Tiny Fences: A Buffy Podcast: Recent Episodes
Taylor Hennessey & Andrea Westaway
Taylor's watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer for the first time, Andrea's rewatching it for the umpteenth time, hilarity is sure to ensue.
Andrea and Taylor start their final journey into the 'Verse with the first three issues of Leaves on the Wind.
They both agree that this is a great Firefly story and feels like the plot of what could have been a second Serenity film.
What is the story of the mysterious Shepherd Book? What would we have found out if Firefly had continued? Click play to find out so many answers as we delve into this beautiful graphic novel.
This week Andrea and Taylor take another turn through the two-dimensional adventures of our Big Damn Heroes, with the second Firefly graphic novel: Better Days.
Andrea and Taylor do something a little different this week as they try to keep Firefly alive! That's right, it's the first-ever Tiny Fences graphic novel podcast!
We read the graphic novel that ties the series to Serenity, Those Left Behind, and we really enjoyed it, we hope you will too!
It can be lonely flying around in empty space, but so much creepier when you realize you're not alone at all. Listen in as Taylor and Andrea discuss the final episode of Firefly.
This week Taylor and Andrea chat a lot of Mal and Inara, Mal and Nandi, misogyny and the patriarchy, that's right, it's time for Heart of Gold! A great, one-off episode that was left out of the original run.
“When you can’t run, you crawl. And when you can’t crawl you find someone to carry you.” Join us while we discuss the new character on the Firefly this week.
It's the return of Saffron! Or is it Bridget? Yolanda? By any name, she sure makes things interesting for Mal and the crew. Andrea and Taylor chat about Trash and how the gang manages to get the upper hand on her this time 'round.
After taking a break to talk Year in Review and Holiday in the Wild, we're back in the Whedonverse! This week we're talking about War Stories, and relationships between Mal and Zoe, Zoe and Wash, and Wash and Mal.
It's that time of year again! Andrea and Taylor sit down to talk about the year that was!
(spoiler alert: Taylor's year was much busier)
It's that time again! Time for Andrea and Taylor to talk about a semi-terrible holiday rom-com! This time there's a twist, as Taylor uses this as a blatant excuse to talk to Andrea about her recent trip to Africa.
So! Enjoy as we talk about the movie AND Andrea's adventures in Africa!
It’s Simon’s turn to come up with a plan and Andrea and Taylor are here for it! Also the crew better run because two for two hands of blue are coming for you. Taylor will catch up on songwriting… some day. Enjoy!
We've hit Andrea's favourite episode, folks! With multiple time lines, beautiful transitions, and a great story it is a fun one to discuss.
Happy Halloween!!! Join Taylor and Andrea as they talk about Jim Henson's 1982 creepy muppet classic!
Taylor was watching it for the first time, Andrea was not, it was almost like Buffy all over again! Lots of fun facts about the making of, and a few tangents for good measure!
Show notes:
Dark Crystal Making Of Documentary https://youtu.be/G1OLv8juIH4
Let's all take a trip to the moon where Jayne's a folk hero! Taylor and Andrea talk about a fun Jayne-centric episode, as well as the themes faith that weave in and out of the storylines.
At long last, it's time Christina Hendricks to come on board Serenity and shake things up!
Listen as Taylor and Andrea chat about Saffron and how her presence affects the whole crew...except for River.
Andrea and Taylor chat about 'Safe', the Tams, the continuing mystery of Shepherd Book, and the wonderful directing (well, editing) of this episode!
It's time for a 'mighty fine shindig' on Persephone! Complete with mean girls, layer cake dresses, buffet tables, floating chandeliers and duels!
Taylor and Andrea have a good time chatting about Shindig in this week's episode
Sometimes when you're minding your own business, doing your best to stay out of trouble's way, trouble sneaks up on you anyways. Join Andrea & Taylor as they talk Reaver, the Alliance, and ghosts (Oh my!)
It Unification Day and Mal would like a job to keep himself occupied. It’s fast-thinking times on the train that brings out important parts of the crew’s characters. Listen in to also see a comparison between the pilots “Serenity” and “The Train Job.”
Gorram space cowboys, unlikely band of friends! It's time for Firefly. Let's get this boat up in the air. If you are watching for the first time, we are full of spoilers. Get ready for an original Taylor song at the end of the episode. If this is your first time on Serenity, make sure to start with the episode "Serenity" and not "The Train Job."
For our last jaunt through the TF Archive we bring you one of our most ambitious episodes, the Tiny Fences Musical!
Oh man folks, we're SO excited for you to listen to this week's classic episode!
We're releasing the episode from the Patreon vault for all of you because it's just downright one of our favourite episodes of all time.
There's nothing else to add except, enjoy!
We're doing something a little different for the next few weeks, taking a trip through the Tiny Fences archive.
Come with us as we go back to when Taylor wasn't called Taylor, when they weren't a big fan of Buffy the character, and we did our very first live show for the season one finale, Prophecy Girl.
Avengers assemble! Join us as we take a journey through the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Also, needless to say, this podcast contains a tremendous amount of spoilers from Iron Man up to and including Avengers: End Game.
The end of Dollhouse has finally arrived! Andrea and Taylor talk about how the show wraps things up, the good and the not so good (spoiler alert, Alpha plot hole) and how things play out for the actives and the rest of the world.
The mole is revealed. Priya and Tony learn to fly. Paul has amazing tolerance to pain, and a happy ending is ruined in seconds. Hit play to hear more about these vague statements and what we thought of this penultimate episode of Dollhouse.
With only two more episodes to go 'Getting Closer' is an episode full of questions, reveals, and a few answers.
Andrea and Taylor start at the end with the big Boyd reveal and then talk their way through the rest of the episode.
We’ve finally reached the attic and the surprises that lurk there for us to uncover. It’s strange and full of information for us to dissect. We also learn what our time in the attic would look like if we were stuck with our worst nightmares… good times!
Mind Whisper. Quite the name for a secret quasi-military operation, but what do you expect from a shady corporation that calls people 'dolls'?
Join Andrea and Taylor as they chat about 'Stop-Loss' including TWO references to other Whedonverse shows.
Alpha loves love, but does he know what love is? What we do know is that love is explosive and this episode is a blast!
In today's episode, Andrea and Taylor talk about Echo's time outside of the Dollhouse with Paul as well as the shakeup that's happening in the L.A. Dollhouse because of her escape.
Here's the episode of The Allusionist that Andrea mentions regarding the origin of the use of John Doe for unknown persons.
https://www.theallusionist.org/allusionist/tag/John+Doe
Meet-cutes, attractions, couplings, and strange sexual scenes are scattered throughout this episode. There’s sexual tension everywhere for Taylor and Andrea to discuss. With Bennett also comes new mysteries and stories spurring questions and predictions.
Join our discussion and tell us your own thoughts on these pairings or ones you shipped back in 2009!
Trouble is brewing in the political arena for DeWitt's Dollhouse! Senators, rogue Dolls, and new characters! Oh my!
Join Andrea and Taylor as they chat about 'The Public Eye'
Today we take a break from Echo to have a character study with Sierra/Priya, where Dichen Lachman just breaks our hearts with her performance.
Since the subject's so terrible, we try not to dwell too much, but focus on Priya and her journey instead.
In today's episode, we talk about privilege, white, male, rich, and the like, as we talk about Belle Chose.
“Would you like a treatment?”
This time this phrase doesn’t compute with Echo. Andrea and Taylor dissect the themes of this episode, but easily agree the main take away is: don’t mess with a mom. “Should we go now?”
We're back! And a little discombobulated, nothing like trying to get back to normal after Epitaph One, but here we are.
Things are changing in the Dollhouse, and we talk about it all in today's episode.
