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Post by Techno-bot on Jun 12, 2004 23:10:00 GMT -5
Written by Rebecca Rand Kirshner Directed by David Grossman Air date: 11/13/01
Confident that he has taught Buffy everything she needs to know, Giles prepares to go back to England just as Willow casts a spell which causes everyone to forget who they are.
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Post by Lola m on Aug 14, 2005 19:40:54 GMT -5
Are you ready, Miss Psycho Pep Squad?
Memory loss - folks leave - six bits - a dollar! All for spells gone wrong, stand up and holler! Yup, the the fourth most requested Buffy ep in the Sizzlin’ Buffy and Angel Episode Fesitval is . . . Tabula Rasa Monsters are real. Did we know this? Ready, Randy? Ready, Joan! Good by to you . . . goodbye to everything that I knew . . . you were the one I loved . . . Go forth, dear s’cubies and celebrate! Discuss, share pictures, remember favorite moments, quote lines, squee and sigh and smile and get teary.
It's a festival - it's what we do.
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Post by Onjel on Aug 14, 2005 20:14:26 GMT -5
One line, among many, but given our discussion of Vamp Willow and the "I think I'm kinda gay" is appropriate. Willow, without memory says, I think I'm kinda gay. Huh. Comments?
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Post by Lola m on Aug 14, 2005 21:16:24 GMT -5
One line, among many, but given our discussion of Vamp Willow and the "I think I'm kinda gay" is appropriate. Willow, without memory says, I think I'm kinda gay. Huh. Comments? I really see it as just another way to highlight that this memory wipe is taking them back to their essential selves. Like, Buffy is in such a bad place about being brought back, but with that memory gone she still naturally takes a protective and leadership role. I just quickly jotted down my impressions of what each character is like when their memory is wiped and it seemed really revealing to me. Dawn: Concerned that someone will try to hurt her, argues with Buffy instinctively and just as instinctively realizes they are sisters and then is guided by her. Buffy: As I said, she's all "don’t worry" and helping the others and taking charge. But mostly we get to see how much she likes slaying! Xander: He's the most panic stricken at first, all "am I being tested on, am I getting paid" and "hey I exist" (all extremely interesting choices of words) but we all see classic Xander techniques. He uses humor to distract people, he is much braver than he or others admit (gets himself between the vamps and the others with his funny praying bit) and is also smarter than he or others notice (he's the first to say they're vampires and doesn't seem phased or surprised). Willow: She's interested and investigative wanting to figure stuff out (licences!), AND she's quick to get hostile if she thinks someone isn't looking at her in the right way. She's the first to "get" that it is a magic store. Tara: But Tara is the first one to say the word "magic". And she sounds the most sure, the most knowing about it. She says “a real magic shop”. Giles: He's being all "no big deal" stiff upper lip-y as well as scoffing at magic, until he realizes it's his store and then he acts all casual, like he knew it all along. Also interesting that one of his first explanations is "maybe we all got terribly drunk" - considering his own tendency to turn to the bottle. Anya: Her first words are just a perfect example of her usual logical thinking and literal phrasing: “I don't see any booze. I don't feel any head bumps. I don't see Allen Funt.” Spike: Oh, so snarky - oh so helpful - oh so brave (especially for someone who doesn't remember he's a vamp). And I think that's a very nice summary of Spike himself. ;D
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Aug 14, 2005 22:49:28 GMT -5
Tabula Rasa, yay! There is soooo much in this episode.
3 thoughts I wanted to share right from the off:
*There is some nifty foreshadowing for Grave:
Note who collapses next to who in the magic shop (I got part of this idea from the now defunct tvtome.com): Buffy/Dawn, Anya/Giles, Willow/Xander, Spike, Tara. at the end of Grave, Buffy and Dawn are in the cemetary, Anya and Giles are in the magic shop, Willow and Xander are on the bluff, Spike is in "Africa," and Tara is dead.
The gang starts off their AmnesiaAdventures together but quickly get split apart by something rather mundane, run of the mill vampires, that has disastrous consequences because they are unprepared. (that's also sort of a microcosm of the season, too).
Spike's rambling about being a Vampire-With-A-Soul.
Willow creates the problem while Xander saves the day in a simple human way.
Neat, huh?
