Ah classic episodes of television. Most fan of television refer to their favorite shows as a whole rather than the individual episodes that made them fans of the show, unless you’re a nerd like myself. I’m the guy who named all 121 episodes of LOST in a sporcle quiz in under 7 minutes. I digress. Tons of episodes air each and every year. Some great, some good and others absolutely terrible. The great episodes might even be forgotten as the years pass but every year features a few episodes that will share the same sentence with the word ‘classic.’ The 2010 TV season produced, at least, two such instant classics. I’ll allow my large readership to guess which those two episodes are.
Throughout the years of television, the list has grown and will keep growing. During the slow months of TV, I will write about classic episodes of television. Some might actually be classic episodes of television. Some might not be. Nevertheless, the feature will celebrate television episodes. Today, Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s “Hush” receives the spotlight.
Joss Whedon spread his creative wings as the years went by. Whedon arrived in Hollywood with the intention to become a feature film guy until the harsh reality of Hollywood filmmaking zapped his optimism so the man sought the refuge of a television–a place where the writer is king, where a writer’s work will get produced quickly and efficiently. As luck would have it, Gail Berman wanted to turn the Buffy movie into a television series and asked Joss to tell the story the Kuzui duo botched in 1992. Buffy, The Vampire Slayer had three successful seasons. Critics adored it. Fans loved it. Joss wanted a new challenge. He wanted to expand the barriers of what television writers and directors can do so the man constructed an episode with 27 minutes of silence. The second and third acts features zero talking. The episode aired. Joss received an Emmy nomination for outstanding writing. The episode re-defined what television could do on any given week.
Obviously, Joss took a chance with “Hush” because old silent movies weren’t exactly been a beloved product of an era gone by in 1999. I doubt more than 3% of Americans own any silent movies. In 2010, silent moves remain ignored. Plus, the only thing American audiences loathe more than subtitles is silence. Of course, “Hush” continues to be an episode that die-hards introduce potential fans to. The episode’s core is simply the idea of communication and how people begin to communicate when they can’t speak. If one cannot speak, conveying one’s meaning becomes more important. The potential Buffy/Riley romance represents the theme. Buffy tells Willow that conversations between she and Riley transition into a blabathon when nothing of importance gets said even though she and Riley don’t stop speaking. Once their voices have disappeared, Riley finally kisses her. Likewise, Anya interrogates Xander about the defining their relationship. She questions Xander’s commitment and interest in her. When Xander mistakenly thinks Spike killed her, he charges Spike to avenge Anya then realizes the woman is alive. NOW she knows how he really feels. “Hush” is full of these moments. Willow and Tara share their first meaningful moment without speech, and Tara uses words to communicate how she special she thinks Willow is.
The button of the whole episode expresses exactly what Joss wanted to get across. During the fun with the Gentlemen, Riley and Buffy accidentally revealed themselves to each other. Both are bad-ass demon fighters (though Riley’s less bad-ass). Afterwards, Riley and Buffy try to talk about what happened the previous night; however, the episode ends in silence. They have no words.
Indeed, the theme of communication dominates the episode. Of course, the episode succeeds as a throw-back to the scary, silent films of old like Nosferatu. The idea that one cannot scream for help is creepy. The episode features fantastical moments like the Gentlemen floating above ground as their workers roam the pavement, ready to cut out a heart. In their tower, the Gentlemen behave as Victorian aristocats, applauding the different hearts they’ve acquired. The episode never explains why the Gentlemen want seven hearts nor the plan when they have all seven. The episode requires no reason though. The absence of a motive makes the Gentlemen scarier as does the absence of a scream when they attack. After all, the episode isn’t about the Gentlemen. Without them, the voices don’t disappear but they’re relatively meaningless once one remembers that Buffy’s greatest strength was how the big, bad scaries reflected ordinary human beings’ concerns, conflicts and drama and not defeating the big bad of the episode.
The end approaches for the Great Halloween Re-Watch of 2010. Today marks the penultimate write-up for a Halloween episode. If anyone can guess what will be the FINAL episode or movie of the re-watch then you’ll win a “good job” comment from me and, possibly, two front-row seats to the final battle in the Dinosaur Steel Cage tournament that happens over at Post-Collegiate Apocalypse.
Buffy, The Vampire Slayer takes center stage for the third time in less than a month. The series produced three Halloween episodes in seven seasons. Season 4′s “Fear, Itself” is my favorite Halloween episode of the Whedonverse. The story is great, the dialogue is fantastic and the costumes are awesome.
The fourth season of Buffy transported the gang into the world of college, and with great transitions comes a certain degree of change. Angel left for LA in the season three finale and Buffy feels a little less than whole. Adding to her insecurities and abandonment issues is a guy named Parker she slept with in the previous episode, “The Harsh Light of Day.” Parker only used her for sex, and she feels sad and low. Xander chose to forgo college–a decision which leaves him feeling left out and invisible. The brutally-honest-and-blunt Anya only piles onto these issues for Xander when she tells him he has nothing in common with these people he calls friends. Willow’s evolution as a witch worries Oz and Buffy because of the magic she experiments with. In a piece of foreshadowing, she tells Buffy that college is a place for experimenting. As for Oz, he has feared his werewolf-ness since “Phases.”
On an October evening, the Scooby Gang carve pumpkins in Xander’s basement. Buffy talks about the life of a pumpkin and how said life ends with its guts being ripped out. Xander tells the gang to prepare for a night of spine-tinging and goosebump inducement because he rented a movie for the second annual Halloween viewing party. Of course, the video store gave Xander Fantasia instead of Phantasm. Willow tells the group that she thought the plans were to the Alpha Delt thing. Xander, caught unawares, wonders what the thing is. Buffy opines that a scary house sounds lame. Oz sells her on the idea though, explaining: “It actually borders on fun. You have to go through the whole scary house maze to get to the party and it’s usually worth getting to. Those guys go all out.” Oz, Willow and Xander are all in but Buffy is undecided, explaining that she wants to make sure Giles doesn’t want her patrolling.
