Topic: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Marathon

[addicted2dvd]

Season 5: Disc 4

EPISODE 12: CHECKPOINT
Buffy finds out that she has seriously underestimated Glory after Giles returns from England and then the Watcher's Council arrives to review her Slayer skills.

My Thoughts:
I liked this episode a lot... first Buffy was all scared and worried about the Watcher's Council... then I just loved how she turned it all around on them and let them know how it would be whether they liked it or not. This episode was just a lot of fun.

EPISODE 13: BLOOD TIES
After learning that she is the Key in human form, a distraught and disbelieving Dawn makes her way to the hospital's mental ward where she encounters Glory.

My Thoughts:
Another really good episode that keeps the season long arc moving forward.

EPISODE 14: CRUSH
Buffy is shocked to discover Spike is in love with her, a situation made dangerously worse by Drusilla's unexpected arrival back in Sunnydale.

My Thoughts:
Another fun episode... loved the reaction Xander gave to the news that Spike was in love with Buffy... I had to laugh myself when he started up! And it was great to see Drusilla again.

EPISODE 15: I WAS MADE TO LOVE YOU
The gang encounters a powerful robot named April who is determined to find Warren, the man who built her to love only him.

My Thoughts:
Another episode that was made more for fun and laughs then anything else. And the way they went from something so fun to something so direly serious at the very end was the perfect way to go in my opinion.

Season 5: Disc 5

EPISODE 16: THE BODY
Buffy, Dawn and their friends find themselves dealing with the painful events surrounding Joyce's sudden and unexpected death.

My Thoughts:
Wow!... what to say about this one other then it is an extremely powerful episode. I am a person that has had to deal with death quite a bit in my life... and let me tell you... Joss Whedon did an awesome job at displaying how it feels to suddenly loose a loved one. He definitely hit it right on by my experiences at least.

EPISODE 17: FOREVER
Unable to accept her mother's death Dawn enlists Spike's help in gathering the ingredients needed to cast a spell to bring her mother back from the dead.

My Thoughts:
Another good episode. What kid wouldn't want to try to get their mother back... think it was a place the show had to go to from where it left off.

EPISODE 18: INTERVENTION
While Buffy travels to the desert on a quest to find the Primitive, the gang back home encounters a very realistic Buffybot who seems to be in love with Spike.

My Thoughts:
A good episode... a fun one mixed with bringing the season long arc further.Was hilarious when Xander and Anya thought Buffy was getting it on with Spike in the graveyard... and I have to say... I agree with Buffy in this story... they couldn't tell just by the way the Buffybot was talking and acting that it was a robot?... especially as shortly after they dealt with the other robot girl? That part was a little hard to buy.

EPISODE 19: TOUGH LOVE
Glory angrily leaves Tara in a mindless state after realizing she is not the Key, an act which pits her against all the powerful and dark magic Willow can summon.

My Thoughts:
The episodes are starting to really draw you in by now... as the season long arc is coming close to a closure.

Season 5: Disc 6

EPISODE 20: SPIRAL
Glory finally realizes Dawn is the Key, and Buffy surprises her friends by telling them best option for staying alive is to leave Sunnydale.

My Thoughts:
Very good episode... lots of action to keep you glued to your seat.

EPISODE 21: THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD
Willow uses magic to try and rouse Buffy out of her catatonic state after Glory kidnaps, and then disappears with, Dawn.

My Thoughts:
This one is a good episode... but a bit on the weird side... though that is to be expected since it is what is going on in Buffy's mind after Glory captures Dawn.

EPISODE 22: THE GIFT
Refusing to believe that killing Dawn is the only way to save the universe, Buffy prepares to do battle against Glory - and finally realizes the true meaning of "her gift."

My Thoughts:
Another great episode... with lots of action and a surprise ending.

Over all Season Thoughts:

This season has been much better then the last in my opinion. No more Initiative... and I didn't miss Riley at all once he left. Though... I do have to admit that Glory really isn't a favorite of mine of the "Big Bads"... but it she wasn't the worse either. This was definitely a season that kept my attention and didn't bore me one bit.

[Najemikon]

The Body is amongst the finest television writing I've ever seen. We are probably similar in our experiences, Pete, and I agree he captured that terrible, awful feeling so well. There are entire films set around the death of a character that miss the target by some margin. Yet this one-off episode about a arse-kicking cheerleader nailed it, as you say. It's so powerful, raw and real, and it's very special when a writer in any medium makes that personal connection. I got the same thing from a passage in a book called The Soulforge by Margaret Weis, so much so that I wrote to her. She replied that she had recently lost her mother and just poured her heart into the chapter. I wonder if Joss Whedon was doing something similar? That said, books can get away with being a bit abstract, but a TV show or a film has to be far more designed. All the more credit to him to be able to put those feelings into context.

I thought he used Anya's demon character brilliantly; outside of sci-fi, she's a rather flippant and "silly" character, here used to channel a reaction we struggle to put into words. The whole episode is edited perfectly as well and I loved the vampire at the end. He was very different to the usual style, in keeping with the rest of the episode.

In comparison, another of my favourite series, The Sopranos, never came close to this standard IMO. A strange comparison you might think, but when Nancy Marchand (Livia Soprano) sadly died, I expected something really insightful to write out her character, but they fluffed it in the worst way. They meant well, I'm sure, but to me it suggested that David Chase was near his limit despite a mantelpiece weighed down by awards. With this episode, Joss Whedon showed he has an incredible range as a writer and it's that range that invests the entire run of Buffy. He's probably having too much fun, but I'd like to see a serious character drama by him (Paul Haggis, Million Dollar Baby sort of thing). I have a feeling it would be of a very high standard.

[Tom]

I am currently watching Roseanne Season 2 where our Joss has written a lot of the episodes 

[lyonsden5]

I am currently watching Roseanne Season 2 where our Joss has written a lot of the episodes 

I did not know that. Thanks!!!!

[Tom]

He was the story editor for most of the season and has written four episodes himself.
On some lines during the season I have to think, that those sound like they came from him.
For example:
Darlene: How come the liquor cabinet is open?
Becky: I don't know. Maybe the wine had to breathe.

[lyonsden5]

He was the story editor for most of the season and has written four episodes himself.
On some lines during the season I have to think, that those sound like they came from him.
For example:
Darlene: How come the liquor cabinet is open?
Becky: I don't know. Maybe the wine had to breathe.

 

[addicted2dvd]

Season 6: Disc 1

1. Bargaining  (Parts 1 & 2)
The gang resolves to bring the Slayer back from the dead - and succeeds, despite being hindered by a band of biker demons.

My Thoughts:
I can't remember how this aired on TV... but on the DVDs it plays as a double length episode. I think they did a good job on bringing Buffy back. This was of course the first episode to air on the new channel. Was a decent episode.

2. After Life
As Buffy adjusts to life after resurrection, a shadowy presence menaces her sidekicks - a side effect of the spell cast by Willow to bring the Slayer back.

My Thoughts:
Another good episode... They now need to deal with the repercussions of bringing Buffy back.

3. Flooded
A trio of young wannabe-big-bads cause trouble, while Buffy shoulders grown-up responsibilities such as running a household.

My Thoughts:
Another decent episode... and when I say decent episode I mean nothing really bad... but at the same time nothing really stands out as being special in the episode. I have mixed feelings about the trio... first of all... how can you take them seriously on them giving Buffy such a hard time... but at the same time they are just so fun to watch... they are just plain hilarious.

Season 6: Disc 2

4. Life Serial
The Slayer struggles to readjust to life in Sunnydale by attending classes with Willow and working with Xander, while the Geek Trio test her abilities with a secret campaign of harassment.

My Thoughts:
Once again... a fun episode. The trio each taking turns to see how much they can mess with Buffy's head gives us plenty of fun hijinks to watch. I have to admit... I loved the mummy hand that Buffy had to deal with in the magic shop... that was about as fun as it could get for me. I enjoyed every minute of this episode.

5. All the Way
Dawn sneaks out on Halloween and gets into a dangerous situation with a teenage vampire.

My Thoughts:
If I am not mistaken... this is the last Halloween episode of Buffy.... at least I don't remember a Halloween episode in the final season. It was a fun episode... and I have to admit... Anya looked might fine in her Charlie's Angels costume! Another episode I really enjoyed.

6. Once More, With Feeling
A mysterious force impels the Scooby Gang to burst into song, revealing their true feelings.

My Thoughts:
OK... my asbestos suit is on... don't you all flame me at once... but I HATE this episode! Of course that could have something to do with the fact that I do not like musicals at all!

7. Tabula Rasa
Despite Tara's misgivings about her overindulgence in magic, Willow does a spell that goes awry and gives the gang amnesia.

My Thoughts:
This one was a lot of fun too... enjoyed the episode... but I must say at this point they must be running out of ideas for the demons... whats with a guy with a shark head for a loan shark... yes I get it... he is a loan shark... but come on! LOL

[Najemikon]

I can't stand musicals either, but I absolutely love OMWF. It may simply be because they had a demonic reason to burst into song. Normally I detest musicals because they act like it's perfectly normal to sing at the top of their lungs with a full dance troupe bouncing into shot.

[addicted2dvd]

LOL... tell me about it... what is that all about... just suddenly bursting into song and dance like it is a completely normal and acceptable thing to do in everyday life. I believe if someone did that in real life they would be in an asylum in no time! 

I know what you mean about the cause being demonic... but unfortunately that just didn't help it enough for me. Of course there is the other problem I have... and this is really where I lose most people....

But I do not like music. Yes I mean all types of music. I am not a fan of any kind... and I do not own a single music CD or anything like it. Yes I have been told I am weird... and maybe I am in that line of thought... but what can I say... I just don't enjoy music at all.... and for the most part I can put background music out of my mind while watching movies or shows. But that becomes difficult when it comes to musicals. 

[Najemikon]

There must be something, Pete! You're even ruling out traditional classical scores? Or even really simple themes, like John Carpenter? 

[addicted2dvd]

lol... lets put it this way... I wouldn't personally care if all forms of music suddenly disappeared from the face of the Earth.  and yes.. that includes classical scores... or simple themes. I usually just zone the music out as much as possible while watching TV.

I really... and honestly do not like any form of music.

That being said... my daughter absolutely loves music... she is in the school choir... and yes I have had this discussion with her music teacher... who is still amazed by me... but then she also says in this case she is even more impressed with me... as I never miss a single concert that my daughter is in. But hey... she is my baby girl... I can suffer for an hour or so for her. 

[RossRoy]

<completely ignores comment about not liking music>  (yes, I LOVE music)

OMWF is one of my favorite episode of Buffy. While I don't especially like musicals usually, I love how Joss advanced the story through the songs. It is an episode you can't really skip if you want the whole story.

[addicted2dvd]

Now... that is true... there is no way to skip this episode. So much important info comes out of it. Which is a bit unfortunate for someone like me... if there is anyone else out there like me! 

But that's ok... I can take it... I lived with this my entire life... you all wouldn't believe some of the reactions I have gotten through-out the years!... but none of the reactions bother me... all is good... everyone one has different tastes to a point. and mine in this area is just to an extreme.

[Kathy]

I'm with Sebastien on this one 

Maybe I should just  it.

[addicted2dvd]

LOL... believe me... I think I have seen some jaws dropped that far in real life when I mentioned it.