Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Pack 1x06

[fajrdrako]

I have a bit of a problem with my notes for "The Pack". I wrote them in my treasured steno pad. Having an appointment with the dentist, I jotted down my notes on what buses to take and when, tore off the scrap of paper, and then tossed it out after I got there.

Turned out I had notes re "The Pack" on the back of that page.

Oh, well, I have a good memory, right? (Anyone who knows me well can now fall over laughing.)

I remember that I really, really liked the episode. How's that for starters?

I watched it with Beulah, who, a week before, was wondering why we were actually watching Buffy. This time, she was on the edge of her seat, as I was. "I can see why this show is a cult classic," she said at one point. And when the Pack attacked the Principal - "Oh, no! They're going to eat him!"

Specific comments:

1. Buffy has a very ugly coat. It reminds me of a coat I owned when I was 16. Orange. Short. Had a tied at the waist. I have no photos of myself wearing it, I'm glad to say. It just means I really, really can't make snarky comments about Buffy's fashion sense, if I was no better at her age.



2. Wonderful commentary by Zander and Willow:
   
   Xander: We just saw the zebras mating! (Thank you, very exciting...
   Willow: It was like the Heimlich, with stripes!
   
   Loved Willow all the more in this. Xander didn't excite me, but he seems to have dropped the mannerisms and habits that bothered me in the first few episodes.



3. And I really relate to this bit:
   
   Buffy: Uh, I was looking at the fishes.
   Willow: Was it cool?
   Buffy: It was fishes.
   
   Because, you know? I have no interest in looking at fishes. None. Even when they are colourful they are boring. Not exactly ugly (though sometimes ugly), but - totally not interesting to me.
   
   (There. I said it. Out loud. How un-PC of me. Are the Fish Defamation people going to come after me?)



4. I can equally relate to what follows:
   
   Xander: Buffy, this isn't just about looking at a bunch of animals. This is about not being in class!
   Buffy: You know, you're right! Suddenly the animals look shiny and new.
   
   I can totally relate to that. When I was in high school I knew that being out of class was the best thing ever. We never went to the zoo, though, mostly because Ottawa doesn't have a zoo.
   
   Is this the first time Joss Whedon used the adjective "shiny"?



5. Interesting set-up: Mean kids take Kyle to the hyena cages, Xander goes to defend him - yay, Xander! - Magic happens and Xander is caught in it. Spirit of Hyena. What I most like about that is not just that it's scary, but I've never seen it used in TV or movies before. Maybe I just haven't seen enough, but it strikes me as a great twist on the old possession plots. - And, in Buffy, a nice change from demons and vampires.



6. Conversation between Buffy and Willow about Xander:
   
   Buffy: You got it bad, girl!
   Willow: He makes my head go tingly. You know what I mean?
   
   I think Willow was really cute saying that. That being said, I still don't much like the Willow-has-a-crush on Xander theme. It's the same way I feel about Tosh having a crush on Owen in "Torchwood" - I like her a lot more than him, and I don't think he's good enough for her, and I am not happy with her feelings. Yeah, I know, learn to live with it and go with the flow of the plot. I'm just complaining here. Even though I don't like it, I like the way they're doing it.
   
   (I'll also try to stop mentioning 'Torchwood' but keep in mind that this is difficult for me.)



7. I like Willow's description of Angel: "Willow: a dangerous and mysterious older man whose leather jacket you're wearing right now".



8. But I don't agree with Buffy's description of Angel: "Buffy: I suppose some girls might find him good looking -if they have eyes, all right..." Because I don't find him good looking. But he does have a certain charisma. In context. Not looks, but style.



9. I totally loved the follow-up there:
   
   Willow: There he is!
   Buffy: Angel?
   Willow: Xander!
   
   Says so much about both of them, reiterates the whole conversation they just went though so beautifully!



10. Loved the way Xander sniffed Buffy's hair. Creepy. The creepiest thing about it is that he doesn't even know it's creepy. Remember when they were advertising shampoo that was supposed to smell good, and everyone in the ads was going around sniffing other people's hair and commenting on how it smelled? that was creepy, too, though it lacked the hyena element.



11. The pig as mascot. Wasn't there a similar pig in "Veronica Mars"? Or a goat? Do school really have living animals as mascots?