The next day, the new care-free, full-of-fun Giles surprises her with his Halloween spirit. She looks mortified that he’s dressed in full costume, and with a huge bowl of candy, in his apartment adorned with Halloween decorations including an animated Frankenstein. Giles tells her that the demons and vamps find Halloween much too crass, in response to her sort-of-desire to patrol rather than party on Halloween. Buffy decides to go with her friends to the Halloween. Her mother sews a last-minute Halloween costume for her, and Buffy tells her about her fear that every important male in her life with bail on her. Joyce tells her daughter that she shouldn’t be afraid because she has Giles, her friends and her mother.
Fear is the central theme of the episode, if the title didn’t give it away. Naturally, a fear demon’s occult symbol gets accidentally triggered. The fear demon’s presence alters the reality of the frat house while feeding on the fears of the people in the house. As the gang makes their way through the house, their fears help the manifestation of the fear demon. Xander becomes invisible. Oz sort of transforms into a werewolf despite the absence of a full moon. Willow loses control of her magic. Buffy gets drawn into the basement of the house, far away from her friends and confronts the animated corpse of a dead frat guy who promises that everyone she loves will abandon her. Of course, she’s also attacked by zombies.
Meanwhile, Anya arrives late to the frat house in her bunny costume (because bunnies frighten her). She witnesses a window disappear from the house and becomes concerned about Xander (the two characters copulated in “The Harsh Light of Day” and Xander admitted, early on in the episode, that date-like qualities were at work between the two). Anya goes to Giles’ house. Giles sits, alone, inside with a full bowl of candy. Anya and Giles work together to figure out what happened inside the frat house. With the help of a chainsaw, Giles makes his way into the frat house.
Inside of the frat, Buffy, Xander, Willow and Oz get so scared that they find themselves in the same room–where the fear demon wants them. Giles emerges into the room with his chainsaw and the gang quickly figures out a way to kill the fear demon. Buffy jumps the gun and accidentally manifests the fear demon; however, the fear demon is very tiny. The Scoobies can only laugh and make jokes. Before Buffy stomps on the fear demon, he reminds her that everyone will leave her. She’s overcome that fear, says ‘yeah yeah’ and kills the fear demon.
Back at Giles’ house, we find out the translation of the words underneath the picture of Gachnar–”actual size.”
Some other thoughts:
-The costumes are great. Oz and Willow would win the contest though. Willow dresses as Joan of Arc because, like Joan, Willow was almost burned at the stake. Plus, she had a close relationship with God. Oz, of course, is God. Sarah Michelle Gellar is so damn cute dressed as Little Red Riding Hood. Sarah looks amazing throughout the entire season. Emma Caulfield looks hilarious wearing her huge bunny costume. Giles’ costume is also hilarious.
-The atmosphere of the episode is great. It FEELS like Halloween.
-David Fury wrote the episode. Fury is one of the great writers from the whedonverse. The dialogue throughout the episode is fantastic. Many great lines. I won’t list any.You can read the full shooting script here: http://buffyworld.com/buffy/scripts/060_scri.html.
-Tucker Gates directed the episode. He earned tremendous amount of praise from critics and LOST fans for “Ab Aeterno.” Gates directed “Fear, Itself” excellently–especially the frat house scenes.
Here is the entire episode, courtesy of YouTube:
THE SCREENPLAY OF THE DAY
I Still Know What You Did Last Summer–Written By Trey Callaway–http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/i/i-still-know-what-you-did-last-summer-script.html
Halloween is the one night people can change their identity completely. As Buffy says, it is the “come-as-you-aren’t” holiday. My beloved Buffy, The Vampire Slayer’s first Halloween episode focuses on that identity aspect of Halloween. Buffy feels insecure about herself, wonders what kind of girls Angel liked as a human teenager, finds out and then dresses as a 18th century noblewoman; meanwhile, Xander is humiliated after Buffy saves him from a punch in the mouth. His masculinity suffered a blow, so he dresses as an Army officer on Halloween. Willow DOES dress in a sexy outfit but prefers to cover herself with the ghost costume. Willow feels uncomfortable and insecure but she’s just waiting to break free from her shell. Instead of simply dressing the part, the characters BECOME the part thanks to a spell cast by the villainous Ethan Rayne. The characters become their costumes, in case I wasn’t clear.
I’ve merely outlined the broad beats of the story, and now I will dive into the full episode. Let us begin with our heroine and protagonist, Buffy Anne Summers.
Her insecurities begin when she arrives late for a date with Angel (thanks to slayer duty), and she finds Cordelia, at her most flirtatious, talking to Angel. Buffy is worked from the pumpkin patch fight with the vamp and wants to put a bag over her head. Angel tries to help Buffy feel better but she doesn’t. She just wants to be a normal girl–not a girl who thinks about ambush tactics and beheadings instead of nail polish and facials. Despite Angel’s best effort, she goes home.
At school the next day, Snyder forces Buffy, Xander and Willow to be volunteers and chaperon young children as they trick-or-treat. Buffy hoped to stay in and veg, since Halloween is the one night of the year the vamps and demons take a break. The forced volunteerism leads to costume buying because costumes are mandatory. Buffy finds the perfect 18th century dress at the costume store, and decides to be the kind of girl Angel liked in 1775. Buffy, of course, only assumes that Angel liked the noblewomen after looking through the Watcher Diaries.
The night begins relatively well until Rayne performs the costume magic, resulting in absolute chaos. Children become demons and vampiries. Buffy becomes less hero and more helpless 18th century girl. She cries and whimpers. The Buffy story is more overt than usual, in a Buffy episode. She even tells Xander that noblewomen are only expected to be pretty and desirable for men in hopes that they’ll be married. Willow, earlier in the episode and pre-chaos, reminds Buffy that the right to vote for women is much better than 18th century society. Buffy is the model for the 20th century/modern woman–a strong, independent and absolutely awesome female. The costume chaos helps Buffy reaffirm her sense of Buffy-ness after feeling lousy about herself for half of the episode. Also, it is no surprise when Angel tells Buffy that he hated the noblewomen and found them dull.
