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back to episodes 1-8

Never Leave Me

Good grief, if you haven’t watched the show by now, you’re not going to, so stop with the five minute ‘previouslies’!
Hey - we got the slayers-in-training being killed again. I was missing them
Oh my God I just remembered about Giles.
I feel a Spike-centric (not as much fun as a Nigel-Havers-centric) episode coming on. Better fire up the naked table
Hah! Buffy never knows what she’s doing.
Xander is being quietly professional in the background there.
Crosses of tape on the window - are they preparing for the Blitz or something?
“I have a house to put back together” - Xander is not mending so much as making-do: There is a very big difference.
Gagh, not expecting Andrew then.
Why is Andrew wearing Spike’s coat? Its quite disturbing.
Gratuitous 'Star Wars' reference there.
I only ever liked Swayze in two films - 'Ghost', and 'Dirty Dancing. Although he wasn’t too bad in 'Point Break', from what I remember. Interesting choice from Andrew there.
Jonathan’s voice is a lot higher now he’s dead - and it was quite high before.
Jonathan really is dinky, isn’t he? I have it on good authority he’s shorter than I am, and I’m 5’
Your permanent record doesn’t matter: No job interviewer ever wants to know your A-level grades: Cross Country does not build character; and Pythagoras’ theorem is not at all useful. Welcome to the real world kids.
“This is the part where I’m not bluffing”Heh.
Dawn giving a full and comprehensive fake sick note. Far too much information from Dawn there (“She has stuff coming out both ends”) No wonder the poor man looks nauseated.
Travers! Boo, hiss. They’ve got Quentin Travers there. Things can’t be looking good.
Giles “Pulled up his stake”? That is one of the worst puns they’ve come out with for a while.
Oh of course they've made it their business, they won't loose track of Giles. He knows too much
“The girl knows nothing.” Well, that’s a given.
Yes! We need Giles now!
That’s a very old fashioned looking map.
I hope they’re going to check his address first rather than work their way through the world map.
So, where is Giles? He can’t be dead, I want the Ripper series!
Spike’s gone to la-la land. Again.
Spike doesn't look very secure in that chair. Surely he could break the arms?
Is that black outfit evil Buffy? I get so confused?
Is that William the Bloody in the corner?
Why does Jewish/Wicca Willow appear to be wearing a cross? Or am I a) imagining things or b) focusing far too much on trivial details?
Buffy briefly considers killing Anya, but has to decline the offer.
Xander finally gets a chance to show his knowledge, to Willow’s dismay.
“How are you” - but if Principle Wood asks, she’s vomiting.
Warren is twisted. Redundant statement, I know. Sorry. /I find the geekiness of the Movie references they make alternatively funny or annoying depending on long it goes on for.
“That’ll do Pig” Now that is a twisted quote. And I missed it until one my friends pointed it out.
Run piggy, run! Pigs are slippery little buggers, Andrew doesn't stand a chance. This is why most people use goats, there's more to hang on to
Do butchers actually sell blood or is it a Sunnydale thing?
The butcher's seen 'The Matrix'?
That was a pathetically slow chase, you'd think either Willow or Andrew could have summoned up a turn of speed
Andrew really isn’t convincing as a bad guy.
Naturally Willow is more convincing than Andrew
“Don’t interrupt me insignificant man” - I have to remember to use that.
Why do I think I recognise some of the whole ‘quotes’ or references that Willow and Andrew were making there? The histrionic language was pretty amusing, along with Willow exasperation with Andrew before she started with the vibe.
That was exceptionally quick with the windows. In fact, when did Xander become a glazier?
It's lucky they have all this useful furniture. I don't think I own a chair with arms
Ooh Interrogation. Love the good cop, bad cop routine.
Eww the blood bag is gross
Giddy Anya and Xander after the first round of ‘interrogation’ was sweet.
Is it just me or is Xander being attractive today?
Withdrawal? We heard the routine before. Yawn. Is this Buffy’s answer to everything now?
That bedspread is really middle-aged. Although calling it a bedspread is also quite middle-aged.
I’ve got a soul and I haven’t got a penny-whistle. I feel bereft.
