The Mega-Super-Ultra Buffy/Angel Episode Guide

[Courtney]

I think Season 6 gets a bad rap because it really seemed to go out of its way to change everything about the characters that we knew.  That and the whole Willow storyline going from "Willow enjoys power and has been seduced by it" to "Magic is a drug!  Willow's a drug addict!" was a gigantic cop-out.  That and Buffy spent the whole season depressed and hating herself.  It makes for some unpleasant episodes.

Plus Xander was fat.  Puffy Xander.

[TeamRAD]

Am I the only one who thinks Doublemeat Palace gets a bad rap?  I mean it's by no means a very good episode, but it's not the AIDS-cancer-dead-puppy people seem to think it is. 

I think Doublemeat Palace definitely gets a bad rap.  It would have been cooler in my opinion if the restaurant WAS actually evil, and not just some random old lady, but it's definitely not terrible.

I was very satisfied w/ the whole Doublemeat Medley being composed of a vegetable process in the final act. That was hilarious.

Am I the only one who thinks Doublemeat Palace gets a bad rap?  I mean it's by no means a very good episode, but it's not the AIDS-cancer-dead-puppy people seem to think it is. 

I think Season 6 gets a bad rap because it really seemed to go out of its way to change everything about the characters that we knew. 

That's the brilliance behind the Sixth Season w/ the Big Bad being Life, itself. The Scoobies could destroy anything supernatural-speaking, but w/ the mundane dealings of real-life, they were atrocious. It still is tough watching Buffy, the character struggle throughout the season (I've wanted to jump into my monitor/television so many times to give her a hug), but I give the think-tank a massive amount of credit for the risk they took. Did it pay off? For me, in aces!

Tripe, did you by chance read #25 yet, and the seven-paragraph rant on the misuse of Xander in StC? It's entertaining.

Oops yeah I meant to post about it in the books thread. I want a creepy little Dawnie Doll (somebody has got to have suggested making one) 

I read it this morning and will post my thoughts later on in the thread. As always, most excellent, and if the Dawn-Doll ever becomes a product...I'm ordering one, immediately!

I think Season 6 gets a bad rap because it really seemed to go out of its way to change everything about the characters that we knew.  That and the whole Willow storyline going from "Willow enjoys power and has been seduced by it" to "Magic is a drug!  Willow's a drug addict!" was a gigantic cop-out.  That and Buffy spent the whole season depressed and hating herself.  It makes for some unpleasant episodes.

Plus Xander was fat.  Puffy Xander.

I'll stick to the metaphorical one in "I Was Made to Love You".   

[Tripe]

Speaking of the comic, any likelihood you'll do the episodes of season eight when the time comes Ortega?

[dignan]

Am I the only one who thinks Doublemeat Palace gets a bad rap?  I mean it's by no means a very good episode, but it's not the AIDS-cancer-dead-puppy people seem to think it is. 

I think Doublemeat Palace definitely gets a bad rap.  It would have been cooler in my opinion if the restaurant WAS actually evil, and not just some random old lady, but it's definitely not terrible.

I was very satisfied w/ the whole Doublemeat Medley being composed of a vegetable process in the final act. That was hilarious.

Am I the only one who thinks Doublemeat Palace gets a bad rap?  I mean it's by no means a very good episode, but it's not the AIDS-cancer-dead-puppy people seem to think it is. 

I think Season 6 gets a bad rap because it really seemed to go out of its way to change everything about the characters that we knew. 

That's the brilliance behind the Sixth Season w/ the Big Bad being Life, itself. The Scoobies could destroy anything supernatural-speaking, but w/ the mundane dealings of real-life, they were atrocious. It still is tough watching Buffy, the character struggle throughout the season (I've wanted to jump into my monitor/television so many times to give her a hug), but I give the think-tank a massive amount of credit for the risk they took. Did it pay off? For me, in aces!

I get that, but for me, that's not why I watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  I didn't want to see Life as the Big Bad.  At least, not as it LITERALLY being the Big Bad when in previous seasons they had taken great pains to make the evils of the week and seasons already serve as metaphors for life.  Like, case in point:  the season 2 Buffy/Angel storyline playing out as a metaphor for the boyfriend who completely changes his personality after sleeping with her -- brilliant.  If Buffy had just dated a normal guy who did that (*coughPARKERcough*), it wouldn't have been remotely as interesting (although it did lead to the payoff of Cave-Buffy thumping him on the head with a club, so that redeemed it a bit).  Season 6 was lacking in a lot of the metaphors, and although I'd have to watch it again to be sure, I think season 5 was as well.  Moreover, it seems like with season 5, the show just decided to stop having FUN, which was what made the first four seasons of the show such a blast.  Ah well.       

[Courtney]

All I know is that if they were going to work that hard to make life the big bad and ruin Willow's life by killing the person she loved most, maybe the least they could do is not give her a new girlfriend like thirteen episodes later.

Moreover, it seems like with season 5, the show just decided to stop having FUN, which was what made the first four seasons of the show such a blast.  Ah well.      

I agree.  And don't get me wrong, I like Season 6 quite a bit, but with the exception of the Trio, Season 6 was just not much in the way of glee or joy.  After Joyce got sick, fun just really stopped being had by all or any.  Season 7 picked it back up though. 

[TeamRAD]

While I enjoy the fun-factor the series does represent in droves, it was how it placed my mind into overdrive once it got its feet firmly entrenched after "Becoming". There's been only one season that successfully pulled off both of those aspects, Season Three. Season Six was definitely way cerebral, but "Life Serial" still is the episode that makes me laugh harder than any other. I'll forever stand in defense of Season Six and its no frills approach. It was very refreshing.

