Do You Like My Mask? Isn't It Pretty?

 Episode 3.2: Dead Man's Party. Original Airdate 10.6.98

"A Nigerian mask reanimates the dead, forcing Buffy to battle a horde of zombies."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• "It's angry at the room. It wants the room to suffer." I don't use this one, but I'd like to start.
• Bless you, Joyce. You're trying to be supportive of the slaying, of finding her friends, trying to feed her. It's awkward, but you want your daughter to feel safe to be herself, safe to stay home this time.
• Oh come ON. That's CLEARLY Xander, Buffy.
• And Buffy's trying to banter, and Xander just can't process, and there's so much in his face, he's happy to see her, but he's hurt, and there's a bit of anger.
• And then they're all just staring at her from the ground. Willow's tentatively happy, Oz just looks pissed, which is interesting to me, since I'd say he had the least relationship with Buffy, of the four. 

• I guess it shouldn't have been a surprise Angel was gonna come back, since there'e still so much of him in the opening credits. Still, must have been confusing at the time.

Giles feels...Britishly.

• Guys, it's time for more feels! Giles and Buffy! Giles and Buffy! 
• "Hey, so you're not wanted for murder, anymore." It's nice they're all bantering with her. Belgium and the like.
• "We dusted nine out of ten ... six out of ten."
• The problem is they had to learn how to exist without her, and it's hard to adjust back to having her around.
• Oh Pat. Hello Pat.
• I wonder if DB insisted in his contract that he get some sunlight scenes. He got one last week, he's got one this week, he'll get one in his dream of their wedding in The Prom.
• Giles knows the mask is Nigerian because he knows All the Things.
• "I love art talk as much as the next very dull person."
• I'm fairly certain Giles isn't allowed to bring cats, zombified or otherwise, on school property.
• "I like it. I think you should call it Patches."
• "Thanks for ruining our lives for the past three months." - this is the core of the resentment, the abandonment. What's hard is Xander's not fully understanding or appreciating that Buffy's life was ruined too (granted, because she's not telling them). WE WON'T EVEN MENTION THAT HE'S PARTIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR IT.
• I'm sorry, that drawing doesn't really look like the mask.

Didn't quite get the teeth right.

• Ew, Pat brought cold empanadas? Those babies are good only when fresh. I want an empanada. [There's this great place by me.  Next time we do a Buffy day, we'll order some - D]
• And then the party is too big and so no one can talk. That's the problem. No one is actually talking, about what happened before, about what's happening now. Instead, resentments are festering. Everyone's in pain but not sharing it. And when Buffy tries to ask Willow what's going on, Willow pretends nothing is wrong. Granted, it's (at least in part) because she is glad Buffy's back and she doesn't want to scare Buffy off again, but the result is that Buffy doesn't feel like there's any communication or connection, so she's got no real feeling she ought to stay either.
• Xander's trying to whitewash it too - "guess a lot of people are glad to have you back." "We all do. It's great to have the Buffster back." He's also distracted by his relationship with Cordelia.
• I'd say it's convenient all these people are dying, and thus providing us with zombies, but ... it's Sunnydale. My argument is invalid. 
• And then Buffy overhears just the wrong part of Joyce's conversation with Pat. I actually super massively hate this storytelling cliche, the overhearing/misunderstanding. Like, a lot. It's lazy writing. I'm glad the show doesn't do it that often. [It's a tired Soap Opera technique and you're right, beneath this show. -D]
• Parking lot playground full o' zombies!
• This guy on the phone makes me laugh. "That guy's gotta do a shot!"
• I wonder what Willow was coming up to talk about when she finds Buffy packing. Would this have been a healthier heart to heart?
• They're both so hurt. I'm glad they're finally talking about what's actually going on, and I'm really mad that this all gets cut off for the zombiness, because this conversation is never really resolved. And I'm glad Willow told us some of the stuff that's been going on with her, and why she's maybe been distant with Buffy, but STILL NO ONE is really asking why Buffy left, how the fight ended, what she did when she left, why she came back. THESE ARE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS and if they're all so (somewhat justifiably) resentful of her leaving, wouldn't they maybe want to know the reason why? "look what it did to us, never mind what it did to you" They're not seeing Buffy. They're not hearing her.
• Lucky for us the zombies in this universe are the slow-moving variety.
• Oh good. Joyce has joined the upset misunderstanding party.
• "You put me through the ringer, Buffy." Ringer!  Sorry. (Not sorry.)
• Oh and Buffy's so sad. "But you told me!"
• "Mom's not perfect, okay. I handled it badly."
• "It was selfish and stupid." Hmmm, Xander, can we think of other things we've done recently that were selfish and stupid? Like lying to our best friend?
• Hey Buffy, it's "Angel and me," not "Angel and I."
• I mean, I liked that Cordy stepped to Buffy's defense, but she's not handling it the most tactfully. [Tact is just not saying true stuff.  - Cordelia]
• See, I understand Joyce's arguments and Willow's arguments. Xander's not coming from a justified place. So I'm less forgiving of him. He's not letting Buffy talk.
• I DO like that the Mission comes first. As soon as the zombies break in, they all go into team mode. "I got your back," says Xander as he runs to the kitchen. All the scoobies join the defense.
• Jonathan's wielding the guitar and it's so cute.
• Oz said the episode title! 5 points to Oz!
• "Worse than a zombie." Cordy makes me laugh. She makes me forget how much I disliked her on Angel.
• Man, Buffy's house is getting traaaaaaaaaashed tonight. This is what happens when you throw a zombie hootenanny!
• I like when defeating the Zombie Overlord makes all the zombies disappear. Clean up is way easier.
• Okay I figured it out - the problems weren't resolved in dialogue (and they're CERTAINLY not fully resolved) - but they were at least partially resolved through demon battling. Just like in a musical (where problems/conflicts are often resolved in song). They still have stuff that they're not talking about, but the battle reminded them what (and who) is important, and worth fighting for.
• Giles, you are fucking creepy.
• Runaway. Quitter. Whiner. Bailer. Harpy. Delinquent. Tramp. Bad seed. Witch. Freak. LOVE IT.
• Daniel and I are so ashamed. We were talking about the return of our recurrings (Larry last week, this week Snyder, Jonathan, and Devon). We noticed the lack of Harmony and Amy, which led to a discussion of which episodes Amy was in, which led to the realization that NEITHER OF US had really processed until JUST NOW that Bewitched Bothered & Bewildered had the word "witch" it in.