Is it me, or is the dubbing really bad in this episode?
Yeah, and she turned another guy French. Now that really was cruel
I love Xander’s look of shock as Anya whacks him, and the sulk he has afterwards.
Buffy can hear Spike talking to William the Bloody? My brain hurts me.
“You can talk or I can keep hitting you. I’d love to keep hitting you” Anya really getting into the ‘bad cop’ role there.
Damn, thinks Xander, another bloody wall to repair in the in Summers household. That was some shoddy drywall. There should have been a lathe in there somewhere
We can safely assume that was William the Bloody in control there biting a chunk out of Andrews neck?
Xander figures it out. He’s not as dumb as they sometimes play him. I like that.
I knew the humming was evil.
No, this is left over from watching 'The Manchurian Candidate'
And that’s where the movie knowledge lets Xander down.
“We have to find out what’s doing this” - Haven’t we been trying to do that all season so far. Why not try running?
Well, that was a less than subtle change of scene
Why doesn't a school basement have a lock on the door?
Was that a bleeping in the background and was it significant? Maybe Principal Wood's a ‘sleeper’ too?
If they had manacles why didn't they use them before?
Poor Andrew, still defined by who his brother was. Although, how exactly, would Spike know Tucker?
Spike detailing exactly what he used to be like. Mad, bad and dangerous to know.
So did Angel, she stabbed him pretty quickly when it was called for
Spare me the speechifying from Buffy, please.
He's alive because he's a bigger ratings puller than she is. The female viewers aren't here for the positive role models you know
I have a horrible feeling the message this season is going to be ‘believe in yourself.’
Oh crap, thinks Xander, I had just finished fixing that window.
Door handles people, honestly
Hah, I knew there was something creepy about that new headteacher. Gravedigging is probably part of the headteacher induction programme.
There’s some surprising fighting skills emerging from Dawn here.
Ahh, aren’t they the people that came with the first, with the no-eyes thing? Do we think they may possibly be after the new souled vampire currently residing in Sunnydale?
They can manage a key but not a door handle?
And Buffy finally gets it.
London Ooh look, black cabs, must be London again. The establishing shot used is of the Treasury Building, the shot of it blowing up is the Foreign Office.
Hey -looks like they’ve managed to locate all of the Watchers that came to Sunnydale with Travers the last time - I’m sure the blonde talking to Travers was the one that wrote her thesis on William the Bloody.
Something very bad is going to happen now that poetry has been quoted.
“Remaining operatives”: Remaining operatives? That’s only Faith and Wesley, both of whom are a bit preoccupied, so I don’t hold out much hope.
I have trouble with the Watchers Council using words like "operatives" and mobilisation"
Yeah, taking everyone to the Hellmouth is really going to improve the situation. Why aren’t the watchers living around the Hellmouth area anyway?
Explosion: Well, no hope now. Nasty! I knew that something bad was coming, but blowing up the Watcher’s Council Headquarters was a bit much. It was quite a nice looking building. Dude! They blew it up. In a very fake-looking shot, I have to say. Blimey! That's what you get for quoting the Bible when you should be moving to a secure location. This may just be a London-centric thing, but when the building blew up my first thought was “Delays on the Underground”. I must have looked away at a critical moment 'cause I completely missed the blowing up of the Watchers, I got these fringedwellings and had to go to check to find out what the hell you were all talking about
Ah, there we go. I knew they couldn't go a whole episode without JM getting his kit off
Jack O’Neill took torture a lot better than Spike.
The wheel that they’ve mounted Spike on looks like that da Vinci one (Proportions of a man) they used to one one of those serious BBC programmes. Is it all supposed to be symbolic?
Ugh, blood dripping grossness.
They've raided the costume cupboard from 'From Dusk Till Dawn'
That’s the ultimate vampire? It looks like an orc. Ooh. The Master’s looking rough. Was that meant to be the Master? If it was then the new make-up sucks

