Joe Hellandback

I think that's very true although that's just the way Xander handles things, just as Giles always keeps a stiff upper lip. Buffy is pretty flippant with her humour too? Which is why maybe they were so perfect for one another?

Amends The Good; Pretty much all of it, the ending is too beautiful for words, Will and Oz getting back together and Will's attempt to seduce him are the highlights. I also really like Joyce hurriedly turning down Buffy's suggestion that they invite Giles for Christmas and you can't fail to be touched by Faith at the Summers' house for Christmas. Also some powerful Giles/Angel scenes. On a lighter note I love the depiction of Liam the 'drunken, whoring, layabout' who seems a pretty fun guy The Bad; Irish accents not so great on Buffy. I'm still not that clear on the role of the First and what its' plan was? Best line; Buffy; "What are your Christmas plans?" Willow; "Being Jewish not much, not everyone worships Santa, remember?" Character death; None but Jenny makes her second (and unfortunately final postdeath appearance except in flashback) Women good/men bad; Angelus' behaviour towards the maid is just horrible beyond belief, not just in killing her but in the way he uses his position to shame her into silence Kinky dinky; Flashbacks to the Buffy/Angel coitus. Love Will's seduction dress and she takes a page out of Ally McBeal's book with Barry White. Amazingly this is the second time Willow has offered her virginity to a boy and he's turned her down. To judge from her remarks Oz is not a virgin however. Great line from Joyce "Angel on top again?" Calling Captain Subtext; Quite a lot of Jaith, it's obvious that a family Christmas is what Faith really wants despite her projected steel Guantanamo Bay; Buffy and Xander threaten Willy the Snitch but don't beat him up for once What the fanficcers thought; Plenty of adult stuff as normal ('Buffy the Slutty Santa Helper' has her as an S&M ponygirl in chains pulling Santa's sleigh) but largely this time of year brings out the slush (physically and metaphorically). My favourite is 'At Last', it has Buffy as a C19th noblewoman (much as we saw her in Halloween) who get's vamped by Darla on her way back home for Christmas. 200 years later she get's cursed by gypsies, restoring both soul and humanity. She tracks down her family's descendent's (Joyce, her husband Hank and their daughter Dawn) and turns up on their doorstep on Christmas morning, posing as Joyce's long lost niece. And they adopt her, forming her new family, finally allowing her to enjoy a normal human life once more and completing the journey she began centuries before. Questions and observations; So, is the First the real deal? Lucifer, the Devil, Satan, The Evil One? Apparently Robia LaMorte had a hard time in this ep because she's become very Christian and didn't like playing what was essentially the Devil? But it's not exactly as if they're saying it's a good thing and gets defeated in the end. Buffy comments that Xander has a piece of Willow that Oz can't touch, the same is true of Willow and Xander with To judge by his flashbacks whilst Angel was Angelus he kills a father and his young children yet no one goes hysterical Gingerbread style. The First says that Angel will drink Buffy and Once read a horrible fanfic where the ending gives Angel his moment of joy turning him into Angelus and having him torture Buffy. Thankfully there was a sequel where everything works out happily, his soul get's restored and he uses WR&H's healers to cure her. So, God in the Buffyverse? What are we to think? I think the snowstorm is clearly the work of Or it's a meteorological freak but who could buy that? 8/10 I think

Eps I'd like to see; Progression; we see a suspect start off as an abused kid and gradually evolve into a serial killer/rapist, going from voyeur to flasher to burglar to date rapist to stranger rapist to murderer, interacting at every stage with the various members of the SVU as he goes (a great opportunity to maybe bring back some old characters?). In the final scene we see him sitting in his prison cell thinking of the young and innocent boy he used to be then thinking of his victims before bursting into tears. Explorer; when a serial rapist attacks seemingly at random and makes impossible escapes using the city's hidden infrastructure the SVU target a group of 'urban explorers' whose hobby is to utilise such networks. Pro-Life; a 'reproductive abuser' kidnaps anti-abortion activists and releases them when they get pregnant by him, knowing that their beliefs would forbid them having a termination. When one decides to have an abortion after all she becomes the centre of a storm of debate between the varying factions. Deterrent; an officer on a nuclear missile submarine makes an allegation of rape against one of her ratings. He denies it, claiming they were having an affair and that she has made the accusation in order to save her career. However the real issue rapidly becomes the Captain's refusal to stop the patrol or even contact command for instructions, citing national security as taking precedence. Spin; a serial rapist causes hysteria in New York by posting vids of him using a spinning wheel to decide his next victim's race, age, hair colour, employment etc Things get even more panicked when he reveals he is a master of disguise and starts dropping hints of how he will look when he commits his next crime, causing lynch mobs to target men fitting his description. Scene I'd like to see; Benson; (to suspect) "Don't leave town" Suspect; "Why not?" Benson; (perplexed) "We may want to speak to you again?" Suspect; "So? I'm not under arrest, I'm not on bail, I'll go where I like" Benson; "Huh?"

