peaceout

Thank you Loandbehold! I just watched the first two eps last night. Will head over on to the Angel forums soon.

So, in light of my recent viewing of the show (for the first time evarr), here are my favourites: Favourite Seasons: Tie between Season Three and Five. Favourite Season Three eps: Lover's Walk, The Wish, Amends, The Zeppo, Dopplegangland, Choices, The Prom, Graduation Day 1 & 2 Favourite Season Five eps: No Place Like Home, Family, Fool For Love, Checkpoint, The Body, Forever, Tough Love, Spiral, The Gift Second Favourite Season: Season Two comes in a very close second. Favourite Season Two eps: Some Assembly Required, School Hard, Halloween, Surprise, Innocence, BB&B, Passion, IOHEFY, Becoming 1 & 2 After these three seasons, I think Season Four was probably the one I ended up all out enjoying the most. Favourite eps from the season: Fear Itself, Pangs, Something Blue, Hush, Who Are You, This Year's Girl, The Yoko Factor, Restless Season Six follows. Favourite eps: Bargaining 1 & 2, Afterlife, OMWF, Tabula Rasa, As You Were, Two to Go, Grave Season 7 after that. Favourite eps: Lessons, Beneath You, Same Time Same Place, Selfless, Him, CWDP, Dirty Girls, End of Days, Chosen I hate calling any season my 'least' favourite because I enjoyed them all in their own right but Season One was still a little rough, so it gets the not so enviable title. Favourite eps: Welcome to the Hellmouth, Harvest, Angel, Prophecy Girl

trudi-tru, you have a point. I have no doubt that watching the show back to back like this definitely helped in keeping my enthusiasm constantly going because there were no real periods of reflection in between. I do agree there was a decline in quality in creating the overall arc of seasons in seasons 6 and 7. Generally speaking, I found as overall seasons, seasons 2-5 flowed much better. I'm not counting season 1, because there were so few eps. Having said, I still tremendously enjoyed the experience. This is what I'm consoling myself with right now, romantic idiot! I'm hopeless that way, nosleepforme. I think, in hindsight, there were just too many of them. Maybe if it was 2-3 characters at the most, it would have worked better.

So, it's done. I watched the last two eps last night. When I started watching this show in early September, I had absolutely no idea it would resonate with me the way it did. I have loved a lot of tv shows over the years, felt connected to several characters, still watch a lot of tv. But Buffy just has something really special I can't quite put my finger to. I honestly feel a sense of loss now that I have no more Buffy eps, ever. There's a lot I loved about the last two eps. First of all, how great was it to have Angel back! I literally jumped out of my seat when he first appeared and it was just such a nice joy for people like me who really fell in love with Buffy and Angel together, to have them be in a scene together in the final ep. It's amazing to me that now each time Buffy and Angel have had a scene together since he left in season three (I think three times?), they always manage to find that brilliant chemistry together that just pops out. And each scene they've shared since he left, spoke true of them at that point in their lives. Well, true of Buffy at that point in her life anyway, because I have no clue what Angel has been up to in his series. In season 4, there was definitely still that immediate connection there, with things still fresh, but clearly Buffy atleast wanting to genuinely give things with Riley a try. In season 5, that connection was all about comfort, the familiar, the safe place. And now, with so much time having passed, I find it so telling that their almost immediate reaction is to embrace and kiss. They just fit, somehow and I've always loved that about them. On the merit of the scene itself, it wasn't the best written scene, but I'll take it because I can kind of see what the show was trying to sell here. Essentially that Spike is very much the man in Buffy's life right now. But Angel has a place in her heart that no-one else can replace. And I loved that Buffy actually told Angel to just stand there for a minute so she could bask. And just as tellingly, she pointed out the not so great 'highlights' of their relationship as well. So it has been messy, sure, but it's them. It seems to me that their pull towards each other just cannot be denied. I can just as easily understand Buffy not wanting to 'commit' herself to a future. But it pleases me that to even have a subtle acknowledgment that if ever these two might potentially see even a remote possibility of a future that involves a romantic other, after all their ups and downs in life have been dealt with, it's with each other. Thank you Sarah and David and the show for giving me a tv couple I haven't felt this invested in since Rick and Michonne. On to other stuff I loved. The scoobies! I loved how they went about getting the group back together by simply doing just that, getting them back together. No big declarations needed, just someone to break the ice so to speak and that's it, a family naturally falls back in their pattern. Obviously it was Buffy coming back and saving the day that set things in motion but I liked that it continued with the scene between her, Willow and Giles when Willow cracks that joke and her and Buffy smirk, and later when Buffy is in the room telling her core people about her plan, Giles's completely genuine enthusiasm and Buffy seeking it out, nonetheless. Great stuff. And it was so important in that scene only to have the main four plus Dawn, Anya and Faith. I also absolutely LOVED that little moment just the main four had together in 'Chosen' where Buffy, Willow and Xander are just randomly talking and Giles with his reactions. Did it make that much sense in the context of the ep for them to be having this moment? Perhaps not so much, but I think it made the ep far richer. I genuinely got wistful. Buffy and Faith. What can I say. What an incredibly unique dynamic these two have had over the course of the show. I really thought that scene the two of them had together just on their own was so well written. They have been through so much, good and bad, separately and together and yet here they are. At a place of not only mutual respect but an acknowledgment that there will always be a part of them that no-one else will truly 'get' except the other. I may not have been the greatest Buffy and Spike being together fan, but I have to admit, their final scene together was lovely. I don't know if I'm reading into it, but I really felt both of them wanted to say what the other needed to hear. And Spike saying he felt his soul actually moved me more than I thought it would. I actually ended up liking the Robin and Faith scenes! Go figure, but saw more of a spark and connection in the last ep between them that all the going at it like bunnies in Touched. There were these little moments in both eps that I really loved. I loved the Dungeons & Dragons scene, for how incredibly in such a short little scene, it spoke so much. It was really funny, yes, but essentially captured that 'night before battle' in exactly the Buffy way I have come to expect and love. Anya's conversation with Andrew at the hospital really worked for me. It rounded off her character arc in such a beautiful way, it's almost poetic. She wasn't helping save the day this time for any other reason other than her wanting to. That really moved me and made her death all the more painful. I also loved that we got one last scene of just Buffy and Xander together and just Willow and Giles together. I realized how many scenes we have had of Willow and Giles figuring out a particular demon or whatnot and they've always had this special bond in that regard. Just like Buffy and Xander have always had these moments together too. I thought the fight scenes in the hellmouth were really done very well. Particularly this one moment where this really rousing part of the score swelled up and you literally had everyone going all in. Brilliant. Really got me in the moment. I have some problems with the concept of turning all these girls into slayers but I have to say, that whole montage with Buffy talking and the various scenes of all the different kinds of girls having a chance to be empowered, was great as a message. And actually came at just the right moment in the ep. And finally, that last scene. So much promise for the future and I loved it! I felt such a joy in knowing that in my head I can assume or imagine these characters all moving on the next phase of their lives, with added responsibilities sure, but still alive and together. And hopeful and more together than ever. Now, on to the stuff that's not so great. Spike is dead?! I soured on a lot of Spike stuff in the last one and a half seasons because of the relationship angle but I find myself still really attached to Spike as a character, on his own merit. I can see storywise why it makes sense to have him close off his chapter heroically, like Anya's, but just like in her case, simultaneously one can also argue that there was more story to tell. Obviously not in the context of the show because it's over but in terms of continuing to give them a chance to go the heroes way. Find their path in life even further. I'm actually really bummed that the show offed both characters. One I could take but both?! Turning all the potentials into slayers does not work for me and if anything is a potentially volatile and extremely difficult situation. Not only does this mean that Buffy and co's task now is to round up hundreds of girls but how do we even know every girl getting that incredible amount of power is ready for it? Could it not potentially complicate their lives and even more importantly, that kind of power, unchecked or in the hands of the unhinged? Not a great idea. Plus, what really bothered me about this was that in the context of what eventually happened, did they even need to do the spell? What was ultimately the need to go into the hellmouth, all of them? They could just as easily have had Spike stand there and do his thing because ultimately, Spike's amulet is what did the trick. On that wholesale, be done with the town way. Not the slayers. Speaking of hellmouth, I thought it looked very cool visually but why were there only those vampires there? Was this a special section of the hellmouth or something? Because last I remember as it was referred to, there were a lot more creatures in there. The extra heavy focus on Buffy and Spike didn't work for me. The overtly romantic angle just doesn't resonate with me when it comes to these together. I think it's almost a waste of their rich and varied dynamic and chemistry over the years. But it was what it was. But I agree here in that regard with what nosleepforme said: It was just too much. Thank you GreenScreenFX! Thank you everyone for bearing with me and my unspoiled ways, lol. I will definitely be checking out Angel, next.

