Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Vampire

[lorenzovanmatte]

I knew Doyle did but Andy Hallet passed? Really? Thats so terribly sad. I had actually hoped to meet him at a convention someday.

Yeah much more of this they're going to start talking about the 'curse of Angel'!

I like Fred although she never appealed to me in the same way that Willow or even Kaylee did. I like the Groo too, pity we never saw more of him in the later seasons (been cool if he turned up in season 7 of Buffy to help fight the First Evil)

As for Lorne I figure that they could only afford so many regulars on the show and if they put him in the opening titles they'd have to pay him more. So he only makes it in the last season with Cordy and Connor gone

Doomed
The Good;
Some good fights and character advancement and some excellent comedy. Favourite bit off all has to be Spike's 'American' accent (all the more brilliant when you think that this is an American playing an English character playing an American)
The Bad;
Riley says the demon is 3 metres tall which would make it nearly ten feet and seems way too much (drug dealers aside americans never did learn to use the metric system). He estimates it at 120kgs. How exactly? Buffy's leap down the Hellmouth beggars belief but maybe the laws of physics work differently there.
Best line;
Giles; It's the end of the world
Xander/Willow; Again!
Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
One dead guy at party
Shot;
Tied up;
Knocked out;
Giles again
Women good/men bad;
Poor Willow, inadvertently wounded by Percy at the party.
Jeez!;
Willow lying in the guys blood and the symbol carved into his chest
Kinky dinky;
The partygoers want to play 'naked limbo'. Riley says his skin is 'humming'. He also says he's not going to 'force himself upon' Buffy.
Calling Captain Subtext;
Spike calls Xander a poof.
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Where's Dawn?
Apocalypses; 5, the demons want to open the Hellmouth
Questions and observations;
Percy back, hooray. Last time we'll see him unfortunately. Xander is now a pizza delivery boy just as Cordy predicted. Interesting that just as Spike says, Willow and Xander at the end are still the High School Nerds watching TV in their basement. Oddly enough Giles tries to 'Scully' Buffy both in this ep and in Hush. Marc Blucas appears in the titles for the first time. In many ways this is making the point that Xander and Willow are still the geeks they were in High School, Willow is lost at the party, she doesn't have Oz any more and doesn't have Tara yet. Reputedly the scene where Buffy objects to Giles' drawing of her was actually improvised by the cast.
Riley says they track demons by their phermones, very like how Adam Baldwin's MiB's track the alien in Predator 2. Buffy refers to Faith and says that Slayers don't live past 25 (she and Faith both have now, they're the most successful Slayers ever). It's actually Xander who figures out the demons are the sacrifices. Quite a long ep coming in at 42 minutes (Amends is the longest at nearly 43).
Marks out of 10; 6/10, nothing wrong with it but it comes after a very strong couple of eps

 

[ComicChick]

i don't remember a Kaylee. who was that?

fred was always one of my favorites from early on. accents ftw

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

i don't remember a Kaylee. who was that?

fred was always one of my favorites from early on. accents ftw

Kaylee was the Serenity's engineer on Firefly. Joss' shows always have a cute as a button genius female nerd in them.
Buffy Movie; Cassandra
Alien 4; Cal
Buffy; Willow
Angel; Fred
Firefly; Kaylee
Dollhouse; Summer Glau's character whose name escapes me

I liked Fred but she just never grabbed me as Willow did, I'm not sure why. Like her accent though quite a rarity to have a southern accent in a TV show, most TV characters seem to be from NY or LA

Parting Gifts
The Good;
Wonderful reintroduction for Wes and a nice period of mourning for Doyle. Plus Cordy's audition and the Oracles again.
The Bad;
Once again, Alexis Denisoff's name is in the titles, ruining the suprise a little
Best line:
"Grass stains!" (all in the delivery). Also liked Wes "I bet you always wondered what became of your old pal Wesley?"
Angel; "Tell you the truth I never gave it much thought"

Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Barney's plans for Cordy are beyond horrible. But she teaches him not to mess with Queen C
Apocalypses: 4
Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; nope, 2.
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 3
DB get's his shirt off; 3
Cordy's tattoo; 3 yep she bares that beautiful midriff again
Cheap Angel; 2
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 4
Wes: 1

Fang gang knocked out: yep, Cordy
Cordy: 9
Angel: 7
Wes: 1
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: none this ep. 3 vamps, ½ a demon from her time in Sunnydale
Angel: 1 demon for Angel. So that gives Angel 8 vamps, 4 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 1
Angel: 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 5

Characters killed:
14
Recurring characters killed;
1;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
2, Angel and Cordy

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 5,
Packing heat;
Doyle; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 1?
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:
Wes in motorbiking leathers which are so tight they 'chafe'. He and Cordy share a second kiss, Cordy is sold as a slave for the first time.
Captain Subtext;
Know the face, different character; 2
Parking garages;
2
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters appearing in Angel; (unless someone can correct me no original Angel character ever appears on Buffy?)
6; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes
Questions and observations;
Another WR&H lackie but this one doesn't become a recurring character. Angel says that vamps don't sleep in coffins but Dracula does. Angel recognises talent when he sees it, Wes' translation skills alone make him invaluable.
Marks out of 10; 7/10

 

[SuperFerret]

I can't get on board with calling Summer Glau "cute as a button". The way she looks has always bothered me once I found out that she's not even remotely asian.

 

[Hush]

But Summer Glau didn't play Kaylee....

 

[SuperFerret]

I'm aware of that.

 

[KnightBat]

Yeah, around the halfway point of season 4. I have no idea why it took them so long. He was seriously in like every episode of S3.

Its the same with Tara. From Hush onward, she was in almost every episode of Buffy. She never got in the credits until her last episode.

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

I can't get on board with calling Summer Glau "cute as a button". The way she looks has always bothered me once I found out that she's not even remotely asian.

Really? I think she's stunning, literally like a fairytale princess or something. I'd grant you she doesn't have the conventional Hollywood/porn star good looks but that's another of Joss's features he tends to feature unconventionally beautiful women on his shows, Fred in Angel, Mellie/November in Dollhouse, Amanda and Tara in Buffy etc

As for credits I think it's just a matter of money, you have to pay the actors more if they're on the credits both at the time and in the repeat fees. Joyce was in a huge number of Buffy eps but never got into the opening titles. Then again whilst she was a huge part of the show she was never a Scooby.

