Beg to Differ

"Daddy's here."

Episode 2.11: Ted. Original Airdate: 12.8.97

"Buffy's mother brings home Ted, her new boyfriend, who is not what he seems."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I love Buffy's first reaction to Ted - "Hi":

translation:
Who the hell are you and why are you kissing my mom?

• John Ritter! Yay!
• Willow is so cute when she's excited and can't form complete sentences
• Robot or not, John Ritter really captures the over-bearing-wanna-be-stepfather...ness.
• Hey Angel!  This is what it's like dating a sixteen year old!  They complain about their mom dating some creep.  Used to it yet? Huh? 
• Worst. Mom. Ever. Joyce siding with her new boyfriend instead of her daughter.  OK, slight reprieve because you're being drugged by cookie...
• "I'm not wired that way." - First clue that Ted is a robot.  Clever.
• I love that Buffy's stubbornness, i.e., not eating Ted's cooking when everyone else is enjoying it so much, is the thing that saves her.
• Worst. Mom. Ever.  Part II: Actually accusing Buffy of lying that Ted threatened her?  Come on, Joyce!
• I love Buffy sneaking around Ted's office.  She does a great job and could totally be a P.I. after high school: Buffy Summers: P.I.
• John Ritter is really good at being creepy.
• Ted's threat about showing her diary to Joyce could have been a good opportunity to finally let Joyce in on the slaying.
• Ohmigosh!  There's a police department in Sunnydale!  I think this is the 2nd time we see cops.
• I like that the cops' questions make sense for the most part in a non-hell-mouthy context. 
• But at the same time, they almost seem to go easy on Buffy.  Maybe they know who she is?

• First time Buffy wrestles with the morals of killing a human vs an undead.  It won't be the last time.
• Interesting that it's Cordelia who defends Buffy's "right to kill."
• Cordy is so awesome.  "Maybe in a Fascist society."  "Yes! Let's have one of those!"
• This ep reminds me a bit of the old horror movie classic, "The Stepfather."
• When they find Ted's underground pad, it reminds me of an old Twilight Zone or Tales From the Crypt episode.
• It'd be interesting to find out that Warren is somehow related to Ted.
• Great robot make-up.
• The ending is vague.  It's still unclear where Joyce thinks Ted is...and what he was.

Zelda's Thoughts:

• I actually don't know who the Captain and Tennille are either.
• "How is Angel? Pretend I care." 
• Wow Buffy really likes Ted not even a little bit right away.
• Though Joyce and Ted really should have closed/locked the front door.
• Is it bad that I feel like we're just treading water through these next two episodes until Surprise and Innocence?
• I really like Joyce's dress. ==>
• John Ritter, you are just made of awesome. I miss you.
• Willow's shriekyjoysound. I can't handle.
• "Vampires are creeps." "Yes, that's why one slays them."
• "Hi Ted. Ted who's here."
• Oh right. Jenny is keeping her distance from Giles. Sad Giles Face.
• "You make me feel bad that I don't feel better." Very cool sentiment. Also very sad.
• So is Angel's main purpose here to be bandaged and to make out with Buffy? Yep, that's it.
• First clue Ted is freakyinvasive - talking about Buffy's grades. And then telling Buffy no cheating and no parties.
• Buffy is rocking the pouty teen posture.

Like Fosse, it's all in the shoulders.

• And then he's COMPLETELY FUCKING CREEPY. Jesus Christ.
• So the story quickly shifts from Buffy disliking someone just for dating her mother to guy who is awful to her when no one's looking. Which unfortunately makes it seem like more of her not liking him just for dating her mom.
• But I call complete bullshit (and I know Daniel is doing the same thing) that Joyce doesn't believe Buffy when she says he threatened to hurt her. Buffy doesn't lie. Well, Buffy lies, but not about this.
• Haha. Xander gives Cordy a compliment and she thinks he's being sarcastic. It's kinda cute.
• See, this is why we love Willow. She's supportive of Buffy even when she thinks Buffy is overreacting.
• I like that Buffy calls her mom Stepford happy. Ted is the real Stepford here.
• You guys, I'm totally bonding with Buffy right now. Not cuz of the "jerkoff dating my mom" thing, but because her feet don't reach the ground when she sits on the swing.

It's like we're sisters. With really different hair.

