"When Buffy lapses into a catatonic state, Willow uses her magic to find out why; a tug-of-war erupts between Glory and Ben over Dawn's ultimate fate."
Daniel's Thoughts:
- Eh, I don’t know why Glory is pondering why she’s not killing her minions. She never has before. She wuvs them. Doesn’t mean she’s getting more human.
- Aww. Anya holding Giles. This should have been a thing. If there’s any non-relationship I ever shipped on this show, it would be this one.
- Credits: It’s interesting that they never put Tara (really) in the credits. They’re better with putting the boys in. The boyfriends, Oz, Angel, Spike & Riley…they got put in pretty much right away. It took a long time to put Anya in. And…we know what happened with Tara.
- Wow. Just make Buffy comatose and Willow becomes in-charge-woman.
- Is everyone here very stoned? HEH. I love this whole thing about Ben and Glory where no one remembers that they’re the same person. It becomes such an amazing recurring joke. Comedy gold. (Also big in the Buffy fan community.) “Ben is Glory?” [Are you saying there's a connection between them? - Z]
- Yeah. Sorry. I have to call SHENANIGANS on this. That Dawn’s blood is the key. Because like. The monks could have turned the key into anything. A toaster. A tin can. Where’s the blood there?
- Again. See? Willow & Anya can get along.
- BABY BUFFY! So cute.
- How does Spike smoke, anyway, without breath.
- Awww, Joyce!
- Heh. Spike just stole a blood pack.
- “All this time he’s been subletting from her?” oy.
- Freaky…Joyce’s grave in her bedroom.
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| Freaky |
- You can tell when they’re about to do a morph because the background doesn’t sync up.
- Yeah, your job, Ben. That’s the most important thing about this.
- Joel Grey!
- “I don’t know which is worse, waking up in a dress not knowing where I’ve been…” – how many times have I read that on my Facebook Feed?
- This Ben/Glory arguing scene is going on too long.
- One (of the many) great things about this show is how fucking human, Buffy is. How she can get depressed and anxious and feel worthless like she’s not going to win. And then how she overcomes it.
- Willow gets the prize for saying the title of the episode.
Zelda's Thoughts:
- Glory's showing how similar she is to her brother by delivering a badly acted monologue.
- It really is a cool way to go into a season's penultimate episode - with the hero in a comatose state, unable to do anything but sit and stare and grieve.
- Willow has stepped into the leadership role here, wielding her power but also her resolve face and voice. Foreshadowing for when she takes charge of patrolling once Buffy dies (and also takes charge of bringing her back) (and also turns evil)
- The Ben is Glory sequence is one of the best sequences ever. The entire cast is cracking me up. [Ben's with Glory? - D]
- "Excellent. Now. Do we suspect there may be some kind of connection between Ben and Glory?"
- I will say, Glory's hair is looking great this episode. That's the nicest thing I have to say about her performance.
- Anya and Willow getting along, helping each other. Because family trumps their stupid animosity.
- Ooh Willow mojoed herself into Buffy's brain.
- BABY BUFFY.
- So at first I wanted to call a shenanigan on Spike breaking into Glory's apartment because Ben, a human lives there, until I remembered that whole Spike Got Tortured thing so he's clearly been invited previously so I'm stupid and we can just ignore me.
- The flashback of Buffy meeting baby Dawn is so heartbreakingly sweet because it's not real but she still remembers it - she remembers loving Dawn and wanting to take care of her, even as a child.
- In case Daniel didn't cry WTF BAD PARENTING, Joyce and Hank came home together with Dawn. Who the hell was looking after tiny child Buffy, alone in the house?
- "How you doing?" // "It only hurts when I answer pointless questions."
- Spike, ever the hero, lighting his cigarette in front of a no smoking sign.
- "Wait, wait wait. Ben - at Glory's? You're saying all this time he's been subletting from her?" // "This is gonna be worth it."
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| Last time, from the top. |
- Willow, standing with Buffy at Joyce's grave - "I'm sorry." // "Don't be. Death is my gift." And then she suffocates Dawn. It's horrific to watch.
- Way too much bad Ben and Glory acting in this episode. Can we go back to comatose Buffy?
- "How could she do this? ... I have a job. I have a life." Ben, you are a dick.
