Dead Man's Party

[zobothehobo]

I got the random urge to watch something that would make me mad, so I watched this episode. Mission accomplished. I just really want to punch Xander in the face... and slap Joyce.... but more with the punching Xander. He's just such an ass. The whole time, he's rude and mean and making sarcastic comments about Buffy's running away. He yells at her in the big showdown at the party that she didn't even try talking about it... but after she came back, did anyone even ask? And would he have cared if she DID tell him? Would he have been able to put aside his feelings sympathize with her? It's just another example of how Xander is always so quick to judge.

And let's not forget Willow. Skipping out on the mall? If she wanted to talk about life stuff... why not do it?

And then there's the whole party thing. What a dumb idea. Did anyone EVER consider Buffy's feelings? Did they think to ask HER what she would want? No, they did not. Everyone in this episode is so selfish and wrapped up in themselves and no one ever stops to think "Hey, what about Buffy?"

 

[Chosen Enemy]

It's a really depressing episode to me.
When they all attack Buffy at the party, I just feel so bad for her and I feel like supporting her and understanding her, knowing what she's been through. It's like that every time when Buffy and her friends fight. Like in season 7. I just side Buffy and hate all the others. Buffy is under a huge pressure as a Slayer, and no one in the world (besides Slayers) know what it feels like, what a Slayer is going through.

And now in this episode, her mother, who has just found out about the Slayer thing, and she's like in denial. I don't know if that's because she has no info about all the slayer thing, or is just really motherly. Either way, she was really mean to Buffy. She was holding her feelings inside her and at the party she lost it. No, she wasn't okay with her daughter being a Slayer. And she doesn't know how to deal with it. It takes time. But I was really really mad at her for yelling at Buffy in front of her whole class.

And Xander, who has always hated Angel and took it out on Buffy. Cordy was sweet and funny though. She was really trying to help and put herself in Buffy's shoes. Her of all people, really tried to understand her. Good on her!
Willow annoyed me as well. She was mad, but she didn't show it to Buffy. Because she's her best friend. But in the end, everybody's feelings, after been hidden and covered by joy and welcome back party, just came out and slew Buffy. It was hard to watch.

 

[buffyprops]

It's one of my favorites actually and one of the first props I recreated from Buffy:

 

[Willow My Love]

I actually really like this episode. The general plot of it, the mask and the dead people as zombies, not so much, but it makes me appreciate the show a lot more. It's not all about hooray! demon's dead! It shows they really have personal issues that aren't summed up in 45 minutes.

And I adore Giles in this. "Would you like me to convince you?" Makes me proud.

I can see where her friends are coming from, being angry, but Joyce? She DID tell her not to come back. She can't really hold against her that she left. She wasn't punishing Joyce, she was obeying her. I equate Joyce with my mom a lot, but my mom NEVER would have said those things to me. I've told her some pretty heavy stuff, and she's always accepted me. She'd never have thrown me out. She wouldn't have even considered it, no matter how much I made myself believe she would... I thought that was awful parenting on Joyce's part.

And Xander overreacted. Willow standing her up was just mean, and kinda out of character. I didn't like it. I did like how Cordelia, in her own way, tried to help. She was the only one out of all of them who had any kind of sympathy for her.

 

[buffyprops]

My favorite Giles line from this episode:
"Look at my mask, isn't it pretty? It raises the dead! Americans..."

It alway's sounds like STUPID Americans without him having said it...great inflection.

 

[Ms.Trick]

I totally agree with all the things that have been said.
I hated the fact that Willow says to Buffy "I've been through a lot of things and I hadn't my best friend to talk to about it". It's understanble to be upset as your bestfriend disappears for months. But then she just say to Buffy "Yeah, sure, let's see each other" and then she just doesn't come at all. Then at the party, she's like "See, we're talking! See ya, I'm going to see Oz play".
Then Xander is too busy with Cordelia to really pay attention. Then Buffy hears her mum saying it's almost worse since she's back.
All of this happens at a supposed-to-be dinner which was turned into a big party "for a chick who went out of rehab from what I heard."

So, yeah, I understand that Buffy felt unwelcomed and wanted to leave again.
And then, asking her for explanations in front of everybody (while she didn't even ask for everybody to be there) was harsh. Like she was going to say in front of all those people "I was too late to stop the apocalypse so I had to kill my boyfriend when he just was good again thanks to Willow's spell."
Cordelia was really trying to defend Buffy, but Cordy being Cordy, it didn't help that much. But it was genuine.

On the other hand, I understood a bit why the Scoobies were so upset. They just should all have a talk with Buffy when she was back, at least see if she wanted to talk about it instead of being all "Yay-everything-is-fine-but-actually-we-are-mad-upset-because-of-you".

Oh and I was also annoyed when in the bedroom, Willow was all "I missed you so much" and when Joyce came in Willow just said "She's running away again!" instead of saying, I don't know, "she's running away again because we gave her the feeling she was unwanted!". She really said that like it was all Buffy's fault if she wanted to leave again.

So in conclusion, I'd say all the tensions were caused by a terrible communication between the Scoobies and Buffy!

 

[VisionGirl]

So in conclusion, I'd say all the tensions were caused by a terrible communication between the Scoobies and Buffy!

Not the last time it would happen! Says I as I continue my season 6 re-watch....

 

[Willow My Love]

Another thing that really bothered me. Everyone was slinging all these this is how I felt remarks at her instead of asking why she left. They just assumed she meant to abandon them. They really didn't have sympathy for her. Except Cordy. The one in the group that is the least close to her. That's incredibly sad that her best friends don't want to hear why she left.

