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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Life Serial

Giles: "If you think of the store as a library, it will help you to concentrate on service rather than selling."
Buffy: "Yes, and then I'm going to marry Bob Dole and raise penguins in Guam."

This one was really wonderful, and I sure couldn't tell it would be from the preview.

We had Buffy making three attempts to enter into a normal life, and all three screwed up by our trio of supervillains. The time slip at school was fun and the construction site thing was okay, but they paled next to Buffy's experience in retail. I thought the whole mummy hand sequence was one of the funniest things I've ever seen on this show.

I absolutely loved our villain trio this time. What frightened me was that I got every single geek reference: the Death Star, the Logan's Run references, the specific X-Files and Next Gen episodes they mentioned; I even got the Monty Python reference. (Dan and I were actually saying "This is an ex-mummy hand!" before it came up.) Talk about funny? "Stop touching my magic bone!" Dan and I were also howling over the Connery/Moore/Dalton controversy.

Buffy was more like Buffy in this episode – except for the drinking. But I loved Buffy getting drunk with Spike. Buffy is still Buffy, but she's going through some heavy changes right now and I totally believed her getting drunk. I also loved the sound Buffy made every time she chugged one down. Was this their first real date? Is it official that Buffy is now dating a neutered vampire who cheats at kitten poker?

My only complaint about this one is why didn't Buffy rescue the kittens?


Bits and pieces:

— In the "not as good as a crossover bit but at least it's something" department, Buffy said that it was intense seeing Angel. That was more than we got from him on Monday night.

— Knowing Giles is always going to be there makes Buffy feel safe. But he isn't going to be around for long, is he?

— The construction boss called Buffy Gidget, Britney, and Princess, all in the space of about three minutes. Sexist much?

— It was probably for the best that Buffy's retail experience didn't work out because truthfully, who'd want Anya as a boss?

— The effects and makeup got better, didn't they? Must be all that new UPN money.

Quotes:

Willow: "You're not dumb. Just rusty."
Buffy: "Maybe I should ease back in with some non-taxing classes, like, introduction to pies, or maybe advanced walking."

Jonathan: "I need you to hold hands."
Andrew: "With each other?"
Warren: "Well, you know what homophobia really means about you, don't you?"
Jonathan: "Stop touching my magic bone!"

Female customer: "I need something for a prosperity spell. I heard you have it. The mummy hand?"
Buffy: "Uh, yeah, actually, I saw one downstairs. It's kinda hairy, though. Maybe it was a daddy hand."


Buffy: "And you get the dagger of Lex for free with it! See the inlaid mother-of-pearl underneath the black oozing goo?"
Female customer: "This hand is dead. The power is gone, I'm not giving you money for this!"
Buffy: "Oh, it's just playing dead. (swats the mummy hand) Little scamp."

Anya: "Don't worry, don't be nervous. Do what I do. Just picture yourself naked."

Buffy: "Fingers sold separately."

Spike: "You're not a schoolgirl. You're not a shop girl. You're a creature of the darkness. Like me."

Buffy: "Look at stupid Buffy. Too dumb for college. And freak Buffy, too strong for construction work. And my job at the magic shop? I was bored to tears even before the hour that wouldn't end! And the only person I can even stand to be around is a neutered vampire who cheats at kitten poker."

Warren: "I mean, there's a shot of, like, pigeons doing double-takes when the gondola blasted by. Moonraker is inexcusable."

Very funny. Loved it. Four out of four stakes,

Billie
---
Billie Doux reviewed all of Buffy and Angel, so she knows the plural of apocalypse.

6 comments:

  1. I really don't want to know what the demons do with all those kittens.

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  2. Hysterical!! Laughed so much during this one. Loved Buffy stomping on Giles glasses, kitten poker, the villain trio. A classic. Could have skipped the construction part, but the rest is gold.

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  3. I used to hate this episode when I was younger. Now I love it. Or I love the second half of it, at least. It's pretty fun. One thing I appreciate about it is that the final act is not a big fight as in nearly all episodes. It breaks the format and gives us something new. Drunk Buffy following Spike into a demon bar is fun.

    The trio makes pop culture references. A lot. It's tiring. Probably the writers were having fun writing about stuff they discussed themselves, but Warren, Jonathan and Andrew are boring. Jonathan at least puts Buffy through an entertaining test, even though the logic of his test and Warren's is wonky. SMG is really good at loosing her control on the Magic Shop. Buffy smashing Giles' glass always cracks me up.

    Poor kittens. Buffy should've made sure they got out.

    Boyfriend report:

    "So, are these guys going to be the villains of the season?"
    "Yeah, kind of."
    "Hum, maybe Buffy should've ended on season five."

    (That was a joke. He has been enjoying the season so far.)

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  4. The smoke bomb floored me. Just love that he throws it on the ground and then you can see the huge red demon running away behind the smoke. BWAHAHAHA

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  5. Is Guy-les really planning on leaving AGAIN? I believe Buffy every time she re-iterates how much she still needs him, this latest time more than ever. Man Joss really does not like having any father figures around. Fred's dad over on Angel's the first good one we've seen in a long while (I'd say ever, but Liam's dad was decent and just helpless in disciplining his wayward son properly). I am eager to see how Giles will justify it... although I guess I can understand how from the ending of the previous ep when she drops everything to see Angel he fears becoming an enabler.

    Drunk Buffy is definitely core Buffy and the first real instance of seeing a non-tired Buffy again. Booze bad, but it helps.

    Good episode, I don't like seeing the trio messing with our girl though.

    Also, Clem, lol. Hello Clement.

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  6. Hilarious episode! Were there any serious moments except for two? …
    Buffy’s conversation with Giles at the end and with Spike in his crypt?
    Spike: "You're not a schoolgirl. You're not a shop girl. You're a creature of the darkness. Like me." Delivered with that vampire allure. And he was right, even with the darkness, to a degree.

    The demon bar was lol funny all the way through. Spike: ‘Come on, someone’s gotta stake me.” Buffy: “I’ll do it! What, you thought I was just gonna let that lie there?”

    Poor, delicious kittens. They definitely need to be rescued by someone! *coughseason10cough*. “The money’s getting away!” Haha.

    Spike’s reactions to Buffy got funnier and funnier until the end. Loved how he exasperatedly went outside and ran right into Buffy. Takes a lot to get Spike drunk, Buffy must be wasted. And they were both too impaired to see the demon/Jonathan running off through the smoke. They both thought it exploded. Glad they made it home on the motorcycle. And I agree with Andrew. Dalton.

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