It’s 2019. The future is now. Andrea and Taylor dive deep into this post-apocalyptic episode and what this might mean for season two. Do you have your name tattooed on your back?
It's hard to believe, but the 'official' season finale is already here!
All of the storylines we've been talking about all season come to a head as Alpha meets Omega...and things don't quite go to plan for him.
“As he walked through the castle, he marvelled at how many lay asleep: the good people, the not-so-good, the young people and the not-so-young, and not one of them stirring. Not one.” (Jane Yolen, Briar Rose). Tune in to hear Taylor and Andrea's thoughts on the princes and the various rescue attempts throughout this very thought provoking episode.
"Would you attend your own funeral?" or better yet "Would you upload your conciousnes to say goodbye to your family after you died?"
Andrea and Taylor chat about these questions and more in today's episode.
We also have a spoiler alert for Schitt's Creek, and a long post-episode tangent about Oscar movies.
"Who has access to the chair?" If Taylor and Andrea worked in a secret organization that had a mole what would they do? Find out here along with their thoughts on the many big surprises of the episode.
Will getting their needs fulfilled stop the actives from glitching? That's the big question from this episode of Dollhouse, so Andrea and Taylor chat about the various needs of the actives, and their new friend, Mike the Internet.
Andrea and Taylor chat about 'Echoes', the regressions and flashbacks of the actives and non-actives alike.
We're not sure if you've been able to tell, but Taylor really doesn't care for Topher, even when he's being a silly goose with Adelle.
"If you could hire a doll, would you?" Taylor and Andrea dive deep into the conversations of the 'Man on the Street'.
They both agree this is the best episode yet - tune in to find out why.
Andrea and Taylor are back after a week off to talk about True Believer. Does anyone remember the last time Taylor got predicitions so accurate? NEITHER DO WE!
We talk faith, belief, and cults, along with Victor's issue with 'little' Victor.
Plus Andrea gets Taylor's pronouns correct in the prediction song!
Happy New Year Stakewielders!
It's the beginning of 2019, and we're going to do our traditional look back at the year that was! Join us as we travel back through 2018 month by month and relive all the good, bad and middle that happened through the last 12 months.
HOHOHO! Andrea and Taylor here with a special "The Christmas Chronicles" and "The Holiday Calendar" podcast for you. It's a present for your ears that you can open at the touch of a finger! Wishing you and yours a happy whatever you celebrate!
Andrea and Taylor chat about Echo's growth in the doll state, what the Dollhouse is up to with Paul and Victor, and Taffy standard time.
There are also continued 'kitten updates' in this episode, as Tenzing and Olenna cause their special kind of trouble during recording.
NB: Next week is our first ever Christmas episode on Christmas Day!
Quick note off the top: our audio quality is not up to snuff this episode because we recorded at Andrea's house and you'll be getting 'kitten updates' throughout the episode.
Andrea and Taylor are talking Stage Fright today. We continue to love the very layered episodes, with the multiple storylines that weave together as we go along. Echo and Sierra bond in and out of the Dollhouse, Paul gets into more and more trouble, and Taylor doesn't trust his neighbour at all.
Andrea and Taylor continue to delve into the many layers of the Dollhouse as they talk about possibly the worst date in the history of dates.
Also: if you haven't watched Dollhouse before, be warned for a spoiler at 17:25 when we start talking about Paul.
Oh man folks! We're so excited to get back to our one episode per episode podcasting!!
We're leaving the Buffyverse behind, but at least we're sticking with a few familiar faces. Will Taylor ever be able to pronounce Eliza correctly? What will be Andrea's new catchphrase for this new show? Join us as we enter the Dollhouse and find out!
Remember that giant tower in Sunnydale everyone somehow missed? Let's go back and revisit the Glory days from a new perspective! It's like watching the Scoobies on old video tapes knowing what's going to happen.
Andrea and Taylor are taking a quick season 5 Buffy break to bring you a trip back to the mid-90s with their first Halloween special of The Frighteners!
"Say her name. Say her name." Let's go back to the year 2000 when Destiny's Child played on the radio and the Scoobies said Glory's name for the first time. Taylor and Andrea reflect on last moments with Joyce, Spike's early on crushing, & much more.
The rewatch continues! Andrea and Taylor chat about the latter half of season 4, and while Andrea still finds the season overall frustrating, Taylor still maintains that it's their favourite season.
Re-watch time again! Join us as we chat about the start of big changes for the Scooby crew. Taylor's continuing to have fun picking up a lot of little things that you can only catch once you've seen the series through.
Here we go! Finishing off high school with the Scoobies, and the season 3 re-watch. Wes is here, Faith goes to the dark side, and a whole lot of love for Oz.
We recorded remotely, so the audio quality isn't quite up to Tiny Fences standards, but we still had a good time chatting about the final episodes of high school.
It's time for the first half of season three! Faith, the Mayor, SlayerFest '98!
But first, we bring back the OG theme song and have a chat about the upcoming Buffy revival.
From 'Ted' to 'Becoming Pt. 2,' Andrea and Taylor are back with their rewatch of season 2 of Buffy.
Come listen to how Andrea's feelings about Oz haven't changed, but Taylor's opinions about Cordelia have, the benefits of a retroactive rewatch.
The Buffy Rewatch continues! Season 2 part 1 (eps 1-11) has Taylor continuing to notice and appreciate all new things now that she's looking at the eps with a retrospective eye.
Also, if you love tangents, boy is this the episode for you! We have several throughout the ep, including a LONG one that we give you a warning for.
Come with us as we journey back to the beginning of Buffy. Taylor gets to have a whole different kind of experience, watching the show with the knowledge and nostalgia of someone who knows these characters really well, where they're going, and what their endpoint will be.
It's Angel finale time... already! A & T can't believe we've already reached the end of the series. As always, we have opinions from "The Wanton Folly of Me Mum" to dragons at the end. Let's go to work! Also next week we will be moving to releasing every two weeks so go listen to other podcasts and see you in two weeks!
It's our penultimate episode of Angel! ALREADY! We chat about 'Time Bomb' and 'The Girl in Question' (spoilers: we liked one of these far more than the other)
Taylor reminds Andrea in this episode that there are only two more eps of Tiny Fences: Angel after this one! HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?!
We chat about 'Underneath' and 'Origin' in this ep, and we both agree that we far prefer this version of Connor.
We're hurtling towards the end of Angel here folks! Andrea and Taylor chat about 'A Hole in the World' and 'Shells' in today's podcast, about the things that worked and the things that didn't.
We also have a little section at the end where we recommend a whole bunch of stuff to read, watch, or listen to, and here's a list!
Critically Touched review
Wild Wild Country
The Doctor Blake Mysteries
Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey (and the movie)
Love, Simon
Simon vs the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
Pups and Pop
Time for our re-do episode! Our SD card ate our last ep, so we chat about "Why We Fight" and "Smile Time" AGAIN.
Guess who missed here at Tiny Fences? CORDY! So that's pretty who we talk about for the whole episode! You're welcome ;)
Hello Stakewielders, ready for some Angel time!? Andrea and Taylor are talking hallucinations, the Angel/Spike relationship and just how much they love Andrew in today's episode on Soul Purpose and Damage.
We're so happy to welcome back Angel (well, Wesley) super-fan Julia as we talk about 5x07-5x09!
Time for some chats about Angel! This week we're chatting about 'Hell Bound', 'Life of the Party', and 'The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco'.
Also, we have a new little theme song!
Welcome to our first post-Buffy podcast! Today Andrea and Taylor are talking about the first three episodes of the final season of Angel, "Conviction", "Just Rewards", and "Unleashed".
We chat about Spike joining the Angelverse, everyone's new positions within W&H, and have a fun tangent re: werewolves and zombies.
Also, the story Andrea was talking about by Neil Gaiman was "Sunbird" in his short story collection Fragile Things.
