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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Prophecy Girl

Buffy: "I may be dead, but I'm still pretty. Which is more than I can say for you."

Buffy won a place in my heart by facing certain death at sixteen, and going out to meet it in a white prom dress, Angel's leather jacket, and a crossbow. This episode was a little like the final scenes of the original movie, but much, much better; definitely heavy on the melodrama, but also great with the humor. One of my favorite moments is when Buffy breaks the tension and solidifies her character by telling the Master, "You have fruit punch mouth."

Xander and Cordelia show great heroism, too. After striking out with Buffy and moping to Patsy Cline, Xander boldly recruits Angel and shows up in time to revive Buffy with CPR. And Cordelia saves Jenny and Willow by driving her car right through the high school. We can finally like Cordelia.


Jenny Calendar becomes a full-fledged Slayerette and learns all about Buffy. And now Giles has another adult to talk to, as well as a possible girlfriend that he doesn't have to Bruce Wayne with.

How like Giles to try to kill the Master to avert Buffy's fate; and how like Buffy to knock him out in order to prevent it. This is probably the first episode that shows how much these two are beginning to care for each other.

Bits and pieces:

— Buffy dies for the first time. She is also bitten by a vampire for the first time. And she averts her second Apocalypse.

— The Hellmouth is directly under the library. If the Hellmouth opens and the demons get out, the world ends. I'm just saying.

— Angel has a phone? How did Giles get the number? Is Angel in the book? Under what?

— Joyce met Hank at the Homecoming dance her freshman year at college.

— As the earth is quaking, the Master says to the Anointed, "My time is come! Glory, glory! ... (pause) What do you think? 5.1?" This is my favorite line by the Master.

— This is the only episode in which the show's theme is played during the episode.

— Cordelia actually bites a vampire in the library. But that's okay, because she doesn't inhale.

— There is a reference to Locutus of Borg, which is Jean-Luc Picard's Borg alter ego in Star Trek: The Next Generation.

— The creatures coming from the Hellmouth are reminiscent of both Aliens and Little Shop of Horrors.

Quotes:

Willow: "How'd it go?"
Xander: "On a scale of one to ten, it sucked."

Xander: "That's okay. I don't wanna go. I'm just gonna go home, lie down and listen to country music. The music of pain."

Jenny: "The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the vampire slayer. She's so little."

Buffy: "When he wakes up, tell him... I don't know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it."

Master: "You were destined to die. It was written."
Buffy: "What can I say? I flunked the written."

Buffy: "It's just been a really weird day."
Xander: "Yeah. Buffy died and everything."
Willow: "Wow. Harsh."


Angel: "By the way, I really like your dress."
Buffy: "Yeah, yeah. Big hit with everyone."

Four out of four stakes,

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

26 comments:

  1. Good end to the first season. I love the fact that the group is expanding include Angel and Jenny. I also like the fact that Cordelia is slowly warming up to our gang.

    I love the prom dress/leather jacket look. Only a slayer could pull it off with such panache!

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  2. "Buffy dies for the first time."

    Hey, Billie, don't you think that's a little spoilerish for the newbies?

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  3. BUFFY RE-WATCH comments start here! Remember, no spoilers for future episodes. If you'd like to talk spoilers and foreshadowing, you can post them here. Please tweet and/or hit the Facebook like button at the bottom of the review!

    And hey, Lamounier -- everyone dies eventually, right? So that's not technically a spoiler. :)

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  4. A good end to the first season in that the core four are expanding to including others, which is never a bad thing. The final shot of the ensemble, which now includes Angel, Jenny and Cordelia, is a great way to wrap up the first season arc.

    I am always struck by how beautiful Buffy looks in that white dress, but this time I realized that it was white as opposed to any other color. Significance? I’m not entirely sure, but the fact that it is dirty and wet at the end makes me leap to the obvious loss of innocence. Buffy has now accepted who she is and what she must do.

    Thoughts?

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  5. Wow. Good season finale. For a moment, I thought that we'd have a cliff hanger.

    With each passing episode, I love Xander more and more. Aw, the rest of the gang too. Very proud of Giles : always go to the door frame in case of earthquake. Loved the master's "5.1?" I loved this witty dialogue ! (Written and directed by the Jay Man himself; it shows.)

    Oh ! Miss Calendar calling Giles Rupert ! Well, two major characters getting depressed AND recovering during the ep !

    "The way you've been eating, we can afford it." Giles and Buffy before facing her fate : nice moment. Her punching him : wooah !

    Buffy : "You know, you really oughta talk to your contractor; looks like you have water damage !" Master : "oh good ! The feeble banter portion of the fight !" Joss, where do you get ALL your ideas ?!

    "Told you to eat before we left !" Cordy biting the biter : priceless. "Save the hypnotic crap for the tourists."

    Quoting you : "Angel has a phone? How did Giles get the number? Is Angel in the book? Under what?" Mister Wings ?

