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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Showtime

Willow: "I felt it, just surging through me, every fiber of my being. Pure, undiluted evil. I could taste it."
Kennedy: "How does evil taste?"
Willow: "A little chalky."

Buffy rescued Spike! And the looks on their faces as they made eye contact? Be still my shippy little heart. As far as I'm concerned, Buffy and Spike are back, at least, in an emotional sense. Spike has suffered enough. I want him strong and sexy for the rest of the season. Powers that Be, are you listening to me?

So much for the Ubervamp! But wow, he went out with a bang, huh? That battle scene was awesome. (Two men enter! One man leaves!) I liked that Buffy deliberately chose to set it up and do it in front of the pre-slayers; it gave me an emotional investment in the outcome. I also really liked the Buffy Willow Xander telepathic discussion setting it up.

The biggest problem with this episode was the slumber party scenes with the pre-slayers. In fact, except for Kennedy (I like Kennedy), we learned very little about the pre-slayers themselves, and I don't sense that there's much to learn. I did write down their names, though: Molly, Vi, Chloe, and Rona. And Eve, of course. Eve wasn't much of an actress. It was obvious something wasn't quite right with her before we found out who she really was.

Here are a couple of bleak thoughts. Beljoxa's Eye said that Buffy's resurrection caused all of this. In order to rectify the situation and send the First back where it belongs, must Buffy die permanently? And are the Pre-Slayers destined to be nothing but cannon fodder? Will all of them have die in order for this story arc to work?

Bits:

-- Giles seems more Giles-y in this episode, but he still isn't touching anyone and we still don't know what happened with the axe and the head and all.

-- All the kittens in Korea? Is that demonspeak for all the tea in China?

-- The bus station scene reminded me of Kendra's arrival in Sunnydale. Except it was an assassin, not Kendra. But you know what I mean.

-- Interesting pun, Eve being the First, since "Eve" was also the first woman. Like the other manifestations of the First, Eve was never in daylight, which might help bolster my current theory that the First cannot handle the light of day.

-- This was the second time Anya has offered to have sex with a demon for the Cause. She must be getting a little lonely and horny, huh?

-- Xander has an apartment, so why was he sleeping on the couch? Was it a circle-the-wagons kind of thing, not splitting up the Scoobies, or did he just want to sleep in the same room with three nubile slayers?

-- Buffy has taken out quite a few Harbingers by now, and spent a lot of this episode with a dagger or two in her hands. Are there rotting Harbinger bodies all over Sunnydale now, lying between the buses at the bus terminal and so on?

Quotes:

Kennedy: "I only got a half-sister and we didn't have to share. Her bedroom was in another wing of the house."
Willow: "Wing? Your house had wings?"
So Kennedy was a rich girl, huh?

Buffy: "It's okay. We're friendly, and we have eyes."

Kennedy: "What's your story, Willow? I mean, witchcraft? Wow, that sounds new-agey."
Willow: "No, it's safe to say that what I practice is definitely old-agey."

Andrew: "Keep the chatter down! Or, speak up so I can hear you. I'm bored. Episode One bored."

Rona: "Um... why is that guy tied to a chair?"
Xander: "The question you'll soon be asking is, why isn't he gagged?"

Buffy: "Welcome to Thunderdome."

Torg: "I remember, you wore pink."
Anya: "Those were entrails."

Andrew: "Ow! Watch it! That's my joystick hand."
Xander: "I'm not gonna touch that one."

Buffy: "Tourism must be down."
Xander: "Right in the middle of apocalypse season."

Willow: "Facing my fear. I'm facing my fear. Hear that, Fear? I'm facing you."

To sum up: too much slumber party and not enough Spike, but this was still a strong episode. Three out of four stakes,

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

6 comments:

  1. I didn't think much of this episode on first viewing. That's the problem with season seven, the episodes kind of blur together. (It's my second favourite season though).

    But now I think it's a really strong one. Andrew is hilarious throughout the episode, the telepathic plan with Willow and Xander is great, the Beljoxa's eye and the explanation for all this was 'aha!', and that final fight with the Ûbervamp was fantastic. And Spike getting rescued in the end, sob sob...

    During this strange year of the pandemic I have managed to re-watch Buffy/Angel twice. Buffy really is the best show ever.

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  2. I am a first time Buffy/Angel viewer and I've been quietly stalking your site for weeks, so I figured it was time to comment! I am loving both shows and it's great reading the recaps because I realize I've missed so many details when watching. I too want Spike and Buffy to be together and for Buffy to stop treating him so horribly! When she rescued him it was really sweet.

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  3. Sherry, welcome to the Buffyverse! I'm so glad you found us. :)

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  4. Me too Billie! I read all your Supernatural recaps too. I started watching it during the quarantine and got caught up right before the finale.

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  5. Rona's (the black one) annoying me. Eve (dead blonde) may've had a weak actress but she was cute. Kennedy (headstronk & need snowman) seems the best so far so I'm eager yet worried to see **MINOR FEEDBACK SPOILERS** why she's almost unanimously reviled by the fans.

    Rona: "Um... why is that guy tied to a chair?"
    Xander: "The question you'll soon be asking is, why isn't he gagged?"
    lol

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  6. I agree, this was a strong episode. I think I like the potentials and the slayer wannabe dynamic more than you do, Billie, but it’s the small things that helped make this episode special for me.

    I noticed that Buffy still has a hard time saying why it’s so important to help Spike. Giles & the scoobies don’t contribute, except Dawn. But Anya seems more helpful and understanding than recent episodes. Touching, that Spike dreams of Buffy helping him. And his, “She will come for me,” was moving.

    I’m not sure what was the point of Beljoxa’s Eye, other than to get Giles & Anya out of the way of Thunderdome. The info it gave didn’t help or change anything.

    I loved that Buffy concluded her victory over the ubervamp with “here endeth the lesson,” Spike’s words to her when he concluded his lesson on slaying the slayers. Buffy had Spike on her mind.

    And, at the rescue, Buffy & Spike’s faces conveyed so much. I loved Spike’s soft growl as he clutched her shoulder. Almost a purr. So good.

    It was a good episode, but those last scenes made it a great one and are the ones I watch over and over.

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