Buffy/Angel Crossover Guide

Buffy the Vampire Slayer began airing as a midseason replacement in the winter of 1997. After three seasons, Angel was spun off. Angel initially aired directly after Buffy on Tuesday nights, which made it my favorite night of television for quite awhile, and there were several crossovers. When Buffy the Vampire Slayer ended, one of the Buffy cast moved over to Angel for its fifth and final season.

This little article is intended to help new viewers figure out when to watch what. I'll try to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but a little bit of spoileryness cannot be helped.

To lessen the confusion of the show names and the character names being the same, I'll refer to the show Buffy the Vampire Slayer as BtVS, and the show Angel as AtS (Angel, the series). Plus I am only counting crossovers when actors appear. If I counted every mention, this would be really, really long.

The seasons ran as follows:

BtVS 1 (1997)
BtVS 2 (1997-1998)
BtVS 3 (1998-1999)
BtVS 4 — AtS 1 (1999-2000)
BtVS 5 — AtS 2 (2000-2001)
BtVS 6 — AtS 3 (2001-2002)
BtVS 7 — AtS 4 (2002-2003)
AtS 5 (2003-2004)

And here we go!

BtVS season four, AtS season one

BtVS 4.1 "The Freshman"
AtS 1.1 "City Of"

Angel calls Buffy on the phone, but hangs up without saying anything. We see Buffy's side of the phone call on BtVS, and Angel's on AtS.

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BtVS 4.3 "The Harsh Light of Day"
AtS 1.3 "In the Dark"

Two-part story about the gem of Amarra that begins on BtVS and ends on AtS. Oz and Spike cross over to AtS.

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BtVS 4.8 "Pangs"
AtS 1.8 "I Will Remember You"

In "Pangs," Angel arrives in Sunnydale, but stays in the background; Buffy doesn't know he was there until the last moment of the episode. In "I Will Remember You," Buffy goes to Los Angeles and confronts Angel. (If you're just watching BtVS, you don't want to miss "I Will Remember You.")

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AtS 1.10 "Parting Gifts"

Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from BtVS season three arrives at Angel's office in Los Angeles and becomes a cast member on AtS.

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AtS 1.15 "The Prodigal"

Includes flashbacks of Darla.

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BtVS 4.15 "This Year's Girl"
BtVS 4.16 "Who Are You?"
AtS 1.18 "Five by Five"
AtS 1.19 "Sanctuary"

Faith returns for a four part cross-over that begins with a two-part story ("This Year's Girl" and "Who Are You?") on BtVS and ends after skipping an episode with a two-part story on AtS ("Five by Five" and "Sanctuary"). Darla appears in flashback in "Five by Five." Buffy appears in "Sanctuary."

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BtVS 4.20 "The Yoko Factor"

Angel comes to Sunnydale to argue with Buffy about what happened in "Sanctuary" and has a delightful encounter with Riley.

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AtS 1.22 "To Shanshu In L.A."

Darla returns.

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BtVS season five, AtS season two

BtVS characters Darla and Drusilla are prominent continuing characters on season two of AtS. Darla is in nine episodes (2.3-2.5, 2.7, 2.9-2.11, 2.15-2.16), and Drusilla is in four (2.5, 2.9-2.11).

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AtS 2.1 "Judgment"

Faith appears briefly.

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BtVS 5.7 "Fool for Love"
AtS 2.7 "Darla"

"Fool for Love" and "Darla" are my favorite crossover episodes, with many shared scenes and flashbacks, plus all five of the Buffyverse's most popular vampires: Angel, Darla, Drusilla, Spike, and the Master. "Fool for Love" is Spike's backstory, and "Darla" is Darla's.

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AtS 2.12 "Blood Money"
AtS 2.14 "The Thin, Dead Line"

Chanterelle/Lily/Anne (played by Julia Lee), who appeared in the BtVS episodes "Lie to Me" and "Anne," appears on AtS.

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BtVS 5.17 "Forever"

Angel visits Buffy in Sunnydale.

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AtS 2.17 "Disharmony"

Harmony visits Cordelia in Los Angeles. Cordelia and Willow talk on the phone.

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AtS 2.22 "There's No Place Like Plrtz Glrb"

Willow stops by to give Angel some news.

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BtVS season six, AtS season three

BtVS 6.4 "Flooded"
AtS 3.5 "Fredless"

Buffy and Angel meet off camera in between these two episodes. Not much of a crossover, and that's it for BtVS season six/AtS season three.