 

[zobothehobo]

Another thing that really bothered me. Everyone was slinging all these this is how I felt remarks at her instead of asking why she left. They just assumed she meant to abandon them. They really didn't have sympathy for her. Except Cordy. The one in the group that is the least close to her. That's incredibly sad that her best friends don't want to hear why she left.

I KNOW! Oh my god that pissed me off!!!! I wanted to scream at them "you guys are so selfish. You keep calling Buffy selfish for leaving but NONE of you have asked her even once why she left, what happened that night with Angel, or what happened that summer in LA!"

 

[buffyprops]

Hey! Doesn't Cordelia end up in a closet with someone in this episode? I'm just starting to realize that Cordelia ends up in the closet quite a few times with a number of different people over all three seasons she was on Buffy!
I might have to start a new thread...

 

[Icarium]

I KNOW! Oh my god that pissed me off!!!! I wanted to scream at them "you guys are so selfish. You keep calling Buffy selfish for leaving but NONE of you have asked her even once why she left, what happened that night with Angel, or what happened that summer in LA!"

They did ask her:

"Cordelia: So were you, like, living in a box, or what?

Buffy: Well, it's a long story.

Xander: So skip the heartwarming stuff about kindly old people and saving the farm and get right to the dirt.

Giles: (pours several cups) Perhaps Buffy could use a little time to adjust before we grill her on her summer activities.

Buffy: What he said."

It's understandable that Buffy would rather not talk about it but I can't really blame the rest of the group for not possessing the information that the viewers have and hence not knowing the whole story.

They really didn't have sympathy for her. Except Cordy.

How so, considering Cordelia said that Angel's killing spree was "pretty much Buffy's fault" and called Buffy a freak? If Xander had said those things people would have been up in arms but if it's Cordelia then somehow she is supportive, even if Buffy's reaction is anything but positive.

 

[zobothehobo]

They did ask her:

"Cordelia: So were you, like, living in a box, or what?

Buffy: Well, it's a long story.

Xander: So skip the heartwarming stuff about kindly old people and saving the farm and get right to the dirt.

Giles: (pours several cups) Perhaps Buffy could use a little time to adjust before we grill her on her summer activities.

Buffy: What he said."

It's understandable that Buffy would rather not talk about it but I can't really blame the rest of the group for not possessing the information that the viewers have and hence not knowing the whole story.



How so, considering Cordelia said that Angel's killing spree was "pretty much Buffy's fault" and called Buffy a freak? If Xander had said those things people would have been up in arms but if it's Cordelia then somehow she is supportive, even if Buffy's reaction is anything but positive.

I stand corrected. Well the first two questions were still not asked. Or even considered if I use the characters' behaviors as indicators...

 

[Icarium]

Why would they need to ask that, though? Buffy left a note and the world didn't end, it's rather obvious why she left (although Willow the eternal optimist, muses in Becoming that maybe Buffy and Angel went on a holiday together) and even more obvious she would rather not go into details about it. If the Scoobs had pressed her information I am sure many would have accused them of harassing Buffy as it happens in S6 after her resurrection.

 

[zobothehobo]

Why would they need to ask that, though? Buffy left a note and the world didn't end, it's rather obvious why she left and even more obvious she would rather not go into details about it. If the Scoobs had pressed her information I am sure many would have accused them of harassing Buffy as it happens in S6 after her resurrection.

Well yeah... If they used the same tone they used in this episode and said "Did you kill Angel?" I would say they were harassing her. If they used a soft caring tone and said "Do you want to talk about what happened that night? If not, that's fine... I just want you to know whatever happened that night, you can tell me." I would have felt like they handled the situation like good friends.

 

[Icarium]

Nobody handled the situation well and that includes Buffy. That's what I like about the episode. Putting the blame only on some of them is completely missing the point of the story, IMO.

 

[zobothehobo]

Nobody handled the situation well and that includes Buffy. That's what I like about the episode. Putting the blame only on some of them is completely missing the point of the story, IMO.

Well that's probably true... but I sympathized with Buffy a lot because that's probably how I would have handled it.

 

[Ms.Trick]

How so, considering Cordelia said that Angel's killing spree was "pretty much Buffy's fault" and called Buffy a freak? If Xander had said those things people would have been up in arms but if it's Cordelia then somehow she is supportive, even if Buffy's reaction is anything but positive.

I didn't like that moment because it was Cordelia, because I already loved it way before actually liking Cordy.
That's the way she is, she can be "mean" trying to make a compliment (Great, so you can leave and never come back! You look great...no, I respect you too much to lie to you like that.:tongue3🙂. So there she tried to give the Scoobies some perspective, but as I said, she isn't good at saying kind things...kindly.

 

[buffyprops]

The one character in this episode that annoyed the CRAP out of me was Pat.
I really get annoyed when someone who is new to a situation thinks they know ALL of the story.
I thought it would have been awesome if Buffy had worked it into the conversation with Pat that her Mother had kicked her out of the house for going off to kill her lover-turned-evil and save the world!

 

[Chosen Enemy]

I can't believe Joyce actually said that now that Buffy is back, things are even worse. How could a mother say that about her own daughther?? I was shocked, and could really feel for Buffy and relate to her. Not because my parents said that about me, but because I could understand why she wanted to run off again, all that anger inside of you, you just have to escape, without saying goodbye!

 

[buffyprops]

In the end though, Pat got a face full of shovel, so I guess it worked out. I was going to say I could dig it but then I thought better of it.🙂

I think this episode really played on that old principle of
"The more you piss them off at the beginning, the happier they'll
be at the end"... or something like that.