All things Buffy and Angel; ep by ep rewatch and reviews

Never confirmed one way or the other. I figure if she had her own key she surely must have been close enough to him to have sex. But when Dru poses as Jenny in Becoming pt2 she says that 'We can do all the things we never got a chance to do'?

Becoming pt1

The Good;
The glimpses of Liam and Drusilla in their human forms are just too tragic for words, especially Dru. Good scenes with Whistler and of course Kendra back. Angelus' suicide telegram for Buffy (would they allow that post 9/11?). Snyder's chair shortage gag

The Bad;
David's accent. Where is it supposed to be from exactly? Are they after his lucky charms?

Best line;
Spike; "It's a big rock. Can't wait to tell my friends, they don't have a rock this big"

Wheldon Cliches;
Character death; yep, byebye Kendra, making it one recurring character dead every 8 eps or so. A shame to lose her but I think most would agree that Faith is better as both a character and a Slayer
Shot;
Tied up;
Knocked out; yep, Xander, Willow and Giles
Women good/men bad;

Questions and observations;
We get to see pre-Slayer Buffy in LA and a different version of Merrick. In this version Buffy does indeed miss the heart first time out as she later tells Dawn. The 'Do you know what time it is?' line is very clever, the same words as Joyce says in the movie but with a completely different meaning. Presumably Angel as a tramp is following the diner incident in the 70s we later see in season 4 of Angel. Willow once again play's the bashful virgin for comic effect. Whistler's 'puppets' speech is interesting when you consider Jasmine manipulating the Fang Gang over the course of Angel. Willow attempts her first spell.
10/10 no contest

 

I don't think Jenny and Giles made it that far before they separated from the Angelus and Romanav reveal, IMHO.

Cool reviews, btw.

 

Thanks, you're too kind

Becoming pt2

The Good;
All of it, every scene between Spike and Buffy, Giles and Angelus and Spike and Joyce. Great scenes with all the Scoobies and the ending just too heartwrenching for words, especially with Sarah MacClachlan's beautiful music, all classic.

The Bad;
Are you kidding? It's all too wonderful!

Best line;
Joyce; "Have you tried NOT being a Slayer?"

Character death; Angel or so we think?
Shot;
Tied up; Giles and tortured
Knocked out; Dru which is rather strange, Spike seems able to knock her out with a chokehold despite the fact that she doesn't breathe and has no circulation.
Women good/men bad;

Questions and observations;
Joyce thinks Buffy is the Slayer because she didn't have a strong male role-model. Of course she'll later find out that Buffy is the Slayer because she did, she had Giles. The first (and only unless you can correct me) appearance of Willow's 'resolve face'. Xander's remarks at her bedside set the basis for their relationship in season 3. Willow successfully casts her first spell. Why is Buffy still wanted when Xander and Cordy can back up her story? Spike's reluctance to end the world seems odd considering he was happy to do it earlier
A couple of points that escaped me about Becoming pt2, firstly Dru seems to be deeply enamoured of Giles but then she always did have a thing for 'daddy'. Secondly as Jenny Dru says to Giles that they'll get to do all the things they never had a chance to implying that Giles and Jenny never did have sex

10/10 and I need a hug

 

Anne

The Good;
Lovely to see Chantelle/Lily/Anne again. Great to see the slave rebellion. Love the long tracking shot around Sunnydale high, lovely cameo from Larry. Nice to see that Buffy can make it on her own but did anyone really doubt that she could? The gang's vamp hunting is hilarious. Terrific scenes between Giles and Joyce. The final scene when Buffy and Joyce hug is just too lovely.

The Bad;
Truly horrible what happens to the human slaves. Ricky's suicide is just awful

Wheldon Cliches;
Character death; None although Buffy still dreams of killing Angel
Shot;
Tied up;
Knocked out; Buffy by Ken
Women good/men bad;
Kinky dinky; Buffy as a slave but not of the sexual variety. Anne Summers is the name of a lingerie/sex toy chain in the UK.
Calling Captain Subtext;
Reccurring actor in another role; Carlos Jacott as Ken who'll later turn up as someone different in Angel

Best line;
Giles; You musn't blame yourself
Joyce; I don't, I blame YOU. You've been this huge influence on her all these years

Questions and observations;
Surely a girl as attractive as Buffy could get a better job than waitress in LA? (Xander later wonders the same as he wants to know if Buffy met 'any nice pimps on her travels'?) 'Pretty Woman'? Belle du jour? Weren't Hooters or Spearmint |Rhino hiring? She's in LA, what about Playboy? (or would that mean Xander would be certain to spot her?). Ok I'm not entirely serious but honestly when did you ever see a girl as pretty as Buffy working as a waitress except in TV/Movies? (the other wise awful film 'The Last Action Hero' does a great joke on the theme). Plenty of fanfic with Buffy and indeed any or all of the Scoobygirls turning to prostitution over the years, my favourite ends with Revello Drive being turned into a high class bordello with Joyce as the madam and then eventually the same thing happening to the post-Chosen Slayer academy. http://buffy.adultfanfiction.net/story.php?no=600031116 if you're over 18 and VERY open minded. Of course having now watched Dollhouse you wonder if Joss would actually be quite keen on the idea, especially after watching the scene with Eliza Dushku as a dominatrix.
Or is Buffy just trying to lie low? Anne Summers is the name of a lingerie/sex toy chain in the UK
Cordy refers to Xanders exes who are almost all demons, Preying Mantis, Mummy Girl, Dru in BBB. Xander nails his third vamp with some help from Cordy. Joyce is a sad figure in her summer alone without Buffy but at least in everyone's revised memories she has Dawn to keep her company (to judge from the comics and Dawn's chopstick story she always knew Buffy's secret). I'm always intrigued by the times the Scoobies got by without Buffy, I would love to see more on it in the comics.
One thing that does occur to me is that the weapon used by Buffy during the slave revolt (the wonderfully named hung-munga) actually resembles a hammer and sickle at some angles. I'm sure it's just coincidence but if this were the 50s I'm sure Joss would be hauled before the un-American activities board.

8/10 I think although that may be a little generous

 

Yeah, Oz can say so much with so little!

Dead Man's Party

The Good;
Cordy's outfit, Buffy's homecoming. Joyce's friend Pat. Jonathon. The attack of the undead, another Sunnydale High cheerleader seemingly amongst them. Giles's 'Americans' line and his hotwiring the car. Oz's party definitions. 'Ripper' threatening Snyder

The Bad;
Before Giles arrives the house is full of zombies, after he gets there they all disappear? Also would Joyce really choose to hang that horrible mask in the bedroom, even if it is art?

Best line;
Oz; "And a hootenany. Well that's chock full of hoot. With just a little bit of nanny" (How effortlessly cool is Seth Green in this scene?)