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  6. Celticmarc,

    I have been waiting and hoping for you to say you are hooked! :)

    ChrisB, it is funny about the white dress since my daughter and I had been looking at pictures of girls in their prom dresses recently and somehow colors cam up. I remember saying to her that I hoped no one had made the mistake of wearing white. Then not three days later there I was seeing Buffy in white, picked out by her mom nonetheless. I hadn't remembered that. At least she wore the leather jacket over it. I wonder if the symbolism was of her being like the Master's bride in some sense. Creepy.

    I love this one for all the reasons mentioned above, but especially for Buffy's speech about not wanting to die.

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  7. I really loved this episode. This one and Angel are my two favorites from the first season, I would say.

    I think what I liked the most was that not only did Buffy have to make a big decision and become stronger for it, but so did every one of the "gang." I loved Xander going to see Angel and forcing him to help, the difference between Giles at the beginning and his tougher fighting version at the end, Willow's transformation, and Cordelia finally joining in the fun. The dialogue was hilarious and I loved the ending as Angel complimented her dress and they all headed to the Bronze.

    This episode made me glad to have joined in the "re-watch!" Now on to season 2!!!

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  8. I have thoroughly enjoyed re-watching the first season and can't wait for the second. I've also loved reading the comments even if I didn't always agree. How did we manage to watch TV with a place to share and comment? I guess we talked about it with friends and at work etc but I always found it hard to find people as in love with the shows as me so this is awesome! I also enjoyed the period stuff - Xander had a dial phone! And yes, when did Giles and Angel exchange phone numbers? Now they would just friend each other on facebook.

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  9. That "with" should be "without". I should proofread my stuff. And the thought of Giles on facebook gives me the giggles.

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  10. "I thought that we'd have a cliff hanger"

    Celtic, when the first season was produced, Joss thought that that was it and the show would be over. Therefore, no cliffhanger. Buffy did face danger of cancelation (or uncertainty of being picked up) other times, so the writers avoided season ender cliffhangers.

    If I'm not mistaken, Joss has also stated that he prefers to tell his stories that way, with clear end points, instead of dragging the show eternally on cliffhangers. I prefer that way to. It allowed each season of Buffy to be its own animal, with an end note that would give you the fulfilling sense of having finished one more chapter of the story (either that or the feeling of relief in case you didn’t like the season).

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  11. I like Joss's method of ending each season, too. The constant cliffhangers on other shows can tend to be annoying. It makes you fell like you are watching a soap opera at times.

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  12. A great finale to a somewhat weak and struggling season.

    I feel kinda bad that I have been rather harsh in my comments during this season, Buffy is - after all - my all-time fave show.

    This time around, it's my 8th rewatch (or is it 9th??), I realized that the thing that got me continuing watching this show was Angel. I loved every single scene he was in. And I always wanted to know more about him. The eps this season that I didn't care for, tend to be the ones where Angel is absent. (Exception: The Witch - which I kinda enjoyed).

    Also, I realized that I just can't stand the Master. He was way too OTT, and "sigh of relief" now he's gone.

    And now we can really buckle up, because season 2 is coming. and while there are still some silly eps in the beginning of the season, the season ends in a total different way than season 1.

    For the newbies out there, hang on until abt episodes 9-10 (that's where I became a die hard fan), if that doesn't do it, hang on a couple of more eps to 13-14. After that there is no return...

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  13. Newbie report:

    I think I'm the wrong newbie for this project. I really wanted to like this episode. I watched it three times trying to like it and I failed.

    I hated the opening with Willow acting as stand-in for Xander's desire for a date. Both of my favorite characters were desperate and I didn't like that at all. Both of these characters deserve better.

    Xander was totally redeemed in the shot with Buffy leading him and Angel as equals into the fray. Xander is a hero, which made my rewatch hate the opening even more.

    Then there was Buffy-as-virgin metaphor. She's dressed as a bride (who would go to a prom dressed like that in real life?) and meets The Master. He takes her virginity with the perfect neck-bite (and has a metaphysical orgasm doing it) then tosses her aside. Plop! Into the drink! (Hated this part even more than the opening)

    Then, something good!

    Angel: "She's dead!"
    Xander: "Science trumps metaphysics (and religion, but that's fine with me)!"
    Buffy: Is alive!

    I totally liked that part.

    Bride, tossed aside on wedding night gets awesome.

    The Hellmouth opens and monsters erupt. I especially loved Audrey II. (Don't tell me I was the only one singing "Suppertime"? Oh, Joss, I love you and your references.)

    A great lead-in, then, a giant fizzle.

    The Big Bad just falls on a psuedo-stake?

    All those great monsters just go poof?

    That's it?

    They should have had the Hellmouth open two or three episodes ago and then spent the time fighting disasters. And as a Supernatural fan, I know all about missed thematic opportunities.

    I don't know. I'll try watching it again, but I was really disappointed.

    So far, hyenas rule. Everything else drools.

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  14. I'm laughing about the idea of Giles and Angel on FB. As for TV before social media, I was actually in a Buffy club. It involved lots of alcohol and heated discussions. My favorite part of this episode is Giles bravery. Great ending.