• Creepyass Ted reading her diary. John Ritter is so good at being really fucking creepy.
• Clue he's a creepyrobot - his slap had some real punch (er...so to speak) on Buffy the Slayer.
• And of course Joyce only shows up once Buffy is doing most of the punching and kicking.
• I actually like that Buffy killing a "human," even one who was attacking and threatening her, is not treated lightly. It really takes her down emotionally. And I like that Buffy owns up to it to the police right away. Unlike some Faiths I could mention. "I'm the Slayer. I had no right to hit him like that." This is why Buffy is the best.
• One point in Joyce's favor - she tried to cover for Buffy - saying Ted fell without including that Buffy was attacking him.
• Buffy wears her depression overalls.
• "I guess you should know, since you helped raise that demon that killed that guy that time?" Cordelia's lack of tact is really helping to lighten the tone of this episode. Thanks Cordy!
• Really good acting from SMG and KS this week. Poor Joyce.
• "You are the best human ever! I adore you!" It's shit like this, Xander, that makes it hurt more when Willow finds out you're with Cordelia.
• Gah. Ted showing up in her bedroom AFTER she killed him? Gah.

D & I both think this window gets reused,
but aren't sure where. Anyone?

• "That's right, little lady, you killed me. Do we have something to say about that? Are we sorry?"
• Giles taking the crossbow arrow in his back out and staking the vamp with it? BAMF
• I'm glad Joyce is not ready to run off into the sunset with Ted, and gets to see how creepycrazy he is, so she learns Buffy knows best.
• Cordelia saying the rug doesn't fit and that's how they figure it out? Awesome. She has earned her place in the Scoobies!
• "I don't take orders from women. I'm not wired that way." Oh good he's a misogynist too. Just in case we felt any sympathy.
• I'm not ... fully sure I understand his master plan. Woo a housewife, marry her, kill her, and on to the next? Always trying to recreate his first wife who left him? Sure I can see how that'd be fun for a human psychopath serial killer, but a robot?

Intriguing

• "They're your size, they're always your size." Gah.
• So Joyce didn't know he was a robot, just a creeper? Does it come out that he's a robot? Is that something in the police report or the newspapers? We know they found out about his past dead wives ... or did the Mayor cover it up?

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: "I believe the subtext here is..is rapidly becoming, uh...text." Giles

Zelda: Cordelia: "But she's like this superman. Shouldn't there be different rules for her?" // Willow: "Sure, in a fascist society." // Cordelia: "Right! Why can't we have one of those?"

90s Factoid:

Ted gives Willow 3x5 floppy discs

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Buffy is bandaging Angel's hand from when Spike's little ritual.
• First appearance of Detective Stein.

Giles and Jenny are back together!

  

Stats:

Voiceover - Giles

Dead Humans - 0 (We're not counting Original Ted or his four wives)

Dead Undeads - 3

Giles Unconscious - 0

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0

Buffy Breaks a Door - 1

Evil Reveal - 1 (Ted)
Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 0
Apocalypse Called - 0

Two Slayers, No Waiting

Two Slayers, No Waiting

Episode 2.10: What's My Line?: Part 2. 

Original Airdate 11.24.97

"Buffy joins forces with another Slayer in hopes of saving Angel from the clutches of Spike and Drusilla."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• "I'm the damn Slayer!" Yay Buffy owning her destiny? Sort of?
• So her watcher sent Kendra, a teenager, to kill vampires in Sunnydale, with absolutely no guidance beyond that. WHY THE HELL DIDN'T HE COME WITH? Worst. Watcher. Ever.
• So ... the sun weakens poor widdle Angel? By being ... vaguely near? This is never a thing in any other episode. I call shenanigans.