Thank you Jazzy24! Empty Places and Touched were a mixed bag. I don't think they bothered me as much as Lies My Parents Did, because that ep just came out of nowhere as an unpleasant surprise but with what happened in Empty Places, I could see things heading to some kind of confrontation climax, involving Buffy's leadership. I'm not surprised Buffy was right all along as was shown in Touched and now I'm extremely curious to see how the others react once they realize this. There doesn't need to be any grand gesture of reconciliation because with family, it's not needed, but I am hoping there's some sort of scene in the remaining two eps where one of these characters, be it Buffy, Giles, Willow, even Xander or Dawn just say, you know what, enough of this crazy behaviour. Look where that got us last time we fell apart. Because that's all it takes, one family member to cut through the crap and start acting normal again. Right now, they're all voicing their opinions and concerns in the worst way possible because they're all at their wits end. Makes sense on a lot of levels, but still unpleasant to watch. But I'm willing to give it a pass if the final two eps can regain even some semblance of the group dynamic that won me over in the first place. I cannot stand Rhona and Kennedy. No redeeming qualities there whatsoever. I don't mind Vi and Amanda that much though. I loved seeing the Mayor back. The First did a good job with having him say exactly the things that would get to Faith. Really great scenes. I also quite liked the scene where the First expresses that desire to touch and feel. For the first time, I got a sense of longing that's behind its desperation now to go to war. Interestingly done. Loved Buffy's not quite fight with Caleb. That was nicely contrasted with the chaos with Faith and the potentials. Having said that, I actually do believe Faith that she didn't come in with the intention of taking over Buffy's life this time. She just seems to have done herself no favours though by putting herself right at the top of an already messy campaign. I loved that last scene with Buffy and Faith right at the end of Empty Places. What an incredibly strange, yet compelling dynamic these two have. On an another note, I was so amused that of all the couples that chose to simply cuddle while the others were all going at it, were Buffy and Spike. Now, for things I just don't get. Help! So, we are shown that the residents of Sunnydale have all fled?! In fact by the end of Touched we are to believe our group and the evil brigade are the only ones left in the entire town? Why?? I am really trying to make sense of this but I'm struggling because outwardly, on the surface, what has happened in town to prompt such an exodus? The only way I can remotely make sense of this is that every town member has been haunted by the First and made crazy thinking they're talking to ghosts and/or being manipulated in worse ways even. Hence the get the hell out of dodge exodus. Still, all at once? And yet in Empty Places, the Bronze is still packed with a band playing, no less. This has to be the worst case of writing on the show I have seen so far. Still very excited for the last two eps and despite eps like 'Lies' and 'Empty Places' I still have high expectations for the remainder of the season.

I loved 'Dirty Girls!' Not the Xander getting his eye gouged out obviously, but generally speaking. I thought it was an excellent ep in not only furthering the plot along but also really showcasing some interesting character dynamics. I was really surprised myself at how happy I was to see Faith. I'm not sure how the specifics of this worked exactly, but clearly she seems to have been on some path to redemption since the last time we saw her in season four. And it involves Angel somehow, which, actually seems quite fitting, considering there was a chance he might have been getting through to her on some level in season three. Really enjoyed watching the characters interact with Faith. I'm hoping/guessing that she will stick around now till the end of the season? This Caleb guy. I think a much needed addition to the season, even if it is this late into the season. He brings a real menace and threat and ups the stakes because he is a physical manifestation of the First while doing its bidding. Nathan Fillion is great in the role. Xander's speech about Buffy even made me misty eyed, not just for what it says about her but what it says about him too. He is in so many ways the embodiment of the hope that comes with this group. He keeps everyone rallied and together in that sense. And that made the eye scene even more incredibly painful to watch. There's not much I didn't like about this ep. A part of me can't wait for the next ep but at the same time, I'm trying to delay the process as much as possible so I have the show to hold on to for that much longer. I am SUCH a hopeless sap. ETA: My favourite line was 'evil vineyard...like Falcon Crest...' LOL!

Thanks nosleepforme! For all the explanations. I watched Storyteller and Lies My Parents Told Me last night. Storyteller went a long way in helping me understand Andrew's character. He really does live in his own fantasy bubble, where he's never responsible for any of his actions and always put the onus on others. I get it. Problem is, I still don't like him. The ep made me understand him better but not necessarily grow to like him. He's funny in certain scenes but on the whole, he just feels like an intrusion. I'd much rather have had Jonathon be alive. Despite being so Andrew centric, I didn't hate the ep. In fact I LOL'd at several moments, like the slo-mo narration and the 'we are as Gods' bit. I can't express how much I disliked Lies My Parents Told Me. This is the first time ever, that I have outright hated an ep of this show. Maybe hate is a strong word because I did actually really like the Spike flashback scenes but on the whole I just really hate the ep for fracturing the Buffy and Giles relationship like this. It really felt like I was watching someone else's bizarro version of Buffy and Giles. And their conflict was over Spike, no less. Spike?! The ep made me dislike both Buffy and Giles, separately and together, something I didn't think was possible. I don't mind characters fighting or having disagreements, it adds depth to a close relationship/bond because you know that no matter what the two people have unconditional love for each other and will find a way back to one another. And I have no doubt (hopefully?!) that will be the case with Buffy and Giles too. But I hated the petty nastiness of their conflict here. Last five eps!