The irony of course that he DOESN'T, Dawn has to point it out to Buffy who then has to confront him about it. Just started a new review/discussion thread for the ep The Wish, please pop by.

Giles; "Let's not jump to conclusions" Buffy; "I didn't jump, I took a tiny step, there conclusions were" Giles; "But you didn't hone..." Xander; "People say kids don't learn anything in school. Well I learnt, I learnt to be AFRAID!" Almost as good as Xander miming 'Boobies?' That's such a strange remark to me, he's head over heels in love with Buffy yet still feels the need to get a dig in? Just started a new review/discussion thread for the ep The Wish, please pop by.

Television executives logic is not like our earth logic, I mean look at them cancelling Angel? You always wonder did Charmed copy Buffy deliberately? Certainly there are some Xena eps which have very similar themes to Buffy eps.

Later eps sort of play the whole concept more for laughs, contrasting the Willow we know and love with this very different version but it's still brilliant, how unsettling is the torture scene? In Passion Willow says she wanted a puppy but not like this! Apparently AH loved the costume so much she wore it for Halloween. I think CC's death halfway through was a dramatic necessity, we kept expecting her to be the heroine with her knowledge of the real world to be able to set things right, when she abruptly dies Psycho style halfway through we just think 'Damn! How are we going to fix it now?' The Buffy in this world may have lost Hank and Joyce and will 3 years of never ending combat without her friends and family to support her would drive anyone to the edge, even soldiers in combat get occasional leave, she doesn't, she's the one and only. I always think it's a shame that they never used this ep as an opportunity to bring Pike back, if only for a cameo or mention. Or if her Watcher was Gwendoline Post? As for Anya I figure her fitting in at SDH was part of her demon powers, once her necklace is broken she's just that awkward girl from Sweden again (similar conundrum with Cameron in The Sarah Connor Chronicles).

6. Mike Chang; becomes a successful professional dancer but after being outraged during a tour of China becomes a human rights activist and is eventually appointed the US ambassador to China much to his parents delight. 7. Sugar; goes on a mad killing spree after being abused by the judges on America's Got Talent before being brought down in a hail of police bullets. Sentenced to life in prison where she forms her own gang, 'The Sweetshivs' and succeeds in reforming other prisoners by forcing them to stage elaborate mass song and dance number of her choosing. 8. Kurt and Blaine; Blaine gets a job on Wall Street and is instrumental in causing the economic crash which transforms much of middle America into a blighted wasteland. He roams the wilderness wearing lots of leather until he comes across Kurt and a group of fellow survivors holed up in the old Glee auditorium, besieged by hordes of marauders led by Lauren Zizes. He rescues them and leads them to the West Coast where they re-found the city of San Francisco. 9. Kitty; Is the last ever Playmate of the Month for the print edition of Playboy. Controversially cast in the role of Popeye Doyle in Hollywood's all female remake of The French Connection. Eventually becomes a supreme court justice. 10. Tina; starts her own successful beauty magazine advocating the attractiveness of Oriental women. Later arrested for climbing the Statue of Liberty and altering her face to make her look more Chinese as a publicity stunt and goes to prison for a short time but is protected by Sugar's prison gang.

