Once More With Commentary: A Buffy Podcast: Recent Episodes
Allie & Ginny
We watch each episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the nth time to discuss, argue, and marvel at the fashion. Plus, we try to answer the eternal question, #teamAngel or #teamSpike?
We made it to the end! We chat all about the final two episodes of Angel, which thankfully was as good as we remember but also shows the strengths and flaws of the series as a whole. Let’s get to work.
What can we say? We are almost finished with Angel and unfortunately, these are the episodes we get for the antepenultimate run. Sigh. We tried to be generous, really, but we’re very over the Buffy of it all.
Lindsay’s back! Connor is back! This week, we talk through some tying up of loose ends and/or revisiting dropped plot lines, depending on how charitable you want to be. Lindsay gets rescued from a suburban hell dimension, Connor’s parents show up looking for help for their super-powered son, and Wesley learns the truth about Angel’s deal with Wolfram & Hart.
It's a tragic double header for Angel this week, as another woman on this show dies to birth a demon. Sigh.
It’s Smile Time! Yes, we finally got to watch the puppet episode! And it’s still pretty great! But we also watched “Why We Fight” which was less good. We talk about both episodes this week, with a little bit too much about the cuteness of puppets, maybe.
It’s almost an episode of Buffy:The Continuing Story this week when Andrew shows up in LA to bring in a newly discovered Potential, and deliver some unwelcome feedback to Angel and co. on their current status in the fight against evil. And then finally we get to “You’re Welcome” and honestly we’ve got some mixed reactions and post-Season 4 hangups about it.
It’s a day in the life of Harmony Kendall, young vampire just trying to make it on her own! This episode is delightful and we can’t get enough of the comedy, pain, and resourcefulness Angel’s assistant brings to Wolfram & Hart. We also watch “Soul Purpose” and have less to say about that.
Wesley’s father shows up at W&H, spinning Wesley backwards in his character arc and causing us to ask a lot of questions about Angel alternate histories. Then, Spike gets mail! He’s corporeal! He and Angle must fight it out over a magic cup! Nope, someone from the past is just pulling the strings.
It’s our Pudding Podcast! Well, we talk about it for 10 minutes anyway, but you can skip ahead to hear our thoughts on Lorne’s subconscious and Numero Cinco, a man without hope who might be able to show Angel how to care again.
This week, Angel encounters a werewolf supper club and the team asks why Wolfram & Hart doesn't have more hauntings. Spike confronts an enemy and tries to avoid slipping into hell.
Angel is running the L.A. branch of Wolfram & Hart and discovering the perks and challenges of his new position, as are Fred, Wesley, Lorne and Gunn. Harmony returns as Angel’s new assistant, we meet the mysterious Eve, and Blondie Bear is back!
We made it to the end of Buffy! Cue some tears (but no bubbly, Allie is in Boston before noon). We start with the Angel finale, and the Wolfram & Hart deal has us very excited for next season, bye bye Jasmine! Then, we dive into the Buffy finale, where we appreciate the emotions while quibbling with some of the plot. Then, we go over our rankings for the show as a whole and how a non-binge viewing has changed our minds.
This week, Buffy reenacts the Sword In the Stone, Angel arrives in town, and everyone prepares for the final battle. Meanwhile on Angel, our hero is somehow also in a hell dimension, while his friends wait in a cell for his return with the word to destroy Jasmine.
It’s a brazil nut of an episode for Buffy this week, when Faith replaces Buffy as lead slayer and…everyone just has sex. Buffy finds her sword in the stone and Faith leads the potentials into a trap. On Angel, the gang is on the run from Jasmine’s minions, and they stumble on a very Rumplestiltskin-like clue to defeating her in the sewers.
On Buffy, tensions come to a head as the potentials, Giles and Xander confront Buffy over her leadership. Spike and Andrew take a road trip and learn more about what Caleb is after. In LA, Fred tries desperately to show Angel and the others the truth about Jasmine.
It’s refreshing for Buffy to again have a flesh and blood villain to fight instead of whatever the First is, and Caleb brings a real creep factor to this story. But would it have worked better if he were introduced earlier? Then, we didn’t hate Angel this week but we have a hard time believing this episode was seasons in the making and planning. And don’t get us started on Fred and the sweater.
This Buffy episode doesn’t quite live up to our memories of enjoying it, and we have our quibbles, but we do get some good flashbacks for both Spike and Principal Wood. Although, what is the show trying to say with these parallel tales? We aren’t sure. Let’s face it though, this episode didn’t have to try very hard to be better than Angel. Oh wow. But anyway… have you seen Yennefer’s eyeshadow on The Witcher?
Andrew treats us to his version of Masterpiece Theater this week, but his attempts to catalogue the work of the slayer lead ultimately to a confrontation of his own actions and part he’s played in the rise of the First. On Angel, the team starts to put the pieces together about Cordelia and the Beast’s master, while Gunn helps Gwen with a mission.
It’s a day in the life in Sunnyvale this week, as So.Much.Is.Happening. and we don’t quite know which part is supposed to be important? Let us not forget this is episode with the bonkers insanity of Buffy opening a portal with shadow puppets and Andrew making funnel cake!! As for Angel, we still don’t know what is supposed to be going on with Cordelia but thank god Willow showed up to breathe some life into the hotel!