• Willow's face as Kendra talks. Hilarious.  ===>
• "She died?" // "Just a little!"
• Daniel and I are being total dorks and saying all Kendra's lines with bad Jamaican accents and giggling like idiots.
• I don't believe that Kendra was cutting herself off mid-sentence with "he looked just like another animal when I -" "I-" - Bad Acting 101
• Aw yay Willy saved Angel. Of course, it was to bring him to Spike, but still cool.
• "I'm thinking, maybe dinner and a movie. Don't want to rush into anything. I've been hurt, you know" I love Spike so. No wonder they didn't kill him off.
• Hahaha even Bug Guy is sick of dealing with Cordy. "Are there more ladies in the house?"
• We handled this in the crossfire last week, but seriously, how can Bug Guy actually hurt them? Are the bugs venomous? Sure, he's gross but ... that's kind of ... it? I refuse to let go of this point.
• Last night Kendra saved Willy from Angel. Now she punches Willy out and says "Thees one ees dirtee! I cahn feeeeel it!" First she thinks Buffy's a vampire, and now this? Worst. Slayer. Ever.
• "No wonder you died." But she talks some pretty good smack.
• Aw Spike's face when Dru asks to play with Angel. He's jealous.
• Shenanigans! "Disneyland would get boring after a few months." That is in no way a true statement. [Maybe with the one park - Disney World is better...more parks, more drinking - D]
• Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand Cordy and Xander kiss. With the rising music and the rising ... music.
• Oz and Willow are seriously the cutest flirts on the entire planet.
• "Angel's our friend! Except I don't like him." I actually think that's the most mature and honest Xander has ever, in his entire life, been about Angel.
• I'd call a shenanigan on Dru keeping holy water around, but she's insane, so I'll believe anything.
• "Kendra killed the bad lamp."
• Is Jamaica part of Scotland?
• "Kendra, my emotions give me power. They're total assets." Our Buffy is a better Slayer than any Slayer who's not our Slayer.
• So she's not permitted to speak with boys, which gives her crippling awkwardness, but she's totally chill with talking to Giles the Tweed Man. Is there an age cutoff before she starts getting shy? She was also fine with Willy. Was it because she  could feeeeeel his dirteeness?
• Hahaha Angel taunting Spike's lack of sexual prowess. Which is kind of adorable, considering Angel's been celibate for like a century. But I do enjoy his taunting him all the same.
• Angelus! Again with the mispronouncing, JM! Sigh.
• I think this is also the first time Buffy has to confront a black-and-white perspective on vampires where she has to defend Angel's existence to a White Hat
• Love the knife hidden in the cross.
• As far as macguffiny spells go, this one is pretty cool. I like the picture of how they're tied together.

• "They were duplicitous." // "Well, then I'll only kill you just this once."
• "Dat's me favrit shart! Dat's me only shart!" I'm sorry, I know we're being petty, but it's funny.
• That organ and the fire shoulda killed Spike and Dru. BUT THEY WERE TOO POPULAR TO BE KILLED.
• Aw, Kendra helps save Angel.
• "You talk about slaying like it's a job. It's not. It's who you are." This was almost my favorite line, for thematical purposes, but then Oz talked about monkey pants and he just won.
• "I don't hug."
• Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay Spike and Dru live on!

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I hate to start this episode off with a Shenanigans! But when Kendra and a new watcher were called, no one contacted Giles? Even to see if he was OK because his slayer died? Or to reassign him somewhere? What a poorly run organization. This won't be the last shenanigan I have associated with the coucil.
• Zelda and I keep making fun of Kendra’s accent.  Harmless fun or racism?  You decide.
• So if new Slayers can be called when one dies, can we just do a Flatliners thing where we kill a slayer and bring her back?  Just a suggestion...  We could have an army!  Although, season seven...so never mind.
• Worms are freaking gross, you guys!
• Wow, Buffy is kind of a bitch to Kendra.
• There’s a slayer handbook?
• My God, Buffy – at least run a comb through your hair:

• Aww, Oz saved Willow’s life!
• No! Don’t kill Jonathan!  Good.  Jonathan will live to see another day.
• Oz...the first Scooby to be shot.  His shirt.  It's red.  SPOILERS!
• “Kendra killed the bad lamp!”
• Ok Buffy is now imitating Kendra’s accent too.  So it’s not racist. It’s fun.  Cause Buffy can’t be racist.
• “Shhh, ruff!  Bad dog!”
• Would Angel really have sacrificed himself just so Drusilla couldn’t get her strength back?
• “That’s my favorite shirt!  That’s me only shirt!”
• It's kind of unnerving that Bianca Lawson is still playing a teenager after all these years.
• Willow & Oz: awwww.  I love their final conversation as they walk down the hall.  Especially since I heard they ad libbed a lot of it.

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: The whole monkey pants sequence: Oz: "And you know the monkey's just, 'I mock you with my monkey pants!' And there's a big coup in the zoo." // Willow: "The monkey is French?" // Oz: "All monkeys are French. You didn't know that?"
Daniel: "Yeah, sometimes." - Oz's non-explanatory response to Willow's observation that his hair is brown today.

90s Factoid:

The line: "Can we say stuck in the 80s?"

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Cordy and Xander's first kiss/massive makeout session.
• Jonathan is back! This time he's called Freshman.

Stats:

Photographic proof, ladies and germs!