*AmnesiaSpike: Lots of reviews written at the time pointed out that this episode showed that Spike at his core really wasn't that bad and that he was special, etc. The problem with that was that we only had one example to go by (n=1 in science-speak). would other vampires react to memory loss/loss of identity? Well we get to see this, sort of, in Spin The Bottle with TeenageAngel (n=2, not scientifically valid, but better). So that AmnesiaSpike doesn't immediately know he's a vampire is probably not surprising since Angel didn't either initially. But what the episode shows I think is there is this underlying *desire* to be good ("I must be a good guy..."), something that, until he met Buffy, was buried deep down inside.
We can do a little contrast between AmnesiaSpike and TeenageAngel and see some interesting things, even though the magic doo-hicky isn't the same in each episode.
Spike involuntarily vamps out when he's fighting (vamp face isn't completely consistent in the show, but I'm under the impression that it correlates to being emotional); Angel involuntarily vamps out when he leans two close to Cordy and lusts after her blood I guess. This fits with what we know about the two: Spike has great passion for fighting, "the rush and the crunch," and so on; Angel has always had trouble controlling his bloodlust and his appetite for things in general.
As to why AmnesiaSpike never had any bloodlust, personally I take that as an indicator of how well the chip has conditioned him. Just explicit memories (memory of being chipped) were lost, not implicit ones (trying to hurt people = pain). Just compare his behavior here and in Something Blue, when he was straining at his chains when Buffy shoved her neck in his face. He's come a long way since then.
Spike spins this very romantic image of himself when Buffy tells him he's a vampire "I must be a good guy on a mission of redemption blah blah blah..." and is not dissuaded when Buffy is not impressed. Angel, despite being ensouled, succumbs pretty quickly to everyone's expectations that if he's a vampire, he must be evil and want to kill everybody. This fits two, although it's interesting as always that their core personalities contrast with the personas they normally present. Spike at his core appears to be confident in who he wants to be, but for most of the series takes his cues from the strongest woman around. Angel despite being an alpha male, boss, and leader, at his core is always seeking validation.
*One of the lyrics for "Good-bye To You" is "The last three years were just pretend." Lovers Walk was episode 3.8, and Tabula Rasa was episode 6.8.
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Post by SpringSummers on Aug 15, 2005 7:43:03 GMT -5
Tabula Rasa, yay! There is soooo much in this episode. 3 thoughts I wanted to share right from the off: *There is some nifty foreshadowing for Grave: Note who collapses next to who in the magic shop (I got part of this idea from the now defunct tvtome.com): Buffy/Dawn, Anya/Giles, Willow/Xander, Spike, Tara. at the end of Grave, Buffy and Dawn are in the cemetary, Anya and Giles are in the magic shop, Willow and Xander are on the bluff, Spike is in "Africa," and Tara is dead. The gang starts off their AmnesiaAdventures together but quickly get split apart by something rather mundane, run of the mill vampires, that has disastrous consequences because they are unprepared. (that's also sort of a microcosm of the season, too). Spike's rambling about being a Vampire-With-A-Soul. Willow creates the problem while Xander saves the day in a simple human way. Neat, huh? *AmnesiaSpike: Lots of reviews written at the time pointed out that this episode showed that Spike at his core really wasn't that bad and that he was special, etc. The problem with that was that we only had one example to go by (n=1 in science-speak). would other vampires react to memory loss/loss of identity? Well we get to see this, sort of, in Spin The Bottle with TeenageAngel (n=2, not scientifically valid, but better). So that AmnesiaSpike doesn't immediately know he's a vampire is probably not surprising since Angel didn't either initially. But what the episode shows I think is there is this underlying *desire* to be good ("I must be a good guy..."), something that, until he met Buffy, was buried deep down inside. <snip> You've hit on the essential thing, right there. For a lot of reasons, what we have is soulless Spike, constantly dealing with a completely repressed and denied desire to be good, in contrast with souled Angel, always struggling with a completely repressed and denied desire to be bad. Once you see that, their respective journeys start to make complete sense. And you can see where AtS Season 6 would have taken us, with Angel. Just as Spike finally faced up to his love for Buffy which led him to face his desire to be good, led him down the path to his soul, I think Angel would have finally faced his desire to return to Evil. He would have finally seen it, and owned it - and in doing so, would have finally - finally, at long last - found himself able to deal with it, to begin to take some control of it. He'd have learned how to anchor that soul. And Buffy in Tabula Rasa - she's so very, very protective of Spike. Which she actually always has been - though talk about repressed desires. Notice how the ep begins with Buffy telling Spike she's never, ever going to touch him again, then instinctively launching herself at him, and laying on top of him, all to protect him. They gravitate toward each other, and are very comfy with each other, but it's not about sex. It's about an affinity, it's about caring - she doesn't want to stake him; he doesn't want to bite her. Essentially, it's about love.
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Post by SpringSummers on Aug 15, 2005 7:51:29 GMT -5
One line, among many, but given our discussion of Vamp Willow and the "I think I'm kinda gay" is appropriate. Willow, without memory says, I think I'm kinda gay. Huh. Comments? I really see it as just another way to highlight that this memory wipe is taking them back to their essential selves. Like, Buffy is in such a bad place about being brought back, but with that memory gone she still naturally takes a protective and leadership role. I just quickly jotted down my impressions of what each character is like when their memory is wiped and it seemed really revealing to me. Dawn: Concerned that someone will try to hurt her, argues with Buffy instinctively and just as instinctively realizes they are sisters and then is guided by her. Buffy: As I said, she's all "don’t worry" and helping the others and taking charge. But mostly we get to see how much she likes slaying! Xander: He's the most panic stricken at first, all "am I being tested on, am I getting paid" and "hey I exist" (all extremely interesting choices of words) but we all see classic Xander techniques. He uses humor to distract people, he is much braver than he or others admit (gets himself between the vamps and the others with his funny praying bit) and is also smarter than he or others notice (he's the first to say they're vampires and doesn't seem phased or surprised). Willow: She's interested and investigative wanting to figure stuff out (licences!), AND she's quick to get hostile if she thinks someone isn't looking at her in the right way. She's the first to "get" that it is a magic store. Tara: But Tara is the first one to say the word "magic". And she sounds the most sure, the most knowing about it. She says “a real magic shop”. Giles: He's being all "no big deal" stiff upper lip-y as well as scoffing at magic, until he realizes it's his store and then he acts all casual, like he knew it all along. Also interesting that one of his first explanations is "maybe we all got terribly drunk" - considering his own tendency to turn to the bottle. Anya: Her first words are just a perfect example of her usual logical thinking and literal phrasing: “I don't see any booze. I don't feel any head bumps. I don't see Allen Funt.” Spike: Oh, so snarky - oh so helpful - oh so brave (especially for someone who doesn't remember he's a vamp). And I think that's a very nice summary of Spike himself. ;D Nice summary. And there's the sparking between Giles and Anya, and a little between Willow & Xander before we see it with Willow & Tara. And Spike assuming he's not just human, but an American. And that Giles is his father . . . lots of little reminders of Something Blue and also, obviously, Restless. And that ending - the song, all the goodbyes and heartaches and disappointments, and Buffy & Spike, saying hello to each other, and with that, goodbye to everything that they knew, everything they've always tried to hang on to. They're giving in, buckling under - kissing like they want to eat each other alive, right by their favorite meeting place: the staircase. Good golly, I have got to get to analyzing Season 6. It's such a great season.
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Post by Lola m on Aug 15, 2005 7:51:50 GMT -5
Hey Liz - this:
is a really cool and interesting factoid. I always love how songs and lyrics are used on this show.
Thanks for pointing this out!
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Post by Pixi on Aug 17, 2005 12:33:05 GMT -5
Tabula Rasa, yay! There is soooo much in this episode. 3 thoughts I wanted to share right from the off: *There is some nifty foreshadowing for Grave: Note who collapses next to who in the magic shop (I got part of this idea from the now defunct tvtome.com): Buffy/Dawn, Anya/Giles, Willow/Xander, Spike, Tara. at the end of Grave, Buffy and Dawn are in the cemetary, Anya and Giles are in the magic shop, Willow and Xander are on the bluff, Spike is in "Africa," and Tara is dead. The gang starts off their AmnesiaAdventures together but quickly get split apart by something rather mundane, run of the mill vampires, that has disastrous consequences because they are unprepared. (that's also sort of a microcosm of the season, too). Spike's rambling about being a Vampire-With-A-Soul. Willow creates the problem while Xander saves the day in a simple human way. Neat, huh? *AmnesiaSpike: Lots of reviews written at the time pointed out that this episode showed that Spike at his core really wasn't that bad and that he was special, etc. The problem with that was that we only had one example to go by (n=1 in science-speak). would other vampires react to memory loss/loss of identity? Well we get to see this, sort of, in Spin The Bottle with TeenageAngel (n=2, not scientifically valid, but better). So that AmnesiaSpike doesn't immediately know he's a vampire is probably not surprising since Angel didn't either initially. But what the episode shows I think is there is this underlying *desire* to be good ("I must be a good guy..."), something that, until he met Buffy, was buried deep down inside. <snip> You've hit on the essential thing, right there. For a lot of reasons, what we have is soulless Spike, constantly dealing with a completely repressed and denied desire to be good, in contrast with souled Angel, always struggling with a completely repressed and denied desire to be bad. Once you see that, their respective journeys start to make complete sense. And you can see where AtS Season 6 would have taken us, with Angel. Just as Spike finally faced up to his love for Buffy which led him to face his desire to be good, led him down the path to his soul, I think Angel would have finally faced his desire to return to Evil. He would have finally seen it, and owned it - and in doing so, would have finally - finally, at long last - found himself able to deal with it, to begin to take some control of it. He'd have learned how to anchor that soul. And Buffy in Tabula Rasa - she's so very, very protective of Spike. Which she actually always has been - though talk about repressed desires. Notice how the ep begins with Buffy telling Spike she's never, ever going to touch him again, then instinctively launching herself at him, and laying on top of him, all to protect him. They gravitate toward each other, and are very comfy with each other, but it's not about sex. It's about an affinity, it's about caring - she doesn't want to stake him; he doesn't want to bite her. Essentially, it's about love. How much do I love this? A wonderful, succinct description of the essence of Spike and Angel.
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Post by Pixi on Aug 17, 2005 12:37:29 GMT -5
One line, among many, but given our discussion of Vamp Willow and the "I think I'm kinda gay" is appropriate. Willow, without memory says, I think I'm kinda gay. Huh. Comments? I really see it as just another way to highlight that this memory wipe is taking them back to their essential selves. Like, Buffy is in such a bad place about being brought back, but with that memory gone she still naturally takes a protective and leadership role. I just quickly jotted down my impressions of what each character is like when their memory is wiped and it seemed really revealing to me. Dawn: Concerned that someone will try to hurt her, argues with Buffy instinctively and just as instinctively realizes they are sisters and then is guided by her. Buffy: As I said, she's all "don’t worry" and helping the others and taking charge. But mostly we get to see how much she likes slaying! Xander: He's the most panic stricken at first, all "am I being tested on, am I getting paid" and "hey I exist" (all extremely interesting choices of words) but we all see classic Xander techniques. He uses humor to distract people, he is much braver than he or others admit (gets himself between the vamps and the others with his funny praying bit) and is also smarter than he or others notice (he's the first to say they're vampires and doesn't seem phased or surprised). Willow: She's interested and investigative wanting to figure stuff out (licences!), AND she's quick to get hostile if she thinks someone isn't looking at her in the right way. She's the first to "get" that it is a magic store. Tara: But Tara is the first one to say the word "magic". And she sounds the most sure, the most knowing about it. She says “a real magic shop”. Giles: He's being all "no big deal" stiff upper lip-y as well as scoffing at magic, until he realizes it's his store and then he acts all casual, like he knew it all along. Also interesting that one of his first explanations is "maybe we all got terribly drunk" - considering his own tendency to turn to the bottle. Anya: Her first words are just a perfect example of her usual logical thinking and literal phrasing: “I don't see any booze. I don't feel any head bumps. I don't see Allen Funt.” Spike: Oh, so snarky - oh so helpful - oh so brave (especially for someone who doesn't remember he's a vamp). And I think that's a very nice summary of Spike himself. ;D Very nicely put. I adore this epiosde because it has everything. Comedy and emotionalism all wrapped up in the classic "amnesia" episode. It is impossible to watch this and not sob buckets at the end. Impossible to watch this and not want to grab Willow and shake her really hard and say what were you thinking? Impossible to watch this and not root for Giles and Anya as a couple. Impossible to watch this and not have your heart break for Spike who is trying so hard to be good. Impossible to watch this and not want Giles to really be Spike's father because the snark is priceless (Randy Giles and car shaped like a penis. Impossible to watch this and not adore the group scream. Well - impossible for me. The only thing that didn't work was Sharkhead. And well the whole kitten thing. That didn't work for me. But hey - the rest is classic. Love this episode.
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Post by Pixi on Aug 17, 2005 12:39:24 GMT -5
Tabula Rasa, yay! There is soooo much in this episode. 3 thoughts I wanted to share right from the off: *There is some nifty foreshadowing for Grave: Note who collapses next to who in the magic shop (I got part of this idea from the now defunct tvtome.com): Buffy/Dawn, Anya/Giles, Willow/Xander, Spike, Tara. at the end of Grave, Buffy and Dawn are in the cemetary, Anya and Giles are in the magic shop, Willow and Xander are on the bluff, Spike is in "Africa," and Tara is dead. The gang starts off their AmnesiaAdventures together but quickly get split apart by something rather mundane, run of the mill vampires, that has disastrous consequences because they are unprepared. (that's also sort of a microcosm of the season, too). Spike's rambling about being a Vampire-With-A-Soul. Willow creates the problem while Xander saves the day in a simple human way. Neat, huh? *AmnesiaSpike: Lots of reviews written at the time pointed out that this episode showed that Spike at his core really wasn't that bad and that he was special, etc. The problem with that was that we only had one example to go by (n=1 in science-speak). would other vampires react to memory loss/loss of identity? Well we get to see this, sort of, in Spin The Bottle with TeenageAngel (n=2, not scientifically valid, but better). So that AmnesiaSpike doesn't immediately know he's a vampire is probably not surprising since Angel didn't either initially. But what the episode shows I think is there is this underlying *desire* to be good ("I must be a good guy..."), something that, until he met Buffy, was buried deep down inside. We can do a little contrast between AmnesiaSpike and TeenageAngel and see some interesting things, even though the magic doo-hicky isn't the same in each episode. Spike involuntarily vamps out when he's fighting (vamp face isn't completely consistent in the show, but I'm under the impression that it correlates to being emotional); Angel involuntarily vamps out when he leans two close to Cordy and lusts after her blood I guess. This fits with what we know about the two: Spike has great passion for fighting, "the rush and the crunch," and so on; Angel has always had trouble controlling his bloodlust and his appetite for things in general. As to why AmnesiaSpike never had any bloodlust, personally I take that as an indicator of how well the chip has conditioned him. Just explicit memories (memory of being chipped) were lost, not implicit ones (trying to hurt people = pain). Just compare his behavior here and in Something Blue, when he was straining at his chains when Buffy shoved her neck in his face. He's come a long way since then. Spike spins this very romantic image of himself when Buffy tells him he's a vampire "I must be a good guy on a mission of redemption blah blah blah..." and is not dissuaded when Buffy is not impressed. Angel, despite being ensouled, succumbs pretty quickly to everyone's expectations that if he's a vampire, he must be evil and want to kill everybody. This fits two, although it's interesting as always that their core personalities contrast with the personas they normally present. Spike at his core appears to be confident in who he wants to be, but for most of the series takes his cues from the strongest woman around. Angel despite being an alpha male, boss, and leader, at his core is always seeking validation. *One of the lyrics for "Good-bye To You" is "The last three years were just pretend." Lovers Walk was episode 3.8, and Tabula Rasa was episode 6.8. Neat. I love that Grave foreshadowing - not being analytical at all I never caught that. You are terrific at analysing episodes Liz. I always enjoy your thoughts.