We planned the TED Talk for Ginny’s wedding! But also, we discussed “First Date” and “Release” and since when was Buffy in love with Spike? That’s a bad retcon. Good retcon would be Principle Wood being the son of a slayer killed by Spike. We’ll allow that. As usual, there’s an interesting story on Angel that the show is ignoring. This week felt like a rehash, and we hope to be done with Angelus soon!
We are extremely “nay” on these episodes this week! Buffy was just boring, and Angel was just gross. Both shows also insist on missing the point of what is interesting in favor of…what, we aren’t sure. But that said, Faith is back and we are loving it!
It’s a great episode of Buffy as Dawn confronts her future as a Potential, and then the idea that she’ll just be normal in a world of friends with extraordinary powers. Fortunately, Xander is there as an example. On Angel, this week’s burning question: what does “Calvary” mean? Which definition are they going for here? We aren’t really sure. We also get more time with Angelus, but we’re starting to wonder if he’s really a conniving genius or just a petty gossip.
This week in burning questions, is there only one bathroom in the Summers house? Also, we might understand the motivations of the First now! Maybe? And Buffy puts on a great show for the Potentials by killing the neander-vamp. In LA, Angelus is here, but actually he’s not that fun! He doesn’t really answer any questions about the beast, but he stalls long enough for his soul to go missing. And to be clear, we are not trying to coin the term “Fresley” ok?
We didn’t like this Buffy episode. The First is too broad a villain at this point and the story is too unfocused as a result. And then half of us got duped by the Angel episode, yikes! But we’re ready for Angelus next time!
On Buffy, the scoobies try to figure out what Spike knows and what’s been happening to him, while an unexpected run in with Andrew brings more chaos and harbingers to the house. In L.A., Angel and co. are joined by Gwen, who has witnessed the Beast at work and may provide clues for what he’s up to.
We’re getting deeper into the season with the Big Bad for Buffy and still totally lost as to the motivations. Why is this happening again? Is this Bad just too Big to be effective? For Angel, this week’s episode has the best name ever and is a lot of fun, but forever marred by the fact it’s also the aftermath of the Cordelia and Connor nonsense.
We have a pared down cast this week on Buffy, as the slayer, Willow, and Dawn all meet the enemy and are told disturbing revelations. On Angel, we swallow our vomit as Connor and Cordelia get icky and apocalypse brings a big demon and fire to the skies of L.A.
“Him” is kind of a nothing and we don’t have too much to say about it, or at least not as much as usual. Meanwhile, Angel has it’s own “Tabula Rasa” episode with “Spin the Bottle” but this time, a memory spell stops everyone’s memories at age 17, to mostly entertaining results but we see the end starting to happen for Cordelia and We.Don’t.Like.It.
We’ve got a couple retcon episodes this week, as Buffy tries to answer the question, Who is Anya when she isn’t with Xander? She has over 1100 years of history to try and answer that, but even so, she can’t, and the show does a great job of using the character’s one-dimensionality to explore this in a surprisingly rich way. On Angel, it’s revealed a former professor is the one who sent Fred to Pylea, and this revelation causes her to wrestle with her traumatic past, with devastating repercussions for Gunn.
We didn’t really like Angel this week, but it happened, so we talked about it. Wesley and Lila continue to be a better show. On Buffy, the slayer’s first week as school counselor gets off to a rough start with Cassie, a teen convinced she’s about to die.
This week, we must correctly define a parasite, as we confront maybe the grossest demon in the Buffyverse? Yes? And, as Willow returns to Sunnydale, the show and her friends both refuse to just let her off the hook for her actions, which we appreciate. On Angel, we take a trip to Las Vegas to find out what Lorne is up to!
This week, we have to again talk about the problematic corner the show has written Spike into, and how his treatment is different than the treatment of Anya. On Angel, Wesley continues his cool streak and Angle tangles with a super-powered thief to get information about Cordelia’s whereabouts. Also, did one of Buffy’s most famous plots borrow from Sailor Moon?
We’re going right back to the beginning and we’re going to learn about ourselves in the process! Welcome to Buffy Season 7 and Angel Season 4! We’re almost done with Buffy eps and we’re not crying, you’re crying! In “Lessons” we are re-world building, as Buffy returns to the newly re-opened Sunnydale High, still inconveniently located on top of the Hellmouth. In LA, Angel is still underwater and Cordelia is missing, but Wesley and Lila have their best moments, maybe ever, and We. Are. Loving. It!
It’s finale time this week, as we discuss “Grave” and “Tomorrow.” Willow is still on the rampage in Sunnyvale and even Giles can’t stop her, but maybe Xander can, with the power of wuv. We still disagree on Spike’s intentions, but he gets something out of his trials that may or may not be what he was after. In LA, Angel tries to bond with Connor, who only has revenge on his mind. Cordelia finds herself swept up to a new existence.
This week, Willow is on the hunt for Jonathan and Andrew as Buffy and Xander desperately try to keep her from crossing further over the line by killing them. On Angel, Connor spends time with the team and Holtz carries out his final plans.
In “Villains,” the aftermath of Warren’s attack proves deadly, as Willow sets out for vengeance at any magical cost, and Buffy and Xander try to stop her (we admit we found it kind of cathartic watching Warren get his). On Angel, Connor is back, but he’s grown up and has a massive chip on his shoulder toward Angel. Bored now.