• Voiceover - none
• Oz's hair - brown
• Dead Humans - 0
• Dead Undeads - 4
• Giles Unconscious - 0
• Giles Cleans His Glasses - 1
• Buffy Breaks a Door - 0
• Evil Reveal - 1 (Patrice the LadyCop)
• Unevil Reveal - 0
• Shenanigans Called - 3
• Apocalypse Called - 0

Don't Warn the Tadpoles

Episode 2.9: What's My Line?: Part 1. Original Airdate 11.17.97

"Spike brings in three professional bounty hunters to eliminate Buffy while she ponders on what her profession might be if her fate wasn't already sealed."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I don’t think my school had a career fair…
• Despite hanging with the Scoobies, Cordelia has still retained her Cordettes. [Minus a Harmony. - Z]
• Aww, Buffy is worried about her future! Like all teens!

Aww!

• Dru: "He can’t help you…not without the key."  Dawn: "Me?"  SPOILERS!
• Spike and Dru are the cutest dead couple since the Addamses.
• Marti Noxon’s first foray into writing a Buffy ep – not bad, Marti, not bad.
• Angel holding Mr. Gordo is adorable. ==>
• Buffy: “You don’t have to whisper, mom’s in LA…” Angel: “Then, why did you sneak through the window?”  Hee.
• It’s nice that Joss brought SMG’s ice-skating past into the program.
• I can see it now: Buffy Summers: Police Woman  
• It's Willy!
• Willow & Oz finally meet!
• Xander is annoying everyone with his dumb jokes this episode.  Including me. [Not me! *blithe smile* - Z]
• Spike must be really desperate to hire a bounty rather than killing Buffy himself.
• The paranoid Buffy scene is kinda dumb – especially the guy that takes out his comb.  

The Comb of Doom.

• It’s Kendra! Da vampire slayer!

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Yaaaaaaaay this episode has so much cool in it.
• "Yes, but I'll always be stupid ... okay, let's not all rush to disagree."
• "That's between you and your god." I use that one a lot too. No one gets it. [Except Buffy fans. Cause we're cool - D]
• Man, the Council really should pay Buffy to be the Slayer.
• Hehehe Spike is all mean and rude to everyone, but one tiny whimper from Dru and he's an apologetic puppy. Boy is whipped. But it's easy to see why these two were so popular, devoted to each other and insane as they are.

Not enough books. Must be bookier.

• "Career Week?" // "How did you know?" // "I lurk." I died.
• Awww, Buffy looks at her reflection and there is no Angel reflection next to her on the bed.
• See, scenes like this, I get the OTP of Buffy and Angel: "It's closed on Tuesdays." // "Tomorrow's Tuesday." // "I know." schmoopy eyes
• Seriously, though, Xander would make a terrible prison guard. He would get his butt kicked. But police officer makes more sense for Buffy. It's already what she does, isn't it? Why is this upsetting news? I genuinely don't get it.
• Giles has to carry All the Books.
• And now, because she's being taunted with life paths she can't have, Buffy is chafing under the shackles of her destiny, bratting at Giles and making jokes about her demise.
• Oooooh Spike called Buffy a bitch. Them's fighting words!
• Spike calls in the Order of Taraka. He shoulda learned from the Master that calling in 3 thugs to kill the Slayer never works. I thought what works with Slayers is killing them, Spike? Do it yourself!
• "I think it's just-enough-kill." People love this line. I think it's pretty hokey actually. Eye-rollingly so.
• Snyder! Yay!
• Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Oz's face when he sees Willow. "It's her!" he seems to think before he goes with the more blase "Canape?" I can't handle. So cute.
• We shoulda kept a tally of how many scenes take place in the parking lot of the studio. But we didn't. Instead we just laugh about it every episode.
• Oh show. You're so crafty - we see the arrival of two of the Order of Taraka dudes, so when we see Kendra check in to Sunnydale, we assume she is one of them too. Especially when she knocks random baggage handler out. Which, speaking of - why the hell is she harming civilians? Her watcher is shit.
• Ah yes, we must cure Dru's macguffin illness with a macguffin cross and a macguffin spell requiring a macguffin Angel.
• Xander belittling Buffy's research skills? Pot, kettle, have you met each other yet?
• "I didn't even notice." Awwwwwwwwww
• "Bowling is a vicious game." // "That's ENOUGH, Xander." Ooooh. Daddy's mad.
• Hey listen, Giles and Angel and the Overprotective Society, why is hiding Buffy from the scaries a good idea? No one else is strong enough to defeat them. I don't like plotlines that make Buffy feel small and vulnerable. Bad! Bad!