12. I love Willow's speech to Xander about why he has to learn geometry and graduate from high school: "You remember, you fail math, you flunk out of school, you end up being the guy at the pizza place that sweeps the floor and says, 'Hey, kids, where's the cool parties this weekend?' We've been through this."



13. What's the 'dode patrol'?



14. I kind of liked the scene where Mr. Flutey (whom I still don't like, and not just because I can't spell his name) gives Buffy the stuffy-old-guy speech about how kids used to have more spirit, because I loved the way he ended it with considerable self-observation: "Of course, when I was your age I was surrounded by old guys telling me how much better things were when they were *my* age." Yes. This is how each generation talks to the next. Always.



15. I loved the way Herbert was afraid of Xander. Pig-precognition. Or maybe just recognition.



16. I loved the slow-motion movement of the Pack. Scary. (I tend to like slo-mo stuff anyway, when it's used for dramatic effect. Usually. Well, at least sometimes.)



17. I liked how quickly Buffy figured out that Xander was possessed by the spirit of the hyena. Way to go Buffy. Slayer's instincts, or just smart?



18. More great Willow lines: "Hyenas aren't well liked....Why couldn't Xander be possessed by a puppy or, or some ducks?"



19. Is that true about the Masai using hyena magic, or did Joss make that up?



20. I liked the juxtaposition of Xander attacking Buffy and the Pack attacking Flutie. I also loved the way he have a sort of double-perception where Flutie is talking about detention and expulsion and the Pack is planning to eat him. Different spheres of reality entirely.



21. Scary Xander line: "The more I scare you, the better you smell." It was hard for me to believe that, even possessed, Xander could really overpower Buffy, though.



22. Great Buffy line about Xander: It's safe to say that in his animal state his idea of wooing doesn't involve a Yanni CD and a bottle of Chianti."



23. One could tell from a mile away that leaving Willow along with Xander, even if he was locked up, was Not a Good Thing To Do.



24. Buffy and co. learn the tragic news:
    
    Buffy: They didn't hurt him, did they?
    Giles: They, uh... ate him.
    Buffy: They ate Principal Flutie?
    Willow: Ate him up?
    
    Why is it that this doesn't seem tragic, sad, or anything but funny? Am I lacking in compassion for poor Principal Flutie who always seemed like a caricature to me? There was something cartoonish about him. This was the only note in this episode that seemed 'off' to me. Well, that and Herbert, Flutie's associate. They were cartoonish, in contrast to the hyenas, the Pack, and even the zookeeper, who were scary.



25. So Buffy said, "Betcha that zookeeper could tell us. Maybe he didn't quarantine those hyenas because they were sick." I thought: lucky they have someone who knows what's going on in the vicinity. Then I thought: "Someone who knows what's going on. Uh-oh. He must be behind it all." Erk.



26. Buffy, when she leaves Willow to guard Xander: Will, are you sure? If he wakes up...
    Willow: I'll be all right. Go.
    
    Oooh, those 'famous last words' scenes. We know Willow won't be all right. Where would be the story in that?



27. Xander wakes up.
    Willow: How are you feeling?
    Xander: Like somebody hit me with a desk.


For some reason that made me laugh out loud.


28. The Pack swarms Willow. Scary, scary, scary. Kind of obvious, too, but that didn't stop it from being scary.



29. Very scary when the woman with the baby walked past the Pack. Eee. And then - they don't attack. I loved that. It's scary when they attack the car too, but that's much more of a standard scene.



30. Giles alone with the Zookeeper. Uh-oh.



31. The fight with the Zookeeper seemed kind of anticlimactic.



32. Xander cares about Willow again, yay! (I may not like the pairing but I like it when he's nice to her.) Love his line, "Nobody messes with my Willow." I like Buffy's line, too: "This is definitely the superior Xander. Accept no substitutes."



33. And I do quite love the final lines:
    
    Giles: I've been reading up on my, uh, animal possession, and I cannot find anything anywhere about memory loss afterwards.
    Xander: Did you tell them that?
    Giles: Your secret dies with me.
    Xander: Shoot me, stuff me, mount me.
    
    This is the first time Xander has shown any kind of subtlety.

