lembergwatcher
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Posts posted by lembergwatcher
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And one more thing: the way Dan Vebber portrays Xander in this episode makes the guy look not only useless, but also very dumb.
Why? Consider this.
Cordelia taunts Xander because of him lacking super-freakin'-powers. Xander OTOH for some mysterious reasons asks Oz for lessons in coolness. I'm totally lost here: are we required to believe "cool" is some kinda synonym to "superpowered" from now on? Why aren'tSpoilerthe hogan martins of the world
saving the freaking day then?
What "superpowers" does Oz have anyway? Isn't it kinda dumb to ask him for advice regarding superpower-related issues? Why not go to Willow ("Can you give me some lessons in magic, Will so I won't be that useless?") or Angel ("Can you turn me so I'll be looking cool like you and ladies gonna find me attractive?")? Is the whole scene written just to humiliate Xander/say "fuck you" to a few Xillow 'shippers out there who remained loyal? Like, see, not only Xander accepts his defeat and doesn't fight for Willow but he also believes the Wolfboy is totally superior?
What happened to the whole "it's totally ok to be uncool" narrative from the first two seasons?
Besides, how exactly having a cool "thing" (in this case some stupid car) proves Xander's usefulness to the gang? Is riding the car considered to be some sort of a superpower? Does Xander really believe Buffy and Willow are that shallow to be impressed solely by his driving skills? Ok, Buffy is a little bit shallow, true, but Will?.. The girl Xander used to know since kindergarten?..
Was Xander's memory erasedSpoilerlong before the Dawn-creating monks arrived at the scene
so that he doesn't remember his own contribution to the cause? Do others have amnesia too? Why wasn't Xander's safety an issue when soulless Angel was running around wrecking havoc while Buffy couldn't decide whether to stake him or not? Or that time when Buffy was in LA for months and the whole slaying thing became the responsibility of 3-4 non-superpowered teens because Giles the Prick got more important things to do? Why Xander's "safety" all of a sudden matters at this particular moment
Spoilerbut when the guy nearly ended up dead/seriously hurt because of Faith, Angel or the hell hound who hated the formal wear a few eps later nobody gives a damn?
Does any fucking thing make sense in this "landmark" episode?
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Quote
Xander: But... It's just that it's buggin' me, this 'cool' thing. (cut to them) I mean, what is it? How do you get it? Who doesn't have it? And who decides who doesn't have it? What is the essence of cool?
Oz: Not sure. (reaches for a chip)Well, you can learn how to play guitar and start some mediocre band which will eventually occupy the stage at The Bronze for some time since no major acts perform in such places...
But there's another way, Xander. Much better way. You can kill a bloody lot of people, attempt to start an Apocalypse or two, torture someone for fun (like, say, Oz) and... voilà, congratulations, you're cool now. That's Buffyverse, baby.
Oh, I just imagine what it would've been like if...QuoteXander: Cordelia! Am I a thing worth saving, huh? Am I a righteous man?
Cordelia: Yes, yes, you are, oh my knight in shining armor! (starts taking her clothes off). Take me! Ravish me right here and know!
You don't have to ask Xander twice. They undress and start doing it on top of the Kingsmans Bluff in the snow... -
20 hours ago, Halting Hex said:
They fight, she doesn't want to help him, she helps him and they're back together.
"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...
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It's (Inter)National Holiday time!
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On 3/16/2023 at 7:25 AM, Halting Hex said:
But…wait. Aren't we missing something? Something such as…
QuoteWILLOW: No, wait! Xander's right! You people are all…well, I'm upset and I can't think of a mean word right now, but that's what you are! And we're going to the factory!
XANDER: Yeah!
—Innocence, Act I (attribution almost certainly not needed)
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...
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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.
22 hours ago, Halting Hex said:So perhaps someone in the Watchers' Council has cultivated relationships with 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...
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5 hours ago, Halting Hex said:
I do wonder how Gwen knew that Lagos was coming at all, though.
Some sources within the demonic community?
Or she just cast a spell?.. -
Happy birthday, Mercedes McNab!
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12 hours ago, Halting Hex said:
Huh, I had no idea that Laura "Pardon Me, But Do You Have Any Grey" Prepon was either Irish or Jewish.
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...
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Happy birthday... Sandy Rivers.
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On 2/10/2023 at 10:30 AM, Halting Hex said:
And that's with Giles only knowing about the Yellow Crayon speech. If X had ever mentioned that whole "one time I woke Willow from a coma" deal, that would be more evidence of how he can "save the world with [his] mouth". But he didn't tell anyone (apparently not even Willow during the "fluke") about that, so…
Due to his near death experience in Grave Rupert has probably figured something out...
QuoteGILES: The gift I was given by the coven was the true essence of magic. Willow's magic came from a ... place of rage and power.
ANYA: And vengeance. Don't forget vengeance.
GILES: Oh. How could I? In any case, the magic she took from me tapped into ... the spark of humanity she had left. Helped her to feel again. Gave Xander the opportunity to ... reach her.
ANYA: Xander?
GILES: Yes. It was he who got to her in time. (smiling) He saved us all.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... -
8 hours ago, Halting Hex said:
I've always raged about how in Beneath You, Willow is all nervous about coming back to Sunnydale and neither she nor Giles (both fairly smart, allegedly) think to use "the ingenious speaking-tube" to call and find out how B/X/D feel about that
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.
8 hours ago, Halting Hex said:Even if you can fanwank that Willow was locked away with the coven and couldn't come to the phone [which, bullshit], how was Xander not writing her letters regularly?
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.8 hours ago, Halting Hex said:That whole "Giles can be an idiot sometimes. The smart kind, but still" deal is looking pretty spot on, I'm thinking.)