This week, we arrive at “Seeing Red” and it’s a big one. Ultimately, humans are going to be the most dangerous foe for Buffy and friends. Monsters may haunt Sunnyvale, but it’s guns that are the most terrifying. In LA, magic, water hogging slugs invade the hotel, but mostly Angel is still the worst. We want justice for Wesley!! And for Tara, she didn’t deserve to go out like that.
The Scoobies begin to descend into (more) disorder this week, as Anya’s quest for revenge on Xander leads to revelations about Buffy and Spike. On Angel, Cordelia returns and offers comfort to Angel, while Fred and Gunn contend with their own relationship and a demon returned from Gunn’s past.
Everything is normal again! Not so much, as a poison-addled Buffy must differentiate between two different realities. But, mostly, txt this be remembered as the episode where Buffy committed the unforgivable sin of pouring liquids into a trash can. Meanwhile, Angel’s toxic masculinity is showing, and our patience is thinning. We see the consequences of no meaningful interactions between Angel and Wesley since Pylea, as the team tries to sift through the fallout of Connor’s kidnapping and we try to figure why this show continually undermines itself.
Hell’s Bells! Xander and Anya make it to their wedding day but not down the aisle, thanks to a plotting demon and Xander’s truly terrible family. On Angel, Wesley’s attempts to thwart prophecy have catastrophic consequences.
This week, it’s the redemption of Riley Finn! He returns to Sunnydale for a mission with his cool new wife, causing Buffy to take a hard look at her life and decide what needs to change. On Angel, we’re sick of this story and the show has a villain problem, but damn is Wesley fantastic, right?
This week, it’s another Buffy birthday episode! She really should have learned to stop trying to celebrate by now. But really, it’s Dawn who needs a celebration, as her feelings of neglect and loneliness lead to the Scoobies getting trapped in the Summers house with a deadly demon…and Clem. On Angel, Gru is in L.A. to woo his princess, but Cordelia fears getting close will cost her the visions she’s fought so hard to keep. And Angel is basically a petty bitch about the whole thing, of course.
It’s a heavy theme this week, as both Buffy and Angel grapple with the idea of consent as men try controlling women through magical means. In Sunnyvale, the Trio’s latest plans lead to murder, and Buffy grapples with her involvement with Spike and her feelings about her resurrection. In L.A., the ballet comes to town Angel discovers the dancers are the same he saw decades ago. The gang uncovers the wizard behind the show, but not before the group rearranges romantically, under spell and for real, with heartbreaking results for Wesley and Angel.
Is “Doublemeat Palace” a terrible episode of TV? Or is it just a weird episode of Buffy? Why is the tone so strange? Why is the pacing so slow? It’s got a horror movie vibe but something just doesn’t work about it for us. In “Provider,” Angel’s quest for money scatters the team and leads to a risky situation for Fred.
This week, Buffy gets a haircut! That’s really what makes this episode memorable, right? Otherwise, we have to remember Buffy acting out of character and everyone basically being terrible, or the cartoon villains that makeup the Trio. Is it working? We aren’t sure. On Angel, its the episode we’ve been expecting for oh, two seasons now, as Cordelia gets made a part demon for her birthday, after seeing what life would be like had she never been given her visions. It’s all a bit rushed but she floats now, so we’ll allow it. Also, Cordelia’s show reel was delightful!
This week, we can’t remember if Allie has ever seen either Aliens or the Aliens episode of Community, but we landed on “maybe.” In Buffy news, we get treated to an after school special on addictive magic use. We like the story, but it’s overt on the nose lessons really don’t work for us. On Angel, we get a slight uptick in quality as our hero adjusts to his first 24 hours of fatherhood while trying to keep the various factions hunting his son at bay. What can we say, we love a twist!
This week, we are talking about “Smashed” on Buffy, a.k.a. the one where Buffy and Spike smash a house. But we don’t have to talk about that. We can talk instead about how cartoonish the Trio seem with their freeze-ray, or the messed up dynamic between Spike and Buffy, or Amy the rat leading Willow even further down her dark path to villainy. And then we can talk about the smashing. On Angel, we have a slight uptick in quality as Darla finally gives birth, and all the different interested parties close in on the gang. Holtz allows Angel a brief respite from the chase and Darla makes the ultimate sacrifice. We disagree on how affecting it is.
We start to confront the idea of Willow as villain this week, as she takes her use of magic to reckless levels in her attempts to keep Tara happy. Hilarity ensues, but also a reckoning for Tara on Willow’s treatment of her. On Angel, we are getting a little tired of the flashbacks, as we know by now that Angel and Darla used to be bad, and unfortunately this episode spends a little too much time making that point yet again. But in the present day, Darla goes into labour and all the demons and lawyers in L.A. are trying to get their hands on the child and find out what his purpose is.
We’re a little out of order this week, talking first about “Offspring” on Angel. Darla finally arrives in L.A. and tells Angel he’s going to be a father, and Holtz arrives in the 21st Century. And that’s enough of that! Because! This week we also FINALLY made it to “Once More With Feeling” so let’s sing about it! There are trash fires in Sunnydale so you know it’s basically one of the best episodes of TV ever? YES. Go forth and enjoy.
