Joe Hellandback

No, I must say I haven't

What were they thinking?

Absolutely, Dollhouse must have been a been such a gift for the actors playing different roles every week, unfortunately it was also confusing for the casual audience. The good; Pretty good story and some nice political campaigning from Adele. The start of Victor and Sierra's relationship is sweet and Topher's reaction to it hilarious. Also like the gag where Ballard asks Mellie to describe the guy who gave her the letter only for her to describe the mailman. Also love Echo/Esther hitting the cult leader with the candlestick. The bad; Rather odd that Boyd uses his real name when dealing with the ATF? Best line; Topher (on the phone, upon seeing Victor's 'man reaction' to naked Sierra) "I gotta go, somethings come up" also like Echo/Esther "God brought me here with a message. That message is MOVE YOUR ASS!" Packing heat; Boyd/Dominic with an SMG. Oddly in an ep full of guns Echo never uses one Echo;3 Boyd; 6 Dominic; 4 Sierra; 1 Kinky dinky; Victor and Sierra, some impulses obviously stronger than brain wiping Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; Echo; 2 How'd they get away with that? Can't watch Echoes eye surgery, very Clockwork Orange. It's suggested the cult leader has a penchant for underage girls. This weeks fantasy; Echo is a blind religious zealot Total number personalities; Echo; 11 Sierra; 4 Victor; 1 Total dolls;3 Echo, Sierra and Victor Topher is a bit geeky; Prefers the term 'man reaction' as a euphemism for male arousal. Bondage; Sierra tied up; 1 Knocked out; Echo by Dominic Kills; Sierra; 2 kills Echo; 1 Dolls injured; Echo roughed up and slapped around again Know the face? 5 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock Guantanamo; Big government kicking in the door and storming inside...to discover enough illegal weaponry to take Iwo Jima in the hands of those seeking the end of the world. Hard to know who's right or wrong? Missing scenes; Very nice dinner scene on the deleted scenes, actually makes the cult members much more likable. Questions and observations; Hard to know what to make of the rights and wrongs of this ep, the ATF agent plays a dirty trick although ultimately he's proved to 100% right and avoids another Waco. The irony that the cult members have sacrificed their free will much more by choice than the Dolls have (or have they?). The difference is that the cultists pose a threat to the outside with their arsenal whilst the Dollhouse doesn't...yet? Dominic shows his dislike of Echo whilst the affection developing between her and Adele also becomes evident In many ways these eps remind me of early eps of Angel, that it was supposed to be an anthology show with the case of the week but eventually became more a story of Angel Investigations themselves with the cases as incidental. The problem is that with the Doll's wiped every week it's difficult for the characters to develop. Also whilst it's a slick series it lacks the humour and and joi de vive of Buffy and Angel (and even Firefly) it feels too sterile. Marks out of 10; 7/10, again, enjoyed this more in the re-watch than I thought I would

I like it, it shows the beginning of Buffy's eternal battle between her private life and job. Yeah she does have a thing for poetry fans, Owen, Spike, Angel, RJ? You do actually, when you look at the stock footage of Sunnydale High you can see him walking towards the school. Yeah, her flighty speech to Giles was a highlight. Never Kill a Boy on a First Date; The Good; Great misdirection, you really never figure who the annointed is whilst Vorba is a truly frightening figure. Cordy and Buffy fighting over Owen is FANTASTIC! The fight at the funeral home is also excellent. And how often do you see 'Emily Dickenson' in a US teen show? (almost impresses Giles) The lovely scene between Buffy and Giles at the end. Buffy's green and white dress doesn't make her look fat but does make her look like a brazen hussy. The changing scene with Buffy, Willow and Xander is also funny The bad; So, when a vamp dissolves why do it's clothes disintegrate and the ring etc doesn't? I always thought the idea was when a vamp dies the body returns to a natural state of decomposition but that doesn't seem the case as even newly made vamps dust. Buffy has a beeper? Not only does that terribly age the ep (see 30 Rock) even more than the computers they use but what's her excuse as a schoolgirl for carrying one unless she's a doctor, drug dealer or call girl? Best line; (after Cordy knocks the cup over) "Boy, Cordelia's hips are wider than I thought!" OOOOOOOHHHH! The classic; "Bite me!" Cordy upon seeing Angel "Hello salty goodness!" (which are also her first words as an amnesiac in Spin the Bottle upon sighting Angel/Liam) Observations and questions; We never see Owen again although he appears in a lot of the establishing shots of Sunnydale High. I guess the show only has room for one brooding loner guy? Check out Willow's expression when she and Xander pretend to be a couple. Also Willow digs Owen which is more grounds to assume she's bisexual rather than just lesbian. Someone actually borrows a book from the library? Giles must have had to sit down with shock. Being a Watcher seems to run in families 7/10