The Good; All of it! Just wonderful! Great reveal of Anya the demon and the action sequences especially The Bad; Surely in vamp-dominated Sunnydale people would prefer to let their kids drive home from SDH? Best line; Buffy; "Your logic is not like our earth logic" Character death; Everyone except Giles, Larry, Harmony and Oz. But then thankfully they're all alive again. Cordy's death is particularly disturbing. Of course the obvious question is what about all the people who died in the proper Buffyverse? It would have been a nice touch if Jenny, Jessie and Principle Flutie were still alive at SDH, if Nancy was actually Theresa from Phases. And of course if Buffy never died in the Master's pool then Kendra is still alive too Shot; VampXander is hit by Buffy's crossbow Tied up; Angel in chains Knocked out; Giles and Oz Women good/men bad; If anything with Vampwillow we see female-kind at it's worse. The way Harmony and co treat Cordy is horrible, you really feel for her but I guess it's revenge for her 'Sheep' speech. Kinky dinky; Where do you begin? PVC-clad VampWillow plays no-safety-word S&M sex games with 'Puppy' whilst leather-clad vampXander watches. Buffy thinks the hero worship that everyone shows her in Sunnydale is a 'get in my pants thing'. Calling Captain Subtext; vampWillow has obvious lesbian overtones (her killing of both Cordy and the Master's victim is almost akin to snuff). However she still digs Xander and Angel so it's still more than likely she's bi rather than gay. Guantanamo Bay; Plenty of torture but only by the bad guys Questions and observations Staggeringly brilliant in every way and anyone who doesn't think so should be locked up as a danger to themselves and others. Great ending too, cool, touching and funny, wonderful music. Plus Jonathon AND Larry, great. What is the Mayor doing in Master dominated Sunnydale? Where are Darla and Luke, killed by the White Hat's? Where are Hank and Joyce? Who is the Watcher Giles talks to on the telephone? Sam Zebuto (Kendra's Watcher)? Gwendoline Post? Giles refers to demonic activity in Cleveland which will be referenced in We always knew Buffy was an exceptional Slayer and that the Watcher's found her late but here we see that without Giles and the Scoobies' help she ends up battle-hardened, emotionally cut off and with the Slayer death-wish, just like all the others. Interesting to compare 'The Wish' Buffy with Faith (and what's happening to her in the Wishverse?) And here's Anya, no sign as yet that she'll Now, where does the Wishverse lie in the continuity of things? I figure it's a dead end, a right angle to the real time-stream that stops dead at the moment Giles smashes the pendant. Of course what happens if the Wishverse had continued? Well with all respect to Kendra I don't see her lasting that long leaving it to Faith to defeat The Master. So that would mean that Giles her Watcher, a grieving Joyce and Hank surrogate parents to both LeHane girls and Larry, Oz, Harmony and Amy as the Scoobygang? Would that make Spike the Interesting to wonder, huh? Once read a great fanfic called 'Backwardsworld' where all the Scoobys are vamps but this meant that the valiant Darla was the Slayer and The Mayor, a human Spike and Dru, were all good guys and made up her alternate Scooby Gang. It says a lot for the depth of character Joss gives his villains that the concept actually worked really well, that they all could have been heroes if things had taken a different path. Actually Cordy has dated Jonathon before or at least let him buy her a muffin at the Bronze in Inca Mummy Girl. We hear the gang go on about how Faith has become more and more distant since the events of Revelations, Buffy has sympathy for her and we later see she wouldn't have been too different to her under other circumstances. You have to agree with Oz turning Will down, he's right as to her motivations. You note that although things are bad in SD the Harvest wasn't the end of the world it was advertised to be, the rest of the world goes on pretty much unaffected. How do they dispose of all the demon bodies they leave lying around? Legend has it there's a girl looking just like Faith amongst the prisoners at the Factory. Eliza Dushku however has stated at a convention that this definitely isn't her, she wasn't even on set that day. Popular explanation is that this is her stand in/stunt double earning some spare cash as an extra. 10/10 and a whole lot more

Well, that's not exactly a promise then? I didn't know about Juliet, I don't think that would have worked, I know your opposed to Spuffy but it would have just been a retread of season 2, even I love this ep so I consider that a happy accident, turning adversity into opportunity as they say. Yes, it is arguably reprehensible to let Spike go but we see that time and again notably in Everything about Xillow is an awwww moment! Just posted, The Wish

1. I have an extreme hatred for Rose McGowan even before she started all the hysteria over the casting coach; https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/2798941/Rose-McGowan-I-would-have-signed-up-for-the-IRA.html 2. Charmed was the bigger hit because it was Buffy-lite, you could watch it and it was utterly undemanding. It didn't have the legacy, no one ever wrote a book called the 'The Quotable Charmed'. Rambo ; First Blood pt 2 was bigger at the box office than First Blood yet the latter is an infinitely better film (as is the final film in the series). 3. Plus Buffy had a successful spinoff whilst Charmed didn't, despite so obviously, desperately aiming for one, even Kelly Cuoco dressed as a schoolgirl couldn't pull that off.

