Willow and Oz: It's too bad that Oz's Season 2 appearances are sporadic, since the beginnings of his relationship with Willow are just a joy. Not just his warmth and her excitement, but the way he gets integrated into the Scoobies so easily because he's already a smart, courageous misfit. I'm particularly fond of Seth Green's mannerisms, like the way he gestures when asking if anyone else just saw that guy turn into dust, and the way Sunnydale's paranormal activity is lampshaded with his "this explains a lot" comment and it not only fits his character but reinforces it.

This season has the highest concentration of best Buffyverse ships, but only Buffy/Angel gets a canon shot at being endgame. I'm going to try not to let that bother me as I journey through the past.

Xander and Cordelia: They have an extended awkward are-we-dating dance in the shooting script (I'm trying to space out these quotes because there's a motherload of them to get through):
​
          He moves off. Cordelia closes her locker, catches up to him.

          CORDELIA
          Let me... Think about it. Can I pick out your clothes?

          XANDER
          For the party?

          CORDELIA
          For pretty much... every day.

          She walks off. Xander watches her, chagrined, then sees GILES in the-

Considering that neither of these characters are among my favorites and I know how this ends and there's no hope of a post-canon reunion, I'm pretty invested in Cordy/Xander. The inner conflict that keeps them apart is real, which means that their mutual attraction has to be real enough to overcome their misgivings, and overcoming their misgivings will make both of them into better people. How could I not root for them?

Well, okay, there is the issue of Xander still having an obnoxiously overt crush on Buffy. His daydream about rescuing her from a dead end future with Angel is downright stomach-turning. Youth and bad upbringing notwithstanding, he should know better than to make light of his friend's pain, and nobody should be putting up with it.

But I don’t mind this jealous moment from him because it got some cuteness out of Buffy:

          BUFFY
          Rough night. I had a dream that Drusilla was alive - and she killed Angel. It really spun me. I even went by Angel's on            the way to school to make sure he was okay.

          XANDER
         There's a line I haven't tried. "I just dropped by to see if you're dead." It says caring. Concerned. Smootchies                            guaranteed.

          BUFFY
          Please. I didn't go over there for smootchies -
          (then)
          Well. When I found out he was okay I was relieved, and so, naturally...
          (then)
          Someone stop me.

          JENNY
          (obliging)
          So, Angel's alright?

Spike and Dru: This very brief interlude between Drusilla regaining her power and Angelus returning may actually be where the Spike/Dru team is at their strongest. Spike's in the wheelchair, but he's still seen as the guy in charge by the rest of the vampires, and Drusilla still depends on him - or thinks she does, or pretends she does, and that's enough to keep him pacified. I wonder how long they could have lasted if not for the interruption of a third party who provides an inconvenient contrast to Spike's handicap.

The Judge accusing them of sharing affection and jealousy is something that comes up a lot in debates about whether vampires are capable of love and whether there are degrees of evil for soulless beings. I'm not that interested in getting into it now, but let's make a note that Spike and Dru could have been spared for no better reason than that they were the ones who reanimated the Judge, and also that Dalton's bookishness doesn't make him less evil but that bringing it up might be shorthand for his lack of interest in murder and chaos, and we'll revisit the subject in the next episode when Angelus mysteriously escapes being fried.

Giles and Jenny: I am going to miss them so hard. They didn't get nearly enough time to just be a couple. I'll mostly let the following script quote do the heavy lifting for this, though, and then unload the rest of my shooting script quotes. There was really quite a lot cut out of this episode and nothing significant added as far as I could tell, so I’m guessing the writers just tried to cram in too much.

I also don't have any Giles and Objects this time aside from that failed attempt above, but I did notice that when Buffy falls asleep in his office, she's watched over not only by Angel but by a little Notre Dame gargoyle. That's my kind of decorating!

The scenes removed don’t contradict canon in any major way and most of them I could take or leave, but the following is one I’d really like to keep. Giles and Jenny having a serious conversation about Buffy in which Jenny’s secret allegiance shows through but doesn’t supersede her respect for Giles? Yes please!

And the Slayer lore! Where else do we get an approximate lifespan mentioned? Are prophetic dreams not usually part of the starter pack? If Buffy’s intuition is heightened, is that not something we should take into account when it comes to her trust in Angel? And what did Giles end up getting Buffy for her birthday?!

         Calendar and Giles enter - continuing their talk.

         JENNY
         I guess it makes sense. I mean, all of Buffy's senses are heightened. Why should her intuition be different?

         GILES
         Precisely. It's not unheard of for the Slayer to start having prophetic dreams and visions as she approaches                           adulthood-

          JENNY
         Adulthood? Buffy's seventeen tomorrow, Giles. Don't rush her.

         GILES
         I'm not the one rushing her. While I'm loathe to say it, the fact is - the Slayer rarely lives into her mid-twenties. It                   follows that she'd exhibit signs of maturity early on. Her whole life-cycle is accelerated.

         JENNY
        Still, you should be careful about treating her like a grown-up. Like - this thing with Angel. Have you even talked to              her about it?

         GILES
         I - I suppose I try not to pry.

          JENNY
         Maybe you should, a little. The way she talks - it's clear she has intense feelings for him.

         GILES
         Well, yes. They're friends-

          JENNY
         They're more than friends and you know it.

          A beat as this sinks in.

          GILES
          I'm not her father, Jenny.

          JENNY
          She looks up to you. She'll never actually say that, but she does. And I just think, at her age, it's easy to get in. over               your head. She could make some bad choices here. Trust me on this one.

          GILES
          I'll keep an eye to it. Right now I'm worried enough trying to think of the right birthday present.

This is a nice nod to “School Hard,” in which Joyce found out that Snyder is a rodent and his word about Buffy can be disregarded.

          JOYCE
         First of all - you promised you'd stay out of trouble in school.

          BUFFY
          I try. You know I do. But Principal Snyder has it in for me-

          JOYCE
          I know. But... You behind the wheel, it worries me.

These next two are unnecessary, but I like the look at Cordy’s divided loyalties. It’s not just about Xander; at this point she probably likes hanging out with the Scoobies a lot more than with the Cordettes, but she can’t do both at once, and she’s not ready to lose her social standing yet. This attempt at testing the waters feels very real.

           Cordy and HARMONY stroll to class. See XANDER and WILLOW hanging in the LOUNGE in the BG.

           CORDELIA
           (too casual)
           Hello. I'm having, like, a totally random thought...
           (then)
           Xander Harris. Is it just me, or does his shirt almost match his pants?
         
           Harmony looks. Shrugs.

           HARMONY
           Almost. Why do I care?

           CORDELIA
           Well. If you look at him a certain way - is he vaguely.., cute?

           THEIR POV
           As XANDER does some spazzy dance for Willow's amusement.
           RESUME

           HARMONY
           Oh yeah. I'm hot for spaz boy. Are you tripping, Cordelia?

           A beat. Cordelia laughs a little too loud.

           CORDELIA
           You thought I was serious? Please. I was just testing you! Ha.
           (sighs)
           I'm hot for spaz boy. Good one.

For the other side of the coin, Xander gets to have Willow’s intelligent generous nature instead of a Harmony of his own, so there’s a lot less cringe to their conversation about Cordelia. It’s still a little sad to see how Cordy looks through Willow's eyes, though.

            WILLOW
            So we're all set. I've got all the decorations. And I think Cordelia's bringing snacks and stuff.

            XANDER
            Yeah. She said she was. Which was thoughtful. Don't you think?
            (takes the leap)
            Hey. Cordelia: not as horrible a person as we once thought? I mean, she's obviously trying to be helpful.

            WILLOW
            True.
            (considers)
            Maybe…

            XANDER
            But, you wouldn't ever, like, be able to be friends with her or something.

            WILLOW
            You mean, like hang out and take Cosmo tests together?

            XANDER
            I mean - actually elect to be in her presence.

            WILLOW
            I don't know. She's better - but she's still Cordelia.
            (nods to the hall)
            Just... look.

            THEIR POV
            CORDELIA and HARMONY are joined by a few other Cordettes. They all SQUEAL in greeting. Jump up and down.

            ON WILLOW AND XANDER
            WILLOW
            Example: what is the shrieking thing? They just saw each other yesterday… And now, watch - Cordelia's going to                   model her new outfit-

            ON CORDELIA, ET AL
            Sure enough - Cordelia spins around, showing off her mini-dress. More shrieks.

            ON WILLOW AND XANDER
            WILLOW
            Note the reaction - like Cordelia invented clothes.
            (then)
            They're not bad people, Xander. It's just - we are of two worlds.
            (can't help herself)
            And theirs is bad.

            Xander lets this sinks in.
            XANDER
            Right. Of course you're right. What was I thinking?

Oh and there’s a third side to the coin! A Willow/Oz moment that didn’t air! And Xander being jealous. Of course. At least he would take a bullet for her.

             Now OZ approaches. Willow immediately gets shy, happy.

             OZ
             Hey.

             WILLOW
             Hey. So - tonight?

             OZ
             I'm there. Feeling surprise-y.
             (then)
             Can I pick you up?

             Xander's watching them, unsure what to make of all this.

             WILLOW
             Yeah. That would be... Here-

             She writes it on her pad - tears it off and gives it to Oz.

             OZ
             (pleased)
             I have your address.

             WILLOW
             You do.

             OZ
             Excellent.

             He moves off. Xander looks at Willow - a little shocked.

            XANDER
            Is this a date?

           WILLOW
           (distracted)
           Hmmm...?
           (then)
           Yeah. It's a date.