This week, we have to talk about Willow. But first, it’s Halloween in Sunnydale! Dawn proves why you should always just stay home and watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown and Anya is thrilled when Xander finally announces their engagement. And then Willow heads to the dark side. Blerg. On Angel, as usual, the social message is a little hit or miss, but it’s a great Cordelia episode and we feel for Wesley. Poor man just has some bad breaks coming to him.
Ginny’s finally excited to talk about both episodes this week! Is “Life Serial” a nuanced take on toxic masculinity? We think it’s accidental, but it works super well 18 years later! Also, Buffy’s friends should definitely be paying rent, right? On Angel, Fred makes a decision to stay in LA and be part of the team, and we meet her charming parents.
This week on Buffy, Giles puts Willow in her place, Buffy must confront adult responsibilities, and we meet a trio of nerds up to no good. Basically no one seems to be thinking things through very well. On Angel, the gang runs up against an old man eager to relive his younger days, and Angel’s cockiness lands him in an ineffectual position.
This week, we ask the important question for this season: “Am I going to hate Willow?” What we really mean is that, though this Buffy season as a whole tends to get a less than enthusiastic response, man are they really laying some good groundwork here from the very start. On Angel, it’s a real one for the Angel universe as the team must confront their own relationships with each other, and Gunn seems to finally have to choose between his old life and his new one.
This week, Buffy’s friends realize their spell worked, and Buffy has a rough transition from the grave back to life. In LA, Angel and his team must find out what is causing Cordelia’s visions to manifest physically before one kills her.
We talk about the premieres of Season 6 of Buffy and Season 3 of Angel. On both shows, our heroes are dealing with the death of Buffy. The Scoobies go in to dark magics in order to bring back their friend, and Giles makes a choice about where he needs to be. Angel faces down a former friend and wrestles with knowing he survived Buffy’s death, and Fred struggles to venture out of her room. To be fair, she has taco delivery so, why leave?
It’s a long one this week, but it’s “The Gift” so we know you’ll forgive us! It’s a treasure trove of metaphors as Buffy makes the ultimate sacrifice and the show grows up. We also chat about getting in the holiday spirit and “There’s No Place Like Plrtz Glrb,” and it actually has some cool parallels to “The Gift!”
The places are getting set for the finale, but we have timeline questions about Buffy, and Buffy’s reactions and fear in the face of Glory feel a little forced to us, but we are ready to see what it all leads up to, especially after noticing all the ground work being laid for Season 6! On Angel, we love the symbolism of the title for once, as everyone finds out the dark reflection of the Pylea sunshine and princess-making.
This week, we chat the joys of plane travel and Waco, TX, before getting into “Spiral” and “Over the Rainbow”. First up, we seriously question the Knights of Byzantium and whether they detract from the success of Glory as a villain, and discuss Ben’s hard choices and bad decisions. On Angel, we are enjoying watching the gang in the daylight after they all travel to Pylea, though this trip is just getting started.
A lot happens on both shows this week! On Buffy, how much of a father figure is Giles supposed to be? Willow learns the wrong lessons from a fight, and then, Glory finds the wrong key, with bad consequences for Tara. On Angel, as portals open across LA, the gang is struggling to find happiness with their current lots in life, and the Host comes to Angel for help tracking down a demon.
This week, what we did on our Buffy breaks and proper sun care! Meanwhile, Buffy deals with the question of whether she can be the slayer and still love, and we think the show is trying to retcon some questionable writing around Riley’s exit, but overall it opens some questions and themes that will take us into the next season as well. Spike proves his loyalty to Buffy and Dawn, and Glory starts her hunt for a human key. The Buffybot is still gross, but we like her fashion choices! On Angel, we say goodbye to Lindsey for now, and we can start to ship Cordial and Angel.
This week, we’re so thrilled we loved Angel again! But first, Buffy and Dawn have to bury their mother and deal with the aftermath of Joyce’s death. We argue about whether Dawn is reacting like a girl whose mother just died or if the writer’s continue to write her too young, but ultimately we appreciate the fantastic melding of horror and emotion in this episode, as well as some pretty significance foreshadowing with Willow. On Angel, Harmony travels to LA for some girl time with Cordelia, and what can we say? Hilarity ensues. Here’s to Harmony and Vampire pyramid schemes!
Ok it’s that episode. We spend 50 minutes watching our favorite characters deal with a death they couldn’t prevent or stop from happening. We’re wrecked but also really admiring a great episode of television. And then, we finally like Angel again! This week’s course correction is welcome and maybe a little meta about the nosedive the show has been taking these last few weeks with the spiraling Angel arc. But we’re here for the rebound!
It’s the “boy builds sex robot” episode of Buffy that takes a bit of a different turn. Buffy learns to be ok with being single. And then there’s the ending we all knew was coming. Oof. On Angel, what even was that? We attempt to parse the hot mess that was “Reprise” but we just don’t know. What was reprised?
We mostly like this episode of Buffy this week, but we agree some of the plot points feel a little forced, especially when you tie in what’s been going on over in LA. That said, Drusilla and Spike in the same room again is a treat. And we aren’t sure if we know where the shows land on the capability of vampires to love, as Angel and Spike seem to have different ideas about that. On Angel, we finally focus more on the former Angel Investigations team, which is all we’ve been asking for. Unfortunately, they are dealing with zombie cops this week in Gunn’s old neighborhood, Wesley gets shot, and we’re not sure that poor girl ever got her eye fixed. Also, Kate is back and is almost fine. Almost.