We're back! We promised we would be! Join Andrea and Taylor as they chat about Buffy in more general terms, and do some ranking of seasons, episodes and big bads.
IT'S FINALLY FINALE TIME! That's right folks, 144 episodes later we've finally made it to 'Chosen'.
It's a long one folks, we talk about the episode, we wax nostalgic about the podcast and we chat with you, our wonderful Stakewielders, 'cause we did it on FB Live!
IT'S THE PENULTIMATE EPISODE! Andrea and Amanda chat about Buffy cool new weapon, Angel's reappearance in Sunnydale, and all the nice little moments that happen in this, the second-to-last episode of Buffy.
We're so close to the end folks! Which makes it all the nicer to get a beautiful character episode like this so close to the end! Amanda and Andrea talk about how much they love Spuffy in this ep, and talk through all the lovely little extra touches that are in this episode.
We're coming down to final few episodes folks, so it seems about time for Andrea and Amanda to have some serious differences of opinion, right?
In our discussion of Empty Places,Andrea defends Buffy to the end (but doesn't blame Faith!) and Amanda takes a look at the situation from the Potentials shoes.
Don't forget to send your favourite tangents, bits, episodes, Canadianisms, whatever you like to us at tinyfences@gmail.com while we get ready to wrap up Buffy!
Faith and Caleb have arrived in Sunnydale at last, and you know what that means? THE END IS NIGH!
We chat about the creepiness of Caleb, Faith's re-integration into the Scoobies and our poor poor Xander.
Plus we have an extra long 'Five Minutes with Angel' as we talk about 4x16-4x18.
Time for another Angel Package: The Faith episodes!
Andrea and Amanda welcome back Angel super-fan, Julia, to chat about the end of the beast, Angelus, Wes, and Faith.
We chat about how Wes and Faith are really the only good things about these episodes, the frustrating writing, and how we do NOT care for what's being done to Cordelia's character.
Come on down and listen to Amanda, Andrea and guest Lauren have a chat about "Lies My Parents Told Me!"
We talk about the various parent/child relationships in the episode, as well have a tangent (or four) along the way.
Oh! Hello there gentle listeners! Are you ready to listen to your faithful hosts Amanda and Andrea talk about 'Storyteller' and all the ways they enjoy Andrew, with their guest Alicen?
Then look no further! We talk about recording for posterity, speechifying, and our fondness for the 'guestage'. Also, if you don't normally listen all the way to the end, we'd recommend doing it this time around.
So Miss Piggy and Robin Hood head into a desert... no wait, that's not how it goes! This is no happy puppet show and Kermit's definitely not hanging out in the desert with the creepy shadow men. Andrea and Amanda have opinions on these guys and are loving Buffy's attack on the patriarchy! Even if this was a muppet show, Buffy would still find a way to get in one of her inspiring speeches... we have thoughts on those as well.
Everyone's going on dates and it's a horrible idea, according to Giles. He's half right.
We chat about the Robin Wood revelation, Xander's continuing bad luck with the ladies, and how much we adore Andrew. (Yup, Amanda's finally on board)
Time for us to chat about some changes that Willow's going through, about the Scoobies finally sharing Amanda's concerns about Giles and Spike's horrendous headaches.
It's the beginning of the year, and here on Tiny Fences that means it's time for us to take a look back at the year that was! That's right, it's time for the third annual Year in Review!!
It's the final episode of 2017!! Are you ready for tangenty goodness while we chat about 'Potential'?
As we say in the episode we wish one and all a wonderful holiday season no matter what holiday you happen to celebrate!
It's "Showtime" for Buffy in the fight against the First. After an infiltration by the First into the house, Buffy has to show the doubting Potentials what she's capable of.
Over on 'Five Minutes with Angel' things continue to just be generally terrible.
No more 'the demon' folks! We finally know (well, Amanda does) that the First Evil is back in Sunnydale to cause all kinds of trouble.
The ladies chat about Spike, the problem with Willow being so powerful, and what the heck happened to the Watcher's Council.
Amanda and Andrea are talking about the Spike-centric "Sleeper" today.
Andrea's mum gets some serious shout-outs and the ladies take a brief tour to tangent land in the form of the Grey Cup and the CFL.
Here's a link to the opening and ending of the seminal Canadian children's classic, "The Friendly Giant"
https://youtu.be/WV2P6P4p6Hg
Time for Amanda and Andrea to have a conversation about 'Conversations with Dead People'!
It's one of Andrea's favourite episodes, and we essentially spend the podcast heaping praise on the writers, actors, director and editors.
And then we talk about Angel....which is another story entirely
ALSO! SPOILER WARNING! Spoilers for both seasons of Stranger Things from around 24:03-25:36 and for Firefly starting when Andrea mentions Jonathan Woodward for about 30-45 seconds.
https://youtu.be/LS-ErOKpO4E
What the heck is going on with Anya?! That's what Amanda would like to know! She has a lot of questions about Anya's past that just don't have answers.
We get an episode that feels like a bit of a throwback to 'old school' Buffy', trying to solve a high school mystery.
Amanda has a sad realization and Andrea just really loves how excited Buffy is about her new job.
We're excited that Willow's back and that there's an actually creepy MotW for a change!
Amanda and Andrea get back to the swing of things, chatting about some of 701 while they chat about 702. While it's pretty lousy plot-wise, it's an episode rich in character development.
The girls compare Nancy to your friend who's never seen Buffy, chat a lot about Spike, and Amanda wonders if Principal Wood is sinister due to his shockingly white teeth...
Amanda and Andrea welcome special guest Kevin T. Porter of Gilmore Guys fame to chat Buffy in general and 701 in specific.
In our most tangenty episode in a while we talk about the series, podcasting and film music.
NB: We have a small amount of explicit language in this episode
We can hardly believe we're already at the end of season six! Amanda and Andrea welcome back Lauren to chat about 'Grave'.
Giles is back, Buffy's out of the battle and it's time for the humans to step up and save the day.
It's time for the first half of the season six finale "Two to Go", we chat a lot about power and how Willow and Buffy deal with it, also how we see the point in which Buffy loses her battle to be the one to save Willow.
Oh man, here we go, the real big bad of the season is finally revealed, and it is TERRIFYING (and amazing).
Amanda and Andrea chat a lot about the morality that exists in the Buffyverse, and continue in on how much they can't stand Warren.
(We also have a quick little note at the beginning about our thoughts on Kai's essay.)
Amanda and Andrea sit down to have a not fun but good conversation about 'Seeing Red', and the terrible, horrible things the audience is witness to in it.
'Entopy' may be defined as the "lack of order or predictability; gradual decline into disorder", but in this episode things are also coming together, Dawn and Buffy, Tara and Willow, as they also 'decline into disorder' for other relationships.
It may not be the best episode ever, but it's certainly our favourite 'bridge episode' in a long time.
Amanda and Andrea welcome back Lauren to chat about the excellently mind-bendy episode 'Normal Again'.
As per usual when Lauren comes to chat with us, there are a lot of laughs, but we also have some really interesting conversations about reality, multiverses and mental health. With a little peek into the Vancouver film industry on the side.
It's Anya and Xander's big day! Nothing could possibly go wrong, right? Especially not in Sunnydale.
Sigh, time for us to talk about 'Hells Bells' and all the sadness it brings to the Scooby gang.
That's right! Here it is again! The LIVE version of Tiny Fences: The Musical! Recorded June 10 at La Fontana Caffe in Burnaby, BC.
A huge thank you to everyone who helped us put this event on, and to all those who came out to see us be ridiculous in public!
Let's talk about 'As You Were'...'cause we have to.
Amanda's really not a fan, and Andrea agrees, but has a few redeeming moments for us anyways.