           XANDER
           Shouldn't you meet him or something? Are you sure you should be giving some stranger your address?

           WILLOW
           He's not just some stranger, Xander. He's a friend. He took a bullet for me.

           XANDER
           So? I would've taken a bullet for you. Nobody offered me one.

           Off Willow - enjoying Xander's discomfort.

There was already too much “Character says line and Xander has to comment on said line” in the finished version, but it turns out there was even more of it in the script:

          GILES
          Except I won't be wearing the little hat.

          XANDER
          He has dignity.

I remember this from the first time I read the script at the height of my BtVS obsession. It made me smile again. It’s so Joss.

          A beat as Buffy catches her breath. Then the HULKING VAMP is on her. FITE! (and if we can afford it) FITE! FITE!!

This one too:

         XANDER
         You think they left his heart in San Francisco?

         Scattered glares.

         OZ
         (aside to Xander)
         I had that thought too.

Oooooooh, I like this. Remember there was a time before everyone was used to General Buffy?

          She heads out the door. Angel follows her. A beat while everyone reacts to General Buffy.

One cut Buffy/Angel scene. Note that Angel tries to be macho and keep Buffy out of danger, but only after she did it to him first. It’s not condescension, it’s “this virtuous thing.” I would have liked to see the actors performing this one.

          Buffy and Angel steal in through a dark doorway to the balcony. They keep out of sight, talk quietly.

           BUFFY
           Angel. Maybe I should go in alone. I mean, if my dreams are so true-

           ANGEL
           (firmly)
           I'm not letting you go by yourself.

           Buffy knows she can't fight him on this.
           BUFFY
           Okay - what do we do if the Judge is already put together?

           ANGEL
           I'll deal with it. You keep your distance.

           Buffy looks at him. Blinks.
           BUFFY
           We're going to have to get over this virtuous thing or we're dead meat.

            ANGEL
            (she's right)
            If he's assembled, we retreat. Together. Get the others and make a battle plan.

           BUFFY
           Deal.

​Character introductions for Jenny's uncle and the Judge:

          As she passes an OLD, DARK-SKINNED MAN who lurks near the school. His dress has a slightly ETNIC flair. He                        watches her enter the building, then moves off - unnoticed.

          As he takes his first, LUMBERING steps out of the BOX. His aura is that of deadly indifference. He is a killing thing,                not good or evil.

Plenty to unpack there but I'm reaching the end of my endurance for writing this post, so have at it. Regarding the links, I'm finally getting the chance to post my extended semi-abandoned B/A AU fic, "Older," which combines Seasons 2 and 3 by making everyone a year older than they were in canon. It begins in an alternate "Surprise" and I left off just after "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered," so if I play my cards right this rewatch might get me back to it.

Notes:

• I'd like to read some fic exploring why exactly the Romani that Angelus murdered was so beloved of her tribe that even those who never met her are supposed to make her their top priority.
• Buffy's inability to drive is such an interesting aspect of her character, especially since the references to it are so few and far between.
• I know most of the vampire lore is there to serve the plot and frequently retconned, but I'm curious about why Spike's injuries immobilized his legs while Drusilla's run-in with the angry mob weakened her with no visual signs. Also, why he healed naturally but she needed an elaborate spell.
• When Drusilla claps and demands more music, the subtitles say [EERIE MUSIC PLAYING] and the song that begins is "Transylvanian Concubine" by Rasputina. Apt enough but they have eerier and better songs.

Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
• Read this post on Dreamwidth
• Fic: Older

1. Surprise, Part One
2. Surprise, Part Two
3. Surprise, Part Three
4. Surprise, Part Four
5. Surprise, Part Five
6. Surprise, Part Six

​

For entertainment purposes I'm going to try to untangle the incredibly weird metaphor that this episode is trying to deliver. Wish me luck.

Sex leads to babies. So far so good; this is true in the real world. Teenagers aren't prepared to take care of babies but might think they are, so adults try to explain the dangers of sex by making the teenagers pretend that they have to take care of babies. They do this by assigning them raw eggs to look after - in pairs, so most kids only have the egg 50% of the time - which is very easy, because the eggs are nothing like babies.

The supernatural catch is that the eggs...are literal babies. Not human ones of course but still. One advantage to this plot development is that, much like the Dematorin of the previous episode, it offers an in-universe handwave for the nonsensical way all the characters are acting: the bezoar inside each egg exerts a subtle influence over the nearest human mind right from the start, making the students devote themselves wholeheartedly to this inane assignment instead of taking the logical route and sticking the egg in the refrigerator each night and grabbing a new one to bring to school in the morning. The longer the eggs incubate, the stronger the influence becomes, accounting for how Giles and other adults eventually fall victim to them. I don't think there's ever an explanation about where the eggs came from in the first place, but the sex ed teacher must have gotten the bezoar's mental whammy before the class even began, which is why he decided on such a dumb project in the first place.

Props to Xander, of course, for doing the second most logical thing and hard-boiling his egg. It seems fair to assume that he also was affected by the bezoar trying to enthrall him, but that impulse was overridden by his inherent resistance to studying.

Now let's get to the downside: the writers trying desperately to apply Plot A to the main characters' development and the season arc. "Among teens unwanted pregnancy would be the number one negative consequence of sexual activity. This is partly because Some teens think of a baby as a toy, or as a companion who will give them love. The truth, of course, is that a child is a relentless, needy tyrant. So, as discussed last week, I've devised an exercise that may give you some idea of what an enormous burden having your own tiny charge can be--" I pulled this quote from the shooting script because it's more ham-handed than the aired version, but thereby it provides a clearer Aesop. Don't have sex or you'll have a baby and babies suck.

Maybe this would have landed a bit better if any of the characters actually wanted a baby before the exercise. As it is, all we can take from it is that bezoar eggs, i.e. metaphorical children, do not give you love and will eventually destroy you. Kind of harsh, isn't it? Buffy and Joyce ending on bad terms makes it even uglier, and let's not get into the Whedonverse's fondness for forced mystical pregnancy stories. (Poor Cordelia.)

There's also a slight hiccup in that none of the teenage characters are actually having sex. As a set-up for Buffy and Angel getting it on in the next episode, "Bad Eggs" would be pretty shrewd, but the danger of pregnancy in their case is immediately nixed when Buffy discovers that vampires can't have children, which it really seems like she should have already known or expected, but I digress. Maybe the entire bezoar plot is just a clever misdirect for the less obvious consequences of sex?

Which brings me to the peculiar back-and-forth between Xander and Cordy during the sex ed class. They're using the topic to accuse each other of being bad in bed...but they're not in bed. They've never been in bed. All they do during their secret trysts is kiss, just like Buffy and Angel when they're procrastinating on patrol.

And I've got to be honest here - this fascinates me, precisely because nobody thinks twice about it. In all kinds of fiction, when two characters have sex you know that they're "together," unless they're too young for the audience to feel comfortable with that, and then the cue is kissing. In real life? It's pretty much the same thing! If you see two teenagers kissing, chances are they're a couple. If two adults have been dating for a while, most people will probably assume they've had sex. How is this so ingrained? Why is the strictly human practice of romantically pushing mouths together analogous to the act of reproductive animal intercourse? Do these questions have anything to do with the way this episode was written, or am I the only one who even thinks about them?

Buffy Is the Title: Our girl gets put through so much. She really did a good job saving the Gorch victim in the mall, and the only reward she wanted for it was an amiable food court dinner with her mom. It's going to be such a relief to get to the end of this season just so Joyce is let in on the secret.

The Buffy and Angel Show: I know that I said all they're doing on patrol is kissing, but there's really a big question mark around the physicality of this stage in their relationship. We see first base, it could be up to third, but I'm going to place my bets on second. Imagine what that must have been like, for both of them - Buffy getting the rush that hasn't faded with age and experience, Angel rediscovering the innocence of a gentle touch. 

Got to bring in another script quote here: "Buffy and ANGEL are leaning against a tree. Kissing madly. It's pretty hot. Finally, Buffy breaks away." Yes, it is pretty hot, it's true and you should say it. 

My Willow Tree: This is where we learn that Willow is Jewish, and it's the first step in a not entirely welcome progression of her character. Xander's joke about Christian values is no more than cute banter, and Willow's equally cute objection is the right response to that, as is her satisfaction with his advice to substitute the dreidel song for the Christian values. Later on, she won't let this kind of remark slide, no matter how harmless its intent. She won't even remember that being optimistic was something that her friends loved about her.

Xander and Cordelia: I'm not taking either side, but I think what people don't get about Xander's assholery is that it comes from the same place as Cordy's. He's jealous of her popularity, money, and confidence, and when she rubs it in, he fights back. She's jealous of his genuine friendships, self-reliance, and (such irony) confidence, and when he rubs it in, she fights back. Neither of them realize that they have something worth coveting, so they don't know how effective their barbs are; all they can do is escalate. 

It's a lot like the way siblings fight in childhood. No logic, just attempts to hurt the other and an inability to walk away. Fortunately, they're getting close to learning something from all this.

Giles and Objects: One thing I never enjoy watching in this show is the kind of possession that leaves the character acting normally enough to fool the others, and for some reason it's always worst when it's Giles. The bezoar should not be allowed access to his reassuring voice and librarian movements!

I'm bummed I didn't get a still of Giles with an egg, but I really like the scene where he's lurking in the background while the kids talk until he comes forward with some exposition, so there's some of that below.

