Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 1x8 Full Reaction
Added 2023-05-09 19:24:13 +0000 UTC
Comments
First robot!
Adoreandu
2024-02-04 05:21:42 +0000 UTCI always assumed it was somewhere more risque, and not typically worn at work because yes, impractical. She might have left it deliberately to see what Giles would do.
Marith Lizard
2023-05-18 01:06:04 +0000 UTCHonestly I can't say if I ever been scared by the demon/robot, I can't remember, but in general I don't think I've ever found the look of the monsters in Buffy scary but rather interesting, fascinating or creative. When I first saw the show, I rather tended to find scary the personalities and the intentions of the bad guys more than their look. In this case though I think the objective wasn't to scare with the demon/robot but just to have something that our heroes could physically face and defeat so to give us a more satisfying ending. We could say that this was Willow's “romantic episode” after Xander's with the giant mantis and Buffy's with Angel, although in Xander's case it was probably more a “boys being boys” situation than a “romantic” one. Anyway, one by one, we got to explore this side of theirs character and their reactions. Good analysis and observations from you as always, with a clear reading of Willow's feelings and emotions. I always look forward to your comments and reactions about the feelings and emotions of the characters. Another thing worth noticing, When the full extend of Malcom/Moloch's lies, manipulations, and deceptions is revealed, Willow is clearly deeply hurt but never crushed. She reacts immediately, challenging him and rejecting any charm attempts from Moloch, going so far as to fight him helping Buffy at the end. This requires a strength of character that she probably didn't realize, and perhaps still doesn't she has, most likely having zero experience in romantic relationships. Truth be told she already shown her strength of character, despite being picked on, teased, shunned or ignored by all the popular kids, for who knows how long she's never tried to change to fit in, nor she become bitter or lonely, but she always remained the sweetest. Some people don't particularly like this episode, they consider it too cheesy because of the robot-demon, but it has less the 4 minutes of screen time so who cares. I actually like the episode, and one of the reasons is that for once we get to see Giles interact with another adult. I never get tired of watching the bickering, the teasing, and the shades between Giles and Miss Calendar, not to mention when, at the end, with a mischievous smile, she tells him “that's not where I dangle it”, leaving him to imagine where she dangles it. Definitely 1 to 0 for Miss Calendar. Last detail to note: as in other previous episodes Buffy continues to wear Angel's black leather jacket.
G.Un.
2023-05-13 00:33:31 +0000 UTCAgreed, if it used to dangle somewhere else, why would she take it off or loose it in the Library, makes zero sense, bellybutton could be.
Leonard Ledung
2023-05-11 18:40:59 +0000 UTCGreat reaction, as always! :) This format is much easier to follow, so thank you 🙏 I am based in Australia, and for whatever reason, the times simply don’t line up. We don’t have Hulu. With it being a different streaming platform, perhaps it’s a slightly different version of the show. I’m now longing for the next review to drop. I can’t wait for you to get further into the seasons because there’s so much to discover and enjoy. At the same time, it’s also something worth savouring. I’m just impatient, hahah😅
Jack Stankovic
2023-05-11 14:38:59 +0000 UTCI'm maintaining my subscription because of that! Very happy about it.
Ross43
2023-05-11 02:59:19 +0000 UTCGotta be bellybutton. There's no other commonly pierced location where a dangling earring wouldn't be wholly impractical. I have too many thoughts.
Myoclonic Jerk
2023-05-09 23:34:30 +0000 UTCThey could have called this episode "Trust Issues" because like you said catfishing, and Ms Calendar and Giles having "issues", and the evil manipulations of a cult leader (Moloch). California is full of weird occult groups and a lot of cult atrocities occurred in the 1990s. The internet thing seemed a bit off for this show, but they did a cool thing with mixing ancient demon and occult Catholicism in there with it. The computer stuff was strangely modern for a TV show -- Mac OS 8.0 was brand new that year. At least they didn't bother with "the modem sound". The hanging meant to look like suicide is rather dark, and most shows aimed at teens would not go there. BTVS was always getting up to the line with censors and network execs. Luckily the executive producers mostly ignored "the purity patrol" of regular outraged religious letter writers, and basically dialed it back for the hour of airing themselves. Notice they did not show you Dave's face dead, because it would be in poor taste and not necessary to have the impact. TV even back then was full of dead people on later-airing shows after the 9:30 pm, cop shows, and murder mysteries, but not children, no almost never. Even now, actual suicides in TV dramas is extremely rare, usually it always turns out to be a murder cover-up that gets figured out, or the person is saved at the last minute. So Buffy's hot angel turned out all twisted, Xander's hot for teacher turned out all twisted, Angels old flame Darla was just all twisted from start to finish, Willow's online crush turned out all twisted, who's next on the crazy romance roller coaster? The jokes in this episode were not up to par, but the lingo and wordplay was good. The best joke was the dark humor one they gave to Moloch, and your reaction was so like What... Anthony Head's acting was of course good as always, but his voice and tone control in conveying a bit of helplessness, a bit of confusion, annoyance with the children, and respect for Jennifer Calendar. Ah, British classical actors training.
spikeysnack
2023-05-09 23:21:20 +0000 UTC07:00 Digitisation used to be done with scanners including hand-scanners like the one shown. Nowadays it's generally done with digital cameras instead.
Dan
2023-05-09 22:51:20 +0000 UTCGood choices for your current favorite episodes. “I, Robot… You, Jane” might not be a fan favorite, but at the very least it is thematically consistent with the rest of the season and for that I am appreciative. The name Moloch is a biblical name for a Canaanite god to whom children were sacrificed. So here in BtVS is a Moloch who preys on children through the internet. Maybe they went a little too far with CRD and the robot of it all, just like “Teacher’s Pet” might have gone too far with the teacher turning into a giant praying mantis. The metaphor was already strong enough without needing to give Buffy a physical entity to fight, but at least the show was willing to take some big swings in this first season.
tc3
2023-05-09 20:45:49 +0000 UTCThanks for including the full video on your reactions . I resubscribed because of that!
Ilana Kruger
2023-05-09 20:35:06 +0000 UTCNot Moloch getting into your computer and forcing a restart 😬😆 The silver "corkscrew" that Giles brought to Miss Calendar at the end was what he thought was an ear ring that she had lost. When he mentioned it dangling from her ear her response was "That's not where I dangle it" implying that she was perhaps, uh, pierced somewhere else as well *hint hint nudge nudge flirt flirt*
Absolute0
2023-05-09 20:24:49 +0000 UTCIf there's an episode worth pointing a cross at, this is it.
Tim Pierce
2023-05-09 19:45:49 +0000 UTC