Meanwhile, Willow emerges from her shell during the episode. Willow was a wallflower during the first season and the first five episodes of season two. With the encouragement from Buffy, she dresses in a sexy outfit. She temporarily wears a ghost costume until the costume magic happens (transforming her into an actual ghost for a period of time). She walks around in her outfit and becomes the leader when she realizes Buffy and Xander have a sort-of amnesia. Willow keeps her friends safe and together. She also helps Giles discover the person behind the chaos. When the costume chaos ends, she trashes the ghost costume and walks home in her outfit, comfortable in herself. She also catches the eye of Oz.
Other thoughts and notes:
-Xander becomes an army officer and gains closure when he beats up Larry in an alley. Larry is the guy who was going to deliver the punch before Buffy saved the day. Xander’s masculinity is saved.
-The darker side of Giles is introduced through Ethan. Ethan calls Giles “ripper.” Giles sort of tortures Ethan until he reveals to Giles the way to end the spell. More Ripper backstory occurs in “The Dark Age.”
-Carl Ellsworth is the credited writer; however, the episode received a page one rewrite. Ellsworth wrote a first draft, turned it in. After that, he was fired. Some debate remains about who re-wrote it. Many thought Joss Whedon. After brief research, the answer is actually Marti Noxon. Whedonesqe.com is great for this kind of information. Ellsworth has a successful career as a horror screenwriter now. He also worked on Boy Meets World.
-”Halloween” is a fun episode. I watch it yearly and I never stop enjoying it; however, the episode is not my favorite Halloween episode. My favorite Buffy Halloween episode will receive the spotlight very, very soon.
-Bruce Seth Green directed the episode.
SCREENPLAY OF THE DAY
Buffy, The Vampire Slayer–”Halloween”–Written By Carl Ellsworth–http://buffyworld.com/buffy/scripts/018_scri.html
The difference between good and evil, as portrayed by Nina Dobrev, comes down to a kiss. As Elena, she delivers sweet, gentle kisses to her boyfriend. As Katherine, the badass vampire, she attacks like an animal with her kiss. Katherine sure knows how to use her feminine wiles to her advantage. Any supernatural male falls head over heels for her and will, literally, kill and maim for the girl. The writers, intentionally or unintentionally, have sort of defined the show’s take on good and evil. Elena’s the quintessence of the noble heroine while Katherine is, simply, not. Katherine uses her sexuality as power.
The Vampire Diaries is a show full of strong and powerful female characters–but complicated characters with complicated relationships. The latest episode of this show, titled “Kill or Be Killed,” brought Elena, Caroline and Liz to the forefront. Caroline and her mother, Liz, have had a rocky relationship since the series began. The relationship becomes more broken by episode’s end, while Damon’s foreshadowing two weeks ago about the Katherine-ness that resides in Elena comes to brief fruition when Caroline reveals she hasn’t been honest with Elena.
Following last week’s fun encounter with Damon, Mason makes a brief truce with Stefan; however, Mason quickly breaks the truce when he approaches Liz about the vampires residing in the town at the Park Opening Thing (every episode features a town event that brings the characters into one place). Mason wants the Salvatore brothers killed. Liz, a member of the Founder’s Council and devoted to the elimination of vampires, listens to Mason. Together, they concoct a plan. Liz, through a little girl, gives Damon a glass of lemonade that actually consists of vervain. Damon and Stefan blame Mason for the vervain cup and corner him in the woods; however, Liz and two cops take the vampires out and brings them both to a basement on the Lockwood property to kill them.
Since Damon and Stefan are two of the most important characters on the show, they don’t die. The kidnapping, or whatever you want to call it, leads to substantial plot development. Damon and Liz are friends, and the incident tests the friendship. Liz, a woman set in her beliefs and unwilling to see a vampire beyond their vampire nature, betrays the friendship through her actions. Damon, for all of his vices, is an extremely loyal friend unless a friend (Elena) rejects his advances, leading to the murder of her brother. I digress. Damon will not kill Liz because she is his friend. Liz asks to die too. This request happens after Liz discovers her own daughter is a vampire. Caroline hesitates to save the brothers because she doesn’t want to further fracture an already fragile relationship but she sacrifices the relationship for Damon and Stefan. The other development involves Stefan and his realization that he needs human blood. The vervain and wood nearly killed him because he’s weak without human blood. Stefan realizes he must build a tolerance to the blood, through small drops daily, if he has a chance of beating Katherine. The revelation leads to a brief discord in his relationship with Elena; however, she accepts it after Damon opens her eyes. And, hey, Elena began forgiving Damon.
As for the Katherine-ness that resides in Elena, there were moments during her conversation with Caroline when I wondered if it was Katherine. I look forward to the development of this potential darkness that exists in Elena. I look forward to more information about a doppelganger means in this TVD world.
On the werewolf front, Tyler gave Mason the moonstone at the end of the episode. Tyler nearly kills a girl accidentally. Some conflict exists in this character. He’s torn between retaining his complete humanity or giving into the werewolf that exists in his genes.
“Kill or Be Killed” was a well-written episode–my favorite episode since episode two of the season. I always appreciate progress in the story and various plots. When TVD is written and executed like this episode, I’m a big fan of the show.
Other thoughts:
-Did Mason really think it was a good idea to deliver a spine-buster on concrete to his own friend who was obviously drunk, thus killing him? TVD, sometimes, takes the convenient path in their narratives like the town hosting some festival that brings each character together. The writers needed to reveal how Mason killed to get the curse and it felt sloppy.
-Caroline was awesome in the woods when Mason transformed into massive d-bag. He got his ass handed to him. I even applauded what happened on my screen.
-Michael Daneils wrote the episode. Jeff Woolnough directed it.
THE GREAT HALLOWEEN EPISODE/MOVIE RE-WATCH
The re-watch returns, friends and well-wishers.