Wheldon Cliches;
Character death; So long Pat, we hardly knew you. But at least the actress goes on to be Earl's mum in 'My Name is Earl'
Shot;
Tied up; none although when Xander says he's tied up tomorrow Cordy says 'You wish'??????
Knocked out;
Women good/men bad;
Kinky dinky; Buffy is aghast that Joyce wants her to go to private school where she'll have to wear a schoolgirl's uniform. Well it worked for Britney. Cordy says that Xander turned her on with the whole 'Nighthawk' vamphunter look (she also seemed to like him in his army gear in Halloween) Her party dress has to be seen to be believed. Also see 'Tied Up'
Calling Captain Subtext; this time it's Oz and Cordy who end up in the closet together

Questions and observations;
So where is Dawn in all of this? Snyder advises Buffy to get a job in fast food which she eventually does. The confrontation between Joyce and Buffy is really long overdue and Joyce really does have a point. Willow is studying to be witch. Jonathon gets in on the demon fighting for the first time as do Joyce and Devon. After this it's business as usual and we're glad to get back to the status quo in Sunnydale. Joyce's tipple is schnapps and she has a book club (which she later attends in season 5). She also skis to judge by the weapons Oz and Cordy use in the closet. Xander calls himself Nighthawk on patrol, they seem to be pretty good at the vamp staking, having killed at least 6. I'd love to see if they handled any other supernatural threats during the summer. The Mayor is mentioned again and the first appearance of the Expresso Pump. Cordy refers to Buffy as a freak but she'll later become one herself on Angel. Presumably the Watcher's Council used their influence to help get Buffy back in school (see also Checkpoint). Willow is still practicing witchcraft and growing more proficient.
6/10, good but not brilliant

 

Faith, Hope and Trick

The Good;
Faith. Need I really say any more?
Faith dancing and fighting is great but also the scenes where we get to see her terrified, more vulnerable side. Love the scenes where Buffy is being single-white-femaled by Faith which she takes with suprising good humour. And Angel's back, yay!
Love Joyce sticking it to Snyder and the uncoupling scene at Buffy's picnic.

The Bad;
The idea of Mr Trick being able to order children online as food is just too horrible for words

Best line; Mr Trick "Admittedly not a haven for the bruthas, strictly of the Caucasion persuasion here in the Dale" just beating Xander's wonderful "People say kids don't learn anything at High School. well I learnt, I learnt to be afraid!"

Wheldon Cliches;
Character death;
Shot;
Tied up; no but presumably Faith was handcuffed when she was arrested
Knocked out;
Women good/men bad;
Kinky dinky; Now that Faith is on the scene I expect to have a great deal more to write in this column. She starts off with naked slaying and alligator wrestling and saying Slaying makes you 'hungry and horny' (of course in Get It Done we discover why Slayers have these sort of feelings). And of course, the writers find an excuse for nude Angel too. According to Willow Buffy has a thing she does with her mouth that 'boys like'. Hmmmmm? Xander calls Buffy a slut. Buffy's fondling of the letter opener is reminiscent of her stroking the crystal in 'Helpless'. Cordy refers to Faith as 'Slut-o-rama' but also suggests that she dress up as a Slayer and put a stake to Xander's throat, a sex game he seems keen on.
Calling Captain Subtext; Faith obviously hungers for both a mother and father figure, commenting on Giles' 'youth and beauty' and obviously enamoured of Joyce, saying she's really cool (something I suspect Buffy and Dawn would also think but never say). Joyce says she likes Faith and Buffy describes Joyce as the 'best mom ever'. Faith's line about her 'Dead mother hitting harder than that' is loaded with not so hidden meaning. Faith has not only never knew her dad but lost her mother and also her female Watcher making her pretty desperate for some maternal/paternal love. So I pronounce this Jaith and Gaith. She also starts putting the moves on Scott Hope, the beginning of a long tradition of stealing Buffy's boyfriends (Buffy is still touchy when Faith mentions Angel). BUT even Buffy describes Faith as 'personable' the beginning of the biggest subtext in the series. Joyce actually refers to marching in the 'Slayer pride parade' again likening being the Slayer to being gay.

Questions and observations;
The introduction of Mr Trick and Faith, the series just never looking back from this point. Kakistos seems to not be killable with a regular stake. Like The Master he seems to be so old that he's devolving into a Turok-Han. Martha Stewart is mentioned as she is later revealed by Anya to be a witch. Giles' subtle efforts to get Buffy to reveal the truth about what happened to Angel (another point against Normal Again, Buffy never knows about this). There are no leprechauns in the Buffyverse but judging by DB's attempts at an Irish accent and Charmed's efforts in that direction we should be grateful. Faith's dead Watcher was female, the first we've heard about. I know some people think that she was killed during Faith's Cruciamentum which we'll later see in Helpless but that happens when a Slayer turns 18 and Faith is younger than Buffy who is 17 (Buffy refers to Faith as her little sister, at least until Dawn comes along). Giles loves to kayak. Couldn't the Watcher's Council pay for Faith to have a better apartment? Or couldn't she live with Giles or Buffy and Joyce (Dawn's room isn't being used yet). Mr Trick is right, not many visible ethnic minorities in Sunnydale but I've been to Santa Barbara which it's apparently based on and it's a pretty accurate representation. Giles warns Willow for the first time about abuse of magic. You can make fire from ice and it doesn't take magic. Presumably Khakisto's scar doesn't heal because

 

Mr Trick was one of my favorite recurring villains. I found him far more interesting than the more hyped characters like the Mayor or Angellus. He had style, panache', and pragmatism that most everyone else in the series lacked.
Wish he'd lasted longer.
I enjoyed his scheme for harvesting minority children from wherever. Kinda like how netflix works: Order it, and it arrives in a day or two, send it away when you're done.
"It's called 'an uzi', Chump. Would have saved your life right about now."
"Paid him. He did his job. No reason to burn that bridge."
"You got what you wanted, and now you owe one less demon. The way I see it, I did you a favor."

One of the Dresden Files books has a neat little disposal system: the White Court vampires have an estate with a canyon/crevase. If they drain a human to death, the clothes are stripped off for emergencies, and the bodies dumped in a ravine, never to be found. When they give Dresden replacement clothes for the ones destroyed in a fight, he has to try hard not to think about where they came from.

 

Angelus overhyped, certainly, The Mayor I'm not so sure

Beauty and the Beasts;

The Good;
Faith dancing, Buffy hunting and capturing Angel, Buffy's scenes with the counsellor, Willow's concern for Oz.

