Topic: Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon

[Najemikon]

Not fair! reading these I am getting the urge to watch Buffy again! 

There's no escape. I get a huge urge to watch Buffy and another huge urge while I'm watching! 

[addicted2dvd]

 

I got myself out of it... decided I was more in the mood for Holly... err... Alyssa.... err...Shannen... uhm. I mean Charmed! 

[Tom]

07. Revelations (1998-11-17)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Douglas Petrie (Writer)
Director: James A. Contner
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Serena Scott Thomas (Gwendolyn Post), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Jason Hall (Devon), Kate Rodger (Paramedic)

A good episode, but never one of my favorites.

Rating:

[Tom]

08. Lover's Walk (1998-11-24)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Dan Vebber (Writer)
Director: David Semel
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), James Marsters (Spike), Jack Plotnick (Deputy Mayor), Marc Burnham (Lenny), Suzanne Krull (Clerk)

I always loved this episode. Spike's return to Sunnydale mirroring his first appearence only this time at a low point of this life. Spike's crying on Willow's shoulder
Making us believe Cordelia died when showing a funeral but then when the camera gets to Buffy and Willow we find out, that Cordelia is okay.
And then concluding with Spike in high spirit again (singing the Sid Vicious version of "My Way"), but with anyone else arriving at a low point.

Rating:

[Tom]

09. The Wish (1998-12-08)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Marti Noxon (Writer)
Director: David Greenwalt
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Mark Metcalf (The Master), Emma Caulfield (Anya/Anyanka), Larry Bagby III (Larry), Mercedes McNab (Harmony Kendall), Danny Strong (Jonathan), Nicole Bilderback (Cordette #1), Nathan Anderson (John Lee), Mariah O'Brien (Nancy), Gary Imhoff (Teacher), Robert Covarrubias (Caretaker)

I love alternate reality stories just as much as time-travel stories.
Cordelia wishes from Anya (in her first appearance on the series), that Buffy never came to Sunnydale. The result: Vampire Willow and Vampire Xander. And the Master is still alive and ruling over Sunnydale. A fun What-If episode, which resulted in the even better Doppelgangland episode (which will follow later in this marathon).

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

The Wish is another of my favorite episodes! I loved Vamp Willow in this one! 

[Tom]

10. Amends (1998-12-15)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Joss Whedon (Writer)
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Saverio Guerra (Willy), Shane Barach (Daniel), Edward Edwards (Travis), Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy (Margaret), Robia LaMorte (Jenny Calendar), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Mark Kriski (Weatherman), Tom Michael Bailey (Tree Seller Guy)

In the past, I didn't like this episode very much. But this time around, I really enjoyed it. We have flashbacks to Angel's past and Willow and Oz making up. Probably I didn't like the twist at the end in the past. But now it makes total sense. That Power That Be play a more vital role in the Angel series, but here we already learn, that they are responsible for Angel's return and also save him at the end of this episode. I like it, that not Buffy's pep talk saved him, like you would expect. Angel would have really died here, when TPTB would not have intervened.

Rating:

[Tom]

11. Gingerbread (1999-01-12)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Jane Espenson (Screenwriter), Thania St. John (Story By), Jane Espenson (Story By)
Director: James Whitmore Jr.
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Elizabeth Anne Allen (Amy), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), Jordan Baker (Sheila Rosenberg), Armin Shimerman (Principal Snyder), Lindsay Taylor (Little Girl), Shawn Pyfrom (Little Boy), Blake Swendson (Michael), Grant Garrison (Roy), Roger Morrissey (Demon), Daniel Tamm (Mooster)

I never really liked this episode. The sudden introduction of Willow's mom. Until now, they kept Willow's and Xander's parents unseen. This should have not been broken unless for good reason, but here Willow's mom shows up and turns out to be a really uninteresting character. The producers probably noticed this too, so she was never seen again.
Also the Hänsel and Gretel thing was stupid. The old German newspaper article they saw seemed to be translated with a babelfish
Giles' German is hardly better.
And Amy is turned into a rat and we do not get to see her for a few years (except once for a second).

Highlights:
Cordelia asking, how come that Giles has always knocked unconscious ("One of these days you are gonna wake up in a coma"), and Buffy's "Did I get it? Did I get it?"

Rating:

[Najemikon]

And Amy is turned into a rat and we do not get to see her for a few years (except once for a second).

I always loved that moment! She's back! Oh... she's gone again...

[Tom]

12. Helpless (1999-01-19)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), David Fury (Writer)
Director: James A. Contner
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Jeff Kober (Zackary Kralik), Harris Yulin (Quentin Travers), Dominic Keating (Blair), David Haydn-Jones (Hobson), Nick Cornish (Guy), Don Dowe (Construction Worker)

A great episode! I especially like the scenes where Buffy learns about the betrayal by Giles and the ending, where Giles is fired.
Btw, Lt. Reed from Enterprise is vampire food in this episode.

Rating:

[Tom]

13. The Zeppo (1999-01-26)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Dan Vebber (Writer)
Director: James Whitmore Jr.
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Saverio Guerra (Willy), Channon Roe (Jack), Michael Cudlitz (Bob), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Darin Heames (Parker), Scott Torrence (Dickie), Whitney Dylan (Lysette), Vaughn Armstrong (Cop)

I always liked the idea, that they pushed the apocalypse storyline to background, and that we the worst that they have ever faced only in bits and pieces when Xander's storyline crosses the others'. Even the typical Buffy/Angel drama is made fun of this way.

Rating:



14. Bad Girls (1999-02-09)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Douglas Petrie (Writer)
Director: Michael Lange
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), K. Todd Freeman (Mr. Trick), Jack Plotnick (Deputy Mayor), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Christian Clemenson (Balthazar), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Alex Skuby (Vincent), Wendy Clifford (Mrs. Taggert), Ron Rogge (Cop)

Faith's turn to the dark side. And the introduction of Wesley. A good episode.

Rating:



15. Consequences (1999-02-16)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Marti Noxon (Writer)
Director: Michael Gershman
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), K. Todd Freeman (Mr. Trick), Jack Plotnick (Deputy Mayor), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), James G. MacDonald (Detective Stein), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Amy Powell (T.V. News Reporter), Patricia Place (Woman)

I always liked the reaction when Willow learns about Xander and Faith. "I do not need to say "Oh!", I could it before"

Rating:

[Tom]

16. Doppelgangland (1999-02-23)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Joss Whedon (Writer)
Director: Joss Whedon
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Emma Caulfield (Anya/Anyanka), Ethan Erickson (Percy), Eliza Dushku (Faith), Armin Shimerman (Principal Snyder), Jason Hall (Devon), Michael Nagy (Alfonse), Andy Umberger (D'Hoffryn), Megan Gray (Sandy), Norma Michaels (Older Woman), Corey Michael Blake (Waiter), Jennifer Nicole (Body-Double Willow)

I love this episode! Always fun to see Vampire Willow.
I really like the scene, where the gang thinks Willow is dead and then their reaction when they find out, Willow is still alive.
And Willow's foreshadowing "I think I am kinda gay!"

Also this episode introduced me to the band "K's Choice". I really like their song "Virgin State of Mind" they are playing in this episode in the Bronze.

Rating:

[addicted2dvd]

definitely one of the best episodes of the series! 

[Tom]

17. Enemies (1999-03-16)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Douglas Petrie (Writer)
Director: David Grossman
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Michael Manasseri (Demon), Gary Bullock (Sorcerer), Eliza Dushku (Faith)

A good episode with a surprise twist. Although I am still not sure, if the circumstances of this twist are not just too far fetched (i.e. Giles knowing the demon who did this spell and having him on their side).

Rating:

[Tom]

18. Earshot (1999-09-21)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Jane Espenson (Writer)
Director: Regis B. Kimble
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Alexis Denisof (Wesley Wyndam-Pryce), Ethan Erickson (Percy), Danny Strong (Jonathan), Larry Bagby III (Larry), Keram Malicki-Sanchez (Freddy), Justin Doran (Hogan), Lauren Roman (Nancy), Wendy Worthington (Lunch Lady), Robert Arce (Mr. Beach), Molly Bryant (Ms. Murray), Rich Muller (Student), Jay Michael Ferguson (Another Student)

The thoughts of our characters are fun. Cordelia actually always saying what she's thinking. Oz thinking weird thoughts.

Rating: