The Mega-Super-Ultra Buffy/Angel Episode Guide

[dignan]

I'm curious, why in that order?

[TeamRAD]

Oh, I was just being silly and arbitrarily placed them in that order.



Nonetheless, "School Hard" may very well be my favorite episode from S2. It all depends on my mood.

[dignan]

It was funny, I saw School Hard before When She Was Bad, and for a while thought School Hard was the season 2 premiere.  I had that issue for the first two seasons apparently.  Haha. 

[Ortega]

FYI.  Tonight begins season 2....

and sorry, TeamRAD, i'm not going to skip to innocence.....you must suffer in silence

[gbeenie]

Silence? Yeah, I'll take that bet. 

[Ortega]

Hulu Episode Link

http://www.hulu.com/watch/14659/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-when-she-was-bad

Episode 201 -  When She Was Bad

           BAH!  That's all i have to say about this episode.  I agree on dignan's assessment that this isn't really a good season starter, much less after the kick-ass Season 1 finale.  Yeah, Buffy.....i get it.  You almost died.  That's no reason to shove shit in your friends faces.  That WEIRD scene in the Bronze when she danced with Xander, only to flaunt it in his face:  Geez.  What a bitch.  If you didn't save the world that much, i could see hating you.  Anyway, the annoying toddler vampire kid,( who apparently opened up his new " My First Evil Minions" Playset), interrupts this episode of Dawson's Creek to try and revive The Master by using his bones.   Thankfully, Buffy stops whining and moaning enough to Slay some vamp ass.  And i love the scene where she sticks the crucifix down the vamp lady's throat...nice. 

   Overall, a semi-decent episode, but one that's a chore to get through.  It's like a Tootsie Pop, instead of candy wrapped around chocolate, it's like bad teen drama wrapped around some cool Slayer action. 

  AND, one last little thing............WHAT the fuck was the deal with the music at the end?!!!!

http://www.divshare.com/flash/playlist?myId=7453565-bc3

  It was like some weird-ass church music, or something you'd hear in a instructional video.  It was just weird and jarring.......

[dignan]

But no, I think it's a great season opener!  Well, kind of no.  Half-no, half-yes.  There are a lot of interesting dynamics at work here, and I give Joss credit for attempting to deal with the repercussions of Buffy having died, and how that would have an effect on her personality.  I like how this episode is where we start to see the difference between what a Slayer is "supposed" to be (i.e., alone), and what Buffy is (Slayer with support network of friends and teammates).  And while it's not easy to watch Buffy become alienating, cruel, and Cordelia-like, the journey she makes over the course of the episode is eventually as cathartic for me as a viewer as it is for her.  Best moment, in my opinion:  the look on Buffy's face when Xander says "If they hurt Willow, I'll kill you."

[TeamRAD]

AND, one last little thing............WHAT the fuck was the deal with the music at the end?!!!!

Yeah, that was a smidgen on the odd side of things. It's something I'd imagine to be used in 7th Heaven.

But no, I think it's a great season opener!  Well, kind of no.  Half-no, half-yes.  There are a lot of interesting dynamics at work here, and I give Joss credit for attempting to deal with the repercussions of Buffy having died, and how that would have an effect on her personality. 

I know this episode isn't too popular in the fandom w/ Buffy being a total-bizznatch and all. Yet again, this episode, in particular, exemplified why this wasn't/isn't your everyday piece of mythos at work here in regards to how Joss skewed the positive aesthetics of the titular character. By tapping into her dark-side a bit, it was yet another extension on why the character is so beloved by me, Buffy, the character, is one-of-us. It was a bold move by Joss, and I have forever believed this episode is paramount within the wide scope of the series w/ the groundwork it laid out for my hero's journey...Joseph Campbell, eat your flippin' heart out.

The perfect complement for "Prophecy Girl", and now bring on "School Hard". I'll have to reiterate from what I said in an earlier post, forget the whole mood thing, "School Hard" IS the episode for me in this season. I cannot wait to talk about it next week!

