1: chapter 1-6 (pages 1-95)

[Taake]

1: chapter 1-6 (pages 1-95)

Where we discuss the first part of the book.

General questions (as I haven’t read it yet):

• What do you think of the character introductions?
• Does the plot appeal to you?
• Does it feel like it fits into the timeline of the show?
• Angel, Buffy, and Riley… does the character combination wirk?

 

[NotASlayer]

Only a few pages in and there is a guy called Machete whose description doesn't half remind me of... Machete.

 

[NotASlayer]

Okay, Buffy has just appeared and it doesn't seem to fit into the show's timeline. Given that timeline is season seven, I won't exactly be torn up if this is an AU.

Buffy is working as a school counsellor, which puts it in season seven, but it's summer break... which means Sunnydale is a hole in the ground I think.

 

[Taake]

Okay, Buffy has just appeared and it doesn't seem to fit into the show's timeline. Given that timeline is season seven, I won't exactly be torn up if this is an AU.

Buffy is working as a school counsellor, which puts it in season seven, but it's summer break... which means Sunnydale is a hole in the ground I think.

Yeah, my bad. I just started reading and it does have a ”historian’s note” that says it takes place in an alternate timeline of Buffy’s seventh season

 

[NotASlayer]

Yeah, my bad. I just started reading and it does have a ”historian’s note” that says it takes place in an alternate timeline of Buffy’s seventh season

Heck, I missed that too! I had to go searching for it because it is not obvious! I doubt I would have noticed at all if you hadn't mentioned it.

Still, an AU of season seven is something I will never be upset about.

 

[Taake]

Same!

So far only 40 pages in but I like how quick it is getting the ball rolling.

Set up, case, Riley and Sam intro and boom we’ve got both Buffy and Angel (fairly) convincingly involved. I like that there wasn’t a long set-up.

The only thing that made me go - what? - was Buffy saying she’d been to Mexico during a spring break. When would that have been? When she was like 14? Do freshmen in high school have spring breaks?

 

[NotASlayer]

The only things I know about US high school are what I come across in media. I am going to say that is probably a warped image.

I cannot imagine anyone in their right mind allowing a 14 year old to go to Mexico on spring break. I get the impression that this is more a 18+ thing.

Given this is an AU, perhaps it was the spring in the book's timeline that Buffy went? Other than that, the only other opportunity would, I think, be during S4.

Also, is it me or has the author spent some time on how attractive Sam is?

 

[Taake]

He definitely did.

Right now I am so thrown off by the dialogue between Angel and Buffy. It is weird, clunky and doesn’t sound like them at all.

 

[Taake]

• What do you think of the character introductions?
• Does the plot appeal to you?
• Does it feel like it fits into the timeline of the show?
• Angel, Buffy, and Riley… does the character combination wirk?

Well, now that I have finished part 1:
The introductions are fine, expect for the introduction of Angel and Buffy together. It’s bizarre and they seem like they hate each other.

As they meet at the airport Angel goes ”Buffy!” Then he says ”It’s ok with me if you’re in Arizona” or something like that. And it bothers me because NO ONE would say that. A normal exchange would’ve been ”oh what are you doing here?” as neither of them knows why the other is there.

Then he goes ”Me work with Buffy? I don’t know about that…”

What?
He comes of as a petulant s2-3 Spike here at the start. It is so weird.

Meanwhile Buffy longs to get away from Dawn, which also seems rather OOC.

The plot is fine. I think it works well. Though… while the author does live in Tuscon, I kind of widh they could’ve gotten a Mexican author. It’s just that all the Mexico stuff has this ”sepia” style over it, as when American shows do episodes in Mexico and it is always in dusty sepia and horribly stereotypical. Basically, I find the Mexico stuff written in a way that I would say is dated and predictable.

And holy smokes we get Angel buying dark make-up to look ”swarthy” and blend in. Which he apprently applies expertly without a mirror, right. And boy, would that have been panned now if this had been an actual episode.

Also, the author writes that Riley gets away from some lawmen because he is disguised as a cowboy and they’re looking for ”three city slickers, two of whom were knockouts in sundresses”

Secretly I think he would’ve prefered to write an AU noir detective novel

Both Riley and Angel, separetly, blame Buffy’s bluntness for getting them into trouble.

You know when a character says ”I can handle this myself” that they’re gonna need to be rescued.


Does Angel, Buffy, and Riley work together? So far yes. It is mostly nice to see Buffy and Sam get along. Both Angel and Riley are being rather petty about the other, like, get over it boys. I hope they find some common ground by the end.

 

[NotASlayer]

I had some spare minutes, so finished the first part too.

The characterisations feel somewhat off, except for Sam, and that is more because she doesn't really have one going in, so there isn't much to contradict.

As they meet at the airport Angel goes ”Buffy!” Then he says ”It’s ok with me if you’re in Arizona” or something like that.

I don't know about Buffy, but I would not have taken that statement well.

And holy smokes we get Angel buying dark make-up to look ”swarthy” and blend in. Which he apprently applies expertly without a mirror, right. And boy, would that have been panned now if this had been an actual episode.

I can understand vampires being pale, but... well. That.