So I'm up to 'Get It Done' now. Before anything else, I have a few questions that are really bugging me. About the Potential slayers, I don't get how the system works. From what we knew so far, when one slayer dies, another is activated. But now we're being told that there are lots and lots of potential slayers, each with their own set of watchers even? Now, on some level this makes sense. For one thing, it harks back to what Kendra said in season two, that she was raised (I think?) by her watcher and trained by him since she was a little girl because her parents had given her to him. This makes sense now as they must have known she was a potential. Plus, lots of potential slayers around also makes the notion of quite so many watchers at the Watcher's Council more believable now. Having said that, why do some girls know they are potentials while others don't? Because Buffy clearly had no idea she was a potential slayer. Am I just really confused about this or were other people at the time as well? Second, I'm not sure I get what the demon eye told Anya and Giles about the First's timing. How exactly did bringing Buffy back cause a disturbance and in what? Enough to have the First now decide to attack? Third, how old are the potentials supposed to be? In the bar scene from Potential I think, Rhona mentioned they were a bunch of 15 year olds but then Kennedy is at the Bronze drinking with Willow. Are there varying ages? Ok, now with that out of the way, lol. I must be very annoying in constantly asking you guys these questions, please bear with me! I'm still enjoying the season, but I can see why it might have been divisive now, because while there are a lot of parts from a lot of different eps that I'm loving, on the whole, the storyline seems too confusing and with regards to what exactly the villain wants to do once it eliminates the slayer line. I feel with past villains, there was always a very clear goal they had in mind, but with the First, what is it exactly? Is it getting rid of the slayers so its army or Torakhans (spelling?) can take over? Plus, the First's periods of 'remissions' don't seem to make sense to me. It should be going full steam ahead, if anything. Also, with such an all consuming, all pervasive force like the First, wouldn't its effects be felt elsewhere as well, outside of Sunnydale? I'm curious whether this storyline had any repurcussions or links to the Angel season of this year? Wow, I ended up asking even more questions didn't I?! There's been some great stuff though that I've really enjoyed though. I love that Giles is back, though majorly pissed that we never got a proper reunion thanks to the 'is he the First' fakeout. I absolutely could not stop laughing at Giles and Chao Ann's scenes and the return of the gory flashcards from Hush. I loved Buffy, Willow and Xander together in 'Showtime', the way they pulled their plan off. Great scene and I have to admit, cheesily as it was done, I totally loved the way she ended up killing the vampire. I liked 'Potential', and this season, Dawn is really working for me. I can completely see her initial wistfulness in the ep because at the start of the season, it's her being trained by Buffy. But I remember mentioning this before also, but Dawn's contributions to the group don't necessarily have to be in the form of physically fighting, although she has gotten better at that too. But I can also see her in a more research based, almost watcher like capacity too. And I LOVED the last scene of the ep with Dawn and Xander. Oh, Xander. He so often says the exactly the thing the other person wants/needs to hear. Very well written and acted scene. I did not see the the twist with Principal Wood coming but I did figure out he was the New York slayer's son who was killed by Spike in that car scene. Interesting. I can't see this ending well, though. It'll be messy and complicated, now that Spike has a soul. For the most part, I also really enjoyed 'Get It Done.' I think this was a confirmation of what we already either knew or sort of figured out, that ultimately the slayer does indeed have something of the demon within her. That was heartbreaking though, to hear how the original slayer was created. I liked Willow doing magic, dammit! I miss it. Not wanting the world to go to hell of course but her being confident and in control. About the Potentials, I have mixed opinions. Rhona was working my lat nerve in her first ep, but she's not whining anymore so she's OK. I like Molly the most I think, but Vi (Vy?) and Amanda are fine too. I was actually really liking Kennedy until 'Get It Done.' I really appreciated that while a lot of the other girls were constantly complaining, she was all about getting to fight and make herself useful. Despite not finding her and Willow to have much chemistry, and generally disliking 'The Killer in Me' ep, I even got on board the romantic angle because I thought it might do good for Willow. But really, I wanted to smack her in Get It Done. The sense of entitlement was overwhelmingly nasty. Both with the other potentials and Buffy. At this point, she's on my shitlist. Willow can do so much better. I was very, very pleased to see Spike killing the demon in 'Get It Done.' Fun fight. This meek version of Spike wasn't quite working for me. Apparently his leather coat gives him his mojo back too, but boy did that not sit well with Wood. The one thing I'm flat out hating right now is the inclusion of Andrew in the fold. I'm sorry, yes, I know we keep getting reminded how a lot of the slayer's 'people are killers' but none of that makes Andrew's presence OK. I'll admit, he's funny sometimes but why is he there exactly? What does he bring to the mix? Are they ever going to really seriously sit down with him and make him understand exactly what he did? His flippant attitude gets on my nerves. I can't believe I only have 7 more eps left! Unreal, how much I'm going to miss it.

That's good to know romantic idiot! Gives me hope.

Exactly! Love the actor. So am I, lol! I've never binge watched a show like this, ever. The First Evil, that's right! Thanks for the answers on the season three ep! I loved Amends. So looks like I'm right then? This is the villain for the season? I'm really curious how Jonathon's death and those girls being killed fits into all of this? I still haven't seen beyond Conversations with Dead People, but I'm so anxious now about how the rest of the series go!

I'm up till Conversations with Dead People. Still really loving this season. In fact, I honestly do think this has been one of the strongest runs of initial eps throughout the series. I found both Selfless and Conversations to be exceptional eps and I literally LOL'd so many times during Him, it was great. I'm just waiting for the ball to drop at this point with what I've been hearing about the rest of the season and I'm so scared! Because it'll be that much harder, considering how much I'm loving the season so far! Selfless was just brilliant. On all levels, but wow, Emma Caulfield was particularly amazing. This ep really hit me in the gut. Seeing Anya's journey mapped out like that, makes me both nervous for her as a character, because in a strange way this almost felt like a send off ep, or a last love letter before farewell. I too, thought at the end of the ep, well, where can they go with Anya from here? But I really hope the character sticks around because this show needs her and what the actress brings to the table. And I really realized during the ep, that over the years I haven't just grown to love Xander and Anya so much, but I also really enjoy watching the Anya and Willow dynamic. What I also really liked about this ep was that in the scene where Buffy and Xander are arguing, I could see myself agreeing with both perspectives at various stages of their conversation. The Buffy and Angel fan in me of course was absolutely and unexpectedly delighted at the declaration of love because, I'm hopeless like that lol. But very interesting callbacks, gave that entire scene more depth, made it richer. This ep also made me realize what an unsung character Dahoffrin (spelling?) is. I've always enjoyed his scenes, all of them and this ep just proves why. Because he can be eloquent, witty, caring, smarmy and scary as hell. Great stuff. Was sad to see Halfrek go because I think the actress was just superb. Him was almost jarring to watch, initially after the excellent ep before it but it really grew on me by the end. Felt like a very good throwback to seasons 2 and 3. I loved all the Xander and Spike scenes. I remembered how great these two are in their scenes together. My favourite part was when they're going to get the guy's jacket and it seems like they're about to do this great, elaborate scheme and then basically they just end up running like two school boys and yank the jacket off him, lol. And even the part where the principal is all cluelessly sitting in his office and he has no idea about the background shennanigans. Hilarious. The bewitched Willow and Anya scenes were fantastic as well. Conversations with Dead People was the other ep I simply adored. What a terrific way to further the plot and characters in this really interesting sub-ep format. I loved all the parts of the ep to varying degrees, but surprisingly, Jonathon's death really got to me. In a way, what was remarkable was that he finally go itt. He finally became self aware and that made his murder that much more poignant. Andrew can just die now. I get that he was apparently being manipulated by that creepy as F vision of Warren but that's just it. He is so easily manipulated I just want to scream in frustration. It's not endearing, it's just annoying. The other really creepy part of the ep were the Dawn scenes. I have to admit, I was genuinely creeped out during a few bits. Dawn sold that desperation to speak to her mom really well. Buffy and the psych 101 vamp dude's scenes were brilliant. Great dissection of Buffy as where she stands right now at this point in her life. That entire scene was such a reminder of one of the reasons I fell in love with this show, the way the writing just completely turns an otherwise predictable premise or scenario into a totally different direction. Loved it. By the time I was done with the ep, and having seen the final Willow and 'Cassie' scene, I think I might know what's going on here with regards to the villain of the season but I'm not quite sure. I'm almost afraid to post about it because it's probably totally off base and/or incredibly stupid. Or I'm right and I've been equally stupid in just not having it figured out by now, lol. But basically the way I'm seeing it is that this force tends to appear in the guise of dead people. To everyone, Spike, Willow, Dawn, Andrew. And given that they're all talking to dead people, I have to assume it's connected. And it's a single force. This force also just revealed that it seems to be targetting specific people that could perhaps pose a potential threat. By getting Willow to off herself, you're taking out a powerful witch and ally of Buffy's. By having Dawn question Buffy, it alienates her from her sister, causing pain/distraction to Buffy. By having Spike kill, (because he has to be doing this under the influence of this force, since he not only has the chip but also a soul now) it's further pushing him down the path of no return. This seems very similar to the modus operandi of one of the villains we saw in season three. It was that terrific ep where Angel gets these visions and goes half insane but Buffy is able to restore his faith in himself and them just enough to get him to come back. For the life of me I can neither remember the name of the ep nor the villain's name. But essentially, it was trying to take Angel out of the game because he's a powerful ally. Or even a powerful figure in his own right. This, and particularly what Cassie said, seems to suggest it's the same force. But I just can't seem to figure out where Jonathon factors in all of this. Plus, there's also the question of those random girls being murdered. So that makes me think not so much and perhaps we are dealing with a new entity here. I guess, hoping that I'll find out soon? That's interesting. Season 6 was definitely light on Dawn in the first few eps so in contrast to that, yes this season definitely has much more focus on her. But I don't find it any moreso than the focus on her in season 5. But I think because I'm watching the seeasons all back to back in quick succession, my reactions are probably different than everyone who watched in real time because you guys wete coming off of season 6 and season 5 seemed a long time ago. And in contrast to the previous season, definitely way more Dawn. She's a great actress. Completely switched things up in both her eps and did wonderfully with each material.

Lol, ok, so I'm going to assume the way the season started was wildly disliked in the original run? Or that it all goes horribly wrong very soon? I've still only seen till Help so far. Hope to catch a new batch of eps soon though!

Thanks again everyone for continuing to humour me by answering my (many!) questions. I really do appreciate it. And I will definitely be watching Angel after this. I've watched up till 'Help' so far. I am loving the way this season has started! In fact, I think Lessons-Beneath You-Same Time Same Place are amongst the best first three stretch of eps in the whole series. That last scene of Lessons? Mind blown. That was literally every single big season villain of the entire series. Minus Angelus of course but I'm assuming contractual/network issues were at play, hence Drusilla. What I particularly loved about this scene, other than the OMG initial joy at just seeing these characters back, was how each villain's dialogue seemed so true to that particular character and what they might have said in their respective seasons. As to what this particular villain is though, I'm still not sure. I'm trying to make sense of the clues we're getting, but I'm not sure I've figured it out. Or am I even supposed to have figured it out by now? Somehow those girls being murdered in different locations, and Willow's visions or feelings, Halfrek's comments on something rising as well as what's happening to Spike, it's obviously all connected. I'm just probably too dumb to connect the dots right now. But I'm very curious and I'm loving the build up. I was so happy to see the Willow and Giles scenes. Giles's presence in their lives is so needed, in so many ways. It completely makes sense to me that he took it upon himself to help guide her in the aftermath of season 6. Same Time Same Place was so sad, with each of them, Willow and Buffy and co. walking on egg shells but I absolutely loved the last Buffy and Willow scene. Reminds me what I love the most about this show I think, that I just completely buy these people as each others family. I buy that with family comes conflict and pain and messiness but you find you way back to one another. If there's real love there and I believe there's real love there. I continue to love what they're doing with Anya's character. I could really see that potentially conflicting position she could be in last season with turning into a vengeance demon after being human for several years and I like that the show is continuing to explore that. She's not really able to fit in either category fully right now, because she has both human feelings and emotions as well as the responsibilities of being a vengeance demon. I'm curious to what extent the show will go with this conflict within her, but she's at a really interesting place. I love that as much as she doesn't like to probably admit, but she does indeed feel empathy and compassion. Spike's insane in the basement. I don't know why this line cracked me up, but it did. I have to say though, that James Marsters is playing the hell out of his scenes this season. Wow. The fact that he can squeeze in genuine humour and pathos almost simultaneously is incredible. The last scene of Beneath You was simply stunning. If I'm forced to believe that Spike went looking for a soul (I didn't, but that's what the show is telling me so I'll roll with it) then this scene was just an absolutely haunting look into his mind with regards to how the soul is affecting him. His desperate desire to find peace, to reconcile what's happened to him, with what he's done, the inability to do so, his actions still being driven by Buffy, that scene captured it all so beautifully. Buffy, Xander and Dawn's relative 'normalcy' is refreshing to see in these initial few eps, and I'll relish it because the proverbial shit will hit the fan soon, I'm sure. The new principal is...interesting? Could he have something to do with the evil thing that's rising? I mean, he's literally sitting on top of the hellmouth. He seems perfectly normal in most scenes but that's gotta mean something. I don't know. I liked Help and Cassie actually really made an impact for a one-off character. But I'm wondering, could there be a deeper reason for the ep? She said a few things to Buffy and Spike that could potentially mean something down the line, maybe?