We’re fighting this week about acting choices but we do agree this is a huge episode for Dawn and Buffy and for us. Identity, relationships and reality are all on the table. Angel continues to disappoint us on a massive scale. We like the show where the rest of the gang solve mysteries in mansions, Clue-style. Let’s watch that one!
Glory is a great villain, but did she have to be a god? Is that at impactful as it was supposed to be? We judge the council for their methods and cheer Buff’s “I have the power” speech. On Angel this week, we see a familiar face, Chanterelle/Lily/Anne, aka the Kate we deserve! But really, we are mostly just pissed at Angel, his biased moral code, and his tendency to take agency away from female characters.
This week, we get a lighthearted breather on Buffy as Willow and Anya’s bickering sets a troll loose in Sunnydale. Elsewhere, Giles heads to England to consult the council about Glory and Buffy processes her breakup, while we argue over the cost of salamander eyes. Over in LA, everything with Angel is terrible, but his friends and enemies are saving the show this week.
We’ve been clear about the treatment of Riley’s character this season, but it all comes to a head this week, and we…have thoughts. But even if Buffy and Riley are making us angry, Anya and Xander are here to make it better. And Willow is in that one scene too (where is Willow this season?) Don’t miss the Team Xander shoutout! It’s gonna be the last for a while. On Angel, a lot of things are happening and we get a little confused, but it’s the Druscilla show, get ready.
We have a lot to say this week about heroes and responsibility, as Buffy and Angel demonstrate the dos and don’ts of sacrifice. Buffy is starting to realize the reality of being Dawn’s sister as Joyce realizes the truth about her youngest daughter, in between surgery and fighting off an extraterrestrial demon summoned by Ben(!) to clean up Glory’s mess. In LA, Angel is generally insufferable in his quest to help Darla.
This week, Buffy learns that her life can be turned upside down by non-supernatural forces, as she struggles to cope with her mother's illness. She shuts Riley out in the process and his reaction is ludicrous, so we try to hash out the timeline of his emotional spiral. Elsewhere, Glory makes a giant Cobra! On Angel, he and Gunn find themselves in the middle of a demonic Ocean's 5 plot to steal a mystical shroud, which drives everyone around it insane. We get back to the show's early Noir roots and Kate makes another (we hope final) appearance.
It's Spike's episode this week as he tells Buffy how he killed two slayers, and we learn his history through flashbacks. He gets more Psych 101 with Buffy than she probably expected, but we learn a lot about his motivations for becoming William the Bloody and the origins of his Buffy obsession. On Angel, Spike's story overlaps with Darla's, who is struggling with her human existence.
We hope you are ready for a discussion of the early filmography of Amy Adams! We’re enjoying the little breather this week before we get heavy into the flashbacks next week, with “Family” on Buffy and “Guise Will Be Guise” on Angel. Tara’s family comes to collect her back home and out her demon side to her new friends, except, wait for it! There is no demon side and her family are just a bunch of misogynists. Luckily, Tara’s got a great group of people they’ll have to go through first. Not Spike though, he doesn’t care. In LA, Angel heads off to see a Swami about his Darla issues, leaving Wesley to fill in when the Wizard Mafia comes calling. Not a great day for Angel, but Wesley sure seems to have a good time!
Hey! Dear Boy did a lot happen this week! Buffy goes on a vision quest to get to the bottom of Joyce’s illness, only to find out the tragic truth about Dawn. Later, she and we meet the Beast, in all her red satin Glory. In LA, a badly sleep-deprived Angel encounters and confronts a demon from his own past.
Spike gets us talking about that time Allie spoiled Dawson’s Creek for Ginny, and then we chart the natural, nuanced exit for Riley that could have been. Speaking of Riley’s exit, Spike begins to suspect his hatred for Buffy might be turning into…something else. On Angel, the team must deal with a telekinetic runaway from Wolfram & Hart, which we don’t have a ton to say about but we like where this season is going. Finally, please enjoy our recommendation for a 90’s Robert Downey Jr. Rom Com marathon!
We get extra chatty this week about adventures in cat sitting before settling in to chat double the Xander and a day in the life of Charles Gunn. On Buffy, Xander finds his life suddenly taken over by a more responsible version, but he turns out to be just another side of the smooshed coin. Meanwhile, we discuss whether Anya or Xander has a healthier approach to villain recovery, but, we’re sorry, we forgot to talk about Buffy’s heinous brown pants. We were just too angry about the onset of Bad Boyfriend Riley. On Angel, we aren’t sure if the Darla stuff works, but we’ll wait and see. We are, however, definitely here for the well-rounded characterization of Gunn and his slow involvement with the team.
We finally meet Dawn this week, and find out all about Buffy’s little sister, who has definitely been here this whole time, totally, don’t you remember? Over in LA, the team confronts a demon from Angel’s past and finds some new digs.
We’re back for Season 5! Aka the start of the era of golden haired, adult Buffy. Dracula is in Sunnydale and everyone is a little too cool with it until they’re not. Meanwhile, over in L.A., Angel and team are racking up victories until Angel makes an oopsie and has to sing some Barry Manilow about it and then joust to fix it. We discuss our meh feelings about these season intros, but we all know the real, big news: Dawn is not coming, Dawn is here. Are we looking forward to next week? Maybe?