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BtVS season seven, AtS season four

The final season of BtVS and penultimate season of AtS include a Firefly-ish crossover, with Nathan Fillion in the final five episodes of BtVS (7.18-7.22) and Gina Torres in five episodes of AtS (4.18-4.22).

Faith returns for three episodes of AtS starting with "Salvage" (4.13), and then returns to Sunnydale for the final five episodes of BtVS. Willow appears in "Orpheus" (AtS 4.15).

The producers of the two series wanted Angel to crossover for the final two episodes of BtVS, so AtS's season concluded first. It gets confusing. You can watch in any order up to BtVs "Lies My Parents Told Me" (7.17) and AtS "Orpheus" (4.15). The best way to watch after that is by air date.

AtS 4.13 "Salvage"
The first of three AtS episodes with Faith.

AtS 4.14 "Release"
Second episode with Faith.

BtVS 7.17 "Lies My Parents Told Me"
Fred calls Willow on the phone; we don't actually see Fred.

AtS 4.15 "Orpheus"
Third episode with Faith. Willow appears.

AtS 4.16 "Players"

AtS 4.17 "Inside Out"

AtS 4.18 "Shiny Happy People" Gina Torres as Jasmine for the final five episodes.

BtVS 7.18 "Dirty Girls"
Faith arrives for the final five episodes. Nathan Fillion as Caleb for the final five episodes.

AtS 4.19 "The Magic Bullet"

AtS 4.20 "Sacrifice"

BtVS 7.19 "Empty Places"

AtS 4.21 "Peace Out"

BtVS 7.20 "Touched"

AtS 4.22 "Home"

BtVS 7.21 "End of Days"
Angel visits Sunnydale.

BtVS 7.22 "Chosen"
Angel in Sunnydale.

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AtS season five

The entire fifth season of AtS includes Spike as a cast member and Harmony as a recurring character. Adam Baldwin, who played Jayne in Firefly, appears in five AtS episodes: 5.17-5.19, and 5.21-5.22.

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AtS 5.11 "Damage"
A visit from BtVS character Andrew.

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AtS 5.16 "Shells"
Angel calls Giles on the phone; we don't see Giles.

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AtS 5.20 "The Girl in Question"
Buffy is supposedly in this episode, but we never see her face and Sarah Michelle Gellar does not appear. Unfortunately.

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AtS 5.22 "Not Fade Away"
Chanterelle/Lily/Anne appears.

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And that's it. People have written and asked me for something like this several times, and now it's finally done. And all revisions mentioned in the comments are now included.
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Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

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Vampire Diaries: The End of the Affair

“It’s never going to be the same.”

The soap-operatic long-form storytelling structure of the Vampire Diaries rarely results in episodes with a distinctive structure. “The End of the Affair,” however, is a marvel of both extended narrative and short-form parallel structure. Both of tonight’s plots focused on two people coming together to rescue someone from their complicated captors. The emotional stakes of each plot illuminate the complexity of the other. And OMG that’s Gordon Ramsey’s little brother!

The Walking Dead: Days Gone Bye

Rick: "I'm sorry this happened to you."

I love this show. There is nothing like waking up in a hospital room and finding out the world has ended. I know it’s been used before, but it is such a great way to move from everything’s okay to complete disaster without all the icky bits in between.

Haven: Business As Usual

Stu: “People are already divided. All that’s left now is for you to choose a side.”

So I guess this is business as usual for Haven. The troubled on one side and the non-troubled on the other. And all this has happened before. How long has it been going on? It seems like hundreds of years. I hope we get some answers next week but we won’t get them all. There’s a whole other season coming.

Ringer: If You Ever Want a French Lesson...

This didn't have the most auspicious of openings, with Bridget using her own bizarre logic to assume that Andrew hired the hit on her, since he owns the same holiday-snap that the hitman had on his person. Was this another sign of 'Ringer: Contrivance is thy middle name?' Luckily I stuck around for longer than the opening couple of minutes, since If You Ever Want a French Lesson... was undoubtedly the strongest episode so far. Gone were the annoying Hitchcock throwbacks and bland characterization, instead we got a doozy of awesomeness.

Glee: I Am Unicorn

Brittany: “Out of all the kids in this school, I think you are the biggest unicorn.”

Terra Nova: Genesis

"We are at the dawn of a new civilization. No pressure."

Time travel, dystopia, conspiracy, manifest destiny ... safe to say that Terra Nova isn't just a garden party with vegetarian dinosaurs grazing in the distance. There was a lot going on in this massive and obviously expensive two-hour pilot.