It's not Xander being sacrificed! I never found him self-righteous, he was 'the one who sees'. Yeah, I don't buy the King David analogy either, this was NOT about Xuffy. From everything I've read Nic's drinking never was a problem on the show but only afterwards, (he seems to have put his hellraising days behind him now) their issue with him was more that he was working out too much so Xander looked too buff (no pun intended), very visible in DMP. Ryan Reynolds would have been all wrong, Xander was the boy next door and the everyman, the show had enough dashing romantic leads, to try to make him that would have made him into another Riley.

Ohhhh, it's all so close now, bridges burnt, loyalties torn, how will it end? 1. Oh the scene between Paige and Elizabeth is painful to watch but hypocritical given how Paige was also willing to slut it up for Mother Russia? 2. I was so glad that Stan told his FBI friend of his suspicions, I was so scared that he would be killed and his suspicions would die with him. 3, Clever scene as Elizabeth approaches the target, you genuinely wonder what she will do for a second. 4. The scene between Elizabeth and Claudia is great, you genuinely wonder what her reaction will be and when you see it what actually happens it is so credible and heartfelt it's brilliant.

I like that, it would be interesting to see if they except that excuse from a woman but not a man.

Mortal Beloved The Good; some not bad early CGI battles, a genuinely scary villain, a nice end to the Marcus storyline and a nice trick with the sleeping bride, genuinely fooled me for a sec. Also nice to see Hades again. The Bad; If Hades has all these amazing powers it's a bit of a stretch he needs Xena's help? Charon's bit seems to go on a bit too long. Recurring Characters; I'd forgotten, Toxeus is back as well as Hades, Charon and Marcus Charon; 1 Toxeus; 2 Ephiny; 1 Hades; 2 Ares; 1 Marcus; 2 Falafel; 2 Cyrene-1 Lila-1 Gabby's dad-1 Perdicas-1 Draco-1 Sisyphis-1 Xena clichés; fire-breathing and Dr Xena Doubles; 1 “I have many skills’; 1 10 years ago; 1 Dead Gabby suitors; 2 Dr Xena-7 Xena in bondage-2 Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-3 Gabby captured-3 Village in peril-2 Duel to settle things-2 The Pinch; 4 Xena animal skills; 2 Xena fire-breathing; 4 Kills; 4 including 2 Harpies and Marcus. Xena; 13 Best quote; - Gabby; "Xena that lake is deep and treacherous, what if something goes wrong?" Xena; "Then I guess I'll make it to the afterlife one way or the other?" Greek myths; surprisingly the whole Hades helmet thing is nearly spot on. The title a play on Beethoven biopic Immortal Beloved. Subtext; Gabby a little nervous at Xena seeing her ex. Rightfully so as she leers at Marcus' ripped midriff and.... Notches on the Chakram; yep, Xena and Marcus Xena; 1 Other; an ep that quite literally goes to hell and back, a very enjoyable mix of combat, comedy and romance, a lot darker than what has come before, certainly more so than anything on Hercules, you genuinely fear for Gabby on the beach but she turns out to be a lot tougher than she looks. Rating; 7/10,