The Bad;
Pete's makeup is pretty stupid looking, I think the writers probably had more in mind a Bruce Banner halfway through his Hulk transformation rather than the rather daft way he is portrayed

Best line;
Oz; (mid fight with Pete, seeing the moon rise) " Times up. Rules change!" Great line, very similar to Roddy McDowell's exchange with his vampire foe in Fright Night as he sees the sun rise "Daylight Mr Dandridge, you're out of time"

Wheldon Cliches;
Character death; Platt becomes the 7th member of the SDH faculty to die in 3 years. Lord knows how many SDH students have died, I think Hellmouthcentral.com did a survey once, I'll look it up
Shot; yep, Oz again and Giles
Tied up; Angel. In case you're wondering the chains Buffy uses aren't her own, she knocks Dru's dolls off the chest they're contained in.
Knocked out; Oz, Giles and Angel whilst Willow faints. Buffy tells Faith to knock herself out but not literally.
Women good/men bad; the entire episode, about as close as Buffy ever becomes to being truly misandrist (the rumoured original title was 'All men are beasts'). Whilst Pete is obviously the villain here you have to blame Debbie to some degree, she knows what's going on and doesn't do anything to stop it, even though people are dying. Whilst it's worthy to tackle spousal abuse you do feel slightly bashed over the head by the not so subtle point. Faith says "All men are beasts" which seems a little unfair. She also refers to Manimal which again seems weird for a 17 year old in 1998 to refer to a tv show that lasted exactly 8 eps in 1983 (thank you IMDB). Again, something a bunch of 30 year old scriptwriters might be big fans off.
Kinky dinky; Naked Angel in chains. Ok, miraculously Angel seems to have acquired himself a pair of trousers despite his feral nature, keeping his dignity, like the Hulk. Willow says she's seen Oz 'half-monty', as Xander says, which half? Xander has seen Oz 'full-monty', presumably in the school showers but who knows? He seems very panicky explaining the use of his term 'handling'. Faith refers to the 'good lowdown tickle'. When Oz refers to two students 'fooling around' Faith automatically assumes 'They were screwing', shows how her mind works! Jerk Pete calls Debbie a whore as an insult.
Calling Captain Subtext; Buffy is horrified at the idea of a girls school with uniforms and 'no boys' but I think that would make a good series in itself. Scott asks if Barbie ever wonders why Ken doesn't come around any more now he's got an earring. No wonder she always dumped him for Action Man. He also says that you never really know what's going on inside someone. Hmmmm?

Questions and observations;
Mr Platt smokes, probably the last time we'll ever see that in a teen show. Willow's reading from 'Call of the Wild' is interesting when you compare it to what Verucca says later. It could also apply to the Slayer's nature when we later see what Faith and Buffy get up to and what the first Slayer is like and why she's like that. What happens to Oz's clothes when he transforms whilst fighting Pete? Sunnydale High's marching jazz band is mentioned which Amanda is part of in season 7. Platt's remarks about being love's dog are interesting in comparison with Spike referring to being 'Love's Bitca' in Lover's Walk. Faith refers to going crazy and 'Get out of jail free' which she one day will do both. Will offers Buffy a jelly doughnut which we will see again in The Zeppo. Will actually saves Faith here. Cordy is missing for most of the ep.
It's a good enough ep but it's not terrific
6/10

 

Homecoming;

The Good;
Buffy and Cordy's campaign is the funniest thing ever! Jonathon! Love the ending, love the hunting, love Cordy facing off with Lyle Gorch, love the Mayor and Mr Trick, love everything about it, truly fantastic.

The Bad;
Find me some? Actually, why bring back Lyle Gorch who is a stupid villain if there ever was one?

Best line;
The Mayor; "Oh no, that wouldn't be a problem" (wonderful line from Harry Groener, it's all in the way he delivers it, perfectly polite and reasonable but with all the menace in the world)

Wheldon Cliches;
Character death;
Shot; no, despite all the lead flying around. Odd to see Buffy using a gun although it seems to run out of ammo awfully fast.
Tied up;
Knocked out; yep, Giles again and Buffy
Women good/men bad; Scott dumping Buffy but he has his reasons. Faith and Buffy plan to pick up a couple of studs, use them then dump them as revenge on the male of the species. Although I'm sure they won't be complaining!
Kinky dinky; Willow and Xander, awwwwwww. Even the most dedicated of Tara's kittens can't help but be charmed by this scene, especially the music. How does Buffy get her SDH 'letterman' jacket for her campaign? Borrowed from Larry or as a gift in return for her favours? "That thing with her mouth that boys like"? Or is it Xander's from his time on the swim team? Buffy describes Cordy as a 'vapid whore'. Xander refers to Cordy as his 'conquest' whilst Oz and Willow are 'rounding 2nd' which is apparently slang for heavy petting.
Calling Captain Subtext; just as they're getting serious Scott dumps Buffy. But in Conversations with Dead People we discover why, I don't think his Homecoming date would have got too far either (he earlier comments that he's a bad liar). Willow's attraction to Xander gives more credence to her status as bi. Xander refers to Buffy and Faith in the library 'Getting all sweaty' whilst Oz suggests that Buffy and Cordy have been mudwrestling. Essentially in this ep Faith asks Buffy out on a date to the Homecoming dance and Buffy says yes. She also says 'Boys should break up with you more often' Plus half-naked musclely German men wrestling for no apparent reason.

Questions and observations;
Love the list of Buffy's rivals set of strengths and weaknesses especially that going out with Xander is considered one of Cordy's weaknesses. What does PB crazy mean? Playboy? Just what are the chances that the shack that Buffy and Cordy stumble upon has a working phone? Love Faith's little trick against Scott. There is no Vulcan deathgrip. Wonderful introduction for the Mayor, Harry Groener is just amazing. Nice line where Mr Trick tells him that the whole 'not fitting in' concept was old even before he became a vampire (although one ventures that the undead really couldn't care less about human concerns such a racial politics just as Spike doesn't care about the Nazis in 'Why we fight?'). The picture scenes are smashing and lovingly recreated in the SDH Yearbook. Faith believes rage 'gives you an edge'. Buffy asks if she's invisible, well not yet. Xander refers to his relations with money, presumably not Uncle Rory. The only time we see Faith all dolled up at the dance and she looks beautiful. Buffy tortures the hunter in the trap.The SDPD seem to overcome Mr Trick very easily. Joss bascially reuses this storyline for the second episode of Dollhouse, it's derived from the famous short story 'The Most Dangerous Game' which in turn inspired real life serial killer Robert Hansen who hunted and murdered over twenty people after kidnapping them, releasing them into the Alaskan wilderness and giving them a head start.


10/10 no question

 

Band Candy

The Good;
The more Joyce in an episode the better it is. She and Ripper and all the adults are just hilarious. Also lovely to see Ethan Rayne (I always figured that if Giles was to die he would reform and become Buffy's new Watcher). Love to have seen Buffy's dream but that would be probably beyond the SFX department. Altogether fabulous.

