S03.E04: Beauty and the Beasts

[Joe Hellandback]

Beauty and the Beasts;

The Good; Faith dancing, Buffy hunting and capturing Angel, Buffy's scenes with the counsellor, Willow's concern for Oz.

The Bad; Pete's makeup is pretty stupid looking, I think the writers probably had more in mind a Bruce Banner halfway through his Hulk transformation rather than the rather daft way he is portrayed

Best line; Oz; (mid fight with Pete, seeing the moon rise) " Times up. Rules change!" Great line, very similar to Roddy McDowell's exchange with his vampire foe in Fright Night as he sees the sun rise "Daylight Mr Dandridge, you're out of time"

Whedon Clichés; Character death; Platt becomes the 7th member of the SDH faculty to die in 3 years. Lord knows how many SDH students have died, I think Hellmouthcentral did a survey once, I'll look it up

Shot; yep, Oz again and Giles

Tied up; Angel. In case you're wondering the chains Buffy uses aren't her own, she knocks Dru's dolls off the chest they're contained in.

Knocked out; Oz, Giles and Angel whilst Willow faints. Buffy tells Faith to knock herself out but not literally.

Women good/men bad; the entire episode, about as close as Buffy ever becomes to being truly misandrist (the rumoured original title was 'All men are beasts'). Whilst Pete is obviously the villain here you have to blame Debbie to some degree, she knows what's going on and doesn't do anything to stop it, even though people are dying. Whilst it's worthy to tackle spousal abuse you do feel slightly bashed over the head by the not so subtle point. Faith says "All men are beasts" which seems a little unfair. She also refers to Manimal which again seems weird for a 17 year old in 1998 to refer to a TV show that lasted exactly 8 eps in 1983 (thank you IMDb). Again, something a bunch of 30 year old scriptwriters might be big fans off.

Kinky dinky; Naked Angel in chains. OK, miraculously Angel seems to have acquired himself a pair of trousers despite his feral nature, keeping his dignity, like the Hulk. Willow says she's seen Oz 'half-monty', as Xander says, which half? Xander has seen Oz 'full-monty', presumably in the school showers but who knows? He seems very panicky explaining the use of his term 'handling'. Faith refers to the 'good lowdown tickle'. When Oz refers to two students 'fooling around' Faith automatically assumes 'They were screwing', shows how her mind works! Jerk Pete calls Debbie a whore as an insult.

Calling Captain Subtext; Buffy is horrified at the idea of a girls school with uniforms and 'no boys' but I think that would make a good series in itself (and certainly the slashficcers agree). Scott asks if Barbie ever wonders why Ken doesn't come around any more now he's got an earring. No wonder she always dumped him for Action Man. He also says that you never really know what's going on inside someone. Hmmmm?

Questions and observations; Mr Platt smokes, probably the last time we'll ever see that in a teen show. Willow's reading from 'Call of the Wild' is interesting when you compare it to

Spoiler

what Verucca says later

. It could also apply to the Slayer's nature when we later see what Faith and Buffy get up to and

Spoiler

what the first Slayer is like and why she's like that.

 What happens to Oz's clothes when he transforms whilst fighting Pete? Sunnydale High's marching jazz band is mentioned which

Spoiler

Amanda is part of in season 7

. Platt's remarks about being love's dog are interesting in comparison with

Spoiler

Spike referring to being 'Love's Bitca' in Lover's Walk. Faith refers to going crazy and 'Get out of jail free' which she one day will do both. Will offers Buffy a jelly doughnut which we will see again in The Zeppo. Will actually saves Faith here

. Cordy is missing for most of the ep.

It's a good enough ep but it's not terrific

6/10

[Halting Hex]

43 minutes ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Cordy is missing for most of the ep.

So is Xander; given that the entire episode takes place at school during a school day, it's pretty glaringly obvious.  Although at least this spares Xander from more character assassination by the director, James Whitmore Jr.; in the script he's supposed to be trying to watch Oz and just falls asleep, here they have him do everything but pull out a pillow and duck his duty on purpose.  Ugh.

Shitty direction/editing in general; that camera that tracks with Pete & Debbie as they go into the storage room makes it seem as though somebody is watching them…but nobody actually is.  And a part of SMG's completely blowing the subtext in the "look in the mirror, Debbie" scene has to be down to Whitmore Jr; getting good performance is a director's job, after all.  But where SMG is doing a great job of being afraid that Feral!Angel is a menace and she's going to have slay him in her scenes with DB, put her in a bathroom with Alyson and Danielle Weeks and give her lines that are clearly meant to be about Buffy questioning herself as well as Debbie ("Look at yourself. Why are you protecting him? Anybody who really loved you couldn't do this to you.") and we can see that just as Buffy is telling Debbie to look at herself in the mirror that Buffy can also see herself in the mirror and that there's meant to be a parallel between Debbie enabling her abusive monster boyfriend and Buffy enabling Angel…and Sarah completely misses it and goes full after-school special.  So awful it's painful.  Mainly Sarah's failure, yes, but directors are supposed to catch their actors when they fuck up; Whitmore didn't.