- But then this is the closest he gets to redemption, in trying to get Dawn away from the tower.
- GOOD JOB NOT CATCHING FIRE AND DYING WHEN YOU DOVE INTO THE FIREPLACE, SPIKE.
- Doc gets impaled. Doc's eyes open. Cue: "Not Dead Yet" from Spamalot.
- Oh it's the street. The only street in Sunnydale. Look, there's the only movie theater! And the only alleyway!
- Yay, Dawn, you hit Ben with chains. Oops Dawn you woke up Glory.
- Bad Acting Bad Acting Bad Acting
- So much Bad Acting
- How come Glory's shimmery eyeshadow doesn't shift to Ben but her clothes do? Things I think about rather than listening to either of them Act Badly.
- "This was when I quit, Will." // "You did?" // "Just for a second."
- This is such a heartbreaking thing. It was one small moment of defeatism. Of this sure knowledge that she couldn't win. Of the desire for the fight to end. And that moment is the one crushing her. Not Glory escaping with Dawn. Not running away in the RV. That one small moment of wanting Glory to win, wanting the fight to end, wanting to relax enough to allow Glory to kill Dawn. Such a cool scene.
- But also I love Willow's reaction. "SNAP OUT OF IT." And both Buffys are surprised by it.
- Buffy twitches back to consciousness. And starts sobbing. My feelings.
- nooooooooooooooooooooo the only way to close the gates once Glory opens them is to kill Dawn ... OR IS IT. Next time on OW MY FEELS
Crossfire!
Glory: Get out Get Out GET OUT
Daniel and Zelda: *lose it*
Favorite Lines:
Daniel & Zelda:
Spike: Ben! Glory! He's a doctor, she's the beast. Two entirely separate entities sharing one body. Like a bloody sitcom. Surely you remember.
Xander: So you're saying ... Ben and Glory ...
Anya: Have a connection.
Giles: Yes, obviously, but what kind?
Spike: Oh, I get it. That's very crafty. Glory's worked the kind of mojo where anyone who sees her little presto-change-o instantly forgets it. And yours truly, being somewhat over than human, stands immune.
Willow: So ... Ben and Glory are the same person?
Xander: Glory can turn into Ben, and Ben turns back into Glory.
Xander: Glory can turn into Ben, and Ben turns back into Glory.
Anya: And anyone who sees it instantly forgets.
Spike: Kewpie doll for the lady.
Arc/Continuity Stuff:
- Recurring: Scabby Minions, Glory, Tara, brain suck victims, Joyce and Hank, Ben, the First Slayer (the Primeval), Doc
- Everyone now knows Ben is Glory.
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| Except when they forget. |
Stats:
Anya's Hair - honey-colored, loose curls, past the shoulders
Dead Humans - 0
Dead Undeads - 0
Dead Flashbacks - 0
Giles Unconscious - 0
Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0
Buffy Breaks a Door - 0
Spike Breaks a Door - 1
Evil Reveal - 0
Unevil Reveal - 0
Shenanigans Called - 1
Apocalypse Called - 0
Ahh I remember the first time I saw this episode. My friend and I laughed so hard especially when you thought the joke was over and then "Now. Do we suspect there may be some kind of connection between Ben and Glory?"…and its pretty much just as funny every time!
ReplyDeleteOnly other thing I wanted to mention is that I was always kinda disappointed that 'the moment' Buffy gives up is not a moment we had already seen. I think that it would have been really clever if they had put in a scene from a previous episode and made us rethink what we had already seen. And shown that Buffy is so strong on the outside but actually we do not know what she is thinking.
Lola
Probably turning the key into a tin can or something else with no blood or energy / life-force would be equivalent to destroying it. (Equivalent to killing Dawn before the ritual, like the Knights are trying to do.) The key is energy.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why the monks didn't want to do destroy the key; I don't remember their motivation ever being explained. Surely if they'd wanted to, they could have turned it into an animal instead of human and killed it, or just directly destroyed it.
Unless the key in energy form was already a person-level intelligent being or the monks are really into pacifism, I don't see a moral problem for the monks destroying the key.
On some level I agree with your shenanigans; they should have justified the monks needing/wanting to keep the key "alive".