1. Teacher; "Yes, I knew the victim, she was one of my favourite pupils" Finn; "Yeah I bet you have a great time leering after all the teenage hotties. Still we need your help on this" Teacher; "Well I was going to help you but after saying that to me you can go f*ck yourself" 2. Carisi; "You know an awful lot of sex crimes seems to happen on these rocks in central park, maybe we should set a camera up or something?" Rollins; "Yeah, maybe by that tunnel it always happens at too?" 3. Rollins; "We have the CCTV, what can you do with it?" Lt Paul Wang; "Nothing, I'm afraid it's incompatible with our systems" 4. Internal Affairs senior officer; "The entire squad is suspended until we review the case of this suspect/victim/witness who died whilst in your care?" Benson; "Huh? We get people killed all the time, it's never been an issue before" 5. Witness; "Well you see I have this weird fetish for covering myself in jelly beans and performing naked hopscotch in the parking lot of the New York public library" Benson; "That's okay, we all have our little kink, my idea of a good Friday night involves a good hardcore porno, nipple clamps, a blindfold, a spanking machine and a Wilma Deering star pilot uniform" Rollins; "And I pick up foreign sailors to perform group bukkake with me on my webcam channel" 6. Finn; "You called us out for this trivial crap?" Hudson University security guard; "Hey, you always gave us a hard time for not reporting everything, well now we do" 7. Carisi; "So we've cleared the priest of any wrongdoing" Rollins; "You sure? You mean he didn't even cover anything up?" 8. Benson; "We need patrol to do house to house for us" Precinct commander; "Sorry, we're all busy, there is other crime going on you know" 9. Victim; "So will you get the guy?" Benson; "Probably not, our conviction rate is in single figures, it's largely just one drunken and drugged person's word against another and the victims normally drop it rather than face the hassle of a trial" 10. Benson; "We have him on tape admitting the rape" Stone; "But this is blatant entrapment, you got her to promise to drop the charges in return for him admitting the rape to her, anyone would say that to escape the nightmare of prosecution"

A shame, I'd loved to have seen her there, she was probably the show's greatest legacy. Warrior...Princess The Good; actually the third of the Xena doubles with Princess Diana, having already played the characters of Lysia and Lyla on Hercules. LL having a great time playing very much against type, especially love her riding Argo side-saddle. The Bad; so Sysiphis encountered Xena and never bothered saying 'Jeez you look just like my cousin's daughter!'? Necessarily a very Gabby-light ep. Recurring Characters; Princess Di and her dad will later recur. Ephiny; 1 Hades; 1 Ares; 1 Marcus; 1 Falafel; 2 Cyrene-1 Lila-1 Gabby's dad-1 Perdicas-1 Draco-1 Sisyphis-1 Xena cliches; doubles, Dr Xena, firebreathing, the pinch, disloyal advisor times 2 Doubles; 1 “I have many skills’; 1 10 years ago; 1 Dead Gabby suitors; 2 Dr Xena-6 Xena in bondage-2 Loyal advisor who is actually the villain-3 Gabby captured-3 Village in peril-2 Duel to settle things-2 The Pinch; 4 Xena animal skills; 2 Xena fire-breathing; 3 Kills; none Xena; 9 Best quote; - Xena; "Come on, we've all got that evil spot somewhere!" Greek myths; no but very reminiscent of The Prisoner of Zenda with elements of The Prince and the Pauper and The Court Jester. Subtext; Gabby; (gazing longingly at beautiful Xena lookalike Princess Di) "I hope I'll find someone who could make me smile like that" Xena; "I'm sure you will, just don't be afraid to speak up when you do" Other; so where did all the doubles come from? Did Ares have more than one daughter but the demi-goddess powers only took with the girl from Amphipolis? Here we have illustrated one of Xena's few failings, although a great singer she can't play a musical instrument (although Gabby and Joxer can do both). First(?) of the disclaimers, that neither Xena nor Diana were hurt in this ep. Rating; 7/10, fun romp