Daniel's Thoughts:

• “Will you be slaying?”  Such a cute awkward mom question about something she doesn’t understand but wants to try to understand.  It’s like the time my friend told me his mom awkwardly asked him once how two gay men do it.    True Story.
• I gotta admit, Nicholas Brandon plays Xander’s reaction to seeing Buffy for the first time really well.
• And Buffy hilariously watching the gang try to fight.
• Cordelia’s “Hi Buffy!”  Hee!
• And Giles!  More reserved but…just as sweet.  He’s English.  He can’t show his emotions until he goes to the other room and brews his tea.
• How’d you find her?   I pretty much remembered where she was.  Hee!
• Snyder!  So evil!
• Aww, Buffy would look cute in hotdog-on-a-stick hat.  She’d look better in a doublemeat palace hat! 
• Why would Joyce go to the Mayor to get her daughter back in school?  So that she can foreshadow him to death?
• New downtown set!
• Awww, Willow didn’t show up.
• Willow tried to call.  See, this wouldn’t happen if there were cell phones.
• Why would they bury the cat? Why not call animal control?
• Zombie cat!  That cat is obviously being pushed out of the hole by a prop man.
• Another Angel dream!  Because we’re not ready to bring him back but he’s still under contract.

Hi, I'm still under contract.

• “Superhero.  Is that the right term? I mean it's not offensive, is it?” – It’s another one of those awkward mom trying to understand questions. "Homosexual? Is that term still acceptable?"
• “I’m the dip” - Hee.
• Love the 'gathering, shindig & hootenanny' discussion
• And why are they deciding what type of party to have at Joyce’s house anyway.  Wasn’t she the one organizing this? In her house?  It’s kinda rude.
• I always forget what Devon looks like.  I always ask Zelda, “That’s Devon, right?”
• I guess Oz & Cordy invited the people because Willow & Xander don’t have friends.  OUCH. BURRRRN…
• Though, there are no Cordettes that we can see.
• Aww, Willow is uncomfortable…and so is Buffy and it’s just ALL SO AWKARD!
• Hey! Sunnydale police!
• I’m glad “Nighthawk” doesn’t become a thing.
• I hate party dude. “I heard it’s for some chick who got out of rehab.” Shut up.

Hi, I'm a zombie movie cliche

• Joyce’s conversation with Pat is just gross.  “I thought having Buffy home would make it better but in some ways, it’s almost worse.”  How the hell is it worse, Joyce?  Awkward, yes but worse?  That’s a horrible thing to say.  Worst. Mom. Ever. 
• IN EVERY ZOMBIE MOVIE, THERE IS ALWAYS A CHEERLEADER ZOMBIE. =====>
• And there’s one guy at that party that looks 45.
• OK, Party dude is back and he’s yelling at someone to do a shot. BUT IT’S SO OBVIOUS HE’S NOT TALKING TO SOMEONE.  BAD ACTOR.  I’m glad he SPOILERS. [Wait, he spoilers? Did we get that in our death count? - Z]
• The altercation between Willow & Buffy that finally comes about is so well written. I like when there’s an argument on TV or in a movie where I can see both sides.  It’s also really well acted.
• Buffy’s packing again.  Don’t forget your stuffed bird.
• Ok, this whole ganging up on Buffy is not cool.  While some of the arguments are valid, it’s a shitty way to do it.  It reminds me of a future episode which is so hated for that very reason.
• Jonathan!  By the dip!

Who, me?

• Go Badass Giles!  Hot wire that car!
• “You stop acting like an idiot. And I’ll stop annoying you.”  Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Xander.
• YAY! Party dude got his just desserts!
• I like unlikely pairings!  Oz and Cordelia fighting together!
• How come all the zombies are this whitish/greenish color except for Pat? And it has nothing to do with the fact that she just died because the first body we see rising was from a gun shot wound that just happened.
• Buffy’s awfully cavalier about killing her mom’s friend.  Ok, Pat is a zombie – but she could have a little tact.
• So it’s nice that everyone is all friends now but nothing was really resolved…
• And another example of Giles’ badassery – intimidating Snyder.
• I like the new set with the coffee shop.  They can’t always hang out at The Bronze.
• I love the exchange of fun insults at the end.  It’s a cute way to end the episode.

Crossfire!

Question for everyone: Does the zombie cat count as a dead undead? We haven't been tracking dead animals before.