The Bad;
Lurconis looks a bit lame but certainly better than the preying mantis. It rather spoils the suprise of Ethan Rayne being the villain when Robin Sach's name is in the opening titles

Best line; Buffy (as Joyce produces the cuffs) "Never tell me!"

Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;

Shot; Giles threatened with a gun and uses it on Ethan but no shots fired

Tied up; Ethan and possibly Joyce or Giles in handcuffs

Knocked out; for once Giles stays conscious but knocks out a policeman

Women good/men bad;

Kinky dinky; see Tied Up. Personally I always thought that Joyce and Giles had had sex on the hood of the police car but maybe that's just me?

Calling Captain Subtext; "Wanna swap?" What a shame we never got to see an Oz/Cordy relationship (not even in any fanfic I've ever read) I mean Cordy has dated plenty of guys in bands before? Also when Xander says he wants to marry Miss Barton (always had a thing for older women) Cordy replies "Get in line!"

Guantanamo Bay; Buffy beats up Ethan for information

Questions and observations;
Joyce and Giles drink that awful Khalua stuff (or however you spell it) Could Joyce be the slutty pumpkin? (a prize to whoever can recognise THAT reference!). Whoa Summers you drive like a spaz! Nice to see that Buffy isn't necessarily good at everything, always annoyed me about Xena that she was brilliant at everything even if she was a demi-god (except cooking and music but Joxer and Gabby could each do both for her). Ethan obviously has a few reservations about what he's doing to judge by his expression when Trick kills the worker. Joyce like's 70s singer Juice Newton who's big hit was interestingly "Angel of the morning". Whenever I see a green 4x4 nowadays I always think 'the Geek machine' or 'The Joyce mobile'. You do feel pity for teenage Snyder, he apparently did Tae Kwan Do which is SMG's martial art. What happens to Ethan? They tie him up but then what? You can kill vamps with a pencil? Their skin must be a lot softer than human.
Buffy refers to the 'Real World House' another modern reference she wouldn't know if she was really a mad girl in an asylum. According to the Sunnydale High Yearbook the Band Candy raised $600,000 for the band. Lovely to see Joyce and Giles take centre stage for once
What does Dawn do as Joyce revisits her youth? Xander and WIllow, awwww. Buffy drives without insurance or a licence. But she spends her life walking around with offensive weapons so breaking the law should come naturally to her. No Faith this week, she's not even mentioned. Love the Mayor/Trick scene at the end, once again Harry Groener is subtly threatening (not what he says, how he says it) whilst Todd Freeman gives a great performance, trying to be cool and offhand but obviously scared witless. Love the reference to Death of a Salesman.
Need you ask? 10/10

 

Revelations

The Good;
A great performance from Serena Scott Thomas (when you know she's Kristin's sister the resemblance is starling). Some excellent action scenes and love the idea of the glove.

The Bad;Not much, strong ep
Best line;
Post; (of Giles) There's talk in the council that you've become too American
Buffy; HIM?

Wheldon Cliches;

Character death; Buffy kills Gwendoline, her first human. Faith comments that she has a problem with her authority figures who keep ending up dead. She's right, her mum, first Watcher, Post, The Mayor, Wes, Lilah and Lindsay all end up dead. If I was Giles I'd watch out

Shot;

Tied up;

Knocked out; Angel, Willow, Giles and Xander which must be something of a record

Women good/men bad; Faith comments that you can't trust guys when relating her past boyfriends to Buffy.

Kinky dinky; Cordy remarks that Xander is trying to give her a lapdance. Faith's motto is 'Get some, get gone'. She refers to Buffy 'boinking the undead' which I suppose is technically necrophilla.

Calling Captain Subtext; Buffy hinting that she and Faith are 'going out' together. Doug Petrie always keen to play the lesbian angle. The scene where Faith disparages her past boyfriends to Buffy could easily be interpreted as her chatting her up whilst her antipathy to Angel could be seen as jealousy

Guantanamo Bay;

Questions and observations;Exactly what possible use would the Labryinth maps of Malta be in Sunnydale? Does Giles know about Willow and Xander? His expression suggests he does. Note Oz doesn't say a word during the confrontation scene in the library. Personally I find little good to say about the Spartans who on the whole were a horrible bunch. Post tries to train Faith in the traditional Slayer way (like Kendra) but it's Buffy's links to humanity that actually keeps her alive. The beginning of Faith's eventual alienation. Buffy rather dresses like Jackie-O in the final scene. Really what is the point of having a glove that you can't take off even if it gives you the ability to throw lightning bolts? What's she going to do, shroud it in bandages and pretend it's a cast?

8/10 strong ep although not brilliant

 

Didn't the german mercenaries shoot each other in homecoming? Doesn't that count?

When you can throw lightning bolts, no one questions your fashion sense. If they do, throw 1.21 gigawatts up their jacksie, and they will see the point. Combine it with other non-removable artifacts of power for a complete suit that will make you nearly indestructable and able to put the wind up any conventional power, not to mention many demons.

The Gorch brothers were not ment to be taken seriously. C'mon. Can we say comic relief? Or distraction? They're like the little brother constantly entering the room when you're trying to kiss your girlfriend for the first time. Annoying, inconvenient, an obstacle to be dealt with, but not an actual threat.

 

Good point about the German mercs although Buffy tricked them rather than killing them personally. As for the indestructible charm suit well, every has to eat/sleep sometime?

Lover's Walk

The Good;
Spike is back in town and emotional hell follows with him for the rest of the cast! I think it's at this point that Buffy really stops being about the demon of the week and starts being about the relationships.

The Bad;
Are you kidding?

Best line;
Spike; I may be love's bitch but at least I'm man enough to admit it

Wheldon Cliches;
Character death;
Bye bye to another magic shop owner. Spike's killing her is horrible in the extreme, the sheer brutality of it. The scene where Spike threatens to push a broken bottle in Willow's face is also horrible (pay attention Spike fans!). I remember watching this ep for the first time and thinking "NO! They can't kill Cordy!" but eventually they do. Presumably the funeral we see is of the Magic Shop owner?
Shot;
Tied up;

Knocked out; Cordy and Xander

Xander and Cordy
Women good/men bad; Joyce wants Buffy to go to parties with kegs and boys, as it happens neither will work out well for her.

Kinky dinky; Willow thinks bowling and rented shoes are sexy which is a whole level of kink beyond my ken, my barbie and all my action figures. Spike also seems to be quite enamoured of Willow (Spillow?) which will be referred to again in season 4. He also talks of 'having a woman' which implies that a vamp feeding is akin to a sexual act. Spike says he's going to torture Dru until she loves him again.?