I think the whole idea was a return to adult responsibility and punishing her for her lie. Buffy is obviously all right (and it would take a tank to injure someone driving the Geek mobile) and remember she tells Joyce that she caused the dent. Joyce is the best TV mum ever and I will not hear her disparaged.

1. The SVU launch a telephone appeal following a high profile incident and we see the various people who call in interact with the SVU, their motivations and consequences of their information. 2. A woman undergoing therapy accuses her notorious groupie mother of forcing her to have a threesome with a famous actor/rock star/sports champion (essentially just Jack Nicholson) when she was 18. The mother admits it but says it was consensual and the star causes outrage by describing it as just a perk of his job. Meanwhile SVU try to have the mother's other underage teenage daughter and son removed from her care but she and her kids fight them every step of the way. 3. 2 African American teenagers are killed in a chase following a routine traffic stop sparking a riot. As a result the NYPD cracks down on high speed pursuits and issues a new set of guidelines, forbidding them if they endanger the officers or public. When a serial rapist kidnaps a woman off the streets a senior officer calls off the chase, citing that the previous victims had all been released unharmed and the pursuit would actually endanger her more. The SVU catch the rapist only after he offends again and Stone must fight a lawsuit launched by the outraged victims with the backing of the women's movement. 4. When an exposer of fake military veterans is raped the SVU have to delve into the strange world of armchair commandos and stolen valour.

You have to balance the potential benefit vs the potential gains, Xander didn't want Buffy going in there with the slightest doubts given the stakes. I agree the writers came up with some pretty twisted logic in regard to the whole Angel/Angelus issue especially in I don't buy that, any more than Hyena Xander or Bad Eggs possessed Giles/Willow, just the effects on them were nothing compared to the hundreds of years for Angel. Just posted, Lover's Walk.

Lover's Walk The Good; Spike is back in town and emotional hell follows with him for the rest of the cast! I think it's at this point that Buffy really stops being about the demon of the week and starts being about the relationships. The Bad; Are you kidding? Best line; Spike; "I may be love's bitch but at least I'm man enough to admit it" Character death; Bye bye to another magic shop owner. Spike's killing her is horrible in the extreme, the sheer brutality of it. The scene where Spike threatens to push a broken bottle in Willow's face is also horrible (pay attention Spike fans!). I remember watching this ep for the first time and thinking "NO! They can't kill Cordy!" Presumably the funeral we see is of the Magic Shop owner? Knocked out; Cordy and Xander Women good/men bad; Joyce wants Buffy to go to parties with kegs and boys, as it happens neither will work out well for her. Kinky dinky; Willow thinks bowling and rented shoes are sexy which is a whole level of kink beyond my ken, my barbie and all my action figures. . He also talks of 'having a woman' which implies that a vamp feeding is akin to a sexual act. Spike says he's going to torture Dru until she loves him again? Spike also seems to be quite enamoured of Willow (Spillow?) Calling Captain Subtext; How much do we adore the scene between Spike and Joyce? Spike also refers to Angel as 'peaches' and a 'great poof' which must have had Spangel fans working overtime. Plus Dru senses that Spike is infatuated with the Slayer. Guantanamo Bay; Buffy and Angel beat up and threaten to kill Spike for info Questions and observations; Willow refers to Cletus the slack jawed yokel from the Simpsons. Weirdly Buffy has never even been referenced on that show as far as I know? Xander refers to Buffy and him working at the drive-in, both will but not at the same time. Surely the Mayor wouldn't have let Spike and co run rampant last year and destroyed the world? Xander recognises the ingredients for a love spell from his experience in BBB. Note Xander refers to wanting to be a fireman which will also feature in (Nic later plays one in a very bad Syfy movie Fire Serpent) . Weirdly Buffy says that Spike's not known for keeping his word but to judge by 'Lie to Me' and 'Becoming' he actually does? Or does she mean that he'd promised that he'd never return to Sunnydale? Note that even Angel with a soul still knows how to push Spike's buttons? Cordy's expression upon seeing Xander and Willow together is just heartrending. Buffy scores remarkably well on the SATs once again showing us there's brains behind that blonde hair. Love Cordy's bizarre leap of logic that Xander has been kidnapped by Columbian drug barons? Really you get the idea that they're toying with the idea of Spike as a regular character and this was a test for it. Of course the rest is history 10/10 no question

Do you know where the name comes from?

