lembergwatcher

"They fight, she doesn't want to help him, she pretends she wants to help him just to ravish him in the empty Lowell House halls, she is captured and dragged into hell by the vengeful spirits" would've been a better option, I think...

It's (Inter)National Holiday time!

A good observation, as always. I noticed that too whenever I had a chance to rewatch the episode. It seems high school student ordinary wallflower-y Willow was many times more brave and loyal than high school graduate powerful Wicca Willow... But then I remembered that Willow suggesting going along with Xander to save their lovemaking friends would've been against new party line which said strictly: "Only Anya loves Xander, understands Xander and cares about Xander, and she's the sole person he can be happy with". Besides, Xander/Anya 'shippers needed a sign that that abomination of a relationship would continue wasting screen time...

There was a piece of fanfiction I came across years ago that suggested Willy was some sort of Council's liason in the demon world. I think the WC leadership mantained contact with the underworld for many years. They could've had some shady business together. After all, the Council seems to be as corrupt as many similar organizations...

Some sources within the demonic community? Or she just cast a spell?..

Happy birthday, Mercedes McNab!

Jewish father, Irish mother. Something like that. Her paternal grandfather Louis was born with the last name Pripon in the town of Horokhiv, Western Ukraine (back then it was a part of Russian Empire). Emigrated to Montreal, than to NYC. Died at the age of 95 in 2000.

Slightly OT-ish, but... It's March and Aly's birthday is approaching... And I was kinda surprised to learn that March 7 happens to be the birthday of another redhead of Jewish/Irish heritage...

Happy birthday... Sandy Rivers.

Due to his near death experience in Grave Rupert has probably figured something out... What if Xander told Giles about the Yellow Crayon too? Anyway, I don't remember any clear cut statements about Xander not telling anyone besides Buffy and Dawn. But I can be wrong. As for the whole "I woke Willow from a coma" thing... I'm going slightly OT here but that's probably the biggest mystery to me why Xander never mentioned the said incident. We all know Xander has a habit of talking to the point he can't keep his mouth shut even if he should (remember the end of Pangs) but somehow he manages to keep this particular secret til the last episode of the show. The one thing that could've changed his relationship with Willow for the better, the one thing that could've spared him the pain of loosing Willow's friendship post-fluke and yet... Xander remained silent which is quite OOC in his case IMO. And even after the Bluff Willow continued to believe those were Wolfboy's words that woke her from a coma five years prior...

And it's not like telephones are forbidden or non-existent on the Coven's grounds since Willow gets a direct phone call from Althenea right there in Casa Summers, several episodes later, in Showtime. If Willow was locked away than chances were those who ran Coven somehow intercepted Xander's letters and prevented them from reaching Willow... Maybe because Giles told them to. Btw, an unpopular opinion based on the 'shipper's bias, but still: since it was Xander who stopped our favorite redhead from killing the world, whether we like it or not, it would've been kinda wise on Giles' and Coven's behalf to allow Xillow contact since Xander's persona (once again, whether we like it or not) had some positive effect on Willow. More positive I dare say than Giles hypocritical lectures. Therefore not only X/W should've been allowed to communicate via phone, e-mail or letters, Xander's visit could've been an option and thus partly helped Willow with her anexieties regarding the gang. Giles was a crappy mentor who did a terrible job with introducing Willow to the world of magic. It was as if he gave her the loaded gun knowing full well that Willow could've blown her own or the other's brains out, and basically told her "figure it out for yourself". IMO the guy who left in the middle of a serious crisis for no reasom and thus abandoned Willow and Buffy while seeing with his own two eyes both girls were deep in some serious shit should not have been allowed near any of them... But Joss decided otherwise. Not sometimes. Most of the time. If one takes a retrospective look at Giles' numerous failures in the past, at all those things he could've done/should've done but didn't or shouldn't have done but did, than there's really no use being surprised with him "sending an allegedly-dangerous Willow back to the Hellmouth without even trying to help her through her crisis". If Giles performed his job properly most of the major crisises that hit the Buffyverse, i. e. Angel(us) crisis, Faith crisis, Buffy post-resurrection crisis, Spike messing with Buffy's mind or Willow's "magic addiction" that nearly led to her destroying the whole world would never have happened. But that's not the case of idiocy IMO, that's the case of utter incompetence.