Then, the always popular, 'Five Minutes according to Amanda, 'cause Andrea didn't have time to watch Angel'
Uh oh, Buffy's celebrating a birthday, never a good thing.
Even though it's Buffy's birthday, we think this is supposed to be about Dawn, she definitely gets the short end of the characterization stick AGAIN. Tara, yet again, comes in and outshines her.
It's a pretty middle of the road episode, but there are some nice moments for the adults, especially with the Buffy/Tara friendship, plus we get a literal redshirt in Richard.
Amanda and Andrea finally get an episode that they both enjoy and get a great character study on Buffy and her current state of mind when the Trio try to frame her for the murder of an innocent.
We also get an extended 'more than' 5 Minutes with Angel as the ladies discuss Waiting in the Wings.
(also: please note, Andrea knows that Gavin Rossdale's from England, not Australia, she doesn't know why she mixed that up on the day)
We rebel against the haters by not hating Doublemeat Palace! WE HAVE REASONS!
Amanda likes the horror style, Andrea likes that Buffy's trying to make positive steps in her life. The ladies also get into a couple tangents about minimum-wage jobs, and the stigma around them. And if you have kids listening to the podcast, be warned Andrea(!) makes up a weird, not-for-kids tagline for this episode.
ALSO! Please be warned! There are spoilers for 'Soylent Green' in this podcast, Amanda insisted this warning be included, despite Andrea believing the movie coming out in 1973 means the statute for spoilers has expired.
Additional info from things we talked about:
Revisionist History: Carlos Doesn't Remember
Revisionist History: Food Fight
Psych
Invisi-ray. trio shenanigans, invisible Buffy, recovering Willow.
These are all things from this episode that we like and dislike to varying degrees...
It's time for Wrecked. Please be warned, we're not big fans of this episode, but as always we do find things to enjoy and talk about.
Oh man, things are a-happenin' in Sunnydale!
We have a not-so-daring museum heist, a movie date with a whole lotta shake, a de-ratting, a LOT of frivolous magic, and some serious structural damage.
Time for an episode that mixes mind-wipe shenanigans with complete and utter heartbreak, topped off with a Michelle Branch song designed to make Amanda cry.
It's finally time you guys!!! Tiny Fences: The Musical is here at long last. We sing songs and talk about Buffy's amazing musical episode, Once More with Feeling!
We hope you enjoy it! We put a lot of love and work into this crazy endeavour!
We'd like to give a HUGE thank you to Shannon Kerr for her help with 'Previously on Buffy,' 'Fun Facts with Andrea,' 'My One Complaint,' and 'Who You Are.' As well as her husband Tyson for his contributions to those songs.
Also thank you to Gian Latrofa for coming in to sing 'Blame it on the Oboe,' and 'Spike Song'.
Here's a Dawn-centric episode where the most interesting character parts have to do with everyone except Dawn....
Buffy's trying figure out what do with her life. The Trio want to test her abilities. Hilariousness ensues.
Giles is back! He's happy to see his Slayer on this plane of existence, but knows something's wrong. There's an intense fight with Willow, which leads Amanda and Andrea into an interesting conversation about her growing power and continued immaturity. We also meet a group of nerds who've decided to take over Sunnydale, with the help of a demon and a bank robbery.
MAGIC HAS CONSEQUENCES! We've been talking about it for ages it seems, and in this episode we get a good look at one of the consequences of the spell it took to bring Buffy back.
Buffy Lives! After a short trip to Pylea, we're back chatting about the season six premiere, Bargaining Pt 1.
Things are a-changin' in the Buffyverse! We're on the UPN! Willow's the star of the ep! It's WAY darker! Giles is out of the main credits!
Amanda and Andrea welcome back Angel superfan Julia as they sit down to talk about the final four episodes of season two.
Are you ready for a couple hours of Amanda and Andrea talking about the season five finale, the 100th episode, the final episode of Buffy on the WB, 'The Gift'?!
If you are, we'll let you know that there are more songs than normal, surprisingly fewer tangents, and a whole lot of love for the way Joss brings everything together in this episode.
We also have a little sneak preview of one of the songs we've written for "Tiny Fences: The Musical!" (yes, we're going super-meta for OMwF)
Welcome to the penultimate episode of season five! It's a bit different from other 'before the finale' eps, in that it doesn't really ramp the action up. Instead we explore morality, humanity and the consequences of magic through a trip into Buffy's subconscious and the relationship between Glory and Ben.
Also, here are some links to a couple things we chat about:
Spoon Theory -
Shades of Magic series
We're nearing the end of season five, and as per usual we've hit the 'not great' episode of the final batch, 5x20 - Spiral.
Although, there are some nice character moments from the Scoobies, Amanda and Andrea talk about their MANY problems with the Knights of Byzantium, and how it brings down this whole episode.
Andrea brings up the parallels between Dawn and Ben that come about thanks to the massive exposition dump from the general of the Knights...(have we mentioned we don't like the knights?)
We're talking about "Tough Love" today on the podcast.
We spend most of the episode talking about the relationships between Buffy & Dawn, and Willow & Tara. (With a little Buffy/Giles on the side)
Amanda and Andrea chat about the interesting way in which some of the characters have matured, and how both of them felt the shift in the argument between Willow and Tara came out of left field.
Amanda and Andrea welcome back guest Lauren to chat about robot Buffy, real Buffy's vision quest and the nature of love. As well as how much fun SMG must have had being robot Buffy and how happy we are that Spike's taken a turn back towards the side of good.
Also, warning: Do NOT listening to the beginning of this podcast while eating...weird tangent that doesn't mix well with food.
Time to talk about "Forever." Buffy's still in shock, Dawn's lashing out and all the Scoobies are still grieving the loss of Joyce.
Amanda and Andrea chat about the slightly darker tone the show's taken, the vast difference between Tara and Willow's views on magic and how frustrated they are with Hank Summers. (plus how grateful they are for Angel in this episode)
Prepare your emotions, today Amanda and Andrea are talking about one of the most beautiful, effective and devastating hours of TV, The Body
Time for a rousing and occasionally rambling conversation about Buffy and her search for love. I know, you THINK this episode's about April, the sad robot girl, but it isn't, trust us. We also can't help but mention how much we love Xander this episode, he's ramped his lovableness up to 11 - especially when he's Puffy Xander.
Happy Valentine's Day! or Happy Single's Awareness Day! (depending whether you're Amanda or Andrea)
However you choose to 'celebrate' today, why not spend an hour or so with the ladies of Tiny Fences as they chat about 'Crush'.
It's mid-season revelation time in Sunnydale. Dawn and the Scoobies learn the truth about her and we, the audience, finally get new insight into the Ben/Glory relationship.
Yes, the Watcher's Council's back, and we learn HUGE new information about Glory, but the most important part of this episode, is possibly the greatest version of our theme song ever.
Enjoy, and you're welcome ;)
Is it a "Triangle"? Or is it more of a line?
This week Amanda and Andrea discuss the animosity between Willow and Anya and how it comes to a bit of an unsatisfying head in episode 5x11.
Giles may be getting ready to celebrate Gurnenthar's Ascendance, but Andrea and Amanda are saying goodbye to Riley.
On top of trying to deconstruct the end of that relationship, there's also talk about Joyce's condition, and a lot about how much Xander's grown for the better.
Amanda and Andrea sit down and review their 2016, which, overall, wasn't that bad, and look forward to 2017!
Happy New Year! Here's 'Listening to Fear'! (I'm a poet and totally know it ;) )
Amanda and Andrea freely admit that the weird alien/demon aspect of this episode is not great, but it's not alone it's terribleness. There's the terrible way they deal with mental health issues and the all the ways the non-Scooby men drive the ladies up the wall.
However, to off-set that, everything surrounding the Summers women is fantastic, along with the very realistic representation of illness affects not just one person, but those around them as well.