I got you these script quotes! Intro for a Gorch. Studly? Are we sure about that?
​
          Buffy walks toward "Everyday woman", a totally "L7" clothing store. She can't help but notice a YOUNG, STUDLY                    GUY in western-style clothes, who's clearly hitting on a CUTE GIRL. The girl sits on a bench outside the store. He                    stands by her, one foot on the bench. He talks, she laughs shyly.

Description of a classroom set, and...

         There are posters on the wall about vegetables, teen pregnancy, that sort of stuff. Mr. Whitmore is pacing while the            assembled class looks on.

Wait. Hold on. Wait. The posters are about vegetables, teen pregnancy, and "that sort of stuff"? What qualities do vegetables and teen pregnancy have in common? Is there a third item that fits into this category? What am I missing here?

Intro for the other Gorch.

          As in the picture, Lyle's older brother, TECTOR, is a large, graceless guy. He's not the sharpest tool in the shed - but              what he lacks in brains he makes up for in sheer, brutish power. Like Lyle, he speaks with a Texas drawl.

Particularly long one coming up (these things are a pain to format), but it's an extension of the key conversation that Buffy and Angel have about their future, and I thought it deserved to reach a few more eyes. It was also my inspiration for the new fic linked at the end.

           ANGEL
          (skeptical)
          So you don't think about the future.

          BUFFY
          No.

          ANGEL
          Never.

          BUFFY
          No.

          ANGEL
          How can you say that? You're not
          like me. You could have a normal life.
          (off her look)
          You know what I mean. Less not
          normal. You really don't care what
          happens a year from now? Five years
          from now -- ?

          BUFFY
          I - I can't care.
          (with difficulty)
          Angel. when I try to look into the
          future, all I can see... is you--

          Angel shakes his head.

          ANGEL
          (pained)
          Buffy--

          BUFFY
          And I don't have a choice. Don't you
          know that? If I could do the logic
          thing, you think I would even be here?
          (then)
          All I can see is you... All I want is you.

          A beat. Finally - Angel node. Giving into it.

          ANGEL
          (quietly)
          I know the feeling.

          He draws her back into his arms. They kiss tenderly, passionately. Tomorrow entirely forgotten.

Well, this is the end of Buffy's life as she knows it. For the next few episodes I've already got "Older" as my fic link, and of course I'm excited to get there and maybe even revive that old thing after I run out of it. I don't know if this means the next post will come sooner, though, since I've got some life stuff going on. You know, brought home an egg and it hatched a bezoar which is now fused to my spine and controlling my actions.

Notes:

• There are some lines in this episode that aren't that notable in print but made fantastic by the actors' deliveries: "Why do you all have eggs?" "It's an egg, Buffy, it doesn't emote," and Buffy's indignant "How?" when a Gorch says it's all her fault.
• I had to google the spelling of dreidel and in doing so discovered a virtual dreidel you can spin. I don't know what any of the symbols mean but it's addictive.
• I can't differentiate Lyle from Tector so I just think of them both as Gorch. My feelings about them as villains are pretty neutral.

​Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
• Read this post on Dreamwidth
• Fic - Less Not Normal

I'm going to start by ripping off a band-aid, since I'm writing this not long after Joss Whedon poured his heart out in his first interview since the Ray Fisher and Charisma Carpenter (etc.) accusations surfaced. Ordinarily I wouldn't feel the need to address anything that comes from the real world, but the plot of this episode is just too relevant. 

Looking ahead to Season 3, the character of Ted is essentially a preview of the Mayor, and others of their ilk will keep popping up in the Whedonverse for as long as there's something known as the Whedonverse. The formula isn't just "He seems friendly but he's actually evil;" it's a man who's traditional to the point of old-fashioned in all the worst ways. He's usually Christian, and there's some kind of trauma behind him. Most of all, he's sexist. "I think you might want to stop
telling me what to do," says Ted. "I don't take orders from women. I'm not wired that way."

As far as I can tell, this kind of villain appeals to Joss because it's so obvious. Dangerous men will broadcast their misogyny and use conservative values as their front. Beware of that type, but pay no attention to the man who will cheat on you for years, publicly humiliate you, and threaten your career - he's a feminist, after all.

Separated from the personal context, the straw misogynist falls apart in storytelling terms because his motives never make sense. In Ted's case, we learn that his wife left him when he was dying, so he...built a robot modeled after himself which kidnaps women to turn them into his wife? Even if the robot succeeds (which I suppose it did, to some extent), Ted never benefits from this. He's dead. Xander calls it "creepy on a level I hardly knew existed," which is really just lampshading the fact that it doesn't exist. Ted was insane, okay. That's still a cop-out. The idea of a man with traditional values who wanted to build something that outlives him, i.e., for someone else's sake, just doesn't exist in the playbook Joss uses.

With that out of the way, the other thing that annoys me about this episode is the way nobody but Buffy notices how creepy Ted is, or believes her when she talks about his threatening behavior. Fortunately, there's a handy in-universe fix for this. Here's what Willow says about the drug that the robot puts in the cookies, and presumably all the other food he's been making: "​I'm not positive, but I think it's Dematorin. It's like a tranquilizer, keeps you all mellow and compliant. And it shares a few components with ecstasy." Since this isn't a real drug, the comparisons to tranquilizers and ecstasy are irrelevant. Anything in the Buffyvese might have its roots in magic, whether or not the original Ted was aware of it. This also goes for his robotics, because, science? Yeah right. Anyway, I couldn't think of anything else to write a drabble about for this episode.

And now I guess I'll be talking about pop culture. I kept noticing moments that reminded me of other TV shows so I decided to roll with it. ​

Three's Company wasn't one of the other shows, because I've never seen it. I had to look up John Ritter’s filmography,  because I remember everyone mentioning him in reference to this episode, in an “and he’s played by John Ritter. Isn’t that great?” kind of way. All I got from IMDb suggested that Three’s Company is the big deal, as I couldn’t find a more famous role for him, even though I didn’t think Buffy fans were much into ‘70s sitcoms. While we’re on the subject, though, Ritter was also a voice in The Flight of Dragons, and that is great.

Buffy Is the Title: Buffy's struggle over seeing her mom dating made me think of Cobra Kai. The POV characters in that are the potential stepdad and the teenage son, and you're ultimately hoping for them to become a family, so it's the contrast that interests me. Could Buffy have managed an arc wherein a new father figure is a good thing, or is that just beyond its scope?

Completely unrelated, at the beginning of the episode Buffy admits that she loves playing nursemaid to Angel. Call it a throwaway line if you wish, but an early issue of Season 8 had her fantasizing about a threesome with Angel and Spike, and I apologize and will accept whatever consequences come of this, but I'm going to share the image below.

Time for script quotes! We've got an intro for Ted, and it...sort of fits what we see on the screen.

          Buffy sees JOYCE, wrapped in a deep romantic kiss with TED BUCHANAN, handsome and athletic, a born salesman.            On the counter near them, a wine bottle and one half full wine glass.

For the below, I just kind of got a kick out of it because that office set looks so out of place:

          Avid fans of the show may note the remarkable similarity between this telemarketing office and our own                              production offices.]

Notes:

• I also had to look up The Captain and Tennille. They were a musical duo, apparently? Seems odd that I not only had never heard of them, but had never heard anyone mention them in reference to this episode. Are they any good?
• Recently my man and I decided on a whim to play some winter minigolf together and it was WAY fun. Adults need to rediscover this game.
• Another thing that "Avid fans" of the show "may note," according to the script, is "the absence of the framed photo of Buffy and Joyce" in the scene where they argue in the kitchen about Ted. I did not note. Did you note?

Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
• ​Read this post on LiveJournal
• Drabble - Dematorin

Buffy Is the Title: When Willy asks Buffy and Kendra if they'd ever consider nude modeling, the script says, "The look they give him is the first thing they have ever shared." I like that this is where the common ground emerges, and I like that the show is acknowledging that they're both beautiful women (albeit through a sleazy character). People sometimes see beautiful women and subconsciously (or not) expect them to be using their looks for a profession, ignoring any other talents or interests they might rather pursue. It's a minor thing but it ties right into this episode's themes: Buffy could be a model just like she could be a police cop, but that isn't who she is.

I can't quite put my finger on the moment she realizes that she doesn't want to let Kendra take over so she can go to Disneyland and have a career, but I think it's part of the realization that she's a better Slayer than Kendra is. She knows they've both learned from each other but also that there's a reason she was Chosen, and that makes it rewarding enough to hold on through the worst parts.

The Buffy and Angel Show: Buffy rescues him from certain death, they pose beautifully in front of a stained glass window together, they convince Kendra that not all vampires should die; really, their work here is done. But they don't  have much screentime together or hold any in-depth discussions about each other, so my work here is done too. There are three (3!) other couples in this episode who need more attention, anyway.

Angel Is More Than a Boyfriend: The plot threads around Angel in this episode are shaky. The vampire necrology rules clearly weren't ironed out yet, and Angel's sole motivation in attempting to taunt Spike into killing him is to stop the ritual which brings Drusilla back to full health. Drusilla's been at full health before; it's obviously not ideal for the good guys but doesn't seem like that much of a crisis. I'm just a little disappointed that Angel didn't come up with anything better than throwing himself to the lions, considering how easily he's shown he can manipulate Spike. (A headcanon that might work here is that it's not Dru's recovery that's the scary part, it's her "coming out party.")

The fic linked at the end of this post is new, and it's inspired by Drusilla's references to her family as she's torturing Angel. What fascinates me about their interactions is the way he hurt her when she had a soul and he didn't, so she hurts him when she has a soul and he doesn't. When they're both soulless, she adores him - that need for vengeance is gone, even though the one who's actually responsible is at hand. Is this a facet of the sire bond? Is she transferring the desire to return the pain onto the "innocent" aspect of Angel because she's incapable of the moral choice that would allow her to enact true justice? How would their relationship look if they both had souls?

