Buffy ep by ep; LESSONS-times almost caught us, my friends

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saturn5

Scooby
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Sep 13, 2009
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So here we are, the final season of the best TV show ever. Time's almost caught us, only 22 more eps to go. Although in fairness that's the equivalent of 7 full length feature films. Personally I think this was the right place to end it, season 7 feels right, always been my lucky number.

LESSONS

The Good;
Love Dawnies' first patrol and first day at SDH, so cool. The line up of baddies at the end is superb, they're so lucky they could get them all.

The Bad;
Really dislike the scenes of the Potentials being killed, if it were anyone but Joss I'd say it was misogyny. Dawn seems to make a couple of friends at the end of the ep but they never occur again.

Best line;
Dawn; (sadly, after Buffy has embarrassed her in front of the whole class) "I also have a sister"

Women good/men bad;
The First as Warren very dismissive of Buffy

Jeez!;
Even though it's only implied the zombie stabbing Dawn with the pencil is wince inducing. The killing of the potentials is also horrible.

Kinky dinky;
Buffy comments on the hotness of Spike and Angel. The zombie guy wants to date Dawn, well she's already gone out with one dead guy and had a crush on another. Willow seems disappointed that Giles didn't put her in a dungeon and torture her. He asks her if she wants to be punished? (Surely if there was ever a time for Gillow this is it?)

Captain Subtext;
Spike was once caned at school (presumably when human)

Guantanamo Bay;
A little anti-French racism from Anya.

Scoobies to the ER;

Missing scenes;
Reputedly they filmed a scene where Dawn decides to tell her real life story to her class, love to see that, roll on Buffy/Angel; Special Edition DVDs.

Apocalypses; 7,

Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

Scoobies in bondage:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 5
Will: 4
Jenny: 1
Angel: 4
Oz: 1
Faith: 3
Joyce: 1
Wes: 1
Xander; 2
Dawn; 4

Scoobies knocked out: Dawnie
Buffy: 19
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 14
Will: 8
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;5
Dawn; 4
Tara; 1

Kills: 1 vamp for Buffy
Buffy: 108 vamps, 58 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 8 vamps, 2 demon, 1 human, 1 god.
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps + 3 demons +1 fawn+1 human.
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 6 vamps, 2 zombies, 1½ a demon,
Anya: 1 vamp and 1½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 8 vamps and 6 demons
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp + 1 demon

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1
Buffy; 1

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 8
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1
Anya; 2

Recurring characters killed: 12
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce, Katrina, Tara

Sunnydale deaths; the 3 poor folks in the basement
97

Total number of scoobies: 3 the Dawnster is finally part of the Scoobies, about time too
Xander, Buffy, Dawn

Xander demon magnet: 5(6?)
Preying Mantis Lady, Inca Mummy Girl, Drusilla, VampWillow, Anya (arguably Buffy & Faith with their demon essences?), Dracula?

Scoobies shot:
Giles: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 4
Riley; 1
Buffy; 1
Tara; 1

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 4 confirmed; Angel, Parker, Riley, Spike. 1 possible, Dracula(?)
Angel: 1;Buffy
Joyce: 1;Giles, 2 possible, Ted and Dracula(?)
Oz: 3; Groupie, Willow & Verucca
Faith:2 ;Xander, Riley
Xander: 2; Faith, Anya
Willow: 2;Oz and Tara
Riley; 3; Buffy, Sandy and unnamed vampwhore
Spike; 2 Buffy and Anya
Anya; 2 Spike and Xander

Spike; good or bad?
Don't have to ask that any more, not now he has his soul back

Dawn in peril; 12 isn't she always?

Dawn the bashful virgin; 9

What the fanficcers thought;
Dawn says that if she get's bitten she'll come back as a vamp and bite Buffy, a common theme in Summers/slash fetish fics (although it always ends happily with Mohra demon blood and resouling). Nice to see Glory back too, Clare as gorgeous as ever, recently read an epic adult fanfic series called Glorydale where Glory seduces all the Scoobys and transforms Sunnydale into her own private sexual playground, a sort of XXX-rated Las Vegas where anything and everything really does go. Eventually she's having so much fun she decides not to go back to her own hell dimension after all, gives up her godhood, restores the sanity of everyone she's brainsucked and confesses to everyone she's fallen in love with them all. And of course this being fanfic, they've all fallen in love with her too...