It's the last episode before Christmas, we're clipless and Andrea sounds terrible, but we needed to talk about "Shadow"!
Joyce is in the hospital and we chat about how that affects not only Buffy and Dawn but their relationships with those around them, especially with all the secrets in this episode. There's some discussion about Buffy villains and where Glory fits into that pantheon. Also, to our chagrin,we can 't help but note that Riley has tipped into a frustratingly annoying territory.
Also, stick around to the very end to hear about something super amazing that Amanda did.
Are you ready to listen to both Amanda and Andrea have revelations about Spike? Then you've come to the right place!
It's an amazing character-driven episode that delves deep into Spike's history, and while Amanda finally 'gets' why everyone likes Spike, it's Andrea who's brain seems to have exploded the most in this episode.
This week we welcome back the oft-mentioned Vanessa to the podcast as we finally learn more about Tara!
On top of learning about Tara via her sadly one-note family, we also chat about how the Giles/Buffy relationship is stronger than ever and Spike's frustrated feelings.
There's nothing like a battle with a super powerful, unhinged lady in red to soften the news that your sister's not really your sister, right Buffy?
We've got lots to talk about this ep; the big Dawn revelation, opening the Magic Box, new Big Bad in town, Joyce is still sick, Spike's upping his stalker game.
"Out of My Mind"? More like get this chip out of my head! With a weak 'A' plot featuring Riley and some Initiative shenanigans, we get to rely on the subplots with Spike and Harmony, and Joyce and Jaffy to keep things interesting this week.
Double the Xander, double the fun?! It's all about character growth for our favourite male, non-teacher Scooby this week.
We chat about confidence, weakness and seizing opportunities this week as we discuss 'The Replacement'
It's time for us to learn all about Jaffy! (#JaffyForever) Just how does having a little sister affect the Slayer? And how does she fit into the Scoobies?
We talk about that, but with a lot of Babysitter's Club references, and confusion as to why a 14 year-old (even one who lives in Sunnydale requires so much supervision)
Who's ready for some post-Halloween, live podcast goodness?! Amanda and Andrea were in Seattle for Geek Girl Con and did a live podcast of 5x01 for a wonderful crowd of con attendees.
There were songs, an impressive dance and some of the BEST predictions yet from Amanda
#JaffyForever
It's time for us to go on a journey through the subconscious of the Scoobies in Restless!
Amanda's confused, is this the finale? It feels like the finale.
We chat about Adam and the Initiative and how they never quite worked as villains, and the reconciliation of the Scoobies. We also touch on the the sad state of affairs for Riley and the even sadder fate of Maggie Walsh.
The WB would have us believe this episode is ALL about Angel being back in town and having a testosterone-off with Riley, but we know there's so much more going on!
Spike breaks up the team, and easily, it just takes a little needling here and there and all the lack of communication that's been building this season works in his favour.
Moon's in the title, must be werewolf time in Sunnydale again!
Obviously, with Oz back in town, stirring up feelings for Willow, we talk A LOT about that (like, a lot) and how it relates to her relationship with Tara and the rest of the Scoobies.
However, we do dedicate a little time to being happy about Riley finally picking a (the right) side, lamenting Adam's lameness and arguing about the Initiative!
Ugh.
Do you hate "Where the Wild Things Are"? US TOO! So much so that we could only find 45 minutes worth of things to talk about in this terrible, horrible, no-good episode.
But we did add some Tiny Fences-style karaoke at the end to make up for it!
We welcome back guest Lauren for a laugh-filled podcast for 'Superstar'!
While there's very little real development plot-wise this episode does show us that even when an ultimate authority shows up, Buffy's 'slayerness' eventually shines through. There's also, inevitably, a lot of shrimp talk.
We continue our journey through the Faith/Buffy character study that are 415-416 with "Who Are You?"
Faith's back! And so is one of our favourite guests, John!
We have a lot of discussion about Faith, and how her actions are dictated by her upbringing, her feelings about Buffy, and not being the Slayer.
We also detour into how Xander and Willow seem to revert to high school versions of themselves at the mention of Faith.
Andrea can't help but note that even though Adam's the supposed big bad, he's dropped the second Faith's back in the picture. Everyone also reminisces about how much they miss the Mayor
After break from recording Amanda and Andrea are back with a long(ish) episode to discuss "Goodbye Iowa"
Be forewarned, Riley haters there's a lot of praise heaped on Marc Blucas' performance in this episode. There's also a fair amount of Andrea being frustrated with Amanda's devil's advocacy for Forrest and Adam.
"Wellll, that escalated quickly" That's how Amanda and Andrea feel about today's episode.
The ladies get into a conversation of science vs magic and skepticism vs faith and how those two 'extremes' are represented in the Scoobies and the Initiative.
We welcome back Julia to round out the 'Ethan episodes' and discover that the theme of this episode is "Poor Giles!" (we say it MANY times)
Also, it's Buffy's birthday, and for the first time in YEARS, she gets to have an actual party where nothing terrible happens to her afterwards, Giles on the other hand...
In the aftermath of Hush, Buffy and Riley try to sort out their relationship, Spike pokes at Xander and Willow's place in the Scoobies and a another apocalypse tries to make itself known in Sunnydale
Please note, there's definitely an awkward moment where it becomes very apparent that Andrea's mouth moves faster than her brain...
Ah, Something Blue,when the follies hit Sunnydale.
We welcome back Alicen as a guest to talk about the ridiculousness that is this episode. We get some sweet Riley/Buffy moments, and some truly sad Willow moments.
Your eyes aren't deceiving you! It's a Tiny Fences about an episode of Angel. Granted it IS the 'cross-over event' episode, where Buffy comes to L.A. (this is a Buffy podcast after all ;) )
It's an episode all about 'what ifs' for the star-crossed pair. Perhaps the most fun part of this episode is the fact that Amanda and Andrea clearly don't agree on a certain topic, but the discussion never breaks down into an argument.
Normally Thanksgiving's a time for food, family and fellowship, but this is Sunnydale! Buffy's attempt to put on the perfect Thanksgiving dinner for her friends is interrupted by vengeful spirits, sad vampires, Willow and Giles fighting, and the overwhelming feeling that she's being watched.
It's time to find out more about those commandos who've been roaming UC Sunnydale! (and Spike's back too!)
The time has finally come to say goodbye to Oz. Amanda & Andrea delve into 4x06, Wild at Heart.
The ladies also have to extend "Five Minutes with Angel" to seven minutes for Sense and Sensitivity.
Ugh. It's time. 'Beer Bad', why are you so awful? Tune in as we try and decipher that very question.
It's Halloween at UC Sunnydale! What does that mean for the Scoobies? Why, haunted frats, costumes and comedy, of course!
We welcome back podcast super-fan Peter Dunn as we also welcome back fan-favourite Spike to Buffy in the "Harsh Light of Day"!
This extra-long podcast is spent talking about the three relationships of the episode, Spike & Harmony, Anya & Xander, and Buffy & Parker, with a little bit of Gem of Amara on the side.
Time to talk about Buffy and her "Living Conditions"!
Amanda and Andrea chat about their roommates past, the amazing amount of comedy in this episode, and how much fun SMG must've had playing a slightly soulless version of the Slayer.
Andrea commiserates with 401 Buffy and tells about 'the day' she had and Amanda has to watch the end of the episode ON AIR, 'cause she missed it.....oh Amanda.
New season! New school! New people! Updated theme song! There's a LOT going on in this episode.
Amanda and Andrea talk about their own university experiences, and how they relate to Buffy's feeling overwhelmed by it all. They also talk travels across Canada and America a la Xander.
Make sure you stay tuned to the end for a new segment following our favourite brooding detective in L.A.