But, much as I like the layers that Marti Noxon put in that one scene, that hardly makes up for the overall sledgehammer tone of the script (remember, this is the one the network insisted she write as penance for the "forgive your abuser, even if he kills you!" crap that was I Only Have Eyes for You), the character misuse (the vanishing of C/X, as mentioned above), the character assassination (why is Buffy lying to everyone and hiding Angel, exactly?), and the utter contrivance (gee, lucky for the "suspense" that Pete's killing on days when Oz and Angel would both be suspect, huh?) and cliché (Buffy tells Platt "don't turn around", just so she can deliver a long monologue to him before she discovers he's actually dead) that drag this down, down, down.

And that's before we even get to scene after scene of characters being assholes to each other.  Hey, would you like to see Giles snap at Xander for neglecting Oz-watch?  Never mind that Giles is the only one who has a reason to be in the library late at night, why should Xander have to do his job?  (The next night, Faith is conscripted to watch Oz…she doesn't even go to the school!  If the custodian came by to check on that growling sound and found her, she'd probably get arrested!)

Or how about Buffy stomping all over Giles's grief over Jenny by being all "can you tell me if Angel could come back?  I'm just wondering, honest…"?  Doesn't she have friends who could do the research without remembering how Angel tortured them? (I hear this Willow chick is pretty smart.)  I guess Buffy really does want to "forget all about Ms. Calendar's murder so [she] can have [her] boyfriend back."  (Never let it be said Xander wasn't Perspective Guy on that one.)

And then we get Buffy and Oz both bitching at Willow when she's been working herself into exhaustion trying to clear Oz of suspicion. (Giles even has to call Buffy off.)  When Cordelia (who tenderly cared for a fainting Willow at the morgue before vanishing for half of the episode) shows more concern for Willow than either her boyfriend or her best friend, it's not a great episode.  And which is the better moment for Oz, telling Willow to scram because she can't understand his wolfy pain, completely ignoring her when he comes to talk to Buffy, or throwing that "cold-blooded jelly donut" line that he knows she didn't mean him to overhear back in her face?  

Spoiler

Nice practice for when she catches him with Veruca and he throws "the fluke" back in her face, I suppose.   Are we sure he's a wolf, rather than a squirrel?  He sure seems good at storing useful nuggets away for later use.  And it's not as if the "Big Gay Possum" costume couldn't be a squirrel, after all.

Oh, and then there's Buffy telling Dead!Platt that she just has to hide Po' Widdle Angel because otherwise Giles and Willow (the who in the what??) might hurt him, wah-wah-wah!  I mean aside from showing that Buffy values Angel over her friends and that she completely misjudges Willow's ability to sympathize (Giles does have that whole "killed my girlfriend for fun and tortured me" issue to work through, I'll grant), Buffy also here is putting Giles and Willow's futures in danger, as wwhk pointed out on TWoP back in the day.  What happens to Giles's tenure (or his green card) if Platt reports that Buffy told him Giles is unstable and might hurt her boyfriend?  What happens to Willow's chance of getting into college?  Buffy has no business telling some stranger Giles and Willow's business this way.

But Marti doesn't think about this, because Marti knows that Platt is dead.  But Buffy isn't supposed to know that.  Hack writing at its worst.

Has a few pleasures (C/X caring tenderly for Willow, as noted; Faith is still sexy and her "they were screwing?" line about Debbie and Dead!Jeff is kind of sweet and innocent, in its way; Scott gets depth by having friends and you can believe that he and Pete have a history of being bros;  the "Dream Journal" that Platt was having Debbie keep turns out to be a subtle plot point, which is cool) and 

Spoiler

I'll still take it over at least 95% of the episodes with Dawn in them

but a horrible, horrible ep overall.  Easily the worst of the first three seasons.  Bleh.

(Note: the "school kiss" that Oz and Willow are discussing early in the episode was cut…but it does make the credits.  All season long.  Huh.)

[Joe Hellandback]

19 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

So is Xander; given that the entire episode takes place at school during a school day, it's pretty glaringly obvious.  Although at least this spares Xander from more character assassination by the director, James Whitmore Jr.; in the script he's supposed to be trying to watch Oz and just falls asleep, here they have him do everything but pull out a pillow and duck his duty on purpose.  Ugh.

