Killer Snot Monster From Outer Space

Episode 5.9: Listening to Fear. Original Airdate 11.28.00

"Buffy and her friends investigate when a meteorite transports a deadly creature to Earth."

Sophia's still here! Hi Sophia!

Daniel's Thoughts:

• Sure, Buffy gets all the skinny vamp boys.  The scoobies get female wrestlers.
• Come on, how thin is the skin and muscle on these vamps that Willow’s weak little stab in their backs dusts them? SHENANIGANS!
• Riley is off trying to ‘feel.’  Snap out of it, Riley!
• Tiny Jewish Santa!
• Joyce’s crazytalk is a bit unnerving.  But also, some of the best work Sutherland's done on this show.
• I love Tara’s goofiness.  And this whole scene with her and Willow looking at the stars is cute.
• Really? No one sees the snotmonster from outerspace crawling in the ceiling?  Maybe in the corner of their eyes?  Really? Shenanigans!
• “I’m not great at research” – Riley.  Yeah…you’re only a TA and a grad student.
• Graham smiled! He had an expression! Stats:  Graham smile: 1
• Hey! Joyce said the name of the episode twice!  Meaning two different things!  Go, Joyce.
• They’re so loud.  Why isn’t anyone shushing them up in the University library?
• Hey payphones!  I guess Willow has no need for a cell yet.
• Sophia, Zelda and I are entertained by the wordless Latin music coming in over the radio.
• I love that some of Joyce’s ramblings have to do with a country club because that was her old life.  At least that’s what it seemed like Buffy’s parents’ lives were like in the preceding movie…which may or may not be canon.
• Oh, go away, Spike!
• Ok, that Queller monster is kind of terrifying.
• I’m glad Joyce finds out about Dawn in this way.  Because it’s not just about her finding out…it makes sense because of other factors and rules of the season.
• I love that all the Scoobies are there to see Joyce off.  But also, does she have any friends?

Sophia's Thoughts:

• Aww, family time with the Summers women. Too bad it’s in a hospital.
• Where do these did these vamps workout? Is there a gym in Sunnydale? Is there a Sunnydale wrestling team?
• Ugh! Riley is still misguidedly letting vamps feed on him. I would be worried or feel sorry for him if I didn’t find it so pathetic and this plot point a little forced.
• Buffy wanted to be normal. Sometimes normal isn’t so pretty—sometimes it means spending days in a hospital and delaying school.
• What is this monster?! I don’t understand. Is it a beetle? Is it a roach? It doesn’t look like it is from space. Why does it kill with snot of all things? Why can’t it tell the difference between people who are supernaturally crazy and those that are crazy for natural reasons?
• Buffy’s mom is becoming more dependent on her. Look at how she tells Buffy to be her voice with the doc. I think this is the official shift of Buffy being the head of the family. She is not only offering emotional support and watching over Dawn; she is also giving medication and taking vitals.
• I didn’t know Xander wanted to have kids. Look how quickly he jumps out of the way when he hears there is a chance the meteor might make him sterile.
• Why hasn’t anyone else noticed the meteor and reported it? Good thing Willow and Tara happen to be looking at the sky the exact moment it fell to Earth.
• You’re looking in “history”, Willow? What were you looking at before when you were referencing the 12^th century? Also, is there a website that contains all historic info? Even the obscure stuff? Can you give me the URL?
• When I get sad, I like to listen to loud tonally inappropriate music too, Buffy.
• Go, Dawn! You’re not a complete spaz. I’m glad that being around a slayer has rubbed off on you.
• Buffy, I would advise making a note to self: “Find out why Spike was rummaging through my basement and stealing pictures of me.”
• “A body might ask what exactly it is you think you’re doing.” A viewer might ask too. What was the point of all this? I’m calling shenanigans on the Queller demon. Why does it come from space when it doesn’t look or do other worldly things? (Maybe as an excuse to bring the military guys back so that Riley can exit the show?) And the Scoobies identified it by “looking in history” and a YA book entitled Meteors and You, really?! If Ben summoned the Queller demon to clean up Glory’s mess, why doesn’t it kill just the supernatural victim crazies?  Also, did Ben think that a string of dead bodies all over town would distract from the crazies all over town? Lastly, I’m a little wary of a demon that I could defeat with Mucinex.
• The More You Know Message: Sometimes you need to listen to the fears of crazy people because sometimes their fears are snot monsters from outer space. Also, crazy people know when things aren’t real. Well, actually that’s not true. Correction: crazy people can tell when supernatural energy has been transmogrified into human flesh. And sometimes that’s useful.