Bring On The Night

No! The Skittle's gone! Bring back the Sour Skittle!
I’ve always wanted a broom like that.
Poor Xander, it's always him cleaning up
I thought that Xander would be pissed about those windows.
“Nothing, nothing and Cliff Notes to nothing” - I sympathise with Anya, I had much the same experience whilst researching my dissertation.
It's not like it takes more than a blade of grass to put Angel over the edge
Dawn has picked up bad habits in her approach to using violence on men.
Have they checked that Andrew isn't dead?
Ah, the unreliability of vague internet searches.
Is that helping hand Giles? Joyce? No its her dead mother, quick behead it, it's evil! Oh will she never learn?
Xander is not very good at sweeping he’s been going the same bit over and over again
Ahh, it’s a dream with Joyce being all non-reassuring. Or maybe it’s not and when she wakes up that is actually a dream or maybe I’m just getting confused again.
Oh honestly couldn't they have gouged something pretty in his chest?
Wow, Spike has officially passed Riley for number of naked table entries. I think Riley's nudity per episode percentage is still higher though /Sunnydale High Basement - Spike, Dru Spike looks like he has hairy armpits, in comparison to the rest of his body. How sad do I feel that I actually noticed that?
It’s Dru! She’s usually fairly entertaining, as long as you forgive the accent. And compared to some of the ‘British’ accents on show in this episode, it’s not that bad. Where are Drusilla’s burns? Or is she The First? I am so confused.
I know Spike's not as bad as he used to be, but he's not quite a girl
Hey, Lex isn’t evil yet. Morally ambiguous maybe, but not evil.
I don’t think that there’s such a thing as goat headed goodness.
The Satanic manhole cover, leading to the sewer system of hell
Xander is slightly freaked by the geeky male bonding there.
Notice the slight pause as they all realise that they have to explain why they’re in the basement with shovels. Well it's always embarrassing when you meet your boss out of work. I had a very similar encounter with one of my teachers when we were both bunking off school to go to Burghley Three Day Event. There was a very strange moment between two trade stands where we both agreed not to mention it to anyone
The Principal still looks nauseated when Dawn starts talking about Buffy’s ‘illness’. Mind you, Dawn talking can have the same effect sometimes. Can you tell she’s not always one of my favourite characters?
Wouldn't the Principal know about a time capsule project? That's usually local paper photo-op kind of stuff. You see the problem with time capsules is that you are the only person who knows they are there, and so consequently they get dug up 6 months later just to retrieve the money you put in to demonstrate ancient coinage.
“Kids today like Redbull and Jackass” - They really don’t, do they? Preferably with Vodka.
Hey, Willow’s doing magic on a table this time.
Wow! This whole bit was set up, so Willow can’t save the day with her magic just yet, I’m sure of it.
Yay! Giles.... Oh god. He’s The First as well isn’t he?
Oh god, accent ahoy. I’m going to hate that “mockney” accent.
Giles has a Hareem
I do love the idea of a slight apocalypse. Giles is back in Sunnydale! Who cares about an apocalypse or two? (Apocalypti? Apocalypses?)
Why aren’t there any fat, ugly slayers?
Surely they don't expect Buffy to put them all up
I don't get that. If all the potentials are killed then there'll just be more potentials. Besides, the Watchers don't even know who all the potentials are, how will they know when they're all gone?
“And then me” - it always comes down to Buffy doesn’t it?
The Council aren't saying much
“They were in session and there was an explosion” - and that is why royalty always travel separately.
The Council went Boom! Giles got the good stuff first, about sums it up.
Andrew sensing that it's time for a dramatic interjection
Molly? Oh Christ. I hope the Evil kills her first. Oh my God, that accent! And the word prattle! These girls have never been out of the US in their lives, have they? Those accents are dire. Especially Molly, the wannabe with the curly hair in bunches. You know what really scares me about these accents? That these are the best they could get. Think about that for a moment
They're making him wet! Excellent!
Vampires don't breathe, why is being held underwater a problem?
That water looker much cleaner from underneath
Believe it or not, there is actually a ‘Sunnydale Garden Centre’ in Wales. I know, I’ve seen it, not far from a little town called Blaenavon.
Actually, its March
We missed you too Giles.
“Her hair is shiny” - Andrew has a very sensible approach to choosing leaders.
Was that wannabe (I forget her name) flirting with Willow or was it my imagination?
Comedy Pratfall! Buffy falling down the hole was funny because I expected Giles to do it, although I think that Bitca could probably pull off the nonchalant “I’m OK!” thing pretty well.
Super-Vamp was wearing a flak jacket. Stakes don’t work - this may complicate things. Nice to see that bashing with heavy objects is still fairly effective though.
New improved Slayer with hole extraction skills. They’re trying to make us think Giles is a manifestation of the First, aren’t they. That’s why he’s not pulling her out of the hole.
It didn't burst into flame, that's not fair
That's a cool echo of a shot from 'Welcome To The Hellmouth'
“They’re vampires that vampires fear” (not sure if that’s quite the wording there). Uh-oh. That can’t be good. Ahh it’s the vampire equivalent of an Unas!
Wow, the Principal's got good eyesight. Buffy, Always face the entrance when using the internet at work.
Hey, I liked ‘Down Periscope’ although it wasn’t for Rob Schenider’s input.
Surely having a counselor in an open plan office negates one of counseling's central premises?
But the winning part is the best bit
“Dru, Love, Get Bent.” I found this rather amusing for some reason. Mostly the exasperated way Spike said it, I think.
Daddy? Dru's a little confused about this. Why does she keep calling him Daddy? Last time I checked ME were saying she sired him. This series is determined to drive me as insane as Dru, I’m sure of it.
I think I’d prefer to take my chances with the vampire than listen to Drusilla.
That's a useful feature on that jacket
That’s not an encouraging pep talk from Joyce.
Willow sounds like a demented VCR. Nouns Willow. The words you are looking for are nouns.
The house they're in, that's a good point. If someone chucks a match on it they're screwed
Well, if they untie Andrew they can use the chair in a barricade. Do they untie Andrew to let him use the bathroom?
I love the idea of using the dark side as a storage unit
This is Sunnydale, doesn't Annabelle know that there's no limit to the number of things that can eat her
Oh well, one annoying female down. Please, that was one of the ones with the bad ‘English’ accent, wasn’t it? I’ll cry if it wasn’t.
Eeww! What did she spit at him? It looked red. I'm not sure but I think it was her own blood
Buffy's looking for weapons in the warehouse? Why on earth didn't she take some with her when she went to find the Uber-Vamp? Did she think perhaps she wasn't going to get in a fight?
Chop his head off, that'll kill most things. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. Flamethrower Buffy, flamethrower.
If it's pure then taint it
“I’m beyond tired” - well you should have got some sleep when everyone told you to.
“An army” - doesn’t there have to be a minimum number to constitute an army? They’re more like a militia.
Ah, the stirring music begins. She’s getting better at this speech stuff, isn’t she. Well, as speeches go, I prefer it to the one in 'The Gift'. Less threatening of bodily harm to friends if she doesn’t get her own way. Although, can’t exactly see the Hellmouth choking on her- there’s not much of a mouthful there is there?
“Any questions?”... Erm, just a few.