Shitty direction/editing in general; that camera that tracks with Pete & Debbie as they go into the storage room makes it seem as though somebody is watching them…but nobody actually is.  And a part of SMG's completely blowing the subtext in the "look in the mirror, Debbie" scene has to be down to Whitmore Jr; getting good performance is a director's job, after all.  But where SMG is doing a great job of being afraid that Feral!Angel is a menace and she's going to have slay him in her scenes with DB, put her in a bathroom with Alyson and Danielle Weeks and give her lines that are clearly meant to be about Buffy questioning herself as well as Debbie ("Look at yourself. Why are you protecting him? Anybody who really loved you couldn't do this to you.") and we can see that just as Buffy is telling Debbie to look at herself in the mirror that Buffy can also see herself in the mirror and that there's meant to be a parallel between Debbie enabling her abusive monster boyfriend and Buffy enabling Angel…and Sarah completely misses it and goes full after-school special.  So awful it's painful.  Mainly Sarah's failure, yes, but directors are supposed to catch their actors when they fuck up; Whitmore didn't.

But, much as I like the layers that Marti Noxon put in that one scene, that hardly makes up for the overall sledgehammer tone of the script (remember, this is the one the network insisted she write as penance for the "forgive your abuser, even if he kills you!" crap that was I Only Have Eyes for You), the character misuse (the vanishing of C/X, as mentioned above), the character assassination (why is Buffy lying to everyone and hiding Angel, exactly?), and the utter contrivance (gee, lucky for the "suspense" that Pete's killing on days when Oz and Angel would both be suspect, huh?) and cliché (Buffy tells Platt "don't turn around", just so she can deliver a long monologue to him before she discovers he's actually dead) that drag this down, down, down.

And that's before we even get to scene after scene of characters being assholes to each other.  Hey, would you like to see Giles snap at Xander for neglecting Oz-watch?  Never mind that Giles is the only one who has a reason to be in the library late at night, why should Xander have to do his job?  (The next night, Faith is conscripted to watch Oz…she doesn't even go to the school!  If the custodian came by to check on that growling sound and found her, she'd probably get arrested!)

Or how about Buffy stomping all over Giles's grief over Jenny by being all "can you tell me if Angel could come back?  I'm just wondering, honest…"?  Doesn't she have friends who could do the research without remembering how Angel tortured them? (I hear this Willow chick is pretty smart.)  I guess Buffy really does want to "forget all about Ms. Calendar's murder so [she] can have [her] boyfriend back."  (Never let it be said Xander wasn't Perspective Guy on that one.)

And then we get Buffy and Oz both bitching at Willow when she's been working herself into exhaustion trying to clear Oz of suspicion. (Giles even has to call Buffy off.)  When Cordelia (who tenderly cared for a fainting Willow at the morgue before vanishing for half of the episode) shows more concern for Willow than either her boyfriend or her best friend, it's not a great episode.  And which is the better moment for Oz, telling Willow to scram because she can't understand his wolfy pain, completely ignoring her when he comes to talk to Buffy, or throwing that "cold-blooded jelly donut" line that he knows she didn't mean him to overhear back in her face?  

  Reveal hidden contents

Nice practice for when she catches him with Veruca and he throws "the fluke" back in her face, I suppose.   Are we sure he's a wolf, rather than a squirrel?  He sure seems good at storing useful nuggets away for later use.  And it's not as if the "Big Gay Possum" costume couldn't be a squirrel, after all.

Oh, and then there's Buffy telling Dead!Platt that she just has to hide Po' Widdle Angel because otherwise Giles and Willow (the who in the what??) might hurt him, wah-wah-wah!  I mean aside from showing that Buffy values Angel over her friends and that she completely misjudges Willow's ability to sympathize (Giles does have that whole "killed my girlfriend for fun and tortured me" issue to work through, I'll grant), Buffy also here is putting Giles and Willow's futures in danger, as wwhk pointed out on TWoP back in the day.  What happens to Giles's tenure (or his green card) if Platt reports that Buffy told him Giles is unstable and might hurt her boyfriend?  What happens to Willow's chance of getting into college?  Buffy has no business telling some stranger Giles and Willow's business this way.

But Marti doesn't think about this, because Marti knows that Platt is dead.  But Buffy isn't supposed to know that.  Hack writing at its worst.

Has a few pleasures (C/X caring tenderly for Willow, as noted; Faith is still sexy and her "they were screwing?" line about Debbie and Dead!Jeff is kind of sweet and innocent, in its way; Scott gets depth by having friends and you can believe that he and Pete have a history of being bros;  the "Dream Journal" that Platt was having Debbie keep turns out to be a subtle plot point, which is cool) and 

  Reveal hidden contents

I'll still take it over at least 95% of the episodes with Dawn in them

but a horrible, horrible ep overall.  Easily the worst of the first three seasons.  Bleh.