SPOILERS

Spoiler

I remember watching the ep where Tara appeared in the opening titles at a convention and everyone cheered. Then she died and everyone cried. And the week before I'd seen the last ep of Xena at another con. I seemed to spend most of that year surrounded by weeping lesbians

A New Man

The Good;
Everything with demon Giles but I also adore the scene where Giles and Ethan get drunk together.
The Bad;
Couldn't Giles just write 'I am Giles' on a big piece of paper? Or is the point that he's too embarrassed?
Best line;
Walsh; We thought you were a myth
Buffy; Well you were myth-taken.
Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
Shot;
Tied up;
Knocked out;
Giles comments that he has a tendency to get knocked on the head.
Women good/men bad;
Jeez!;
Mucus!
Kinky dinky;
Giles comments that Ethan and Giles are older than him and 'Not as attractive'. Riley says that he likes it when Buffy is in charge.
Calling Captain Subtext;
The whole Giles/Walsh scene and him scaring her later. Willow and Tara's rose magic session is filled with Sapphic hints. Giles calls the Initiative commandos 'nancy'
Giles thinks Ethan is telling him he's very attractive. He's actually talking to the waitress but I know what we all thought for a moment.
Guantanamo Bay;
The Initiative are tapped into the emergency telephone system and Riley has a key to open every shop in Sunnydale. He also has the power to haul Ethan off to indefinite detention at the end of the ep. Again this is all pre-War on Terror, Joss appears pretty prescient.
Scoobies to the ER;
Where's Dawn?
How did she and Joyce celebrate Buffy's birthday?
Missing scenes;
Loved to have seen this;
Waitress (looking at Ethan's note) "You're not Roger Moore!"
Ethan; "Yes I am. Tell her Ripper"
Giles (drunkenly) "What? Oh, he's not Roger Moore"
Apocalypses; 5, Riley comments that he needs to learn the plural
Questions and observations;
Unfortunately the last time we'll see Ethan Rayne although he does return in the comics. Very nice to have a Giles-centric episode as we haven't had one in a while. Riley has personally killed 11 vamps and 6 demons. According to Boo's figures however here's the rest of the scoobs.
Kills:
Buffy: 74 vamps, 26 demons, 5 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 4 vamps
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, ½ a demon, ½ a demon
Anya: ½ a demon
As Buffy birthday's go this one is actually pretty successful? But does anyone really ever get suprise parties like that? I heard that Robin Sachs is actually an expert martial artist and that Peter O'Toole's wife left her husband for him. Anya still working on her humanity, Buffy refers to Riley as her boyfriend for the first time. First hints of something sinister in the Initiative. Tara back, yay! Byebye to Giles' Citreon. Magic shop again. We already see that Buffy won't blindly follow orders like Riley will. The motel Ethan stays in looks the same one as Faith used to stay at.

Marks out of 10; 7/10

 

[Doc Vape]

Did Joss Whedon and Netflix play a trick on us, these shows were suppose to leave netflix yesterday on April Fools day, it even said it when you hi lighted the series in netflix, but now they are still there

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

Did Joss Whedon and Netflix play a trick on us, these shows were suppose to leave netflix yesterday on April Fools day, it even said it when you hi lighted the series in netflix, but now they are still there

Well he's had us over before with the alleged plot of the hundredth episode.

Somnambulist
The Good;
Very good ep, we geninely suspect that Angel might be going bad, Penn gives a real sense of menace and some lovely stuff with Kate
The Bad;
Penn's haircut but apart from that not much. Would the police really let Kate go in by herself?
Best line:
Penn; "You know you'll never get to it the exit before I..."
Cordy (opening blinds letting the daylight pour in) "...go up like a match?"
(nothing more satisfying than seeing arrogance shot down)
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Penn kills his sister and presumably goes on to massacre his family as Angelus did
Apocalypses: 4
Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; nope, 2.
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 3
DB get's his shirt off; 3
Cordy's tattoo;3
Cheap Angel; 2
Fang Gang in bondage: Angel
Cordy: 5
Angel: 5
Wes: 1

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 8
Angel: 7
Wes: 1
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon from her time in Sunnydale
Angel: 8 vamps, 4 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp
Kate; 1 vamp

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 1
Angel: 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 5

Characters killed: Penn's victims
20
Recurring characters killed;
1;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
2, Angel and Cordy

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 5,
Packing heat;
Doyle; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 1?
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:
Cordy comments that she makes the coffee and gets to chain the boss to the bed. The everyday life of a Hollywood assistant.
Captain Subtext;
Angel(us) is obviously Penn's father figure. Angel(us) is also obsessed with his father
Know the face, different character; 2
Parking garages;
3, once again, Angel and Wes just seem to be able to drive into the police station.
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters appearing in Angel; (unless someone can correct me no original Angel character ever appears on Buffy?)
6; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes
Questions and observations;
Very nice reminder from Angel(us) past and the beginning of the real tension between Kate and Angel. Another hint that vamps share some link with those they sired. Love Kate's white sweater. Wes is now in the title sequence. Angel Investigations has a runaway case so they're obviously taking ordinary PI cases in addition to their supernatural work. Does Angel figure out Penn's plan because he knows him? Or is he heading to the police station to speak to Kate over the school bus plan? Or do Wes and he just overhear what's going on at the station with their police scanner? Penn in some ways is reminiscent of Scorpio in Dirty Harry (who also hijacks a school bus).
Met Jeremy Renner at a convention and a fascinating guy, plays in a band, old friend of DB's from their acting classes, went on to star in 28 Weeks Later (as a character called Doyle?), SWAT and Jesse James with Brad Pitt
Marks out of 10; 9/10 would be 10/10 if it had more arc.

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

THE I IN TEAM
The Good;
Prof Walsh gets her just desserts, Riley and Buffy are finally a couple, some nice comedy, Willow especially looks like a troll doll with the ionisation spell. Anya and Spike becoming more and more Scoobyish. Love the Buffy in the briefing scene.
The Bad;
Weak demons and the first appearance of Adam, worst big bad ever.
Best line;
Buffy; Don't worry, I've patrolled in this halter top many times
Wheldon Cliches;