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: "'Do you like my mask, isn't it pretty? It raises the dead.' Americans." - Giles

Daniel: "It’s angry at the room, mom.  It wants the room to suffer.” - Buffy

90s Factoid:

Willow called.  This kind of thing wouldn't happen if you got those new fangled inventions called "cell phones"

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Snyder still hates Buffy.
• Joyce namedrops the Mayor.
• Our first zombie episode. This kind of zombie is corpses being raised by the mask, rather than infecting each other by biting.
• Also, cats can be zombies. 
• Devon and the rest of Dingoes Ate My Baby are here, and they're playing their only song, Pain.
• Willow mentions that she's still studying witchcraft.
• We forgot Jonathan was here! Him by the dip!
• Giles uses his DARK PAST to hotwire his car. Also to intimidate Snyder into letting Buffy back in school.
• Snyder has appointments with the Mayor.
• New Downtown Sunnydale set, including the Espresso Pump.

Stats:

Oz's Hair - red

Dead Humans - 4

Dead Undeads - 2

Dead Flashbacks - 0

Giles Unconscious - 0

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 1 (the mask)

Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 0

Apocalypse Called - 0

I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, and you are?

Episode 3.1: Anne. Original Airdate 9.29.98

"Buffy - living on her own in a big city - assists a girl whose boyfriend has mysteriously vanished. Back in Sunnydale, Buffy's friends do their best to battle the forces of evil."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I’m so excited because this is my favorite season opener.
• I'm glad the season starts with the classic vamp coming out of the grave but…
• It’s Willow waiting for him and not Buffy!
• I love the huge dramatic moment of Oz about to throw the stake that will kill the vampire, complete with swelling music and then...it just kinda falls down.  Cause he's not Buffy!  And that never works if you're not Buffy!
• “Come and get it, big boy?”  HAHAH
• Did Willow really not know Oz’s plans after HS? I mean is she really the type to date a total slacker?
• The dream is sweet…and a way to keep David Boreanaz on contract.
• The dream turning into the harsh reality – it’s a nice transition.
• YAY! Oz is in the credits!
• Buffy is a waitress!  And she’s serving Burt Reynolds!

Burt Reynolds Catchphrase.

• Hey Chanterelle!  I think it’s cute and interesting that they brought such a minor character back. But it works so well.
• "We have a peach pie. I can’t guarantee there’s a peach in it." heh.
• I didn’t think I’d like two separate stories where Buffy isn’t in scenes with anyone else, but it really works here.
• Oh my God! There are students in the library!  Is it because it's the first day of school?  Because we just got our books in class. [YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BUFFY LEAVES TOWN, PEOPLE? CHAOS REIGNS. - Z]
• “Don’t get killed” is a nice mission statement.
• Cordelia’s phrase “organized fun” is something I’ve used before.
• I love Cordy & Xander’s nervousness.
• While I still find it weird that Willow didn’t realize Oz didn’t go to summer school, I’m glad she’s disappointed in him.
• LARRY!  And his line about not having so many mysterious deaths is freaking hilarious.
• It also shows that the students of Sunnydale aren’t as in the dark as they sometimes seem.  Which is proven further down the line in The Prom.
• Awww Buffy is so sad and alone!  She needs to start punning.  That will make her feel better.

What rhymes with Spaghettios?

• I like that Giles is at least searching for Buffy and not blindly waiting for her to return.
• Chanterelle/Lily is so adorable. She's a really interesting character. She just wants to find somewhere to fit in.
• Hehe, and it’s cute that she didn’t know that “Chanterelle” is a type of mushroom.
• I wonder what her real name is. Beverly?  I bet it’s Beverly.
• Ken is fucking creepy!  And twice in the Whedon-universe, he plays someone who looks human but ends up being a demon.
• Is it depressing song night at the Bronze? Actually the lyrics are uplifting but – OMG, Xander just said the same thing.  Did I remember that or was it my own thought?  THE MIND BOGGLES.
• I love Oz being thrown in the mix.  He’s hilarious.
• Aww, Joyce is actually being a good concerned mom.  This will not last.

Maybe it's a bezoar.

• While I don’t think Joyce should blame Giles, I do understand feeling the way she does – being left out of a major part of Buffy’s life.
• “And they give cookies!”  That’s such a bone-headed thing that…I would say.
• So the stuffed bird….did Buffy pack that bird?  Now, remember from my last recap, she left with a tiny tiny duffel bag – which I assume was filled with essentials.  Was there really room for that bird? And if she was going to choose one stuffed animal, wouldn't it be Mr. Gordo?  Ok, maybe she bought it here in LA.  Maybe it reminds her on Mr. Gordo.  Maybe I’m writing too much about a tiny prop.
• And there’s creepy Ken going in for the kill.  He knows his prey, I’ll give him that.
• I love how Buffy casually tears the phone out of the wall.
• She’s bad at undercover but she’s really good at interrogation.
• Yeah, right, like Cordelia would do anything for Buffy’s sake.
• And Xander does his first douchey thing of the season, using Cordelia as bait and actually saying the plan is for her to get killed.  I just...don't think that's something you should joke about, especially living on a hellmouth.
• Wow.  The black pool.  Terrible visual effect. [I ... kinda liked it? = Z]
• Ooh, it’s like Indiana Jones and the temple of Doom!
• What exactly are the slaves doing/making?
• Cheesy romantic music when Xander and Cordelia kiss.  I love it.
• I like the skeletor make-up
• Who are you? I’M BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER  AND YOU ARE?  FUCK YEAH!
• Buffy runs like a kid, flailing her arms all over the place
• I love the mini-scythe weapon!  So well-designed!