Not anger. Some deep grudge more likely. Because of, say, the whole Xordelia thing? Well... Of course, Buffy deserves to be happy. And, of course, Willow, being the good friend she is, has every right to wish Buffy good life and even lend a hand. But... Call me old-fashioned but you cannot have happiness at the cost of other people's pain. What about Teresa's from Phases family happiness? What about the unnamed girl from BB&B whose heart became Drusilla's present? What about justice for Jenny? Sure killing Angel won't bring any of those back, but things like due punishment exist for a reason. So Angel is miraculously saved and then what? Everything is back to normal and everyone acts like nothing's happened? I've never doubted Willow's righht to have opinions of her own whether Xander or anyone else shares them or not. But if I remember correctly they weren't debating politics, climate, music, Snyder's height or who can be a better choice for class president at that moment. Does the notion that "homicidal maniacs who kill and torture innocent people, including children, for fun and try to bring the Apocalypse have to get what they deserve" (and by what they deserve I don't mean hot-looking girlfriends) really have to be a topic of some debate? Is Xander really wrong here? Then again Willow isn't a child, she knows what Angel has done, she has been there all the time, she probably had nightmares involving Angel's cold hands on her throat, she knew Teresa, she cried her heart out after learning about Jenny's demise. What is there to explain? I agree. Although, like I said, "slavish devotion" hardly applies to Xillow, it's more of the Wuffy thing IMO. Besides, in this particular case it's about the instinct of self-preservation, not blind devotion. I'm not sure Willow loves Buffy so much she's ready to sacrifice her own and everyone else's lives for the sake of Buffy's happiness...

Happy birthday, Seth Green!

Apparently Willow is so pissed off with her supposed lifelong friend she practically choses Angel over Xander['s objections]. At least that's the way I see the whole "Xander Vs Giles" moment in the previous ep. Too many fans hate Xander irrationally over "The Lie" ™️yet at the same time everyone seems to be ok with this kind of betrayal (to paraphrase Aretha Franklin, let's call this thing exactly what it is). The uncool, flawed, yet deeply loyal and caring best friend whom you know since kindergarten Vs 200+ something years old walking corpse, sadistic mass murderer who deflowered Buffy and is now hell bent on destroying the world? From where any sane person stands the choice is kinda obvious. Not to Willow though... Of all people from Willow's inner circle she knows Xander the longest and the best. Much longer and better than Buffy, Giles or Angel. Isn't that enough for, I dunno, some understanding of her supposed best friend, giving him the benefit of the doubt and other things like that? Because I don't see too many logical reasons (from the story's POV) for Willow to blindly follow Buffy in the whole "Let's save my boyfriend but pretend otherwise" plan other than Buffy being the main protagonist and the whole thing being "her show".

Post-season 2 Buffy has always had problems with consistency especially when it came to characters. It started with Xander

Don't wanna start this song all over again but if the Scoobs really cared about Xander, they shouldn't have tolerated Anya at all.

Yo, X? That's what we call A Hint. You've been waiting all this time for Buffy to give you a cue? Get on that, bro. So Buffy wants sex, Spike is temporarily unavailable and Xander has to, figuratively speaking, pick up Peroxide's leftovers? Besides, chances are Buffy has some sort of demonic STDs thanks to her, you know, "unconventional preferences" and it can end very-very bad for Xander. So bad in fact, that magic syphilis from Chumash spirits may look like a fun memory...

Synopsis: Buffy's and Riley's out of control passion unleashes mini-Apocalypse in the Lowell House. Xander misses the chance to end things with Anya and stake Spike. Meanwhile the side of Giles we've never seen makes Willow question her newfound sexuality. Q: What is Where the Kiddies Hate Sex? Synopsis: Xander bumps into girl whose ex fell victim to Anya's lame demonic prank, while same old shit between Buffy and Spike prevents everyone from moving on. Q: What is Xander didn't get laid. Again?

Not familiar with the game but still...

"I kind of love you"? Good thing Angel isn't around. Foreheads can be jealous. It won't be nice if he tries to feed Willow to some old acquaintance of his...

Wow. I never knew such picture exists. Now I wanna use it for a Xillow fanfic I still hope to write one day... Of course, piggy-back riding is not so exciting as skinny-dipping, but still... Then again we have photoshop...

I remember a statement from some very generous fan I read years ago that said losing an eye was a "punishment" for "hurting" Saint Anya with the whole non-wedding crap.

But then Anya either has a change of heart or doesn't trust Willow too much and decides to help. At least in escorting her one-eyed ex back into Casa Summers. Although they should've led Xander to the bedroom since the guy deserved some rest. There was no need for him to sit there in the crowded living room and hear inadequate Buffy suggesting they go back to the vineyard...

Well...