I finished season 6 yesterday. What a finish! Although I feel more emotionally drained than ever, considering the different storylines they had going there, Buffy and Spike, Willow's addiction, the three losers, Xander and Anya, the show did the best it could to make it feel like a climactic enough finish but still with a hint of what's to come. And hope. Because that was desperately needed at the end of a season that was definitely the darkest this show has gone. I loved Giles returning! I cannot tell you how pleased I was. Buffy and Anya's reactions to him were what I wanted to reach into the screen and do, lol. About halfway through the ep I was a little confused as to how he hoped to match up to Willow's power, even with the coven's strength, but it made beautiful sense there at the end with that stunning Willow and Xander scene. The magic she took off Giles, the nature of it, allowed what was left of Willow's humanity and compassion to come to the fore just enough for Xander to get through to her. Now, was Giles banking on Xander doing that, I'm not sure. But logic be damned, I loved that Willow and Xander scene. So wonderfully acted and made so much sense to in the context of these two and their history. It's Willow and Xander. And I think on some level, these two will always have an incomparable bond. Of course, the real question is where do they go with Willow from here! She's killed two people now and her level of pent up grief and frustration and anger there at the end was insane. She might never be the same Willow she was, and that, I have to say, deeply saddens me. Spike was given a soul?! It really did not seem to like Spike went there looking for a soul restoration. Or am I completely off? It almost seemed like he went there wanting either his chip to be removed or to somehow get back to his killing ways, but he got a soul instead. I'm not sure I like it. Sort of cheapens Angel's soul, somehow? I don't know. But having said, Spike is a different character altogether. The context behind him getting a soul is completely different to Angel's. Therefore, it could be really interesting as well, seeing his progression with a soul, something we actually never saw with Angel, as he came with years of having had a soul already. I loved how Anya really stepped up as a hero in her own right, even though she's a vengeance demon. I can't help but wonder how this will conflict next season. Will it be so easy for Anya to go back to her demon ways? I found Dawn very irritating mostly for the last half of the season, constantly putting herself in danger and needing to be saved. But I have to say, I agree with her general point there at the end. Danger will find a way to her, regardless. She might as well train herself. With Buffy's help, she could become a real contributing member of the scoobies. Or if fighting isn't something Buffy's comfortable, she could have Dawn train with Giles, in research and mythology and just generally learning more about the world they operate in. I'm so relieved Buffy seems to be back to where she should be. The progression was coming ever since Gone and it's good to see that Normal Again provided that final moment of realization or reawakening. I'm so disappointed in Jonathon. Hate Andrew. And interesting moral debate, with regards to Warren because honestly, a part of me really wanted him dead too. But for what it does to Willow, that's just awful. And I can understand Buffy's point that their priority is saving Willow from herself, not the three losers. I can't believe I only have one more season left. I don't know what I'm going to do when it's over!

Thanks loandbehold and Erratic! I'm relieved to read this! I watched Entropy and Seeing Red yesterday. Oh man. Did these last two eps put me through the wringer or what. Here I was, a few posts ago, saying how relieved I was that the Buffy and Spike thing didn't implode in some big, violent nastiness and how pleasantly surprised I was to seem them functioning almost healthily as exes. And then bam. Seeing Red happens. Which if truth be told, I could see coming from the moment their violence induced first sexual encounter took place in Smashed. I've been rambling about this all along, but Spike moulds himself through Buffy's eyes. Till he feels Buffy views him as heroic or even till he feels she needs him, he's 'good.' And certainly, much of his behaviour is then modified accordingly, like helping with the scoobying and taking care of Dawn. And I truly think that in doing all of those things, Spike wasn't putting on an act. But he was simply being who he thought he should be, a 'man', as he thought Buffy made him feel like. Similar to how he earlier realized in season three that if he wanted Dru back, he'd have to become his old, violent self again. So now, post Entropy, where he feels even his last sliver of chance is taken away with regards to Buffy because she doesn't seem to be viewing him comfortably or fondly as an ex, no, she seems to be viewing him with hate, pain and betrayal now, Spike snaps. I saw that coming but it still made for very uncomfortable viewing. It was an incredibly painful scene to watch. I found it so interesting that when Spike returns to his crypt, he simultaneously wonders why he did that but why indeed he didn't end up doing it. Because of course he should, whatwith his whole breakdown of what should be the vampire slayer dynamic. Again, this whole painful episode was such a stark reminder that Spike's chip didn't suddenly take the demon in him away. Sure, there are demons who are shown as harmless or integrated as well as they can be within society, like Clem this season, but Spike is a vampire. His instincts are to cause pain and hurt and rape and kill. Those instincts never went away, as they would with the burden of guilt and responsibility that would come with a soul. Instead, they were simply buried as deep as he could manage with his love for Buffy and the chip. Fascinating unravelling of Spike as a character and that utterly dysfunctional relationship between him and Buffy, but very, very painful to watch. I'm curious as hell as to see where the show will go with Spike from here on out. I'm guessing he wants to discover why he can hurt Buffy when he can't seem to hurt others or simply get his chip taken out. Or I don't know, but his last line of the ep seemed ominous. I have to think at this point that Tara is dead. Because they can't kill Buffy a third time, so it has to be Tara. I'm hoping against hope in the next ep I'm proven wrong but somehow I think wishful thinking. That was brutal. I was not prepared for that and I have to admit, for sometime I just sat there, with my mouth open. I had really grown to love Tara and I'm incredibly bummed about this. Warren is a nasty piece of shit that needs to be disposed of, and right away. I have no sympathy for Andrew either. The only one I'm remotely still hoping comes out of this somewhat OK is Jonathon because he does seem to have become more and more estranged in the last few eps. Anya and Xander have been painful to watch as well. I didn't realize just how much I loved them together till these last couple of eps. These past few eps, its been a strange ride. I can actually sit back and really appreciate the quality of the eps, in terms of acting and direction and the dialogue. But they've been harrowing to watch, very draining.

Thanks everyone for letting me ramble on in here! I am pretty much as unspoiled as they come, which is why I thought starting a new topic thread might be better as I didn't even want to inadvertently come across any spoilers in any one of the season threads. I only managed to watch Normal Again yesterday. It has to be one of the creepiest episodes I have ever seen. It was so unsettling, I still can't get over it. I do think it was a brilliant hour of TV in terms of acting and as high concept eps go, it was wonderfully executed, never cheapening the merit of either 'reality.' But it is disturbing as F to even remotely acknowledge that everything we have been watching, our entire beloved show, has never been real? Anyone else get St. Elsewhere flashbacks? What really made the ep creepy were the little moments in the asylum where the doctor goes through Buffy's journey, Dawn as an inconsistency, her world no longer as grand as it was being reflected in the 'villains' of the season and her brief period of 'sanity' which was her death. And Buffy was chilling in the Sunnydale reality scenes. I really, truly felt for her throughout the ep, but I think she had an honest, genuine awakening there at the end, in which she seems to have fully embraced the Sunnydale life, for better or worse. Hopefully, this means a newly energized Buffy, ready to take on the world again. It's little moments of realization like the one here and in As You Were that gives me hope that Buffy will come out stronger from this. But having said all this, appreciated the ep in isolation in and all, someone please tell me this is the last we see of the 'other reality'?! Because the creepiest moment in already really disturbing ep, was the last scene which closed in on the asylum, almost confirming that this was it. This really was 'real' but it's just that we choose, via Buffy to stay in the Sunnydale world. Because I'd hate if that were the case. For a one time mind twist, it's ok, but to have the entire series premise legitimately challenged by revisiting this again? I'd hate.