Calling Captain Subtext; How much do we adore the scene between Spike and Joyce? Of course when we see Spike's relationship with his own mum, we understand why. Spike also refers to Angel as 'peaches' and a 'great poof' which must have had Spangel fans working overtime. Buffy comments that for some reason she can't fool Spike hinting at their relationship to come and possibly Spikes hidden sensitivity (realising in season 4 that Willow is falling apart, empathising with Dawn in season 5). Plus Dru senses that Spike is infatuated with the Slayer.

Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy and Angel beat up and threaten to kill Spike for info

Questions and observations;
Willow refers to Cletus the slack jawed yokel from the Simpsons. Weirdly Buffy has never even been referenced on that show as far as I know? Xander refers to Buffy and him working at the drive-in, both will but not at the same time. Surely the Mayor wouldn't have let Spike and co run rampant last year and destroyed the world? Xander recognises the ingredients for a love spell from his experience in BBB. Note Xander refers to wanting to be a fireman which will also feature in The Replacement. Weirdly Buffy says that Spike's not known for keeping his word but to judge by 'Lie to Me' and 'Becoming' he actually does? Note that even Angel with a soul still knows how to push Spike's buttons? Cordy's expression upon seeing Xander and Willow together is just heartrending.
Buffy scores remarkably well on the SATs once again showing us there's brains behind that blonde hair. Love Cordy's bizarre leap of logic that Xander has been kidnapped by Columbian drug barons?
Really you get the idea that they're toying with the idea of Spike as a regular character and this was a test for it. Of course he fit the bill and the rest is history

10/10 no question

 

The Wish

The Good;
All of it! Just wonderful! Great reveal of Anya the demon and the action sequences especially

The Bad;
Surely in vampdominated Sunnydale people would prefer to let their kids drive home from SDH?

Best line;
Buffy; Your logic is not like our earth logic

Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
Everyone except Giles, Larry, Harmony and Oz. But then thankfully they're all alive again. Cordy's death is particularly disturbing. Of course the obvious question is what about all the people who died in the proper Buffyverse? It would have been a nice touch if Jenny, Jessie and Principle Flutie were still alive at SDH, if Nancy was actually Theresa from Phases. And of course if Buffy never died in the Master's pool then Kendra is still alive too

Shot;
VampXander is hit by Buffy's crossbow

Tied up;
Angel in chains

Knocked out;
Giles and Oz

Women good/men bad;
If anything with Vampwillow we see femalekind at it's worse. The way Harmony and co treat Cordy is horrible, you really feel for her but I guess it's revenge for her 'Sheep' speech.

Kinky dinky;
Where do you begin? PVC-clad VampWillow plays no-safety-word S&M sex games with 'Puppy' whilst leatherclad vampXander watches. Buffy thinks the hero worship that everyone shows her in Sunnydale is a 'get in my pants thing'.

Calling Captain Subtext;
vampWillow has obvious lesbian overtones (her killing of both Cordy and the Master's victim is almost akin to snuff). However she still digs Xander and Angel so it's still more than likely she's bi rather than gay.

Guantanamo Bay;
Plenty of torture but only by the bad guys

Questions and observations
Staggeringly brilliant in every way and anyone who doesn't think so should be locked up as a danger to themselves and others. Great ending too, cool, touching and funny, wonderful music. Plus Jonathon AND Larry, great.
What is the Mayor doing in Master dominated Sunnydale? And the Initiative? Where are Darla and Luke, killed by the White Hat's? Where are Hank and Joyce? Who is the Watcher Giles talks to on the telephone? Wesley? Sam Zebuto (Kendra's Watcher)? Gwendoline Post? Giles refers to demonic activity in Cleveland which will be referenced in Chosen as Giles says there's a 2nd Hellmouth there (presumably inactive?) We always knew Buffy was an exceptional Slayer and that the Watcher's found her late but here we see that without Giles and the Scoobies' help she ends up battlehardened, emotionally cut off and with the Slayer deathwish, just like all the others. Interesting to compare 'The Wish' Buffy with Faith (and what's happening to her in the Wishverse?)
And here's Anya, no sign as yet that she'll become a major character and appear in the opening credits.
Now, where does the Wishverse lie in the continuity of things? I figure it's a dead end, a right angle to the real timestream that stops dead at the moment Giles smashes the pendant. Of course what happens if the Wishverse had continued? Well with all respect to Kendra I don't see her lasting that long leaving it to Faith to defeat The Master. So that would mean that Dawn is Faith's sister, Giles her Watcher, a grieving Joyce and Hank surrogate parents to both LeHane girls and Larry, Oz, Harmony and Amy as the Scoobygang? Would that make Spike the PTB's souled-vamp champion, just try picturing him and Doyle as a team. Interesting to wonder, huh?
Once read a great fanfic where all the Scoobys are vamps but this meant that the valiant Darla was the Slayer and The Mayor, Adam, a human Spike and Dru, Glory and the Nerds were all good guys and made up her alternate Scooby Gang. It says a lot for the depth of character Joss gives his villains that the concept actually worked really well, that they all could have been heroes if things had taken a different path.
Actually Cordy has dated Jonathon before or at least let him buy her a muffin at the Bronze in Inca Mummy Girl. We hear the gang go on about how Faith has become more and more distant since the events of Revalations, Buffy has sympathy for her and we later

 

I take it you mean in Lover's Walk? Oh me too, my heart was in my mouth!

Amends

The Good;
Pretty much all of it, the ending is too beautiful for words, Will and Oz getting back together and Will's attempt to seduce him are the highlights. I also really like Joyce hurriedly turning down Buffy's suggestion that they invite Giles for Christmas and you can't fail to be touched by Faith at the Summers' house for Christmas. Also some powerful Giles/Angel scenes. On a lighter note I love the depiction of Liam the 'drunken, whoring, layabout' who seems a pretty fun guy

The Bad;
Irish accents not so great on Buffy. I'm still not that clear on the role of the First and what it's plan was? Did it want to wreck WR&H's scheme for the apocalypse?

Best line;
Buffy; What are your Christmas plans?
Willow; Being Jewish not much, not everyone worships Santa, remember?

Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
None but Jenny makes her second (and unfortunately final postdeath appearance except in flashback)

Shot;

Tied up;

Knocked out;

Women good/men bad;
Angelus' behaviour towards the maid is just horrible beyond belief, not just in killing her but in the way he uses his position to shame her into silence

Kinky dinky;
Flashbacks to the Buffy/Angel coitus. Love Will's seduction dress and she takes a page out of Ally McBeal's book with Barry White. Amazingly this is the second time Willow has offered her virginity to a boy and he's turned her down. To judge from her remarks Oz is not a virgin however. Great line from Joyce "Angel on top again?"