Eureka: You Don't Know Jack

...in which Tess’s “story-catcher” for the Eureka time capsule project subjects the audience to the dreaded clip show and causes the town’s residents to start losing their memories. Meanwhile, Carter and Allison become trapped in Tess’s lab just before GD is scheduled to undergo a sonic cleaning.

Hawaii Five-O: Ha'i'ole (Unbreakable)

Please excuse this interruption to our regularly scheduled science fiction and fantasy show coverage, but I feel compelled to report the geekfest that just happened on the second season premiere of Hawaii Five-O.

Doctor Who: Closing Time

Doctor: 'It's a papoose.'

Tonight's episode reminded me a little of 2005's 'Bad Wolf'. It likewise started off relatively lightweight, before revealing some unexpectedly devious depths. Despite enjoying 'The Lodger' (Gareth Roberts' last effort and prequel to 'Closing Time'), it didn't exactly set my world alight. Tonight's offering was a slight improvement. It's rare we get to see the Doctor in a bromance story—it's even rarer we get to see him almost copping off with another character. Steady on, Matt. You're not in Christopher and His Kind now.

Community: Biology 101

“You could have lived the rest of your life in blissful ignorance and died a happy pansexual imp.”

It's the beginning of another year at Greendale Community College and this one promises to be more fun and less weird than the first two years combined. I know this to be true because they told us so during a great big Glee-ish style musical number. Oh, and it looks like this is the year that Jeff and Annie are finally going to sleep toge- what do you mean that was a dream sequence? Dammit, Community! Don't tease us with your musical of lies like that. You more than anyone should know how fragile and borderline insane we Jeff/Annie shippers are. Do that again and I'm going Jack Torrance on the magic table.

A Gifted Man: Pilot

In a nutshell? Grey's Anatomy meets Ghost Whisperer.

Michael Holz is a brilliant, arrogant neurosurgeon with his own top-of-the-line practice. His busy, well-regimented life changes when he unexpectedly runs into his ex-wife Anna, they spend a casual evening together, and the next morning he discovers that she died in a car accident two weeks before.

Fringe: Neither Here Nor There

“I know what it’s like to have a hole in my life. It’s been there as long as I can remember.”

I always get nervous returning to a show after a long hiatus. Especially a show like Fringe, which produces precisely the type of massive theorizing that I am so resistant to, post-Lost. Will I be pilloried if I don’t spend paragraphs meditating on the significance of the yellow/amber/orange credits? Will I miss a massive “clue,” get it all wrong, and have a bizarre idiosyncratic reaction that no one else can agree with or even understand?

Person of Interest: Pilot

Reese: “Bad things happen to people every day. You can't stop that.”
Finch: “What if you could?”

From what we’ve seen in its very fast-paced pilot, Person of Interest looks like a promising show. We were introduced to the two core characters, Reese and “Finch,” well enough to know they are three-dimensional, but more than enough was left to keep them mysterious.

Supernatural: Meet the New Boss

"We all saw him. No beard, no robe. He was young and sexy. He had a raincoat."

Sometimes I think I'm just a one-woman Supernatural cheering squad. But this was an excellent season premiere, wasn't it?

Warehouse 13: Insatiable

... in which Pete and Myka attempt to identify the artifact causing apparent zombie attacks. Meanwhile, Claudia continues to struggle with Jinks’s firing.

Vampire Diaries: The Hybrid

“Here, doggy doggy.”

Was this episode perfect? Yes, it was perfect. Hilarious, touching, fast-paced, tense, covered in blood and gore. And Alaric is adorable even before his morning coffee.

Alphas: The Unusual Suspects

Agent Cley: “You can’t actually sit there and tell me none of your co-workers fit the profile of someone who might go over to the other side.”
Bill: “You know what? If they didn’t before, you’re sure driving them in that direction.”

What an action-packed, suspenseful episode. They had me guessing until almost the end, although I started to think that Dr. Rosen was the mole at the warehouse. I was pretty surprised when it turned out not to be him at all.

Eureka: One Giant Leap

... in which Global prepares for the imminent Astraeus launch, as Jo ponders what comes next for her in the wake of Zane’s departure. Meanwhile, black holes begin randomly appearing all over town.

Haven: Who, What, Where, Wendigo

Audrey: “From now on, Nathan, it’s just you and me.”

Well that was quite the episode! Sometimes things move too quickly in this show for my taste. The writing can be a bit ham-fisted and things that I would have liked to watch slowly unravel are done in a heartbeat. Yet, I come back every week because I want to know what’s in store for the characters. I care about them and the town.