Today’s episode comes from Buffy, The Vampire Slayer–the sixth season, to be exact. The Whedonverse delivered terrific Halloween episodes and each episode will get the spotlight in The Foot. The sixth season’s Halloween episode, titled “All The Way,” is my least favorite of the Halloween episodes. But it’s a good episode. I have four quick things to say about the episode before I link the screenplay and the actual episode (courtesy of YouTube).
1. “All The Way” is actually a coming-of-age story for Dawn. Halloween has a prominent place in the episode, with all of the costumes and trick-or-treaters. But there are no haunted frats or people becoming what they dressed as for Halloween. Dawn tells a lie in order to spend the night with her friend and two boys. The four act like teenagers on Halloween, destroying pumpkins and mailboxes. Dawn and the one boy, Justin, establish a connection. She has a first kiss with him. Unfortunately, he and his friend are vampires. The night ends with Dawn slaying her first vampire as well. After a season in which she was defined by one thing–she was the key–this episode establishes Dawn’s identity as a teenager. She, like many others, can’t figure out if someone she likes will stay nice or turn out to be a rotten person. With vampires, it’s always the latter.
2. Anya has the best line of the episode (in an episode with some good ones). At the end of a successful day in retail, she teaches Dawn the dance of capitalist superiority.
3. The only party in the episode is an improptu engagement party for Xander and Anya. Costumes are worn because no one changed after dressing up for the Halloween sales at the Magic Box. The episode calls back to previous Halloween episodes and the rules established such as: creatures of the night don’t go out on Halloween because they find it much too crass. I love this show.
4. This is one of the least depressing episodes in a season defined by how depressing it is. Steven S. DeKnight wrote the episode–one of my favorite screenwriters working today. A few years ago, I was able to correspond with him briefly on myspace.com. DeKnight is now the showrunner for Spartacus. I recommend reading the actual screenplay. Each time you read the word “schmuck bait,” take a shot of vitamin D milk. It’s a fun script to read. Buffy scripts usually are. The wit isn’t limited to the dialogue. Great script.
Also, the kid who played Beans on Even Stevens has a cameo in this. If I ever bring back the great characters list, Beans from Even Stevens is definitely on the list.
HERE IS THE LINK for the screenplay: http://buffyworld.com/buffy/scripts/106_scri.html
There are many iconic scenes in Buffy, The Vampire Slayer. The opening scene of the series is iconic, when the pretty blond girl turns around and reveals she is a vampire to her date. In that scene Joss broke genre conventions. There is the image of Buffy, in her prom dress, ready to save the world. Very iconic. As for The Foot, one scene has always stood out. The scene is not included amongst the various iconic moments but the scene says so much about the heart of Buffy. The scene occurs during season two’s “Lie To Me,” a Joss Whedon episode. Buffy’s old friend visits her; however, he’s dying and wants eternal life. He makes a deal with Spike and Dru to turn him if he brings along some more people for the duo to feed on. Spike and Dru aren’t the big bad in this episode. The big bad is Buffy’s old friend and the experience blindsides her. She waits with Giles in the cemetary and they share this discussion
BUFFY
Well, does it ever get easy?
Ford BURSTS from the grave, a snarling VAMPIRE, and lunges at Buffy — who plants a stake firmly in his chest. She doesn’t even look as he explodes into dust.
GILES
You mean life?
BUFFY
Yeah. Does it get easy?
GILES
What do you want me to say.
She thinks about it a moment.
BUFFY
Lie to me.
GILES
Yes. It’s terribly simple.
As they start out of the graveyard:
GILES
The good-guys are stalwart and true.
The bad-guys are easily distinguished
by their pointy horns or black hats and
we always defeat them and save the day.
Nobody ever dies…and everybody lives
happily ever after.
BLACK OUT.
BUFFY (O.S.)
(with weary affection)
Liar.
END OF SHOW
The dialogue says so much about the series and what she’ll experience as she grows older; and the scene says so much about life, about growing up, the uncertainty, the fears. Buffy was about much more than just vampires. It ranks number three on my favorite tv shows of all-time. These nineteen episodes should give readers an idea of what made Buffy great.
THE TOP NINETEEN EPISODES OF BUFFY, THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
buffy-the-vampire-slayer.otavo.tv
19. Fear, Itself (Written By David Fury; Directed By Tucker Gates)
Fear, Itself is season four’s Halloween episode. Buffy’s sad because Parker totally used her, Xander feels left out because he is not in college, Oz worries about his werewolf nature and Willow fears that her magic could become uncontrollable. All of these fears manifest during a frat house’s Halloween party. A fear demon preys on people’s fear. Xander, literally, becomes invisible. Oz’s werewolf-ness emerges. Buffy is alone. Willow loses control. Meanwhile, Anya (in her bunny costume) and Giles team up to save the frat and the group from whatever’s happening inside. They do save the day and the fear demon, who seems so large, is actually revealed to be very small. The symbolism isn’t subtle but it works. “Fear, Itself” does what Buffy does so well: take real life problems and illuminate them through the supernatural. This is a Halloween staple in The Foot.
18. Angel (Written By David Greenwalt; Directed By Scott Brazil)
For six episodes, Angel has been the mysterious guy who helps Buffy out or warns her that trouble lurks. Buffy grows more and more attracted to him as time goes by. A lot of sparks exist between the two in this episode before he accidentally vamps out on her when they are close to kissing. This freaks Buffy out and she feels like she no choice but to kill him. He’s a vamp. She’s a slayer. She doesn’t know about the curse, the soul. Meanwhile, The Master grows impatient and Darla’s bloodlust for Buffy grows. She wants to kill Buffy because Angel is Darla’s. Angel stakes Darla at the end of the episode and the curse is revealed. The episode is notable for Angel’s backstory. The brooding hero he’ll eventually become begins. We understand the conflicting nature he experiences daily in the scene he tells Buffy that he wanted to kill her. One of the series’ most iconic scenes closes “Angel” out. They kiss and her cross burns his chest. Ange lets it burn. The series mirrors this image in season seven’s “Beneath You” after Spike returns with a soul. It works both times. This is a wonderfully crafted episode.