It's the end of an era....and a school! We survived high school, but we will survive Graduation Pt 2?!
Amanda and Andrea welcome back Alicen to talk the end of the high school years, sing some songs, read some elegies and some stories.
Bring on season four!
It's already season finale time! Amanda and Andrea welcome Alicen for 'Graduation Day Pt. 1'
Get ready for more quotes than Andrea's ever asked for before, some long tangents courtesy of Alicen, and some overall finale time conversational goodness!
Hellhounds! Break-ups! Adorable umbrella awards! It must be time for the Sunnydale High Prom!
Amanda and Andrea welcome guest Lauren as they talk (and laugh) about 'The Prom'. For a supposed 'monster-of-the-week' ep, we spend a whole lot of time NOT talking about the MOW.
"What's in the box!" Amanda and Andrea welcome back Julia to discuss "Choices".
It's an episode where it seems like a lot happens, but actually not that much happens. However, there are a lot of decisions to be made, for almost all our characters, whether they like and/or want to make those choices.
It's Earshot time! Buffy gets a fancy new power that isn't as great as it initially seems.
Amanda and Andrea discuss the usefulness of being able to read minds, and how high school's kind of awful.
Amanda and Andrea FINALLY welcome the one and only Katherine (that's right, @KatherineIsOdd) to the podcast, to talk "Enemies".
There are more than a few tangents, but when the girls get down to the episode they have lots to say; especially how much they love Faith, enjoy Giles' indignant comments about demons, and the Mayor's fatherly relationship with Faith. (did we mention that we love Faith?)
We're seeing double! and the return of Craig (aka Andrea's best friend Craig) to the podcast!
It's a Willow-centric episode, and I think anyone who's listened to the podcast knows how Amanda feels about this. For the first time in a while Andrea has some STRONG feelings about fashion. (that aren't overall related!)
It's time to take some responsibility for actions...unless your name is Faith, 'cause then it's time to repress and act out!
Amanda and Andrea have a great discussion about this excellent episode, full of strong character development and wonderful performances especially from SMG and Eliza Dushku (she's the real stand-out in the episode)
There's also an odd running Marvel theme...not sure where that came from ;)
"Is he evil?" There's a new Watcher in town and the Scoobies are NOT having any of it, Giles included.
Faith and Buffy band together to rebel against their new Watcher, with Faith's 'bad girl' persona bringing out Buffy's wilder side in the process.
Were you thinking to yourself, "Whatever happened to that Q&A Tiny Fences was going to do?" Well the answer is, "IT'S RIGHT HERE!"
It's a bit rambly, we talk a lot about Angel, and "Welcome to Tiny Fences" (a podcast about our podcast ;) )
"Did I mention I'm having a really strange night?" Oh Xander, a strange night for you, makes a super-fun episode for us!
Amanda and Andrea welcome back Vanessa from Not Another X-Files Podcast Podcast to chat about this Xander-centric ep. We talk about the masculinity, music, and the magic of (literally)'flipping the script' in The Zeppo.
Amanda has several 'games' for the girls to play, and Andrea apologizes profusely for sounding like she's dying throughout the episode.
It's Buffy's birthday again! Which obviously means bad news...Amanda and Andrea welcome a new guest to celebrate the big day: Matthew!
The gang chats about the new information we've learned about the Watcher's Council, how Buffy copes with losing her powers, and Giles' betrayal.
Witches, mobs, and demons! OH MY!
It's "Gingerbread" time, this week the girls talk about mob mentalities, good and bad parental units, and the excellent quotables in this ep courtesy of Jane Espenson!
"It's a WB Holiday Event!" according to the promo.
The girls discuss Buffy's only 'Christmas' episode, which ends surprisingly happy for a Joss written/directed episode.
The big question continues to be why is Angel back? Andrea questions Amanda as to whether we know the truth or if the First was lying. The ladies also talk about some strong acting from David Boreanaz, who's been floating around the periphery for a while. (well, strong except for the less than great accent, and questionable hair/facial hair...)
There's also some great discussion about how people are too hard on themselves, and are often better, stronger, than they give themselves credit for.
With amends being made in the Willow/Oz relationship as well, A&A get into a conversation about Oz's feminist side and whether Willow's really ready to do the 'thing'.
And lastly, any episode claiming a heat wave and then snow is obviously going to need some 'splaining' from these Canadians, who question whether California is actually familiar with how snow works.
This week we’re following Cordelia down the rabbit hole into a land of greys, fear, and vampires running wild and free. It’s Wishverse! We welcome Andrea’s best friend Craig onto the podcast to talk about a world where Buffy never comes to Sunnydale. Amanda brings back conversation about fashion and the contrast in colours shown throughout the episode. Craig and the girls love Wishverse Willow and all pity her “poor puppy.” We also go in depth with Oz and his stoic emotional maturity and examine the question of whether friends who have crossed the “romantic line” can ever return to where they were. Andrea brings us into the conversation of Wishverse Buffy and how different our hero’s life would have been without her Scoobies. Click play and join our discussion on one of Joss's top ten favourite episodes!
Big things are happening in Sunnydale! The SAT results are in! Just kidding, we all know the big news is that everyone's favourite lovelorn vampire is back in town!
Amanda and Andrea talk about how Spike is able to come into town have an affect on almost all the relationships we care about - he's THAT powerful a destructive force. They talk about the various natures of love and lust that exist in Sunnydale, and how each character has a different reaction in dealing with their emotions.
The girls do also talk about the B plot of Buffy potentially being able to get a higher education, and how proud both Giles and Joyce of her academic achievement.
At the end of the episode the girls lay out (at LAST) the details for the upcoming Q&A episode.
Nobody insults Giles' books! Well, except for mysterious lady Watchers...
The explore this episode all about secrets; Angel, Xillow, the glove of Minnegan, a few of them get revealed (see what I did there) and the drama that lies therein. Giles' emotional reaction to the Angel news, and Xander acts as you would expect him to are a big conversation point, along with "who is Gwendolyn Post?"
Anybody want a chocolate bar?!
Amanda and Andrea welcome back friend, and bad-boy Giles aficionado, Julia to the podcast to talk about 'Band Candy'
There's a lot of love for this episode, especially for our villains, Snyder, the Mayor and Mr. Trick. Throw in some Teen Wolf, Xillow angst, and you get a lot of laughing this time around.
Curious about the SATs and testing, Andrea takes the girls on a testing tangent, and Amanda does the same about learning to drive.
Amanda and Andrea are back with a new episode! Buffy decides she wants to make a lasting impression at the school, embraces her inner prom queen and runs for homecoming queen...but this is Sunnydale, so how about Slayerfest '98 instead?
Amanda finally breaks out her season 2 rap and also laments the lack of alumni (from her prediction) in this episodes. With Cordy and Buffy at loggerheads, the girls get a chance to talk about how great Cordy is when she gets the chance to shine. This is also the rebirth of Xillow on Buffy, and the ladies lament it's unfortunate return. However, that does launch a fun tangent about relationships on television in general.
The girls also can't help but go on a bit of a Star Wars tangent, (since this was recorded right before Ep VII was released) and talk about how excited they are for it!
Amanda and Andrea got together in December before they made their respective ways home for the holidays to talk about what an amazing year 2015 was, and look ahead to what 2016 might hold.
Amanda and Andrea welcome new guest, Marina, to discuss Beauty and the Beasts.
In this pseudo-sequel to Phases, the ladies talk about the nature of beasts and how it's represented in the three male characters, Oz, Pete and Angel. Unsurprisingly, the ladies skirt around and then talk about the abuse/therapy parts of this episode as well.
We find out that Marina's favourite character is Oz (much to Andrea's glee) and her Buffy 'origin' story. The ladies have a TON of quotes for this episode, so sit back, relax and enjoy!
