Buffy ep by ep; TABULA RUSA-teeth, truths and amnesia

[saturn5]

TABULA RASA

The Good;
All great, emotional turmoil mixed with side-splitting humour at every turn. Especially love Anya and the bunnies and the beautiful ending song

The Bad;
The Loanshark is a funny idea poorly realised (foreshadowed in Restless as is Giles thinking Spike's his son). Works better in the comics although he comes to a sticky end.

Best line;
Giles "Welcome to the nancy tribe"

Women good/men bad;
Spike refers to Anya as tarty and a trollope. Anya's woman's intuition needs work.

Jeez!;
Once again the creature we don't see behind the counter is the scariest of all, just like in Forever. Seeing Buffy get kicked on the ground also isn't nice.

Kinky dinky;
Spike and Buffy kiss again. And the Spuffers did rejoice! Spike is 'Randy Giles' and dresses just as he did in Restless. Anya describes Spike and Giles as 'ruggedly handsome'. Willow in her towel. Dawn seems to like Xander helping her down the ladder.

Captain Subtext;
Even when amnesiac Willow and Tara sense they're lovers and Buffy and Dawn sense they're sisters (amnesiac Buffy knows amnesiac Dawn for all of one minute and they're already both enjoying Buffy stroking Dawn's hair in the traditional Summers' way) . How funny would it have been if it was the other way around and both pairs came to each other's conclusion? Check out Dawn's expression when Willow tells her she's 'Kinda gay' (as she remarked of VampWillow). Interesting it's 'kinda' giving another hint of bi-Willow. Willow and Xander also sense their affection for one another. BUT Anya and Xander don't, she's actually attracted to Giles (and still hugely capitalist). Maybe Anya is actually in love with the idea of Xander rather than the guy himself? Even more interesting is Giles' affection for her. Anya looking for a daddy figure (like D'Hoffryn?) and Giles transferring his fatherly love for Buffy to Anya?
Willow and Tara break up just as another relationship blossoms. Giles threatens to put Spike across his knee (well Buffy already has him spanking Dawn). Spike refers to Giles as 'nancy' and Giles welcomes him to 'the nancy tribe'. Note Spike seems to desperately want to be like Angel (because Buffy loves Angel or does he wants Buffy only because Angel loves her?) Spike refer to Gile's car as 'penis shaped' but then they hug. We never meet Spike's dad, divorce taboo in Victorian society so he may have died young (much more common), perhaps Spike harbours feelings of resentment towards him as his relationship with Angelus might suggest?

Guantanamo Bay;

Scoobies to the ER;

Missing scenes;

Apocalypses; 6

Wheldon Cliches (with kind permission from Boo)

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

Scoobies knocked out: everyone but Xander also faints
Buffy: 17
Giles: 12
Cordy: 6
Xander: 11
Will: 6
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;3
Dawn; 2

Kills: 2 vamps for Buffy, 3 for Spike and 1 for Xander
Buffy: 103 vamps, 41 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 + 1 demon +1 fawn.
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 2 demon
Buffybot; 2 vamps
Tara; 1 demon
Dawn; 1 vamp

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 4
Anya; 1
Dawn; 1

Alternate scoobies: the whole gang go amnesiac
Buffy: 7
Giles: 4
Cordy: 1
Will: 3
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 4
Tara; 1
Dawn;1
Spike; 1

Recurring characters killed: 10
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara, Joyce

Sunnydale deaths;
93

Total number of scoobies: 7 (but not for long!). Note how keen Dawn is to participate in the Scooby meeting, slowly becoming a full member of the gang.
Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara, Spike, Giles

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

Notches on Scooby bedpost:
Giles: 2; Joyce & Olivia, possibly Jenny and 3xDraccy babes?
Cordy: 1?
Buffy: 3 confirmed; Angel, Parker,Riley, 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; good or bad?
Amnesiac Spike doesn't seem to realise he's supposed to be evil and wants to be good. He saves Buffy again.