At least now everyone (well, almost everyone) knows they are at war. It looks like a particularly bad idea to get in Audrey’s way. Is that why it was Lucy who Dave saw as the most terrifying thing he could think of? Audrey is obviously on the edge. Who knows which way she might fall?

Weekly Weirdness

I had heard of Wendigos before as part of Algonquin mythology and they have popped up in various movies and other supernatural shows. But in Haven anything can happen, and so this horrible monster that has terrified people for centuries turns out to be a family of little girls. Little girls who crave human flesh but still vulnerable, uncertain and needing adult protection. They find it from Nathan, Audrey and Dwight, but the Reverend, man of god that he is, is very prepared to kill one of them (or all) and feels justified in doing so because he has declared himself the final arbitrator of evil. This after one of the girls clearly indicates her humanity and compassion by freeing him. Again, the question appears to be, who is really the monster?

Overarching mystery

Well we learned that the Reverend had many of the answers to our mystery but Audrey literally killed that source of information. Duke is as central to the whole mystery as Audrey and Nathan but we knew that as well. He is supposed to save the town--but what does that mean? The Reverend’s definition was wiping out all the people who were troubled. I will be very disappointed if that is the route Duke takes. Speaking of the Reverend, if he was the centre of things will everything change now that he is dead? Or was he just the middleman for others? We only have two episodes to find out. Or perhaps next season. Or the next. I do like mysteries but I get frustrated when they get too drawn out. I know this seems to contradict my point above about moving too quickly but I think there is some middle ground of optimum suspense and many shows miss the mark. I want this show to get it right.

Characters and Relationships

Audrey is strung out, on caffeine, on post-break-up blues, on post-traumatic stress from last week’s lockdown. She looked frail and edgy. I can’t decide if she was quite rational when she shot the Reverend. Was she protecting Duke from that door he might kick open, was she protecting the troubled or was she just tired of being threatened? Duke is in a similarly fragile place. He has lost Evi and now he has lost his source of information and the subject of his revenge. Would he really have shot a young girl or is he just annoyed at Audrey? He seems to have walked away from the triangle. Nathan doesn’t seem to know what to do. The end scene where he looked at Audrey was almost painful. They looked so awkward and forlorn just standing there.

Bits and Pieces

I continue to love Dave and Vince. On at least two occasions they were left to fend for themselves. I was afraid we were going to lose them.

Dwight had a daughter Lizzie. She obviously died before her ninth birthday. I wonder when and how and if that is what brought on Dwight’s trouble. I loved that Dwight was willing to sacrifice himself even if it would have been pretty gruesome.

The Reverend was extra creepy this week. There is no doubt that he was about to go on a killing spree but I wonder if there was another way that Audrey could have stopped him?

Quotes

Nathan: “I didn’t just go through a break-up.”
Audrey: “You did just get demoted, there was anarchy at the police station and the new police chief died right in front of you.”
Nathan: “Ya, But I didn’t just go through a break-up.”

Audrey: “Guess when you look like a Viking, people just believe what you tell ’em.”

Dwight: “A kid is missing, barely is enough.”

Audrey: “Creepy and invisible, not my favourite combination.”

Dwight: “Nothing else looks quite like people being eaten by people.”

Reverend: “We know how to hunt down evil and we know what to do when we find it, unlike you.” (Maybe Audrey proved him wrong).

Nathan: “Two squirrels chattering means they’re having a conversation. This is just one. That means he’s scared of something... large.”
Audrey: “Boy Scouts?”
Nathan: “Moose Hunter magazine.”

Duke: “I feel like I’m on to something big but I don’t know what it is.”
Audrey: “Welcome to the club.”

Audrey: “Some doors you kick open you can never close again.”

Sophie: “I can’t eat you, you’re going to save me.”

Crazy hunter guy: “So what, she’s a monster, he’s a man of god.”

Audrey: “While you’re looking for answers, the rest of us, we’re fighting a war.”

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Star Trek: The Enterprise Incident

Spock: "What is your present form of execution?"

There's so much to love about "The Enterprise Incident." Espionage. Sex. Ears.

Glee: The Purple Piano Project

Glee is Back! *does the Dance of Joy*

Ringer: What Did You Think?

We're still on the fence about Ringer here at billiedoux.com. Was the second episode, "She's Ruining Everything," good? Was it bad? Did it, in fact, ruin everything we hold dear about the CW and Sarah Michelle Gellar? Most importantly, will it have any staying power? The second episode has gotten some pans and some accolades (I sorta liked it). So now it's your turn:

What did you think?