Character death; Byebye Prof Walsh you psycho!
Shot; Buffy uses the blaster but it doesn't work
Tied up;
Knocked out;
Women good/men bad;
No, female villain, Walsh the mother gone bad
Jeez!;
Quite a shock when she gets stuck, still!
Kinky dinky;
Anya notes that she and Xander have 'enjoyed spanking'. Buffy intends to punish Riley for having a twinkie for lunch. Willow is upset that she's not being spanked too which puts her remarks about her and Oz playing 'mistress of pain' into a new context. For Buffy and Riley fighting seems to be akin to foreplay, maybe Buffy is more like Faith than she likes to admit? (see 'Get It Done)' Meanwhile Prof Walsh plays the voyeur, spying on her boys in their bedrooms. At least Buffy doesn't wake to find her lover gone as she did on the 2 previous occasions.
Calling Captain Subtext;
Willow's yellow t-shirt has the word 'fairy' on it. Check out Forrest's jealous attitude about Buffy and Riley, you'd almost think there was something a little 'don't ask, don't tell' between them. Spike remarks that Giles is womanly. Giles wonders if there is a higher purpose in Spike's neutering which indeed there turns out to be.
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Where's Dawn?
Does Buffy get her and Joyce out of town if she belives the Initiative might be hunting for them?
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 5,
Questions and observations;
Buffy asks if the Initiative have jetpacks? Well, the Nerds will have them by season 6. Didn't Buffy have a pager in 'Never kill a boy on a first date'? (What exactly was her excuse for that? You'd assume she was either a doctor, a drug dealer or prostitute, she certainly doesn't look like the former 2).Xander's fruit bars introduce Anya to capitalism. Poor Will feels a little left out but at least now has Tara to go to. Buffy is keener on the Initiative than the others but it not only means she gets to see more of Riley but that she might live a lot longer and not be dead by 25 like all the other slayers? Why does Graham hit Spike with a tracker rather than a tranquiliser? Buffy kills two more demons, demons that it took 8 armed to the teeth commandos to subdue. The tracker scene has a very Aliens/Predator2 feel to it.
Marks out of 10; 7/10

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

Expecting
The Good;
Cordy hits the town with the girls but gets more than she bargained for. Great to see Phantom Dennis back and his scenes with Cordy are beyond lovely.
Love the reaction of the doctor and nurse during the ultrasound. Very good ep
The Bad;
How come Cordy is dressed after sex?
Best line:
Angel; You're not alone
Cordy; That's kind of the problem

Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Cordy and co in the goop, yuck
Apocalypses: 4
Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; 8, a whole bevy of them
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 3
DB get's his shirt off; 3
Cordy's tattoo;3
Cheap Angel; 2
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 5
Wes: 1

Fang gang knocked out: Wes by Cordy
Cordy: 8
Angel: 7
Wes: 2
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: I'll give this one to Cordy. 3 vamps, 1½ demons
Angel: half a demon so 8 vamps, 4 and 1/2 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 1/2 a demon

Fang Gang go evil: yep, Cordy overwhelmed by her maternal instincts
Cordy: 2
Angel: 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 5

Characters killed:
20
Recurring characters killed;
1;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
2, Angel and Cordy

Angel Investigations shot: yep, Angel
Angel: 6,
Packing heat; Wes with a pistol (presumably taken from the gun club?)
Wes; 1
Doyle; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost: I thought it was Xander who had the thing for demons?
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:
How gorgeous are CCs friends, especially Sarina? Obviously this goes some VERY dark places, it smacks of GOT fetishism (beautiful women being raped and impregnated by demons/monsters/aliens who they then fall in love with), the ultrasound reminds me of the infamous maternity ward scene in Aliens vs Predator; Requiem (of course Joss wrote Alien Ressurection so he's no stranger to the concept). Considering that Joss is supposed to be this great pro-feminist he puts his heroines through a lot of nasty stuff, almost like he wants to have his cake and eat it. Wilson apparently nearly had phonesex with the resteraunt manager to get them in. Cordy drinks Angel's pig's blood, Angel states he never realised how disgusting it was until just then. At the end Cordy states she's learned sex is bad and men are evil. Angel agrees.
Captain Subtext;
The girls assume Wes and Angel are a couple. Angel says it adds mystery. Angel describes Cordy as family and she says she trusts him and Wes implicitly.
Know the face, different character; 2
Parking garages;
3,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters appearing in Angel; (unless someone can correct me no original Angel character ever appears on Buffy?)
6; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes
Questions and observations;
Fun story, putting Angel Investigations together more and more. How wonderful that when Wes has to come up with a name for him and Cordy he decides on Mr and Mrs Penborne. Angel comments that their French client made him want to drink a lot. Alcohol or blood? CC refers to Angel giving her date the 3rd degree which he and Doyle also did in the Bachelor Party. Wes refers to David and Goliath, the Watchers Council occasionally make biblical references.
Marks out of 10; 7/10

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

GOODBYE IOWA
The Good;
Some great acting from Marc Blucas as Riley comes apart. Love Buffy's rallying speech in her sushi pyjamas and Riley recognising Spike.
The Bad;
A pretty dull episode in many ways, Adam is a stupid enemy. I always said that the more Joyce in an ep the better it is, well, the more Adam in an ep the worse it is. The idea that he had a floppy disc player in 2001, really! Also the little boy he kills is the dumbest kid ever.
Best line;
Anya; "He was GI Joe for one night, it wasn't as if he was in The Nam"
Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
Byebye another Initiative scientist and some poor MP
Shot;
No but Riley threatens one of Willy's patrons with his pistol.
Tied up;
Knocked out;
Women good/men bad;
Jeez!;
Cutting the demons arm off, nice!
Kinky dinky;
Trying to remain inconspicuous Xander tried to kiss Buffy.
Calling Captain Subtext;
Buffy, Willow and Anya spend the night in bed together. Amazed if the slashficcers didn't make great play of that! Upon seeing the Initiative Xander asks if he can have sex with Riley too. So, why does Tara ruin Will's demon hunting spell? One day we'll find out. Spike comments that Buffy has tragic taste in men, foreshadowing indeed.
Guantanamo Bay;
The Initiative are very brazen, charging around in Humvees, guns blazing. Buffy hits Willy but at his own request, the last time he'll be seen in the series.
Scoobies to the ER;
Riley goes cold turkey and gets stabbed.
Where's Dawn?
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 5,
Questions and observations;
Giles still has his Mark of Eyghon tattoo, you'd think he'd want rid of it? In the scene where Riley and Buffy meet at the murder site the camera goes very funny in places, going octagonal? Spike says he has a cousin who married a Privlops demon but like most of what Spike says he's probably lying.

Marks out of 10; 6/10 Adam is going to drag the scores down for the rest of the season.

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

SHE

The Good;

Angel and Wesley dancing at Cordy's party is possibly the funniest thing you've ever seen. A laudable if slightly heavy-handed rant against female circumsision. Also love the scene where Angel pretends to be an art guide and Angel and Phantom Dennis.

The Bad;

The scene where Wes tries to chat-up the girl at the party is cringeworthy, he's pretty much treated as the comic relief for this ep. The scene where the camera wheels around whilst Angel and Jiera talk, growing increasingly worked up carries on for so long and is so over the top it's almost parody.

Best line:

Mars; "The little sisters are chilling"

Also like Cordy's;

"I'm so glad you came. You know how parties are, you're always worried that no one is going to suck the energy out of the room like a giant black hole of boring despair but there you were in a cinch"


Jeez, how did they get away with that?