"This podcast is brought to you by..."
The girls welcome, as the first guest for season 3, fan-favourite John as they meet new slayer Faith, sassy vamp Mr. Trick and new love interest Scott Hope.
On top of chatting about how much they love Faith, they also ponder the consequences of a high vampire population on the city of Sunnydale, and try and figure out why Giles wasn't invited to the Watcher's Council getaway.
It's party time in Sunnydale!
Amanda and Andrea talk about how parties make them uncomfortable, and how they can totally empathize with Buffy in this episode. The Scoobies are being super passive aggressive, and Snyder's all tingly. The ladies also talk about how. with characters as 'real' and human as the one's on Buffy are, they're super frustrating sometimes.
We can hardly believe we're already on season three! Where has the time gone?!
Amanda and Andrea chat about Buffy and how she's such a positive influence on those around her, even when she isn't trying. They also discover that Amanda missed the end of the episode when she watched it, so we catch up on air. Andrea can't stop talking about the amazing one-shot in the ep.
The ladies also talk about the amped up opening credits, the apparent increase in budget for the show, 'cause the production value is WAY up.
They also get lost in a few tangents about TV, shows trolling their fans and when bad episodes happen to good TV.
Can you believe we're already at the end of season two? Neither can we!
The girls talk about this amazing episode, and how it's the culmination and payoff for everything we've been building towards season two. We've got some great character development for the Scoobies, some more 'what not to do as a parent' moments with Joyce and music chats galore.
The girls dance around 'that scene' at the end, for a while, but finally get into a discussion about how fantastic Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Boreanaz are in it.
Season two may be done, but we're powering on! See you for season three!
We can hardly believe we're already at the season 2 finale!
Full of flashbacks, 'Becoming Pt. 1' is all about learning about how Angel became the vampire we knew and loved. Amanda & Andrea also note how it highlights the difference between Angel and Angelus.
There's a lot of set up in this first part of the two part finale, Kendra makes her reappearance, and there's some serious tension arising between the Scoobies. We're also introduced to Whistler, Andrea's favourite momentary character, imparting all kinds of wisdom, and through him, Amanda gets her first view of a 'good' demon.
Amanda and Andrea welcome back Tom from Toronto, (live and in person this time) for their discussion about the episode with the weirdest placement in the whole season.
Tom brings the girls Swedish fish, and a eulogy for the episode. Andrea goes off on a Hallmark movie tangent and Amanda explains how she kinda liked the episode....despite it's rampant misogyny.
Also, one of Andrea's fun facts brings an interesting musical revelation for Amanda, and the girls talk fun fan emails!
Not only is it time for one of the most beautiful episodes of Buffy, with strong emotional character work from the cast, it's ALSO finally our episode with Peter Dunn!
Andrea's so excited to have two newbies to watch and podcast one of best written, in her opinion, episodes of the season! Having both Amanda and Peter unspoiled leads to an super-sized episode with lots of speculation about the future for the Scoobies.
There's also a new theme mix, a song for Tiny Fences by Peter and he gets the girls a bit teary with his lovely words of support! It's a good one folks! Enjoy!
Sick Slayer, kids being terrorized by an unseen monster, it's all fun and games this week folks! Well, especially if you're Amanda, monsters are better than amped up emotions.
With Buffy in the hospital, the Scoobies have to step up, although Amanda can't help but ask why they haven't call Kendra to help with their Angelus problem yet... Other than that we've got Cordelia being on fire with the quotes this ep, and being oddly immune to Giles' dry British wit.
Passion: It's a heartbreaker, that's for sure. Angelus amps up his torment of Buffy, and this has a direct correlation to the feels inflicted on poor Amanda.
With Amanda out of sorts, Andrea gets to flex her film studies degree muscles a little more than usual, with discussions about the strong directing, lighting and cinematography in this episode, especially during the climactic chase scene. We also dive into the themes of passion, and invitation/exclusion, and how they're explored in the episode.
It's a good one folks! Enjoy! (and send positive vibes Amanda's way)
It's Valentine's Day in Sunnydale! Which, of course, means magic and mayhem for our Scoobies! You'd think Xander would know better, but apparently when hearts get broken, common sense goes out the window.
Amanda and Andrea have a lot to talk about in this Xander-centric ep, it's all about 'careful what you wish for' for our resident comic relief. We also have lots of music to talk about and a few fun SNL related facts. There's also annoyance with Amy's mythology knowledge, Xander's inability to barricade a door, and worries about Joyce's ability to suppress the insanity going on around her.
Also, there was apparently SO much conversation related to 'Phases' that we have the first ever re-visit to a previous episode! ENJOY!
People, we have a lot of thoughts about Phases. Andrea wants to talk about this as one of the few Oz-centric eps in the series, but Amanda can't get over how awful almost every other male is in the ep! And she's right, it's pretty awful.
The ladies also talk about how they're watching the same show, but are getting such different things out of it, Andrea wants the comedy, Amanda wants the emotion. This is probably because Andrea just wants everyone to be happy, and Amanda can't help being an empath.
In the end, the episode has its fair share of problematic elements, and those are off-set by some seriously adorable Willow/Oz moments.
Recorded live at La Fontana Caffe in Burnaby, BC, home of NerdHQ! Amanda and Andrea welcome back John, as they discuss the episode that changes it all for season 2, Innocence.
It seems as though Amanda and Andrea have switched places, with Andrea having a lot more energy than normal, while Amanda wants to really drill down and focus. There's lots of music talk from Amanda, Andrea won't shut up about Joss' commentary on the DVD, and keep count for John and his gypsy talk...
It's a surprise-filled birthday for Buffy and the gang! Jenny's a gypsy! Oz, vampires are real! Spike's in a wheelchair! Drusilla's building a giant demon! SO MANY SURPRISES!
Amanda and Andrea talk a lot about relationships in this episode. There's a lot happening in this first half of the second two-parter of season 2 with the couples, ALL OF THEM! Oz/Willow, Spike/Dru, Cordy/Xander, Giles/Jenny and especially Buffy/Angel. It's a lot of set up, mostly so Joss can kick us in the heart in the next ep.
Ugh, well at least it's over with now, one of the worst eps of Buffy, Bad Eggs, is done and dusted. As per usual with bad eps, this podcast's a little longer than usual.
Amanda starts out trying to defend the episode, but it doesn't take long for Andrea to bring her over to her way of thinking - that this episode is terrible, and (very unusual for Buffy stand-alones) has no point or moral. Or if there is, it's very poorly executed.
We also feature a fan-edit of our theme song by fan and friend Peter, and talk generally about how much we love our fans, and how knowledgeable they are about so many things!
It's Ted time on Tiny Fences. We start off the episode a little dark, but transition to lighter fare with a musical number!
The ladies talk about parenting, domestic violence, loneliness, and Buffy's questionable journaling style. They also get into a little chat about the rules for superpowered people, and Andrea wants everyone to read Marvel's Civil War event. Amanda also waxes poetic about Christophe Beck and his fantastic score.
Time to wrap up Career Week with a BANG!
The girls discuss, yet again, what makes Buffy unique as a Slayer, especially her ability to outsource things to the Scoobies.
Amanda's enamoured with Coriander and Andrea talks about some animal cracker love, and how Alyson Hannigan's TV relationships give her potentially unrealistic #relationshipgoals.
It's the first big two-parter of season 2 and is there ever a lot to discuss! Kendra! The Order of Taraka! Career Week!
Amanda and Andrea take a career test to see what they should've done with their lives (hint: neither of them got podcaster). Amanda also gets to talk about the big shocker of the episode, THERE'S ANOTHER SLAYER! (who has a terrible accent, and questionable fashion choices) And, unsurprisingly, Andrea gets derailed again by talking about her love of Oz.