"Lie to Me" is really good, though. 

[dignan]

Well, don't forget Some Assembly Required.  Hehe.

[Courtney]

For some reason, Buffy always had somewhat weak season openers.  When She Was Bad, Anne's pretty weak in my opinion (though maybe I just missed the Scoobies), Freshmen isn't great, and the Dracula one is only saved by Xander.  I do like Bargaining and Lessons though.

[TeamRAD]

I disagree, Court.

Excluding the pilot, I think they're all pretty stellar, sans "Lessons". I've already touched on my adoration for "WSWB". "Anne" is fantastic. It served as a litmus test as of where Buffy was to date, and her Slayer strength aside, there isn't anything typical residing in her. I enjoyed the fact she was running away from Fate, but wasn't skewing responsibility w/ the supporting of herself. The demon dimension she found herself in was a wonderful stroke of genius as it was basically a metaphor of where Buffy's mind was, and accepting the notion the Slayer is a part of her identity. Much like "WSWB", but even more so, the episode is very important in the scope of the entire series, and established just how amazing Buffy, the character, all-around is.

"The Freshman" is cool, in my opinion, because of the establishing shot of Sunnydale U's library, and Buffy's reaction to it. S4 is definitely the surrealist season of the Eight, and the the expansive library was a gesture to the viewer that your brain is about to be blown away. And for the most part, it did just that. At face value, the episode does come across somewhat stale, but beneath the scenes...the gears were already beginning to spin.

"Buffy Vs. Dracula" is hilarious, and it not only, of course, established Drac into the Buffyverse, but the Xander/Drac dynamic for which is used to many chagrins in Season Eight. Not only that, Giles being seduced and groped by the Three Sisters is a classic Giles moment in the Series. A very solid episode.

"Bargaining" is amazing. That's how you bring someone back from the dead. That and you're really beginning to gather a firm glimpse of the metaphysical soul Spike was beginning to develop w/ this line delivered to Dawn...

"I'm not leaving you to get hurt. Not again."

I really, really, really wish Joss didn't ensoul Spike as all the pieces were there for him to again, metaphysically build one, for which would've been otherworldly, and dwarf Angel...ten-fold. Unfortunately, I feel Joss and Co. took the easy route w/ Spike.

"Lessons", no good.

I enjoy the season openers...very, very much.

[Ortega]

I really, really, really wish Joss didn't ensoul Spike as all the pieces were there for him to again, metaphysically build one, for which would've been otherworldly, and dwarf Angel...ten-fold. Unfortunately, I feel Joss and Co. took the easy route w/ Spike.

i'd have to disagree with you there.  While he was ensouled using a spell, he actually had to fight for it.  He wanted it, he desired it.  And that's something Angel never did.  Angel really didn't become Angel until he suffered having a soul for a century.  Which is why i enjoyed their right in the fifth season.

Glad you posted becuase i forgot about keeping up with this thread. 202 review forthcoming.....

[TeamRAD]

No arguing from me on the desiring/fighting for it, but my point is I believe it would've been much more poignant if Spike hadn't reattained one, literally. Everyone acclimated w/ the Buffyverse knows the soul is the moral compass of it, and the mere thought of a vampire developing something of that stature on a metaphysical level would be astounding to work with, and add a complexity to the 'verse that can really only be challenged by Harth in Fray. I just happen to believe it was a wasted opportunity, and the way they handled it clashed w/ me in a deus ex machina kind of way. 

[Tripe]

You mean have Spike self actualize not have a soul installed/reinstalled.

Yeah I would have preferred that; he knows what he wants to do but does the right thing instead.

[pezdrake]

You mean have Spike self actualize not have a soul installed/reinstalled.

Yeah I would have preferred that; he knows what he wants to do but does the right thing instead.

But at that point the Jossverse had established such an importance attached to having a soul (pretty much the basis for the wholeAngel TV series) that they couldn't then just say "you can work through it".