We talk weird dreams and repeat dreams this week, as the Scoobies find themselves stalked by the first slayer in their sleep. It’s the odd duck of Buffy finales, but also the dividing line between two very different shows with a clear direction for the fears and questions to be faced by the gang as they move into adulthood. Later, Angel’s finale is less successful as a finale, but works well to shut the door on the film noir journey and embrace the antagonists of Wolfram & Hart, and Angel’s journey with the Shanshu prophecy. Also, hey Darla! You look good for a pile of dust!
We talk dated Matrix references this week in both “Primeval” and “Blind Date”, and whether there are any good reasons to keep Spike around, and we strongly disagree on the success of Buffy’s showdown with Adam. But, for “Primeval”, we do agree this pseudo finale was as good as it could be with a glorified demon of the week promoted to Big Bad. Ultimately, can a finale type episode work when the main emotional stakes don’t belong to our heroine? Maybe this is Riley’s story and Buffy is just wandering in. On Angel, it’s a Wolfram & Hart episode and we all know those are the best episodes.
We disagree on “The Yoko Factor” but we do agree that drunk Giles is forever amazing and that the episode undoes last week’s amazing ending of “Sanctuary”. Elsewhere, feminist hero Spike sets the record straight on who broke up the Beatles and in “War Zone”, we get Gunn’s origin story and a promise that he’ll be back. ’Til next time, Ginny would like everyone to watch Bones.
We chat Oz’s return and Faith’s rehabilitation this week. Oz finds things are not just the way he left them and we get treated to the best depiction of a love triangle maybe ever. On Angel, everyone is shocked, shocked to find out Angel is trying to help Faith, while Wesley makes his allegiances clear and Buffy and Angel have their most honest conversation (ok, fight) ever.
Faith surfaces again this week, this time to wreak her violent game on Angel and team, with a little financial incentive from the legal team of Wolfram & Hart. Speaking of, welcome Lindsey and Lila to the actual story! Elsewhere, Buffy and Riley have a lot of sex, the end.
Jonathan is back this week as just the Superstar needed to help Buffy get back to herself in! We also chart the real life superstar career trajectory of Danny Strong, Ginny tells us about the amazing Buffy/Aladdin connection you never knew existed, and on Angel, we grapple with the absolute nonsense of a happy pill turning Angel temporarily evil, but otherwise, a solid outing! Things are looking up for Angel Investigations and we could not be more ready.
Faith’s back again this week to sow her special brand of destruction - or, wait, is that Buffy? It’s a Slayer Freaky Friday as Faith sees a way out of her dead end of consequences, only to learn that maybe there’s a reason not to do things “because it’s wrong!” On Angel, our hero finds himself drafted into an underground demon fight club, Cordelia and Wesley learn to work together, and we finally meet Lila!
This week, we talk dreams and how Buffy just does them so well. Little sis is coming! Faith also wakes up from her coma to meddle in Buffy’s new life, and on Angel, Kate is back and it’s time to admit fetch is never gonna happen, ok? It’s fine, the flashbacks with Darla and Mrs. Reynolds got us through it.
This week, Ginny fills us in on her Phantom of the Opera experience and we discuss the concept of “sweeps” and what it used to mean when Nielsen regularly broke our hearts (pour one out for Enlisted and Trophy Wife). But meanwhile, on the shows we are supposed to be talking about, we need to talk about Adam. On Angel, there’s a demon possession, but we’re living in the alternate reality of Watcher. It’s nice here.
This week, we are talking about two examples of feminism on TV, one successful, one not (guess which). Buffy joins the initiative and we meet our Big Bad, while Angel finds himself in the middle of a gender war from another dimension. Also, are the Initiative disruptors?
This week, we say "NO" to a Buffy reboot (unless it's Fray) and chat "A New Man" and "Expecting"! There's a lot of demon stuff this week, as Giles gets turned into one by mortal enemy Ethan, and Cordelia faces the prospect of giving birth to seven little ones. There are also some themes about growing apart and growing up and finding your family, blah blah. It's just good character work.
This week, Buffy is at her melodramatic worst, and we are over it. As for the Hellmouth Apocalypse, whatever, the Zeppo did it better. On Angel, Kate is back, which is annoying, but hey! Jeremy Renner is here to work out his daddy issues with his sire! So much 2000s era hair gel and facial hair to enjoy!
Is “Hush” a perfect episode of TV? Does that even exist? That’s right, It’s the “Hush” episode! Also, we watch an episode of Angel, but first the Gentlemen are here to cut our hearts out and clap politely. Buffy and Riley learn they have a lot in common, and the Scoobies learn to stop talking and take some action already. On Angel, Wesley is the best thing to ever happen, and we could watch the gang eat breakfast all day.
This week, Claire’s back! We talk “Something Blue”, “Hero”, and Spike’s favorite show, Passions! On Buffy, Spike and Buffy succumb to Willow’s wicca will and find themselves betrothed (“Wind Beneath My Wings”, yay or nay?). On Angel, we say goodbye to Doyle, and mostly we’re just relieved.
This week, we try to have a thoughtful, respectful conversation about Pangs and we apologize if we failed. Then, on Angel, our hearts get broken by what might have been.