My boyfriend lives in a museum.

• Ewwwww bugman ewwwwww.
• "That's a tense person." I love you Oz.
• GILES FINALLY CLEANED HIS GLASSES THANK GOD I'M SURE THEY'RE FILTHY.
• Angel, your decor is bizarrrrrrrrrre. ==>
• Also, random thought: We know Angel is a good artist from later episodes. I think there should be more stalker drawings of Buffy lying around. #justsaying
• So how come Kendra doesn't just kill Angel, the vampire she sees beating up a human? No, seriously, WHY NOT. Do I blame her shitty watcher or her? Worst. Slayer. Ever.
• Come to that, when she saw Angel and Buffy making out in the rink, why didn't she attack them? Why was she even following them in the first place? I understand her as a foil, but as a character I think she makes very little sense. Did she just decide to randomly wander Sunnydale and happened upon the closed skating rink? All right, guys, I have to call it - Shenanigans!
• Also, I think Angel should be able to break out of that little cage.
• "I have frog fear." She's so cute.
• "By George, I think he's got it." Spike is a fan of My Fair Lady!
• Buffy's house is remarkably easy to break into. I hope Joyce has good insurance.
• "You must be Number Two." It's funny because she means Taraka, but it's also about being a Slayer. And also, poo.
• The Slayer-on-Slayer fight is pretty cool.
• "I am Kendra, the Vampire Slayer." // Buffy's face: "whuh?" Excellent ending.

Crossfire!

Z: Please explain to me how a guy who turns into worms is supposed to be a deadly threat against a Vampire Slayer. I mean, yes, gross, zomg wormses, and all that, but ... how does that actually kill a Slayer?

D: Because ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.  It would make her run away so she couldn't stop the ritual.

Z: No. No no no. These are assassins sent to kill the Buffy. That is what they do. That is why Giles and Angel got obnoxiously overprotective of Buffy. How oh how could wormyman kill her? Are these worms invested with superstrength?
D: Well it killed another woman.  It either scared her to death (that can happen!) or it stuffed her throat (EW EW EW) until she couldn't breathe.
Z: I guess ... but I still have trouble seeing him as much of a threat to a Slayer.

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: "I came down on the side of shrubs." ~Willow 

Zelda: "I want to walk in your shoes. Not your actual shoes, of course, because you're a tiny person." - Xander

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Dalton, the bespectacled minion, is translating the book that Female Blonde Minion stole in Lie to Me.
• Buffy used to ice skate.
• Oz and Willow finally meet! And are adorable!!!!
• First appearance of Kendra, the Vampire Slayer.
• Buffy's first sleepover at Angel's. Though he's not there for it.
• Willy the Snitch's first episode.
• Willow reveals her frog fear. Perhaps she developed it after playing with that stuffed frog.

Stats:

Voiceover - none

Dead Humans - 1

Dead Undeads - 2

Giles Unconscious - 0

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 1

Buffy Breaks a Door - 1 (well, she broke the lock)

Evil Reveal - 0

Unevil Reveal - 1 (Kendra)

Shenanigans Called - 1

Apocalypse Called - 0

Ripper

Episode 2.8: The Dark Age. Original Airdate 11.10.97

"Giles's past comes back to haunt him as a demon he and Ethan Rayne summoned in their wild youth seeks them out in Sunnydale."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• This is another episode I tend to downgrade in its absence. I recognize its importance arc-wise, in terms of Giles's back story, and his relationship with both Jenny and Buffy, but it's not one I'm ever tempted to rewatch just for kicks.
• Giles's whole tirade against Buffy's cardio mix is delightful. "I know music. Music has notes. This is noise!"
• You see, it's irony because they think Giles is the tweediest tweed to ever tweed, but he was a way darker scamp than they will ever be (well, except maybe Willow).
• "Do you want me to answer that, or shall I just glare?"
• Yeah, see, the episode is delightfully funny. I need to stop being miss judgy judge.
• "What? Why does everyone always yell my name? I'm not deaf. And I can take a hint ... what's the hint?"
• Shenanigans! Why would the regular vamps need to raid the hospital for bags of blood? There are walking bags of blood called people everywhere. Only fangless vamps like Angel would need to take advantage of Delivery Day.

• 

  Basically the same person.

