Checkpoint

I love this episode , espically the fight scene between Buffy and them knights dudes lol 🙂!
 
Haha. "We're lovers." "I meant your relationship with the Slayer." "Just good friends."
I love this episode, it's possibly my favorite season 5 episode, other than Triangle.
I used the monologue at the end for my audition piece. And I got in, so I guess it was pretty good.
 
Checkpoint definitely isn't my favourite of season 5, although it's less depressing than most in that season. There's some funny scenes and all, but I would skip this episode when I'm watching through the series if I wasn't so OCD about watching them all in order. 😛
 
CHECKPOINT

The Good;
Some very good scenes with the council and a nice face off between Buffy and Glory at the Summer's house. Buffy's speech to the council is spot on. Love Tara's little look of panic as she invents a magical proficency level for her and Willow.

The Bad;
Surely Buffy's point that the Watcher's depend on her rather than vice versa is self evident all along?

Best line;
Travers; "Glory's not a demon"
Buffy; "What is she?"
Travers; "She's a god"
Oh boy!

Women good/men bad;
Buffy tells the Council that she has the power, changing a relationship between Watcher and Slayer that has endured millenia.

Jeez!;
Glory brainsucks the postman. Even more horrible is the way she refers to him as 'that' afterwards.

Kinky dinky;
The female Watcher seems to have a Spikette's lust for Spike. Spike suggests Buffy's beauty is fading and that she is not has firm and high (at 20?)

Captain Subtext;
Willow and Tara finally say what they are out loud. Buffy seems to imply that Rasputin was a vamp. The lover of the one Angel killed in 'Why we fight?' Another terrific Spike/Joyce scene, they both love the Passions TV show. Buffy remarks that she 'Doesn't need a boyfriend'. Once again we see the Glory-Buffy-Dawn subtext with Glory suggesting Ben 'bang' the key's location out of Buffy. She also refers to Buffy as 'Sweetie' and thinks the picture of her and Dawn in 'So cute'. She describes Dawn as the 'Darlingest thing', 'Honey' and says she likes her as she's 'Sassy'. Glory's minion thinks Ben 'quite attractive'. Willow refer to her and Tara's relationship with Buffy as 'Just friends'.

Guantanamo Bay;

Scoobies to the ER;

Missing scenes;

Apocalypses; 5,

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; 1

Scoobies knocked out:
Buffy: 16
Giles: 10
Cordy: 6
Xander: 8
Will: 5
Jenny: 2
Angel: 6
Oz: 3
Faith: 1
Joyce: 3
Wes: 1
Anya;1

Kills:
Buffy: 94 vamps, 32 demons, 6 monsters, 3 humans, 1 werewolf, 1 spirit warrior & a robot
Giles: 5 vamps, 1 demon
Cordy: 3 vamps, ½ a demon
Will: 6 vamps
Angel: 3 vamps, 1 demon, 1 human
Oz: 3 vamps, 1 zombie
Faith: 16 vamps, 5 demons, 3 humans
Xander: 5 vamps, 2 zombies, ½ a demon, ½ a demon
Anya: ½ a demon
Riley; 18 vamps + 7 demons
Spike; 1 demon and 1 vamp in Scooby service

Scoobies go evil:
Giles: 1
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 1
Angel: 1
Oz: 1
Joyce: 1
Xander: 3

Alternate scoobies:
Buffy: 6
Giles: 3
Cordy: 1
Will: 2
Jenny: 2
Angel: 3
Oz: 2
Joyce: 2
Xander: 3

Recurring characters killed: 9
Jesse, Flutie, Jenny, Kendra, Larry, Snyder, Professor Walsh, Forrest, McNamara

Sunnydale deaths;
89;

Total number of scoobies: 6
Giles, Xander, Willow, Buffy, Anya, Tara,

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

Questions and observations;
First appearance of the Knights of Byzantium. Couldn't they put their tattoos somewhere a little less obvious? Of course the Watcher's are right about the dangers of some of the Magic Shop contents as Triangle and later eps will prove. The stars are once again pivotal to Glory's spell. So how do we kill a god? Titan's rib? Golden Hind's blood? Xena?
So who are these Byzantium guys and what do they want other than to fight Glory? (which seems pretty admirable but bad news for Dawn). I always figured that maybe the Watcher's Council had some form of schism reformation style and they're an offshoot
Marks out of 10; 6/10
 
The Bad;
Surely Buffy's point that the Watcher's depend on her rather than vice versa is self evident all along?

This is what bugs me about this episode. I just didn't get why she didn't just laugh in their faces when they asked her to do a review.

Also, doesn't Travers ultimately achieve what he wanted anyways? Maybe he realized it was a mistake firing Giles and so rehiring Giles was basically one way of letting the council back in (not like money is an issue to these people). Now Giles can report to them and once again they have meaning in their lives. So I don't get why Travers was all "argh, need a drink" at the end.
 
T
ToShanshuInLA
I think it was because Buffy made it on her terms on not his/theirs. :D
My favourite moment: the sword to the watcher's head: "I'm pretty sure I said no interruptions."

My least favourite moment: the history professor. I studied history in university, and what Buffy does is *exactly* what a good history student would do. That professor would have been thrown out of my university in a heartbeat. I hate how the episode maintains the misconception held by people who don't like history about what history is like.
 
Watching Buffy for the second and a half time (this time with my hubby- his first time, so I get to live vicariously thru the shock and awe he obtains :biggrin3🙂.
Just watched Checkpoint last night, and I decided... I have to have Anya's pants! :tongue3: ...the tan ones with the sparkly embroidery.
Anyone have a clue where to find them? The exact pair or even locating the brand name / style somehow?
...Maybe there's a 'Like the outdated clothing of BtVS? Come here to relive the 90s!' site somewhere? :tongue3:
 
I never really saw Passions but I loved Spike talking about it. I saw a clip from the finale on the soup when he was making fun of it but that is about it. I only watch ABC soaps.
 
I love the scene where the Scoobies are being interrogated.

Although watching this episode always makes me wonder why Slayers can be called from all over the world but Watchers have to be British.
 
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