All I know is that if they were going to work that hard to make life the big bad and ruin Willow's life by killing the person she loved most, maybe the least they could do is not give her a new girlfriend like thirteen episodes later.

Ahhh, you can thank your Season Seven for that! I'm telling you that season is awful!!   

[Tripe]

I quite like Kennedy

[TeamRAD]

I quite like Kennedy

Well now she's cool, and has great taste in t-shirts.

So after Idol & Dollhouse tonight, I'm going to watch 112 in anticipation of Ortega doing the same at some time tonight/tomorrow.

After Joyce got sick, fun just really stopped being had by all or any.  Season 7 picked it back up though. 

I missed this the first time around, but where's the fun in Season 7 that was lacking in 6? Seven is so morose, and thankfully Buffy hasn't given any speeches yet in Season Eight. 

I couldn't take another speech from her in 7.

[Ortega]

Hulu Episode Link

http://www.hulu.com/watch/99/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-prophecy-girl

Episode 112 - Prophecy Girl

   
    Holy fuckin' shit!  Now THAT is a Buffy episode!  Everything about it kicked ass.  Now, I've been in Xander's shoes.  I've pined after the close female friend.  Even mustered up the courage to ask her out, and like Xander, immediately plummeted to Earth.  Again, I never really enjoyed Xander's Buffy Fixation, and thankfully, this will be the last time it's so prominent.

    Here we can see the little seeds of Buffy's voluntary, and sometimes involuntary, rebellion on her Slayer destiny.  If not for her alliance with The Gang, she wouldn't have survived her encounter with The Master, and she would have been able to come back and kick ass.  And when she did confront the Master, it was excellent.  No more whining, just total Ass-Kicking.  Essentially, she's breaking every Slayer rule one by one, and the one she breaks is : "The Slayer fights alone"  She doesn't, and its what saves her.  I also enjoyed when Xander grows a sack and goes to Angel and tells him to man up and help save Buffy. 

    Overall, an excellent episode, and defintely a change for the direction and tone of the show.  From here on out, the low rent genre shit will be few and far between.  Defintely one to watch, and it effectively made me want to keep watching the show. 

OK......LET THE BUFFY-GASMS.............COMMENCE!!!!!!

[Tripe]

I also enjoyed when Xander grows a sack and goes to Angel and tells him to man up and help save Buffy. 

The best Xander to Angel slapdown is still to come (two whole seasons to come in fact).

[TeamRAD]

OK......LET THE BUFFY-GASMS.............COMMENCE!!!!!!

I'm gonna wait a day as I've blown my Buffy-wad already between this and the Season Eight thread today. 

[Bob]

I've been sitting by and watching this thread and not commenting until now.

When the show was on TV, I never watched during the first 5 years as all I really knew about the show as "the movie it was based on was bad, it had a horrible name, and was on a low rent network".    One day, I was sick on the day after Thanksgiving and a channel had a Buffy Marathon showing a bunch of episodes back to back to back.   I was hooked at once.    I rented season one on Netflix, liked it so much, I got the DVDs and gradually caught up midway through season six when I could start watching it live.   It was TORTURE to wait an entire week between episodes.   

Also missed the first two seasons of Angel for the same reason, then I caught up.

When both shows went off the air, a total TV void was created for me that really has not filled in yet.

I remember some lame article that some family watch dog group named Buffy the most "unfriendly to family" shows and I about lost it.    If anything, this entire show is ALL about friends and family and how important they are.

I have all the seasons of Buffy and Angel at home and I watch them quite often.

I was VERY thrilled when I noticed last week the TNT had the series finale of Angel, followed by the first episode back to back at like 6am.

I will take a bad Angel/Buffy episode over a good episode of almost any other show.

Like a wiseman once said, "I've always wanted to slay a dragon".

[gbeenie]

Like a wiseman once said, "I've always wanted to slay a dragon".

[Bob]

If only I had a clue who the hell that was, I am sure I would be chortling.

[dignan]

Hulu Episode Link

http://www.hulu.com/watch/99/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-prophecy-girl

Episode 112 - Prophecy Girl

   
    Holy fuckin' shit!  Now THAT is a Buffy episode!  Everything about it kicked ass.  Now, I've been in Xander's shoes.  I've pined after the close female friend.  Even mustered up the courage to ask her out, and like Xander, immediately plummeted to Earth.  Again, I never really enjoyed Xander's Buffy Fixation, and thankfully, this will be the last time it's so prominent.

    Here we can see the little seeds of Buffy's voluntary, and sometimes involuntary, rebellion on her Slayer destiny.  If not for her alliance with The Gang, she wouldn't have survived her encounter with The Master, and she would have been able to come back and kick ass.  And when she did confront the Master, it was excellent.  No more whining, just total Ass-Kicking.  Essentially, she's breaking every Slayer rule one by one, and the one she breaks is : "The Slayer fights alone"  She doesn't, and its what saves her.  I also enjoyed when Xander grows a sack and goes to Angel and tells him to man up and help save Buffy. 

    Overall, an excellent episode, and defintely a change for the direction and tone of the show.  From here on out, the low rent genre shit will be few and far between.  Defintely one to watch, and it effectively made me want to keep watching the show. 

OK......LET THE BUFFY-GASMS.............COMMENCE!!!!!!

Far and away the best episode of season 1 in my opinion (although I have to admit to disagreeing with you about The Pack -- that's a far better [and waaaaay more condensed] depiction of junkies than anything associated with Willow's season 6 storyline--which is one of my other season 1 fav's).  It nicely lays the groundwork for season 2, they actually deliver on the promise that Buffy will die (even if it is only for about four minutes), and we get Xander's line "the dead rose, there should have at least been an assembly!"  Love it.  Also, I can't wait to discuss When She Was Bad.  Hehe.