S07.E14: First Date

[Joe Hellandback]

The Good; So we finally find out Wood's secret! Some nice comedy stuff with Xander and Danny Strong surprisingly creepy as Jonathon/The First. It's amazing how funny Chao Anh can be with just such a simple old gag.

The Bad; Buffy really should take more care with her cellphone. Who opens a French restarunt down a creepy dark alleyway? Note Woods doesn't lock his door after Buffy leaves whilst he's putting away his knife. Honestly if you were Xander on your first date with Lissa would you ever dream of telling the story of leaving your bride at the altar? Not exactly something that makes a girl think 'Boy this one's a keeper!' (although considering the attraction to bad boys in this series maybe it would impress her?)

Best line; Buffy; (of Xander's date) "Good thing you're not jealous!" Anya; "Are you nuts? Can't you hear my bitter ranting? The shrill edge of hysteria in my voice? Little hardware store whore!"

Kinky dinky; Needless to say Ashanti is GORGEOUS especially when she puts on her sacrificial gear and into bondage fun. The bleeding bit not so much fun nor is her demon form. Half naked Xander, NB slimmed down a lot since season 6. Andrew admires the contents of Buffy's underwear drawer 'Nice things' and notes she has thongs amongst her intimates (as we saw before in Shadow) Interested in her wearing them or him? We also see Buffy in her sexy camisole top. Andrew considers Dawn 'A peach'. Buffy considers Wood's French pear desert 'The best thing I've ever had in my mouth', a line which would make the Carry On team blush! (and she says it in front of Spike!).

Captain Subtext; Xander; "Willow, gay me up!" imagining Scott Bakula in his underwear which Andrew also appreciates. Buffy worries that this would just attract male demons, Dawn mentions that Clem always liked Xander further portraying him as Buffy's gay friend. Willow considers Buffy a 'frisky vixen'. Buffy's description of Woods is very reminiscent of Riley which hardly bodes well for him as a potential lover. Buffy wonders why she's so attracted to 'wicked energy', in the next ep we find out why. Interestingly when Willow asks about Spike Buffy says 'Why does everyone still think I'm in love with Spike?'. Her use of the term 'love' is unprecedented. Buffy is attracted to Woods, another older man for her, older than Riley although still much younger than Spike and Angel (Hank leaving really screwed her up even before all the Slayer dark energy lust kicked in, one wonder's if Dawn will be the same?) And of course Woods whose mother was a Slayer who died when he was four, breaking his heart now finds himself dating one. He comments that he 'Doesn't know how that happened' but I think it doesn't need Freud to guess? Kennedy and Willow now make out and hold hands under the table although she tries to hide it.

Kills: 1 Bringer for Giles, 3 vamps for Buffy plus Lissa giving her her 200th kill! 2 vamps for Woods plus he says he's killed 'A few vamps and some demons' previously so we'll give him 3 more vamps and 2 demons at least.

Total number of scoobies: 15-Chao Anh and Woods join the group. Andrew really picks his side here and starts taking a major step to becoming a proper Scooby. Xander, Buffy, Dawn, Willow, Anya, Spike, Giles, Kennedy, Molly, Vi, Chloe, Rhona, Amanda, Chao-Anh, Woods

Xander demon magnet: 6(7?) yet another demon digs Xander Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya, Lissa (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Notches on Scooby bedpost: does Xander get anywhere with Lissa before she ties him up? (or afterwards?)

What the fanficcers thought; Once read a HORRIBLE fic where Giles really was killed by the Bringer and season 7 Giles is Ethan Rayne in a glamour spell. In the follow up fic they magically bring Buffy and Spike back from the dead (AGAIN!), Ethan Rayne reforms to become Buffy's new Watcher and

Spoiler

Anya and Amanda survive instead of Woods and Giles.