(Note: the "school kiss" that Oz and Willow are discussing early in the episode was cut…but it does make the credits.  All season long.  Huh.)

Yeah, he does act irresponsibly but that's the whole point of Xander, he's not fully developed yet, he acts like an irresponsible kid because that's exactly what he still is and remains so until season 6. 

That's one interpretation, are we sure that's what they meant to signify? I've no problem with Faith hanging around the school, everyone will just assume she's a new pupil, I really wonder what people make of;

Spoiler

Wes kicking about the library and eyeing up the cheerleaders?

I buy the Buffy/Dead Platt scene except that it goes on too long to be plausible. You're right that he is 'the disposable black guy' although he's such an instantly likeable figure I forgive it. I also buy that Buffy asks Giles as he is the expert. I'll have to check for the 'school kiss' as I rewatch. However by far not the worst in the first 3 seasons, lightyears ahead of Bad Eggs, IRYJ and Reptile Boy.  

8 hours ago, nosleepforme said:

I find it really strange that everybody assumes Oz escaped and killed that student. Because, yes, a werewolf will escape through that open window and then sneak back into his cage after a fun killing spree. I know, the episode wanted to give Oz some conflict, but why nobody made the point that a werewolf wouldn't just sneak back into the cage kind of bothered me. 

 

What about Cordelia's "Great, now I'm gonna be stuck with serious thoughts all day." ? I thought that line was much more fun.

 

I liked the guidance counsellor too. Of course, one of the few times they cast a black man in a part, he immediately dies. What a shame. Buffy going to therapy for a few episodes might have been fun.

 

I liked the beginning with the quote from the book and the musical score by Chris Beck in the background.

 

 

There would have been lots of genitals up in the air during his first fight back in the woods. It's somewhat amusing though to think about Angel, all feral and wild in the mansion, going like "no, gotta wear some trousers before running through the woods". 

That's a good point although possibly you could argue that a werewolf would return to somewhere familiar afterwards?

 Buffy in therapy would rapidly lead her back to a padded room! As for Angel well he still put his shorts on whilst losing his soul?

[Halting Hex]

One could say the "After-School Special" is all Marti meant, without anything deeper.  But it would be rather strange that she intended no Buffy/Angel resonances, given that Buffy's entire plot for the episode is about worrying that Angel is dangerous and will need to be destroyed.  So I think that Buffy is meant to be questioning herself, as well as Debbie, in that scene.

Besides, there's the closing line: "While you guys enjoy your grim fairy-tale, two people are dead."  Maybe it's just me, but "grim fairy-tale" sounds a lot more Slayer/Vampire-relevant than about the two kids with the glow-juice.  I mean, Buffy thought she was dating a creature of myth, an eternal love worthy of her supernatural mission.  Debbie thought she was dating that smart-ass who hangs around Scott Hope.  I don't really see Disney making The Pete & Debbie Story, even if there had been a happy ending.

As for your preferring this one to other MotW episodes, everyone's entitled to their opinion.  But consider the specific charges I've leveled against this drek and measure the ones you dislike against them.  Where's the character assassination in I Robot, You Jane?  Where's the cheap misleads in Reptile Boy?  (Also, I think RB is hilarious, but that's a slightly different issue.) 

I guess you could say that the Gorches showing up on the same day Buffy has to deal with the Bezoar Eggs reeks of contrivance as much as the "It's Oz! No, It's Angel! No It's Pete!" plotting here, but Bad Eggs still uses all the characters and doesn't trash the relationships between them, unlike this one.  (Seriously, Willow and Faith are the only characters who don't either vanish or act like assholes here.  2 out of 7;  not a great score.)  Plus BE provides useful groundwork for the upcoming arc by covering that "vampires can't get humans pregnant" plot point.

Spoiler

I doubt that Wesley was the subject of much gossip; he mostly stayed in the Library (where nobody goes) and it's hardly surprising that the school might hire new staff, given all the "mysterious deaths" the faculty had suffered.  Besides, kids don't pay so much attention to adults, anyway.

But Faith is a certified Hot Babe, bouncing around campus for no apparent reason.    That should attract attention, even before she starts making hearts on windows to seduce Buffy into cutting class.  I grant you that Scott Hope had already spread lesbian rumors about Buffy by then (although I doubt he was the original source), but Faith certainly wasn't helping Buff keep up her Hetero Street Cred.  People will talk, I'd think.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎03‎/‎07‎/‎2018 at 4:14 AM, Halting Hex said:

One could say the "After-School Special" is all Marti meant, without anything deeper.  But it would be rather strange that she intended no Buffy/Angel resonances, given that Buffy's entire plot for the episode is about worrying that Angel is dangerous and will need to be destroyed.  So I think that Buffy is meant to be questioning herself, as well as Debbie, in that scene.