Use the comments to sound off. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Is this a show you're committing to--or something you'll watch after you're done with Glee and Dancing with the Stars?

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Doctor Who: The Curse of Peladon

"Haroon haroon haroon..."

It might not have aged all that well in places, but I adore ‘The Curse of Peladon’.

2011 Emmy Award Winners and Losers

The Emmys come but once a year. That’s good news for us, as we’re not huge Emmy fans here at billiedoux.com. Our shows never seem to get nominated, although a few of them are in the running this year. Click below for a list of major categories in which one of “our” shows was nominated. Winners are in bold, and the losers will always hold a special place in our hearts.

And: Way to go, Tyrion!

Best Comedy Series

The Big Bang Theory
Glee
Modern Family
The Office
Parks and Recreation
30 Rock

Best Drama Series

Boardwalk Empire
Dexter
Friday Night Lights
Game of Thrones
The Good Wife
Mad Men

Best Drama Actor

Steve Buscemi (Boardwalk Empire)
Michael C. Hall (Dexter)
Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights)
Hugh Laurie (House)
Timothy Olyphant (Justified)
Jon Hamm (Mad Men)

Best Drama Actress

Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights)
Julianna Margulies (The Good Wife)
Kathy Bates (Harry’s Law)
Mireille Enos (The Killing)
Mariska Hargitay (L&O)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men)

Best Supporting Comedy Actor

Chris Colfer (Glee)
Jess Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family)
Ed O’Neill (Modern Family)
Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family)
Ty Burrell (Modern Family)
Jon Cryer (Two and a Half Men)

Best Supporting Drama Actor

Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones)
Josh Charles (The Good Wife)
Alan Cumming (The Good Wife)
Walton Goggins (Justified)
John Slattery (Mad Men)
Andre Braugher (Men of a Certain Age)

Best Supporting Comedy Actress

Jane Lynch (Glee)
Betty White (Hot in Cleveland)
Julie Bowen (Modern Family)
Sofia Vergara (Modern Family)
Kristen Wiig (SNL)
Jane Krakowski (30 Rock)

Best Supporting Drama Actress

Kelly Macdonald (Boardwalk Empire)
Archie Panjabi (The Good Wife)
Christine Baranski (The Good Wife)
Margo Martindale (Justified)
Michelle Forbes (The Killing)
Christina Hendricks (Mad Men)

Best Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special

Todd Haynes and Jon Raymond, Mildred Peirce
Julian Fellowes, Downton Abbey
Steven Moffat, Sherlock: A Study in Pink
Peter Gould, Too Big to Fail
Heidi Thomas, Upstairs/Downstairs

Best Writing for a Drama Series

Matthew Weiner, “The Suitcase,” Mad Men
Andre Jacquemetton and Marie Jacquemetton, “Blowing Smoke,” Mad Men
Jason Katims, “Always,” Friday Night Lights
Veena Sud, “Pilot,” The Killing
David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, “Baelor,” Game of Thrones

Creative Emmys (Awarded Last Week)

Best Casting in a Drama Series: Boardwalk Empire
Best Casting in a Comedy Series: Glee
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series: Gwyneth Paltrow, Glee
Prosthetic Makeup: The Walking Dead
Main Title Design: Game of Thrones

Did you watch the broadcast? Let us know what you thought in the comments!

Doctor Who: The God Complex

Doctor: 'I'm not a hero. I really am just a madman in a box.'

I struggled with tonight's episode, and it was only after listening to Toby Whithouse's commentary on Doctor Who Confidential that I understood half of what went on. Second time through, it made a lot more sense, but watching Doctor Who Confidential shouldn't be a prerequisite for understanding an episode. Maybe I'm a bit of a dunce, but it all felt unnecessarily convoluted. I did enjoy the last ten minutes, however, I just didn't want to believe them. I still don't.

Alphas: Blind Spot

Rosen: “I’ve allowed this to go so far beyond what I envisioned for all of us.”

Wow, this week’s episode was great. Full of action, issues and developments.

The Secret Circle: Pilot

Based on a book by L.J. Smith (author of the Vampire Diaries series) and produced by Kevin Williamson, Julie Plec, and Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain, The Secret Circle has a strong pedigree. All the requisite components are in place: orphans, missing parents, and wacky parents; a small town (Chance Harbor, Washington); supernatural secrets; woodsy settings; romantic lusty drama.

Vampire Diaries: The Birthday

“Never let that go.”