I'm up to Hell's Bells Now. Up until now, I still sort of see glimpses of the older Willow so it saddens me to hear that she will regress down the mopey path more. I'll admit, this magic storyline has completely confounded me. I just don't get how or why Willow is suddenly addicted when she has been doing magic for years. The only remotely logical explanation, half assed as it is, that I can come up with is that in recent years, post Primeval, particularly post Tough Love, Willow has been doing more intricate, powerful magic, with what I'm assuming are darker origins. Therefore, she's tapped into some force or element within her that is now unable to separate magic as a thing she does, rather than who she is. Hence her default mode in wanting do magic all the time as opposed to when needed. It's not a sufficient enough explanation though and it doesn't help that the show didn't help me at all in getting to this conclusion. I had to scramble to try and make some semblance of sense. I hate that Willow might not be able to do magic anymore. But this is the storyline and within that context, I am happy to see Willow trying to do better. Her warning to Amy was chilling though. Gave me Tough Love flashbacks. On the Buffy and Spike front, looks like I was very wrong. I'm almost relieved. I really thought their relationship was going to implode in some manic, violent confrontation where Spike would finally snap at Buffy not having the same kind of love for him that he feels he has for her. But colour me completely surprised to actually see them functioning as friendly exes in Hells Bells. I find Spike incredibly fascinating, in that he himself feels conflicted with how he wants Buffy to fit in with his life and vice versa. On one hand, you can see the dark side that wants to isolsate Buffy so he can have her immersed in his world completely. But on the other hand, is that truly even his world anymore. He hangs out with Clement the demon that couldn't scare a fly, has been actively scoobying for some time and just generally wants to be accepted by Buffy into her world. Or atleast that's the way it often comes across to me. I can't help but think Buffy was right in Smashed, where does Spike fit in anymore? I don't know where they will go with his character but it has been a helluva journey. I loved As You Were. It was so great seeing Riley back and I almost wish he had a larger arc but it makes sense for it to be the one ep because him returning served a very specific purpose and it did that. I found it interesting that the minute he came back, Buffy was flirting with him. It made her confession to Spike that she really was just using him that much more needed, on her part, because she needed to admit it and to verbalize it. For her own sake more than anything else. And of course when Spike says he really wasn't complaining about being used, it made the whole thing even more pathetic. I'm glad for both their character's sake that Buffy came to this realization and soon enough. I was not expecting this to be Spike's reaction, but like I said, I;m amost relieved it wasn't. Dead Things effectively established the three annoyances as a real threat. It was scary not only what they did but how close they got to Buffy turning herself in. They need to be stopped. I don't know if if it was just me though, but by the end of this ep, I saw this potential rift between Warren and Andrew on one end and Jonathon maybe drifting to another end. He seemed less than enthused about the whole thing. Warren is creepy as F, though. Blech. Why didn't Giles come back for the wedding??! Booooo! And why did things have to go down that way? Hells Bells had some really hilarious moments but I hate that Xander and Anya broke up. Like Buffy, they were my light at the end of the tunnel in terms of relationships as well. And now it looks like Anya will revert to her vengeance demon ways. That should be...interesting?! Was Halfrek the woman Spike wrote poetry about before he became a vampire? The one who said, 'you're beneath me.' Is that how they seemed to know each other in Older and Far Away? I definitely sense a tonal shift again, much like I noticed in season 4, oddly. Of different kinds, but still a shift. Some of the storylines have been very frustrating but the show hasn't lost me. Atleast not so far, lol. There have been some excellent eps this season, and I've enjoyed seeing Tara's character grow and evolve as this genuine part of the gang. Plus I can see the overall theme of the gang being thrown apart in their own respective messes, to find a way back (hopefully!) to each other as their strength comes from them relying on each other and being there for each other. Not in falling apart miserably in their own little worlds.

Only one more?? Ok, I'll take it. Something is better than nothing. Hopefully! Lol, it's obvious! I'm still totally into the show but I now see what you guys were saying about this being a divisive season and all. Because even I have serious issues with Buffy/Spike and this Willow-magic storyline.

Thanks nosleepforme and trudi-tru for answering my questions! I had no idea about the different networks. It makes sense then for a crossover to be difficult and in a way it makes me appreciate the writers more that atleast they still added this little part in about a Buffy-Angel meeting at all. It would be very easy to just ignore that Angel exists at all. But the Buffy/Angel fan in me is really disappointed by this. So this means no more crossovers ever? No more Buffy and Angel in a scene together? Thanks! I'm up to Gone now. As far as the debate about Buffy not talking to her friends vs her friends not talking to her, I didn't mean to imply her friends chose to ignore her or that Buffy was all gung-ho about talking to them, because she clearly wasn't. I think the situation, the way everything fell into place, was such that when Buffy came home, where Spike seemed much calmer, quieter, when the Scoobies burst in, they were all frenetic and 'we got you out.' etc. Buffy gravitated towards Spike when she should have confided in her friends, agreed. But I can see why she did. I don't think the situation painted her or her friends in a bad light. They were each just responding as best they could. On Buffy's depression with being pulled out of heaven, again, I'm just saying I can see why she would be depressed. She may have been only 21, but a good chunk of of her life revolved around violence, mayhem, death, constant pressures of constant end of world scenarios, and so on. I can completely buy her being at peace with checking out in The Gift. She was ready, I bought that. Now, her continued bad decisions post depression. That's another matter. Because like I said in my earlier post I think, I get why Buffy gravitated towards Spike and it makes sense for her to be distracting herself with someone who absolutely worships her. My fear was it's all ok now, when Spike is in 'hero' mode, and channeling his image through his perception of Buffy's opinion of him. But what if that changes? What if Buffy loses interest or sees someone else? What will happen then? It's dangerous. And everything Smashed-Gone has just made me realize that I think my fears might not be so crazy after all. I have no idea or theories on why Spike can harm Buffy but not other humans. But it's interesting that the first thing he does is attempt to bite someone. He is ultimately held back because of the chip, not a soul. He repeatedly tells Buffy he loves her and in his own head, I believe he believes that. And his life revolves completely around her, that much is obvious. But that's what makes this potentially so dangerous. Buffy doesn't seem to be realizing how quickly Spike has the potential to go unhinged. All the ingredients are there, including his ability to hurt Buffy. I really can't imagine where her heads at. he's had several opportunities to back out of things with Spike, yet every time she actively chooses not to. I've never wanted to genuinely smack her upside down the head so much. I just can't see this turning out well. Amy de-ratting was interesting but a disappointment in terms of how she's woven into this magic addiction storyline. I'm not sure how either Amy or Willow got addicted so much, so quickly that they had to seek out that Rack guy. I appreciate that Willow is atleast trying to change. Gone was an interesting ep for her in that sense. I really regained my love for her in that ep, in fact, because I could see how hard it was for her to stay away from magic but she was giving it everything she had not to go back to it. Of course, my fundamental problem with this is the addiction itself. Yes, she's been doing more magic in the last couple of years than before, but what has suddenly made her addicted? And more importantly, how is a scenario where Willow never does any magic, ever, ok to anyone in the Scoobies? It's a ridiculous notion. Surely, there has to be another way around this. I miss Giles. So the trio of nemesis-is-es, lol, is out. I have to admit that whole scene was hilarious. But they're still more annoying than funny. I feel the urge to skip their scenes and I haven't felt like skipping scenes since a couple of eps in season 4. These last three eps have really tested my patience in a lot of ways. But I still can't wait for the next episode so I don't know what that says about me, lol. Clearly I'm addicted.

Right, so I'm up to Tabula Rasa so far. I have questions! My very first thought after the opening credits of the first ep was, where the hell is Giles?! Has the actor left the show, will there be no more Giles, will he die?! There was a mini apocalypse going on in my head. Then it struck me, why isn't Tara in the credits? She's never been in the credits and that struck me as odd. As the season progressed and now that I'm up to Tabula Rasa and seeing Giles (finally?) leaving, I'm assuming Giles isn't in the credits because the show is phasing the character out...am I right? If that is the case, I'm incredibly saddened. Will he make any guest appearances? Please tell me yes... My other question is, what the hell was up with the no-show Buffy and Angel meeting? Did they meet on Angel? Why didn't we get more details on that? It seems like a big deal to gloss over. Buffy's reaction after she came back was odd and I just can't help wondering what happened between the two of them. Do we ever get any info on this? Ok, now on to the season itself, lol. Sorry for the questions! Well, I have a lot of conflicting thoughts on certain storylines this season but I'm still just as much hooked to the show as ever. I loved Once More With Feeling and Tabula Rasa so much that I rewatched parts of them almost immediately after. Once More, is just a particularly amazing hour of TV. Kudos the entire cast and crew because it could so easily have been a gimmicky ep, but I think it potentially moved the season along in momentous ways, re: Buffy in heaven, Xander and Anya's doubts over marriage and Willow and Tara breaking up. And of course none moreso than Buffy realizing she is as drawn to Spike as he is to her, just probably for very different reasons. (P.S. I watched on DVD!) On the Buffy and Spike front, I saw it coming since the very first ep after the premiere. And a part of me can definitely see why. Spike has continued to ally himself with the Scoobies, fighting right there by their side, even in Buffy's absence. That's a huge deal. Not in suddenly making Spike 'good' but in convincing me even further how deeply his attachment to Buffy goes. He is co consumed by her that even in her absence, he devotes the rest of his 'life' to her because he defines his existence through her perception of him. If he believes Buffy trusts him, Spike will damn well do everything in his power to live up to that image. Add to that the unique way he seems to be willing to listen to Buffy when her friends aren't, and I can see Spike's appeal for her. He's a very welcome distraction to Buffy right now. And he's an all too willing participant in her desperate neediness right now. My only trouble with this is, what happens when Spike stops being a distraction to Buffy? What if Buffy loses interest? What if her perception of Spike changes from a 'good guy hero' to someone who's not? Won't that effectively change the way Spike behaves? Because his behaviour seems so linked with how he feels Buffy thinks of him, this might be a potentially disastrous relationship. Because what happens if Buffy breaks this thing off and begins referring to Spike as a 'monster' again. Because it is still only a chip that's holding him back and not a soul. Will Spike revert to being a monster? It's a very slippery slope and Buffy should very careful. I really feel for Buffy right now. Yes, she's not making the best of decisions right now but I'm giving her breathing room because honestly, she was so ready and at peace with what she did in The Gift. For her to be yanked out and thrust back in what must invariably feel like a crappy existence compared to heaven, I can't even imagine. On Giles leaving, I can see both points. I can understand what Giles thinks, but I can also see what Buffy means. I don;t think leaving her cold turkey is a good idea. Giles could have stayed and talked Buffy through everything rather than completely removing himself from her life. I felt similarly conflicted with the Willow and Giles spat. Which, I think my heart broke when it happened. After that absolutely lovely send off in Bargaining to their bitter exchange of words later. Awful. On one hand, I get what Giles is saying. Especially because Willow was frankly, foolish and presumptious enough to just assume that Buffy was in hell. Why would she? On the other hand, I can't completely fault Willow either because by that point, I don;t think it was her growing obsession with magic that drove her to ressurrect Buffy. In that moment, I truly do believe it was because she loved Buffy and wanted to save her. But what's really scary in all of this is Willow completely losing it. I don;t blame Tara for leaving her. That was a complete violation of her mind. I'm not sure where they're going with Willow, but it's sort of freaking me out. Please let Xander and Anya be ok! Let them be that one stable, foundation. But I'm probably fooling myself, aren't I? Why is Jonathon with Warren and that other dude? Seems a bit out of character to me. I'm reserving my judgment on them right now. They're funny sure, but they're more annoying than anything at the moment.

So I just finished season 5. Remarkable season. I think three and five tie as my favourite seasons so far, though for very different reasons, with season two a very close second. Although of course I know Buffy will be brought back somehow and don;t get me wrong, I am really happy there are still two more seasons for me to watch, if this had been a series finale, I think I'd be at peace with it. Perhaps the only thing missing would be Angel. But it'd be a helluva way to sign off. The Gift was such a terrific episode. From that unique recap to the teaser right down to the last scene. But it was all these great little moments in between, like Buffy and Giles's conversation in the training room, and Spike and Giles's 'we the band of buggered' moment. And Tara getting her sanity back. And what surprisingly resonated in a way that I didn't think possible was Buffy and Spike's liittle moment in her house. How much inviting him back in meant to Spike and his acknowledgment that she will never love him, but that's irrelevant to him. Again, in the context of this season, I completely believe Spike means this. He is a soulless demon, yes, but a big chunk of his personality has always been shaped and driven by his 'love' for the women in his life. And his need to mould himself for them. At this point, that meant moulding himself to as close to a hero as he could possibly get. And he sure had a lot of heroic moments in the last three or four eps of the season. Now whether this will continue or not, I can't tell. He's a wildcard in that respect. I like it. Makes him consistently interesting. I really loved what Glory brought as a villain. Her speech to Dawn, about being the only one who recognized the crazy around her, was really so well executed. I really bought her a genuine, credible threat once she found out who the key was. Her backstory was great. I almost wish we had a version where we could have seen it. Giles killing Ben at the end, controversial, I'm sure, but I could see the necessity of the situation trumping all else at that moment. The last, I think maybe five eps or so of the season, almost felt like one whole episode. Like one, big long season finale that climaxed in The Gift. Willow taking charge in the absence of Giles and Buffy is not new, but it is interesting how they've really ramped it up this season. She is getting so powerful. Great season. Very much looking forward to continuing the resst of the series.

You guys. This season. I'm up to 'Forever' so far. Is *that* episode 'The Body?' Because wow. What an incredible little capsule of the different tiers of immediate grief. Just amazing. I was not expecting Joyce to die. As gut wrenching as The Body was, Forever was a good follow up. Nice play on Monkey's Paw. I'm curious was Joyce 'coming back wrong?' And Angel was exactly what Buffy needed right then and there. I still miss him. Still love these two. I am really, really into this season. So crazy invested, it's not even funny. Glory is a god??! Again, did not see that coming. I loved 'Checkpoint.' So many forces after Dawn, this is going to get ugly. I also loved 'Blood Ties.' And 'Crush' was great, seeing Dru back especially. Riley and Buffy's breakup I did see coming. That was a powerful scene, the last shot of her running desperately to save the relationship. I never disliked Buffy and Riley and here I actually rooted for them. But I just couldn't see it working out in the long haul. I'm just completely in love with this show. He really, really is. In some ways, might be my favourite character.