This week, we talk too much about bananas, so sorry. But! Hostile 17 is back and he got a promotion! Elsewhere in the Initiative complex, it turns out that Riley has a Special Agent job and special feelings for Buffy. Meanwhile in LA, Angel and Cordelia learn more about Doyle’s past and demonic pre-wedding customs.
Can we tell you the most boring, mundane stories of outlives? Yes? Good, we are already doing that. And we’ve got a PSA on the dark side of donations. In Buffy world, Oz leaves, we cry. Are we maybe team Riley? Maybe. As for Angel, we don’t care, forget it. But you can be a rainbow.
This week, Ginny got a new couch! Allie talks about her suitcase workouts in Japan, and we blame Christopher Nolan for pop culture's bleak landscape and tell you again to watch The Good Place. Elsewhere, Buffy discovers the prehistoric perils of binge drinking and Cordelia fights a poltergeist for possession of her new apartment. Rent control at any cost, amirite?
This week, Buffy and her friends must confront their biggest fears through the smallest demon and we just have so many unrelated questions. Meanwhile, on Angel, we're just really ready for Doyle to die and for Angel to start saving some men, ok?
This week, Anya’s back! She's got some questions for Xander to DTR, and Spike is back with a new R and a new plan to get outside during the day. His scheme follows Oz to LA where Angel must confront just how much power he wants to wield.
This week, we talk about our favorite human pilates guide, Dagny, in her seminal role as Buffy's demon roommate, Kathy. It's really a shame those girls couldn't work it out. Meanwhile, on Angel, the Angel Investigations team looks into the singles scene at an LA nightclub, and find the need for connection can be deadly.
We're back! This week, Alex goes from email correspondent to special guest as we talk about Buffy's first week at college and Angel's first week fronting his own show, with mixed results for both.
This week, we rehash the high school years in Sunnydale, talking our favorite villains, monsters, episodes, and more! And don't miss our list of Senior Superlatives for the Class of '99!
We graduate from Season 3 of Buffy and Sunnydale High, with one heck of a speech and Giles' library full of explosives. The Scoobies take on the mayor and faith, Angel skips town after a brush with death, and Buffy has to decide just how like Faith she ultimately wants to be.
This week, Claire's back! We chat with her about her thoughts on Season 3, whether Buffy could get into Northwestern, and why Joyce wins mom of the year. In Sunnydale, teams get into position for a showdown on Graduation Day, and Buffy finally gets her perfect high school moment. Oh, and Angel decides he's leaving.
This week, Faith overplays her hand and reveals her involvement with the Mayor and his plans. Angel plays bad to help trap Faith but does it a little too well. Then, after a brush with demon blood, Buffy can hear the thoughts of everyone around her. It's all fun until she hears a plan to kill students at the school. But even that can't top the worst news of all, involving Giles and Joyce and a police car and, ew.
This week, Faith and Buffy experience the consequences of a slaying gone wrong, putting them both under suspicion from the police and pitting Faith against the Scoobies and the Watchers' Council. Later, Anya is still stuck in Sunnydale and in high school, and her attempt to regain her power brings Vampire Willow into existence, causing mayhem, confusion, and general delight for everyone. Bored now.
This week, we grapple with loving a Xander-centric episode, as Xander sets out this week to prove he's cool and ends up finding more trouble than he bargained on with a gang of zombies and an encounter with Faith, but he accidentally saves the world while Buffy, Giles, Angel and Willow face the Apocalypse. Then, Faith lures Buffy to the dark side but ends up going too far when she stabs a guy who doesn't explode into dust.
Fairy tales are real this week, as Hansel and Gretel send Joyce on an anti-magic bender and Buffy and Willow find themselves tied to the wrong end of a book burning pile. Then, it's Buffy's 18th birthday, and following her usual tradition, it does not go well.
Welcome to the Darkest Timeline! This week, we meet Anya and "Bored Now" and see what might have been if the Master had been a more effective villain. Cordelia rocks some serious revenge-chic outfits and The First rocks some serious Jenny Calendar face. Angel tries to meet the sunrise, but Buffy and a miracle snow have other plans.
This week, we see the beginnings of the end of the Buffy/Faith tentative friendship as the gang learns Angel's back and Faith's new watcher manipulates her way to a magic mitten. Then, our favorite blonde vampire is back! Spike's on a bender and looking to stir up a little trouble to mend his broken heart. Willow and Xander continue to annoy us. We also analyze Buffy’s chances of getting into college - does slaying count as an extra curricular?
Welcome to Slayerfest '98! Cordelia proves she may be no slayer but she's no slouch at slaying, and Buffy just wants to be a normal girl again, but we hope for the last time. Giles and Joyce have a fun night out on the town thanks to Ethan's Band Candy, while Snyder just wants some friends. We won't mention what's going on with Willow and Xander more than we have to. Please make it stop.
We're all five by five this week as Faith arrives from Boston to show us a slayer who loves the game. Mr. Trick arrives in town and Buffy considers a new guy. We wonder if "Beauty and the Beasts" is really as good as we remember, and why is Angel wearing pants? Why is he alive? PS he totally killed Jeff, right?
In this week’s game of “who is the actual worst” we get a little argumentative about the first to episodes of Season 3! (Hint: It’s still probably Xander) Buffy returns home from a summer vacation spent in a Season 1 episode of Angel, while her friends have been teaming up to keep the streets safe from 6 out of 10 vampires. Anger and passive aggressiveness ensue, but there’s nothing like a good zombie invasion to cut the tension, amiright?