Communism never stood a chance against the Slayer.

• So it feels like they’ve saved only like ten people out of the 100 slaves that are there.  That’s a shame.
• Lily shoved Ken!  And was so surprised that she did it!  She’s so cute!
• Lily is now Anne!  And we’ll see her grow up on Angel.
• Kristine Sutherland is really great in this final scene.  Her annoyance that someone is knocking at her door while she’s busy, then turning into hope that it might be Buffy...
• And then...no...that's not a tear.  Hush.

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Nice return to basics, starting in a graveyard with a vampire rising. But oh! It's Willow, with new hair, waiting for him.
• Kung fu vampire!
• Xander's looking pretty attractive in this graveyard light. Don't tell Daniel I said that.
• "Do you think Buffy knows school's starting tomorrow?" All the sad hopeful Willow faces.
• Angel's hands are so much bigger than Buffy's hands.
• "If I was blind, I would see you." I will allow the pulpy talk because it's Buffy's heartbroken dream.
• Buffy wears a lot of jewelry when she sleeps. Is that a thing people do? I feel like I wouldn't. If I actually wore jewelry with any kind of regularity.
• Location! Not just a cop car, but a street with actual aging and damage and cement repatchings rather than smooth paving. The things I notice.
• Buffy's pigtails and red trimming on her outfit are actually reminding me of her Little Red costume in S4.

• Hi Lily! What's the point of getting a forever tattoo if you change your name every five minutes?
• "But then again he's always been attracted to monsters." Cordy's already having her prophecies! Spoilers?
• Oz, you're so cute. "That's what summer school is for." // "Yeah. Well, you remember when I didn't go?"
• "Summer is over! Be somber." Ummmmm ...

who the hell are you?

• I'd say nice contrivance, keeping Oz in high school another year to keep him on the show, but I actually completely believe it's in character for him to just not bother with school.
• Nice long tracking shot as we reenter Sunnydale High, Joss. Don't think we didn't notice or appreciate.
• AWWW. We cut from bustling Sunnydale High to Buffy sitting alone and silent. ALL THE SAD THINGS.
• "I'm no one." Our first clue!
• Aw Giles. Running off to Oakland to hunt down Buffy ALL THE SAD THINGS.
• "Yes, one must try." It's that British stiff-upper-lip belief-in-good-things that makes me love Giles. And that makes him save us all in The Wish.
• "I'm no one." Second clue!

Veeeeeeeeeeery familiar.

• Holy crap Buffy gets all kind of flipped from that car. It's cool though - it shows Buffy's ingrained need to protect All the Humans isn't entirely dead.
• Hi Ken! You're a creepy ass dude. At least as far as Joss Whedon shows are concerned.
• "You get old fast here." You ain't just whistling Dixie, Ken.
• My sister's standard response when Carlos Jacott appears on any show: "He's evil! And that's not his real face." She's not wrong.
• Hey guys, ... wasn't this shot used to open Angel the Show? ==>
• "I blame you." It's sad because Giles is already most certainly blaming himself too, and I think Joyce is rationally incorrect to say that, but I also understand where she's coming from. Her daughter has left, and it's because of things she didn't know about but Giles did, and as a responsible adult, he didn't see fit to tell her. She's supposed to be the one taking care of her daughter, and she's been taken out of the equation.
• Julia Lee is lucky she's likable, because she's playing full victim on Buffy, and it's not an attractive look on anyone. "I'm helpless! I have nothing of merit to offer but my helplessness! Help me?" Then again, she is responding to Buffy's hero complex thing, which she saw evidence of in Lie to Me, and again the night before with the man in front of the car.
• Oh god and she even says "But ... he takes care of me."
• Smart Buffy cottoning on to the connection between donating blood and the people disappearing/aging.
• "Is it ... cuz of you? You know about monsters and stuff. You could have brought this with you." Um, fuck you, Chanterlily.
• And Ken walks into frame like a creepy pedo.
• "Hope is a real thing, just like despair. And hope can fill a part of you that's missing."

That's what ... she said?

• First Giles cleans his glasses, then Buffy breaks a door. We're getting alllllllllll the stats this week!
• "Breaking into your office and going through your private files." I love you Buffy. And then she pulled the phone out of the wall. I double love you Buffy.
• Oh Buffy she is pissed.
• "The cleansing." Ken be creepy. But Lily, she's done several cults, so she knows all about that sort of thing.
• Parking lot graveyard! (do a shot)
• Oz's stake is taller than Oz.
• "Why can't Willow be bait?" Oh look, Willow is bait because you two are bickering.
• "I woke up and I looked in the mirror and I thought, hey, what's with all the sin? I need to change. I'm ...I'm dirty. I'm bad with the ... sex and the envy and that, that loud music us kids listen to nowadays. W - okay, I just suck at undercover. Where's Ken?" We're giggling.
• I love that Buffy doesn't hesitate to go diving after Lily. That's our Buffy!
• Ewwwwwwwwwwwww Ken's demon face is all gooey.
• Aaaaaaand Xander and Cordy are making out. With the rising music and the rising music.
• "I always knew I would come here, sooner or later. I knew I belonged here. [Where?] Hell."
• A good clue that Buffy won't let herself become no one like everyone else is - she's not wearing the burlap sack uniform.
• This demon's makeup is so badass.