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. -
7 hours ago, Halting Hex said:
So clearly she's not making her decisions based on any anger (which is probably an exaggeration; "annoyance" is more likely) directed at Xander.
Not anger. Some deep grudge more likely. Because of, say, the whole Xordelia thing?
7 hours ago, Halting Hex said:Save Angel so Buffy can be happy again!
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?
7 hours ago, Halting Hex said:Also, while Xander may not be happy that Willow has an opinion different than his, saying that Willow has "chosen Angel" over him is IMO pushing it.
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?
7 hours ago, Halting Hex said:So if Willow should go against Buffy when she thinks Buffy is wrong, surely the same standard should apply to Xander? He should win his arguments based on his arguments, not because Willow's known him since age 4 or whatever.
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?
7 hours ago, Halting Hex said:Conflating a tendency to agreement with slavish devotion rather blurs the truth
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...
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Happy birthday, Seth Green!
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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". -
On 2/6/2023 at 8:05 AM, Halting Hex said:
Who is that guy pretending to be Xander, with the squeaky, desperate voice as he tries to cling on to Angel, of all people?
Post-season 2 Buffy has always had problems with consistency especially when it came to characters. It started with Xander
Spoilerand then got worse and worse with every new season.
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15 hours ago, Halting Hex said:
the Scoobs only ever tolerated Anya for Xander's sake
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.
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1 hour ago, Halting Hex said:Quote
BUFFY: You could be dating now.
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...
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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?
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Not familiar with the game but still...
QuoteSynopsis: Richard Wilkins has a death wish and he wants the whole Class of '99 to witness his dream comin' true.
Q: What is Retardation Day, Parts 1 & 2? -
"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...
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16 hours ago, Halting Hex said:
Picture of Aly riding piggy-back on Nick not included, sadly.
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...
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All Episodes Talk: Season 3
in Buffy The Vampire Slayer
· Edited by lembergwatcher
So the one Alexander Lavelle Harris goes from being the "useless part of the group" (The Zeppo) to the "Key Guy" (Graduation Day, Part 2) and there's absolutely nothing in between for the audience to understand how the guy got from here to there.
There are eight episodes between The Zeppo and Graduation Day, Part 2. And even though we know Xander is kinda cool too since the whole 3x13 debacle, that's supposed to be the big secret for the Buffyverse, i.e. the thing no one is supposed to know, right? Even if Xander eventually told the gang about his nighttime activities when the Sisterhood of Jhe came to town, chances are nobody took him seriously. Yeah, they all believe in Xander doing something stupid like sleeping with Faith, but saving everyone's ass? No, no, no, can't happen here, really.
Let's have a quick look on Xander's activity throught post-Zeppo episodes.
Bad Girls - does nothing of importance.
Consequences - nearly gets himself killed after coming to Faithie. Has to be saved by non other than Angel. Which kinda proves the point the gang made at the beginning of The Zeppo.
Doppelgängland - does nothing of importance too exept for "saving" Vamp!Willow from Percy and helping Giles stake one vamp.
Enemies - does nothing to make the gang change their minds, gets knocked out by Angel. Kinda leads the "charge" on Angel's mansion, but Faith is still alive and Angel isn't dust so this doesn't count.
Earshot - nearly gets himself killed by the lunch lady, has to be saved by Buffy (hi there, Zeppo!).
Choices - minimal contribution from Xand-man. Buffy and Willow have each other and do not need him in any way, shape or form.
The Prom - pushes Cordelia out of harm's way when Tucker's doggo comes to April Fools. Brave move but hardly enough to make Xander the "Key Guy" in the upcoming battle. Besides, he agrees to take Anya to the prom which is kinda pathetic if you ask me. Because that Xander guy, he's such a scum. Not a single non-demonic girl in the whole SHS/Sunnydale/state of California will ever find him attractive so there's nothing left for him than to date a (former) demon and a very annoying one.
Graduation Day, Part 1 - finds a source of important information regarding the Ascension. Smart move but, once again, hardly enough to make Xander a "Key Guy" out of the blue. Besides, stealing the rocket launcher (Innocence) or asking Angel to go fuck himself (Killed by Death) was ten times more badass but apparently seems not enough for the Scoobs not to treat Xander like shit.
The showrunners hated Xander's guts. At least since the third season. So there's no wonder the guy was sidelined as fuck throughout most of the third
(and later)
seasons. OTOH they couldn't sideline Xander into oblivion. "See that Brendon guy? He still gets his paycheck so we kinda have to make his character matter a little bit every once in a while" - that's probably what Whedon and Greenwalt were thinking back in the day. A good explanation even though it has nothing to do with the series' plot.
Xander rarely doing something worthwile throughout the season but then all of a sudden having a moment closer to the season's end
will become a some kind of series' trademark in the later seasons. Like in season 4 when Xander rarely does anything important or useful (exept in 4x01, 4x05, 4x11, 4x14, 4x18 and 4x19) and then comes with a plan in the penultimate episode. Or in season 6 when the guy is nothing more than a glorified wallpaper for most of the time but then ends up at the right place at the right time with the right words. Weird.
To those who may object to the whole tirade: my point is not wanting Xander to steal the spotlight from Buffy therefore turning Buffy the Vampire Slayer into Xander the Glorified Bricklayer. Somehow Joss and his peers managed to keep Xander important enough without him outshining the main protagonist throughout the first two seasons. Unfortunately since season 3 most of the time Xander has a bit of the spotlight the only reason he gets there are Nick Brendon's contract obligations. Which, like I said before, has nothing to do with the story. Sigh.