17. Innocence (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
One of the most popular episodes of the entire series. I might be committing a crime by ranking it as low as seventeen but, hey, “Innocence” is included in the Best of Buffy. Whedon said this episode accomplished everything he wanted the show to be. He wanted to tell stories on the personal level and the-larger-than-life level. Angel becomes Angelus after experiencing a moment of true happiness with Buffy. It’s quite a change and he hurts Buffy quite a lot once the soul is gone and Angelus has arrived. He uses the loss of her virginity to embarass and humiliate her. On a personal level, this is about “girl has sex with guy and he stops calling her afterwards.” Buffy has to work out these intense personal issues while aware that she needs to kill Angelus. Meanwhile, Oz charms Willow in the van in one of the series’ best scenes while Xander uses the skills acquired on Halloween to procure a rocket launcher for Buffy to kill The Judge with. When she has the chance to kill Angel, she can’t, and that decision will have some bad consequences. This episode also breaks the trust the gang has with Jenny Calendar because she knew that Angel could lose his soul. Also, Angelus really let the show take off.
16. Once More, With Feeling (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
I wrote about this already on Monday. Joss didn’t just make the musical for the sake of making a musical. The episode is a game-changer for the season. Buffy and Spike kiss. Xander and Anya aren’t as ready as they seem for marriage. Tara learns Willow altered her memory. There’s many fun songs as well.
15. No Place Like Home (Written By Douglas Petrie; Directed By David Solomon)
This season five episode introduced the season’s big bad and the thing that she’s looking for that would destroy the world. The big bad is Glory, a God, who wants to return to her kingdom and needs the key to do it. Some monks took the key, which is energy, and created a person–Dawn, Buffy’s sister. They knew Buffy could protect the key but they changed the memories of her and everyone she knows. Dawn doesn’t know any of this. Once Buffy learns the truth, she embraces her role as Dawn’s sister and protector. The scene between Buffy and the monk is very moving and Sarah Michelle Gellar is just an amazing actress. Meanwhile, the magic shop opens under Giles’ rule and Joyce’s health issues aren’t getting better.
14. The Zeppo (Written By Dan Vebber; Directed By James Whitmore Jr.)
I didn’t write about Dan Vebber in yesterday’s post because he wrote just two episodes; however, both episodes are among these nineteen episodes. “The Zeppo” is the first. Xander feels left out and winds up befriending the crazy Jack O’Toole while the gang prepares for another apocalypse. This is the quirkiest episode of Buffy as well as the most meta of any episode. I’m of the opinion that “The Zeppo” is either the funniest or second funniest of the series. Since Xander is the focus, we mostly see the episode through his eyes so he enters random scenes in the apocalypse story that are very intense and melodramatic which is the intent. Xander actually ends up saving the day, as the group he finds himself hanging out with are all guys who have just been risen from the dead and they want to blow up the school. Xander’s courage saves the day. The title comes from Zeppo Marx, the most forgotten member of the Marx Brothers.
13. Lie To Me (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
I wrote about “Lie To Me” already and I covered the most essential portions of that episode so, yeah.
12. The Wish (Written By Marti Noxon; Directed By David Greenwalt)
Every character dies near the end of “The Wish.” The scene is so jarring and surreal to watch. The episode gets away with it because we’re in a wish world created by Anya after Cordelia wishes for a world where Buffy never existed. Cordy’s bitter after the events in “Lovers Walk” and Anya, the vengeance demon, pounces on it. Without Buffy, Sunnydale is controlled by vampires because The Master rose and took control. Willow and Xander are vamps. They kill Cordelia. Giles, Oz, Larry, Johnathan and other students remain on the side of good. The Master has a master plan to use the remaining humans in Sunnydale as fountain drink machines essentially. Buffy eventually arrives from Cleveland. She’s much more harsh and cold than we know her. Meanwhile, Giles, off something Cordelia said, investigates the reality of the world he is in. Anyanka arrives, determined to convince Giles to remain in the wish world. As everyone dies in the battle at the Bronze, Giles is prepared to shatter the pendant in hopes of restoring the correct reality. Anyanka says: “Trusting fool! How do you know the other world is any better than this?” and Giles responds, “Because it has to be.” He smashes the pendant and things return to normal. Just a flat out awesome episode.
11. Lover’s Walk (Written By Dan Vebber; Directed By David Semel)
Spike returns to Sunnydale for the first time since “Becoming.” Dru broke up with him because she thought the deal Spike made with Buffy made him soft. He’s a wreck. He threatens Willow into performing a love spell for him. The love spell never happens. Spike, by episode’s end, has an epiphany and no longer sulks around. Of course, every other relationship is damaged thanks to Spike. Cordy and Oz walked in on Xander and Willow kissing. Cordy nearly dies after falling through stairs. Spike points out that Buffy and Angel never can be friends because they love eachother too much. “Lover’s Walk” is hilarious and I laugh every time I watch it.
10. Passion (Written By Ty King; Directed By Michael E. Gershman)
Angelus is at his most evil in “Passion.” “Passion” is the closest the show has come to 44 minutes that felt like a horror movie. Angelus stalks and torments Buffy throughout the episode. He kills Jenny Calendar (who was dating Giles at the time). Angelus tells Joyce that he had sex with her daughter. He displayed Jenny’s dead body for Giles. Here’s the story: Giles and Jenny were planning a romantic night together. Giles arrives and finds the house lighted with candle. A note tells him: “upstairs.” Giles walks to the room and finds Jenny dead. Later, Buffy apologizes to Giles for not being able to kill Angelus as they stand at her cemetery but, now, she knows Angelus must die. She is, however, unaware the key to returning Angel’s soul is on a disk in Ms. Calendar’s room. A brilliant, game-changing, series-changing episode.
9. The Body (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
I wrote about this already on Monday. Joss wanted to capture the reality of losing a loved one. He captures the experience. This is not a fun episode to watch. It is sad and depressing but it’s excellently written and directed. Sarah’s performance is heartbreaking. In fact, the whole cast knocks it out of the park.
