Are You the Bad Slayer Now? Am I the Good Slayer Now?

Episode 7.18: Dirty Girls. Original Airdate 4.15.03  

"Faith returns to Sunnydale just as a new villain, Caleb, arrives and sends Buffy a message in the form of a badly beaten Potential. Buffy leads the rest of the girls to Caleb and The First's lair, with devastating consequences."

Zelda's Thoughts: 

• It's time for Joss to realize he has an impotent evil and bring in Nathan Fillion off his recently cancelled Firefly!
• Also Faith.
• "You ever think that maybe they were chasing you because you're a whore?" Yyyyyyyyyyep fuck you Caleb.
• Man, Xander's fantasy dream is just gross.
• OMG IS THAT RACHEL BILSON.

WHY IS RACHEL BILSON HERE?

• Yeah seriously why didn't they at least tell Faith that Slayers were being hunted? Pretty shitty.
• "I'm on your side!" // "Yeah? Maybe you haven't heard. I've reformed." // "So have I. I reformed way before you did. Stop. Hitting. Me."
• "Oh, he's like Angel?" // "No." // "Sort of." // "I am nothing like Angel."
• I am enjoying the banter. Thanks, Drew Goddard.
• "Well, that makes me feel better about me, worse about Giles, kinda shaky about you."
• I'm not that interested in the pseudobiblical ramblings of Caleb
• oh look Andrew learned NOTHING and is still mythologizing, this time about Faith (thanks for the recapping clip show)
• OMG THAT CEREAL BOX SAYS KIDS. THEY MADE CEREAL OUT OF KIDS. I'M HAVING A SOYLENT GREEN MOMENT HERE. 

• Like, I get why Wood is firing Buffy (she's truly terrible at her job), especially with the town emptying out and the impending apocalypse, but like. She's currently the sole support for like three hundred Potentials. Can we still pay her? Something? *revives angry rant about the Council never paying her even though they're all exploded now*
• The show really has given up on its thesis that smoking = evil or about to die. I guess because the main characters are all adults now? (except Dawn)
• I am enjoying the Faith and Spike chemistry.
• "Buffy, this thing's got trap written all over it." He's not wrong.
• Sigh. All their arguments against going after Caleb feel rational now because we know what's going to happen. But they can't just sit there and keep waiting to get attacked. They want her to be a general, that's not how a general acts. The attack ends up being a tactical error, but what would they accomplish by doing nothing?
• "Everything's got eyes." Ouch, writers. Ouch.
• Andrew relying on Xander to school Potentials on nerd knowledge is cute.
• "I've been through more battles with Buffy than you all could ever imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come up against her. She's laid down her life - literally - to protect the people around her. This girl has died two times, and she's still standing. You're scared? That's smart. You got questions? You should. But you doubt her motives, you think Buffy's all about the kill, then you take the little bus to battle." that was some good speeching, Xander.
• "You've got to trust her. She's earned it." The thing is - THE THING IS - even though this battle ends very badly - IT'S STILL TRUE. SHE'S EARNED IT. AND THEY FUCKING BETRAY IT THE FIRST TIME SHE MAKES AN ERROR.
• Fuck Empty Places.
• Buffy's face while Caleb talks. Realizing there's something in him she doesn't understand yet, there's some power here. Sometimes it doesn't matter when she's been lured into a trap, because she's smart and good at what she does. This is something different.
• God, it's horrifying.
• I may have to look away. I remember being so thoroughly traumatized by the gouging when it aired.I'm still preemptively pissed, though. It's the first real skirmish she's taken them on. People got hurt, some seriously, and two died. More than that died in Graduation. I'm having an issue with the reaction I know is coming. I'm also delaying right now because I don't want to start watching the next episode. Tune in next time for more ranting.

Daniel's Thoughts:

• Oh man.  We meet Caleb.  A very strange looking Nathan Fillion.  
• Man, Caleb is the worst.
• I mean he’s truly scary and that’s a tribute to Nathan’s talent – but man, Caleb is the worst.
• Hey it’s Faith!
• Man, Xander’s apartment.  We haven’t seen that in a long time.
• Xander dreaming of young girls.  Why is this okay?
• Anya….a main character….is not even in this episode.
• I like like this Faith/Spike fight tho.  “I’ve reformed.” “I reformed before you did!”
• And the patter between Buffy/Faith too.
• Interesting that Faith probably has some false memories of Dawn from…season 2ish.
• Oh man, I forgot about Eliza’s weird hand movements that I love so much.  “Kinda shaky about you.”

Love it. So much.

• Rut Roh.  The Buffy First is back.
• Ahh, so Caleb blew up the council.
• Oh man, the weird Faith/Vulcan fake flashback.
• Hey there’s Andrew…but NO ANYA.
• Andrew: “She’s a killer.  Never forget that…”   So are you, Andrew.
• Buffy to Wood: “As far as I’m concerned, we’re on even ground.”  OK, I guess?
• Buffy, you’re fired.  I mean, I understand why.  She’s needed at home…but she also seriously needs money.  How the hell is she financing all this food?  And tampons probably?
• Wood: “The mission’s what matters.”  His mom’s words…awww.
• Chains are still up.  In case anyone has been following the illuminating Chain continuity. [I almost did a spit take, so thanks. - Z]
• Faith mentions she saw “Glitter.”  Side note, I was in "Glitter." 😉 As an extra of course…
• Man, I’ve actually missed Faith.
• And now Buffy’s being a bit rash… falling for an obvious trap.  We’ve seen this before…
• The First has a shadow.  I’d think it wouldn’t….
• “It could be a girl.”  “It could be a stapler!”
• I mean everyone is warning Buffy against this, and she’s just not listening.
• “Help the girls who still need a teacher.” Dude.
• Also, shut up Rona.
• Man, this speech that Xander’s giving that he’s going to regret in T-minus –
• Haha, Spike referencing Falcon Crest.
• The potentials are actually fighting pretty well at first…
• Wow, yeah, Caleb’s pretty strong. 
• “The Cain to her Abel…no offense to Cain of course.”
• AH man, all that wasted wine.
• Oh man, Xander’s cry of pain when he loses his eye is excruciating.

Favorite Lines:

Z: Angel's dull as a table lamp. And we have very different coloring. - Spike
D: Yeah, that's prison.  Safe as a kitten. - Faith

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• First Appearance: Caleb, Caridad
• Last Apperance: Molly, Xander's eye
• Recurring: Bringers, Potentials, Faith, leg cramps as euphemisms for erections, The First (as Buffy and as a girl Caleb killed)
• Xander's apartment is also housing Potentials
• Caleb is responsible for blowing up the Watchers' Council
• Shoutout to when Faith stole Buffy's body and put the moves on Spike (and probably incited his crush)
• Sunnydale has a vineyard

Stats:

Anya's Hair - rhymes with blinvisible
Dead Humans - 2
Dead Undeads - 0
Dead Flashbacks - 0
Dead Potentials - 2
Giles Unconscious - 0
Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0
Buffy Breaks a Door - 0
Buffy Makes a Speech - 1
Xander Makes a Speech - 1
Evil Reveal - 1 (Caleb)
Unevil Reveal - 0
Shenanigans Called - 0
Apocalypse Called - 0