Calling Captain Subtext;
Quite a lot of Jaith, it's obvious that a family Christmas is what Faith really wants despite her projected steel

Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy and Xander threaten Willy the Snitch but don't beat him up for once

What the fanficcers thought;
Plenty of adult stuff as normal (Buffy as a ponygirl pulling Santa's sleigh) but largely this time of year brings out the slush (physically and metaphorically). My favourite has Buffy as a C19th noblewoman (much as we saw her in Halloween) who get's vamped by Darla on her way back home for Christmas. 200 years later she get's cursed by gypsies, restoring both soul and humanity. She tracks down her family's descendents (Joyce, her husband Hank and their daughter Dawn) and turns up on their doorstep on Christmas morning, posing as Joyce's long lost niece. And they adopt her, forming her new family, finally allowing her to enjoy a normal human life once more and completing the journey she began centuries before.

Questions and observations;
So, is the First the real deal? Lucifer, the Devil, Satan, The Evil One? Apparently Robia LaMorte had a hard time in this ep because she's become very Christian and didn't like playing what was essentially the Devil? But it's not exactly as if they're saying it's a good thing and gets defeated in the end. Buffy comments that Xander has a piece of Willow that Oz can't touch, the same is true of Willow and Xander with Anya in season 5. Presumably Dawn enjoys Christmas with Faith at home. To judge by his flashbacks whilst Angel was Angelus he kills a father and his young children yet no one goes hysterical Gingerbread style.
The First says that Angel will drink Buffy and he does at the end of the season. Once read a horrible fanfic where the ending gives Angel his moment of joy turning him into Angelus and having him torture Buffy. Thankfully there was a sequal where everything works out happily, his soul get's restored and he uses WR&H's healers to cure her.
So, God in the Buffyverse? What are we to think? I think the snowstorm is clearly the work of the PTB. I know the rival theory is that it's WR&H saving him but it's pretty clear that they're unaware of his significance until near the end of the first season of Angel. Or it's a meterelogical freak but who could buy that?
8/10 I think

 

For the snowstorm, think physics. If the First has been using magic to keep sunnydale hot, and suddenly that heat is gone, there would be a massive influx of cold that would combine with the moisture boiled out of the atmosphere condensing into almost instant snow. OK, yes, I did just say think physics and then point out that the source of the heat is magic. So... Well, it's a theory. And it doesn't rely on yet another outside force (mystic or otherwise).

Fanfics: something generally to be avoided. Usually written by the demented side of geeks who need more creativity or practice, or need to not be writing out their "adult material" fantasies. I'm sure there are the occasional good ones (someone once sent me a decent SW/B5 crossover), but usually they're yuck.

I'd have to lower it to 7/10. "Am I a righteous thing? Do I deserve to be saved?" was just painful the first time, and it gets worse every time I see it.

 

I think fanfic is where people DO practice their writing, not a few published authors have started out in fanfic where they can get anonymous, impartial feedback. And adultfic? Well it lets us see what we never get to see on the screen, what happens between Willow and Tara when the candle goes out, are Xena and Gabby lovers or 'just good friends'? No different from all those girls who dress up as slave girl Leia for the conventions and everyone loves them
And it's the cheapest porn around!

Gingerbread

The Good;
Host of good stuff, the hysteria, the fiery climax, the mislead with Willow, Amy! The Buffy/Joyce scenes are superb, great to meet Will's mum. Love the Mayor's very careful tiptoeing around MOO and Principle Snyder is a joy to behold

The Bad;
A tv cliche but surely the police would take longer than 5 minutes to get a statement from Joyce and Buffy and wouldn't leave them hanging around the crime scene. Also the demon at the end with the stake through it's throat is very obviously a perspective gag.

Best line;
Joyce; "Oh my god it's mister Sanderson from the bank!" just pipping Willow's; "You do doodle"

Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;

Shot; no but Giles is intimidated by a security guard with a gun

Tied up; Willow, Amy and Buffy

Knocked out; Buffy and Giles by Joyce using chloroform. Cordy asks how many times Giles has been knocked out, I figure it must be a dozen or more. Love her line about 'waking up in a coma' although it's rather ironic given the events of 'You're Welcome'.

Women good/men bad; in this case it's the women who lead the crusade/lynch-mob

Kinky dinky; Giles and Joyce are at least talking to one another now but still awkward. Willow implores the dark forces to 'fill her with their black naughtiness' which one day they will. Xander has Playboys in his locker which is suprisingly classy porn considering what we know about him. As I recall it was actually the story of the little Dutch boy with his fist in the dyke but that's probably too kinky even for Joss. Giles logs into the 'Frisky watchers chatroom' which I'm sure someone launched at some time

Calling Captain Subtext;
The not so subtle implication is a rant against those who wish to censor Buffy or criticize it for it's occult features. But really it's against bigotry and mob rule anywhere. Ironically I remember this ep being censored on the BBC at the point where Buffy stakes the demon at the end.
. Buffy seems unaware that 'dyke' is another word for dam which makes her expression when Angel refers to having "a finger in the dyke" all the more hilarious.

Guantanamo Bay;
SDH has it's civil liberties suspended, Snyder glorying in his power

Questions and observations;
This ep marks the beginning of Cordy's eventual reintegration into the Scooby gang as she helps Giles save Buff&co and Oz and Xander reconcile. The first appearance of rat Amy. Someone should tell Michael that the New Romantic era is over. When Joyce and Buffy have their talk at SDH they're standing under a poster saying 'Blood required again'. You rather wonder that no one has thought to form a vigiliante group to counter the Hellmouth evil before? Joyce refers to 'neck rupture', presumably the authorities term for vampire killings. Snyder misquotes Apocalypse Now which he will appear in a parody of at the end of season 4. Once again Buffy's status as the Slayer seems common knowledge to judge by the boys reaction to her at the school. Willow claims that she's sacrificed the local goats, one day she will sacrifice Bambi.
So lovely that Joyce comes along to Buffy's Slaying patrol. You have to agree with Snyder that it's rather weird for Giles to have such a wide selection of books dedicated to the supernatural in the library. It's a great turnaround that Joyce the parent relies on Buffy the child to console her from the evils she's seen. She has a point that Sunnydale isn't getting any better, they're not running out of vampires. But as 'The Wish' and 'Dopplegangland' prove Buffy&co make a huge difference.
One wonders wh

 

Helpless

The Good;
Fabulous ep, really pulls the rug out from under you and puts Buffy in serious peril, very scary. Lovely Amy ref, love the final scene and Joyce's pride at Buffy's cleverness.