Showtime

They like that shot of people descending from buses/trains etc.
They just leave a phone book lying around?
Why is the Slayer-in-training looking through the telephone book? Are there mystical properties to the Yellow Pages that I should be aware of? Surely slayers in waiting would know about being prepared? At least have the phone number before you depart girl!
Is this the first black character that hasn’t been evil?
Shouldn't a potential be able to do something a bit more impressive than cower in a corner?
“Her is me.” Slayer she may be, Grammar Girl she isn’t.
“Safe.” In Sunnydale? I think they lied. Or over-exaggerated at least. Yeah, that new potential is right to be worried about the difference between safe and safer.
“Welcome to the Hellmouth” Well, we really are going back through the references this season.
Who the hell is Indigo? Because that’s a stupid name.
Willow really isn’t dealing well with being hit on by Kennedy. The house is filling up fast, eventually Willow’s going to have to sleep with someone and better Kennedy than Andrew.
She has wings in her houses? You can sense the momentary envy radiating off Willow there.
Old Age-y, witch-craft for pensioners, explains a lot
Not a fat one among them. How many of the wannabe’s are there now? Hopefully no more mangling of the British accent if we’re lucky.
Is that blond girl meant to be Australian?
Maybe Buffy stopped for pizza?
Love Xander telling them all to shut up. Can’t be easy babysitting that many of them.
Andrew must have serious cramp by now.
Don't people who mutter just drive you mad?
“Episode One bored.” Oh yeah, I know that feeling. A movie about a trade treaty that didn’t happen? B-O-R-I-N-G.
Since when did being ‘peckish’ equal being hungry? Peckish is feeling like a little bit of a nibble on something, hungry is really wanting to eat. Not the same thing at all. Hmmph. Good expression though.
None of the slayers are wearing skanky pyjamas.
How to hurt the First? Make it watch Disney movies, encourage it to think happy thoughts...
Oh, no she's a Southern belle type
I like Anya’s hair.
I don’t think there is a plan. There isn’t much of one normally.
Is it me, or does it look like James Masters has lost muscle tone when he’s chained to that wall? I think you’re right. He has lost muscle tone. Still pretty feisty though.
Spike dreamt that horrible pastel outfit?
Oh God. It’s Buffy as the first again. My brain hurts from trying to keep up.
Somehow I can understand demons having jobs etc in LA, but it feels wrong in Sunnydale.
Giles looking slightly queasy about the massacre reminisces. I’m right there with him.
So Anya is basically a prostitute for the white hats.
They’re really milking the whole cat/kittens joke for all it’s worth, aren’t they?
Giles gets all threatening and assertive. Rowr. Leave it to Giles to really get the extortion and blackmail going.
Those spiky things on the back of hands are very useful if one has to open a lot of portals.
No Anya, the hair is nice. (Although I hasten to add not nice enough to make me want to sleep with her.)
I get the feeling the Coven aren’t ringing transatlantic rates for a general chit-chat.
Living room Andrew is a dweeb. I’m sure I’m repeating myself, but never mind.
That was very restrained of Xander
'Lord of The Rings' is the only exception to my usual “the book is better than the films” rant.
“I’m not sure more scared slayer wannabes translates as help” Shoot me now. I actually agree with something that Dawn just said.
Ooo Stripy Slayer.
The one with the gloves is wearing the same t-shirt she was wearing in bed.
Slayers in training That southern slayer, Eve is very depressing. Eve is really the First in disguise, isn’t she. There’s no reason to keep being so bloody negative. That blonde one is very well made up for someone freaking out about the end of the world.
"Not one of us is remotely prepared..." Hence the training regime, so you become remotely prepared. I thought that was the point, despite the potential-ness, they're just little girlie girls
“I hear there’s another Slayer” Yeah. She’s called Faith, and according to the mighty Joss, you lot won’t get activated until she dies. Buffy’s death won’t trigger a new slayer, else we’d have three already.
Oh somebody slap her, "The weight of the world on her shoulders," not even Buffy's head is that big
Not "Buffy, go ask the manager for the key"
"Dead for days," two days at most considering she only got in the day before yesterday
Hah! I knew it! She is the First! Aha Evil make-up. What I want to know, did they choose the name of ‘Eve’ deliberately - the First Evil is surely Original Sin? And wasn’t that always blamed on Eve? Possibly thinking about this all a little too much.
Thanks Andrew, the Spike question needed asking again, even if they still neatly avoid answering
Andrew was never an evil genius. Evil doofus maybe, and that’s giving him more credit than he’s worth. Although he was pretty powerful, and since Willow's out as a source of magic, why not let him have a go?
I felt a horrible sense of synergy with Andrew during his James Bond commentary... “I’m so alone.” Not only did I understand Andrew's Bond speech, I sadly agree with it
That couch in the Summers’ living room looks very comfy.
Icky ball of eyes. Eye -ball!! He he. A giant talking eyeball? In a cage? How on earth are those actors keeping a straight face? How is the giant eyeball speaking? It's got plenty of eyelid, but I don't see vocal chords
Is it because Buffy came back from the dead, leaving two slayers; because she was brought back from heaven by mystical means; or did she screw up in some other way?
Given that this is such an end of the world thing, why has no one even mentioned breaking out Faith?
Stop trying Andrew, you’re just embarrassing yourself.
For a show that's made by another network, they're really plugging the W.B. output. Or maybe Andrew's just got a thing for Michael Rosenbaum (well who doesn't..?)
I’m starting to quite like Kennedy. All of the S-I-T’s, she seems to be the only one at least willing to try. None of the others have any backbone. And they may be called on to defend the world - this worries me.
“Maybe it can’t be killed” useful, positive, stripy slayer.
Plan B, flamethrower. Now would be a good time for that rocket launcher
I quite like Kennedy now, especially after her sword gag. Loved Kennedy’s little comment about the sword. Shades of ‘Zorro’ there. Also liked the way she’s trying to reassure Willow. Or flirt with her, it’s a bit of both
Poor Andrew, they couldn't give him a plant mister or something? It'll last longer that way. Why on earth is that bottle of holy water labeled? Who makes the labels? How do they know the water is holy? Is there some kind of litmus test?
“What's evil taste like?” - oh my god, out-fringedwelled by Kennedy
Kind of like chicken. They missed the chance to say ‘Tastes like chicken’! How could they pass that one up? Evil tastes chalky. I always thought it would taste mouldy myself. If I ever thought about it much.
I really hope Molly dies.
Vortexes appear to be bad for your hair.
Anya’s right - Giles has just implied that this is all down to Willow and co. raising Buffy. I can understand why she’d be upset. Please, don’t tell Buffy, she’ll only get all sanctimonious again about them doing it.
Everyone go that way, that's not terribly split
There's no way that'll be finished by May, apocalypse or not
But Buffy's been creamed by this thing twice already. How are close quarters and an arc light going to help?
And Andrew usefully fills in for those of us who have never seen 'Thunderdome'. “Thunderdome” I see no Tina Turner. How can it be the thunderdome?
When did the telepathy happen? More importantly, when did they become used to the telepathy? Willow had telepathy on 'Bargaining' but Xander was afraid of "freaky carnival death". However, I can't believe that Buffy developed mental powers and they didn't take a season to get us to accept the idea. That was telepathy? I just assumed it was a badly-done voice over
Cool, a garotte. Okay, we missed the decapitation by cheese wire shot
“Here endeth the lesson” Between the two series, we seem to be on Bible allusion overload, No more!
Don’t worry Spike, this is the real one, she’s got a cut on her cheek.