Questions and observations;
The zombies articulate what a lot of Buffy critics have said over the years, that she allows a lot of people to die. Personally I agree with Buffy, they should shut up, she does her best. I always think of the RAF in the Battle of Britain, bombers get through, thousands die but it's still a victory. So lovely that Buffy can quit the DMP and work at the school, she seems so happy.
Now, Halfrek refers to her and Anya in the Crimean War which was 1853-6 decades BEFORE Spike became a vampire. This implies that there never was a Cecilly, there was only ever Halfrek assuming her guise who took revenge on William for some unknown party. Xander looks great in his suit.
Dawn gets a mobile phone, about bloody time too, CC had one in Welcome to the Hellmouth and then we never see one again for over 122eps, AI had them for 3 years. Dawn comments on the fact that being sired seems to automatically teach you Tae-Kwan-Do. What a shame we never meet The Coven. Buffy fears Dawn will start smoking, it's hardly going to stunt her growth. So who was the werewolf who killed one of the ghosts? Oz? Verruca? Like Spike's hair better in this one. Lovely to see Buffy get a 'thank you' hug from Kit, she does so much it's nice she get's some appreciation. Dawn still a bit bitter about the Normal Again thing. Buffy says ghosts can't touch, Phantom Dennis can. Dawn is bitten by a vamp, I think Xander is the only Scooby who never will be.
Now I always thought they didn't know this was going to be the last season until halfway through but to judge by Joss' comments on the commentary he always intended it to the be the last from the beginning.
Marks out of 10; 8/10
 
Ow, the last seasons. How fast it goes 🙁

Not one of my favourite eps, but I like how cold Buffy is when those dead people are saying how she didn't saved them. I think she knows how many people she did saved 🙂

8/10
 
S
Spikefan31
Love the banner! HP karma!
I love this ep. Everything is so shiny. There's so many scene in sunshine. Everyone is happy. Like it brighten up from season 6. 😀

I love Dawn(and her shirt) the most here. And it's an awesome idea that they brought Sunnydale High back. Principal Wood is also cool. 🙂
 
M
Ms.Trick
Yeah, even at the opening scene in the cemetery, I thought "God, Buffy's hair is as shiny as if the sun was shining in the night!". The episode is so bright :D
I love principal wood. I had moments of hate when it looked like he and Buffy would start dating down the road. "What? Spike went and got his soul and you're dating your boss!?" But after Lies my parents told me I was able to love him again, once he was put firmly in his place 😉 Ok, I'm getting OT now. Sorry.
 
So proud of myself today, watching an old ep of Remmington Steele and recognised that one of the suspects was Kristine Sutherland. Gorgeous and she hasn't changed a bit (spotted B5's Claudia Christian as a nurse on TJ Hooker the other day MMMMMMMM!)
 
Great episode. I loved this season premier; thought it was awesome to see Dawnie growing up and moving on to high school...
The manifest spirits were freaky. WOW. But I have to admit I cracked up over the scene where the old man appears to Buffy in the bathroom and scares her silly. LOL
I love Robin. I really do. I loved his character from the beginning and PRAYED he wouldn't be bad. I thought he was funny, charming, and his hatred toward Spike was totally understandable.
 
I was indifferent to Wood, but he became a pretty cool character. There were times I really didn't like him at all, but I did grow to love him 🙂
 
Nice episode!!! High School is back...kinda!!! well I am very happy Buffy is gonna take that place as a counsellor cause she deserves a nice job where she can actually do what she does every day...help people!

Seeing Spike in that condition was weird and I started feeling sorry for him...because we know his soul is restored so now he is going through the phase of regret.

This episode is totally different that season 6. Lightened up.
 
Eleftheria said:
Nice episode!!! High School is back...kinda!!! well I am very happy Buffy is gonna take that place as a counsellor cause she deserves a nice job where she can actually do what she does every day...help people!

Seeing Spike in that condition was weird and I started feeling sorry for him...because we know his soul is restored so now he is going through the phase of regret.

This episode is totally different that season 6. Lightened up.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I couldn't imagine season 6 Buffy saying her 'It's where I go to get my scorn on!":lmao:
 
S7. Way better than s6 and not so depressing! Dawn's a bit more grown up but not much.

DB Woodside is from 24!

I didn't like the fact Willow got away with murder.

8/10.
 
Angel's Avenger said:
S7. Way better than s6 and not so depressing! Dawn's a bit more grown up but not much.

DB Woodside is from 24!

I didn't like the fact Willow got away with murder.

8/10.
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I don't think she 'Got away' with murder, she makes amends but she can hardly go to the police station and say "Yeah I used my magic to kill 2 guys, one of whom was a warlock"
 
GrrArghx3 said:
I was indifferent to Wood, but he became a pretty cool character. There were times I really didn't like him at all, but I did grow to love him 🙂
Click to expand...

My favorite Wood scene was way at the end of the season when he and Faith are discussing their night together. He really put her in her place! I thought it was good for her.
 
The thing that will always stick with me about this episode is Buffy's lecture to Dawn about how dangerous rising vampires are, then having to help the guy pull himself out of his grave. An opportunity that I think was lost with this entire season, though, was the development of Robin Wood as a (not particularly effective) hero. He would have made a much better bad guy, with his mysterious past. As much as I liked the character of Caleb ans the way that Nathan Fillion played him, there would have been a plot twist if Robin Wood, son of a Slayer, formed an alliance with the First Evil in order to track down and destroy his mother's killer. (Of course, the same thing was done with Holtz in "Angel," so they wouldn't want to do it on both shows.)

(And, by the way, I finally remembered where the quote, "Time has almost caught us, my friend," came from. Another cult classic character, Connor Macleod from the original "Highlander." Castageer, another Immortal, says it to Connor, just before being taken by the Kurgan. Always nice to find another Highlander fan.)
 
white avenger said:
(And, by the way, I finally remembered where the quote, "Time has almost caught us, my friend," came from. Another cult classic character, Connor Macleod from the original "Highlander." Castageer, another Immortal, says it to Connor, just before being taken by the Kurgan. Always nice to find another Highlander fan.)
Click to expand...

From the dawn of time we came, travelling silently down through the centuries:grouphug:
 
white avenger
white avenger
"In the end, there can be only one" Buffy and Connor worked out exactly the opposite. With ehe Slayers, In the beginning, there was only one. In the end, there was an army.
Okay, S7, get ready for a serious amount of disappointments, get ready to witness many missing opportunities, get ready for questions like "Did Anya appear in this episode? Where are Xander and Dawn? I thought Giles came back to Sunnydale, where is he? Why is Willow so boring?", get ready for"¦

(Will you get on with it already?)

*sheepish* K"¦




Lessons:





Buffy teaching Dawn how to fight. Yay! That was fun, I wonder though why doesn't she teach Xander, too? He's gonna be needing that in the future as well.

Giles and Willow in England, love Giles riding a horse, nice sitting. I hated the whole Willow and the flower thing! It looked stupid, it was so fake it bothered me. The conversation was wonderful. "I want to be Willow." We all want you to be Willow, hon, not so sure it's gonna happen in this season though.

Okay, now here comes Xander with a shining new car and a nice suit. (Are you drooling?) Aren't you? (Meh. I liked Hyena Xander more.) It's funny how loser Xander is more successful than all his smarter friends, wish Cordelia was here to witness that.

And the cutest thing EVER is Xander and Buffy playing daddy and mommy to Dawn. Aw. Things are sure going well for this little family.

Dawn looks amazing in this ep, I'm not sure it's the clothes. It's more her hair, her figure and her attitude. I love the changes in her character. See Buffy? Once you treat her like an adult, she acts like one It's more about respecting the youngsters, and not treating them like idiots.


This episode reminded me of classic Buffy eps, the creepiness, and the school and the nice, happy, easy going Scoobies. I miss the old days.

Okay, Spike? He looks really hot with the messy hair it's weird that Buffy wasn't afraid of him after their last scene together"¦

I'm loving how mature Xander acts in this episode"¦ but I'm already missing witty, funny Xander.

And Xander saves the day. AGAIN!! (Xander is cool) Squee!! (And so underestimated.) Pouts.

Nice episode. A good reminder of the high school years. I gutta say, I like the first five or six eps of this season but it'll go downhell after that.

9/10
 
saturn5 said:
From the dawn of time we came, travelling silently down through the centuries:grouphug:
Click to expand...

Unless it's Highlander the Series where there can be only one each week! (unless I'm mistaken Tony Head guest stars in one ep?)
 
I loves saturn5's summaries. Reading them always makes me want to go and dig out the episode for re-watching (which I just did 😉 ).

Loads to like in this episode, I really like Dawn's comment on how all vampires automatically seem to be competent martial artists. Thats the kind of great 4th-Wall breakthrough that the show does so well.

I loved the scenes between Giles and Willow in England, which I believe were actually filmed at Anthony Head's home. I still think about how great a Ripper series would have been, set in that location - an area rife with legends. superstiction and folklore. Damn you BBC!

It's also really great to have all those cameos of previous villains.

Goof (?): How does the The First/Drusilla mange to touch Spikes hair? =P

All in all though, it's a solid start to the season. 7/10
 
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