"I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night..." Yeah, Mal's great Ash Williams moment "I ain't that good" Bear in mind hookers are a recurring motif in the Jossverse. Also that Joss is supposed to have had an affair with one of the Buffy girls so unless it was Kristine Sutherland...? I always liked that, that this isn't the Rebellion against the Empire, there is much moral ambiguity in the verse. The good; Kaylee is the belle of the ball and isn't she WONDERFUL! Mal swordfighting and lots of good stuff with Badger, especially his conversation with River. Adore Mal's looks of amazement as Jayne knows what 'pretentious' means. The bad; The cows in the final scene are amazingly quiet whilst Mal and Inara are talking. Best line; Kaylee; "Great party, huh?" Debutante; "Not as good as last year" Kaylee; "Why, what did they have last year?" Debutante; (looking Kaylee up and down) "Standards" To quote Cameron on The Sarah Connor Chronicles 'Bitchwhore much?" Also like; Kaylee; "Maybe that's him over there?" Mal; "That's the buffet table" Kaylee; (hungrily) "How will we know if we don't ask?" Kinky dinky; Naked Wash and Zoe get it on again, Zoe complimenting Wash that he 'knows all the steps'. Inarra's outfit at the party is also quite something. Kaylee comments that Mal's outfit shows off his backside and Inara subsequently spanks it with her sword. Notches on the Serenity bedpost; Inara is hired for the evening but we've no idea if they have sex or not so I'll put him down as a possible. Capt subtext; Wash jokingly refers to 'jealous men like me' regarding Zoe but is he really joking or sending Mal a not so subtle message? When Kaylee says 'Look at the pretties' Mal asks if she means the girls or the clothes? Mal and Jayne snigger as Badger implies he has his hands on some diamond testicles. Mal observes Atherton is such a catch 'I'm liable to sleep with him myself'. How'd they get away with that? Mal gratuitously stabbing Atherton after he's defeated him in the duel. Mal's remark comparing Kaylee to a sheep dancing on it's hind legs is INCREDIBLY insensitive, Jayne's gynaecologist joke in the ep Serenity is less offensive. Happy high-class hookers in Space (the title the porn industry wished they'd thought of!); Inara greets several other companions at the party. They are used by rich men as status symbols, who has the best one get's the most kudos. At the end she freezes him out, no other companion will now work for him after how he's treated her. Mal refers to the companion training school as a whore academy (jeez the man has NO CLUE!) Alliance good or bad?; Would the Alliance allow slavery (or dueling?) on their worlds? Or are they like the Union forces in the American Civil War/British Empire in the 18/19th century, abolishing it wherever they go? Fanfic; Mal and Inara getting together after this ep is common but a sizeable minority like to pair her up with Atherton, presumably the same folks who think Kate Winslet should have stuck with Billy Zane in Titanic (Mae West's quote of wanting a man who's "handsome, rich and cruel" springs to mind") If you like things a LOT more adult there's also one where Kaylee's admirers invite her to an after hours party and then indulge in group sex with her, more or less consensually (ie she starts off as less but ends up as more). Missing scenes;. Reputedly there was a scene where we see Mal unload the walking arsenal he carries in his pockets before entering the ballroom plus a derringer he has Kaylee smuggling for him tucked in her stocking tops earning her a hearty spank on her bare hips from the guard. Also a scene where we see Larry Drake's character and Badger fall out and Inara gossiping with her fellow companions at the dance. Reminds me off; Deranged River talking in her faux cockney accent is VERY Drusilla indeed. Inara the high class lady of the night is very Darla and her love/hate relationship with brooding hero Mal somewhat akin to Darla and Angel. Mal's hatred of slavery is reminiscent of Han Solo. The bitchy girls at the party are awfully like the Cordettes on Buffy. Kaylee's hilarious expression as Mal tells her that he has a job for her is very like Willow's when Riley's wife Sam makes suggestions for Xander's wedding in the s6 Buffy ep 'As you were'. Wash is a bad poet, much like Spike and not really an action man as with Xander. Jane comments that the Serenity crew are the misfits who don't fit in much like the Scoobs at Sunnydale High. Kaylee's rescuer at the party does indeed remind me of an older Clark Gable as the commentary observes but also of Dr Huer from the old Buck Rogers TV series. Questions and observations; They still have the peerage system in the future. Unfortunately they've also got slavery too, even on a fairly civilized world like Persephone . 'Magic' Jane Espenson, hooray! Inara seems to have a thing about slumming, she really is out of place in the Firefly crew and certainly in the bar Mal and Jayne take her to. More social climbing by Badger but he's useless at it, crustless sandwiches (cucumber?) mixed with wood alcohol hooch, no wonder he needed Mal to be the middleman for him in the deal, at least he can fake class convincingly. Kaylee's surname is Lee Fry. She once again shows her love of fruit, both mangoes and strawberries as does Badger who's at the apples again. Zoe's remark about Jayne slitting her throat and taking over the ship again suggests he's the unofficial 3rd in command. However he wants to rescue Mal when Badger comes to the ship. Mal is in many ways too honest and honourable for the criminal world, he's probably more like the Alliance than he cares to admit but can't stand submitting to their authority. Marks out of 10; 7/10 pretty good .