The whole 'unmaking' scene is just unwatchable. The contrast between it and the obvious affection between the 'unmade' girl and her captors when they send her back is incredibly creepy, especially her 'dead behind the eyes' expression and the way she refers to herself in third person.

Apocalypses: 4

Angel Cliches

Damsel in distress; 15, a whole bevy of them

Inverting the Hollywood cliche; Wes and CC snooping at the garden centre amazingly don't get caught.

In disguise; 3

DB get's his shirt off; yep, he feels the need for a shower

4

Cordy's tattoo;3

Cheap Angel; 2

Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 5
Wes: 1

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 8
Angel: 7
Wes: 2
Doyle; 1


Kills:
Cordy: I'll give this one to Cordy. 3 vamps, 1½ demons
Angel: half a demon so 8 vamps, 4 and 1/2 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp

Wes; 1/2 a demon


Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 5

Characters killed: 5, the poor guys burned to death by the demonbabes

25

Recurring characters killed;

1;


Total number of Angel Investigations:
3, Angel and Cordy and Wes officially joins the firm for the first time

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 6,

Packing heat;

Wes; 1

Doyle; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:

I'd say that Bai Ling is lovely but that seems quite redundant even with the ridges and violet eyes (she's also in Southland Tales with SMG). Cordy's friend Laura also sounds like a fun girl as is her friend 'Pants on' Diego. Naked hotties on ice who seems to have a strong effect on both Wes and Angel. Mars says his Shaman could never turn away 'Scantily clad women in distress'. Wes refers to the girls at the party as 'fillies'.

Captain Subtext;

Obviously this is an allegory against female circumsision (once watched a documentary on it and afterwards went and got drunk for the first time in my life to try to blank the memory). Although you wonder if the males' fear of the females is more to do with them burning people to death rather than just simple chauvanism? Note that the male demons don't hurt any humans, it's Jhira and co who killing and she's quite prepared to let Wes and Cordy die for her cause. Not to stereotype but Wes has a knowledge of flowers in addition to the occult.

Know the face, different character; 2

Parking garages;

3,

Guantanamo Bay;

Angel once again beats his way to the truth

Buffy characters on Angel;

6; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes

Questions and observations;

Angel refers to his time in Hell again where he remarks he knew many of the people. AI use their mobile phones to good effect. It'll take the Sunnydale Scoobies another 3 years to get theirs. Great performance from Sean Gunn as the spa manager, always thought he was in Desperate Housewives but he's not. Wes handles himself well in a fight for the first time. The only ep of Angel with a sequence over the end titles (Buffy does it in The Puppet Show). It seems unlikely that Angel actually knew Manet or Baudelaire as he would actually have been Angelus at the time?

Marks out of 10; 7/10, Keith Topping loathes this ep but I think it's quite good.

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

THIS YEAR'S GIRL

The Good;
Faith's dream sequences are all excellent, wonderful to see Harry Groener again, love the reveal of Faith at UCSD and great scenes with Joyce/Faith, the fight that follows one of the best in the show's history
The Bad;
Are you kidding, Faith is back, how could anything be bad?
Best line;
Faith; How do I look?
Joyce; Psychotic?
Wheldon Cliches;

Character death;
Thankfully not
Shot;
Tied up;
Knocked out;
Buffy-as-Faith in the final scene plus the poor girl at the hospital
Women good/men bad;
Nope, female villain this time around
Jeez!;
Psycho-Buffy in Faith's dreams is scary indeed, great performance from SMG, love her vacant stare, steady walk and that little tilt of the head, give her a hockey mask and she's the villain in the slasher film. Check out Buffy's expression as she twists the knife in Faith's side. Plus Faith hits Joyce! Oh, that girl deserves SUCH a spanking! Plus Adam's Silence of the Lambs homage.
Kinky dinky;
As Petrie comments, 'Cleavage, demons and intrigue'. Faith also tells Buffy she has dreams about 'cigars and tunnels', Bill Clinton and Monica anyone? (a reference that would have been a lot more topical at the time). Willow refers to Faith as a 'cleavagey ****bomb'.
Calling Captain Subtext;
The grass snake intruding in the picnic needs no interpretation. It represents the Mayor's evil desires intruding on his and Faith's happiness. Doug Petrie comments on Jaith and I think he's right, actually Joyce and Faith love each other much the same as Buffy/Faith do. I remember reading a great fanfic where Joyce is lying in bed feeling guilty about having sex with the naked Slayer lying beside her who calls her 'mommy'. Of course in the very last word of the story you realise that it's actually Faith rather than Buffy and it all makes perfect sense from both a narrative and character point of view. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3060871/1/Forbidden
Buffy and Faith in dreams are still making the bed, Faith pleads for Buffy to take the knife out of her, does this signify a yearning for forgiveness?
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Buffy-as-Faith get's a hammering (one could argue that this is actually Faith self-harming?)
Where's Dawn?
Taken hostage by Faith alongside Joyce? It would certainly explain Dawn's antipathy towards her in season 7. Faith refers to 'Little sis coming'. Of course Dawn could just as easily have been Faith's sister if things had worked out differently.
Missing scenes;
The bit where Tara and Willow search for Faith is quite obviously an add in but is funny, especially Tara's idea of fighting.
Apocalypses; 5,
Questions and observations;
Wonderful to have Faith back. You can't help but feel sorry for her when she's wandering the streets of Sunnydale having lost everything, ecspecially when she sees the happy daughter leading her father by the hand. One question, looking at the Mayor's video he seems to think that there will be a museum dedicated to him in Sunnydale and that he and Faith will bring 'order' to the town? By being a big snake?
I always wondered what would happen if a Slayer was brainsucked by Glory? Read a fanfic once where that actually happens to Faith but then DarkWillow brainsucks Warren before killing him and uses his mental energy to cure her. Watching this I realise that if Slayer healing can restore Faith from her coma then Glory would be no big deal for her or Buffy. Tara asks what 'Five by five' means, about time someone did. Who calls the police for Faith at UCSD?