• Giles has stubble! AND A TATTOO. And he talks to himself in the mirror. He's basically the Green Goblin.
• "Yeah, you know, you don't see enough abaci!"
• Punching Ethan Rayne is always hilarious and satisfying.
• Cordy took down Ethan Rayne! That was awesome!
• Dude, seriously, Giles looks hot with a bit of stubble.
• "I feel pretty good about it. Does that make me a sociopath?" I haven't used this, but maybe I should. Does that make me a sociopath? 
• "What about me? I care about Giles." It's so cute! Cordy actively wants to join the Scoobies!
• "Be seeing you." Just like Ethan Rayne.
• "Three down, two to go." JUST LIKE DARK WILLOW.
• This is a major humbling episode for Giles/Buffy. He's forced to confront his dark past, and ask Buffy's - a child's - help in dealing with it, and Buffy has to realize that her father figure, who should always know best, has made mistakes - some big ones - and needs her help to fix them. But she steps up and reminds him that it's okay and he can forgive himself.
• "I actually kind of like you, it's just that I like myself a lot more."
• Cordy and Xander are arguing more and more. THAT'S BECAUSE NEXT EPISODE THEY START MAKING OUT.
• Oh look, I'm happy to see Angel! That's so weird. But his little hero moment is awesome. Also, his face is hilarious:

Hey Angel, Why the long face? 

• Shenanigans! If Buffy's so concerned about hiding her tattoo, maybe SHE SHOULDN'T WEAR CAMIS ALL THE TIME.
• Aw. sad Giles. I mean, sad Jenny too, but I'm mostly concerned about sad Giles.
• "The hills are not alive." // "I'm sorry to hear that ... I think."
• "It's not music, it's just meaningless sounds." // "There! Feel better?" // "Yes, thanks." These two, you guys.

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I feel the show should have made use of creepy janitor guy. 
• As badass as Giles’ old gang used to be, I feel they could have dealt with this situation.  
• Plus, it would have been nice to have more people around who knew Giles in his youth. 
• How exactly did Deirdre cross the pond while all possessed and stuff?  Was the whole gang living in the U.S.? [No, I called one in England - Giles]
• Shenanigans! Deirdre’s face was all green and icky but her legs were just fine.
• Based on this episode alone, I so want that Ripper spin-off.
• Who the heck is Amy Yip?  *uses Google* oh.  

• I love when Jenny plays with Giles.  It's so sweet. 
• There are police in Sunnydale?
• I don’t know why morgues in Sunnydale don’t have more security with the amount of vampires and other undeads that come back to life…
• So Xander and Cordelia are the only two students who need help with computers? Really?
• I think Ethan secretly likes being hit by Buffy.
• Aww. Cordelia wants to help!
• It seems like it would have been a lot less risky to use Xander and Cordelia’s idea of getting a dead body, rather than using Angel.  They could have at least cut the dead body’s head off.
• I wonder if this was supposedly the turning point for Jenny in regards to Angel.  He risked his life to save hers.  Because she was undercover All Along.
• It’s nice to see someone (Jenny) actually have long term effects caused by the monster of the week.
• So I have a few comments here that I didn't list as shenanigans but they're things that make for a clunky episode...so many things that make me say "yeah, but why..." I like the idea of this episode, I just think it was poorly executed.

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: "He probably sat in math class thinking, 'There should be more math. This could be mathier.'" - Buffy

Daniel: "Can you help me with a ticket? It's totally bogus.  It was a one-way street.  I was going one way." - Cordelia

90s Factoid:

Get a cell phone, Buff!

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Deidre and Phillip are Giles's old wild youth friends. They dead now. Ethan Rayne lives to taunt us another day.
• Angel comes to the hospital to get blood on Delivery Day.
• Our first time in Giles's apartment. It is lovely.
• GILES HAS A TATTOO.
• Xander's uncle Rory the taxidermist! First mention.
• Our second time using the library cage to imprison someone. Second time that someone broke out. Remind me why they think it's a great place to keep Oz?
• This is when Giles reveals that he did get into the dark magicks when he was in his early 20s, which belies his claim in Witch of never having done magic.

Stats:

Voiceover -GIles

Dead Humans - 1

Dead Undeads - 3

Giles Unconscious - 0, surprisingly

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0, disappointingly

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 1 (Jenny is possessed)

Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 3

Apocalypse Called - 0

What? What-ing a what?

Episode 2.7: Lie to Me. Original Airdate 11.3.97

"Buffy is lured into a trap by a group of undead wannabes who hope that Spike will make them vampires in exchange for giving him the Slayer."