That's one interpretation, another is that he knew the whole world was at stake and it could be fatal for Buffy to be distracted. Remember he had just told Willow that he loved her so I doubt he was thinking of Xuffy at that particular moment.

The good; Lovely scene where wiped Echo gazes around in wonder at all the beautiful works of art. Interesting to see Sierra and Echo play the same character 'Taffy' in the same ep. The bad; The scenes from the ep 'Echo' are repeated. However this means that Sierra has the scar from that ep on her forehead without any explanation and it later disappears. We never get a proper explanation of how Echo and her friend get out of the vault, even with smoke grenades and the other goon distracting the guards with his shooting. Best line; Goon 1 (of a suddenly infantile Echo) "What's wrong with her?" Goon 2 "I don't know, hysterical woman syndrome?" (un-PC but FUNNY!) Packing heat; Boyd shoots the Professor in the kneecap. Echo with a pistol again Kinky dinky; Hooker Echo, mini-skirted and black PVC thigh booted in true Pretty Woman style. She considers her own breasts 'spectacular'. The Sierra version of Taffy says that after nearly getting killed on her first job she learned how to lapdance. Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; Echo; 2 How'd they get away with that? Accomplice slapping Echo is nasty This weeks fantasy; Midwife Echo and safecracker Echo/Sierra (the two skills not dissimilar, just one normally involves a lot more noise) Total number personalities; Echo; 11 Sierra; 4 Victor; 1 Total dolls;3 Echo, Sierra and Victor Addy is a bit British; She's at the tea again. Topher is a bit geeky; He seems to eat nothing but junk food to judge by his shopping list. Also worries about a rival programmer from Tokyo Bondage; Sierra tied up; 1 Kills; Sierra; 2 kills Echo; 1 Capt subtext; The baby girl Echo delivers has 'linebackers shoulders' which her father takes to be a sign that she'll be a lesbian. Happy hookers The hotel security guard is used to dealing with distraught hookers and offers Echo hush money Know the face? 5 Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock Guantanamo; Topher, at the heart of the conspiracy freaks out about the much larger conspiracy now attacking the Dollhouse Reminds me off; Echo's alias is Taffy, one of the teen Angels from Captain Caveman. Dollhouse does heist movie just like Buffy in Choices and Angel in Ground State. Questions and observations; Good ep, the scene between Addy and Topher at the end where she takes him into her confidence and they both look scared as hell at the idea of Alpha raises it to a better level. Adele seems to drink Tequila, Vodka and Johnny Walker whiskey to judge by her drinks cabinet. Marks out of 10; 8/10

It is pretty bad but even the weakest Buffy ep has some good points, Xander's guitar dream for instance, Buffy's pathos over losing her encouraging teacher and a great performance from Musetta Vander. That's a bit harsh, I really liked her on Bab 5 and she's still going strong today. Always used to get her confused with Melinda Clarke. Yeah, he was the jerk of the week, I'm surprised CC didn't date him but then she's barely in this one. Now you see my feelings about this ep are exactly the reverse of yours! Teacher's Pet The good; Sex raises it's ugly head in the Buffyverse and it's all the better for it. A lovely little bit between Buffy and her teacher (who is also in The Witch) and although a minor character you feel the loss for both Buffy and Giles (we know Buffy is a bright girl when she applies herself and here it's made clear that she's not just some blonde airhead). Angel's back although compared to what Buffy faces later this vamp is small change, he seems to talk it up rather unnecessarily, maybe it's just an excuse to see Buffy again. Some lovely humour around Xander and his teenage lust, especially love his Bronze fantasy. The bad; Really the She-Mantis itself, when you compare it to some of the monsters from the later seasons it really does look awful. This ep is really a filler ep, very much 'monster of the week', it's fun but if Buffy had kept up this sort of ep it would never have become the great series it is Best line; Xander (looking at Miss French's cleavage) "It's a beautiful chest...I mean dress" Questions and observations; Giles shows interest in a woman for the first time, if he hadn't I must say I thought he might be gay? Flutie takes everyone to see the counsellor, is that the same one Buffy goes to see in 'Beauty and the Beast'? In 'Doomed' Willow says she's always the one to find the bodies but actually it seems more often to be Cordy. The Sunnydale Police are also hunting the claw handed vamp, the last time they do anything useful until 'The Zeppo'. Maybe that vamp was an enemy of the Mayor's? This story is an interesting reversal of fictional norms, how often do you see the heroine racing to save the boys from losing their virginity to the villain and not the other way around? What happens the eggs? Presumably Buffy and co deal? 6/10 I think but that may be a little generous

Yes, one of the best things about the Buffyverse is how they take minor characters and let them grow. I figure The Master/Angelus make up later and he wants to use him as a lackey like Luke against the threat of the Slayer. You must remember CC is still pretty superficial at this point, she'll blossom later. That's a scary little sequence at the Bronze, Darla's skipping is oddly sinister.