Besides, there's the closing line: "While you guys enjoy your grim fairy-tale, two people are dead."  Maybe it's just me, but "grim fairy-tale" sounds a lot more Slayer/Vampire-relevant than about the two kids with the glow-juice.  I mean, Buffy thought she was dating a creature of myth, an eternal love worthy of her supernatural mission.  Debbie thought she was dating that smart-ass who hangs around Scott Hope.  I don't really see Disney making The Pete & Debbie Story, even if there had been a happy ending.

As for your preferring this one to other MotW episodes, everyone's entitled to their opinion.  But consider the specific charges I've leveled against this drek and measure the ones you dislike against them.  Where's the character assassination in I Robot, You Jane?  Where's the cheap misleads in Reptile Boy?  (Also, I think RB is hilarious, but that's a slightly different issue.) 

I guess you could say that the Gorches showing up on the same day Buffy has to deal with the Bezoar Eggs reeks of contrivance as much as the "It's Oz! No, It's Angel! No It's Pete!" plotting here, but Bad Eggs still uses all the characters and doesn't trash the relationships between them, unlike this one.  (Seriously, Willow and Faith are the only characters who don't either vanish or act like assholes here.  2 out of 7;  not a great score.)  Plus BE provides useful groundwork for the upcoming arc by covering that "vampires can't get humans pregnant" plot point.

  Hide contents

I doubt that Wesley was the subject of much gossip; he mostly stayed in the Library (where nobody goes) and it's hardly surprising that the school might hire new staff, given all the "mysterious deaths" the faculty had suffered.  Besides, kids don't pay so much attention to adults, anyway.

But Faith is a certified Hot Babe, bouncing around campus for no apparent reason.    That should attract attention, even before she starts making hearts on windows to seduce Buffy into cutting class.  I grant you that Scott Hope had already spread lesbian rumors about Buffy by then (although I doubt he was the original source), but Faith certainly wasn't helping Buff keep up her Hetero Street Cred.  People will talk, I'd think.

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

Spoiler

She

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. 

Edited July 5, 2018 by Joe Hellandback

[Halting Hex]

The "look at yourself" shot I was talking about, above.  Buffy has to be looking at herself and thinking about her abusive relationship,, too…or at least that's what Marti intends, IMO.  But Sarah clanks it off the rim, for one of the few times she misses the point.

[Joe Hellandback]

14 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

The "look at yourself" shot I was talking about, above.  Buffy has to be looking at herself and thinking about her abusive relationship,, too…or at least that's what Marti intends, IMO.  But Sarah clanks it off the rim, for one of the few times she misses the point.

True, Buffy's boyfriend beat her up and emotionally abused her but she never took it from him as Debbie did and certainly not to the extent it got others killed. 

[Halting Hex]

2 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

certainly not to the extent it got others killed. 

Oooh, Jenny and Theresa and many others might argue that point with you.  But that's more for S2 episode topics than S3.

Spoiler

Although we still have Revelations and Amends upcoming, it's true.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎13‎/‎09‎/‎2018 at 8:54 PM, Halting Hex said:

Oooh, Jenny and Theresa and many others might argue that point with you.  But that's more for S2 episode topics than S3.

  Hide contents

Although we still have Revelations and Amends upcoming, it's true.

But Buffy was trying to stop Angelus and Debbie was complicit?

[lembergwatcher]

Forget all the bad things I've ever said about sweet little Angel. He's such a nice and polite guy, you know. Whatever happens, he always tries to look appropriate.

While losing his soul at the end of Surprise Angel gets up naked from the bed he just shared with Buffy and hurries off. But before he gets outside the guy manages to put on all his clothes, 'cause God forbid someone will see a naked vampire lying on the pavement in some shady alley...

Thirteen eps later, at the end of Faith, Hope & Trick, we see Angel falling from a dimensional portal and hitting the stone floor of the Crawford Street mansion, totally naked and sweaty. In the following episode Buffy's boyfriend # 1 acts like a wild animal roaming the nearby forest searching for an easy prey. But despite being dazed and confused Angel still minds the attitude thus putting on his big-boy pants. Because as we all know, ladies and gentlemen, the freakin' nudity happens to be every insane monster's prime concern. In spite of apparently leaving his brains in some hellish dimension, Angel knows for a fact he can't let his precious Buffy or anyone else see his butt naked (even though him and Buffy were both undressed while seizing their moment several months prior to the events depicted in Beauty and the Beasts).

Sometimes I wonder myself, how dare I not like this nice guy, this epitome of politeness and virtue, this noble Prince and Knight in shining armour? I should be ashamed of myself, I know...