8. Graduation Day Pts 1&2 (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
Again, I wrote about the episode on Monday. This episode foreshadows Buffy’s death in two seasons, Angel leaves Sunnydale for LA, Buffy puts Faith into a coma and the Mayor is destroyed. Also, the gang graduates high school. I love this episode.
7. Selfless (Written By Drew Goddard; Directed By David Solomon)
Anya, a vengeance demon again, helps a girl get revenge on a frat by sending a huge spider to rip their hearts out. After hearing this, Buffy decides that she has to kill Anya. There are Anya flashbacks, a great argument between Xander, Buffy and Willow in which the infamous “kick his ass” line finally returns as a plot point and genuine Anya remorse. Anya doesn’t want to a vengeance demon anymore. Of course, the heart of the story revolves around Anya’s identity. Not even she knows who she is. She’s not a killer anymore and she’s not Xander’s wife. A fantastic episode.
6. Prophecy Girl (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
Once again, I wrote about this on Monday. I think this episode is the first one that actualizes the potential of the series. Buffy’s incredibly heroic in this one, faces death and dies at age 16 before Xander saves her life. Xander tells Buffy how he feels about her but she doesn’t feel the same way. She defeats The Master. It’s awesome.
5. Becoming Pts. 1&2 (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
I’m sort of stepping on tomorrow’s entry now as Joss is showing up everywhere on this list. “Becoming” concludes the season arc of Angelus. Tons of stuff happens. Angel is cured but not before Acathla is awoken so Buffy is forced to kill Angel. She runs away after her mom finds out she is the slayer and is kicked out. She’s accused of murder after Dru kills Kendra. Willow’s life is put in peril but she manages to be the girl who cures Angel. Giles is tortured by Angelus and Dru. Spike makes a deal with Buffy so he can have Dru all to himself again. “Becoming” is action-packed, full of emotion and heart. Joss Whedon at his best.
4. Hush (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
Yes, I wrote about this on Monday. I don’t have much to add. The episode’s greatness speaks for itself.
3. Conversations With Dead People (Written By Drew Goddard Goddard & Jane Espensen; Directed By Nick Marck)
The characters talk a lot in this episode. The most action takes place in the Summers home as some evil force has invaded the home and Dawn tries to fight it. Dawn also sees her mother who she thinks needs proection from this evil. What actually occurs during the episode is the introduction of the season seven big bad: The First. The First showed up in season three’s “Amends” and returns here. Buffy talks with a vampire named Holden about her slayer nature, her place among her friends and the guilt she feels about being a Slayer (it’s complex guilt). Willow gets a visit from the girl who died in “Help” who claims she is receiving messages from Tara. Andrew kills Johnathan for Warren. Spike has no lines but his story ends when he bites a female he is with. The episode was written by four writers actually. Joss Whedon and Marti Noxon each wrote two of the stories in the episode. This is the last truly great episode of Buffy.
2. Restless (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
I wrote about this on Monday. The characters all dream. The episode contains foreshadowing for Buffy’s death, the arrival of Dawn and the episode motivates Buffy to learn more about the nature of the slayer. Fans and critics love writing about their interpretations of the dream. This episode is an English major’s dream.
1. The Gift (Written and Directed By Joss Whedon)
The series’ 100th episode and the last episode of TheWB era. Whedon said he wrote “The Gift” as a series finale. This is the best episode of Buffy. Buffy sacrifices herself for Dawn and the world is saved. Glory dies but the death is devastating because Giles has to kill Ben in order to kill Glory–an outstanding scene. If the series ended, I would’ve been happy with the resolution and “The Gift” would most likely rank among the best series finales of all-time.
Good day.
TOMORROW: Seven Business Days of Whedon concludes.
Welcome to the Week of Whedon + 2 days, friends and well-wishers.
The week will be grand fun. So fun that you will want to Charleston.
It is no secret that I’m a Joss Whedon fan. I began watching Buffy in the early aughts and then I began watching ANGEL. I had a fairly unorthodox approach to both shows. I bought season three of Buffy on DVD before seeing any other season. I watched ANGEL out of order. During its original run on theWB, I’d tune in every Halloween because I thought Buffy was the perfect show for one to embrace the Halloween spirit. I believe the only Halloween episode I caught was season four’s “Fear, Itself,” a favorite of mine. I also watched “Hush” when it originally aired but that’s about it. The series ended and I would catch the odd repeat Saturday afternoons on FOX or some insane hour like 3AM on FOX. I enjoyed what I saw immensely. I researched the show and saw that season three is considered the best season of Buffy. I nearly purchased season six first. Thank the Smoke Monster that I didn’t (that is just an expression–LOST was 2 years away from existing).
I loved season three and eventually bought every season but the first. Meanwhile, I became a huge ANGEL fan after seeing “Orpheus” repeat on TheWB combined with how much I enjoyed the odd rerun I saw on FOX.
The ANGEL journey is much more out of order than Buffy. Season five began on TheWB so I began watching it while catching repeats every day on TNT after I returned from Carroll. I had the experience of knowing major plot points but unaware of how the show arrived at those plot points so it was fun, believe it or not. ANGEL quickly vaulted over Buffy as my favorite Joss Whedon show. Of course, much of ANGEL’s credit goes to David Greenwalt, Tim Minear, Jeff Bell and Steven S. DeKnight. Whedon has said that he was involved with ANGEL as much as he was with Buffy, that he read every single script. I believe that but I think it’s wrong to throw praise at Joss for a show whose vision and identity was largely shaped by David Greenwalt, Tim Minear, Jeff Bell, Mere Smith, Steven S. DeKnight, Shawn Ryan and David Fury. Joss deserves his due praise and credit for ANGEL because he co-created the show with Greenwalt but Greenwalt ran the show on a day-to-day basis.