But Ripper and Joyce aren't so different to the teen Scoobs, theft, drunkeness, promiscuity, knocking out a cop, smoking, all of them do it at some time or another. That's the plot but once more the analogy is wishing your parents would be more hip but then being appalled when they are. Just posted, The Wish

In fairness he probably figured everyone else had a right to know especially Giles and he stood more chance with everyone one his side than alone (when Buffy could just accuse him of jealousy). So if Faith is Buffy's shadow self then Joyce is her originator and My bet is Willow is the organiser, Xander shares everything with her and she tries to keep things civilised.

I didn't see that as a Yes, Alysson and interventions, a trait she carries over into HIMYM. Not sure he was ever really over her although in

Good point on the Labyrinth maps although you wonder why he didn't ask her what she wanted them for? I sometimes think that Giles was a rebel within the organisation and they sent him to be Buffy's watcher to get rid of him? Never realising she'd last so long? I like the Willow/Buffy bonding over their naughtiness, every one of their Scoobs keeps secrets at some time, perhaps that's one of the ways they have such chemistry.

Charmed is to Buffy as the Monkees are to The Beatles (Xena is The Rolling Stones). Now I like The Monkees but there's no comparison (especially after they killed off Shannen, after that I only watched eps where CC guest starred). Frankly the only shows these days I watch more than once are Gotham, The Americans and Dr Who.

I like the idea, like mother like daughters, all with their own secret lives and the hidden hotness. And vice versa, remember how Oz will end up And yes, all the Summer's girls seem to have a thing for bad boys, especially vampires.

Revelations The Good; A great performance from Serena Scott Thomas (when you know she's Kristin's sister the resemblance is starling). Some excellent action scenes and love the idea of the glove. The Bad; Not much, strong ep Best line; Post; (of Giles) "There's talk in the council that you've become too American" Buffy; "HIM?" Character death; Buffy kills Gwendoline, her first human. Faith comments that she has a problem with her authority figures who keep ending up dead. She's right, her mum, first Watcher, Post, Knocked out; Angel, Willow, Giles and Xander which must be something of a record Women good/men bad; Faith comments that you can't trust guys when relating her past boyfriends to Buffy. Kinky dinky; Cordy remarks that Xander is trying to give her a lapdance. Faith's motto is 'Get some, get gone'. She refers to Buffy 'boinking the undead' which I suppose is technically necrophilia. Calling Captain Subtext; Buffy hinting that she and Faith are 'going out' together. Doug Petrie always keen to play the lesbian angle. The scene where Faith disparages her past boyfriends to Buffy could easily be interpreted as her chatting her up whilst her antipathy to Angel could be seen as jealousy Questions and observations; Exactly what possible use would the Labryinth maps of Malta be in Sunnydale? Does Giles know about Willow and Xander? His expression suggests he does. Note Oz doesn't say a word during the confrontation scene in the library. Personally I find little good to say about the Spartans who on the whole were a horrible bunch. Post tries to train Faith in the traditional Slayer way (like Kendra) but it's Buffy's links to humanity that actually keeps her alive. The beginning of Faith's Buffy rather dresses like Jackie-O in the final scene. Really what is the point of having a glove that you can't take off even if it gives you the ability to throw lightning bolts? What's she going to do, shroud it in bandages and pretend it's a cast? 8/10 strong ep although not brilliant

Buffy largely chose to confront real life issues with magical metaphors and that's what we see here, you couldn't have an actual ep about FGM without an 18 rating but in we have a useful analogy. Also remember Buffy herself is a 'creature of myth and eternal love'. In any other school Faith would have been the focus of all attention but in SDH everyone is so beautiful she probably didn't stand out that much. But you're right, people seeing Buffy and Faith cavorting together would have drawn the obvious conclusion. Although wouldn't Scott have then kept her as his 'beard'? Coming next, Revelations.

In fairness Cain was a werewolf hunter and as he said it himself he was only in it for the money. I personally love Willow's Diana Prince moment just as I love Buffy's in Go Fish and CC's in .They each have a secret, they're not strictly comparable but everyone has secrets they keep over the years for good and ill. Willow even remarks to Buffy in an episode that keeping it secret made is all the sexier. Perhaps Oz was away on tour with the Dingoes or Willow was away on holiday with her family over the summer? Frankly Xander and Oz seem good friends at this point hence X-man's guilt? I agree about the whore insult especially considering what Buffy will later get up to but CC is pretty much the most promiscuous of the Scoobs at this point? Coming up next, Revelations