The Bad;
The whole idea of the Cruciantanem is stupid. If the Slayer isn't up to the job then surely she just dies anyway and they get a new one? Surely Buffy would go to her friends for help? How does Kralik know that Buffy is aware where to come to when he send her his invitation? Wouldn't it be better for the Council to have Wes standing by to relieve Giles rather than leave it a fortnight? Willow's mustard yellow tights are awful, I think Tara threw them out as we don't see them past season 3. .

Best line;
No contest "Bite me!" but I do also like the Buffy/Angel exchange;
Buffy; "That's beautiful...or taken literally really gross"
Angel; "I was just thinking"

Wheldon Cliches;

Character death; 2 humans and 2 vamps

Shot;

Tied up; Joyce

Knocked out;
No but Buffy mesmerised

Women good/men bad;
Lots of it. Buffy is let down by her father and betrayed by her father figure (the scene where she dumps her father's present in the bin is particulary heartrending). Kralik killed and ate his own mother (hopefully after he became a vampire?) Kralik menacing Joyce is very scary and his idea of turning Buffy even more so (although would even a sired Slayer be evil?).

Kinky dinky;
How long have you got? Buffy and Angel 'getting all sweaty' as Xander would say. Buffy refers to dating an older man who likes it when she calls him daddy, probably her father but Angel would like to be sure. I must say I missed the whole 'phallic crystal fondling' first time around, David Fury had to point it out to me.You could even say that the whole Giles' drugs Buffy routine is tantamount to child abuse, he dopes her then penetrates her with the needle. Kralik meanwhile actually seems to like pain from Buffy burning him with the cross

Calling Captain Subtext;
If there were ever an ep where Cordy and Buffy were to get together this is it. Note Cordy's outraged pounding of the guy who pushes Buffy and her leaving Buff home.

Guantanamo Bay;
The Watcher's Council show their true colours and they're pretty damn ruthless

Scoobies to the ER;
Going to start a new topic because in virtually every ep one or more requires hospital treatment;
Buffy pretty banged up and without Slayer healing for once

Where's Dawn?
Still at the house when Kralik snatches Joyce? At Kit's? Girl Scouts? After school classes? Or taken hostage with her mother?

Questions and observations
Interesting to hear David Fury's initial story idea, that Buffy hallucinates the Scoobies and Joyce as vamps. Nice to hear he was a fan before he got to write it. I also heard they couldn't do it because Kristine Sutherland was allergic to the vamp makeup. No Faith this ep? A shame, liked to have seen her. Presumably Kralik's pills are for mental illness rather than for anything physical which would have been cured when he became a vamp like Spike's mum/Darla. The guy he turns is one of the crew from ST;ENTERPRISE. You always knew Buffy would beat him but her method is very ingenious (after all, Little Red Riding Hood defeats the big bad wolf). Presumably more time elapses between Buffy trying to untie Joyce and him breaking through the door than is shown onsecreen. Remember Buffy hasn't even seen Kralik wash down the pills so Joyce must have told her. Personally I always liked the eaten-away-from-within effect and it was always obvious to me. Cordy's paper is on Bosnia which dates this ep pretty accurately (nowadays kids would be writing about Darfur).

8/10, very, very good, almost a classic

 

The Zeppo

The Good;
All of it, pure genius and a chance for Nic Brendon to shine like a beacon.

The Bad;
Not much, the zombie makeup could be a bit better but that's about all. Buffy's hair looks like it's been through the machine that makes crinkly chips. Surely Jack's bomb is not sophisticated enough to be boobytrapped, why doesn't Xander just yank the wires out? Like Spike in Lover's Walk and the swimteam in Go Fish isn't it a bit irresponsible to just let O'Toole go at the end?

Best line;
Willow; Occasionally I'm callous and strange (as we'll find out in Seeing Red)
or
O'Toole (threatening Xander with his knife) Are you sacred?
Xander (desperate) Would that make you happy?
But the winner is;
Xander (wondering why Oz is cool) Is it the way you express yourself in short, non-commital sentences?
Oz; Do I?
also good is Xander's 'I like the quiet', he's prepared to die to save his friends.

Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
The Magic Box has a new owner but not for long.

Shot;
Various members of the undead gang when they were alive plus Oz twice by Willow

Tied up;
nope unless Faith and Xander indulged in some during the heat of passion

Knocked out;
Angel according to the dialogue plus werewolf Oz

Women good/men bad;
Actually a sisterhood of female demons this time around.
Jeez!;
Decapitation by letterbox, death by soda machine

Kinky dinky;
Faith shamelessly uses Xander for her own pleasure then chucks him out the door afterwards. Not that he's complaining! (and I'm sure millions of guys and not a few girls would agree). Xander seems to imply that he's never had sex before. We don't exaclty know how old he or Faith are so it could be statuatory rape, like Buffy/Angel (the legal age is 18 in California). Faith does this after the pain of Xander resetting her shoulder, linking pain, violence and pleasure (in Get It Done we discover why Slayers have this dark sexual side). Buffy seems to imply that Xander's car is a penis metaphor, love how her mind works. Xander's girl is lovely although Cordy's opinion of her is probably correct. Willow dreams of being naked, attacked by demons and late for a test.

Calling Captain Subtext;
Xander is quick to point out to the cop that although he and Jack are wrestling it's 'Not in a gay way'. Check out page 17 of the Sunnydale High Yearbook for a very interesting picture of Willow from this episode posed with a couple of SDH cheerleaders. Some of the dialogue about making Xander 'part of the gang' has a distinct Carry-On feel about it.

Guantanamo Bay;
Xander interrogates the zombie-gang by dragging one behind a car and threatening another with a bomb. Buffy goes to beat up Willy but finds someone has beaten her to it.

Scoobies to the ER;
Giles this time with a banged up arm and head wound.

Where's Dawn?
Presumably Buffy got Dawn and Joyce out of town as she did in Graduation Day pt2

Questions and observations;
The title comes from one of the lesser known Marx brothers. I suppose they could also have called it 'The Ringo'? (they do refer to Yoko later). Raising the dead appears to depend on the alignment of the stars as we later see in Bargaining although the magic is obviously different as Buffy is alive whilst Bob and co are zombies. Xander and Cordy still have a rapport despite them having fallen out. Cordy mocks Xander for his lack of superpowers but one day she will have her own in spades. The seeds of the season 7 ep Potential are sown here. The scene between Oz and Xander is wonderful, they have obviously made up although what would Oz have thought of Will telling Xander she loved him outside the Magic Box? Giles and Buffy both like jelly doughnuts. Amazingly the SDPD make themselves useful, rescuing Xander at the Bronze. Sunnydale obviously has it's share of criminal gangs in addition to all the evil. Uncle Rory is mentioned again. The series is confident enough to make fun of it's own cliches but the more serious point is that the Buffy/Angel relationship has not much room left to go. This is the last

 

Bad Girls
The Good;
All of it, excellent battle sequences and Faith's luring of Buffy especially good. Nic Brendon's twitching on demand is also wonderful. The silent scene with Faith and the Deputy-Mayor's body is excellent. The Mayor's ritual scene is also great especially his 'things to do' list.