[Halting Hex]

Well, I've never had a problem with Surprise; yes, Angel can feel a need to get away from Buffy while he deals with his pain, but even though all we saw was an immediate cut, it could have taken a good 5-10 minutes until he hits the alley.  And Angel could have been convincing himself that he could "hold on" and maintain control, and so it's hardly strange he took time to dress properly, rather than barge outside starkers.

After all, if he were to get reported for public exposure, the cops might take a look in his place and find Naked Underage Buffy (she just turned 17, but the Age of Consent for California is 18) sleeping the sleep of the recently plucked.  Which would be bad news on several fronts, regardless of whether Angel had managed to wrestle That Pesky Soul down and keep it from scarpering off, after all.

Don't forget, Angel has a century of history of trying to control his demon.  It's always there ("I wanted to kill you tonight" as he says in Angel), it craves battle (as seen in The Dark Age) and it's aware of everything going on around it, as Angel makes clear on several occasions (to Spike, to Jenny, to Buffy) in Innocence.  I can easily see that Angel thought his problem was that "Angelus" was trying to take over, and only realized too late that the soul was being removed from his body, instead.

OTOH, this is more difficult, since Feral!Angel is supposed to be all feral and stuff.  I guess he just happened to come across the pants somewhere, and his subconscious memories reminded him that he doesn't usually run around bareass and all.

I was pondering if they could be Dead!Jeff's pants (he was killed in the woods, after all, and probably on the same night Angel got the idea to cover his Angel-bits;  Giles might simply not have reported the lack of pants to the Scoobs for not wanting to disturb Oz further), but a check of the ep shows that Jeff was wearing green khakis and Angel's in blue-black flat-fronts.  So that's one theory shot to hell.

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎1‎/‎24‎/‎2019 at 2:03 PM, Halting Hex said:

Well, I've never had a problem with Surprise; yes, Angel can feel a need to get away from Buffy while he deals with his pain, but even though all we saw was an immediate cut, it could have taken a good 5-10 minutes until he hits the alley.  And Angel could have been convincing himself that he could "hold on" and maintain control, and so it's hardly strange he took time to dress properly, rather than barge outside starkers.

After all, if he were to get reported for public exposure, the cops might take a look in his place and find Naked Underage Buffy (she just turned 17, but the Age of Consent for California is 18) sleeping the sleep of the recently plucked.  Which would be bad news on several fronts, regardless of whether Angel had managed to wrestle That Pesky Soul down and keep it from scarpering off, after all.

Don't forget, Angel has a century of history of trying to control his demon.  It's always there ("I wanted to kill you tonight" as he says in Angel), it craves battle (as seen in The Dark Age) and it's aware of everything going on around it, as Angel makes clear on several occasions (to Spike, to Jenny, to Buffy) in Innocence.  I can easily see that Angel thought his problem was that "Angelus" was trying to take over, and only realized too late that the soul was being removed from his body, instead.

OTOH, this is more difficult, since Feral!Angel is supposed to be all feral and stuff.  I guess he just happened to come across the pants somewhere, and his subconscious memories reminded him that he doesn't usually run around bareass and all.

I was pondering if they could be Dead!Jeff's pants (he was killed in the woods, after all, and probably on the same night Angel got the idea to cover his Angel-bits;  Giles might simply not have reported the lack of pants to the Scoobs for not wanting to disturb Oz further), but a check of the ep shows that Jeff was wearing green khakis and Angel's in blue-black flat-fronts.  So that's one theory shot to hell.

I think we just have to accept that much like Bruce Banner Angel will always be in the world's most convenient trousers.

[Halting Hex]

Skipping past Fang Boy's pants, today I saw (at last) that he "found" boots, too.

Boots, ffs. Why not a 3-pc suit, huh?  JFC…

Quote

BUFFY:  Platt was dead in an instant…

And…how?  Did Pete reach over the chair and gore Platt from behind?  Did he walk around Platt's desk and frontally attack, without Platt turning to confront him?  Or was Pete doing…other stuff down below and Platt kept puffing, until Hulk sprang up, finishing him off?

Ahhh, who wants logical blocking, right?  Not this hack of a "director", no way.

**************************************
Not only is Xander unjustly blamed for Oz going out that window (Xan didn't show until 2 AM!  That window is Oz's or Gman's or Willow's fault), not only did Hacky Whitmore turn Marti's script (Xander trying to stay up, but failing) into "Xander lays down on job, instantly"…but Cynthia put him in a clown suit, with silly red pants.  Ugh.

But…I just saw that, didn't I?  Didn't 3.03 start with Willow clad in red pants and a greenish top?  Okay, so Willow had aquamarine and Xander was seafoam, and Willow's top was angora and her pants corduroy, but still.  Oddly similar, as Xillow don't swap clothing, that I know of.