• Here's why Buffy's awesome. She's not just saving them. She's helping Lily empower herself, so she can take care of herself in the future. Buffy is a much better role model than anyone else ever.
• Apparently there are some discontinuities, when Buffy's breaking out, of shoes between her and the stunt Buffy. I'm not gonna bother to track it, but they're there.
• "Humans don't fight back! That's how this works!" Go 'way, Ken. Your outrage is funny, but go 'way.
• This fight is pretty awesome.
• "You've got guts. I think I'd like to slice you open and play with them." Eh. Kinda weak smack talk.
• "This is the price of rebelli--aaaaaaaaaaaaaaah" haaaaaaaaaaa
• See Willow? This is how you smack talk a demon before you kill him: Gandhi.
• Buffy's "crappy" apartment is pretty clean. And she lives alone. It's not bad.
• "Can I be Anne?" d'aw. because she wants to be strong and self sufficient like Buffy.
• Joyce has that look of hope and trying not to let herself hope, and she opens the door, and Buffy's on the other side, and waaaaaaaaaaaaah. Joyce's face. Buffy's face. I'm crying. THE FEELS.

Crossfire!

D:  Who is that guy?

Z: (looks it up) Chad Todhunter. (keeps looking - he hasn't really done stuff we know)

D: He looks like someone who's working now.

Z: Sebastian Stan?

D: No, someone who does movies now.

Z: He was in Captain America!

D: No, that guy who was in Hurt Locker and that one episode of Angel.

Z: My boyfriend Jeremy Renner?

D: Yes, he looks like Jeremy Renner.

Z: NO HE DOESN'T.

You be the judge.

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: Buffy: You wanna see my impression of Gandhi? *smashes Ken's face in*

Lily: Gandhi?
Buffy:  Well ya know – if he was really pissed off.
THAT’S MY FAVORITE THING EVER!

Zelda: "If we can focus, keep discipline, and not have quite as many mysterious deaths, Sunnydale is gonna rule!" - Larry. Poor, sweet, dead Larry.

90s Factoid:

Cordy's sweater tied round her waist.

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Last season, Buffy killed Angel. She left town without telling anyone, leaving a note for Joyce. She also got expelled, but I mean, does that really make a difference right now?
• Seth Green is now in the opening credits. Though he's been sent to Hell, David Boreanaz is still there, too.
• Chanterelle from Lie to Me is back, but now her name is Lily. Next her name will be Anne.
• Oz is repeating his senior year. 
• Larry's still here.
• Buffy's middle name is Anne.
• Ken's other roles in Joss Whedon projects: Ken on BtVS, Richard on AtS, Dobson on Firefly.

Stats:

Oz's Hair - light red

Dead Humans - 1

Dead Undeads - 3

Dead Flashbacks - 0

Giles Unconscious - 0

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 1

Buffy Breaks a Door - 1

Evil Reveal - 2 (Ken, Blood Bank Doctor - yes, that's her name)

Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 0

Apocalypse Called - 0

We know the world didn't end, cuz ... check it out: Season Two in Review

Series Stats:

Dead Humans - 49

Dead Undeads - 66

Dead Flashbacks - 5

Giles Unconscious - 8

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 6

Buffy Breaks a Door - 11*

Evil Reveal - 26

Unevil Reveal - 8

Shenanigans Called - 51

Apocalypse Called - 4

Season Two Stats (including comparison to previous season):

Dead Humans - 27 (+5)

Dead Undeads - 45 (+24)

Dead Flashbacks - 5 (news stat)

Giles Unconscious - 4 (=)

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 5 (+4)

Buffy Breaks a Door - 5 (-1)*

Evil Reveal - 17 (+8)

Unevil Reveal - 5 (+2)

Shenanigans Called - 26 (+1)

Apocalypse Called - 2 (=)

Zelda's Thoughts:

Season Two is when they really started bringing arc to the show, and it was enormously satisfying. In Season One we had a lot of set up, monsters of the week, and character pieces, but the main throughlines (beyond Willow's and Xander's growing competence in the slayage world) was Angel-is-a-vampire-but-also-hot and The-Master-is-evil-and-stuff. Here, a lot of things were set up and followed through in really satisfying ways. Giles, Willow and Xander all got romantic partners, Willow started exploring the magics, Amy starting witching about too, everyone got their heart broken in some shape or other, Oz arrived and became a werewolf, Larry was gay, Jonathan was nebbishy (and EMMY WINNING, wait that happened now, not then), Spike arrived and was just a new brand of awesome, and, most importantly, Buffy's and Angel's relationship steadily progressed in intensity, leading to the sexes and the soullessness...es. Season Two is definitely one of my favorite seasons - I think the emotionally arc tracks extremely well and organically, and is still effective years later. It gives me Spike, whom we all know I love. It gives us Angelus, who will always be loads more fun than Angel (for both DB and for us, I suspect). The season overall is very strong, and there are some stellar individual episodes as well. Which is probably why I keep forgetting (and am surprised by) the BAD episodes here. Inca Mummy Girl, Reptile Boy, Go Fish - though each contain some funny, I dread the rewatch on all three of these. Sometimes it's just because the metaphor is too preachy/overdone, but sometimes (mostly?) it just feels like bad writing - the funny isn't funny enough, the poignant isn't poignant enough, and I can't be made to care.

But then ... oh, but then ... there is Buffy's sad crumpling face, in Innocence or in Becoming Part 2. There is her small childlike voice asking "Angel?" in I Only Have Eyes For You. There is Buffy with the rocket launcher. There is Spike disposing of the Annoying One. There is Oz falling in love with Willow, over and over again. There is Buffy asking Giles to lie to her about adulthood. There is beautiful, wonderful Giles with the roses in Passion, and in the factory afterward. And yes, there is Sarah McLachlan.