The Vampire Diaries, and especially Mystic Falls, resembles the Hotel California. Even dying won’t get you out. But even if characters rarely really leave our show, they can still leave one another, which is nearly as heartbreaking. Elena’s eighteenth birthday resulted in one loss after another—some of which she doesn’t even realize yet—and even more for Damon.

Ringer: Pilot

"You have the wrong girl."

The phrase that kept going through my head as I watched this last night was, "turgid supernatural soap opera" – but without the fun supernatural part. I'm fond of Sarah Michelle Gellar, but do I like her enough to watch her when she isn't kickboxing monsters?

Warehouse 13: Shadows

... in which Pete and his mother revisit painful memories to discover who’s been targeting the Regents, and Myka and Claudia investigate the disappearance of several people in a brilliant flash of light.

Haven: Lockdown

Merrill: “Your kind won’t win.”

Well, now we know that at least one group in Haven thinks it is at war. I’m not sure that those who are troubled have gotten the memo yet. Unfortunately, they do seem to keep killing people. Maybe they don’t mean to, but still -- if they happened to kill one of my children, I’m not sure how much their intention would matter to me.

It seems to me that the good people of Haven have a lot to be afraid of--in many cases, including themselves. Audrey points out that your trouble could appear at any time, so how do you know which side you are on? Still, declaring war on people who don’t mean any harm, often don’t understand what they are doing and have little control over their actions seems the wrong approach. We all know what happens when a particular group gets scapegoated and hunted down. It would be interesting to see what would happen if everyone’s energy was put into finding and helping the troubled.

Weekly Weirdness

Case in point, Nicky Coleman, an abused woman who is channeling the abuse she has suffered onto those around her. If people had been ready to help her and support her in facing her abuser her trouble would not have appeared. I loved the poison metaphor and how literally, abuse poisons our communities, not just the families who suffer through it. I’m glad the writers were willing to address this issue although I would hope that we as a society could come up with a better solution to the problem than offing abusive men, which seems to happen far too frequently on both the small and the big screen. Meeting violence with violence rarely solves any problem.

Overarching Mystery

Nathan, Duke, Audrey and the Reverend seem to be central to the troubles and it looks like they or their parents were central to the troubles when they occurred before. There is a group of people who are trying to wipe out the troubled and anyone who might help them. Duke is important to this anti-trouble cause but we don’t know why. Evi got in too deep with them and felt she had to help them get rid of Nathan as the chief. Let’s not forget that there are others who are on the side of the troubled, specifically Audrey’s “boss” Agent Howard. The battle lines are being drawn and the conspiracies are unfolding.

Relationships

Evi is gone. That relationship appeared, faltered and ended very quickly. She obviously cared for Duke and he for her. I’m not sure how her death will affect him. I expected him to kick the Reverend’s ass. Is Duke considering going undercover or has he turned? Chris is gone (thank goodness). His trouble got the best of him and he turned into a self-serving and overbearing narcissist. At least he apologized the next day, and Audrey realized that she couldn’t be charged with helping someone she loved. It’s a little like being a therapist for your own family - not so good. So we have our triangle back, but it is a little messed up.

Bits and Pieces

Sometimes the inconsistencies in this show drive me crazy. How do you assume that the contagion is airborne and biological that fast? If you were a sniper/gunman with a group that was supposed to kill everyone in the sheriff’s office would you let a guy in a truck parked outside just drive away? Why would you charge a police station where it is your job to kill everyone, fire a bunch of shots at the back door and then leave? Why bring in a chief of police and kill him off in the same episode? If you were the state police/CDC and someone called and said if anyone calls from Haven it’s a prank wouldn’t you be just a teensy bit suspicious?

It was very smart of Audrey to put that gun in evidence but not so smart to do in front of her boyfriend.

Dwight attracts bullets. Not the greatest trouble to have but the kind of guy you would like to have around. Glad he had the vest on.

The song at the end was “Melting” by Lindsay Price. I like that they only have a song at the end.

Quotes

Audrey: “I don’t think Haven is in the known medical records.”

Merrill: “I’m the guy bringing this place under control.” Famous last words.

Chris: “Be a doll and clear this up. Do that voodoo that you do.”

Audrey: “You’re a scientist. Tell me what works faster: a bullet or your trouble.”

Audrey: “I think that all of those years that you spent absorbing that abuse, swallowing that poison, I think today when he showed up, it finally leaked out. It's been infecting all these people.”

Audrey: “She didn’t do anything wrong.”