Is this Cynthia's way of

Spoiler

 subtly cuing Xander and Willow's upcoming affair

?  Odd, but I'd think such "hints" should be in, y'know, the dialogue, not just the clothing.  Huh.

Edited November 16, 2021 by Halting Hex

[lembergwatcher]

22 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

That window

IIRC that window wasn't wide open and therefore Oz had to be really-really thin in order to squeeze through. I find it hard picturing Wolf!Oz politely lowering the window after "escaping" from his cage...

22 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

as Xillow don't swap clothing, that I know of.

What if they do? 😎

[Halting Hex]

Awww, poor Angel!  Sure, he killed Jenny…and Enyos, and the woman in the alley, and Theresa, and the quaint little shopgirl, and the girl outside the Bronze, and (possibly) an early-rising toddler, and the Xander-shaped sacrifice…

Spoiler

and Travis and his neatly-arranged children, as we discover in Amends

…and he's responsible for the deaths of Doug Perren and Kendra and who knows how many others, but he's suffered so much!!  He spent centuries in (a) Hell, constantly tortured!  Poor baby!

Yeah, right.  And now we know why we had to sit through the giant turd that was Anne, huh?  Without establishing the "time passes more quickly in other dimensions" premise (regardless of how it means that episode's "plot" makes no logical sense) there, Joss can't thrill the B/A 'shippers by having Buffy and Angel having tender moments just four episodes into the season, without everyone else thinking Forehead got off really easy.  But, shhh!  Angel was tortured for centuries!! What more do you people want?

(Logical plotting?  Getting rid of characters who've already served their purpose in the story?  Having the balls to go against the 'shippers and tell your story honestly?  I'm just dreaming spitballing here.)

[lembergwatcher]

1 hour ago, Halting Hex said:

(Logical plotting?  Getting rid of characters who've already served their purpose in the story?  Having the balls to go against the 'shippers and tell your story honestly?  I'm just dreaming spitballing here.

How could Joss go against Bangel 'shippers if they constituted the highest percentage among the audience back in the day? Ratings, money, greedy producers... Besides, wasn't David Boreanaz the most desirable man alive back then? 

But you're absolutely right. After those last eight episodes of the second season the very idea of Buffy still drooling over Angel was ridiculous at best...

Spoiler

Angel and Buffy start their "romance" again as if nothing's happened, Jenny and Kendra are essentially forgotten and denied justice. I guess the show started its long and painful downward spiral from then on... 

 

[lembergwatcher]

On 4/14/2022 at 10:30 PM, Halting Hex said:

Having the balls to go against the 'shippers and tell your story honestly?

Actually Joss had the balls of stone when it came to the 'shippers. Xillow 'shippers. Like me. 😉

Edited April 17, 2022 by lembergwatcher

[mmecorday]

I know this was filmed 25 years ago, but the OzWolf looks cheap and stupid.

[lembergwatcher]

22 hours ago, mmecorday said:

I know this was filmed 25 years ago, but the OzWolf looks cheap and stupid.

Well, non-wolf Oz isn't much better himself IMO.

[Halting Hex]

On 7/1/2022 at 12:47 PM, mmecorday said:

I know this was filmed 25 years ago, but the OzWolf looks cheap and stupid.

Did you prefer "The Big Gay Possum" (as the crew called it) costume from Phases?  I do like the facial morph on SG as they do the "time's up; rules change" bit.

And, for a lousy episode, the Act 3 blackout isn't half-bad:

Quote

OZ: I'm serious. Something's gonna happen that you... probably won't believe.

Pete screams as his head whips around and he transforms into his alter ego again. He looks at Oz with murder in his eyes when the change is complete. Oz is amazed, and takes a step backward.

OZ: Or you might…

Heh. 

(This is the first time Oz has led us into a commercial, right?  Act 3 of Phases ended with Oz-wolf raring up and growling, but that's not quite the same thing.  And if you count the growl, you should count Willow's answering scream, so technically she had the last line there.)

[Halting Hex]

Kassidy points out that it might not be such a bad idea for Buffy to keep a "Dream Journal", given that she has prophetic dreams and it might be useful to know what is a blueprint for imminent badness, and what are simply random imaginations, such as her and Giles opening an office supply store in Las Vegas.

Spoiler

Which does not in fact turn out to be prophetic, the fact that Gileswench wrote a lovely Buffy/Giles 'shipfic where it did.

***********************

Say, why was Jeff meeting Pete out in the woods on a school night, anyhow?  I'd say that might mean Pete got Jeff's number from Larry and lured him into the woods with the promise of some bamp-chicka-bamp-bamp…but that rather goes against the "Pete was jealous of Jeff and Debbie" motive, I'd think.

(I know, the real answer is that Marti was half-assing this one, because she was pissed that the network made her write it, but I'd like to find a less-meta explanation.)