And damn, Season Two is good. I can't wait for Season Three.

Come back, Buffy!

*Stats updated to reflect the door Buffy broke in Bad Eggs.


*******************SHAMELESS PLUG*******************
Zelda's book of short stories, This Is What They Made It Out Of: tales from the end of the world, is now available on Amazon Kindle. Get your copy today!

Have you tried not being a slayer?

Episode 2.22: Becoming: Part 2. Original Airdate 5.19.98

"Spike strikes an unlikely alliance with Buffy to keep Angel from destroying the world."

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Hello Sunnydale police. Nice to see you.
• "You stupid little troll, you have no idea." Them's fighting words. Also, LOL at Synder's puppy twitches when she knocks out the cop.
• Buffy's a fugitive from da LAW. Shit just got real.
• Okay, fine, shit got real last episode. But it's REALER now.
• Okay, OKAY, shit got real back in Surprise/Innocence. But this is the REALIEST.
• Willow's unconscious in bed. This is NOT okay. See? Shit. Real.
• Buffy and Xander both think the attack was because she was trying to curse Angel. In this context, I can sort of understand Xander's Big Lie later. But ... well, I"ll get to it.
• I would love to see Buffy wearing a ribcage hat.
• "What are you, just some immortal demon, sent down to even the score between good and evil?" // "Wow. Good guess."
• Yay Spike! "Hello cutie."
• God, JM was so young. His skin is so smooth.
• "I want to save the world." ironic smile
• I love that he's feeling for smokes the whole speech.
• Does Spike want to stop Angelus because he likes the world with all its happy meals with legs, or because he's mad that Angelus has been shtupping Drusilla? JM's quotes this speech a lot, so I think he thinks its the first reason, and maybe it partly is, but I'm inclined to believe it's mostly all about the jealousy.
• "Let me take this opportunity to not care." I've used that. Or wished I could, to be more accurate.
• "I'm all you've got." But Whistler told us that ain't so!
• Xander's in Trig? Does that mean he'll take Calculus next year? HAHAHAHAHAHA
• Oz's bowling shirt says Larry. Just thought you'd like to know.
• OzandWillowtheirloveissotrue.
• Ugh. Poor Giles. Thank you for being a teen show so we don't have to see much of the torture.
• Angelus is cleaning Giles's glasses. This doesn't count as a stat, but it is a cool detail.
• yay we're about to begin my favorite section. Buffy and Spike in a band. "She plays the triangle." "Well, I sing."
• Buffy came out to her mom! Yay!
• Spike and Joyce in the living room. Loves.
• "Dru bagged a slayer?! She didn't tell me. Hey, good for her! Though not from your perspective, I guess."
• I get that Buffy has kind of a lot on her plate, but I wish she weren't so dismissive of Joyce trying to understand. Joyce is trying to understand, and she doesn't. There's too much being thrown at her, too many changes to what she thought was reality.
• The showdown between Buffy and Joyce. I have such feels. The look she gives her mom before she leaves. waaaaaaaaah
• "Okay, I missed out on some stuff, didn't I? Cuz this is all making the kind of sense that's ... not." - Oz
• Okay, see - Xander has one mission: All Willow wants him to do is tell Buffy she's gonna try the spell again. And he doesn't. He takes away Buffy's choice, and the reasoning, at least in the strict canon of the show, never made sense to me. I've read a bunch of different interpretations and analyses on other blogs and forums, that he didn't trust Buffy to make the hard choice if she thought the spell might work, and maybe that's it. Maybe it's that he didn't want Angel to have a chance of coming back, because his hatred really ran that deep. Maybe he didn't think the spell would work because Willow was so weak. I don't know. This is all speculation. Here's the facts of the matter though: Xander lied to Buffy, one of his best friends, whom he loves/worships in one form of another for the entire series, about one of the most important people in her life. He lied to her, not about whether he stole her candy bar, but about something major. He lied to his friend and he didn't blink. Fuck you, Xander. I don't understand your choices and maybe I don't want to understand. Lying is one of the worst betrayals in my book. And he's never really held accountable for it (though I cheered SO FUCKING LOUDLY when Buffy brought it up again in Selfless in S7).
• "You must perform the ritual in a tutu ... pillock." Giles is my favorite. I'm aware I have like 12 favorites. Shush.
• "The police of Sunnydale are deeply stupid." Word.
• "You're expelled." // BUFFY PULLS OUT BIGASS SWORD. Your argument is invalid. 