Potential

Previous eps summed up: Buffy believes in Spike, The supposedly English Slayer-In-Training (I’m calling them SIT’s from now on as it’s less to type) has an atrocious accent. Eve (SIT) was actually the first evil, with a really bad deep-south accent.
Oh god the slayers-in-waiting, can’t they just lock them in a cellar with something dangerous?
Okay, thought Spike had gone all possessed and was attacking the SIT’s there. Damn, they were just training. Although Kennedy’s cool, leave her for the moment.
Rona just preempted me.
Ouch! Headfirst into a gravestone.
“Instinct. Understand his, but trust yours” Buffy Summers' first cheesy motto of the day. I’m sure there will be more.
Buffy is a little slow to stop straddling Spike there.
Where did he move her hand to then?
Are we sure Molly is a potential and not just some horrible mistake?
Those are strange trousers on Buffy, or perhaps she is just oddly shaped.
That axe is a cool way to get their attention, I must look into that.
So this is morally upliftng!Buffy. “You’re all going to die.” “Death is what the Slayer lives.” Buffy’s next two attempts at motivational mottos aren’t quite so catchy.
Rapt attention. A real teacher can get that with a well-placed cough
“ Terakhan” - Chaka Khan is more scary. “Chaka-Khan”. Great, now I have that cover of ‘Ain’t Nobody’ by Liberty X stuck in my brain. Thanks Buffy.
I have no idea why I’m here either sometimes. Answers anyone?
"You are the chosen ones," No they’re not yet. That would involve a slayer dying. You don’t count Buffy; you’ve done it already.
Not another poor-Dawn episode.
End of the world and you still have to attend school. And go to work
The SIT’s peeked, didn’t they? Lovely mental image of Xander in the shower with all these little enquiring faces peering though the glass. I bet he got their rapt attention easily enough
“Do people ever think you’re weird? ” Buffy? Frequently.
Why shouldn't she be weird? Weird is good
Who is in that red-cube picture on Buffy's desk? It looks like a blonde Ted Dansen. It's not her Dad is it? It's probably a fan who won a competition or something, that or the set-dresser's new boyfriend
Shouldn’t Buffy have some kind of qualification to be doing this job?
If you think he's cute, you think he's cute. Hormones don't play by the rules (and I'm saying this from experience)
Can you get face shortening operations? Because if you can, that girl should get one.
Amanda, you’re asking the wrong person for advice there. a) She’s not got the best history in relationships, and b) you’ve given her an excuse to channel into the ‘world revolves around me’ again.
Buffy is having a problem with the sub-text and the text there. Counselors need to leave the baggage at the door, and, in Buffy's case, learn to speak in complete sentences
Since when was Andrew part of the Scooby Gang high council? Although, he amuses me when he pouts like that.
I bet her name isn't really Althanea, it's Agnes and she changed it to sound more witchy.
Please tell me the new potential is the weird girl and not Dawn. It's going to be Dawn isn't it? Oh I hope it’s Andrew
We nearly stormed the amenity block with water pistols.
Nice lesbian joke by Kennedy there.
Small dogs whine less than Andrew
“Like a mushroom” - Mushrooms don’t pick up flavour, that’s onions. No, that's mushroom surely? Onions just make everything else taste onion-y
Ooh, Andrew's finally lost me with the 'Dragonball Z' reference.
Spike had plenty of free will for the 150 years he was a bloodsucking fiend
I love the idea of Butterfly Transformer Pods. The 80s toy marketing campaign that never happened. Transformer Pods- Caterpillars in Disguise!
Please don’t let me be the only one that giggled when Andrew was messing about with the snakeskin.
“Killing pigs is wrong” - So is killing your best friend. “Killing pigs is so wrong. And also hard” Sick, sick joke. Loved it.
That glowing aura won't attract the attention of the Bringers at all
And here's a map I enchanted earlier...
Please god, tell me she did it wrong. Did you hear the unearthly scream emanating from the East Midlands? That was me when that spell seemed to point to Dawn.
Potential sailors, that great!
“She has to die” - But so far she hasn’t had to stay dead so it’s not so much of a problem. Why do they keep forgetting! Buffy dies and doesn’t activate a new Slayer. That is done if Faith dies now. Is nobody listening to me? I only preach what the great Joss has spoken.
"You're important now." You would have hoped that, from Buffy and Dawn's perspective, she was important before
Hmm, teenage Anakin and teenage Dawn, I'm seeing the connection.
Buffy wouldn't be happy for her, not if she's got any sense... Oh, okay
Xander should do something about the sound proofing in that house. Dawn shouldn’t be able to hear that conversation all the way upstairs with the bedroom door closed.
Actually, being an idiot and climbing out of her window into a Sunnydale night is going to get Dawn killed. Dawn sneaks out when confronted by something she doesn’t want to deal with. Surprised, I’m not.
Hey, Willie’s! It’s been a while since they’ve been here. Ah, the good old days.
Rona preempted me again.
They must have whisky in there somewhere, even if it's only for a mixer
Cool. Clem’s there. Clem! I love Clem. Clem should get a spin-off series.
But just what did his face do then? I didn't know he could do that. I knew that Clem was going to do something weird with his face. It would have to be pretty damn grim if it drove them to yak urine. What kind of demon drinks yak urine anyway?
Weird girl just sucked her own blood
“Swing choir” - I have a really bizarre image of choristers on swings.
High functioning? Really?
Amanda seems to be more of a potential slayer - attraction to violence and evil and all that.
You’d think Sunnydale High would have better security given that so many of its pupils have died.
Ah, the old marching band/swing choir rivalry.
Always look up!
It's a Jazz Vampire! Now that really is frightening
Mother and daughter have an affinity for fire safety equipment. Does Sunnydale have special vampire-extinguishers with holy water in them, and a little picture warning not to use them on electrical fires?
Spike had a bed, or at least blankets and throws, which is more comfortable than a stone floor
Hah! They took my advice. They’re locking them in there with a vamp, after she was upset when it happened to her? And that was after she had experience fighting vampires.
Xander greets that plan with all the enthusiasm of the man who'll have to mend the door jamb when Anya's done
Actually letting him eat the marching band is a way better idea than sitting in a classroom screaming.
That was a spectacular flame for a school laboratory gas tap
Wow. Buffy really did leave all the potentials alone in that crypt
Nice teamwork there. And thankfully it would appear Dawn isn’t the newest SIT.
How come Amanda is great at fighting but the other potentials aren't?
Discombobulated. Good word.
If the potentials are like slayers then they probably felt hungry and horny.
How adorable did Xander look standing there in the doorway working up to his speech?
Hey. Xander mentioned Oz. Big yay to that! “I could fit Oz in my shaving kit” - A shaving kit that size must be really difficult to pack for holidays.
It's about time Xander got to celebrate his un-specialness.
Yeah, but none of them would know a cross-head screwdriver if it bit them in the ass
Hey, the guy that fixes the windows is very important. Aww Xander. You’re more than just the guy that fixes the windows. You build stuff too. Just kidding. He’s the steadfast heart of the gang at times when it comes to ‘His Girls’
Dawn’s the Key. How different does she want to be?
Is anyone else snivelling right now or am I just a sucker? I had a lump in my throat after Xander’s little speech, and normally he’s not a particular favourite. I've always said that Xander is very important, it's about time somebody said something!
Buffy's the Slayer, Willow's the witch, Oz is the werewolf. Xander, like Wesley, is the hero, and I've been saying that for seven years
I like the idea of Xander in a cape.
Bit of a mixed bag, this episode