Spike and Dru: Odd that even though something like Spike's sire can be retconned so easily, the characterizations of the vampires in this early episode stayed solid until the very end of the franchise. "I've never been much for the pre-show," says Spike, who likes to win and doesn't care how he gets there. Somehow, that offhand remark trips him into a humiliating demonstration of how he'll never actually win against Angel, who remains the object of Spike's girlfriend's obsession.

Even in flashbacks we never get to see much of what Spike/Drusilla was like when both were at 100%. I headcanon she liked to hurt and humiliate him in sex play, and that he wouldn't reciprocate even though he knew she wanted it -- maybe because Angelus wouldn't allow any display of dominance from him. To prove that he was still strong despite being lowest in the Fanged Four pecking order, Spike would have to keep up his habits of violence toward anyone outside their circle, and since that's what he liked doing anyway, it all worked out handily for decades.

Drusilla being weakened is a downer for Spike, since he wants to be in bed with the power, but it gives his ego a boost anyway. Being weakened himself, as he is after this episode, is his worst nightmare. We'll keep examining his downward spiral throughout the season.

Willow and Oz: After Buffy and Angel, these two usually win when I'm ranking Buffyverse couples. I tend not to stay attached when I know a couple won't be the endgame, and I'll ship Willow/Tara too when that comes around, but there's something special about what Oz and Willow have with each other. The innocence, the inherent compatibility of their personalities which still lets through their differences and contrasts. And, of course, I just really love both characters individually, especially in the early seasons.
​
I also like how the natural way in which their relationship builds. Romance in fiction usually means dramatic, passionate events, and that's just how I like it, but this is the perfect exception. Okay, sure, he takes a bullet for her later in the episode and that's pretty dramatic. What I mean is the way their mutual feelings develop, as in this script direction: "He smiles. Willow smiles too - not sure what to make of him." It's very organic, appropriate to their age and to Willow's insecurity, especially since she's not over Xander yet.

Xander and Cordelia: Admit it, that scene where they start making out in the middle of a shouting match is prime comedy. Even the reprise at the end of the episode is hilarious. I really don't have any complaints about the way that Xander/Cordy plays out: Enemies to Lovers to Enemies to Friends, I guess you'd call it? Destined to come to an end, but ultimately both are better for having known each other.

I know there's a lot of criticism toward Xander for the kinds of things he says to Cordy in and out of their time dating, and I'm not going to ignore that. He's an asshole. However, Cordy's an asshole too, and I feel like she gets a lot less of the criticism she deserves, so I'm not going to ignore that either. Xander is bitter and horny, Cordelia is selfish and insensitive. Maybe they can help each other grow out of it.

Giles and Objects: Not much for Giles to do in this episode except for his designated Exposition Guy duties. It was cute to see Buffy jealous of Kendra getting his attention, though.

I've got some script quotes for you! Even though the only way to find them anymore is through the Wayback Machine!

Kendra gets a second introduction, since now we know she's not with the Order of Taraka.

          The new slayer radiates poise and intensity. She's a "take-no-guff" gal with a faintly regal air about her.

The moment where Xander keeps hosing Cordy for the sake of the view he's getting was apparently unscripted:

          Cordelia is flailing as Xander TURNS THE HOSE ON HER. She YELLS and fights the water, but it works - the worms                  are washed away. Xander runs to her and lifts her to her feet.

A little cuteness that was cut:

          KENDRA
          I'm not allowed to watch television.
          My Watcher says it promotes
          intellectual laziness.
          BUFFY
          And he says it like it's a bad thing?

Notes:

• Instead of Jonathan, the script describes a "hostage kid" during the Police Cop demo. It's already happened a couple times that he ends up in the Elevated Extra role and I'm surprised they didn't realize sooner that he was a safe bet.
• Sometimes bad CGI is a blessing. I feel very comforted knowing that there wasn’t a real worm crawling across Bug Man actor’s face.
• Kendra is a character in my "Older'verse" AU series. I've often thought that if there was one thing I could go back and revise in my fanfiction before it had ever been published, it would have been my attempt to write her accent. Even the show can't write her accent.
• Buffy making fun of it is of course fine with me, but wtf, does she think it's Spanish? "No kicko, no fighto"?

Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
• Read this post on LiveJournal
• Fic - The Flight of the Pheasant

I’m watching Buffy for the first time in two years. I’m excited. I dug up the summary that I started for this one, but I don’t know what it will become from here. 

Sunnydale High’s student events continue to be the worst, corralling everyone into a Career Week that’s just as meaningless as the Scoobies think it is. Unfortunately, just like the foreign exchange student episode, this one probably reflects some sad reality of American high schools (again, I didn’t go to one so I don’t know firsthand). People expect teenagers to make important decisions about their lives but won’t offer them the tools they need for it. 

Nobody gets anything out of the experience, except that Xander wants to go to “Principal School,” and now so do I. Even Willow and Oz don’t have the career fair to thank for getting them into the same room, since the guys from the Wolfram & Hart software company (come on, you know it’s true) say they've got nothing to do with it.

As a backdrop to Buffy's melancholy over her future, though, it makes sense and I like the way Plot A is constructed over this two-parter and Plot B follows along with it. The one thing that I'm not really keen on is the Monster(s) of the Week(s), who don't really live up to the threat they're supposed to be. I mean, if the Order of Taraka won't stop coming until the job is done, where are they now? I can accept that they were relatively easy kills, since the idea is that they’re replaced each time one goes down, but is there some canon explanation for them never getting replaced after the third one and never mentioned again? 

Buffy Is the Title: The first issue of the Season 9 comics was one of the few written by Joss, which meant it had some of the best dialogue, especially for Buffy. She references this episode while she’s drunkenly fangirling at the cops who have shown up for a noise violation during her housewarming party: “...And I scored best as a police cop! That was what my aptitude scored as!”

I always loved that line just for the sake of its adorable redundancies, but now I kind of appreciate it on another level, too. Who would have thought that Buffy would someday want to share the memories from this dumb career fair? That she’d actually be excited by having something in common with law enforcement? But it’s so true to life, the rose-colored glasses, and the officers are shown dancing with her in the next panel, so clearly they could see what a good sincere heart she has beneath her party fever.

And actually, the episode puts that into focus too. When Xander prompts Willow and Buffy to tell him he's not stupid, Buffy comes through with such solemnity in her expression and voice that it warms me all over. I mean it. So does she.

The Buffy and Angel Show: So, we're all agreed that it's a sign of the fundamental unfairness of the universe that we never got to see Buffy and Angel skate together, right? Especially since David Boreanaz can skate! Oh well, at least Buffy looks great on her own. And I wrote a fic about it, long long ago, linked at the end of this entry.

Since it's a big B/A episode I ought to have a lot to say about them but all of it seems pretty obvious; I swoon where I'm expected to swoon. I did pull out a shooting script quote from the ice rink scene since I liked the way it solidified Angel's emotions:

          Buffy turns his face back to hers. Tenderly runs her fingers along his transformed features. Angel is overwhelmed.              Nobody has ever touched him like this.

Also, I love how they don’t even consider the option that they can go to a skating rink when it’s open. Is it a mirror issue? Trying to dodge the admission fee? Or just another case of habit?

Other than that, I'm actually more interested in Angel himself this time, since it's also an important step in his personal character arc. Therefore, onto a new category...

Angel Is More Than a Boyfriend: He's finally taking the initiative to do something on his own and it's awesome. Granted, he's doing it because of Buffy, but now he doesn't need to wait for her to tell him how best to love her. He uses sources only he can use, does things she couldn't do, keeps his secrets out of pragmatism instead of shame. Then he gets attacked by Kendra and Buffy has to come save him, but the right intentions were in place!

A bit before that we get, "I lurk," his explanation for how he knows what's going on at Buffy's school. I'm glad she takes this in stride, as it shouldn't surprise her that he hangs around places where he can absorb some of her daylight life without being seen, but it's a sad (though still funny) moment expressing his dual nature as much as the mirror does.

Welcome Willy the Snitch, a two-dimensional character but a fairly funny and appealing one, and great for establishing mythology and other characters. His first scene tells us a little about Willy but a lot about Angel, who inspires fear as soon as he's recognized. You can't effectively run an underworld bar if you're just automatically afraid of vampires, so what is it about this one particularly? He even knows Angel has a soul! Shouldn't that make him less scary?

There's history there, and it just gets better when Spike comes up and Angel takes responsibility for him, too. From now on Angel is his own man, he's serious business, and I want to hear the stories behind each and every piece of art in his apartment.

Spike and Dru, Dru and Spike: We get another glimpse into what Spike is like in a relationship, and it's both familiar and depressing. Drusilla annoys him, he snaps at her, she whimpers, he's suddenly fawning over her. He doesn't want her interrupting him while he's doing something he perceives as important, but as soon as she shows that he has the power to hurt her -- this is the good stuff. This is what he likes. He takes care of her and their respective roles are reestablished. 

Later we'll see that Spike prefers a woman who can kick his ass, which may seem to contradict his need to be the boss, but with or without his soul we never see him content with anyone but Dru. Why? She <i>is</i> stronger than him, but her madness makes her need help anyway (or appear to need help, which is just as good as far as Spike is concerned). She and Spike are uniquely suited to each other, not because what they have is healthy -- they're evil, healthy is a moot point -- but because she fulfills all of Spike's fantasies at once. She's above him: older, more gifted, closer to the source; but instead of contemptuously rejecting him, she depends on him. Next time he finds a woman above him, this will not work out so well.

I never noticed before that Dru says she needs to change Miss Edith. Apparently her dolls pee.

My Willow Tree: Can't think of anything to say about her here, but fortunately she's got more coming up in the next one, and so does Oz.

Xander and Bus Stations: Xander is apparently not bad with the research - Buffy is singled out as the one whose only real function during research parties is to get the snacks, but the guy who sucks at every subject in school is himself a snack recipient. From what I can remember, that actually tracks throughout the series, and now I'm finding it interesting. Not that I ever thought he was dumb; it's just not a skill you'd expect him to have.

Giles and Objects: After Buffy let Giles believe she was just going home to rest up for the next day, do you think he wondered why she was with Angel when she was attacked by the first Taraka guy? At least she didn't lie about it (as far as we know).

Time for some script quotes! Drusilla sings a little song, and we even have lyrics for it.

          INT. FACTORY - NIGHT
         Speaking of vamps… Here's DRUSILLA - wrapped in a black shawl and looking even paler than usual. She stands at              one end of the long dining table, laying out TAROT CARDS. She is humming, swaying-

          DRUSILLA
          (sings/discordant)
          I HEAR MUSIC AND THERE'S NO
          ONE THERE… ALL NIGHT LONG
          I SEEM TO WALK ON AIR… I
          WONDER WHY, I WONDER WHY…

Kendra gets a pretty badass introduction. I'd object to the animalistic way she's described except that at this point we're supposed to believe she's the Jaguar of the Taraka.

          We stop on an ETHNIC YOUNG WOMAN, her feline, feral eyes getting used to the sudden light. She's a predator, a              hunter, and her name is KENDRA. And as she jumps out of frame, onto the tarmac -

And here's one for Willy the Snitch:

        A solitary stooped figure gives the floor a perfunctory once-over with a stiff broom. This is WILLY, a shifty-eyed                    bottom-dweller. In addition to being the bartender here, he's a small time hustler who moves in the underworld of             the vampires - despite the fact that he is not a vamp himself.

Notes:

• I also come down on the side of shrubs.
• According to the script, the Cyclops Taraka guy is named Octarus.
• Scooby Gang invoked for the first time!
• All the times they made a cemetery out of their limited outdoor set space, and this is the first time I’m noticing how close the headstones are to the road. I guess the bodies are under the pavement?
• Kendra attacks Buffy with a hatchet. I know Slayers are supposed to be proficient with all weapons, but seriously, she thought she was a vampire! What happened to stakes? 

Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
• Read this post on LiveJournal
• Fic - Pair Skating

Many years in the future, a comic series called Angel and Faith (featured above, in case that isn't clear) will draw heavily on "The Dark Age" and expand on the lore for the demon Eyghon. Reluctantly, I've gone back to my old comic reviews to sift through them for anything particularly relevant or interesting. I haven't given myself the complete picture of Rupert Giles that I hoped for, but I did make special note of one line which he allegedly said in the past: "What the denizens of Hell refuse to accept is that damnation is, at some point, a choice."

The Giles that we see in the present day is ready to take responsibility for his own choices. He may even take it too far, but we see his best side as well as his worst here: he knows that he brought his own doom on himself, and his utmost priority is to keep it from hurting anyone else. If he knew what show he was in he would understand the futility in that, but it's still good to see him stepping up to take care of his loved ones. The spotlight is on his relationships with Buffy and Jenny, so we end up learning more about both of them, too.

Buffy Is the Title: Call me a fuddy-duddy but I have absolutely no sympathy for Buffy's terrible aerobicizing music. Why does she even need to do standard human exercise routines? Why does she need to bother Giles with it? Isn't this one activity she can safely do at home without making her mother suspicious?  Has she ever heard of headphones? Or how about just turning it down low enough that you can still hear someone being gruesomely murdered right outside the door? YOUR MUSIC KILLED PHILLIP, BUFFY.

Fortunately, for all that Buffy is totally lame in this episode (in the sense of taste, not character -- she's brave and caring as always) and I mostly can't relate at all, she does give me a blip of nostalgia for the Gavin Rossdale namecheck. He was the lead singer of Bush, a band we were all into when I was Scooby-aged, and yes, he was really hot. Also have to appreciate Willow's choice of John Cusack. Rather than just being a straight-up hunk, he's a good actor with some intriguing indefinable quality, very fitting for Willow's teenage nonconformity and perceptiveness. I don't know who Amy Yip is, and don't want to know.

The Buffy and Angel Show: I've always loved the way Angel says, "Everybody knows about this," because no, Angel, everybody does not. He's using the word to refer to a specific set of people, like we would with, "Come to my party, everyone's gonna be there." Context tells you who those people are, and in this case, it's vampires. Angel doesn't want to be associated with other vampires, but it doesn't even cross his mind that Buffy will forget he is one. It's no wonder she gets that iffy expression after asking him if he can take care of the blood bags.

I'd really like to hear more on how he felt about being the MacGuffin to kill Eyghon. It must have been painful, and dangerous, and it wasn't even to save Buffy, but we can see he doesn't hesitate. 

My Willow Tree: Does Willow hesitate, though? Or does she subconsciously see Angel as indestructible, or even dispensable? Fortunately, it worked, so all we have to find out about her in this adventure, once again, is that she's wicked resourceful.

It seems she drinks tea. And she's not even British.

Cordelia and Boyfriends: In the first 1.5 seasons, a lot of Cordelia's scenes feel like they're put there just so she can have an appearance, or for comic relief, rather than advancing the plot at all. I'm not complaining. Her dialogue when she crashes the police investigation in the library is hilarious. But when I gave it a closer look I realized that she was quite necessary in that scene, because the Scoobies needed to find out what was going on, and to get the timing right it had to be from someone who wouldn't volunteer the information up front. Every character really does have a function in this show. Go Cordy!
​
Xander and Bus Stations: Fandom tends to hate on Xander for his judgmental and petulant comments about women, but the times that he really bothers me don't have much to do with that -- check out the scene where Buffy tells the gang she's worried about Giles. Here's Xander undercutting practically every other line with some kind of joke, and this is so not the time. I honestly don't know how they all put up with him when he's in that kind of mood. 

By the way, Cordelia has seen him fight. When? Were we there?

We have a veritable wealth of Giles and Objects here today!:

And here's an enlightening conversation between post-Oxford Rupert and a much older Watcher, touching much the same emotional theme as the episode does:

          RIPPER
          Yes, yes. I know the story by heart. I am not you, Gran. Not nearly as strong or clever. People have died. Horribly.                  Because of me. Because I was stupid and selfish.

          GRAN
          You were a young fool who felt immortal, did remarkably ill-advised things, and it cost people their lives, eh?
          You bloody idiot.
          That doesn't disqualify you from being a Watcher. It makes you perfectly suited to mentor a Slayer.
          They're young girls granted tremendous power. Who can relate to them better? A man like your father, who's done                 the right and proper thing all his life? Or you?
           
          RIPPER
          What I've done goes well beyond a misspent youth.

          GRAN
          Oh, stop. I know all about Eyghon.
          Perhaps your soul is damned. Perhaps he'll claim it the moment you die and subject you to an eternity of torment. If            you want to be selfish about it, a lifetime of good works may be the one way to save yourself from that fate. The                   only path to redemption.
          And if you genuinely want to atone for what you've done, it's your duty. Much as you despise the word.
          You feel you've done wrong? Then stop crying about it...and start making amends.

​But here's a couple script quotes anyway:

        TILT BACK UP and REVEAL PHILIP, standing behind the attendant in a very un-dead way. Philip is shirtless and,                      presumably, corpse-naked. He looks like shit, being dead and all.

Willow and the "I thought teachers slept in coffins all summer" mentality:

          WILLOW
          You went by his place? He has a place?
          (off their looks)
          Of course he has a... I just never
          think of him living anywhere outside
          the library. So there was weirdness?

Notes:

• The custodian in the cold open has the same kind of blue collar accent as the guy who finds Bruce after he un-Hulks in the first Avengers movie. I don't know what it is but I love it.
• The title "The Dark Age" at first seems to imply only a bad time, long ago, but I wonder if we're also supposed to read "age" as a person's age, old or young. This could be either the darkness of youth, inexperience making one blind, or the darkness of age, steeped in regret.
• My biggest complaint about this episode is the line "Was it good for you too?" right after Jenny has become Eyghon. It sounds incredibly stupid in context, since all they did was kiss, and it diminishes some of the power of the same line used in "Innocence" (which was absolutely perfect). Makes me mad just thinking about it.
• No matter how many times the characters say it, I still pronounce Eyghon as "Ay-gon" in my head. Don't know why. Can't help it.

Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
• Read this post on LiveJournal
• ​Drabble - Another Brick in the Wall

 The topic today is lying, and that's pretty heavy for a show which is usually only concerned with frivolous matters such as life and death. When you talk about lying, you're talking about honesty, which means you're talking about...truth. I was being flippant just now, but truth may be the only thing which really is heavier than life and death.

So, the context of a few young (or not so young) people lying to each other is actually a pretty good way to examine the importance of truth. I'm going to break it down a little further and keep a tally of every lie told in the episode. This won't tell us who's the most honest, or what the purest form of truth is, but it will give us a chance to think about all the different reasons people lie. 

Not going to include any lines that are just the person being wrong, or subjective, or flippant, but I'm up for challenges on my own interpretations.

Buffy Is the Title: Considering her part in the episode consists mostly of being lied to and reacting to it (gloriously!), she does get in rather a few of her own.
"Did a couple sweeps...Nothing vampiry." Angel isn't relevant and she didn't know Drusilla was a vampire, so this is a technicality, but it's worth the mention because the audience is immediately aware that there's something she's deliberately leaving out. Same with, "I'm fine," a moment later.
"Not thirsty." Not thirsty enough to stand in the same area Angel's standing for a few more minutes. There's a difference.
"It's getting crowded"/"I'm a little hot." Actually, strike those. She may well have been bothered by the crowd and the temperature, and she wasn't obligated to go into detail about why they were suddenly bothering her.
"My purse. I left my purse at the Bronze." and "There was a cat...and then they left." These are the lies of Buffy's everyday life.
​"I'm glad." The first time Buffy and Ford talks after she finds out she can't trust him, the entire conversation is full of lies of omission, but not many actual lies. Buffy says she likes surprises, for instance, but...she does like surprises.

The Buffy and Angel Show: The relationship status of Buffy and Angel is currently at "No. Yeah. Maybe. Could we lay off the tough questions for a while?" Sounds foreboding, but I'm for real when I say this is exactly what I love about B/A: even they don't know what to make of it. If you're in love with someone, and he's in love with you, does that automatically make him your boyfriend?
 
The complications don't end there. Buffy says she doesn't think the woman she saw with Angel was a vampire, because "they looked friendly." Logical -- Angel doesn't like vampires. But why does Willow even ask? Because Angel is a vampire. It's the central conflict of who Angel is: enemy of his own kind. Later we'll find out that Drusilla is indeed a vampire, but Angel's supposed friendliness toward her is a product of guilt, not affinity. Buffy's turmoil in the meantime is utterly understandable; what she thought was her man getting close with a strange lady may actually be her man drifting toward evil. Honesty between Buffy and Angel affects more than just their own relationship.
 
Lies are below, but here's one for my "brood" watch, too: this is the first time the word is used to describe Angel. Who uses it to describe Angel? Angel. It's a longtime peeve of mine that nobody seems to realize how self-aware he is.

"I stayed in and read." Angel's list isn't as long as the others, but this is a big one. Even if Buffy hadn't asked, he had no right to pretend it wasn't her business and go on without ever bringing it up.
"We're friends of Ford's." As far as getting into secret goth clubs...that was easy.

Willow and My Feelings: Here's a fun game you can play with your friends: where does this image come from? What does it mean?

​"Nothing...I cannot hang just now." I think I may have missed a couple innocuous ones aimed at protecting Buffy's identity, and even during her jumpy-coffee scene, she doesn't really say anything untrue. Makes her characterization very clear. We love her.

Xander and Bus Stations: I got nothin'. Dude is candid af.

Ford: If you read my fanfic series "Older," you'll notice I adopted Ford as my pet villain. I was just really impressed with the character: the concept, actor, dialogue, all of it. I think part of what made him work was his genuine fascination with old movies and horror tropes -- his clothing and awareness set him apart from the other True Believers, but he wasn't altogether above their delusions. He was in for (what he saw as) survival, but he liked the drama, and the fantasy of having some role to play in a story, be it victim or villain, kept him going.

Also, for a teenage human with cancer and no special abilities, he was a surprisingly competent bad guy. He manipulated a crowd of his peers, arranged an effective plan, and kept his cool around the vampires to the last. Like he said, it wasn't his fault that Buffy and the True Believers escaped, or that the vampires got locked in the basement. And what's even more intriguing is that as far as he was concerned, the plan worked perfectly: Spike and Dru held up their end of the bargain and sired him. If he had known more, he might have accounted for needing protection when he rose from his grave, but he did get the cure and the immortality he had wanted; it just didn't last very long.

"Matriculating. My dad got transferred."
"I didn't think you'd remember me."
"I've got to find the Admissions office, get my papers in order." Interesting thing about Ford is that we don't know how much of this is true. Did he run away from home, or did his father actually get transferred? When Buffy walked him to Admissions, did he wave goodbye and then pop in and make some excuse for being there?
"No, I'm actually here to stay."
"I killed her and she turned to dust."
"It's gonna be fun."  Same conversation as Buffy's lie of omission above, and again, not necessarily a lie; maybe he thinks it is gonna be fun. 

Giles and Objects: Yeah, pretty much the only object that Giles held throughout the entire episode was a note with Jenny's pager number.

His lies are all for the sake of courtesy, protecting Buffy's identity, or dishing out a monologue of sad yet comforting wisdom about growing up:
​"I've always been interested in monster trucks."
"She's given me her beeper number in case you need me for any…study help. Suddenly."
"Yes. It's terribly simple. The good-guys are stalwart and true. The bad-guys are easily distinguished by their pointy horns or black hats and we always defeat them and save the day. Nobody ever dies…and everybody lives happily ever after."

Everybody Else: Spike and Dru, by the way, are not on the lie count. They had no reason to lie. They also had no reason to keep a promise, which is why I can't stop thinking about what happened after the final scene in the basement cut out, but their straightforward honesty throughout the episode provides a nice duality with the fibbing good guys.

Kairos's Official Lie Count: Results
Ford: 6
Buffy: 5
Giles: 3
Angel: 2
Willow: 1

Numerically, it's pretty meaningless. Ford being at the top is significant, but Angel's low score, rather than making me think he's particularly honest, makes me think he's just really good at keeping his secrets. When he doesn't want someone to know the truth, he just doesn't say anything. That's probably where Willow would be too, if not for Angel putting her into a situation where she couldn't not say anything.

Script quotes! There are a couple entire scenes which didn't make it to the final cut, but I've decided to start using those sparingly, as they're a pain to transcribe.

         We see a little merry-go-round turning absently in the (sorry, Gareth) foggy dark. A set of swings, also empty, also                pushed slightly by the night wind.

Haha, just gonna guess what Gareth's job was.

          BUFFY
          Do they know about "fun" in England?

          GILES
          Yes, but it's considered very poor taste 
          to have any. Very well. Do whatever 
          it is you like. You could spend some 
          time with Angel.

We missed out on a cultural divide joke.

         He's standing behind Buffy smiling. A charming and innocuous senior, Billy Fordham, known as FORD, waits for                   Buffy to turn. Which she does, wonder blossoming on her face.

Character introduction: Ford's charming.

          BUFFY 
          You drink? Drinks? I mean, non-blood things.

          ANGEL
          Yeah. I eat, too. Not for nutritional 
          value -- it just kind of passes the time.

          BUFFY
          Oh. Who knew?

          ANGEL
          There's a lot about me you don't know.

          BUFFY
          I believe that.

Including this for the little bit of lore it contains, although most of us would have either assumed it, or figured it out soon watching the habits of Buffyverse vampires.

          XANDER
          Well, Sunnydale is a fun town to live 
          in. If you're a small patch of moss.

I already lost track of where in the script this was taken from, but I thought it was cute.

         EXT. URBAN DISTRICT - NIGHT
         (Okay, it's our damn alley.) Ford walks cheerfully along.

More funny stage directions.

         A slinky goth girl, CHANTARELLE (formerly Joan), glides up to the boys with a couple of goblets.

Character introduction, with yet another name for Anne. 

         WILLOW
         Oh, no. we come here all the time.

         XANDER
         My corset's just at the cleaners.

That laugh would have been totally worth the airtime, come on.

Notes:

• There's nothing remarkable about Buffy's retort, "You ceased to exist?" when Angel says he didn't do anything last night, but for some reason, maybe because Angel's a supernatural creature and we don't yet know all the rules his species follows, I kept thinking about it literally until I made up a vampire-style supernatural creature which really does periodically cease to exist.
• When I first read Bram Stoker's Dracula a couple years ago, I found a familiar-sounding quote: "Whilst they played wits against me, against me who commanded nations, and intrigued for them, and fought for them, hundreds of years before they were born, I was countermining them." It occurred to me at that point that I had never actually seen a screen adaptation of the original Dracula, because I recognized the line only from its bastardization in the movie that Ford lip-syncs to in the vampire club.
• "It took one of my books!" Funny how characters sometimes refer to a vampire as "it". Ford called this same one "her" earlier -- is this a difference between him and Giles, or is it more a matter of the context in which they encountered her?

​Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
• Read this post on LiveJournal
• Fic - False Witness

Even if this isn't an airtight theory, I have to go with it for one important reason: the simpering moron stereotype of past generations is vastly insulting to women. It seems to assume that being wealthy and protected makes us stupid, or that we won't want our rights if we're offered comfort instead. I can buy Buffy thinking like this when she's a modern middle-class teenager proud of her own courage, but I don't want it written into the story. We can't know much about the women of the ruling class two hundred years ago, but I believe there was a lot going on beneath the perfectly coiffed hair. Dismissing the victims of societal patriarchy as swooning bimbos is enormously unfair. 

That said, it throws me into some confusion to consider Cordelia in the same context. She's the modern swooning bimbo, spoiled and sexy, but in this episode she's written respectfully and actually handles her part in the crisis quite admirably. What do we take from this, aside from the too-vague-to-matter message of "be yourself"? Is Cordelia actually not accustomed to being protected? Is she not affected by the same weakness as Buffy because she's free? Or is the only comparison between Buffy and Cordelia their different methods of attracting men, so the only relevant message is that Buffy's works?

