Say Some Flaws About Episodes You Love

[vellavu]

Me first.

Doppolgangland
The delivery of the "bitch" line before Vampire Willow got shot is too close to normal Willow.

The Bronze fighting scene of Angel/Buffy kicking asses is lacking a natural flow and feels randomly arranged.

Xander and Willow's "that's Old Faithful" and "that's Old Yeller" was forced. Xander's cluelessness was played to an overly extreme.

Who Are You?
ED pushing her hair aside was not Buffy mannerism.

"No one can recognize fake Buffy but Tara as a stranger" in S4 vs "No one can tell Buffy from a robot" in S5 vs No one can trust Buffy but Spike as an outsider" in S7 anyone?

 

[sosa lola]

"No one can recognize fake Buffy but Tara as a stranger" in S4 vs "No one can tell Buffy from a robot" in S5 vs No one can trust Buffy but Spike as an outsider" in S7 anyone?

Those are really annoying tropes.

My favorite episode is Restless. The flaw would be that in the classroom scene with high school Willow, I'd have preferred Cordelia being in class and taking shots at Willow instead of Anya. I didn't mind Tara in Buffy's dream, though I feel that Angel would have been a better fit.

The Zeppo: I like everything about this episode, though perhaps if there was more build up in previous episodes to Xander being injured in fights to justify the Scoobies' concern for him.

 

[vellavu]

The flaw would be that in the classroom scene with high school Willow, I'd have preferred Cordelia being in class and taking shots at Willow instead of Anya.

Anya was better I think. Willow's impression or Cordelia was improved too much in S3 that she would less be likely a bully than Anya who is her new hatred target.
She helped Cordy just a few days ago (To Shanshu in LA). She's the only one in Sunnydale that Cordy calls occasionally.

The Zeppo: I like everything about this episode, though perhaps if there was more build up in previous episodes to Xander being injured in fights to justify the Scoobies' concern for him.

Very good episode. Though the zombie gang should be actual human gang. It would make the final time bomb confrontation even more intense and attached. The hellmouth stuff is already supernatural. They don't need another zombie storyline really.

 

[thetopher]

"No one can recognize fake Buffy but Tara as a stranger" in S4 vs "No one can tell Buffy from a robot" in S5 vs No one can trust Buffy but Spike as an outsider" in S7 anyone?

I suppose the first one was to illustrate the Scoobie-drift in S4 and the latter one was silly comedy. Both events are the Scoobies fault to be honest that lack of perception they sometimes have.
But that last one, the one that really irritates, thats all on Buffy.

I didn't mind Tara in Buffy's dream, though I feel that Angel would have been a better fit.

Angel and Faith were both supposed to be in Buffy's dream instead of Tara. Angel would be the voice of the First slayer in the desert- unfortunately neither actor was available for their roles.

 

[Taake]

I've mentioned this one before, but...

I love the What's my Line episodes, but I was/am/might forever be annoyed by this line from Buffy; "You can attack me, you can send assassins after me, that's fine. But nobody messes with my boyfriend." Ugh... I know she's a 16 year old girl, but c'mon, priorities? It's not a cute line to me, it's just really ditzy.

 

[Kana]

I've mentioned this one before, but...

I love the What's my Line episodes, but I was/am/might forever be annoyed by this line from Buffy; "You can attack me, you can send assassins after me, that's fine. But nobody messes with my boyfriend." Ugh... I know she's a 16 year old girl, but c'mon, priorities? It's not a cute line to me, it's just really ditzy.

I've always found that to be a prime example of Buffy's character. She's always been focused on protecting those she cares about, even sometimes risking the world to do so. The episode 'Choices' is another good example.

 

[Samuel Reyes]

"No one can recognize fake Buffy but Tara as a stranger" in S4 vs "No one can tell Buffy from a robot" in S5 vs No one can trust Buffy but Spike as an outsider" in S7 anyone?

YES it always annoyed me when the normally tight-knit Scooby Gang can't recognize that something's off about one another. Examples include Tara, who hasn't even met Buffy, being able to tell it's not her right off the bat, as well as the whole Buffybot fiasco (which was even given a lampshade by Buffy herself). Another one is Buffy, Xander, and Giles failing to pick up on Willow and Tara being an item, yet Faith and Spike realize it almost instantly. My only conclusion is that the gang are so used to the norm that it takes them a while to notice the little changes.

 

[Ember]

I dunno. I thought the scenario outlined above was a metaphor to signify how disconnected the scooby gang had become.

 

[Mr Trick]

Those are really annoying tropes.

My favorite episode is Restless. The flaw would be that in the classroom scene with high school Willow, I'd have preferred Cordelia being in class and taking shots at Willow instead of Anya. I didn't mind Tara in Buffy's dream, though I feel that Angel would have been a better fit.

The Zeppo: I like everything about this episode, though perhaps if there was more build up in previous episodes to Xander being injured in fights to justify the Scoobies' concern for him.