BIGASS SWORD

• Dru pretending to be Jenny to trick the answer out of Giles. DAMMIT STOP MAKING OUR GILES SAD. [Hey, I'll steal this idea, too - 666 Park Avenue writers]
•  Of course, this did start the tradition of if you get killed, you get like 3 more episodes on the show.
• "Did I mention I didn't take Latin?" It's okay, neither did Angelus.
• Spike whacking Angelus down: Awesome. Spike continuing to wail on Angelus over and over: hilarious. And then Dru sidetackles Spike and that's hilarious too.
• Oh look, Xander does have a purpose: he rescued Giles. He's still a lying liar who lies.
• Angelus pulls the sword out: oh fuck moment. Now, regardless of Willow's spell, there's no turning back for Buffy.
• This sword fight. So good. Even if I am audibly announcing every time I see a stunt performer.
• Willow scary spell possession. Eep.
• "God, he's gonna kill her." eyebrow shrug. It's a good moment because it really clarifies Spike's morality, especially in regards to my question earlier: he's not staying to stop the world from ending - he got Dru back, and that's all he wanted. Even if he did suffocate her with MAGIC.
• "Take all that away, and what's left?" // "Me." Our Buffy is the best Buffy.
• Oh God it's so sad. Buffy's face. The music. The yawning void of Acathla hell. It's so sad. "Close your eyes." Joss you bastard.
• Is it better or worse for her grief that she got to say goodbye before he died?
• Oh god and then her face crumples.
• And the closet is empty. And Joyce's face crumples.
• And they're all at the school, and quietly cheeful, quietly optimistic.
• "Maybe it wasn't in time. Maybe she had to kill him before ..." do I detect a tone of hope that you won't get caught in your lie? Fucker.
• I know this song got overused, especially on the WB, but this was the first I heard it and it broke my little heart. "Pulled down by the undertow, never thought I could feel so low."
• Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. I need a hug.

Daniel's Thoughts:

• Buffy, to Snyder: "You stupid little troll!" - GO BUFFY!

• 

  I work for this group, you probably
  never heard of them ... the Powers That Be ...

• So Willow's knocked out in a hospital bed but she hardly has any wires attached.  Shouldn't she have a feeding tube?  I guess it's too soon for that?
• Whistler: The first hipster.  I knew a demon started that trend.  ----------------->
• Yay! Spike and Buffy join forces!
• I love Spike's speech about how he likes this world. It adds dimension and direction to the Buffy Universe.
• They realllly have nice hospital rooms in Sunnydale!  I guess people spend a lot of time there...
• It's about time Joyce found out although - 
• Worst. Line Reading. Ever. "Buffy, what is going on?" - I make fun of this line all the time.  Joyce just saw a supernatural happening. She saw a guy turn to dust and yet she asks this question like her daughter has just joined a rock band or something and she's just finding out.
• I don't know if I believe Buffy would just invite Spike inside her home. Can't he wait outside?
• Joyce's confusion is both hilarious and awful. The lame comparisons (read: obvious metaphor) to sexuality is the hilarious part.  "Have you tried not being the slayer?"  I...seriously?
• Oh Oz, he doesn't quite get it but he's still in it for Willow.
• Especially with Willow's resolve face!

This face means business.

• Mayor! Foreshadowing! Season 3!
• Aww, Jenny!
• Angel is the key? NO! Dawn is the SPOILER!
• Buffy! Littering!  What's with all the littering this season??
• "Kick his ass" - Fuck you, Xander. (Stated more eloquently by Zelda above.)
• Shenanigans!  Spike suffocates Dru which knocks her out...except Dru doesn't breathe so how would that work exactly?
• Sword fight!  Kick ass sword fight!
• Willow!  Magic!  It begins!
• So horrible and sweet but awesome TV: Buffy knows she has to do and it's heartbreaking for her and for us.
• I love when TV characters are shown leaving on long trips with one duffel bag.  

Crossfire!

Zelda & Daniel will never admit the tears. NEVER.

Favorite Lines:

Zelda: "It doesn't stop! Do you think I chose to be like this? Do you know how lonely it is? How dangerous? I would love to be upstairs watching TV or gossiping about boys or - GOD - even studying! But I have to save the world. Again." - Buffy

Daniel: "This is all making a kind of sense that's not." - Oz

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Detective Stein, who also appeared in Ted, is back for more detecting.
• Xander's in Trig.
• Snyder expels Buffy and she's still officially a fugitive from the law.
• Apparently it's good news for the Mayor if Buffy gets expelled.
• Dru uses her hypnosis to make Giles think she's Jenny.
• Willow channels the dark magics.
• Oh right, Angel's soul was restored, Buffy sent him to hell anyway, and then ran away from home.

Stats:

Oz's Hair - red 

Dead Humans - 0

Dead Undeads - 4

Dead Flashbacks - 0

Giles Unconscious - 0

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 0

Unevil Reveal - 0 

Shenanigans Called - 1

Apocalypse Called - 0 (we called it last episode)

Someone Wasn't Worthy

Episode 2.21: Becoming: Part 1. Original Airdate 5.12.98

"Angel plots to revive an ancient demon bent on sweeping everything on earth into hell itself."

Daniel's Thoughts:

• I wish they hadn't made Angel Irish.  I feel he could have done another accent better.  Spanish maybe?  Or make him American like Darla. [I would pay good money for a Russian Accent. That would be hilarious. - Z]
• Darla!  She's back!  In....a flashback!

"I didn't hear a about a chair shortage...oh"

• We haven't had a good ol' fashioned vamp slaying opening in a while.  Love it.
• Fish stick theatre!  Xander is doing something funny!
• I love the whole chair shortage conversation.  Willow/Alyson has hilarious timing.
• Snyder: This isn't an orgy people, it's a classroom//Buffy: Yeah, where they teach lunch.  HEE!
• London - 1890 - here's some stock footage.
• Interesting seeing Dru as a human and how they made her crazy.
• I like Willow in teacher mode.
• I still stay it's a ridiculous curse and I'll keep saying it until it stops. It punishes the man, not the demon!
• And Xander has the same idea as the g*psies: Punish the man, not the demon.
• Kendra is dressed like she's in the army!
• How the heck did Kendra get that sword through customs?
• Giles uses the Orb of Thesula as a paperweight!  Just like the shopkeeper said in Passions.  Yay for continuity!
• I'm not completely unimpressed with the Manhattan set. It's totally fake but well done.
• Flashback: Ewww, Angel's in love with a 15 year old girl.
• Mr. Pointy!
• I feel like they only brought Kendra back to kill her off...