This week, we get to the end of Season 2 and feel all the feels. Allie finally confesses to the true extent of her watching ahead and Ginny assigns her penance. And we talk about this most pivotal of Buffy episodes. A lot.
Get these mother effin snakes out of this mother effin school! The Scooby gang encounters a Poltergeist who just wants to take his honey to the Sadie Hawkins Dance without shooting her, while Buffy overcomes snakes and visions and wasps to reach a sort of catharsis with a possessed Angel. And in a final side trip before the finale, Buffy must find a way to stop all of our favorite late 90's heartthrobs from turning into giant fish monsters. RIP Todd Wilkins 2.0.
We finally meet the real Angelus, killer of fish, computer monitors, and tragically, computer teachers looking to restore his soul. Giles gets the worst possible romantic surprise and we lose a member of the Scooby gang. Sunnydale suffers a flu outbreak among kids that brings Der Kindestod to town, but we really don't have too much to say about him because RIP Jenny.
This week, we chat about werewolves, witches and Xander's gross emotional problems (this dead horse is so beat), as Oz finds himself going through some changes and Xander finds that love spells aren't so nice. And us? We find that we don't like having to make a distinction between a creator's gross emotional problems and his art, but we can't have nice things, so here we are and we must. #teambuffyalways
Surprise! What happens when a Slayer and her Vampire BF get it on? You might think it's just awkward and it kind of is, but only after he turns evil and then starts trying to kill her friends. That is waaay awkward. We really hate when that happens, but it sure makes for some good TV. And, oh yeah, there is also a big blue guy and a rocket launcher. Hang on to your stakes, kids, we're in a golden run of Buffy now!
This week, John Ritter is underrated but he's also an evil robot, and sex ed can literally kill you, or at least turn you into a drone serving your Bezoar mamma. Abstinence only, amiright? In other news, we really, really want to make Ted's recipe for mini pizzas, and see Buffy in her sad overalls for the first, but not the last time.
This week, our friend Jordan stops by to tell us what a hero should be and we all try to decide if Xander is terrible or just 16, and whether he and Cordelia were ever meant to be. We also spoil the season 6 finale and a whole lot more! And oh yeah, Kendra, the Vampire Slayer!
Hey, Ethan's back! Everyone gets to stay themselves this time, but Season 2 gets dark as Buffy and the gang confront their pasts. Buffy has to confront the literal demons of Angel's past and the douche bros of hers, while Giles and Ethan's demonic dabbling comes back to kill old friends and Giles and Jenny's new relationship. Bonus? No more imagining the teacher sex!
Roofies, reptiles, and Rayne, oh my! Frat boys are up to no good as usual and neither is Ethan. Who is Ethan? We don't know but he sure seems to know Ripper. Wait, who is Ripper? Meanwhile, the gang gets tricked during treating and it's all kinds of...neat!
Try to tell them apart as Allie's sister Claire joins the podcast to school Ginny and Allie in the meaning of "School Hard" and to share her Buffy history and BF rankings. Spoiler alert: Riley ends up in a shocking spot. Also, SPIKE IS HERE, SPIKE IS HERE! Xander also meets his second demon love and Jonathan makes an appearance!
The end is pretty seriously nigh. We talk about deadly rollercoasters, invisible spies, and welcome Cordelia to the club! Oh yeah, Buffy faces the Master, and dies for the first time. Xander saves the day with CPR, so remember to get your certifications, kids! Allie fesses up to watching ahead.
Are dummies ever not creepy? What IS the greatest love of all? We fangirl on Charisma Carpenter and are grateful she is here for us in this time of dummy terror. Is “Nightmares” really just “Restless 1.0”? We discuss.
Angel is a vampire! That is BRAND NEW INFORMATION. We are shocked! We discuss the gray area of the soul vs. evil issue, and wonder if the show is biased in favor of Angel vs. Spike. Elsewhere, Sunnydale students learn the dangers of the Net. This week’s other burning thoughts: What is the point of the anointed one? Why doesn’t the Summers family have a barbecue fork? Why do watchers train slayers? Also, RIP Darla (for now).
We’re at the halfway point of Season 1! Buffy likes a boy, Xander gets possessed by a hyena. This week’s burning questions: Why is Willow always eating raisins at the Bronze? Who writes vampire prophecies? And was Matthew Lillard in every Freddie Prinze, Jr. movie? Also, RIP Principal Flutie, and hey, it’s that guy from Center Stage!
The slayerettes encounter their first non-vampire baddies, and magic! Buffy wants to join the pom pom cult and a witch isn’t having it, and Xander explores his first demon crush. We talk driver’s ed trauma, predatory teacher-student dynamics, and how Bring It On ruined all TV cheerleading, forever. Also, how do spells work? And how helpful is Angel, really?
Buffy moves to Sunnydale and tries to juggle a new high school, new watcher, and the Vampyres. We wonder why everyone forgets about Jesse, whether Xander is the actual worst, and what's up with Angel's jacket?
Welcome to our first episode of OMWC! We discuss the movie that started it all! Or, the movie that at least showed how not to do a story about a blonde, cheerleader vampire slayer. We talk about the horror of the movie (not the genre kind) and how we each got into Buffy.