The Killer In Me

I’m going to start right off and say that the episode title can be taken in several ways, not all of them polite interpretations. Of course, I’m twisted, so feel free to ignore the above remark.
Pay attention children, we have lots of vintage flashbacks today - there’s Amy, and Riley and Giles and Warren. A Riley flashback, I wasn't expecting that. They couldn't have found a clip of Riley with better hair? Or less clothing?
“We’ve managed for longer before” - Except the last time Willow nearly destroyed the world. I don’t call that managing.
Why can’t Giles take the notebook himself?
Giles is worried about leaving them now? That’s rather like closing the stable door, after the horse has bolted. Besides, it sounds like Giles is more at risk from the feuding S-I-T’s.
Is this the desert trip again?
I laughed at Giles rendition of the ‘vision quest’ as described by Buffy. He sounds exasperatedly amused, aware he’s on a losing streak before he even starts!
Will Giles get to shake his gourd again?
And poor Giles thought that mentoring one teenage girl was a problem.
I wonder what Giles is (or isn't) driving these days? He wouldn't let the SITs in the Beemer surely? Why isn't Giles driving? A British licence is valid in America, unless they've changed the legislation in the last two years
Giles has my sympathy, but he should leave Molly in the trunk
The Summers’ residential camp for Slayers-in-Waiting is like one of those adventure holiday centres with a very poor safety record.
Even though he’s is tied up, they’ve still provided Spike with an ironing board. How thoughtful.
My whole life (well, Mon-Fri) is full of clomping teenage girly feet.
Buffy and Spike acting like parents who farmed the kids out for the night with the babysitter.
All-serious Spike is no fun.
Poor Spike, being on a leash is nothing new for him. He's been this show's bitch since season four. The First should get in line
Figures that the chip would malfunction - why else would they have shown the really vintage clip of Riley earlier?
Screaming can be good sometimes.
It’s hard to find useful information on websites anyway, (present company excepted).
Buffy: Remember when things used to be nice and boring? (I’m paraphrasing here) Willow: (thinking about it for a second) No. Heatherbelle: Hee. I’m easily amused,
Big faker. As if we didn't know from the start why she stayed at home
Having said that, I totally approve of Kennedy's reluctance to go on a field trip
Willow is so used to missions that she actually believed she was going on one. Drinking cocktails is most definitely a mission.
Yeah, the thing Kennedy has is for you Willow.
Kennedy takes the direct approach there “How long have you enjoyed having sex with women?"
Gaydar, that's the word. ‘Lesbidar’ is a far superior word though.
“It’s like flirting in code” - Isn’t flirting already a code?
Kennedy is good at the chat up lines.
Willow’s eyes look really big and pretty in this scene.
I wonder if there's something in the fact that the only bearable potential in the bunch is a lesbian?
Only lucky for about two and a half years
You can tell Spike’s not well, he doesn’t taste his own blood.
Wouldn’t the chips have been designed on the basis that the ‘Hostile’ would starve to death relatively quickly? It’s been 3-4 years since it was installed, no wonder it's going do-lally.
"Behaviour modification software throughput the ages." There's an undergrad dissertation waiting to happen. Sign on to AOL and see how their child protection programme works
“Who you going to call?” GHOSTBUSTERS! Ahem. I'm sorry, I said it. You do know you guys are just proving Spike right here?
Surely if they're that good an organisation they'll be tapping the phone line and call her back
I always just wanted to smack Scarlet. And I'd rather be on the receiving end of the sweeping thing, especially if Clark Gable was involved
I do that on the Moulin Rouge DVD!
I think Kennedy just lost points with the "fairy tale crap" thing.
I believe this is the “Do you want to come in for coffee?” moment.
Gagh! Warren! Hands up who was royally freaked out when Warren appeared. I freely admit to it.
Ooh. This could get nasty.
Oh bless, Andrew. “Dancing Schnauzers and demi-gods” - Warren really knew what made Andrew tick didn’t he?
I want to hear the Aquaman story!
Props to Adam Busch there for getting the Willow mannerisms. It’s rather unsettling.
Poor Spike! Look at the vampire writhing in silent agony!
“Maybe we can’t wait” - Worryingly, I found myself really hoping their solution would involve emergency surgery. 'ER' is on the other side. I miss it.
So, is she after Amy then?
Not surgery just sneaking... Again.
Must be a Tuesday then. Hmm, usually I'd say Tuesday, but for some reason Wednesday's been the slow night since 'Stargate' finished. Tuesday's 'Manchild' night (Tony Head in a dark blue XK8, nobody should miss that)
Drug? What drug?
Considering how good they’ve been with continuity lately, it’s a shame they didn’t remember the line ‘Burn it down and salt the earth’. That earth looks neither salted nor burnt. They just grew grass over it. To me that signals a distinct dereliction of responsibilities.
Is it just me or does Sunnydale have more underground than overground? It's like the TARDIS, or possibly The Wombles
Nice landing Spike. Very graceful
“Get me one” - Sometimes you just can’t help it, nerd-dom is infectious.
Anya manages to convey contempt and attraction with just one look at Xander there.
The remainder of the gang think Giles is the First. Fringedwellers sit there saying "But we already said that weeks ago!" But Giles has touched stuff hasn't he? I seem to remember seeing him doing it and thinking that it proved he wasn't the First. Maybe I'm imagining it
I think Andrew was making a very positive and thoughtful gesture with the mix tape.
"Out there all alone. All of them." "That's no place for a child..." Honestly people, think about what you're saying
It’s the Wicca group, looking more magical and less “wanna-blessed be” Complete with the ex-rat.
Any self respecting Wicca group should have more than one bake sale a month.
If Willow was only expecting bake sales, then why go to them in the first place?
Wouldn’t being trapped as a rat constitute absolute rock bottom?
Sharing a body with Warren cannot possibly end well.
I wonder how long Kennedy has to stand there before that barrier drops
The “Burn it and salt the earth” looks like it actually turned out to be more of a stick a lid on it and hope it all disappears. Including the corpses. Yeuch.
Oh yes, because the Initiative was so homey before
Where's the atmospheric scarlet lighting coming from? Eerie, inexplicable red lights are never a good sign.
There's someone behind you!
I suppose doing this at night means they don't have to project an unconvincing background behind the car windows
Road.
I think many of the Scooby Gang could benefit from Andrew’s approach to impending doom.
"Think something survived?" God I hope not. "Can you see where?" Of course not, it's dark!
Told you it was behind you.
Oops, the First? Amy can’t be a manifestation of the First Evil, because Willow/Warren was able to slap her - but it seems possible that she might be working with it. Or, it could be Amy’s a spoilt brat and wants to get back at Willow.
I know the First can switch appearance, but can it actually be two dead people at the same time?
That is a very good summary of America’s gun laws.
Evil Giles wouldn’t have taken a tent.
He’s real! Not dead, not the first either! Big yay.
Nobody seems very eager to stop touching Giles, do they?
When you phrase it that way, Giles, I suppose you have a point.
He couldn't come in person? That sucks
Petty name-calling. I love it.
Why is it suddenly daylight?
Oh, here it is, Riley's revenge.
How high up the chain of command has Riley been promoted? He was one of the only survivors of a massive disaster and then he quit. That should have put a crimp in his career
How can the chip be fatal to a vampire? Unless it makes his head explode.
Amy sounds just like her Mum there. Amy is admitting to deliberately pissing off a woman that she knows almost destroyed the world with her magical powers? Is she completely insane or what?
Alyson Hannigan doing psycho-Warren disturbingly well. I found this scarier than Evil Willow.
I’m not sure I’d be so quick to kiss a volatile person holding a gun.
The ‘fairytale’ kiss was cheesy, but effective I suppose - it’s traditional in fairy tales - Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast. Not sure how Kennedy knew it would work, but I’m allow a little dramatic licence.