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Dawn and Buffy flanking Joyce in the hospital bed and bantering is the cutest thing.
• "You're the one who insisted on teaching her to talk."
• Parking lot! Do a shot.
• Willow's sheepskin jacket is pink but not fluffy. It gets no stat.
• Joyce has no friends? Oh right, her one boyfriend was a robot and her one friend turned into a zombie.
• Willow's care package for everyone is so sweet.
• "Homework? Ugh. I don't believe in Tiny Jewish Santa anymore." Yeah, last time Willow brought Buffy homework in the hospital, it was all completed. She's slipping.
• Joyce yelling inappropriate things makes me sad.
• Hey guess what, Ben's as bad at line delivery as Glory.
• He's a better actor with a beard though. (hyperlink)
• Tara making up her own constellations because the real ones don't make sense is adorable, but isn't Short Man Looking Uncomfortable as much of a stretch as some of the "real" ones?
• Ugh. Fuck the Queller, man. I hate this demon. I hate this plot. And I hate hearing Joyce ramble crazily, it hurts, okay?
• Gross ew gah ew ew ew ew ew ew Riley pulling goop out of dead guy's mouth.
• "What do we do now?" // "We can't call Buffy. I wanna call Buffy."
• I would like to point out from everyone's posture that today must be the one cold day in Sunnydale.
• "You look just like your father when he cries." It hurrrrrrts.
• Oh noes the Queller has spotted them blah blah blah stupid alien demon thing.
• Sunnydale has a lake. In addition to its beach.
• The one time Buffy lets herself break down is when there are no witnesses. Just the most repetitive Spanish music ever.

• Go Dawn! You fight off that Queller!
• And creepy stalker Spike is hiding in Buffy's basement. That felt pretty unnecessary shoehorning in just because he's a regular and had nothing to do this week.
• Gasp! The Scabby Demons know Ben!
• Also hey Ben summoned the Queller! That means he's responsible for six deaths (possibly more). In case there were doubts about whether he's a good guy. So much for his Hippocratic Oath.
• "Dawn, she's not mine, is she?" It's so sad. I'm glad Buffy was honest with Joyce about this though. "She does belong to us, though. And she's important, to the world, precious. ... Then we have to take care of her."
• It's Buffy's promise to her mother, when Joyce thought she might not survive the surgery - to protect Dawn, to keep her safe. It's one of the many reasons Buffy does what she does in The Gift.
• Shut up, you're the one who's crying.

• Sorry I didn't have much else to say about this episode. I find it largely unpleasant - it's alternating really upsetting and just really annoying.

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: "You got her a book on spells.  The girl who can break things by looking at them now has a book to teach her to....break things by looking at them?" - Buffy

Sophia & Zelda:"I still don't get why we came here to get info about a killer snot monster." // "Because it's a killer snot monster from outer space ... I did not say that." - Xander/Giles

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Recurring: Joyce, Dr. Kriegel, Brain-sucked Night Watchman, Ben, Tara, Graham, Scabby Minion
• Riley's little suckfest with Sandy has led him down the dark path of vampire blood brothels.
• Annual reminder that Willow is Jewish.
• Riley calls The Initiative on his flippy phone.
• Reveal that Ben knows Glory and has been cleaning up her messes his "whole damn life."
• Joyce knows that Dawn isn't her real daughter.

Stats:

Anya's Hair - shoulder-length, honey blonde, curly

Dead Humans - 6

Dead Undeads - 3

Giles Unconscious - 1

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 1

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 1 (Ben is IN SOME WAY cahoots with Glory. Also he summoned the Queller)

Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 3

Apocalypse Called - 0