Marks out of 10; 9/10

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

I'VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN
The Good;
Nice counterplay at the end when the family get back together and Angel Investigations walk away as if they are a family too.
The Bad;
Rather an uninvolving story although a nice twist
Best line:
Wes; "It's for killing extinct demons"

Jeez, how did they get away with that?
The cross into Wes' neck, yeesh!
Apocalypses: 4
Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; 15,
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
The dad is shown smoking cigarettes in front of his kids which is rare indeed nowadays
In disguise; 3
DB get's his shirt off;
4
Cordy's tattoo;3
Cheap Angel; 2
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 5
Wes: 1

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 8
Angel: 7
Wes: 2
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 3 vamps, 1½ demons
Angel: one demon so 8 vamps, 5 and 1/2 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 1/2 a demon

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 5

Characters killed:
25
Recurring characters killed;
1;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
3, Angel and Cordy and Wes

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 6,
Packing heat;
Wes; 1
Doyle; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:
Wes owns a 2 thighmasters and a 'buns of steel' video
Captain Subtext;
Our first hints on Wes' relationship with his father
Know the face, different character; 2
Parking garages;
3,
Guantanamo Bay;

Buffy characters on Angel;
6; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes
Questions and observations;
Cordy can cook, who'd have thought? Angel mentions Doyle in poignant moment. Cool bait and switch, we think the dads the villain. Also we have Kate in her middling phrase, aware that Angel's a vamp but not totally anti.The scenes with the circle are very reminiscent of classic Brit horror flick The Devil Rides Out (Christopher Lee as a good guy!) Ricks magic, the LA branch of The Magic Shop. Cordy puts her shopping skills to good use. A lot more christian than normal. 'Three blind mice' is actually about 3 bishops executed by Bloody Mary. Anyone know what rock-a-bye-baby is about? Lizzie Borden was actually found innocent but the circumstantial evidence against her was overwhelming.
Marks out of 10; 6/10, ok ep but still supernatural threat of the week

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

WHO ARE YOU?

The Good;
One of SMG's great performances as Faith-as-Buffy, what a shame we don't get to see more of Buffy-as-Faith. Terrific in every way
The Bad;
Even Adam can't spoil this one but then thankfully he's not in it for too long.
Best line;
"Tiny, tiny babies" ASH overacts to great effect
Wheldon Cliches;

Character death; 1 parishioner killed at the church, Buffy, Riley kill one vamp each and Faith kills two.
Shot;
No, despite the Watcher's Council blazing away during Buffy-as-Faith's escape. Buffy-as-Faith actually uses a gun in her escape.
Tied up;
Buffy-as-Faith in chainsx2. She later tells Giles that this isn't the time for 'bondage fun'. Implying she's open to it at other times?
Knocked out;
Buffy-as-Faith doped to the eyeballs
Women good/men bad;
Buffy-as-Faith effortlessly outsmarts the Watcher Council's goons.
Jeez!;
Your heart freezes when you think Faith-as-Buffy has stabbed Will, thankfully it's only a daydream
Kinky dinky;
Ah, Faith, how the kinky dinky column has missed you! Faith-as-Buffy wears the ****tiest outfit we'll ever see on SMG and then seduces Riley asking 'What nasty little desire have you been itching to try out. Am I a bad girl? Do you want to hurt me?' and 'Well if you don't want to play...'. Riley doesn't like the idea of a 'bunch of marines' watching him during sex but FaB might dig it? Buffy/Joyce wear a brand of lipstick subtly named 'Harlot'. What next, ****? Skank? Ho? I must confess that my favourite ever adult fanfic ('Thanks for lending me your body, B')is based on this story where Faith takes the opportunity to not only have sex with Riley but the rest of the Scoobies, Spike and just about everyone else as well, even Adam (but oddly not Giles?). Of course in the follow up story ('Thanks for taking care of my body, Faith') not only do Buffy and Faith kiss and make up (and a whole lot more!) but we find out that Buffy had her own sexy fun in Faith's body. Check them out at adultfanfiction.net IF you're over 18 and EXTREMELY open-minded.
http://buffy.adultfanfiction.net/authors.php?no=5134 and http://buffy.adultfanfiction.net/story.php?no=19486
Xander refers to the 'Orgasmantor'. Xander and Anya are going to have sex near some candles. FaB says that'll last about 7 minutes (based on Xander's prior performance?) According to BaF Joyce thinks Giles is like a stevedore (docker) during sex which adds another colourful chapter to momma Summers sexual history. Plus Faith-as-Buffy teasing Spike at the Bronze.
Calling Captain Subtext;
Faith-as-Buffy meets Tara and deducts that Willow is 'no longer driving stick' (what a wonderful euphenism!). Once again the villains show their insight. Faith also seems to take the opportunity to, ahem, 'explore' Buffy's body in the bath (finally able to get her hands on it?). Of course when Faith-as-Buffy is hitting Buffy-as-Faith in the end it's perfectly clear that this is actually Faith expressing her own self-loathing at her image, just as she tells Joyce to burn the lipstick because it was Faith's choice. The Watcher's team use the word 'ponce' as an insult. Faith-as-Buffy thinks there's some 'big old Bertha' waiting to shower Buffy-as-Faith with affection in prison. Plus more erotic spellcasting from Willow and Tara and Tara breaking a million hearts and ending a lot of argument by telling Willow that she's 'Yours'. Faith can't help her Slayer instincts, saving the girl at the Bronze. She wants Riley to punish her and Joyce to burn the lipstick because she hates herself. Check out the little look of triumph on FaB when BaF is being carried to the ambulance, holding Joyce's hand as if to say 'She's mine now'. When Joyce hugs her she obviously wants it but is uncomfortable with it (same expression when she saves the girl at the Bronze)
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Where's Dawn?
Does she have any inkling that Buffy is not as she appears to be?
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 5,
What the fanficcers thought;
A nice one where instead of Faith and Buffy switching bodies it's Xander and Willow. Willow enjoys not having to queue for the toilets at concerts, Xander pretty much stays in bed playing with Willow's breasts and poor Tara is VERY confused. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3043545/1/In_your_best_friends_shoes
Questions and observations;
Such a tour-de-force, brilliant at every level. The one gag I wonder they never did was for Faith-as-Buffy tries to reach for something but can't because Buffy's body is shorter than Faith's. But maybe SMG is sensitive about her height? Although they do joke about it in season 7. This marks Anya's indisputable entry into the Scoobies, she's at the briefing at Giles' house without any back story. This makes the Scoobies;
Buffy
Xander
Willow
Giles
Anya
Shouldn't someone have shown Anya and Riley what Faith looks like? Nice that Riley actually goes to church. I always thought the line for Faith when the lead vamp is mouthing off about where god is should have been 'He couldn't make it but he sent me'. Note how hurt FaB is when Riley says he loves her asking 'What do you want from her?' Adams speech is pretty convincing, he again underlines why humans rule and demons don't. The Bronze loses another pool cue. The guy Spike pushes at the Bronze looks like Asian Joe. Collins says 'Gas', as a Brit he'd probably say 'Petrol'.

Marks out of 10; 10/10, competes with Hush and Restless for the best ep of the season.