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  15. Aww, Pucklady. Your comment made me sad. :(

    No limerick for the Master?

    Yes, I definitely thought of Audrey II. I can't believe I didn't mention it in my review. No, wait -- I just checked, and I did mention Little Shop. :)

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  16. Okay. A tribute to The Master.

    Let's hear it for Masters with teeth
    At Sunnydale High School, beneath.
    His massive debravity
    Defeated by gravity
    He fell through a roof to his deeth.

    (Sorry. It's the best I could do under pressure)

    Whatever happened to the Creepy Kid anyway?

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  17. pucklady, I loved it.

    If it helps any, season two is much better and we're only three episodes away from the introduction of my favorite character. That's vague and nonspoilery, isn't it?

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  18. Pucklady, as I said above just hang in there. As Billie spoils there are some great characters coming up in season 2. And, the season opener is a personal favorite of mine.

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  19. I like this episode is a fine to season one but am looking forward to getting to some episodes that I really love in season two.

    I think SMG is particularly good in the scene in the library where she's learned about her prophecy, I really felt for Buffy.

    On the white dress, I hadn't really considered the bridal aspect, but had been thinking of her as being dressed as virginal sacrifice, like andromeda in the original Clash of the Titans. The master calls her a sacrificial lamb and her blood releases him from his prison (although I don't think it mattered if Buffy was a virgin or not).

    I had never heard that about Joss and cliffhangers... I love that guy! I strongly believe that, unless a show has been guaranteed another season that a there should be a satisfactory ending that could stand as a conclusion. I mentioned Carnivale the other day, that was a major disappointment, and so many cliffhangers ….grrrrrr.

    Billie, only three episodes to go until the intro of my favourite character too... wonder if its the same one.

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  20. Agree about cliffhanger endings.

    One of the great and unknown shows of our time is The Riches starring Eddie Izzard, Minnie Driver, Todd Stashwick (oh, and courtesy of IMDB, I see that Michael Trevino was in it, too? Totally do not remember that!). It was a very original series about gypsies in America. The story built and built until a crashing cliffhanger, then - CANCELLED! Well, I totally recommend everyone watch the episodes that are out there. Eddie Izzard has been trying to get a movie started to finish the story. Maybe a worthy Kickstarter project?

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  21. I'm really glad we're doing this re-watch, since it forced me to re-watch Season One. Do I love this season? No. Am I glad I watched it? Yes.

    I had an interesting with a colleague recently. We were trying to get someone else to watch a show (either SPN or Doctor Who, I forget) and my colleague recommended reading recaps of the earlier seasons so the newbie could get right into the good stuff.

    I disagreed: recaps are deadly dull, and most of what draws me to a show is something quite different from plot. It's the one-liners, the character interaction, and the world-building that interest me and get me hooked.

    Thinking about Season One before the re-watch, I was dreading it. Watching it, though, I did enjoy those cool lines of dialogue, the development of the Scoobie gang, even the high-waisted pants.

    I will admit, though: Season One has mostly gotten me in the mood for the parts of the Buffyverse I really love: seasons three and beyond of Buffy, and seasons two and beyond of Angel.

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  22. One of my favorite episodes of the first season. Buffy in prom dress and leather jacket, complete with crossbow is the perfect mission statement for the show. Ultimately, this show isn't about vampires, monsters, or the fight of good versus evil. It's about a girl saddled with unearthly (literally) responsibility and how she deals with that responsibility.

    Buffy finding out she's prophesied to die is one of my absolute favorite scenes of the ENTIRE series. "Read me the signs! Tell me my fortune!" SMG is so good. "Giles, I'm sixteen years old. I don't want to die."

    I really don't think Angel would have a Facebook. Remember all the problems he has with cell phones in his own show..."These things were definitely invented by a bored warlock."

    There's a poster that says "Just say No" in the scene where Xander is talking to Willow about Buffy saying no to him.

    I love Willow turning down Xander for the dance. As much as she wuvs Xander, girl has self respect. Go Willow.

    Buffy dies in a cruciform pose.

    I've always loved that Xander is the one that saves Buffy. He's generally the weakest Scooby member, the one with the least to contribute. I love when he gets to do something someone else can't. :)

    Oh and I never thought of Buffy's interaction with the Master as sexual or metaphorically sexual. So thanks guys, for giving me the creeps. haha

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  23. Too many Hannibal parables lately, but there is mention of predator and the lamb, and the wrath of the lamb. (Satiated grin) Delicious

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  24. This finale was awesome. I’m officially hooked on this show now. Sarah Michelle Gellar’s acting in the ‘I’m 16’ scene was absolutely phenomenal.

    I’m really glad Cordelia (and Jenny) seemed to join the group. The moment where the theme music kicked in, was a real fist pump moment.

    Xander has been kind of annoying me throughout the season, with how jealous he seems to be of Buffy, but I actually felt a little bit sorry for him here. I’m hoping he’ll just get over it now, maybe he and Willow can get together.

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