Kill Us Both, Spock!

Episode 5.3: The Replacement. Original Airdate 10.10.00

"When a demon creates a Xander double, the real Xander must convince his friends of his true identity."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• Aww, Double date night!
• It’s interesting that I like the Xander-centric episodes like this and The Zeppo. But I mean, its an episode that points out all of Xander’s flaws and weaknesses…so what’s not to like?
• Aww, Anya’s in a cast – continuity from last episode.
• Riley’s got huge hands!
• “Who uses a cauldron anymore?” Cut to cauldron and freaky looking demon. I love how this show does that.
• I like Riley’s red leather jacket. It matches Buffy’s pants.
• Anya is so wonderful. That’s all. She just is.
• It is an awesome set. Err…Apartment. I look forward to musicals being set here.
• Xander says that Anya has her own place. But does she? We’ve never seen it...yet.
• I love the demon in this episode. He’s so unique looking.
• I love that Buffy assumes Toth is a British expression meaning moron since there are so many words that do.
• Aww, Hero Riley is so cute.
• Riley: “People say they’re recycling. They’re so not recycling.” It’s like he gets me.
• He’s scavenging, yes. Spike is scavenging for Buffy mannequin parts.
• Oooh, two Xanders! I wish Toth had hit Riley instead…
• Is it weird that I find Nick Brendan’s identical twin more attractive than him?
• Also, is it possible that I just identify with Dawn…being the bratty kid sibling?
• Joyce’s first headache….  Seemingly innocent right now… This show is so good at subtly foreshadowing.
• Everyone calls each other by last name at the construction site because that’s what manly men do.
• So red herring about the coin – yet – isn’t it still kind of annoying that he’s shining it in his boss’s eye?
• Hey! It’s Anya’s apartment! HOW DOES SHE AFFORD AN APARTMENT WITHOUT A JOB? Shenanigans on Anya’s whole way of living and lack of explanation. Shame, writers, shame.
• I love that Willow plays along even though she has no idea what’s going on with Xander’s freak out.
• I love Xander’s snoopy-dance.

• “It’s a robot!” Not yet, Xander. Not yet.
• “I get in trouble and Buffy saves me.”//“That’s not true, sometimes we all save you.”
• “I need [Anya]!” “Really?” Shut up, Willow. She’s so judgey. Anya is not Cordelia, Willow. Stop it.
• I do love that they remember that Willow had an evil twin (as well.)
• Hey, Xander’s new apartment has a balcony!
• And I really like Xander getting into Anya’s psychology. It’s pretty amazing and something that should have been explored more and not just in Xander-centric episodes.
• Anya’s foreshadowing her ‘David Brinkley’ line in Once More with Feeling.
• Giles said, 'Oh Dear Lord.' That’s important!
• “Which one is the real one?” Weren’t you listening, Riley? They both are!
• “Being a Slayer is part of what you are. You keep thinking I don’t get that. There’s no part of you I’m not in love with.” See? This is why I love Riley.
• Aww, Buffy’s trying to spare Xander’s feelings.
• I love how Anya’s just not subtle at all about sleeping with both Xanders. Also, if they do…is that gay or just masturbation?
• Marc Blucas is so wonderful in this moment talking about how lucky he is to have Buffy and when he confides in Xander and says, “But she doesn’t love me,” it just breaks my heart every time.

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Yay this episode is fun!
• I'm impressed that they waited five seasons to take advantage of the fact that Nicky Brendon has an identical twin. Well, besides stunt doubling.
• I love that Buffy is critiquing the kung fu for bad strategizing.
• Toth's makeup is gorgeous.

• Riley's humor is very supportive this ep, first with the humoring of "dryer food," and then his willingness to hypothetically say "la la, I'm on my way to Xander's."
• I love that Anya is planning out where the Scooby meetings will be in the new apartment. It's absolutely something I do when I go apartment hunting. Except less with the Giles and more with the bookcases.
• YEAH GO GILES YOU HIT THAT TOTH WITH OOFDAR.
• "Well, I'm not dead or unconscious so I say bravo for me." YEAH GILES YOU GO
• On that note, this has been circulating the tumblrsphere lately, and it seemed appropriate given our stat counting:

• "He called you a Toth. It's a British expression. It means, like, moron." I love this so much
• "He mentioned Buffy? Where do we find him and how hard can I kill him?" Riley, your alpha is showing.
• "Oh, there's a nice lady vampire who set up a charming tea room over the next pile of crap." I just love his delivery here.
• Spike still very firmly not on the Scoobies's side, even though we saw last episode that he still likes to kill demons to work out his issues.
• GASP TWO XANDERS.
• Two very unfortunately costumed Xanders.
• Speaking of odd outfits, Buffy, what is you wearing.

• Oh it's Dawn. I almost forgot about her.
• NO JOYCE THAT ISN'T YOUR TWO TEENAGED DAUGHTERS HEADACHE NO STOP HURTING US WHEDON.
• So much rampant sunlight in Spike's crypt.
• So that bit with the mannequin is clearly a nod-before-anyone-knows-it to his impending crush.
• The job's winding down? Really? But that building isn't close to being done. 

Do I just super not understand how constructing buildings works?

• Yeah, I'm calling a shenanigan.
• It really is well done - I was taken in completely the first time I watched this - because SuaveXander is just so smooth. And little nods like "Harris. Me. Yes." which if Xander were completely Xander would have a bit more twitch to it, even though it's still his type of syntax.
• Plus  the MacGuffin of the flattened nickel SuaveXander is fiddling with.
• Okay, I'm calling a shenanigan again. You don't get the apartment the day you fill out the application, much less the day you sign the lease, unless it's the first day of the month. Also why is there already a working phone and like I'm happy for Xander and his magical beautiful apartment, but I'm pretty sure that's not how it works.
• Willow's humoring of SpazXander even though she doesn't know about the two Xanders yet.
• It's so cute that Xander thought Willow set a fire for him. Cute and a little arson-y?
• YAY THE SNOOPY DANCE.
• Buffy: "Toth." SuaveXander: glares at Buffy ENIGMATICALLY. I see what you do, show.
• "It's a robot. It's an evil robot designed from evil parts that look like me designed to do evil." // "Uh huh. Or it's Toth." // "OR IT'S TOTH." I love this sequence.
• I love this episode, you guys. The humor is top form, the segues between scenes are awesome, and it's a great development for Xander.
• "But I never help. I get in trouble and Buffy saves me."
• I like that Anya and his love for her is what spurs despairing SpazXander back into action.
• "Hey wait til you have an evil twin. See how you handle it." // "I handled it fine." BEST THING EVER.
• Shenanigans! SpazXander hit the play button on the voicemail and it was only the pertinent part of the message, not the whole message SuaveXander left earlier.
• Aw little Anya, wanting to learn how to be an adult. But also because her injury freaked her out and she's feeling her mortality for the first time since she lost her demonhood.
• "Being suddenly human? I think I can get what that would be like." You're trolling us, show.
• Poor SpazXander. He loves Anya and he came to fight for her, but he doesn't have the words to plead with her.
• "This time I know I had that locked." Poor Giles's lack of privacy.
• "I said 'Oh, dear lord.'" // "You always say that." // "Well, it's always important!"
• I'm gonna read all this talk about a robot Xander as foreshadowing for Buffybot, and you can't take that away from me.
• And see this is also still part of the exploration of the essence of Buffy's slayerness - the idea of splitting Buffy into simple human Buffy and SlayerBuffy, The question, which we'll explore later, of whether distilling Buffy into her slayerness would make her more powerful, but also is she losing her humanity by delving into slayerness too far. It's interesting, because Buffy spent so much of her teenhood fighting that which would not let her be normal, and she's embracing it much more now, the full integration of all that is Buffy, but the dichotomy is still a thing to continue exploring.
• XANDER NO WHERE DID YOU GET THE GUN.
• Oh it was Anya's gun. Okay, that makes sense.
• I like that SuaveXander protects both Anya and SpazXander from Toth.
• "Check, candles and pretense."
• You know, Tara's absence from this episode isn't helping with her already-feeling-left-out-ness.
• "But she doesn't love me" oops
• Also just like
• I'm sorry
• If he believes that - and I will go along and say he probably loves her more than she loves him - he should use his words. He should talk to her, not let it stew. Not let it fester and poison, not drive it to the point of vampire whorehouses and ultimatums.

Crossfire!

Anya: I may have as few as 50 years left!

Daniel: Or three.

Daniel & Zelda: Fuck you, Joss.

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: "When do we get a car? And a boat. No, wait. I don't mean a boat. I mean a puppy. Or a child. I have a list somewhere." - Anya

Zelda: "He called you a Toth. It's a British expression. It means, like, moron." - Buffy

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Recurring: Joyce
• Anya's still injured from the events of Real Me.
• Xander's parents are pretty awful.
• Xander's been in construction for at least two episodes but his job there is ending ... or is it?
• Shout out to the old factory.
• Joyce has a headache.
• Shout out to Willow's evil twin

Stats:

Anya's Hair - dirty blonde, curly

Xander's Job - construction, FOREVAH

Dead Humans - 0

Dead Undeads - 1

Giles Unconscious - 0

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 0

Unevil Reveal - 1 (Suave Xander is NOT a Toth) 

Shenanigans Called - 4

Apocalypse Called - 0