The Bad;
Has anyone ever really been able to sneak out of class without the teacher noticing?

Best line;
Faith "I like him, He's butch!"
Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
If we include the vamps killed when Buffy and Faith smash through the doors then this ep must have the greatest number of dustings ever. And of course Faith accidentally kills the deputy Mayor. Watching it it's all the more tragic as Buffy hits him first, if she'd had the stake in her hand rather than Faith did it would have been her that killed him. Of course she would have dealt with it very differently as the events of 'Dead Things' demonstrate. Buffy's killing of Balthazar once more shows her ingenuity.

Shot;
No but the cops threaten the Slayers with guns, otherwise they'd never have been able to capture them. Mr Trick ventures that the Illuminati should used Uzis rather than swords but he doesn't follow his own advice.

Tied up;
Faith and Buffy in handcuffs. Wes and Giles also tied up by the vamps.

Knocked out;
Women good/men bad;
As the title suggests, the girls are the bad ones this time
Jeez!;
Always horrible to watch Buffy drown, again! Balthazar is grotesque! The Mayor has a 'splitting headache'.
Kinky dinky;
Even when being arrested Faith flirts with the cop.
Cop; "Spread'em"
Faith; "You wish!"
Note that when Buffy drags Faith away when dancing in the Bronze she points to 3 guys and goes 'Call me!". When Faith doubts that Buffy has never had sex with Xander she asks 'What are friends for?'. The show that the pair put on at the Bronze is normally the sort of thing you have to pay £15 at the door for. And of course they just have to add it to the opening titles so we see it every week. Buffy comments on Faith's grunting and how slaying turns her on, getting 'sweaty'. Xander describes Cordy's dress as 'hookerwear'

Calling Captain Subtext;
The whole thing is just a massive love letter between Buffy and Faith. Doug Petrie drools over them dancing at the Bronze. The symbol Faith makes in the window is basically a valentine to her girlfriend. You could also argue that Willow is jealous of Faith and is trying to win Buffy back. What a shame they dropped the line about Wes and Giles at the Bronze being David Bowie and a boyfriend (wouldn't ASH make an excellent David Bowie?). Interesting according to Petrie that ED was always keen to play the lesbian subtext. You wonder was SMG? Although to judge by her performance in 'Cruel Intentions' she probably wouldn't have a problem with it.

Guantanamo Bay;
Faith leads Buffy in burglary and criminal damage, knocking out 2 cops in the process. Balthazar get's Wes to talk by threatening to rip off his kneecaps.
Scoobies to the ER;
Where's Dawn?
I wonder what Dawn's attitude to Faith is? You think that if Faith had a Joyce and Dawn to go home to she'd never have gone bad. Joyce is dieting, I really don't think she needs to.

Questions and observations;
Does Mr Trick follow the Slayers around? He seems to have recovered the swords very quickly. Doug Petrie's commentary is very weird, he rather reminds me of a young Tom Hanks in a dreadful film he made called Bachelor Party. The Mayor can't be killed, what if you cut his head off? The Mayor's comments about the Scouts are a bit disturbing, he wants to 'eat'em up!'. I think it's evident that Faith does care she killed a man or it wouldn't affect her so much. Doug's wrong in his commentary. Buffy and Faith will be friends again. Willow is deciding which university, another benefit of the Hellmouth genius. And here's Wes, no sign yet that he'll last over 5 years in the show and get his name in the opening titles. Xander's dad seems to be currently unemployed. The cops refer to Sunnydale

 

Consequences
The Good;
Hugely powerful ep, the dream sequence, Angel reaching out to Faith, the fight at the docks, the shock ending, as powerful as Buffy has ever been.
The Bad;
It's truly heartrending to watch Faith's fall from grace. One question though, where does Wes get his thugs from? They'd have been rather useful in the past.

Best line;
Buffy; "Cordelia is a friend"
Cordy; "Let's not exaggerate"
Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
Bye-bye Mr Trick, who didn't follow his own advice about getting an Uzi.
Shot;

Tied up;
Angel in chains and Faith chained up twice. Buffy entangled at the dockside

Knocked out;
Faith, Angel, Wes and possibly Xander
Women good/men bad;
Not this time
Jeez!;
Horrible to watch both Buffy and Xander almost strangled
Kinky dinky;
Faith and Xander forget the safety word (a BDSM term). Faith tries eroto-asphyxia and refers to Xander as her boy toy (just a minor point but how gorgeous does she look at this point, like she's off to the ball or something?). Buffy in her dream sequence indulges in some wet T-shirt action. First meeting of Wes and Cordy (historic although neither realise it). Faith refers to Cordy as jail-bait suggesting she is under 18.
Calling Captain Subtext;
Willow sobbing in the toilets (how many of us did that in high school?) that Xander has lost his virginity to Faith rather than her. Buffy states that the guys Faith sleeps with are a 'big joke to her', implying that she's not that into guys? Buffy starts to make the effort to be more friendly to Will, you could say she's choosing her femme girlfriend over her butch?
Guantanamo Bay;
The Watcher's council once again show their ruthless side. Although the Mayor controls the police his influence seems to be not total.
Scoobies to the ER;
Xander must have some fingermarks on his neck with Buffy and Angel also bearing some bumps as does Wes
Where's Dawn?
Must be used to cops at the Summer's house by now? Joyce seems to wait up for Buffy to come home

Questions and observations;
Good ep but hard to watch, it's all so sad. We do however now start the run of the final eps of season 3 which set the standard for TV generally. Faith seems to feel genuine regret for what she's done but can't come to terms with it. She doesn't go evil right away, she saves Buffy, she could have just snapped Xander's neck but she doesn't. She's happy that the Mayor and deputy Mayor were dirty, alleviates her guilt. Apparently Slayers have killed before and the council takes them back for rehabilitation. But really they don't have much alternative, up until now there's only one Slayer. Does the Mayor want rid of the Slayers or not? Who's going to control the supernatural threat for him otherwise? To judge by the way the SDPD go straight to the Slayers and talk about wooden weapons the Slayers are an open secret in SD.
Terrible commentary, directors commentaries always seem to want to talk about camera speeds and lenses. More writers and actors please!
Marks out of 10, 6/10 powerful but not that much fun to watch

 

I don't know why, but a lot of people I talked to couldn't figure out what the Deputy Mayor was doing in general, and at the docks specifically.
My interpretation is that he was Balthazar's spy, gathering evidence to turn over to either Balthazar or more civilian authority to damage/destroy the Mayor's power base, thus preventing the accention. Other ideas?