Topic: Buffy The Vampire Slayer Marathon

[Dragonfire]

I didn't really like Wesley that much in Buffy.  I only started like him in Angel.  He ended up being one of my favorites in that show.

I remember when I first saw they brought Wesley over on Angel... My first reaction was "Oh no! Anybody but him!"... Turns out he was pretty good on Angel.

That's basically what I thought when he first showed up too.  Not him.  :lol  Then he started growing on me as the character evolved. 

[Critter]

3.15
Consequences

Plot: Faith tells Giles that Buffy is the one who slew the Deputy Mayor. Angel apprehends Faith, but Wesley thwarts his intervention and allows Faith to escape. She plans to leave town on the next freighter.

My Thoughts: Talk about losing it. Faith really gets out of control in this one and it's the first time we really see her start spinning from a friend to a real antagonist to the rest of the Scooby gang. Buffy of course still has faith in Faith, yet the rest of the gang is not quite so sure, and as Willow put it, "why should we help her?". I love seeing this animosity form within the group over this issue, and I especially loved the idea of Faith teaming up with the Mayor. I do like Faith as a character, yet funnily enough I like her when she is evil such as now just as much as I like her when she comes good again in season 7. I'm looking forward to rewatching the following episodes of showdowns between Faith and our Scoobies.

Rating: 3½/5

[Critter]

3.16
Doppelgangland

Plot: Wanting to be a vengeance demon again, Anya tricks Willow into helping with a spell to retrieve her power center, the amulet Giles destroyed in an alternate reality ("The Wish"). Instead of the amulet, however, the spell transports Willow's vampire version to an unsuspecting Sunnydale.

My Thoughts: Yay! Anya is back and she brought Vampire Willow with her! What a wonderfully hilarious episode. Everything about this episode is fantastic. Great continuity from earlier ventures into this reality and Alyson Hannigan really has a chance to shine. Much of the dialogue was just perfect here. I would list some of my favourite lines but I would have to type out almost half the episode word-for-word. This episode doesn't really follow through with the major story arcs that are happening in the season right now, but it doesn't really matter. I see it as more of a brief (and hilarious) escape from the rest of the story which has turned rather dark in the last few episodes, not that there's anything wrong with that but it is nice to have a laugh again.

Rating: 5/5

[Critter]

 

I just realised I have been doing this marathon for 6 months already and am still only in season 3. Talk about slow. I may have it finished by.... 2030  .

[Tom]

That's not so bad. I started my Buffy marathon two years ago and I am still stuck at the beginning of season six.

[goodguy]

Started with S1 in 2007. Started with S6 (or season sux) in October 2008. Last episode watched 6x08 in May 2010.

[Critter]

Haha that makes me feel a lot better! It's good to know we aren't all as speedy as Pete.

[Critter]

3.17
Enemies

Plot: The Mayor and Faith plot to use a demon to steal Angel's soul and let Angelus remove Buffy from the picture.

My Thoughts: I really love how this episode keeps you guessing the whole time. I have seen it before but even so I still thought that Angel might have actually lost his soul. Both him and Buffy play their roles so convincingly that they really do make it believable. And the moment where they reveal the truth to Faith is an absolute gem. Great writing and acting all round in this episode, and I'm glad that the Scoobies now know Faiths true agenda and that she is working with the Mayor.

Rating: 4/5

[goodguy]

3x17 is actually the first episode where they "cheat" the audience. Usually BtVS makes a point to not use that storytelling device.

[Critter]

3.18
Earshot

Plot: Buffy is infected by a demon's blood and gains the ability to read minds. At Sunnydale High, Buffy overhears someone through mind-reading making a violent death threat to the whole school. As she goes insane hearing everyone's thoughts all at once, Angel, Giles and Wesley struggle to save her.

My Thoughts: Yet again we have another gem that shows how an episodes can be so funny, yet so serious and drama-filled at the same time. The balance here is perfect between that humour and drama. Cordelia especially is hilarious in this episode as we discover that the girl literally says everything she thinks. And Oz's ramblings in his mind are priceless. More than anything though that final scene between Buffy and Jonathan was really powerful. It's interesting how so many minor characters in this show will go on to later have major roles in later seasons, just another one of the great things about Whedon shows.

Rating: 5/5

[Critter]

3x17 is actually the first episode where they "cheat" the audience. Usually BtVS makes a point to not use that storytelling device.

Which storytelling device?

[goodguy]

3x17 is actually the first episode where they "cheat" the audience. Usually BtVS makes a point to not use that storytelling device.

Which storytelling device?

Of cheating the audience by withholding information the main characters already have, in order to create a twist. In BtVS, the audience usually knows at least as much as the main characters, most of the time even more.

[Critter]

3x17 is actually the first episode where they "cheat" the audience. Usually BtVS makes a point to not use that storytelling device.

Which storytelling device?

Of cheating the audience by withholding information the main characters already have, in order to create a twist. In BtVS, the audience usually knows at least as much as the main characters, most of the time even more.

Ah I see what you mean now, becuase we as the audience didn't know what Angel and Buffy were planning. I really liked it, I thought it was clever writing. And they pulled it off quite well.

[goodguy]

Personally, I think it's a bit of a cheap trick and as I said, 3x17 is kind of an anomaly within BtVS in that regard.

[Critter]

Hmm I hadn't heard of that before. I personally liked it, and a lot of the online guides etc that I have been reading while watching the series seemed to love the episode to.