I know, I'm just so impossibly hooked! I haven't felt such an emotional investment in television characters in a long time, lol. So far, I'm up to Shadow. And I am loving this season! It seems to have captured the old tone/balance of seasons 2 and 3, despite that massive WTF at the beginning of the season, which was Dawn. Now that I'm remembering though, is it possible that Dawn was foreshadowed? In Restless? My initial thoughts about Dawn in her first ep was that she was evil. That she was the big villain of the season who had somehow inserted herself into Buffy's life unnaturally for some nefarious purpose. Turns out I was half right. She was inserted into Buffy's life/memories but by the monks. And she doesn't appear to be evil, although she is this 'key' thing so I remain weary. I loved that the theme of Family was just that. family. It's not always blood, it's who you choose to call as family, people who would always be there for you. Since season two, the main four characters have been getting closer and closer to a point where I can now totally buy that they think of each other as family. I know the purpose of the ep was to fully integrate Tara into the group, but I loved being reminded of how tight knit this group is. I really like that Buffy has at least clued in Giles, about Dawn. Giles and Buffy together are love. Actually, I love Giles's dynamic with all of the scoobies, there seems to be a different tone with each, that really speaks true to those two particular people. Emma Caulfield just completely cracks me up as Anya. She is brilliant and wow, how Anya has grown on me. I think what's working in her favour this season is that I can actually begin to see what she brings to the table, as an individual scooby. She has this vast, 1000 year old history and the group can really tap into that. Plus, her embracing the all things capitalism is hilarious. I did not expect Joyce's illness, but what a harsh reminder that even in this world, this can still happen. Death and illness don't wait for anyone. Sarah is really killing it in her scenes where she just feels so daunted and helpless. Spike is just utterly fascinating this season. He really is love's bitch. Fool for Love was such an amazing ep, a brilliant character study almost, showing Spike come full circle with being told 'beneath me.' I know the show has fleshed out vampires since season one, giving them personality and nuances, but Spike still seems unique somehow, and I don't think it originates from the chip, but is certainly reinforced by that in a way. I can't see his obsession with Buffy turning out well, yet at the same time, it is so compelling, watching him in his own head, fall harder and harder. The last scene of Fool for Love was just a thing of beauty in this regard. I also loved this ep for seeing Angel and Dru again, and omg, Darla! In all of their scenes together, I couldn't help but think, I'd love to have seen a whole separate show with their 'adventures.' I am confused about one thing though. By 1900, wouldn't Angel have been cursed?? There's something really heartbreaking and tragic about Riley. He's convinced himself so much that Buffy doesn't love him, he's actually potentially putting himself in a position where he might end up pushing her away. I still think he's a good guy, and the character has really grown on me. I like his dry sense of humour sometimes and the actor does a decent job. But he has definite issues of self worth or sense of belonging that he needs to sort out. And quick, otherwise this relationship can't last. Which I'm torn about, because I have grown to like him and Buffy together but in my hopelessly devoted mind, Buffy and Angel are still endgame. Glory's fun! I'm very confused right now as to the specifics around her character but I'm in. I'm interested to see where it goes.

Seriously, lol! I did not see the Willow Tara thing coming. I guess I should say goodbye to my Willow and Oz love. Sadly, because I did really love them. I also wish Oz hadn't come back for his last ep. The finalty of their breakup got to me. Having said that, I quite like Tara. So I don't mind seeing whether I might end up warming to this pairing. I liked this season, even though I still feel tonally it felt very different to seasons two and three. There were some incredible eps this season. Hush was just amazing, and I loved the quirkiness of Superstar. I loved Yoko Factor and Primeval totally felt like a season finale. The Faith two parter was brilliant. But I think Restless was just on another level of awesome. It felt like I was watching a piece of literature. It was so well done, all of the dreams, interwoven with the larger theme. I think I found Xander's dream the most compelling though. Just beautifully captured him in that moment. But for the first time since early season one, there were a couple of eps I was actually zoning out during. And that felt strange. I was a bit underwhelmed by Adam too. Initially I was really excited to see where they might go with him because I still think the concept is cool. But he was so isolated and there was no emotional resonance to him as a villain. Giles singing! LOVE. So I watched I will Remember You. Got me in the feels. Right where it matters. I can't seem to quit these two. I loved Angel in Yoko Factor. Would have loved to have seen his reaction to Spike, lol. But I liked what we got. This unspoken realization that there will always be some part of both these characters that will gravitate towards each other. Which is strange because its probably counter productive to both shows. But so far that's the way it seems. Like they're end game. Even more surprising is the fact that a part of me likes Buffy and Riley together too. I can;t help but think he's in denial over some of his issues with Buffy's slayerness, but he's a good guy. He seems to mean well and it's obvious he loves Buffy. I think she needs this right now. I think she loves him too, probably not the same, deep, emotional pull she has with Angel, but there's real love and affection there. Emma Caulfield kills it as Anya. She is so, so good. I'm beginning to warm to her character too, as well as her and Xander together. Towards the end of the season, it finally felt believable that their affection was a two way street and not just one sided from Anya. Spike continues to be hilarious although I'm really curious of he will be fully integrated into the gang or if he'll find a way to get his chipectomy. Because at the end of the day, uniquely interesting as Spike is, and highly adaptable, he is still a vampire. He can't kill, sure, but have those urges gone away? Really interesting stuff. Onwards to season 5!

Thanks everyone for your advice/recommendations about watching Angel concurrently but I'm already up to Something Blue in Buffy. And you're right, some stuff is a bit confusing already but I think at this point I'm just going to motor through with Buffy first. Lol, I had no idea she was crossing over on to Angel so imagine my shock as I began watching season four and no Cordy. I was literally like whaaa. You are very right about this seeming like a different season. Tonally, so far at least, it seems a lot lighter, aside from the Willow/Oz breakup. Which, someone please please tell me he'll be back?! As much as I am impossibly hooked to this show, I have to say, it is doing my head in romantic relationship wise. None of the couples I like stay together. WTF?! But on the whole, I'm still really loving the show. I can see what a huge task it must have been, transitioning Angel and Cordy out and Spike in. Not to mention new characters like Riley. I'm finding Riley and Willow have a lot more chemistry than Riley and Buffy. Is it just me? I wonder if they might go there with Riley and Willow. But the show seems pretty clear that all roads lead to Buffy and Riley right now. I don't mind them. He's no Angel, and their chemistry seems a bit on the forced side, but I'm actually quite enjoying watching Riley as a character and what his potential might be, in terms of this Initiative storyline. Spike's character has just totally taken a turn. I can't help it though, I still love him. The actor, James Marsters, he's brilliant with whatever he's given. So far, his evolution from how he first appeared in season two, to how he ended up that season to season three and now, it all makes sense. I can't wait to see how he fits in the larger scheme of things now with this thing in his head. Surely it can't be permanent though? Harmony's hilarious but can grate after a while. I'm finding the same of Anya so far too. I feel for Xander and Giles, but it makes sense, for these two in particular to sort feel their way around whatever their new roles are going to be, both in life and as part of the scooby gang, now that they're relatively scattered. Seeing Angel in Pangs was so great. And the reactions to him by various characters just made it better. I was really curious about him getting the gem of Amara but clearly when he showed up in Buffy later not wearing it, I figured something bad must have gone down with it in LA. In terms of eps, the only one I didn't really care for so far was Beer Bad. It was the fueat time after I think a few earl season one eps where I actually looked at the time, wanting the ep to finish soon. I loved Something Blue and The Initiative and the halloween ep, I can't remember the name. Lol, I think I can somewhat begin to see what you're saying.