Think Anya made sense, it just would have seem too predictable it being Cordy, and I think it was meant to foreshadow the tension to come between Willow and Anya. Disagree on Angel too, at this point that boat had sailed and its good to have the two characters function outside of each others verse as much as possible.

I don't think previous backstory of Xander being injured was needed. It just would have become too much a thing which served no purpose to the plot of those episodes. There was already enough of a logic to The Zeppo I think.

 

[sosa lola]

Another one is Buffy, Xander, and Giles failing to pick up on Willow and Tara being an item, yet Faith and Spike realize it almost instantly.

I think the Willow/Tara thing is justified. Two girls hanging out together isn't strange. I mean Buffy and Willow hang out alone all the time. I don't remember Willow and Tara doing anything sexual or romantic around the Scoobies. Willow just met a girl who practices magic and has the same interests, not thinking they were lesbians isn't outlandish.

On the other hand, I thought Faith and Spike guessing they were lesbians to be ridiculous. I forgot how Faith knew, but Spike just figured it out because Tara was playing with Willow's hair? I do that sometimes with my female friends but I'm not a lesbian. It's just different with girls because they tend to be touchy-feely most of the time and usually it doesn't mean anything.

 

[Samuel Reyes]

On the other hand, I thought Faith and Spike guessing they were lesbians to be ridiculous. I forgot how Faith knew, but Spike just figured it out because Tara was playing with Willow's hair? I do that sometimes with my female friends but I'm not a lesbian. It's just different with girls because they tend to be touchy-feely most of the time and usually it doesn't mean anything.

Maybe Faith knew from personal experience from when she was around Buffy... 😉

I'm not saying that Faith and Spike had adequate reasons to assume they were lesbians; I'm just saying it's a bit surprising for them to notice when Willow's closest friends didn't.

 

[Taake]

I've always found that to be a prime example of Buffy's character. She's always been focused on protecting those she cares about, even sometimes risking the world to do so. The episode 'Choices' is another good example.

I guess I can see how others would interpret it as that. I disagree though and it remains a flaw for me.

 

[Mr Trick]

I think the Willow/Tara thing is justified. Two girls hanging out together isn't strange. I mean Buffy and Willow hang out alone all the time. I don't remember Willow and Tara doing anything sexual or romantic around the Scoobies. Willow just met a girl who practices magic and has the same interests, not thinking they were lesbians isn't outlandish.

On the other hand, I thought Faith and Spike guessing they were lesbians to be ridiculous. I forgot how Faith knew, but Spike just figured it out because Tara was playing with Willow's hair? I do that sometimes with my female friends but I'm not a lesbian. It's just different with girls because they tend to be touchy-feely most of the time and usually it doesn't mean anything.

I don't know I think that concept of women or girls being more touchy feely is a bit outdated nowadays. Also, its possible that Spike picking up on it very quickly was a way of showing his more sensitive, alart side etc... Don't forget than in the case of Buffy because she has the history of knowing Willow as being straight then that played a part in her not assuming otherwise. Its actually sometimes people who don't know you so well who pick up on these things quicker.

 

[sosa lola]

I'm just saying it's a bit surprising for them to notice when Willow's closest friends didn't.

I agree with Mr Trick. Willow's closest friends knew her as straight for four years - much more than that in Xander's case - so it's not weird that they didn't even consider the possibility, especially with Willow's healthy relationship with Oz and the fact that she had sex with him and enjoyed it. Also Willow's long term crush on Xander all those years.

Not to mention that Willow and Tara didn't give any lesbian vibes around the Scoobies. They always appeared as friends with the same interests.

 

[Wildfly]

Maybe Faith knew from personal experience from when she was around Buffy... 😉

I'm not saying that Faith and Spike had adequate reasons to assume they were lesbians; I'm just saying it's a bit surprising for them to notice when Willow's closest friends didn't.

Dont want to be creepy, but couldn't Angel and Spike smell & track Buffy?
Maybe the same way he smelled tara on will? About faith - no idea.

 

[gite63]

Dont want to be creepy, but couldn't Angel and Spike smell & track Buffy?

Yes - Spike found Buffy by smelling her way to the empty house nad later Angel smelled Spike on Buffy (Chosen) - Spike could have smelled Will and Tara all over each other, but the writers went for the observation of Tara playing with Willow's hair... this issue fits on the "plot holes/contrivances" thread.

In the comics, Angel knows that Nadira isn't dead because he can't smell her blood among a bunch of dead people, but he didn't smell Spike all over Buffy when he met them in San Francisco.

 

[thetopher]

I'm not saying that Faith and Spike had adequate reasons to assume they were lesbians; I'm just saying it's a bit surprising for them to notice when Willow's closest friends didn't.

Faith guessed about Tara and Willow because she knows exactly what those sorts of feelings looked/felt like from her own experiences with Buffy. Makes perfect sense to me. 🙂

As for Spike, her didn't 'sniff' or scent anything about Willow and Tara (that's a later story contrivance), he saw something and made assumptions that happened to be correct.