Questions and observations; Note in the scene where Giles' is leading the girls through the graveyard one of the tombs reads 'Snyder'. Only a limited number of Potentials each ep as they can't afford more. Buffy says she believes in Spike. The First knows about the gun implying that Amy was one of it's agents, otherwise how would it know? Of course the 'blood' on Buffy's blouse that Anya is trying to clean is actually the pizza sauce Dawn spilt on it in 'Conversations with Dead People'. People constantly mock Buffy's counselling skills, she seems to actually enjoy her job, something in her life that's NOT connected to slaying (Woods feels the same way saying he enjoys being the headmaster). Woods has no slayer powers, if he was a Slayer's daughter you wonder if that might be different. Buffy seems intrigued that Slayers can have children, something she and Faith might

Spoiler

now have the chance to do (certainly post-Chosen).

Note Amanda still has her forehead scar from Potential. So anyone's blood can open the seal? Why doesn't the first just have it's Bringers kidnap random people? Why does The First want Woods to kill Spike, isn't he its' agent? Poor Woods, how heartrending for him to find his mother's killer after all this time. When Woods tells the First 'You didn't raise me at all' is he saying "You're the First so you didn't raise me' or is he mad at his mother for dying and leaving him alone? I always thought vamp limbs went to dust when they were removed from the body but here we see they don't

Spoiler

(luckily for Spike in 'Damage')

Marks out of 10; 7/10

Have to say whilst I'm a big fan of s7 the 'Hunting Angelus' arc is currently on Angel and it's where Angel s4 pulls ahead of Buffy for what I think is one of only 2 occasions (Angel s3 overall much better than Buffy s6)

Edited November 18, 2018 by Joe Hellandback

[lembergwatcher]

That "Xander the demon magnet" joke wasn't too funny back in the day of Something Blue. It's even less funny here. Did Willow really revoke the stupid spell of hers in the aforementioned ep? You tell me. 

I guess I get the premise of First Date: since someone decided "Xander the demon magnet" is suuuuuuch a great plot twist, every girl Xander tries to date has to be demon. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Why? I dunno. Probably because those writing geniuses from Team Joss sincerely believe it's not in the least bit unoriginal or cliched.

So our White Knight left stuck between either falling at the Hellbitch's feet and begginng her to take him back or getting sacrificed by some demon chick who apparently doesn't know she shouldn't kill the boy at the first date. Ha-ha-ha.

If I understand everything correctly, our Xander guy is in worse trouble then Warren before meeting Katrina when it comes to relationship and finding significant other. Which is kinda sad.

Dozens of young, pretty and obviously non-demonic SITs in the Summers House need not apply for some unknown reason. Hence Xanya foreeeeever!!! Fuck.

Edited November 18, 2018 by lembergwatcher

[Halting Hex]

1 hour ago, lembergwatcher said:

Dozens of young, pretty and obviously non-demonic SITs in the Summers House need not apply for some unknown reason.

Well, most of the SiTs are underage.  And Kennedy (age 19) is a lesbian.  So Xander is probably better advised to seek elsewhere.

That said, even though I'm not terribly upset about this joke being dragged out yet again, or about the Killjoy!Giles moment at the end (some people on TWoP nearly threw a wheel over that), it's still a rancid episode.  You know, Buffy tending to the bump on Spike's head while Xander might be bleeding to death, while meanwhile Xander's alleged friends just sit at home and play Jenga or something, with their thumbs up their collective ass, trusting in Spike's SuperNose to sniff Buffy's vag from across town and go fetch her and Wood.  You know, the usual complaints.

In fact, this episode was so bad it dragged me out of a period of lurkdom at TWoP, just to bitch about it, at length.  Not right now, though.  Even if I still think the whole "Xander on the wheel" sequence was just there to humiliate Nick and push Spuffy.  Grrrr…

[Joe Hellandback]

On ‎18‎/‎11‎/‎2018 at 2:46 PM, lembergwatcher said:

That "Xander the demon magnet" joke wasn't too funny back in the day of Something Blue. It's even less funny here. Did Willow really revoke the stupid spell of hers in the aforementioned ep? You tell me. 

I guess I get the premise of First Date: since someone decided "Xander the demon magnet" is suuuuuuch a great plot twist, every girl Xander tries to date has to be demon. Every. Single. One. Of. Them. Why? I dunno. Probably because those writing geniuses from Team Joss sincerely believe it's not in the least bit unoriginal or cliched.