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Post by Pixi on Aug 17, 2005 12:40:24 GMT -5
I really see it as just another way to highlight that this memory wipe is taking them back to their essential selves. Like, Buffy is in such a bad place about being brought back, but with that memory gone she still naturally takes a protective and leadership role. I just quickly jotted down my impressions of what each character is like when their memory is wiped and it seemed really revealing to me. Dawn: Concerned that someone will try to hurt her, argues with Buffy instinctively and just as instinctively realizes they are sisters and then is guided by her. Buffy: As I said, she's all "don’t worry" and helping the others and taking charge. But mostly we get to see how much she likes slaying! Xander: He's the most panic stricken at first, all "am I being tested on, am I getting paid" and "hey I exist" (all extremely interesting choices of words) but we all see classic Xander techniques. He uses humor to distract people, he is much braver than he or others admit (gets himself between the vamps and the others with his funny praying bit) and is also smarter than he or others notice (he's the first to say they're vampires and doesn't seem phased or surprised). Willow: She's interested and investigative wanting to figure stuff out (licences!), AND she's quick to get hostile if she thinks someone isn't looking at her in the right way. She's the first to "get" that it is a magic store. Tara: But Tara is the first one to say the word "magic". And she sounds the most sure, the most knowing about it. She says “a real magic shop”. Giles: He's being all "no big deal" stiff upper lip-y as well as scoffing at magic, until he realizes it's his store and then he acts all casual, like he knew it all along. Also interesting that one of his first explanations is "maybe we all got terribly drunk" - considering his own tendency to turn to the bottle. Anya: Her first words are just a perfect example of her usual logical thinking and literal phrasing: “I don't see any booze. I don't feel any head bumps. I don't see Allen Funt.” Spike: Oh, so snarky - oh so helpful - oh so brave (especially for someone who doesn't remember he's a vamp). And I think that's a very nice summary of Spike himself. ;D Nice summary. And there's the sparking between Giles and Anya, and a little between Willow & Xander before we see it with Willow & Tara. And Spike assuming he's not just human, but an American. And that Giles is his father . . . lots of little reminders of Something Blue and also, obviously, Restless. And that ending - the song, all the goodbyes and heartaches and disappointments, and Buffy & Spike, saying hello to each other, and with that, goodbye to everything that they knew, everything they've always tried to hang on to. They're giving in, buckling under - kissing like they want to eat each other alive, right by their favorite meeting place: the staircase. Good golly, I have got to get to analyzing Season 6. It's such a great season. Yes, yes, yes. My vote would be yes you do.
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Post by LadyDi on Aug 17, 2005 17:53:32 GMT -5
Two things that don't work (IMO): Sharky; Tara's distractingly bad hairdo (who put that effing squid on her head, anyway?). Otherwise, a wonderful ep., and much better at mixing comedy and pathos than TGiQ.
One thing - Spring, you mentioned the connection btwn Buffy's martyr complex and her choice of the name Joan. While I wont deny it, I think there's more to it than that. There are a lot of times when Giles and/or the Scoobies didn't take Buffy seriously about some supernatural problem or other (The Pack, Living Conditions). I submit that Buffy chose the name Joan b/c it's a simply a good, solid name. 'Joan' gets taken seriously, whereas 'Buffy' does not. I love the little dig at Angel ("...how lame is that?"), and Spike assuming he's one of the good guys. It's great to see them interact sans baggage (enjoy it while it lasts). Poor Buffy. Remembering is like going thru the trauma all over again.
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Post by Spaced Out Looney on Aug 17, 2005 19:40:06 GMT -5
Two things that don't work (IMO): Sharky; Tara's distractingly bad hairdo (who put that effing squid on her head, anyway?). Otherwise, a wonderful ep., and much better at mixing comedy and pathos than TGiQ. One thing - Spring, you mentioned the connection btwn Buffy's martyr complex and her choice of the name Joan. While I wont deny it, I think there's more to it than that. There are a lot of times when Giles and/or the Scoobies didn't take Buffy seriously about some supernatural problem or other ( The Pack, Living Conditions). I submit that Buffy chose the name Joan b/c it's a simply a good, solid name. 'Joan' gets taken seriously, whereas 'Buffy' does not. I love the little dig at Angel ("...how lame is that?"), and Spike assuming he's one of the good guys. It's great to see them interact sans baggage (enjoy it while it lasts). Poor Buffy. Remembering is like going thru the trauma all over again. Man, I *loved* Tara's hair in this episode!
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Post by Queen E on Aug 17, 2005 20:44:37 GMT -5
Two things that don't work (IMO): Sharky; Tara's distractingly bad hairdo (who put that effing squid on her head, anyway?). Otherwise, a wonderful ep., and much better at mixing comedy and pathos than TGiQ. One thing - Spring, you mentioned the connection btwn Buffy's martyr complex and her choice of the name Joan. While I wont deny it, I think there's more to it than that. There are a lot of times when Giles and/or the Scoobies didn't take Buffy seriously about some supernatural problem or other ( The Pack, Living Conditions). I submit that Buffy chose the name Joan b/c it's a simply a good, solid name. 'Joan' gets taken seriously, whereas 'Buffy' does not. I love the little dig at Angel ("...how lame is that?"), and Spike assuming he's one of the good guys. It's great to see them interact sans baggage (enjoy it while it lasts). Poor Buffy. Remembering is like going thru the trauma all over again. Man, I *loved* Tara's hair in this episode! Hee! Me too; I thought it was really cute.
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