Daniel's Thoughts:

Willow's fashion don't. What is this shirt?

• Worst mom ever. Not Joyce! Whoever left their kid in the middle of a playground at night in Sunnydale.
• Drusilla is so creepy! I love it!
• I like Angel's remorse and guilt when it comes to Drusilla.
• Why is Buffy on a rooftop except for a nice directorial shot and so she can accidentally come across Dru & Angel?
• I love whenever Cordelia speaks up in class.
• I hate Ford...mostly because I hate Jason Behr. He's such a boring actor. Here's a hint: don't watch Roswell.
• How many of us have sat in our rooms, moping, listening to "I Touch Myself"?
• Xander's "You're not wrong!" - I've used that. [Me too. My friends hate me for it. But they are, in this case, wrong. - Z]
• I love Chanterelle. I'm so glad she makes future appearances.
• Willow has a balcony leading to her bedroom!
• By letting Angel in, Willow is dooming the future of her goldfish.

• 

  Well, this is awkward.

• Willow's bad at lying...for now.
• Chanterelle is so sweet and innocent.
• Someone's dressed like Angel! ==>
• Spike to Ford: "I've known you for two minutes and I find you annoying." Preach.
• "The Lonely Ones," "The Lost Boys," "They just...sparkle..." People have found ways of romanticizing vampires since they were invented. I l like that BtVS doesn't really do that. [Everyone here should read Sunshine by Robin McKinley.]
• Empty threat. Buffy says she'll kill Ford, but she won't - as long as he remains human.
• Looking at Spike's face when Ford asks for his reward, I was sure he was just going to kill him. I was very surprised when we saw Ford emerge from the grave as a vampire. What does that say about Spike? He's a vampire. He didn't have to keep his promise.  

Zelda's Thoughts:

Okay, so this is one of my top ten right here, so please bear with me. It's just - this is when I fell in love. The second half of OMWF (my first ep) was a moment of "oh wow, who's that across the room?" Prophecy Girl was a moment of "you guys, I think this show and I could really have something special." But Lie to Me was the moment I fell for good. Specifically the moment at the end, the final lines (quoted below in our Favorite Lines section), and here's why:

I remember being very conscious of the episode title while watching this for the first time, and how prevalent that theme was in this episode - Buffy's people - her boyfriend, her childhood crush, her two best friends - spend a good chunk of the episode lying to her, or at the least, withholding the truth. The people she should be able to count on the most to be honest with her are betraying that trust. Watch SMG's face as the episode goes on - it becomes more and more closed off, less willing to reveal her true reactions as her shields go up. Coupling this  with the cavalry's only showing up at the Sunset Club once the battle is done, and this is really an episode where Buffy is forced to be the adult, to make the responsible heroic choices that will save the lives of the naive idiots like Chanterelle and Mark/Diego. But Buffy is not willing to let herself be a passive victim of her friends' dishonesty ("I don't need to understand, I just need to know.") - she demands the truth, even if none of it is anything she wants to know - that Angel drove a young girl mad, killed her whole family, turned her, and is allowing her to go free in Sunnydale, or that Ford is not only a cruel manipulator willing to let all the denizens of the Sunset Club die, but that he is dying in a truly horrible way. Buffy knows first-hand how awful it is to face death as a teenager, but she also knows the full truth, that that awfulness is never a sanction for murder. Part of growing up is facing these awful truths.

All of that adds up to a pretty good episode on its own, but it's the end bit that kills me. Buffy sits with Giles, waiting to kill Ford, and asks him, like a two year old with a scrape on her knee, if it gets better. And when Giles asks what she wants to hear, she invokes the episode's title: "Lie to me." Buffy would like to remain a child just a bit longer, to retain the fantasy that the world is simple, that truths are always true, and that people you love will be honest with you. And so I fell in love. Thank you for your time.

• Creepy playground ... on the backlot.
• Juliet Landau is really good at being quietly dangerous. "Oh, well, I'm not a person, see - " - so mad at being misunderstood.
• I'm confused why Angel doesn't just kill Dru. He knows she's psychotic and dangerous, even if she's weak right now. You can't tell me it's guilt. If his guilt were that bad, wouldn't he try to relieve her of the burden of being crazy by killing her? More evidence that Angel is just a big stupid stupidhead.
• Yaaaaay written and directed by Joss Whedon!



Xander's face as Cordy defends Marie Antoinette.
 Awesome.