First Date

Nice move there Giles. Mmm, action!Giles
That’s a very large gravestone for such a small man.
Ah, Giles follows the time-honoured English approach of coping with foreigners by speaking loudly to them.
And an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope?
Giles is asking for trouble here.
If Spike was expecting him to be go-throughable... Oh, thanks Giles
How many earrings is Buffy putting in?
It's good to see the famous fatal-earring stories are not just confined to English P.E. lessons. You know, I heard the stories about hoop earrings too when I was a kid. I tend not to wear hoops to this day, because of it. I’m such a wuss.
Giles has oddly spiky hair in this scene. More like ASH’s ‘Manchild’ character than a Giles haircut.
Bizarre, I have an image of Spike as a chicken now.
Giles is doing the ‘He’s not good enough for my little girl’ speech isn’t he? Awww!
Good vampire. He's not a person
Spike has a soul and so he doesn't need the chip. No one tried to chip Angel. Just because you have a soul, it doesn't mean that you can't do evil things. And if one person knows about doing evil, it's Buffy.
"A girl on a construction site?" Thinks Xander, "That can't be right..."
It's not surprising Xander has trouble getting a date if he spends all his spare time at power tool demonstrations.
Confused but randomly observant, that sounds about right for a fringedweller.
“Wanna have coffee?” - Desperate Xander is surprisingly suave
I see Buffy’s using the tried and tested ‘If I were ____ where would I be?’ method.
Ooh. She’s busted!
“Mechanical pencils” - Do such things exist? I would like one if they do.
He’s so asking her on a date!
“I'd like to take you out to dinner.” - This school is so unprofessional
It’s not going to engender confidence in the counseling service if the counselor is dating the bloke who sent you there.
That whiteboard was so cool Every teacher deserves one of those. If it were interactive, it would be the ultimate whiteboard.
Principle Wood didn’t have any problems deciding how to order his knives - Angel please note.
That’s an awful lot of knives there. Now, which contractor did Principal Wood hire to build the hidden weapons cabinet?
From evil magic to laundry girl, Willow’s life has definitely taken a down turn.
Willow beat me to the sceptical laugh
Well rescued, Willow.
Like a bidet of evil then? A bidet of evil? The mind boggles.
Buffy, Willow and Xander discuss 'Zen and The Art Of Dating'
The giggly-predate conversation is fun. Poor Xander, though, all the winds taken out of his sails!
I like Xander's optimism, "Well, she's interested in me..." Yes but she was also very enthusiastic about the rope.
Hey Giles - take me shopping too! That looked like a healthy amount of bags there.
“Ice cream is a universal language.” It most certainly is.
Mall ice cream actually had lactose in it? Most ice-cream nowadays is just whipped dried egg and flavouring
I sympathise with Andrew, I have a voice in my head telling me I’m an idiot when I try to programme electrical items too.
Giles is too, although Buffy doesn't know about that
Jonathan is strangely menacing in this scene.
Just the ones with the hideously annoying accents
“The new microwave?” - Out-fringedwelled by Andrew again. I love Andrew's "display" pose.
Why is Anya doing Buffy's laundry?
Spray it with Vanish, that got the blood out of my white t-shirt
Why is Buffy so funny about Spike seeing her in her underwear, he's seen her in less.
Hot chocolate is far superior to coffee anyway.
No, it's not suspicious, I've googled myself and apparently I'm a lawyer from Birmingham.
I love the flash cards. Giles has a real talent for conveying fear and danger with only two felt pens.
Anya still has it bad for Xander. “Hardware Store whore.” Good insult.
In which case I would think that getting laid moves even higher up the priority list
What is that flappy thing Buffy has on under her coat? Given the number of comments I make about Buffy’s outfits you’d think I was some kind of fashion guru. My mother once told me I dress like a gypsy.
I'm guessing that his mother or someone was a slayer
I bet that restaurant gets a lot of passing trade.
More "freestake" than freelance.
“I enjoy the work” - No one enjoys administration.
“You didn’t choose me for my counselling skills.” Well, there’s a shocker, Buffy. So he really had no qualms about inflicting an untrained counsellor on his kids just to further his own plans then?
It’s going to be Spike isn’t it? Yep. Would the dates work out for the Slayer he killed on the subway?
This is a surprising show of balls from Andrew. This redemption lark seems to be catching. Go Andrew for trying it though. Even if he doesn’t do well with subtlety.
Poor Xander, strung up on the bondage hamster wheel.
Xander’s still working well as a dating Demon Magnet. You’ve got to feel slightly sorry for him there. Face it Xander, everyone has a type and yours is demon.
That's a hideous picture on the wall behind Giles
If your date turns out to be a demon are you really going to bother with a code? Surely “HLP DMN!” would do. In fact, you could probably even miss off the exclamation mark.
They should all be more concerned about Xander.
“That might be the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth”. Such a potentially dodgy statement there. Or my twisted mind mangling perfectly innocent phrases.
They marked Xander’s body! How dare they! That’s going to sting a little
Ah Principal Wood cunningly checking his rear-view mirror, he'll cotton on to the lack of a reflection in a minute
Actually , her date's going pretty well considering
Hee - they’re all still waiting up like anxious parents
Surely being gay will just stop him being attracted to female demons
I can honestly say I've never mentally (or for that matter, physically) undressed Scott Bakula
Xander and Clem: Hmmm that’s new... and interesting.
There's always time for quips
"These aren't a joke." They're pretty funny though
"It’s time to get serious." You tell ‘em Giles
The First will just move you back and Buffy won't know when, or where to
What did I say? Either I'm getting good or this show's become horribly predictable