Also, the author writes that Riley gets away from some lawmen because he is disguised as a cowboy and they’re looking for ”three city slickers, two of whom were knockouts in sundresses”

He definitely seems to want us to know they are attractive. Though Sam still seems to be getting an edge there.

Secretly I think he would’ve prefered to write an AU noir detective novel

Yes; it so far isn't giving that much impression of being a typical Buffy-style episode. Perhaps closer to Angel than Buffy? Maybe that will be good? I guess we wait and see.

 

[Taake]

I don't know about Buffy, but I would not have taken that statement well.

same, but again, it is such an illogical thing to say that I can’t take it seriously

 

[November]

I sorta imagine Riley and Sam a bit like the Bones tag team in their opening scene. Makes picturing it slightly confusing!

 

[Cohen]

I haven’t read this book in over 20 years. I knew I liked the story when I suggested it, but the details are new. For some reason I thought it took place when Angel and Buffy met up after she was resurrected. Which makes 0 sense, considering Riley doesn’t come back until the end of the season, but that was my brain as a young teenager. lol.



I did not remember the Coyote storyline, and that the coyotes were vampires. I think it’s so poignant that we are reading this today. At one point, Vornholt wrote something to the effect of these migrants, these people, trust their lives with complete strangers. There are hundreds who die or disappear on the journey across the border. They risk it all to cross, even their lives. People say the Buffy story transcends time, and here’s another example. Even in novel form. It also reminds me of The Unseen trilogy, and The Lost Slayer miniseries, the first of which had a Latino bruja storyline, and the other had an Aztec god storyline. I do hope the new series uses mythology from more cultures. We didn’t see a lot of cultural mythology in the tv series.



I kind of liked the mix up bringing both Buffy and Angel to Arizona. Of course Riley thought of Buffy, but it’s interesting Sam thought of Angel because she hasn’t ever interacted with him but it almost fits that Sam would think of him because naturally she would think of him as a “big gun”.



I like that Angel gets to Arizona and immediately gets to business. He doesn’t even wait to get to the hotel. He has a plan and goes to execute it, gathering intel. There’s definitely more going on than the two coyotes, so I am looking forward to seeing what’s really going on.


The sheriff worked pretty quickly, having Buffy’s room searched and drugs stashed in her luggage while they were still at the wedding and shopping. The sheriff is clearly in collusion with whatever evil is afoot. He probably gets kickbacks from the undead coyotes.

Having Angel stay in the desert all day sucked, but I love that Buffy and Riley got some time together. I love the awkward tension of Buffy working with her 2 exes and her exes having to work with each other.

Angel is poisoned too much. lol. But silver wolf is interesting. Great cliffhanger to chapter 6.

 

[Cohen]

Still, an AU of season seven is something I will never be upset about.

Honestly, I wouldn’t be mad if another slayer was called due to Buffy’s death in “Villains,” and season 7 was retconned in this new series as an alternate timeline. That would allow the show to possibly be set in Sunnydale, still, and if Eliza Dushku wanted to come cameo, she could. And we could all pretend Kennedy never happened. And Anya could still be around. Emma and Sarah are friends. So that could work. lol.

I sorta imagine Riley and Sam a bit like the Bones tag team in their opening scene. Makes picturing it slightly confusing!

I love Bones so I like that dynamic. I like that Sam is so cool in her skin and unbothered. She’s mission oriented but also likes to have fun. You can see why Riley would have been enamored by her.

Yes; it so far isn't giving that much impression of being a typical Buffy-style episode. Perhaps closer to Angel than Buffy? Maybe that will be good? I guess we wait and see.

The font format is akin to the ANGEL series books, so I agree. It’s a lot darker than a typical Buffy episode, too. Interestingly, the novel was published in July 2003, and mentions Fred at the beginning of the book, plus Buffy’s counseling gig. So I am imagining it was written around September 2002, before details of each series’ respective TV seasons had been fleshed out. So I see this as an Angel episode set outside of LA with Buffy as a special guest. Honestly, it would have been fun to get a few episodes where Angel or Buffy had to do something completely alone, or separated from their gangs. That’s why I love “Anne” so much. Because we got to see Buffy outside the norm having to be creative and think outside the box to save the day, without the safety net of the Scoobies. We also got a glimpse of this in “Help”.

Honestly, Joss lost out not doing a special TV movie or direct to DVD of what occurred when Angel and Buffy were secretly meeting at the beginning of BtVS season 6. As both shows were a 20th century production, and Fox (the network) was airing reruns on Saturdays, and the potential production being a movie, not a tv series, they could have done that.

We should petition for an animated series again, now that live action Buffy seems to be on the rise again. We could get original series cast as voice actors in a “what if” type show like they did for Marvel. With Kelly instead of Nicky. lol.

 

[NotASlayer]

Honestly, I wouldn’t be mad if another slayer was called due to Buffy’s death in “Villains,” and season 7 was retconned in this new series as an alternate timeline. That would allow the show to possibly be set in Sunnydale, still, and if Eliza Dushku wanted to come cameo, she could. And we could all pretend Kennedy never happened. And Anya could still be around. Emma and Sarah are friends. So that could work. lol.

It could work rather well. There would not be the problems of having who knows how many Slayers and the moral dubiousness of the Slayer switch on spell. The only other thing I would change is have Tara back. Which could be done one way or another.