Dawn in peril; along with everyone else 7

Dawn the bashful virgin; 5

Questions and observations;
Teeth asks if Buffy has ever considered working as a debt collector. Well it would solve her financial problems. Tara's very right, Willow violating her mind is no joke especially after what Glory did to her. It also makes their sex whilst Tara is amnesiac virtual rape. Buffy wears her cream number she died in for the first time. Xander wears what looks like an army jacket, left over from his faux soldier days? Xander's latent insecurites are very apparent, wondering if Willow is dating his brother. But he still comes the hero in the end. Buffy's choice of 'Joan' suggests Joan of Arc. Note amnesiac Tara begins to stutter, just as she did before she befriended the Scoobs. Tabula Rusa is latin for blank slate and is a term also used in Dollhouse
Marks out of 10; 9/10, suffers in comparison with OMWF but otherwise not perfect only because of the loanshark.

 

[Kitten Poker]

I still think Giles thinking "Randy" must be his son is pretty funny. There's only what, about 8 years age difference between the actors? I love the concept of the episode but think they could have done a lot more with it than running around in sewers. It would have made a good two parter if they'd come up with something better. And yes, the loan shark is just a risible idea, it looks like they got a mask from a joke shop.

Best line? I can't remember it exactly but "You're a vampire! Check out the lumpyface!"

It's a good episode, 6/10 maybe, but I'm not sure why some people seem to love it quite so much 🙂 It didn't reach it's full potential.

 

[ubi4soft]

So after the big reveal of OMWF that Buffy was in heaven, what do we have here:

Willow: admitted she was selfish with the resurrection but then, again fixing things to her liking, makes a spell to make Buffy ever forget she was happy, 'cause if it's working with Tara (delete bad memories) it will work with Buffy too (delete the happy ones).

Poor Tara: suggests to help Buffy with the trauma and stands up to Willow's easy ways out through spells only to be ignored and have her memories erased again.

Xander: he's feeling bad that Buffy's alive, but in the end he's selfish too "Me like Buffy. Buffy alive. So, me glad." Maybe hanging out with her friends if they were available would have helped Buffy, to bad she had the DMP job and the slaying.

Giles: I don't get it, Buffy was in a deep emotional state she was begging him not to leave, he just thinks he's right to leave. "I've taught you everything you need know about being the slayer." These words will be coming back to him with a door slapped in the face.

Spike: Ok, Tabula Rasa means 'clean slate' so where is the bloodlust? We saw Spike restraining his bloodlust for human blood before to impress Buffy, or dead drunk in Lovers Walk with Willow, but now? He was hunted down by that shark demon, he had to disguise himself and walk on daylight to escape him, I don't think he had the time to satiate himself with pigs blood. And it cannot be blamed on the chip either, because we saw several times that the chip didn't restrained him in FFL with Buffy, in Family with Tara, or later with Xander. When Joan hits him Randy didn't hit back and he didn't even tried to hit or attack any of the Scoobie. Randy Giles the weirdest vampire ever.

Some funny lines:

ANYA: Bloodsuckers, that kill, by sucking blood. Take it easy, Joan.

SPIKE: I must be a noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of redemption. I help the hopeless. I'm a vampire with a soul!
BUFFY: Oh my god, 'a vampire with a soul'?! How lame is that?

 

[thevikingsgirl]

SPIKE: I must be a noble vampire. A good guy. On a mission of redemption. I help the hopeless. I'm a vampire with a soul!
BUFFY: Oh my god, 'a vampire with a soul'?! How lame is that?

My favorite part 🙂 I loved this episode. It was really funny, laugh out loud funny in places, then was so sad at the end with the Michelle Branch song, Tara moving out, Giles on the plane.

 

[CrystalW187]

Maybe it's just me, but I hated the Michelle Branch song at the end. That song was so overplayed back in the day that I would be content if I never had to hear it again. Yeah, it's appropriate for the plot in this episode, but one thing I love about Buffy is how it tends to avoid mainstream music and play lesser known stuff.

So when that song came on, I cringed. But it didn't detract too much from the emotional impact of the ending. And the Spike/Buffy kiss = yummy.

 

[BillyidolwannaB]

Loved it when Anya hits Giles over the head with a book. Lmao. Good ep although prefered the Angel equivalent Spin the Bottle. 7/10.

