A Sodding Breadbox

Episode 5.4: Out of My Mind. Original Airdate 10.17.00

"While Riley's Health begins to deteriorate, Spike and Harmony force a surgeon to remove the behavior modification chip embedded in Spike's brain."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Parking lot! Do a shot. I'd have alcohol poisoning if I actually did shots every time they use the parking lot as a set.
• I feel like a long tied neck scarf wouldn't be the best for slaying? too easy to get strangled?
• "Buffy, what are you doing here?" // "My job?!?"
• And then Spike joins the fray because of reasons.
• Tasting your own nose blood is pretty gross, Spike.
• What's that? Spike's delivering an ominous threatening speech? Time to undercut it by having him fall into an open grave!

 *dusts hands*

• Oh hey reminder that college is a thing. I love me some French Revolution debate.
• This is actually making me really retrospectively sad, that Buffy is applying herself so hard at her studies, both academic and Slayic, knowing that it won't last long because Buffy is not allowed to have good things.
• It's nice that Xander is good at something, all carpentery and such.
• "What do you see?" // "Willow hand."
• Aw they built Buffy a training room and it's huuuuuuuuuuuge. Let's celebrate by having Riley be a hyperactive puppy.
• Dawn pouring all the cereal out to get to the prize - another sign the writers intended the character to be younger than they cast. By the time I was 14 I knew how to get prizes out without sacrificing delicious sugary cereal.
• NO NO NO NO NO JOYCE COLLAPSED.
• I like that Dawn's stethoscope playing is what leads to the realization that Riley is sick.
• Dawn's a great catalyst this ep - she gives Buffy the idea of tipping off The Initiative to Riley's illness by speaking into Riley's tapped phone.
• Did Riley just spike the basketball? I don't think that's how you sport.
• Shenanigans! Graham said The Initiative has been at Riley "for weeks" about his illness. Bull freaking shit.
• "Harmony, is it a sodding breadbox?"
• Buffy, you ripped up that perfectly nice money! Bad Buffy, bad!
• Ugh. Riley. Don't let this kill you because you want to be strong enough to arm wrestle your Slayer girlfriend. It's not quite the same but it's reminding me of Angel deciding he couldn't afford to stay human with Buffy.
• "Loving you is the scariest thing I've ever done, Buffy." // "I don't know why." I really love that exchange. I've been trying to articulate what it is I love about it and I'm having trouble. It's what Buffy says, and the way she says it. That it shouldn't be scary, that it should be easy, natural, that it's not a competition but a partnership and there needs to be trust.
• So um. They don't shave Spike's hair before cutting into his skull? They also didn't even bother to cut a hole in the blue sheet and you can see him moving against the sheet. One big shenanigan on this surgery.

• Wow. Is he just like. Putting a bandaid on Spike's hair?

Yes, he is

• Also the gauze is nowhere near where he was operating.
• Parking lottttttttttttttttt.
• Meanwhile Riley's heart surgery also has the tiniest bandage known to man. 

• Listen, I know about laproscopic surgery but this was done in 2000, and I'm pretty sure that's not what was happening here.
• Also they didn't bandage or even clean Riley's bloody knuckles. This is the worst doctor ever.
• Oh right this is when Spike's crush starts officially with the kissing dream. "Oh God, no. Please, no."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I always feel like that one crypt they have is blow-up. Like there’s someone with an air pump blowing it up before each scene.
• I was going to say how cool it is that Buffy staked a vamp before he even made it out of the ground, but…there’s no way she could have. It looks like she staked his head. SHENANIGANS.
• Ugh, shut up Spike. “I will know your blood, slayer…I will make your neck my chalice and…” Seriously, shut up. Your poetry sucks!
• Willow’s so cute that she’s proud that she and Buffy are having an intellectual debate.
• All this witty banter. Back and forth and back and forth! I want to write it all down!
• How does the Magic Shop have so much space? It’s huge.
• Oh, Harmony. She’s so sweet for a vampire.
• Yes, I know it’s a recurring theme: Smoking=Evil. And vampires are evil so they smoke…but how can they if they don’t even breathe? I’m not going to shenanigan it. I mean it’s kind of a series long shenanigan.
• Oh man, Joyce, “Who are you?” Again, with the good foreshadowing. Also, it's laying out the rules of Dawn.
• Ugh, Ben. He looks like Ken-Doll. Meaning his hair looks plastic.

His hair seriously looks fake

• Very subtle click on the phone, initiative guys. Nope…no one is listening.
• Oh, fantastic. It’s Graham. The most boring character to ever boring.
• It’s like he’s being forced to be on this show.
• And why is everyone in southern California wearing a damn sweater?
• Jesus, would it kill you to have an expression, Graham?
• I love how Anya thinks Xander’s metaphor is about them. She’s so adorable. Xander never knows what he’s got.
• Wow, Buffy has a loud knock.
• “How about knocking?” She…did? Didn’t you hear it? It was really loud.
• Riley’s so scared to lose Buffy that he’s willing to risk his life. What an idiot. A romantic, lovely, sweet idiot.
• “Peroxide-head” heh.
• Sorry Spike, still got yer chip.
• Did Riley just have heart surgery without anesthesia? Shenanigans?
• And after all this, Buffy can’t at least walk him home?
• This dream is so stupid and narcissistic and so Spike and I so wish it wasn't prophetic.

Crossfire!

Buffy: "If that's what I wanted, I'd be dating Spike."
Zelda: smiles a Cheshire cat smile at Daniel
Daniel: glares at Zelda

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: "In my montage, I have glasses." - Buffy

Daniel: "Oh! Who put the monkey heads near the Styx water? Do we *want* to pick exploded monkey out of our hair?" - Anya

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Recurring: Tara, Harmony, Graham, dilapidated Sunnydale High, Adam's caves
• First appearance: Ben the Intern
• Spike watches Dawson's Creek

Stats:

Anya's Hair - dirty blonde, curly
Dead Humans - 0
Dead Undeads - 3
Dead Flashbacks - 0
Giles Unconscious - 0
Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0
Buffy Breaks a Door - 1
Evil Reveal - 0
Unevil Reveal - 0
Shenanigans Called - 4
Apocalypse Called - 0