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

THE PRODGAL
The Good;
Clever opening scene with Liam. Darla, yay! Her words about love infecting the heart always are just incredible. Some nice paralells with Kate and some nice comedy with the alarm system.
The Bad;
The head demon looks stupid and looks rather like the guy Cordy will save Gunn from in season 2
Best line:
Liam's dad; "I was never in your way boy" (the most tragic line in the whole of Angel AND Buffy!)

Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Cordy sawing up the demon. Angelus slaughters Liam's family, even his little sister which we thankfully don't see.
Apocalypses: 4
Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; 15,
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 3 no Angel but love Cordy as a blonde, only in Hollywood would that mean you could blend in.
DB get's his shirt off;
4
Cordy's tattoo;3
Cheap Angel; 2
Fang Gang in bondage:
Cordy: 5
Angel: 5
Wes: 1

Fang gang knocked out:
Cordy: 8
Angel: 7
Wes: 2
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 3 vamps, 1½ demons
Angel: 1 demon and 3 vamps for Angel so 11 vamps, 5 and 1/2 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp
Kate; 2 vamps for Kate making 3 in all
Wes; 1/2 a demon

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 5

Characters killed:
25
Recurring characters killed; Trevor Lockley
2;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
3, Angel and Cordy and Wes

Angel Investigations shot:
Angel: 6,
Packing heat;
Wes; 1
Doyle; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:

Captain Subtext;
Trevor asks if Angel is 'West Hollywood', the term for LA's famous gay district
Know the face, different character; 2
Parking garages; yep, that's how Angel gets into the police station
4,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel; Darla
7; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Darla
Questions and observations;
All the scenes between Kate and her dad are heartbreaking but pale compared to the tragedy of Liam and his family. We find that Trevor Lockley does care about Kate, he's on the take partially to provide for her (which explains how she can set herself up as a supernatural version of The Punisher in season 6). It seems that Angel(us) got the idea for his name from his sister.
Marks out of 10; 7/10, the flashback scenes a lot better than the modern day stuff

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

SUPERSTAR
The Good;
How brilliant is Danny Strong? So glad we had him back in the 6&7 seasons. His final talk with Buffy is a winner
The Bad;
Monster looks a bit lame, aside from that, great ep
Best line;
Graham;(upon seeing the Initiative's 'tactical consultant' Jonothan) "About time we brought out the big guns"
Women good/men bad;
Actually in this case 'man' brilliant but it's hardly real
Jeez!;
Poor Tara, you so feel for her
Kinky dinky;
Anya moans Jonathan's name during sex and describes him as 'lickable' (as indeed does Buffy although she claims she was only joking). She also seems to find his trumpet playing a turn-on. Jonathan has a threesome with beautiful twins which appears to be an illicit yet universal male fantasy to judge by all the Buffy/Dawn/Joyce or Charmed sisters sexfic on the net? http://www.t-s-s-a.com/stories/show-story.php?story=Buffy-DontGo.txt and http://www.t-s-s-a.com/stories/show-story.php?story=Buffy-MercifulMistress.txt probably the most tasteful in a highly dubious genre if you're over 18.
Calling Captain Subtext;
Exactly why does Giles have a copy of the Jonathan swimsuit calender to hand? Was it a gift? Tara and Willow seem infatuated with Jonathan, one wonders if he suggested it they might come 'running back to boys-town', at least for the night? Xander also seems alarmingly devoted to Jonathan. Spike strokes Buffy's cheek, their attraction evident. Note the evidence of Jonathon's heroism, no wonder he comes good in season 6&7.
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy and Jonothan beat Spike up for info. The police seem quite content to just let Jonothan handle things without their help.
Scoobies to the ER;
Poor Tara gets pretty banged up
Where's Dawn?
Does she share in the Jonathan idolisation?
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 5,
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1

Scoobies knocked out: no but Jonathan knocked unconscious by the beast.
Buffy: 15
Giles: 10
Cordy: 6
Xander: 8
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 2
Wes: 1

Kills:
Buffy: 3 vamps for Buffy so 79 vamps, 26 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 4 vamps
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, ½ a demon, ½ a demon
Anya: ½ a demon
Jonathan; 2 vamps and 1 demon
Riley; 11 vamps + 6 demons
Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 2

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 6
Giles: 3
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: no but for a moment you really think Tara might go the same way as Jenny Calender
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh

Total number of scoobies: 7
Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Spike, Riley

Xander demon magnet: 5
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?)

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3; Angel, Parker, Riley
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, possibly Ted
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Questions and observations;
The first mention of the world without shrimp as far as I know? Of course it's actually Jonathon who works out Adam's weakness although surely if you cut his head off it would slow him down a great deal? Note Buffy know's how to make Jonathon's coffee. Less Adam in this ep and it's all the better for it. An ep much beloved of fanfic writers as whatever has gone on before Jonathon can always put it right. We also see Buffy show her strength, able to see beyond the illusion and show her latent power. Riley begins to see beyond the Initiative and is introduced to magic. How great is magic Jane's commentary? Now of course this marks the halfway point of Buffy, 72 down, 72 to go.
Marks out of 10; 8/10 I think, bordering on the marvellous

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

THE RING
The Good;
Lilah! I know she's an evil ***** but I can't help loving her anyway. Cordy and Wes' police double act is also a highlight
The Bad;
Pretty much the rest, Angel as Spartacus, not bad but not very involving. The brother's plan to get Angel into the ring seems unnecessarily complex? Also Angel seems to be very easily overcome by their thugs considering what we know him to be capable off?
Best line:
Wes; Something's going down, something with 'The Man'

Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Wes pinning the guys hand to the wall with his crossbow bolt then twisting it. Fingers in a box One McNamara brother casually killing the other.
Apocalypses: 4
Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; 15,
Inverting the Hollywood cliche;
In disguise; 3
DB get's his shirt off; no but he wears his vest top most of the time
4
Cordy's tattoo;3
Cheap Angel; 2
Fang Gang in bondage: Angel in the cuffs
Cordy: 5
Angel: 6
Wes: 1

Fang gang knocked out: Angel, twice
Cordy: 8
Angel: 9
Wes: 2
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 3 vamps, 1½ demons
Angel: one demon. 11 vamps, 6 and 1/2 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 1/2 a demon
Kate; 3 vamps

Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 1

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 5

Characters killed:
25
Recurring characters killed;
2;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
3, Angel and Cordy and Wes

Angel Investigations shot: yep
Angel: 7,
Packing heat; Wes for the second time
Wes; 2
Doyle; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:
Wes states that Cordy wears high heels and a push up bra.
Captain Subtext;
Cordy insinuates that Angel cross dresses.
Know the face, different character; 2
Parking garages;
4,
Guantanamo Bay;
Wes tortures the bookie
Buffy characters on Angel;
6; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes
Questions and observations;
Cordy considers calling the police. Even if they believed her is demon fighting illegal? Cordy mentions her pony, Lilah's talk with Angel foreshadows him joining WR&H in season 5
Marks out of 10; 5/10, an ep mainly notable for the introduction of Lilah