 

[thevikingsgirl]

Maybe it's just me, but I hated the Michelle Branch song at the end. That song was so overplayed back in the day that I would be content if I never had to hear it again. Yeah, it's appropriate for the plot in this episode, but one thing I love about Buffy is how it tends to avoid mainstream music and play lesser known stuff.

So when that song came on, I cringed. But it didn't detract too much from the emotional impact of the ending. And the Spike/Buffy kiss = yummy.

I'm like a pop culture ostrich. I only just watched Buffy late in 2009, and the song sounded vaguely familiar but that's about it. I've never heard a song by Lady Gaga and I'm not 100% sure who she is. That's me. Pop culture idiot.

 

[Joan the Vampire Slayer]

'Tabula Rasa' is my very favorite episode, ever (as you can probably see from my av/sig sets). I think it's absolutely brilliant. Here are some interesting trivia facts from the episode: The Buffy and Angel Trivia Guide

 

[Anya2012]

I loved this episode but the Loanshark was really stupid. I hate the ending part though, Giles leaving! From now on the show isn't the same.

8/10.

 

[Kitten Poker]

I'm like a pop culture ostrich. I only just watched Buffy late in 2009, and the song sounded vaguely familiar but that's about it. I've never heard a song by Lady Gaga and I'm not 100% sure who she is. That's me. Pop culture idiot.

Join the club 😀 I never watched it until 2009 either and the comments I've made here so far are from single watchings. It's been fun seeing it for the first time though, although I knew the broad story arc there is SO MUCH detail in this show that it didn't matter.

I've heard a few songs by Lady Gaga though 😉

 

[saturn5]

Join the club 😀 I never watched it until 2009 either and the comments I've made here so far are from single watchings. It's been fun seeing it for the first time though, although I knew the broad story arc there is SO MUCH detail in this show that it didn't matter.

I've heard a few songs by Lady Gaga though 😉

'Kitten poker face'?

I rather envy you guys being able to watch virgin eps of Buffy one after the other, that must be great

 

[thevikingsgirl]

'Kitten poker face'?

I rather envy you guys being able to watch virgin eps of Buffy one after the other, that must be great

Great, but a little all-consuming. I watched half of season 7 in a day! kids were at Grandma's, husband at work. I knitted an entire scarf that day...

---------- Post added at 07:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:18 AM ----------

I loved this episode but the Loanshark was really stupid. I hate the ending part though, Giles leaving! From now on the show isn't the same.

8/10.

I thought the loan shark was funny. So stupid it was hilarious.

 

[saturn5]

Great, but a little all-consuming. I watched half of season 7 in a day! kids were at Grandma's, husband at work. I knitted an entire scarf that day...

---------- Post added at 07:18 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:18 AM ----------



I thought the loan shark was funny. So stupid it was hilarious.

Yeah but I always loved Buffy for it's smart humour, not stupid humour. For that I have Charmed!

 

[ubi4soft]

Yeah but I always loved Buffy for it's smart humour, not stupid humour. For that I have Charmed!

A lot of people on this board appreciate Charmed, don't you worry that you'll hurt their feelings?

 

[Kitten Poker]

'Kitten poker face'?

I rather envy you guys being able to watch virgin eps of Buffy one after the other, that must be great

Mwahaha!

It's great, but tempered by...

a) feeling dim at not having discovered it before
b) it can be a bit like chocolate cake, better in small doses. Sometimes I OD'd on days off work watching 4 or 5 eps together, and then you don't take it all in... When I watch it through for the second time I think I'm going to force myself to go slower and relish each episode more.

It's great discovering it all though, then being able to come to a board like this and read through your episode threads and find so many people with different perspectives. 🙂

 

[saturn5]

A lot of people on this board appreciate Charmed, don't you worry that you'll hurt their feelings?

Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Charmed (especially the eps with Charisma Carpenter in them) but if Buffy is the Beatles then Charmed is the Monkees (whom I also like)

 

[CrystalW187]

Hmm... I've been thinking about watching Charmed. Obviously, nothing can compare to Buffy or Angel in my heart, but there's only so much rewatching of those series I can do. I'm watching Supernatural right now, but I will need a good candidate once that's over.

 

[Tome]

Hahaha, the loan shark was actually funny to me. I always thought he looked fake on purpose.

The episode is nice, my favorite scene is the one where they all wake up and figure out who they are from random things. Joan, lol! I couldn't believe Willow was breaking her promise to Tara though =( That's when you realize she's really getting addicted. Also I never agreed with Giles leaving. I understand what he was trying to do for Buffy, but there wasn't only Buffy there. And didn't Giles previously said multiple times that his purpose in life was to save lifes? He was a part of the group, not just a supportive father figure. It's like if Anya and Xander left to go live their lifes elsewhere because of X reasons. Why didn't Giles make himself a 'life' there anyway? It's just a little bit of a plot hole to me =/ I know Anthony Head had to leave, but still they could have found a different way to get 'rid' of him for a time.

I completely agree with Tara leaving Willow though. And it's actually annoying to see Willow acting as if she's still right the next episode. But that's for another thread!

 

[saturn5]

Hmm... I've been thinking about watching Charmed. Obviously, nothing can compare to Buffy or Angel in my heart, but there's only so much rewatching of those series I can do. I'm watching Supernatural right now, but I will need a good candidate once that's over.

I'd recommend something but every show I like get's cancelled so I'd better not

 

[Wishing Oceans]

Ehh, I used to love this episode, but now it's kinda not so much....
Everything was much too unrealistic and, IMO, unthoughtful. Here's what I mean:

Before Buffy had the responsibilities pf a Slayer thrust upon her, she was a shallow, selfish, ditsy, obnoxious, airhead. 😀 Without her memories of her calling, why wouldn't her personality be the same as it was before?

Anya's bunnyphobia, funny as it was, was also unrealistic: When she was human she LOVED bunnies. As a demon, it's the viewer's assumption that since Bunnys remind her of her human life she's afraid of the thing they symbolize, and therefore shun them. Without her memories, she SHOULD have a neutral opinion on rabbits.

Tara was just as shy and detached as always. Now, my assumption is that her stutter and shy demeanor is the result of child abuse when she was young. If she couldn't remember any of it, then why wouldn't she have been a lot more confident?

Xander and Giles were normal, I guess. 🙂

Willow should have been more shy, maybe thinking that she and Dawn were sisters? Before she met Buffy and magic, she was a shy, innocent, sweet, mousy young girl. If she never had memories of all her experiences with Buffy, then I'd presume she'd be as shy as she was before.

Spike was good, it showed how he had always secretly wanted to be like Angel. 😀

Dawn, like Tara, should have been more spastic. She was an "outsider" teen, I'd assume, because the immense power her older sister possessed often made her feel inferior. She doubted herself and went to irritating lengths to get noticed and get attention. She, like in Potential, just wanted to be in the spotlight for once. With all the powerful people around her, she never could've been. But, wahoo, nobody has memories, she she doesn't yet know that others own the dance floor. Ergo, she tries to act as cool and special as she can instead of hiding. 😀

Buffy and Dawn had a very distant and dysfunctional relationship in S6, which would leave me to believe that they wouldn't be able to somehow "sense" their sisterhood. Especially because memoryless Buffy doesn't really have a sister.

Also, how would Dawn know she's teen? How would Buffy know that she (Buffy) WASN'T a teen? Buffy was 20, one year away, big whoop. 😀

The Willow/ Tara thing also felt a bit rushed, but since they had an "attraction at first sight" kinda thing going on in S4 it makes sense. 😀

Also, I'm still kinda fuzzy on the whole memory loss thing. Did the spell backfire and erase both the good and the bad memories? If so, then what about the boring memories that were neither good nor bad?

I don't believe they could've erased ALL their memories though, because then how would they remember what a British accent sounds like? How on earth did Tara know what magic was? How did they know what Halloween was? How did they know what vampires were? How did they know what bunnies were? How did they remember what engagement rings look like? How did they remember how to talk??!!!!

... Memory loss is SO confusing. 😀