Get It Done

Good god, these previouslies are just too long now.
Oh, shot of Subway Spike. Yummy. Notice that they don’t show how they couldn’t get the same actress to play Wood’s mother again.
Buffy wanders the house playing Florence Nightingale. But she doesn't have a lamp
That house is getting rather full. Bodies everywhere
Oh. first slayer. This could be interesting. Gah, I just jumped a mile at the entrance of the first slayer.
Spike treading that fine line between being nice and actively flirting
I sympathise, a home invasion by an unspecified number of teenage girls is enough to push anyone over the edge
“Get up, get out, get drunk. Repeat as needed”. Isn’t that the student mantra?
Anybody else find it slightly scary that the white of Anya’s trousers matches the white of Spike’s hair?
Uh oh, the ‘d’ word.
Yup, they got the bone joke in before I could.
Ahh, Buffy and Principal Wood do the Good cop Bad cop routine. That one never gets old
Around June in Britain
Bag, Buffy, it’s a bag. B A G, bag.
I would have peeked in the bag before now.
I’m beginning to feel sorry for Andrew.
That's a medium board. Buffy and the Principal look impressed by Andrew’s board. At least give him credit for trying! I quite like the big board, actually.
That skirt Buffy’s wearing is the oddest I’ve seen.
Kennedy’s expressing her inner Sergeant Major there, quite effectively. Anyone else think that Kennedy's letting it go to her head?
How do the potentials from the non-English speaking nations understand Drill Sergeant Kennedy?
Is punch and block all they’re going to do? It's hand to hand fighting, that's pretty much all there is
“Bring it on”. I admit I giggled at that. I can’t hear the phrase without thinking of the film - which has a high amount of ' Buffy' Alumni in it (Faith and Glory for starters). Easily amused, me.
Love the delighted giggle from Willow as she declares the coolness of Principal Wood.
“A Wicca who won'ta” Heh.
The brainy one is using oven mitts otherwise he’d burn his hands. Isn't Giles the brains? Where is Giles anyway?
I think Spike needs a job in Customer Service
Dammit, Spike beat me to the fringedwelling punch line about the soul. "Now I’m unique… Well, more or less". "Something can't be very unique, nor can it be extremely historic.."
Why does Dawn get to play with the bag?
What a useless emergency kit, a real emergency kit would consist of bandages and chocolate
I half expected the Slayer’s Handbook to be found in the Emergency stash.
I wonder who the First pretended to be when she talked to Chloe
All the potentials that are left, anyway.
TTFN. I can’t believe Buffy didn’t know what that meant. Or maybe it’s a particularly British expression. Still, Tigger’s always cool. Evil Tigger is just wrong
“Chloe was an idiot”. Nice Buffy, very diplomatic there. I can understand some of what she’s saying, but it’s just not going to help if she’s bitchy about it.
I cheered when Xander stood up to her.
She's trying to have some input into preventing the Apocalypse Buffy, just be grateful she's there at all
The First was never going to be impressed
I understand Buffy’s point of view, but all she’s doing is alienating people.
Buffy's pep talks really suck
So, Buffy wants a witch with the potential to go off the rails to use the dark magic again, and the vamp who went off and got a soul to act like his old pre-soul, pre-chipping self. Un-chipped. This is not a particularly logical move. Mind you, it’s Buffy we’re talking about. Logic’s probably a little much to ask for.
An emergency boomerang? Is there a reason for a boomerang? I assume there must have been an Australian slayer at some point. Can you imagine it? Hey, maybe it was Charlene...
Miss. Piggy would kick ass.
Shadow puppets? What use are shadow puppets in an emergency? Is Buffy going to lull the demon to sleep with dull yet gently humourous folk stories?
“You can’t just watch, you have to see”. Hmm. Speaking of People who watch, where’s Giles in this episode?
Since when did Dawn become knowledge girl?
Yup, Xander was right, he’s always the first to get hurt in situations like this.
The shadow casting was well done, unnerving and quite frankly, freaky. Was very glad not to be in the house on my home.
You know it's not going well when you start hearing the soundtrack
Okay, why could my Latin texts never do that
"Find a way." Well that was responsible. Buffy seems to make a habit of leaving everyone else behind to dive through a portal.
"Just hurt." Injured then
Well, Spike did get thrown through the ceiling quite professionally, I thought.
She went to meet the Cheese Man
Hey - it’s the desert from ‘Restless’.
Why has she still got the stupid skirt and boot combo on? Buffy’s wearing a stupid outfit to go through a portal into an unknown world in. She needs some kind of saving the universe trousers, although I suppose by definition any trousers she wears would be saving the universe trousers. She probably wouldn't spill ice-cream on hers though
See, that's an emergency kit. TCP and Band-Aids
Willow, Spike and Anya seem to have a pretty good rapport once over the initial antagonism between the two girls. They’re willing to trade ideas and bounce suggestions over each other, with Spike gently motivating them. I like the interaction between the three.
Shouldn't those guys be passing an eyeball between them?
Does Buffy speak Swahili or is she reading the subtitles like us?
“The Hellmouth’s last guardian” is a bit ambiguous. It could be a) it all goes terribly pear-shaped and the Hellmouth opens spewing badness, or b) the Hellmouth is shut for good and no longer needs a guardian.
It's like "Waiting For Godot" on a mystical plane
It wouldn't kill you to wait two minutes and go to the bathroom before you open the portal
Willow’s gone black eyed. This is not generally a good sign.
Coffee's the magic word?
Ooh, they don't capitalise 'slayer'
Oooh. It’s the black duster and original Spike ‘tude. Is it wrong to find that attractive? If it is, I don’t wanna be right.
Back in the coat - is it the source of his power then, like Dorothy and her red shoes? The duster is the symbol of the killer in him - the slayer of slayers.
That little throw away line - PW: “Nice coat. Where did you get it?” S: “New York” gave me the shivers. I love the little nods to continuity like that more than some of the more obvious ones.
The parallel between Spike and Willow as they channel their darker sides for Buffy is interesting - he dons the old clothes, her hair starts turning black again, doing what is necessary as they try to bring her back. Still don’t think it was fair for her to force them to backslide on the progress they have made. Can you tell I don’t like Buffy much at the moment?
Nice touch with the match.
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Sorry Buffy, we haven’t the time. The square root of 372?
Buffy looks freaked.
Anya and Kennedy were the most powerful people, she sucked the power out of both of them, didn’t she? Poor Xander, couldn’t help there either.
She turned it down and then beat them up.
That would be the Army of Darkness. That last shot looks very LOTR inspired. It’s a horde of Orcs! We’re not in Mordor are we?

on to episodes 16-22

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