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

The Good;
Nice that with Buffy and Riley ahem, preoccupied the other Scoobs have a chance to shine for a change.
The Bad;
Vines look a little lame but apart from that all good.
Best line;
Giles "Do you really think they're keeping it up? Oh for a different phrasing"
Women good/men bad;
In this case a female villain, the religious zealot 'carer'
Jeez!;
The drowning scenes are horrible, a very primal human fear.
Kinky dinky;
Basically one big marathon sex session between Buffy and Riley (at least they use protection) plus the house sending sexual energy surging through it's inhabitants. Plus Anya and Xander in the ice-cream van. Anya comments that Xander and she both like his penis. Apparently there's only been 2 nights where Xander and Anya haven't had sex, to paraphrase Buffy 'Xander is quite the machine' Xander gets to kiss the lovely Julie. Xander refers to a big bursting poltergasm.
Calling Captain Subtext;
Anya, Tara and Willow seem remarkably keen on Giles playing his guitar (Willow always had a thing for guitarists) again suggesting bi-Willow and even bi-Tara. Her revelation about her crush must have had Gillow fans going into overtime. Tara has a moment of homophobia due to the house's influence. Spike and Anya bond over their past evil. Spike seems to want to be heroic when Xander asks for volunteers to rescue Buffy? Willow seems scared of horses although she seems to have gotten over that by the end of season 5. Tara tells Willow she can come 'Riding with me sometime' Ohhhhh matron! Willow asks Buffy if she still loves her despite having spilt 'something purple' on her peasant blouse (the answer is yes). Spike says that love is a terrible thing just as he does in 'Lover's Walk'. 'Dingoes ate my baby' poster visible for the last time.
Guantanamo Bay;
Scoobies to the ER;
Anya and Xander are pretty cut up by the end but their injuries seem to heal pretty fast, perhaps because they're mystical?
Where's Dawn?
Home with Joyce
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 5,
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 15
Giles: 10
Cordy: 6
Xander: 8
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 2
Wes: 1

Kills:
Buffy: 1 demon for Buffy so 79 vamps, 27 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 4 vamps
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, ½ a demon, ½ a demon
Anya: ½ a demon
Riley; 1 vamp for Riley so 12 vamps + 6 demons

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 2

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 6
Giles: 3
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: 7
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh

Total number of scoobies: 6 actually going to reduce this as Spike not officially a Scooby by a long way
Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Riley,

Xander demon magnet: 5
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?)

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3; Angel, Parker, Riley
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, possibly Ted
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 1;Oz
Questions and observations;
What the heck does Xander mean when he refers to people going 'all Felicity with their hair'? Anya's humanity is still a work in process despite her having a soul. Once more, Buffy goes christian bashing.
Marks out of 10; 7/10 good ep without being brilliant

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

ETERNITY
The Good;
Nice central concept, lovely to see Oliver again and the scens with him and Rebecca and Angel and Rebecca are also good. Tamara Gorski is very good as she also was in Hercules although her Irish accent is just as bad as DBs.
The Bad;
The explanation that the drugs effects are only temporary is stupid, it's not like the 'happy' Buffy gave Angel lasted for weeks (or if it did I'm doing it wrong?) In season 4 when they need to bring Angelus out why not just give him some of this? Why does Angelus cut the phones, who are they going to call?
Best line:
Rebecca (after Angel tells her he doesn't kill any more) "There's a support group for everything in this town"
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Angel(us)? spraying the blood over Rebecca
Apocalypses: 4 Cordy tells Rebecca that Angel saved the world but he also points out he tried to destroy it
Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; 15,
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; Angel tries to act casual about saving Rebecca but you can see he's miffed when the papers don't mention him.
In disguise; 3
DB get's his shirt off; yep, after Rebecca spills her drink on it
5
Cordy's tattoo;3
Cheap Angel; 2
Fang Gang in bondage: Cordy chains the boss to the bed again
Cordy: 5
Angel: 7
Wes: 1

Fang gang knocked out: Wes and Angel(us)
Cordy: 8
Angel: 10
Wes: 3
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 3 vamps, 1½ demons
Angel: 11 vamps, 6 and 1/2 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 1/2 a demon

Fang Gang go evil: Angel and how!
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang: Angelus
Cordy: 2
Angel: 6

Characters killed:
25
Recurring characters killed;
2;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
3, Angel and Cordy and Wes

Angel Investigations shot: just blanks this week
Angel: 7,
Packing heat;
Wes; 2
Doyle; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:
Cordy calls Rebecca a ****. How long did she know Wilson for before jumping into bed with him and his Hackslaw beast?
Captain Subtext;
Cordy says she'd have picketed the studio but lacked 'sensible shoes' (interesting considering the furore surrounding Angel's cancellation). Angel says that Ernest Borgnine is a 'skilled lover'?
Know the face, different character; 2
Parking garages;
4,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel;
6; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes
Questions and observations;
Can't quite imagine Doyle and Angel at an Ibsen play? Wes and Angel seem much more at home. Wes' remark of ET meaning Emma Thompson is SOOO him. Angel thinks Frank Langella is the best Dracula (did he ever meet the real deal? Langella doesn't physically resemble him). Wonder what he'd have made of his Oscar nominated turn in Frost vs Nixon? Angelus says he never killed a famous person which is reassuring.
Marks out of 10; 8/10 good ep, nice character development and a little to say about Hollywood
Stay tuned, hurricane Faith is on her way!

 

[Hush]

I just finished the episode in Angel where Cordy gets her memories back and man was it awesome. I thoughtit was going to be dumb at first but it was really fun and good.

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

I just finished the episode in Angel where Cordy gets her memories back and man was it awesome. I thoughtit was going to be dumb at first but it was really fun and good.

Ah, 'Spin the Bottle', yeah a classic, taking the premise of Tabula Rusa and giving it a terrific new style. A firm favourite with the fans although what happens later is a lot more controversial. At least until Faith shows up.

NEW MOON RISING

The Good;
Oz is back and not before time, it's all wonderful. No matter how big a Tara fan you are you've got to adore the Willow/Oz goodbye scene
The Bad;
The werewolf makeup still stupid, thankfully the last time we'll see it.
Best line;
Riley; "No sir, I'm an anarchist"
Women good/men bad;
Oz's jealousy of Willow/Tara brings out his more animal nature.
Jeez!;
The Initiative experimenting on Oz
Kinky dinky;
Riley has now acquired a double bed and Buffy now sleeps in one of his shirts. Buffy imagines that Willow and werewolf Oz have had sex?
Calling Captain Subtext;
Buffy's reaction to the news of Will and Tara is a little freaked, interesting that she'll later vent on Riley due to his anti-demon stance (hasn't told him about Angel yet). Compensating through guilt? Buffy remarks about the uncontrollable nature of love, pressaging her relationship with Spike. Spike notes that Buffy is a 'whiny little thing' but always wins. So what exactly do Willow and Tara get up to when the candle goes out? Only fanfic can tell! That said Willow never says to Oz 'We can't be together any more because I'm gay', in fact she seems to hold out the offer that they could possibly get back together if circumstances changed so more bi than gay. Xander obviously glad to see Oz back.
Guantanamo Bay;
Riley finally rebels against the Initiative
Scoobies to the ER;
Where's Dawn?
What's Dawn's attitude to Oz? I suspect she was a fan although she also loves Tara.
Missing scenes;
Apocalypses; 5,
Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage: Oz tied up by the Initiative
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 2
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1

Scoobies knocked out: Oz againx2
Buffy: 15
Giles: 10
Cordy: 6
Xander: 8
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 5
Faith: 1
Joyce: 2
Wes: 1

Kills:
Buffy: 79 vamps, 27 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 4 vamps
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, ½ a demon, ½ a demon
Anya: ½ a demon
Riley; 12 vamps + 6 demons

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 2

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 6
Giles: 3
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: 7
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh
Sunnydale Death toll; I figure must be around 60?

Total number of scoobies: 7
Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Riley and Tara attending her first Scooby meeting

Xander demon magnet: 5
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?)

Scoobies shot: Riley is about to shoot Oz although unless it's loaded with silver bullets you wonder would his pistol affect him? The Initiative guys surround Riley and Oz, surely if they opened fire they'd kill each other too?
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4

Notches on Scooby bedpost: I think we should add Tara to the list for Willow especially as Oz notes Willow's scent is 'all over' Tara.
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3; Angel, Parker, Riley
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, possibly Ted
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Questions and observations;
The entrance of Connor Farrell, a great actor from Sex and the City, From the Earth to the Moon and especially an obscure old series I used to enjoy called Dark Skies (anyone else remember it? they used to show it very late on C4, basically history from a UFO conspiracists POV). In case anyone doesn't know William Boroughs wrote surrealist novel The Naked Lunch and accidentally shot his wife through the head. Adam was a Boy Scout. So, a werewolf CAN control it's impulses? Maybe Buffy and co should tell Nina that on Angel? (wouldn't you love Oz to turn up in Angel S6/Buffy S8?) Now according to Keith Toppings book the events of 5x5 occur AFTER this ep. Willow and Tara discuss Miss Kitty. Last mention of Devon. Anya displays her computer skills for the first time. McNamara is the name of Kennedy's defence secretary who is widely blamed for the failure of the Vietnam War and who died just this week.
On my 2009 Buffy calender there's a great picture of Tara and Oz with Willow in the middle. Tara's holding Willow's arm and Will's looking at Oz who looks as if he's about to form an expression as if to say "Sorry babe, I'm with her". I don't think it's a scene from the show but it's a peach of pic.
Marks out of 10; 8/10

 

[lorenzovanmatte]

FIVE BY FIVE
The Good;
All of it, brilliant episode that gives Angel it's first 10/10 story. It's my all time favorite Angel ep AND contains my nearly all time favourite Angel moment, Wes coming across the weeping Faith in Angel's arms and dropping the knife.
The Bad;
If you think there's anything bad in this ep, go to the doctor because you're clearly crazy
Best line:
Cordy 'Generally you don't change a guy. Scratch the surface and what do you get? More surface!' (the events of Expecting still sting obviously)
Jeez, how did they get away with that?
Faith tortures Wes, horribly. She hurts Lee too but who cares? Darla describes killing children who 'squeal like little piggies', eugh!
Apocalypses: 4
Angel Cliches
Damsel in distress; 15,
Inverting the Hollywood cliche; loathsome pimp picks up beautiful lost girl who then turns around and beats the crap out of him! Good for her!
In disguise; 4, Angel masquerades as a lawyer
DB get's his shirt off; 5
Cordy's tattoo;3
Cheap Angel; he doesn't carry any cash with him
3
Fang Gang in bondage: Wes tied to a chair
Cordy: 5
Angel: 8
Wes: 2

Fang gang knocked out: Cordy and Wes
Cordy: 9
Angel: 10
Wes: 4
Doyle; 1

Kills:
Cordy: 3 vamps, 1½ demons
Angel: 3 demons so 11 vamps, 9 and 1/2 demons, 2 humans.
Doyle; 1 vamp
Wes; 1/2 a demon
Kate; 3 vamps
Fang Gang go evil:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 2

Alternate Fang Gang:
Cordy: 2
Angel: 6

Characters killed:
25
Recurring characters killed;
2;

Total number of Angel Investigations:
3, Angel and Cordy and Wes

Angel Investigations shot: Angel by Faith
Angel: 8,
Packing heat; Angel tries to shoot Faith in the leg but fires blanks
Wes; 2
Doyle; 1
Angel; 1

Notches on Fang Gang bedpost:
Cordy: 2 ?+Wilson/Hacksaw Beast
Angel: 1;Buffy

Kinky dinky:
Lindsey offers to 'get Faith off' but she's heard that from guys before (although Lilah promises she'll impress Faith?). The guy who picks Faith up at the bus station is clearly looking to be her pimp but she gives him what he deserves. In a blow to Cesly fans CC proclaims that hell will freeze over before she has sex with Wes. Faith dancing is always a highlight. Darla and Angel(us) refer to 'playing games'.
Captain Subtext;
Lilah picks Faith up in the club. Faith remarks she's not much of a talker, more of a doer
Know the face, different character; 2
Parking garages;
4,
Guantanamo Bay;
Buffy characters on Angel;
7; Angel, Cordy, Oz, Spike, Buffy, Wes, Faith
Questions and observations;
Note that when Angel catches the crossbow bolt Faith fires at him it's nowhere near his heart, she just wants to goad him into the fight. At this stage Wolfram and Hart don't realise that they need Angel for their prophecy so are quite happy to try and kill him. We have flashbacks to resouled Angel having broken up with Darla, starving but isn't able to bring himself to kill in order to eat. All of the WR&H lawyers have the same initials, LM? How does Angel enter the thugs apartment when he's not invited? PTB or is the guy squatting?
Marks out of 10; 10/10 my favourite Angel ep ever