Like Jonathon I think she was better as an occasional treat than a regular as Harmony maybe proved in Angel. I liked her development as she was truly ambiguous, you never knew what to make of her even in her final appearance. Yep, Angel/Angelus the most prolific character in the Buffyverse, pipping even Willow by a good dozen eps.

No, I can't imagine anyone but Nic in the part, he was such a good looking and endearing character yet he succeeded in selling his simultaneous geekdom, it's an interesting parallel with Alysson, you buy her as the cute nerd even when FHM vote her the 11th sexiest woman in the world. As for the famous moment it was a necessary sacrifice, much like Giles killing Ben or lying to her about why he needs the details of defeating Acathla or Wes lying to the Pylean rebels or Illyria pretending to Wes at the end. Deep inside I still hope for Xuffy and even Xillow (thought I was in luck with the season 8 comics but alas). as for Spuffy it was giving in to a small but vocal minority of fans. The girl needed some monster in her man (as Get It Done explained) and I think the fandom did too, as Riley demonstrated.

Here's a question, how does the rank system work in the GCPD? How can Jim go straight from Detective to Captain? Shouldn't he be a Sergeant and Lieutenant first?

You must remember Xander was SUPPOSED to look lame until CC sorts him out later, as she comments in BBB. Same with Willow, we never see her as nerdy again, probably because of Buffy's influence. Yeah, both Nic and David aren't that great at acting but they get better. I would argue that Alysson is actually the most successful alumni with HIMYM and her success with the American Pie movies. Then again SMG's movies earned half a billion dollars? TV has changed in the interim in some ways a modern series wouldn't have had the luxury that Buffy did,.

That would be great, a sort of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern for the Batverse. I think Babylon 5 did something similar as did Buffy with The Zeppo. Don't give up hope, Barbara still calls Tabby babe and they've shared Butch before. As for shipping maybe the show is written by middle aged fat guys who like the idea of some mixed race glamazon having the hots for someone like them? Frankly the Babs/Tabby/Selina triangle is what I find people rooting for. 1. Interesting dynamic between Ed and Lee now, going from enemies to 'partners'? Also the Lee/Barbara face off is epic! "Jim who?" a line which shows how far they've come in terms of character development. Lee admits she is melodramatic under pressure but this is Gotham where criminals try to stand out rather than blend in. 2. Okay so Grundy is tough but is he immune from bullets? Or fire? Knowing he's pyrophobic probably spells an end to his fighting career, his opponents just need to strike up a match and he's history. 3, Jeez! The arm! Ironic as Butch lost his own hand. 4. I miss Mayor James, Richard Kind was so funny and oddly loveable. The current one is quite bland. 5. Nice to see Firefly back but rather disappointed she's seems a lot nastier than before, I thought she was Selina's friend? 6. The girls are great, you really get a family dynamic from them, like when Selina giggles before Penguin and Tabby grins but nudges her as if to say 'Yeah, I know it's funny but stop it'. Also like the real concern they show when she gets in the ring with Grundy. Love Babs reaction when she sees 'Butch' alive 'Well I think you owe me an apology for electrocuting me'. Note Ed refers to her as 'tigress'? 7. Ah, the end of the Bromance. Very well done, you ache for both of them. 8. Oswald and the mute kid speaks volumes, could he be The Ventriloquist? You see how lonely Oswald is. 9. No Bruce or Alfred? But we have Lucius back although only for a moment to act as exposition for the Bullet-hole club. That this is a tradition shows how dangerous life is in the GCPD.

Yes I was always surprised they don't do a further gag on that in Doomed How is he obnoxious exactly? The Witch The good; Amy for the first time, yay! And even now she's still appearing in season 8. I always thought if Will died she'd have been a good replacement. Buffy looks sensational in her cheerleading gear, a shame we'll never see her in it again (and we won't see the costume again until Dawn digs it out in season 7). Willow gets more hands on with the axe and we have our first case of Wicca although it's a very dark variety. The African fertility statue gag is the first sign of the saucy humour Buffy and Angel will become famous for. Lovely scenes between Buffy and Joyce both at breakfast and in closing. I gotta say, I didn't see the twist at all. The bad; What happens to the poor girl whose mouth sealed up? Presumably all the aspects of Amy's mum's magic stop once she is defeated. Best lines; Willow; "That girl's on fire!" Cordy; "Enough with the hyperbole" Giles; "Why would anyone want to hurt Cordelia?" Willow; "Maybe they met her?" My favourite though; Xander; "I laugh in the face of danger. Then I hide until it goes away" What the fanficcers thought; Often in fanfic if Willow dies Amy takes over and becomes the Scooby's resident witch, sometimes romancing Tara. See 'To Those Who Wait' and 'Deadscoobies'. Observations and questions; Presumably Amy mom dies properly when the school blows up and passes to the afterlife. Willow is already beginning to dress less nerdy. We see Giles' car for the first time, the Citreon whilst a design classic seems a weird choice for him, a vintage Jag maybe more his style. Xander's Buffy obsession continues to grow. No Angel, you sometimes forget he's not in all the eps of season 1. At exactly what point do Amy and her mum swap bodies? Cordy hasn't passed her driving test yet but that changes by the end of the season 6/10

But Buffy was the only game in town? And she had already defeated formidable Big Bads and gained a worldwide reputation as Dracula comments. Again, it's a no lose scenario, if it works Dawn lives, if it doesn't she just follows Buffy off the tower and the 3 Summers girls can be together in heaven.

Yeah, that was a great reveal, a very Han Solo touch. Probably the Chinese influence? A very Scarecrow like touch, to overcome his fear he becomes what he dreads. And I really like that about the series, it doesn't shy away from Mal's frequent hypocrisy towards the Alliance which isn't the evil empire, it actually benefits a lot of people. I've heard Mal compared to Jesse James but also to some nutball militia leader who rails against big government but still depends on it for everything. The good; Clever of Mal when he's asked about the brother and sister he replies 'There are no children on this boat', exactly what you'd immediately think if someone referred to siblings. Good interrogation scenes, especially Jayne's and some tense stuff with the bomb defusal, very Juggernaut. Love River's delighted reaction to seeing the stars. The bad; Zoe comments that there were no signs of a struggle but surely the crew would have fought to the death against the Reavers? Why didn't the Reavers eat the bodies if they're cannibals? Best line; Commander; "You fought with the Captain during the war?" Zoe; "I fought with a lot of people" Commander; "What about your husband?" Zoe; "I fight with him too" Kinky dinky; Sweaty cast playing a variation of basketball, Zoe's top especially revealing. Wash goes enthusiastically into detail about Zoe's amazing legs and 'what's above them'. Capt subtext; Inarra comments 'We're all running away from something'. She calls River 'sweetie' much as Kaylee does. Kaylee is very defensive of the Serenity, perhaps she identifies with the ship as herself. Whedon clichés; (see I spelt it right!); Devoted siblings, haunted charismatic leading man. Teenage girls with superpowers. Hookers. Babbling insane girls with truth in their madness. Bondage; Mal placed in handcuffs by Alliance Mal; 1 Knocked out; Book; 1 Simon; 1 Kaylee; 1 Jayne;1 Know the face? Doug Savant of course is Tom Scavo in Desperate Housewives, a show Nathon Fillon, Julie Benz and many other Whedon alumni guest star on. I keep expecting Lynette to show up and remind him to pick up the kids. He's also one of the soldiers in Godzilla. Alliance good or bad?; Mal mocks the idea of the Alliance turning up to rescue their taxpayers whereupon they do exactly that. The Commander has seen torture during the war, by the Alliance to the Browncoats or vice versa? He comments that 'For some the war will never be over', does he mean for him or for Mal? He shows genuine concern for the dead passengers and when the pseudo-Reaver breaks free his first act is for a guard to be placed on the ships nursery. He leads the Alliance team onto the Serenity himself. In the end he lets them all go. Western clichés; The term bushwhacked and bushwhacker comes from the US Civil War where both sides sponsored bands of guerillas to operate behind their opponent's lines. In reality these were little more than state sponsored brigands, the movies 'Ride with the Devil' and 'The Outlaw Josey Wales' giving a good idea of their actions. The most famous of all was Jesse James, a former bushwhacker who became a robber and outlaw because he couldn't accept the war was over, just as the Alliance Commander accuses Mal of doing here. Reminds me off; The ghost ship is very Marie Celeste with hints of Alien and 2010 (especially the way it spins). How they find the survivor is very similar to the marines discovering Newt in Aliens. Jayne's description of his unseen attacker as 'big, strong' recalls the commandos describing Buffy after she rescues Willow in the s4 ep 'The Initiative'. Mal's talk of the darkness is similar to Nietschze's observation that if you stare into the abyss for long enough it stares back into you. The booby trap reminds me of an effect from Babylon 5, something the Drakh would use. Questions and observations; I somehow feel the red balloon they find on the ship has some significance but I just can't think what? According to the Commander there are 40,000 Firefly type craft in the galaxy, it's the Ford Transit of the Future. It's been 4 months since The Train Job as Inarra says she's now been with the crew nearly a year. Exactly why does the Commander want to know the details of Zoe and Wash's marriage? Three eps in we have yet to see a real Reaver although here we get a glimpse of a pseudo one. How intelligent are they? They can operate spaceships and leave a boobytrap so they must have some sentience? Marks out of 10; 7/10, interesting