ANGEL always seemed like the stepchild show for Joss. He’ll never love a show as much as he loves Buffy though he loved Firefly so much that he made it into a movie with the help of some friends at Universal. There are groups of fans who think Joss didn’t understand or, rather, know how to write for ANGEL which is a bold statement in and of itself to suggest Joss didn’t understand one of his own shows. His episodes had a different tone than most of ANGEL. He usually wrote stand-alone episodes like “Spin The Bottle” and “Waiting In The Wings.”
Joss directing Amy Acker and the late Andy Hallett
The big episodes of ANGEL were always reserved for Greenwalt before he left or for Minear or Bell or DeKnight. Joss did write the season five premiere, an episode that set the stage for the Wolfram & Hart era and he wrote a key season five episode when Fred dies but even “A Hole In The World” gets criticized for the Buffy-ness in the dialogue and the Buffy tone of the episode.
The quality of ANGEL never declined like the quality of Buffy did during the UPN years (seasons six and seven). Many, many fans blame Marti Noxon for destroying the seasons. Many fans point to Joss’ focus on Firefly combined with Marti Noxon running the show with a less-involved Joss. The truth is hard to find because Joss and Marti refuse to agree with the opinion of many fans and no fans were in the writer’s room on a day-to-day basis to figure out what the heck happened to the show. The duo defend many of the questionable things in both seasons passionately particularly the Spike/Buffy relationship and all of the nonsense that brought us. The same essential group of writers remained until the end, the same group that are responsible for the best Buffy season in season three and two strong seasons in four and five. Marti hired one of the most popular and best writers in the Whedon world–Drew Goddard–for season seven but he was a lone figure in a ship that had sunk and, somehow, managed to sink even further. It was like they were trapped in the box in the ocean that Connor trapped Angel in at the end of season three. Drew Goddard was not their Wesley, who pulled Angel from the depths and saved his unlife. The final two seasons of Buffy are a mystery that will remain unresolved.
In the commentary for “Chosen,” the series finale of Buffy, Joss talks about exhaustion and how he’s not beaming about the work he did for the finale. A few days ago, Marti basically said the Buffy writers were tired and, possibly, ran out of stories to tell. No matter how bad the last two seasons of the show are, they do not diminish the first five seasons of the show. Joss did some amazing work during the first five years of Buffy and he did some great work in season six like the musical but those seasons are, largely, trainwrecks. Buffy did change television and the thought behind what television could accomplish. In a commentary for Reptile Boy, Greenwalt talks about the days when hour-dramas could only be serious but Joss changed that. He not only broke genre conventions but he broke the rules. He mixed drama, comedy, horror. He helped secure the credibility of TheWB network. The most defining part of the first five seasons are the stories, the weekly episodes. The season long arcs are great too but young, aspiring screenwriters can learn a ton by watching the episodes and listening to commentary tracks. The one thing you’ll always hear is the importance of the story with Joss. He doesn’t care for a lot of cool things happening in an episode if there’s no story. “Innocence” is one of the best examples. The story is simple: a girl sleeps with her boyfriend for the first time and he’s a bad guy the morning after. Of course, in Joss’ show, the boyfriend becomes a soulless vampire.
The same structure and focus existed in ANGEL and, certainly, in Firefly. Firefly is a gem of a show. The fourteen episodes are a joy to watch with the exception being “Heart Of Gold.” If Buffy had to suffer in quality because of Firefly then the trade-off is worth it. Joss attributes the quality of the show to the circumstances surrounding the production of the show. They were in constant threat of cancellation so they put everything on the table. Joss’ devotion to Firefly is admirable. The man created nine distinct characters, characters who were fully developed with plenty of depth. Whedon said he had five years of the show planned and I believe him. Firefly is a show about the people in between the heroes. Normal folks like us. Joss took his love for the movie to the big screen after FOX cancelled it. He assembled one of the greatest casts ever with the help of his casting director. He was wise and let Tim Minear run the show with him. He had the eye to cast the lovely Christina Hendricks as Saffron. Some of Joss’ best work is, no doubt, on Firefly.
He returned to ANGEL after the end of Firefly and Buffy. Jordan Levin would cancel ANGEL and Joss disappeared from television for a few years. During the writer’s strike in 2008, he came up with Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog. It won an emmy and starred NPH, Nathan Fillion, Felicia Day. He co-wrote it with his sister-in-law and two brothers. He wrote the music and directed it. The web short won an emmy. He also brainstormed Dollhouse during this period of time, while eating lunch with Eliza Dusku. Dollhouse is a different show though it features many familiar Whedon elements. It is a story about people, identity. The first season is fairly uneven but the second season is one heck of a story. Like Firefly, the show didn’t stand much of a chance at getting a third so Joss and his group of writers that included Tim Minear left everything on the table for season two. The season had a slow start but kicked into full gear by episode four, a brilliant Sierra episode and the show doesn’t slow down until the last credit is shown.
Of course, during these projects, Joss began writing the season eight Buffy comic and overseeing the ANGEL: After The Fall comics.
He wrote a few x-men comics too, but years earlier. The season eight Buffy comics are wrapping up right now. I have not kept up with the comics because I’ve never been a comic guy. But Joss delivered a moving story, in issue five, about an unknown slayer who dies. The story for ANGEL was also riveting as we were told that Fred wasn’t absolutely gone and that ANGEL became human. Also, speaking of comics, he wrote the Fray comics about a slayer in the future and he oversaw a few Firefly comics.
His next project is supposed to be Cabin In The Woods but no one is sure whether or not MGM will ever release it. He co-wrote the movie with writer/director Drew Goddard.
will this ever be released?
He’s signed on to direct The Avengers.
Before I discovered Joss Whedon’s shows, I wanted to be a feature film screenwriter and I wanted to write horror because Kevin Williamson did. Whedon, and all of the writers he hired, showed me the possibilities of television writing and made me want to become a television writer.
The time is right spend a week and a two days compiling lists for the best of Joss Whedon. Tomorrow, the top five Firefly episodes will be counted down in numerical order from five to one. A list of Dollhouse episodes will not be done because The Foot hasn’t rewatched the show nearly as many times as Buffy, ANGEL and Firefly have been re-watched. In fact, I’ve seen the second season just once because it’s not out on DVD and I haven’t re-watched season one entirely. Yes.