Andrea and Amanda welcome guest Julia as they delve into Giles' past and discuss episode 208, The Dark Age.
Looking into Giles' history with Ethan and Eyghon gives A&A some insight into why Giles is the way he is with Buffy.
The ladies also get in a game of anywhere but here, have a brief Hogwarts tangent and debate which word is better: aerobicize or calisthenics.
LIES! That's what episode 207 is all about. Andrea and Amanda welcome their first Skype guest, Tom from Toronto.
Amanda gives her first impressions of Ford, Andrea talks about one her favourite scenes in all of Buffy, and Tom talks about how early 20s Tom loved the melodrama of this episode.
The first Halloween episode! Andrea and Amanda welcome back John to chat about how amazing this episode.
It's a extra-long one and that's because there's so much to talk about! Favourite costumes, how strong Willow is in this ep, how much Andrea loves Oz, how cute Willow and Oz are even though they haven't really met yet... And that's just the tip of the iceberg!
Admittedly not one of the greatest episodes in season two, but that doesn't mean Andrea and Amanda don't have lots to talk about!
We've got some seriously overt morals, and tips for picking up boys with Cordelia; complete with fake laugh, Andrea's is decidedly evil, while Amanda's is much more flirty.
Amanda launches the ladies into an interesting discussion about why the bad decisions were made in this episode, and Andrea has some casting theories for Firefly. (it involves punches to the face)
It's finally Oz time on Buffy! Andrea celebrates the arrival of her favourite character, while Amanda mourns the death of her ship, yes, Xillow is done. :(
Amanda and Andrea have different, but complementary, ideas of what the 'theme' of this episode is. This leads them off on to some very different, but very interesting tangents.
SPIKE'S HERE! That's right folks, we've finally made it to 2x03! This week we welcome our first return guest, Sam, and we also have our good friend Gian on for the introduction of Spike!
We've also updated our theme song, find out that Amanda thought Spike was going to be a good guy, and have maybe figured out why Andrea has issues with people constantly bringing up the fire.
Due to popular demand, Amanda's elegies are back! AND she's created the most AMAZING shout out song EVER!
Amanda and Andrea welcome Carolyn and Vanessa from Not Another X-Files Podcast Podcast for episode 2x02, Some Assembly Required!
The girls discuss science fairs, how Frankenstein just always wants a girlfriend, and how the Scoobies are finally getting interpersonal on us - well, except for Xillow of course! (much to Amanda's despair)
We’re back for season two! (and it’s a LONG one!)
We delve into the themes of friendship and dealing with trauma for 2x01. Amanda tests Andrea’s movie knowledge, and Andrea debuts a new jingle for Amanda’s predictions.
While Amanda's Xillow is in an interesting place, she's finally coming around to Andrea's views on the Buffy and Angel relationship.
The ladies also get into a deep discussion about musical scores, Christophe Beck and how Buffy’s strong use of music set it apart from ‘regular’ shows.
Plus a WHOLE bunch of extra ridiculousness...it IS an extra long episode after all!
Andrea and Amanda discuss Prophecy Girl and season one in general in front of a LIVE audience at Northwest Fan Fest!
The ladies talk about how great the episode is, and then almost get into a fight when Amanda makes some less than flattering remarks about our heroine!
The drama continues when Amanda conveniently forgets Andrea’s favourite quotes, so Andrea reminds the audience that Amanda hasn’t watched ST:TNG
Will the podcast go on with so much friction?!
(SPOILER ALERT! Uh, of course!)
Quantum mechanics and high school outcasts are the name of the game this week on Tiny Fences!
Amanda makes a revelation that makes Andrea question how she’s still alive. Plus the ladies discuss their high school experiences, their mutual clumsiness, and whether they believe in ghosts.
There also a bunch of shout outs to our awesome fans, and a fun tangent into our favourite Vancouver geeky debate show, Geeks vs Nerds!
FEAR! That's what 'Nightmares' is all about, so naturally the ladies discuss the fears of the characters and their own phobias. This episode also has a ton a of new additions to the "Tips from Tiny Fences on what NOT to do in a Horror movie", inlcuding Andrea noticing how Xander would 100% be eaten by a witch in a gingerbread house.
Amanda has a lot of fun with the soundboard, and may have made her most ridiculous name guess yet.
Also, randomly, there's an usually large amount of sportstalk for a pop culture podcast this time around. shrug
Dummies, Snyder and Oedipus, OH MY! It must be time for Amanda and Andrea to dive into an episode that divides the Buffy fandom, 'The Puppet Show'!
Amanda meets Principal Snyder for the first time, and Andrea talks about her soft spot for the campy horror in this episode, along with it's many awesome words (mostly courtesy of Giles). The ladies also improv a song about hygiene, and chat about their shared taste in movies & TV shows. Amanda gets Andrea to talk about her time working in the Vancouver film industry and how it helps her appreciate the things she watches a little bit more.
TECHNOLOGY! This episode is pretty terrible, but makes the ladies nostalgic for a more innocent technological time, with dial-up modems, giant clunky laptops and demons put in books by irresponsible monks.
Amanda sees her Xillow ship sinking, and jumps on board a new one. Andrea wonders what the school's policy on death and grieving is - if there even is one. After Andrea let slip her history with TV show drinking games, the ladies make a few rules for a Tiny Fences drinking game.
Ep 107: So many incorrect predictions, so many shiny shirts and SO many Catholic school girl outfits.
That's right, this week Amanda finally learns the truth about Angel, and that her many predictions were wildly off-base! She also makes far too many Twilight references for Andrea's liking, who also accidentally let's Buffy's mom's name slip.
This week Amanda & Andrea welcome their first guest to the podcast, friend and fellow Buffy fan, Sam Reeves!
It begins with what might be Buffy's WORST outfit ever, and ends with more horror movie mistakes 101, and in between the ladies chat about what makes this episode oddly memorable; which includes dodgeball, significant looks, and Xander being a jerk. Andrea continues to lament about how confusing the Bronze is to her, Sam's agrees that an empty library is odd, and Amanda gives an elegy to Principal Flutie.
We're also reminded, yet again, that Amanda is the Jon Snow of pop culture - she knows nothing.
We have new theme song! And we dare you not to get it stuck in your head!
This week A&A up their 90s fashion police game, and can't help but notice that everyone upped their sassiness levels for 1x05. Andrea uses science-magic to answer Amanda's questions, and Amanda breaks Andrea a little with her name guesses.
Also, if you listen carefully, you may hear a whisper from the Shadowy Figure!
This week on Tiny Fences, Amanda & Andrea discuss questionable monsters of the week, boys being dumb, and the ridiculous names happening in episode 1x04: Teacher's Pet.
PLUS! There's a very exciting announcement at the end of the podcast!
Mmm! Juice! Amanda and Andrea love Buffy's love of juice in this week's instalment. It's all about witches, and mother-daughter relationships in this episode! Andrea's also super excited that Amanda's finally starting to learn to love Giles...even if her favourite quote's still from Willow.
Also, your ears won't believe it when they hear the vast improvement in sound quality this time round, thanks to our Shadowy Figure!
The ladies watch the second half of the premiere two-parter. Amanda wonders what could possibly happen in the series, now that they've already averted the apocalypse? Andrea brings in some Joss Whedon trivia and has issues with Buffy's impossible fence-jumping skills.
Amanda and Andrea discuss the series premiere of Buffy, 'Welcome to the Hellmouth'. Amanda instantly falls in love with Willow and Xander, and Andrea reminisces about those early days of Buffy.
Welcome to our new podcast about an old show! Andrea talks about how much she loves Buffy, and how much she's looking forward to rewatching it. Amanda tells us why she never watched it as a kid (hint: it involves witches) and sets out some of her predictions for the series (while Andrea does her best not to give anything away)