Dwight: “Bullets, they tend to find me.”

Chris: “I screwed up, hugely. And giving your gun to a psychopath, that may have been the least of my mistakes.”

Audrey: “You once told me I want you because you’re you. Wanting me and needing me are two different things. I can’t be the person who keeps you, you. You’ve got to do that on your own.”

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Eureka: One Small Step

... in which various things around town and GD begin melting, and Deputy Andy accidentally gets sent to Titan.

TB vs. VD: Which is More Infectious?

A young girl in a small southern town who is more than just a pretty face. One straightforward vampire, one trickster vampire with a heart of gold and a penchant for violence. An unlucky-in-love best friend. Werewolves, witches, and run-ins with the law--all based on a series of books that weren't hugely popular until the show started. Complicated stories, complicated villains, and very, very pretty people. And did I mention the buckets of blood?

True Blood: And When I Die

Arlene: "We're zombies. Zombies are the new vampires."

Shakespearean bloodbath, anyone? How many characters did we just lose? So many that I actually lost track. That's a lot of dead characters.

Captain America: The First Avenger

Johann Schmidt: “What makes you so special?”
Steve Rogers: “Nothing. I'm just a kid from Brooklyn.”

Captain America: The First Avenger is the fifth entry in a new Marvel franchise. Standing alongside Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 and Thor, it works well as a standalone adventure, and serves as a prologue to The Avengers.

Doctor Who: The Girl Who Waited

Amy: 'I'm going to pull time apart for you.'

After the sub par 'Age of Steel/Rise of the Cybermen' this was a real step up in quality from Tom MacRae. This is the kind of episode that Doctor Who excels at: a girl lost in time, waiting for the Doctor. ('The Girl in the Fireplace', 'School Reunion', 'The Big Bang'.) If the highlight of the first half of the season was 'The Doctor's Wife', then this must surely be the zenith of the back six. If there's better still to come, I'll eat my fez.

Alphas: A Short Time in Paradise

Jonas: “So tell me what’s better: a lifetime of suffering, or a short time in paradise?”
Rosen: “You don’t have the right to make that choice for people.”

What would you choose if you could have a short time in paradise ending with your death, or your daily humdrum life for an unknown amount of time?

Torchwood Miracle Day: The Blood Line

Gwen: "Just you wait. If this goes right, murder's coming back."

Terrific finale. And the last few moments made me smile.

Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks

"There are many sorts of ghosts, Jo. Ghosts from the past, and ghosts from the future."

'Day of the Daleks' is a nifty little tale about the complexities of time travel that would've been a lot better if there weren't any Daleks in it.

Haven: Friend or Faux

Duke: “Sometimes it’s tricky knowing who the good guy is.”

This episode was about Duke, our ambivalent Scooby who is supposed to be a bad boy and often ends up the good guy. It was great that the above quote came from him. It is really difficult to tell who the good guys are in this town. The troubled often end up hurting and killing people, but not (usually) intentionally. The Rev and his crew are intentionally bigoted and mean, but they represent the “good” church-going stalwarts of Haven. I wonder, if the troubles came to my town, how I would feel about people who could poison food, create hurricanes, or show me my worst fears? I really enjoyed this episode (although as usual there were some large plot holes). Sorry to Jason Priestly, but this show works so much better without Chris.

Weekly Weirdness

Speaking of favourite movies, one of mine is Multiplicity. Clones would make my life so much easier. I guess that was what Cornell thought as his copies started appearing. I wonder how he felt the first time he killed one and they just came back. I love that the writers messed with the Jekyll and Hyde bit. At the beginning of the episode, I thought that the copies were the worst part of Cornell--but he’s the one who keeps killing people, including his copies. It is the evil alter ego of Cornell that ends up being the most decent of the two.

Overarching Mystery

For the most part we took a rest from the mystery this week. Two important things happened. First, Duke told Nathan and Audrey that the tattoos were the mark of a secret society of troubled people. Second, he found out that Evi is working with the Rev. It will be interesting to see how Duke plays this one out.

Character Development

I usually call this relationships but we are taking a rest from them as well. This week we got to learn about Duke. He left home when he was quite young and it is the best thing he ever did, according to him. This has left him with a soft spot for runaways. However, he also knows that being on the run is not all it is cracked up to be. We are continuing to see the softer side of Duke. He still doesn’t play by the rules. He may yet join the Rev if it suits his purposes, but each week this seems less likely. Nathan was great this week. I loved his tone when he talked about Chris, and his dancing at the end was hilarious!