Zelda's Thoughts:

• Hiya Darla! I'm glad you're not attempting an accent.
• I don't think we ever find out, even on his show, when Angel lost the Irish. It's there in some flashbacks, and then it's not.
• "It'll all be over soon." // "Yes, my love. It will." SHUT UP. At least when Ethan tries that sort of thing, Giles catches him at it and undercuts it.
• For our stats: 1 dead fishstick.
• "I think you'd sweat cute blood."
• THEY'RE ALL SO CUTE. Xander and Cordy and his fish hands, Willow and Oz and their Willow- and Oz-ness
• Aw human Dru. Still creepy looking.
• "I don't want to be an evil thing." This episode is not just about Liam becoming Angelus who became Angel who became Angelus, or about Angelus becoming the worthy vessel for the Tomb of Alfalfa, or even about Buffy becoming a slayer or an adult and whatnot. We've also got Dru becoming a crazyass vampire, or at least the lead up to it.
• Love the transition of "God is watching you" to full on crazy present Dru striding along.
• Spike reads the newspaper! He keeps up with current events! Our modern-day vampire.
• I love love love their realization that they're looking at the soul restoration spell. I love it so hard. This show, you guys.
• Hi Romania! You look kinda like the parking lot.
• So when they restored his soul the first time, he was drawn to where the spell was being cast, so the Romanians could give him the speech of "you suck." This didn't happen when Willow does it later - he doesn't even feel the spell coming until it hits.
• While Xander's right that Angelus is a killer, and is not ready to forgive that, Angelus and Angel are two separate creatures in terms of culpability. Angel will feel the remorse of his actions as Angelus, but they're not actions he would commit. If we can tolerate the Angel of S1 and S2 pre-Surprise, with all the murders he committed, Xander's point holds less power. The problem is the deaths are more personal now.
• This argument is so good you guys.
• Hi Kendra!
• "And we're sure this was the Tomb of Alfalfa." Oh Buffy. Sometimes you shouldn't say words.
• I think we shoulda let Angel keep eating the rats of Manhattan. Think of how much less of a vermin problem we could have in the city!
• Hi Whistler! Who the fuck are you and why do you never ever exist again? I like the idea, but why is he never used again (yes, I know, the original plan was to have him show up on AngeltheShow, but they had Doyle instead).
• "You can become someone. A person."
• Pre-slayage Buffy! So cute, so sweet, so shallow! I wants to keep her safe. Also, it's a pretty good wig, in that it doesn't scream wig. Maybe it's just extensions.

"Yeah? Hi! What?"

• Poor little Buffy! She's so scared and small.
• Wait - so when Angel smiles, after his day of stalking, it's when he's watching her cry in the mirror. wtf, dude. Though "I want to help her. I want to become someone." is pretty cool.
• "I want to learn from you. But I don't want to dress like you." And thus was born his penchant for dark button downs and black pants.
• "Someone wasn't worthy." And then he just sits there and tries not to laugh as Angelus blusters and Dru twitches. Love me some petty Spike.
• wtf, self-immolating vampire messenger. wtaf. How would he convince her to do that?
• I love Buffy's blue-green coat so much.
• Alpert!
• Al Franken.
• I'm aware the last two things barely count as bullet points. Shush you.
• Daniel and I both cracked up at DB's physicality as he jumps after "All right, we'll fight."
• Jesus. This fight is so brutal. I gasped when the bookcase fell on Willow. And poor Xander's hand.
• Oh God and Buffy's running as fast as she can once she realizes it was a trap. She's running as fast as she can and it's already too late.
• What an awful way for Kendra to die.
• Slow motion run. God. And the Buffy/Angel theme of sadness is playing, but with a muffled drum beat below it. Goddammit I love this show. It's just so freaking good.
• And we think we're at our last moment as she runs to Kendra's dead body, but then - for like the first time, there's police.

Favorite Lines:

Daniel: "It's a big rock.  I can't wait to tell all my friends.  They don't have a rock this big".  - Spike 

Zelda: "The big moments are gonna come, can't help that. It's what you do afterwards that counts. That's when you find out who you are." - Whistler. I mean, yes, all of Spike's lines, but also this.

Arc/Continuity Stuff:

• Oz has animal crackers on his tray.
• The disc that fell beside the desk in Passion is rediscovered!
• Buffy finds the claddagh ring Angel gave her for her birthday.
• Giles specifies that the soul-restoration spell would use black arts, not just rainbow happy magic.
• Giles keeps an Orb of Thesula as a paperweight, as the shopkeeper in Passion said people do.
• Angel saw Buffy get called to her Slayerness. Also, kind of a stalker.
• "And you fall for it every single time!" - He's referring to when she fell for a similar trap in When She Was Bad.
• Dru has hypnotic powers, which she uses to thrall Kendra into submission before killing her. Most vampires don't seem to have this power.
• Kendra, the next in the slayer line, is dead.

Stats:

Voiceover - Whistler's thing (not the official Buffy shpiel)

Oz's Hair - red

Dead Humans - 3

Dead Undeads - 4

Dead Flashbacks - 3

Giles Unconscious - 1

Giles Cleans His Glasses - 0

Buffy Breaks a Door - 0

Evil Reveal - 0

Unevil Reveal - 0

Shenanigans Called - 0

Apocalypse Called - 1