************************

So Buffy finds Angel in the woods and brings him to a house with some memories he's probably tryin to repress (never mind "wow, I was so evil and soulless when I lived here", just the memory of Buffy impaling him and sending him to [a] hell is probably triggering) and she chains him up and…then what?

She leaves him alone, without food or blood or water.  And when she comes back, instead of approaching him from the front and trying to talk to him gently, she…approaches from behind and touches him without his knowing she was going to do that.  No wonder he snarls.

I believe it was David Hines who wrote "Buffy and Angel never talked before, so why should they start now?", but still.  I know darn well that when I found Ziggy on my doorstep eight years (I'm so old…) and 2359 miles ago, I did a whole lot of soothing chatter to entice him into my apartment.

Still, Angel somehow uses his "Buffy's in peril!' sense to run over to the school and save her from Rage!Pete at the end, so I suppose scaring the shit out of people actually helps them bond with you.  Wouldn't have thought it, but who am I to argue with Marti Noxon's plot conveniences true love?

(BTW, last we checked, that abandoned mansion of Crawford Street was "outside of town", per Becoming Part 2.  That's a heck of a range for Angel's "Save Buffy" sense, not to mention some really fast shirtless sprinting.)

********************************

Somebody smarter than I pointed out that Pete and Debbie die not too far from where Angel took care of Jenny.  So maybe it was just Old Home Week for Fang, after all.

I'd say it would be an uncomfortable reminder of neck-snaps past for Giles, but he seems to have barely blinked at news of Mr. Platt's death, so I guess we're past the days when Giles mourned Dr. Gregory and was visibly stunned by what happened to Principle Flutie, huh?

(Either that, or he's just being racist, I suppose.  Wouldn't think so, but it never hurts to consider possibilities.)

********************************

So we started with Willow reading The Call of the Wild to Oz-wolf and we end it with Buffy staring silently at the unconscious Angel and pondering, as the narration resumes.  

So basically, our "Oz episode" turns out to be all about Angel.  That's fair.

Meanwhile, I'm just quietly boiling thinking about how it's been nine months since Phases and nobody's even trying to cure Oz.  (Apparently, there's a whole literature about cures for lycanthropy.)  Nope, it's just "lock yourself in a cage for the rest of your life, three nights a month.  We're hanging up a towel, what more do you want?"

Way to care about your "friend", folks.  You'd think at least somebody would get around to checking if the window is locked, wouldn't you?  (I mean, nine  months.  You can check a lock in less than nine months.  I'm almost certain.)  If I were Oz, I'd rethink taking an extra-year at SHS just to stalk Willow.  Because this group doesn't really seem to be busting its butts for you.

Sigh.

[lembergwatcher]

5 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

I'd say it would be an uncomfortable reminder of neck-snaps past for Giles, but he seems to have barely blinked at news of Mr. Platt's death, so I guess we're past the days when Giles mourned Dr. Gregory and was visibly stunned by what happened to Principle Flutie, huh?

If Giles was totally ok with Xander, Willow, Oz & Cordy doing Buffy's job while Buffy was moping over Angel miles away, despite none of the Scoobs having Slayer powers and all of them having high chances of getting killed in action, why should he care about someone he barely knew?

Seems like G-Man was really terrible at socializing and failed to make friends with any other member of SHS staff (except for Miss Calendar but she was more of a love interest).

 

5 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

Meanwhile, I'm just quietly boiling thinking about how it's been nine months since Phases and nobody's even trying to cure Oz.  (Apparently, there's a whole literature about cures for lycanthropy.)  Nope, it's just "lock yourself in a cage for the rest of your life, three nights a month.  We're hanging up a towel, what more do you want?"

Wasn't lycanthropy a thing that made Oz truly special? Because I don't think it was either Oz's "humor" or his questionable guitar playing skills.

And by "special" I mean far superior to

Spoiler

someone who turned out to be just some guy from Willow's past. Cordelia, a renowned expert of all things supernatural, considered the aforementioned lycanthropy to be some sort of a "superpower" as far as I remember.

The geniuses running the show needed something to make Oz special, i. e. different than your average Joe. And wasn't Willoz supposed to be a more successful version of Bangel sans the whole losing soul and turning into mass-murdering monster after having sex thing? The girl with some supernatural powers + the boy with some supernatural powers - isn't that lovely?

Besides, if they cured Oz

Spoiler

the "landmark" eps like Zeppo would've been even more meaningless than they already were. It's one thing if you have a single "useless part of the group", but two Zeppos?! It hurts to know you're the only Zeppo in your gang, and not that much if you know there's someone else just like you.

Cures for lycanthropy? What cures for lycanthropy? They don't even bother with acquiring weapons that were invented after the Industrial Revolution...

Edited May 15, 2023 by lembergwatcher