Bits and Pieces

I loved Duke going to toe to toe with Cornell in the bar. This is why people like bad boys.

The selectmen must be the town council. They seem to walk around with impunity. Who else could just walk into the office of the chief of police and steal files. I know it is a small town but still.

I was a little perturbed by the discovery of the dead body. Not because it was a dead body but because it seemed a sloppy bit of writing. If you are going to take the trouble to brick someone into a wall you would at least clean up the blood and if you were taking your copies up there on a regular basis you might notice the smell. Of course if no one goes up there, then who cares?

When Audrey shot the first copy they saw why did she go for the heart? Wouldn’t she have been trained to disable a suspect first? Also, if you are running out of ammunition shouldn’t you use it wisely?

As you can tell I hate plot inconsistencies.

Quotes

Duke: “I am secretly afraid of bananas.”

Nathan: “Just because your boyfriend sent it to you from London isn’t a reason for you to eat Vegemite.”
Audrey: “Well, millions of Australians would disagree with you.”

Nathan: “No back up. Too many witnesses.”
Duke: “Like nobody knows what happens in Haven?”

Nathan: “There’s only one way in here, you should be able to keep safe.”
Seriously, saying someone is safe is a sure indicator of trouble. I also loved when Duke noted that nobody believes the police when they say there is back-up just outside and/or that they will be allowed to leave.

Copy Cornell: “I just do me and take out the cool parts.”

Duke: “This better be important, like ending apartheid, cure for cancer important.”

Audrey: “Copy that.”
Nathan: “Don’t say copy.”

Henry: “I can’t believe you called my dad.”
Duke: “Kinda blows my mind too.”

Duke: “I guess that answers that. Nathan definitely has a copy.”
Audrey: “And this one still can’t dance.”

Audrey: “Every night I have to make myself forget everything that I’m not, and every day I’ve got to figure out what I am."

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Star Trek: Spock's Brain

"Brain and brain! What is brain?"

(As far as opening quotes go, choosing this one was a no-brainer.)

Mammoth by John Varley

[This is a book review of Mammoth by John Varley, first published in 2005.]

Millennium and Mammoth are both time travel novels by John Varley, but they are completely dissimilar. Millennium is apocalyptic. Mammoth is more of a romp.

Twin Peaks: Demons

“It’s not a game.”

The overall plan for Twin Peaks was to reveal mysteries within mysteries. A good plan, but the result is an odd statement about the nature of investigations. Finding Laura’s killer is the just task—but at what cost? Cooper says that Audrey’s near-death wasn’t the first time his actions have brought suffering to someone he cared about in the name doing what he had to do. Where’s the line between investigating a crime, and causing more terribleness to happen? Is it possible to win the “game” of justice and crime?

True Blood: Soul of Fire

Marnie: "No one lives forever. Not even you."

Wow. That was not the cliffhanger I expected. Of course I knew that Lafayette's gift was going to be important, but this episode was so edge-of-your-seat that it completely slipped my mind until the last couple of minutes. Damn!

Torchwood Miracle Day: The Gathering

"We have a theory. We say the Blessing shows you to yourself."

It's two months later, and things aren't going so well. Economic depression, a halt to immigration, rolling blackouts, and very Anne Frank home invasions looking for category ones. Everyone has become accustomed to living with the horror. Gwen pulled off an adept robbery for medical supplies, and I got the impression it wasn't her first. Rhys was even considering a job driving lorries with category ones to the ovens because they needed the money.

Doctor Who: Night Terrors

Rory: 'We're dead... again!'

I had the strangest feeling during 'Night Terrors' that I was watching a Russell T. Davies produced episode, written by Steven Moffat. The script felt like a retread of 'Fear Her', yet the subject matter felt distinctly Moffatian. How odd that it was actually a Moffat produced episode, written by Mark Gatiss. For a moment, I though the Doctor had used his TARDIS to take us back in time to the Russell T. Davies era. Now there's a chilling thought.

Twin Peaks: The Orchid’s Curse

“Are you looking for secrets?”

The subterfuge is afoot in this week’s episode: Donna tries to scam Harold, Cooper and Harry figure out how to get the edge on Renault while Ben Horne tries to get the edge on Cooper, and Shelley and Bobby continue to attempt to get rich on Leo’s condition. But it’s the physical body, and the automatic acts and habits that comprise our characters, that are the dominant theme of this episode.

Warehouse 13: The 40th Floor

... in which the Warehouse crew attempts to thwart Agent Stukowski’s plans to destroy the Regents.