Yeah, I watched the series on DVD first time around and it baffled me No, there are other good things here but it is early days, the show finding its' feet; The good; Not much. Ballard is one tough nut to take on the Russian mobsters. If you never watched the ep 'Echo' then Victor's true identity is a heck of shock The bad; Such a weak story, you wonder if Joss had to take a week off sick? Must also have been hugely expensive? Best line; Rayna (of Echo); "Did they grow you in a lab?" and Echo; "Bitch, you can fire me but don't ever think you can take me!" Packing heat; Echo takes the villain's Walther PPK Kinky dinky; Rock chick ED and scantily clad Rayna is stunning. Rayna's manager apparently uses twins (like Jonathon's in the Buffy story 'Superstar' and a recurring fantasy/fetish in Joss' work) from the Dollhouse to relieve tension (better than Valium?). Topher likes the idea of Rayna and Echo getting romantic Notches on the Dollhouse bedpost; Echo; 2 How'd they get away with that? The diva is so blatantly Beyonce it's a wonder she didn't sue? This weeks fantasy; Bodyguard and backing singer for Echo, No1 fan for Sierra. Total number personalities; 1 each for Echo and Sierra Echo; 9 Sierra; 3 Victor; 1 Total dolls;3 Echo, Sierra and Victor Addy is a bit British; Faced with another British actor her accent goes into overdrive Topher is a bit geeky; Keen to know the inside scoop on the gorgeous music superstar Subverting the Hollywood cliché The successful Hollywood diva is actually suicidal Bondage; Sierra tied up; 1 Kills; Sierra; 2 kills Echo; 1 Dolls injured; Sierra roughed up Know the face? Jim Piddock who plays Rayna's manager was memorable as the Valet in The Trial episode of Angel (also a screenwriter now). 5th Whedon alumni-Mark Shepherd, Amy Acker, walking action figure, Eliza Dushku, Jim Piddock Guantanamo; Rayna's manager slaps her but possibly she deserves it? Echo then knocks her senseless with a chair and uses her as bait to trap the assassin. Fanfic; Plenty where Rayna and Echo do get romantic. Reminds me off; The assassin's crutches scene reminiscent of Day of the Jackal. No1 fan is how Mark Chapman described himself to Stephen King at a book-signing before later shooting John Lennon, a story which inspired Misery Questions and observations; Does ED do her own singing? If she does it's a pity she missed Once More with Feeling on Buffy. In lots of little ways Echo seems to be breaking her programming and her kinship with Sierra becomes apparent. Why does the Dollhouse seem to use Victor to set Ballard up yet has Mellie trying to get the inside scoop on him? Marks out of 10; 5/10, actually enjoyed this more when re-watching than I thought

I get you, like they put chemical markers in explosives, clever.