So our White Knight left stuck between either falling at the Hellbitch's feet and begginng her to take him back or getting sacrificed by some demon chick who apparently doesn't know she shouldn't kill the boy at the first date. Ha-ha-ha.

If I understand everything correctly, our Xander guy is in worse trouble then Warren before meeting Katrina when it comes to relationship and finding significant other. Which is kinda sad.

Dozens of young, pretty and obviously non-demonic SITs in the Summers House need not apply for some unknown reason. Hence Xanya foreeeeever!!! Fuck.

Most Potentials are a little too young for Xander and remember he still has feelings for Anya, easier to date an outside. 

[lembergwatcher]

2 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

Most Potentials are a little too young for Xander

Well, Buffy was much too young for Angel either. Yet...

 

3 hours ago, Joe Hellandback said:

he still has feelings for Anya

And that's one of the reasons I think teenage Xander was much more wiser than the "mature" one.

[lembergwatcher]

Speaking of the season's main theme articulated in that very episode. Buffy believes Spike "can be a good man" because:

1) she's so impressed with him traveling to Africa to get his sooooul [for her];

2) she feels remorse for "using" him in previous seasons?

The first case is ridiculous for I don't remember writers telling us what exactly is so special about Spike's soooul to distinguish it from, say, Giles' or Willow's or Xander's or Ethan's or Anya's or anyone elses's soul. The second case is plain weird, 'cause of all the things Buffy's done in the past (rejecting and lying to her friends, neglecting Dawn, nearly sacrificing all her friends and mankind as a whole for the few extra minutes for "lil' sis" e.t.c.) the only one Buffy truly regrets turn outs to be treating her blondie bear "bad"...  Or did our Slayer finally fall in love with Captain Peroxide?

Edited February 4, 2019 by lembergwatcher

[Halting Hex]

I don't know what's up with Buffy feeling a rare moment of guilt over Spike (she takes the blame for everything wrong in the relationship when talking to Holden in CwDP) and I certainly would have liked to have seen this at more appropriate (IMO) times, like apologizing for running away in Dead Man's Party, or for hiding Angel in Revelations…

…but to me, it seems less like "love" (which Buffy has never professed for Spike, although this episode's vile "why does everybody think I'm still in love with Spike?' retcon comes wayyyyyyyy to close for my tastes, I admit) and more akin to battered-woman syndrome.  "Oh, he wouldn't have tried to rape me if I hadn't rejected him!  He can be a good man!"  FFS, Slayer…

Damn it, did Angel do a number on her, or what?  I mean, she's making up excuses for Parker, even.  And yes, I do love the final boppage in Beer Bad, but it's troubling to see this even back then.  JMO.

Edited February 4, 2019 by Halting Hex

[lembergwatcher]

The amount of time spent in Spike's crypt probably made Buffy believe in some very special connection between herself and her bleached sex toy. She didn't sleep with G/W/X, after all, why should she care about them?

[Halting Hex]

On 11/18/2018 at 4:27 AM, Joe Hellandback said:

So anyone's blood can open the seal? Why doesn't the First just have its Bringers kidnap random people?

Yes, it never made any sense that (in Never Leave Me) the First sacrificed dozens of Bringers to attack Casa Summers as a diversion, when it didn't need to kidnap Spike at all, given that Spike was under its mind control and Windbag could simply have ordered Spike to walk over to the Seal.

But now that we see that any random fat-ass (sorry, Xan!) can be used for blood, that means that, aside from there being no need to kidnap Spike, there was also no need to kidnap Spike, specifically.  Any passing Episcopalian would have done.  Huh.

My "theory" is that, having impersonated Buffy in Sleeper (and likely before that), the First found itself taking on aspects of Buffy's personality, just as Anya notes in The Prom that her having used the guise of a teenager to lure Cordelia into making a Wish has led to Anya herself "having all these feelings" such as real teens do.  So, by pretending to be Buffy, the First now finds itself possessed of an irrational need to put Spike above everyone else, just as Buffy is.  Apparently mental illness is contagious.

The good news is that, since Firsty is incorporeal, it won't be obsessed with buying stylish-yet-affordable boots.  And any attempts to take Spike's spike up the First Asshole on the Bronze balcony are bound to prove, well, unfulfilling.  Yay?

(My other "theory" is that both 7.09 and this ep are utter shit and Drew Goddard and Sitcom Jane are talentless hacks.  But that's no fun.  And, to paraphrase Willow, I already deja'd that vu.)

Loandbehold might say that Jane's work is slipshod here because

Spoiler

she's devoting all her creative energies towards the masterpiece that is Storyteller, coming just two episodes after this one.

Although he might use different words, I'd admit.  😉

Edited November 13, 2022 by Halting Hex

[Halting Hex]

Look, obviously I'm not going to "celebrate" this episode's 20th anniversary by watching it again.  Once was more than enough, back in 2003.

But…if just anyone's blood can open the Seal, then why does Lyssa choose Xander, of all construction workers?  Aren't there roughly 38,476+ other Sunnydale citizens whom she could sacrifice without risking the Slayer's wrath?  Presumably, the Dark Forces all know about Buffy by now.  Seems pretty unnecessarily counterproductive.

Or is this just a coincidence?  Lyssa has no idea that Xander is the best of Buffy's bestest buds?  Gee…how convenient.

It's almost as if…Jane Espenson is a talentless hack who put zero effort into this script.  Naw, that can't be it, right?

[lembergwatcher]

14 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

Or is this just a coincidence?

I guess you've learned by now that Buffyverse is full of strange coincidences.
Starting with Buffy and Joyce ending up in the "right place at the right time" (Sunnydale-upon-Hellmouth at the eve of the Harvest), then Oz appearing right there at the exact moment Coma!Willow woke up and didn't have time to realize "I love you" wasn't him and many other examples, and ending with Lyssa picking up Xander of all Sunnydalers...
 

 

14 hours ago, Halting Hex said:

Lyssa has no idea that Xander is the best of Buffy's bestest buds?

Maybe Lyssa was, you know, the "new kid in town" and had a very vague understanding of who Buffy was, not to mention the Slayer's inner circle.

[Halting Hex]

Well, there's a school of thought that the Summers girls landing in Sunnyhell might have had a helping (Watchers' Council) hand, what with Hellmouth High being "the only school that would take you" (Joyce to Buffy, The Harvest) and Joyce getting such a great deal on the space for her gallery, per Witch.  Certainly both Giles and Angel knew she was coming, so presumably somebody had been talking about her pending arrival.

And, as I've noted in the Becoming, Part 2 thread, it actually took Oz a notable amount of time to get to Willow's bedside, so we can hardly complain about his interrupting Xander's attempted Xillow moment when he (finally) gets there.  But JMO.

(I'm not really sure it made so much difference, to be honest:

Quote

 

XANDER:  You've always…I love you.

WILLOW (waking):  Oz?

XANDER:  Uh, no, Will.  It's me. Xander. (big voice, as in Reptile Boy) XANDER.

WILLOW (eyes open now): Oh, hi. Ow, my head hurts.

XANDER:  I'll get the doctor.  (gets up)

WILLOW: Xander?

XANDER (spins back instantly): Yeah, Will?

WILLOW:  Is Oz here?

XANDER (dies inside):  I, uh, called him.  He's on his way.

WILLOW:  Good.  I had the strangest dream.

Xander gets out of there before he starts crying. Willow doesn't notice…

 

I mean, I'm as romantic as the next Xillow-maniac, but "the course of true love ne'er did run smooth", to quote the Bard.)

[lembergwatcher]

Well...
 

Quote

WILLOW:  Good. I had the strangest dream.
XANDER: Dream? W-what d-dream?
WILLOW: Oz... Those were his words... He said he loves me. Xander, isn't it wonderful?.. I mean, I'm so exited even though my head hurts like hell...
XANDER: Will, I hate to break it to you, but it wasn't Oz.
WILLOW: