that a general reversal spell is probably what is needed for Giles' blindness, which implies that he has some experience with magic. He also had researched enough to get an idea where the DuLac cross was, even if he was too impatient to work out the translation of the code and put that off on Dalton, and had also researched the Gem of Amara, so I assumed that Spike is nearly as fluent in various languages as many of the Watchers. But it's not something he generally brags about - has to keep up his imageas The Big Bad, after all. *g*
no subject
Date: 2006-03-07 08:00 pm (UTC)We have proof that Angel speaks foreign languages and does it well. We hear him speak Tibetan and Cantonese (or some other Asian language).
I think for Spike we only hear Fyarl and see that he does know some Greek and Latin. As a Victorian from the middle class, he would have had to study these languages.
He most certainly had a better education than Angel, but I think he tried to distance himself from it as a vampire (working class accent & clothes).
I don't believe he was good at school - he comes across as too much of a dreamer. He definitely didn't enjoy school overly much. (See his comment to Dawn or his comment in Lessons.)
Oh, and this doesn't mean that I don't believe he's smart. He's the most observant character and no doubt has read a lot. (He has books in his crypt after all, can quote Shakespeare, ...) Am just not sure he *enjoyed* learning lots of new languages. It would remind him of school and education and his old, proper, boring life.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-07 10:31 pm (UTC)Tee hee! It seems the only language he actually has trouble with is his (supposedly native) Irish accent.
I agree with you about Spike probably not doing well at school. He is too much of a dreamer to have fit in with the rigid upper-middle-class Victorian methods of education. But I don't know that internally he managed to distance himself as well as he'd like others to believe he did. Spike seems to thoroughly enjoy new tastes (he's the only vampire we see eating on a regular basis for pleasure) and new experiences, so I think he might enjoy learning new languages without the canings and academic pressures inherent in traditional schooling. But that's just my opinion.
no subject
Date: 2006-03-12 01:30 am (UTC)There's no doubt that Spike is smart. Anything he's interested in, he will try to learn. I believe that he will pick up a lot of knowledge when he's not under pressure and can just learn for fun. He wouldn't get his knowledge from languages books, but from listening to foreign language TV shows. *g*