The Buffy and Angel Show: Then there's Angel, who actually coins the phrase "simpering morons." You know you're attached to a character when he says something completely objectionable and you just find it fascinating. It's not the first time, either - back in "Angel" he calls his poor Romani victim "dumb as a post" and never explains it. I've always wondered why he isn't called out more often for these moments, but I guess nobody puts much attention on his early days when there's so much that comes later. I'm sure his personality and history hadn't been fully worked out yet, so some of this could be random, or more likely, he's just saying exactly what Buffy's ideal boyfriend would say. She wants someone who loves her exactly as she is, so he derides everything she isn't. 

Later we'll find out that Angel was a womanizing drunk in his human days. It's uncomfortable to think that he hated the girls back then and slept with them all anyway, but there's also an insight somewhere in that. Maybe he just hated everyone. Maybe he deliberately went for the girls he couldn't respect, knowing he didn't deserve one he could. Were they really dull? I doubt it, but the interesting ones didn't give him a second glance. Until Darla, of course. A noblewoman. The kind he especially hated. Heck, she might have been the first one he ever met - he'd hate her automatically anyway, because you know how guys like him feel about women who are clearly out of their league. What to do with a beautiful stranger, all that rage, all that lust? Try to seduce her, of course. 

Well, that'll learn ya. But we don't know any of this during "Halloween" - he's just being a dick, and Buffy's loving it. Okay, her I can't blame too much; all she knows is that she just embarrassed herself with assumptions about what her boyfriend wanted, and now he's giving her the green light to relax and be confident in what they have. And I'm sure that's behind Angel's own motivations, too - he's trying to reassure her with the truth, but the nature of this truth means he has to stop before it goes into detail. Still, of all the accusations Angel gets for his moral choices, this is one that I think has been largely ignored: he doesn't always respect the memory of his victims.

That's one big reason that this isn't one of my favorite B/A shippy episodes. The other one is kind of contradictory: it doesn't have all that much to do with Angel. A good test of romantic scenes is to look at the dialogue without the character names. If it's a compelling romance, you'll still know it's these two people talking to each other about each other. "Halloween" is big on Buffy and her feelings, but they're fairly generic feelings and it's a fairly generic story, and Angel could be anyone at all. His only identifying factor is that he comes from the past and likes Buffy better when she's being herself (and to that, duh). So this time we really need to zero in on his insensitivity just to make him interesting.

Cordelia and Boyfriends: Does she break up with Devon by the next episode? We'll check on that. I kind of wanted them to date longer, though. See, they're a great couple, because he doesn't die or try to kill her.

I think I could go on for a while about the extension of the Cordelia vs. Willow theme from "Inca Mummy Girl", but I'm not sure what's been added to it this time, except for what I already said about Cordelia vs. Buffy. It's funny to see Cordy and Buffy competing over Angel at this stage, not only because fandom turns them into a love triangle in a few years, but because Cordy is so hopelessly outmatched. She finds a guy who really is worth fighting for and doesn't know what to do with him, because her usual strategy only works on rich losers. 

Xander and Bus Stations: I really like how subtly Cordy and Xander's relationship progresses here. She appreciates him in soldier mode, and I think he must find some relief after the fact that she was there as herself to go through it with him. Plus, that cute conversation about how hard it is to get between Buffy and Angel. Season 2 love square for the win!

My Willow Tree: Willow rocks in this episode, but I don't really have much else to say about her except that her costume was my favorite. It was just such a clever way to have her in both the ghost costume and the sexy one - the ghost is the one that takes effect, but the sheet itself just stays with the body, so she's a ghost of what exactly. And she knows how well she did throughout the night, so she feels fine about catching eyes in public. 

I'd wag a finger at Oz if that outfit was the only reason he noticed her, but since it comes after the Eskimo and the ghost, I just love him more. "Who is that girl?" is really the only sensible thing he can say at this point. Don't just decide what you think about the woman - inquire. Find out. Who is she?

Giles and Objects: Considering that this is a huge turning point for his character and I love it and I love him, I'm not really sure what there is to talk about. He's got mysteries. We'll hear more about most of them. ​

Now for some shooting script quotes... 

          Buffy is about to touch it when ETHAN RAYNE, the shop owner, approaches. He has a devilish glint in his eye and                 speaks with just a hint of a British accent.

Character introduction! I have no particular feelings about Ethan Rayne, except insofar as he affects Giles. Question, though. Just a hint? I don't know if that's what he was going for, but not a lot of people can pull off a slight accent of any kind - it's either there or it isn't. 

          Willow arrives at a dead (I'm so funny) run.

Yes, you are. 
​
           They BOLT, but Buffy is having trouble keeping up. Angel SWEEPS her into his arms, carries her. 

           ON BUFFY 

           Afraid - but giving into his protection.

Whatever else I've said about Buffy and Angel and simpering women in this episode...yeah. Achilles' heel. Right there. 

          We move through the crowd until we land on ANGEL, sitting at a table alone. Looking a little bored, impatient. A                  voice snaps him out of his brooding.

Missed this one on my first look - I only mention it because I'm doing a casual brood-count. So far, the word has only been applied to other characters; now we see it describing Angel, but only in the shooting script. Stay tuned! 

          There is a detailed DRAWING of a beautiful woman with long, dark hair. She wears a flowing 18th century gown.

I want to laugh about how Buffy says the illustration doesn't say what the woman's name is, and it totally does, but I lost my screencap. We can still laugh, though. Seriously, I can't even begin to fanwank this one. Buffy and Willow became temporarily illiterate? 

Notes:

• Oh, the other thing that sparked my interest in the shooting script was that it was specified that the woman has long dark hair. Anything to do with Drusilla, you think? 
• Willow and Buffy conning Giles to sneak into his office are just about the cutest thing.
• "Hello, Ripper."
• We never hear why vampires eschew Halloween. Theories?
• Buffy has this one fantastically sweet and adorable mannerism wherein she puts her face against her male friend's shoulder and gazes up at him with an innocent smile. I don't know if this was a directing choice or something SMG made up herself, but it's a fairly bold thing to do with a character whose whole purpose is to defeat the flirty female archetype, and I love it. 

          INT. LIBRARY - DAY - GILES IS UPSET

That was cute. 

          BUFFY 
          Or what it's like to exterminate vampires 
          while you're having fuzzy feelings 
          towards one. 

          GILES 
          You're still-? That is dicey.

Wish they had kept this; I'm always interested in what Giles thinks about B/A, pre-Surprise. I like it that Buffy so openly admits it to him, even though she must know he'll think it's dicey, and I like it that he's honest about his reaction but doesn't scold her, even though he's in the middle of a more general scolding. 

           She moves to the car. The dark window rolls down revealing RICHARD (the twenty year old sadist from the teaser)                in expensive slacks and sport coat. As are the other two DELTA ZETAS in back. 

          In the passenger seat is TOM, also 20, but dressed casually. Tom is rich, too, but he's not a prick, he's a low key,                    decent guy.

Because I always bring you the character introductions. 

          BUFFY 
          I don't really want to meet any fraternity- 

          CORDELIA 
          And if there was a God, don'tcha 
          think He'd keep it that way?

I'm really conflicted about this line because it's kind of funny and so Cordelia, but her grammar fail makes it not work. Keep it what way? Buffy not wanting to meet any fraternity guys? 

          BUFFY 
          Then- whatever, I don't know, might be 
          nice to find out. But you want to end it 
          before it's begun. Fine.

Alternate to the "isn't it supposed to be?" exchange. I think I prefer the aired version. 

          The others murmur "Machida" (pronounced Ma-Kee-Da).

That got me curious so I looked up Machida. Got this: "Lyoto Carvalho Machida is a Brazilian mixed martial artist from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil who fights as a light heavyweight in the Ultimate Fighting Championship." Well then.

And here's another little bit of alternate: 

          Tom comes to near the alter. And, unbeknownst to any of our heroes, the snake body begins slowly moving. Until it            joins up with the torso. A squooshy sound of flesh and protoplasm meeting and the two halves re-join! 

          CORDELIA (cont'd) 
          (to Tom) 
          You're going to jail for about fifteen 
          thousand years. Oh god, it's over, 
          it's really- 

          That's when Machida, re-joined, suddenly pops up again. 

          Angel takes a threatening step forward next to Buffy and growls. 

          Machida towers over Tom: 

          MACHIDA 
          For a hundred years I have given your forebearers 
          wealth and power. And this is how you repay me. 
          From this day forth you are alone in the world. 

          Machida slides back down. Cordelia is afraid to breathe. With good reason. Machida pops back up, grabs Tom. 

          MACHIDA (cont'd) 
          Lil' somethin' for the road. 

          Machida disappears into the pit with Tom. We hear Tom's screams, a quick couple of chomps and then silence.

Anyone's guess whether this was cut for length, or because they decided jail was better than death for the evil human, or because it turned out to be too difficult for the actor to speak in the snake costume, but I do regret missing out on Angel's threatening growl. 

          A high school freshman, a real young looking one, moves up to Cordelia, hands her a coffee and a muffin. He looks            up at her (being so much shorter and all) adoringly. 

          CORDELIA 
          Thank you, Leslie. Did we forget the 
          extra foam?

I think this is the second time that Jonathan's played a role that was some random kid in the script - how long did it take for them to figure out that he should be a regular guest star? 

          WILLOW 
          They didn't find the snake? (Xander shakes his head) 
          Which means we probably will some 
          day. Oh goody.

Or maybe this is why they changed it - they knew they'd never bring the snake back.

Notes:

• There was also a whole unaired bit at the party about Xander sneaking in under a name from the guest list. The window thing was better. ​
• I get a sincere cringe from the 'New Pledge' ritual. Hazing's bad enough as it is; I can't imagine doing it to someone you never expect to see again.

