Just Skip It

Episode 6.18: Entropy. Original Airdate 4.30.02

"Anya returns to Sunnydale, bent on revenge for Xander leaving her at the altar. She has since become a Vengeance demon again, but ends up hurting Xander in a way she never expected."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Aw, a good old fashioned chase through the - oh it's Warren on a bike. Fuck you, Warren.
• Oh there's Buffy. Lotta hats this season for our patroller.
• "I tried to kill my friends, my sister, last week, and guess how much they hate me. Zero. Zero much." This is used as a brush off line for Spike, but it's actually an important realization for Buffy.
• I feel like Xander should be listening to country music, as a callback to his pouting after Buffy rejected him in season one. Not whatever music this is.
• Anya's back! Hi Anya.
• You guys, if this post suddenly turns rageful, don't take it personally. My tablet just crashed and now my backup laptop is crashing too. It's a dark day for Zelda's electronics.
• Awkward Tara/Willow banter. Setting us up for HEARTBREAK I SEE YOU WRITERS.
• It's nice to see Buffy and Dawn sharing some bonding time too.
• ugh Warren is such a gross psychopath
• "Okay clearly, I'm not handling this well." // "Well, duh!"
• GASP ANYA'S A VENGEANCE DEMON AGAIN. I hear Emma really didn't want to wear the latex makeup again, so that was CGI'd.
• "Those are metaphor intestines! You're not in any real pain!"
• Omg Buffy has prepared All The Carbs for breakfast. A stack of pancakes, a pile of toast, an army of cereal boxes.
• "See I thought a little levity might but okay also no." Amazing delivery, and kind of reminiscent of Lisa Kudrow.
• Emma Caulfield is amazing. This sequence is a bit weird, but she's fantastic:

"Just go love men!'

• Buffy's reaction to the creepy stalker garden gnome. Is this our true sign that Buffy's truly mending from her depression? She's distinctly quippier and funnier this episode.
• Aw Willow's pulling up her old hacker skills to track the feed for the spycam. Everything seems so optimistic for full Willow recovery, so let's just completely destroy that next episode, shall we? Yes good plan.
• Spike's accent is getting more cockney the drunker he gets. I think it'd be funnier if his accent got posher the drunker he got, more like before he was turned.
• Pssst Xander you don't get to be self righteous about this. You LEFT ANYA AT THE ALTAR. You're not in a relationship. She can do what she wants. And whom she wants. [AMEN - D]
• Ugh Xander needs a good dick punching.
• OH BUT IT'S TIME FOR TARA AND WILLOW TO GET BACK TOGETHER LET'S JUST HOLD ONTO THIS AND PRETEND THINGS WILL BE OKAY.

Daniel's Thoughts:

• Fucking Warren.
• Love that the vamp gets so caught up in Spike’s love life, that that’s what gets him killed.
• Keep drinking, Xander. Be like your dad.
• Oh Willow, with the dorky awkwardness.
• Omg, an actual street! You can tell because it looks real.
• And therein lies the problem. He’s apologizing for breaking her heart….but the wrong way. He should have done it earlier? No. He shouldn’t have done it at all.
• Scary Anyanka face!!!
• Beady eyes call back!
• Metaphor intestines!
• “Syrups have kinds?” - Haven’t you ever been to IHOP? Poor deprived child.
• I’m glad they didn’t just drop the events of Normal Again. They’re addressing it a lot, as they should.
• Doublemeat Palace throwback! Penis monster!
• Aww, Anya trying to make her friends make a wish. Deep down, she knows they’re not going to wish Xander harm.
• I'm glad Tara and Willow are explaining that being a Lesbian doesn't actually involve hating men...but when Willow says "girl on girl"...I just...what?
• The camera: Was Spike really the first person they thought of? It’s obvious Warren and co. use this kind of technology. [Maybe it finally occurred to them to wonder how Spike has electricity in a crypt. He could be a secret Tesla-level genius! - Z]
• If I could just get someone to wish that Spike were a woman…then…
• I think Spanya is a lost opportunity there.
• Hey an Indiana Jones reference. I love it.
• “Singing in the shower, doing my sexy dance.” “Exactly. I…have no dance.”
• “We should have been dead hundreds of years ago. And we’re the only ones who are really alive.” I love that line because it’s so true of Anya and Spike.
• It’s done very naturally; it’s not forced. That’s due to the writing but also the two really talented actors:

Missed opportunity right there

• It was lame that they never matched anyone with Anya besides Xander.  She deserved to have a second chance like Buffy, Willow and Xander.
• Well, she wanted to hurt him. And she did. Worse than metaphor intestines
• Is Buffy really upset about this? I mean fine, be upset – but to blame Spike for sleeping with someone else?
• "No, the mature solution is for you to spend your whole life telling stupid, pointless jokes, so that no one will notice that you are just a scared, insecure little boy!"  YES. YES.
• Jeez, Xander seems more upset about finding out the Buffy slept with Spike.
• Cue REM: EVERYBODY HURTTTTSSSS
• Hey but at least Tara and Willow get a happy ending. RIGHT?
• Can we just skip it? Yay? Oh and then go ahead and tear my heart out, next episode, Joss.

Crossfire!

Dawn: Yes, when I was in my fives and sixes -
Daniel: - and didn't exist.

Warren: The milk. In the fridge. How long 'til it expires?
Andrew: Well, we got it on Friday, and I remember noticing there wasn't a full two weeks on it, but we did get it in the fridge pretty quick, unless I'm thinking of the 2% milk ...
Zelda: That's why I buy almond milk.
Daniel: Me too!

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: "Things fall apart. They fall apart so hard ... You can't ever put them back the way they were ... I'm sorry, it's just - you know, it takes time. You can't just have coffee and expect ... There's just so much to work through. Trust has to be built again, on  both sides. You have to learn if - if we're even the same people we were, if you can fit in each other's lives. It's a long ... important process, and ... can we just skip it? Can you just be kissing me now?" - Tara
Daniel: "We should have been dead hundreds of years ago and we're the only ones who are really alive." - Spike

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Recurring: The Trio, Tara, Halfrek, Espresso Pump
• Shoutout to the penis demon from Doublemeat Palace

Stats:

Anya's Hair - blonde, long, straight with a flip; then supercurly with a center part
Dead Humans - 0
Dead Undeads - 2
Dead Lawn Gnome - 1
Dead Flashbacks - 0
Buffy Breaks a Door - 0
Evil Reveal - 0
Unevil Reveal - 0
Shenanigans Called - 0
Apocalypse Called - 0