The penultimate episode of Fresh Meat II is in the books and it was awesome. The final challenge of Fresh Meat II wasn’t quite the Spelling Bee challenge that happened a year or two ago. This challenge had about seven total different obstacles to complete. I think it took about 7-8 hours for five teams to complete it.
The episode began with the conclusion of the Evelyn/Luke vs. Landon/Carley exile. Ev and Luke had finished the course but Evelyn decided to just skip the third puzzle and risk a five minute penalty. She tried to get any advantage she could over Landon and Carley. Of course Carley was suffering from exhaustion and could barely function. Landon kept encouraging her and continued to be the anti-Wes in regards to treating your female teammate respectfully. They won the Exile, sending Evelyn home and into the behavior of a four year old. Luke didn’t really care.
Here’s the thing: Evelyn ran one of the worst alliances I’ve ever seen. She and Wes were the masterminds but they mostly turned on their own team members just so that they could save themselves from Exile. As they continued to demolish their alliance themselves, Kenny sat back and watched. He slowly lured others away from Wes/Ev and is now the favorite to win Fresh Meat II. I know the goal was to get rid of Kenny from the house because he dominates every challenge he’s in and even more so when his buddy Evan is around. Once Kenny and Laurel continued to win challenges, two people have to run an alliance a bit more smoothly. Evelyn is extremely cocky and confident as she should be because she’s a beast of an athlete; however, she feared the Exile for some reason. Why not volunteer to go in to take out some of Kenny’s pals? Or why not just be cool with Kenny since she won The Island with him? I don’t know. I’m not a challenge expert. Her and Wes’ strategy was awful and Evelyn blamed everybody but herself until the very end. I used to like Evelyn but she was awful this season. She threw a challenge and it backfired. She was just very bizarre this season and off-putting. Following her elimination from the game, she cried and blamed Luke. TJ Lavin called her out for how she was acting. Luke was not comforting.
But it’s prediction time. The final is next week. The Exile looks insane. Here are predictions for the final:
The 4th team will be…Ryan and Theresa. There was a part in the latest episode that focused on Noor’s asthma so I have a feeling that’ll come into play during the Exile.
4th place will go to Ryan and Theresa.
3rd place will go to Pete and Jill
2nd place will go to Landon and Carley
The winners will be Kenny and Laurel.
I literally have nothing else to write about Fresh Meat II.
THE LIFE AFTER JACOB’S FOOT EPISODE OF THE DAY
Xander, Willow and Buffy look at Faith and Scott Hope
The Television Series: Buffy, The Vampire Slayer
The Episode: Faith, Hope and Tric
Original Airdate: October 13, 1998
Written By: David Greenwalt
Directed By: James A. Contner
Season three of Buffy is its best season in my opinion. The dialogue is extremely witty and sharp throughout the season. The actors really know their characters at this point and there’s a supreme confidence that’s evident in each episode.
This episode is the introduction of Faith, the vampire slayer and it’s an outstanding introduction. In season two, we met Kendra because Buffy had died for a few minutes in the season one finale. Kendra was a nice girl, a nice slayer. She and Buffy got along. Drusilla killed Kendra in the season two finale so Faith was called and she ends up in a Sunnydale because she knows of Buffy and because she is fleeing from a vampire named Kakistos who killed her watcher.
This episode is about letting go and moving on. Buffy is concerned about how violent Faith gets in a vampire fight but Buffy’s also teenage girl jealous that Faith is moving in on her life. Faith bonds immediately with Xander, Willow and Oz. Not Cordelia though because, as it says in the script, she’s Cordelia. Joyce also loves Faith. I digress. The heart of this episode is Buffy trying to move on from Angel as well as let go of him because she was forced to kill him even after he was cured. Joss and his writers rarely ever told the viewers because they were so good at showing these emotional journeys. There’s a guy named Scott Hope who is interested in Buffy and Buffy is interested in him. He’s normal and alive. She craves normalcy but, for most of the episode, she resists going on a date with Hope because of the Angel factor. There’s some terrific scenes where Scott is waiting for her, Buffy comes near him but only because she has Slayer stuff to do.
Giles is the one trying to get Buffy to tell him what really happened. He makes up a lie about a binding spell and claims he needs to know the details of what happened so that the binding spell does its job. There is no spell though. After the fun Buffy has with Faith in Kakistos lair and the appreciation of how Faith handled the hard stuff she’s been through, Buffy tells Giles and Willow the truth about what happened. She waits for Scott outside of class and they agree to go on a date. Buffy has one last thing to do: return the Claddagh ring to Angel’s mansion. It is where she says goodbye for the final time. Of course he returns from hell right after she leaves but that’s a whole other episode.
Buffy is still having trouble adjusting to her life in Sunnydale in this episode after running away following the Angel stuff. The dead man’s party in “Dead Man’s Party” brought her closer again to her friends and forgiveness abounded in it but the arrival of Faith brings back Buffy’s insecurity. Faith is so natural and animated with everyone. She tells awesome stories. She’s werewolf friendly and Oz is a fan of that. The scene in The Bronze after Faith dusts the vamp is outstanding. I love the banter between the characters and the pacing of the scene. The episode also plants the seeds for what’s to come later in the season with Faith and the Mayor. We even get one Mayor reference. Also, Buffy and Faith were never friends really. Buffy accepts Faith but they never bond and this dynamic exists until the series ends.
Mr. Trick is also introduced in this episode. He was one cool vampire and one of the rare African-American characters on the show. He didn’t even make it to the season three finale though.
“Faith, Hope and Trick” is not the best episode of season three but it’s up there. David Greenwalt would go on to co-create ANGEL so I’m a big fan of his. James A. Contner was a veteran director of the Buffyverse.
If you have Netflix, you can watch this episode on Instantly Watch and all others can watch it on hulu.com.
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