​
Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
  
• Read this post on LiveJournal
• ​Fic - Wake Up (From a Deep Sleep) and Live (Happily Ever After)

It's harder to get a review of the next episode up when the next episode isn't very good, and I think you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who ranks "Inca Mummy Girl" among their favorites. In addition to its sub-par plot and writing, it's rather a downer just because it comes right after "School Hard", when all of these elements promising us a great season are introduced. Then we get nothing - no Spike and Dru, no advancement of the season's plot. It's the first (and only) episode of Season 2 without Angel. What were they thinking?

One quick specific gripe I have to make is about the cultural portrayals, and this is actually one thing where I agree with Mark (of Mark Watches), possibly the first and last time since I started reading his reviews. The whole treatment of South America (you know, the country of South America, where they speak South American) was embarrassing. The International Dance or whatever was cringe-worthy. Sven dressed up as a viking. Vikings didn't even wear helmets with horns, did you know that? DID YOU? To be fair, this kind of event probably did happen at high schools in the 90's, so maybe we can just look at this as realism, but ugh. Someday I want to go to an event in a foreign land where they make me dress up in a historical American costume. Maybe I could be a Puritan! 

The episode does have one redeeming feature, though (aside from the usual collection of scattered funny lines and the fact that Giles exists): the introduction of Oz. I think it makes perfect sense to concentrate on that factor, no?

But first, Willow. I might have thought a little too hard about the scene with Rodney, but a couple things surprised me: first, that Willow didn't hold it against him that he used to beat up Xander, and second, that Rodney was actually really nice to her. I got the impression that there was something of a friendship between them. Not enough of one for her to spend a second mourning him, of course, but an appreciation of each other. Which is weird, right? What does a smart shy kid see in a bully? What does a troublemaker see in a genius?

On Rodney's side it's kind of sweet. On Willow's side it's a bit ominous - apparently, she cares more about a person's behavior toward herself than she does about his behavior in general, or even toward her own best friend. I could even believe that her years of frustration with Xander led her to take some conflicted pleasure at his abuse. On the other hand, ouch. That's pretty bad. Let's give her the benefit of the doubt and say that she only started liking Rodney after he reined in his bullyish tendencies.

Clearly what I'm doing here is trying to justify the drabble at the end of this post, because nobody ever commented on it and my heart is empty. Okay, no seriously though, I accept and embrace the drabble being ignored, it wasn't that interesting, but here's my thoughts in a different form: Willow and Oz have something unexpected and awesome in common, shown to us before they meet. Rodney and Devon have practically nothing going for them except a vague social coolness which manifests in Rodney as rebellion, and in Devon as shallow charm. Willow and Oz, on the other hand, are incredibly smart people with talent, courage, and individuality. Yet they don't look down on anyone. They're not too good to hang out with the morons, even when they have nothing to gain from it. 

I especially like seeing Oz and Devon interact - rather extensively, considering that they're both brand-new characters and not talking about anything related to the episode's plot - because their friendship continues for as long as Oz is in the series, though I'm pretty sure that Devon stops appearing in person. Part of it, obviously, is that they're in a band together. Part of it is that Oz himself is terminally apathetic (I'm sure I'll have a lot to say about that later, but for now, let's just acknowledge it - he's not perfect, though he comes close). But the main thing is that they're just buddies. Oz is okay with Devon being his shallow self because he doesn't need anything more than him, and he's okay being up front with his criticisms because he knows Devon respects him and deserves honesty. 

Cordelia and Boyfriends: And here's another interesting relationship square: Willow/Oz, Cordelia/Devon. We'll have to keep an eye on the latter; I don't remember how long they last, but I want to see what it is that breaks them up, since right now they're essentially perfect for each other. Oz's friend and Willow's enemy - are they too alike to make it work?

Oh shoot, I think I have more to say about Willow. Isn't this supposed to be a Xander episode? Well, that's fairly pat. He falls in love with a dead girl, it ends badly. Although, if it were happening in real life, I think I'd feel pretty bad for him - he and Ampata make a great match, even if there isn't a whole lot of reason that their feelings for each other should develop so swiftly. Aside from his insensitivity to Willow, he really wasn't even a jerk about it. 

But forget him, for the moment. Think instead of Willow in the Eskimo suit. Remove the weird high school cultural festival context. It's a great costume, and she's excited about it. Until she gets to the event, and Buffy isn't there, and Xander's only about Ampata. All alone in a parka, poor Willow.

Enter Cordelia, looking gorgeous and baring skin, and all too ready to make fun of the nerd girl who doesn't have the sense to do the same. The message is pretty damn clear: if you don't want to be alone, better learn how to attract the boys. Willow herself states it explicitly: "Maybe I should have worn something sexy."

Now, I'm divided on how this was resolved. On one hand, NO. WILLOW, NO. Be your fun, creative, parka'd self. Thank the heavens that Oz was there to back me up, stating just as explicitly that he's interested in the fun girl over the sexy girl. On the other hand, Cordy's path was ultimately the one that Willow chose. Not entirely; she never adopted the Cordette styles and obviously she wasn't seeking the attention of boys at the end. But she did learn about being cool. Her growth in confidence, I think, had less to do with finding people like Oz who appreciated her for who she was, and more to do with simply avoiding any possibility of again getting caught in an unsexy outfit at a dance. 

I think I actually had a better point to make before I wrote that down. Oh, well.

All in all, I think if you're an Inca princess who was unfairly sacrificed a thousand years ago in the prime of your youth, you still shouldn't kill people just to stay alive. Although there are a lot of other considerations to this that weren't even brought up - has she really been conscious the whole time she's been a mummy? That's horrible and someone should do something about it. Also, did she save her people by being sacrificed, or was it just one of those meaningless heathen rituals? Big difference!

The Girl Herself: Not much to say about Buffy, but I did pause for a while on the final lines, when Xander points out that she chose to give up her life when it was needed, and Buffy says "I had you to bring me back." Of course she's looking first and foremost for something to say to make her friend feel better, and this definitely fits the bill. But how does it fit into the context? Buffy and Ampata both had to make the ultimate sacrifice; Buffy was the only one who actually did it, even though she didn't want to. It's basically luck that she's alive now, but it's luck in the form of Xander. 

So, is this just an expression of gratitude to give him in exchange for his acknowledgement of her own strength? Or is it more to say that she had friends, where Ampata didn't? That actually might heighten my sympathy for the mummy. Maybe there is some truth behind it - it was easier for Buffy to give of herself, because she knew that there were others who would do the same for her, even if she didn't know that one of them would in fact nullify her own death. Ampata had no basis for learning how to be selfless.

I still don't like her though. Stay in your box, damned dead girl!

Giles and Objects: Got some for you! Now we'll have some fun!​

Okay, this episode feels sufficiently squeezed out. Here's some quotes. 

          BUFFY 
          I wasn't gonna use violence. I 
          don't always use violence. Do I? 

          XANDER 
          The important thing is, you believe 
          that. 

          BUFFY 
          I might have used reason. Or my 
          feminine wiles.

Hmm. Which one did Willow use? 

          XANDER 
          Ooh, Sunnydale bus depot. Classy. 
          What better way to say "Welcome 
          to Our Country" than with the 
          stench of urine.

Xander vs. Bus Stations - it's a thing. We'll keep track. 

           ANGLE: A MAN (PERU MAN) 

           murder in his eyes, rushes from the shadows, shrieking. Long, curved KNIFE raised. (Some people call it a huge,                   machete-like carving blade. We call it a long, curved knife.)

The first time I copied these quotes in, my post got eaten, so I'm going the half-assed route for the second time. But I thought you should have these stage directions. 

           INT. BUFFY'S ROOM - MOMENTS LATER - NIGHT 

           Buffy and Joyce make up an extra bed. 

           BUFFY 
           You said she was staying in the study. 

           JOYCE 
           That was when we thought Ampata 
           was a boy. But since he's a girl, I 
           thought you could double up. 

            BUFFY 
            Mom, you think too much. 

            JOYCE 
            You two in a room together? Give 
            you both a chance to share secrets. 

            BUFFY 
            I'm not a big secret sharer. I like 
            my secrets. They're secret. 

            JOYCE 
           Oh, it'll be fun. 

           BUFFY 
           Fun. Yeah. 
           (smiling) 
           You know, next year I ought to sign 
           up for one of those 'exchange mom' 
           programs. 

           Joyce smiles as they finish making the bed.

Nice little Buffy and Joyce moment that we missed out on. Plus, I like the way Buffy is kind of resentful of Ampata out of her hearing, but takes care to not show it in any way that could hurt her feelings. 

            Two students, SAM and OZ - by their looks, obviously members of the band - load music and sound equipment                    into a van, which has their logo emblazoned on the side. Cordelia talks with DEVON, the band's good-looking lead                singer.

Character introductions! Hold on, there's a better one for Oz coming up. 

           There's a quiet restraint and total lack of bitterness to his sarcasm; where Devon is your typical excitable rock                       and roller,  Oz is completely unflappable. His is the kind of cool that is completely unaware of itself.

Love this guy. 

          ANGLE: XANDER AND AMPATA 

          as they enter. They're gorgeous together.

I wouldn't go that far, but Xander does look pretty spiffy in his costume.

Notes:

• The real reason Angel wasn't in this episode was that Dru had him tied up. You know how she is.
• Xander will help bring Buffy back to life the second time too, but in a bad way.
  
• I was kidding about heathen rituals being meaningless! Put down the long, curved knife!

Links:

• The Watcher's Diary
  
• Read this post on LiveJournal
  
• Drabble - The Other Kind of Friendship