• So in this instance, Cordy demonstrates very little understanding of history. I guess Shakespeare is her specialty?
• "Would I be imposing?" // "Oh, only in the literal sense."
• "Okay, once more with tension" shoutout to our blog!
• "See, you made him do that thing where he's gone!" Oh, Joss, you're so Jossy.
• Nice touch when Ford enters the Sunset Club, that we see a guy welding/rigging the door for the big event.
• So this vampire-worshipping bar is just the Bronze re-outfitted, right?
• Willow being scandalized at having a boy in her room is adorable.
• "Help? You mean like on homework? No, 'cause you're old and you already know stuff."
• "Really honed my brooding skills" leave it to Joss to hang a delightful lantern on the pretension that is Angel's melancholy.
• "Okay, but if there isn't anything weird - hey, that's weird."
• "Nice girl." "There aren't two of those in the world." SPOILER YES THERE ARE SOMETIMES
• So how did Ford know random blonde vamp would be a Spike minion? Does he just own all the local vamps?
• "Yeah I'm gonna have to go with Dead Boy on this one." // "Could you not call me that?"
• Bossy the cow. bahahaha. I love how much we're insulting Angel in this episode.
• "What, and miss the nitro-burning funny cars?"
• Oooh "isn't he supposed to be a good guy?" BECAUSE JENNY KNOWS BETTER ZOMG SPOILER [Again, I have a problem with this...because it still seems like the writers/Jenny don't know better. - D]
• "My book! It took one of my books!" Giles is so outraged
• Awww Spike is all jelly of Angel. I love it. JM is my favorite.
• "The bird's dead, Dru. You left it in the cage, and you didn't feed it, and now it's all dead, just like the last one. Oh, I'm sorry, baby. I'm a bad, rude man ... Would you like a new bird? One that's not dead?" love love love it all
• "Well, I don't go much for tradition." yeah, Ford, and if you really knew who Spike was, like you claim, you'd know better.
• Ford's obsession with following the rules of storytelling and bad guy posturing is fascinating. I want to talk about it more, but I think I've already written way too much this week. Short version: he's a man who's lost control of his body and so is seeking to control everything else in reaction - right down to structuring his whole scheme so that people will play pre-assigned roles in his head - Spike as the mustache-twirling villain, Buffy as the self-righteous but ignorant hero, and himself as the sufferer - all to lead up to his reveal. But Buffy doesn't respond the way he wants, because she knows better. See: my discussion in Inca Mummy Girl, and Buffy's line regarding ends and means - nothing warrants murder.
• "And my GOD, could you have a dorkier outfit?"
• Buffy's form of mercy is killing Ford herself, so that he doesn't become a vampire. Because she knows. She's seen what hell looks like. She's seen what death looks like. And she's seen the ugliness of vampires up close.
• I love how Buffy scans the room of vampires feasting. She could take down vamp by vamp, or she could go for the Queen (Dru) and neutralize all of them.
• "Uh. ... where's the doorknob?" snort
• "She's NOT stuck in the basement."
• Oh Ford. You died twice. Just like Buffy.
• So ... did Ford get buried in Sunnydale? Or did Buffy and Giles go to an LA cemetery to wait for him?

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: "Um...uh, there was a, a cat. A cat here, and, um, then there was a-another cat...and they fought. The cats. And...then they left." - Goofy Buffy

Zelda: This entire sequence:

Buffy: Does it ever get easy?

Giles: You mean life?

Buffy: Yeah. Does it ever get easy?

Giles: What do you want me to say?

Buffy: Lie to me.

Giles: Yes, it's terribly simple. The good guys are always stalwart and true, the bad guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats, and we always defeat them and save the day. No one ever dies, and everybody lives happily ever after.

Buffy: Liar.

90s Factoid:

Buffy's ginormous cordless phone.

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Buffy used to eat Oreos dunked in apple juice
• Buffy went to Hemery in LA with Ford.
• Buffy, Xander, Willow, and Cordy all have History together. Buffy, Xander, and Willow have French together.
• First appearance of Chanterelle/Lily/Anne.
• Angel now has permission to enter the Rosenberg abode.
• Female Blonde Minion of Spike steals one of Giles's books.
• Buffy tells Angel she loves him.
• Angel drove Drusilla insane, tortured her and killed her family, and then killed her. Nice guy.
• Lucius is Spike's offscreen minion.

Stats:

Voiceover - none

Dead Humans - 1

Dead Undeads - 3

Giles Unconscious - 0

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 1 (Ford is a dumb shit)

Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 0

Apocalypse Called - 0