Comments

[megaloo13.livejournal.com]

That's it. The moment I get home from work I'm re-watching this episode. I've mentioned it before, but your experiencing Buffy for the first time gets me a bit giddy about it. :D

I never really liked Flutie either, or had any real opinion about him. The next principal is so much more of a delicious character (pun unintentional) that I really enjoyed disliking.

[gillo]

The next principal is so much more of a delicious character (pun unintentional)

I'm impressed that you can ascend to that level of pun without intending to, though.

It's such fun watching someone meet Buffy for the first time, isn't it?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

How glad I am to revive your enthusiasm!

It really is fun to be watching this fresh - what I saw in the past I've forgotten, mostly, so it all feels quite new to me.

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

I remember liking Xander quite a lot. Xander's relationship with Willow is very important later in the series. I am enjoying your commentary! I miss that show. Need to own it.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I remember liking Xander quite a lot.

I wish I liked him more. I suspect I will - I'm liking him more all the time, already. He is... developing.

I am enjoying your commentary!

Good!

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

When does Spike come in?? it seems to be taking too long HAH.

[tzikeh.livejournal.com]

What's the 'dode patrol'?

It's an American football joke. The Dome Patrol is the nickname of the New Orleans Saints, who played at the Louisiana Superdome.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

...Oh.

My goodness. I would never have got that in a million years.

Thanks for explaining!

[katkim.livejournal.com]

I'm really enjoying reading these commentaries, but I don't remember this episode! I must dig out my season 1 DVDs and re-watch and reawaken the Buffy love.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I don't remember this episode!

Xander is scary in it.

I must dig out my season 1 DVDs and re-watch and reawaken the Buffy love.

Oh, please do! Join me in my madness.

[kathyh]

I'm very much enjoying your commentary on Buffy though I haven't commented before. I'd forgotten there are so many great lines in "The Pack". It's an episode that I didn't like that much on first viewing as I think I found the hyenas quite disturbing, as I'm sure I was supposed to. Oddly enough it's the fact that they ate Principal Flutie and it wasn't reversed that completely and totally hooked me on BtVS. If Joss could do that he could do anything...and he did *g*.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'd forgotten there are so many great lines in "The Pack".

Yes, it's really quite beautifully written. And it doesn't have extraneous bits. It's the first episode in which the writing has really impressed me.

I found the hyenas quite disturbing

And so they were!

Oddly enough it's the fact that they ate Principal Flutie and it wasn't reversed that completely and totally hooked me on BtVS.

You thought he might come back? Or it might all be a dreadful mistake?

Actually, I liked that too. Previously the vampire activity seemed to be mostly without consequences, and the only people we lost were redshirts and passersby.

If Joss could do that he could do anything...and he did *g*.

I look forward to seeing him do 'anything'.

[gillo]

Fancy meeting you here!

[janne-d.livejournal.com]

I still don't much like the Willow-has-a-crush on Xander theme.

I kind of do. Without giving too much away, it does lead some interesting places, but at the moment they are still in the "Willow fancies Xander, Xander fancies Buffy, Buffy fancies Angel" set-up which is pretty classic.


"Of course, when I was your age I was surrounded by old guys telling me how much better things were when they were *my* age."

I always liked Flutie for that line. I liked him anyway though - I think he's amusing.

I liked how quickly Buffy figured out that Xander was possessed by the spirit of the hyena. Way to go Buffy. Slayer's instincts, or just smart?

Both. Buffy does have very good instincts, but like Dr Gregory says she is also smart and good at thinking on her feet. She just isn't very interested in school work.

I liked the juxtaposition of Xander attacking Buffy and the Pack attacking Flutie.

I think the Pack attacking Flutie is very effective. It's still extremely creepy! The actors did a fairly good job getting the animalistic body language going and the moment when Flutie realises that he is actually in danger is really good.

(I also just saw the actor in Without a Trace the other night and couldn't help going "Principal Flutie!" at the screen. This happens fairly often with Jossverse alumni.)

"The more I scare you, the better you smell." It was hard for me to believe that, even possessed, Xander could really overpower Buffy, though.

Yeah, again with the "stop being pathetic, Buffy, you're a Slayer" moment. Though on thinking it over, I think it is as much a combination of Buffy not wanting to hurt Xander to start with and genuine freaking out because, for all she is used to fighting, it's never been a personal and sexual attack on her before. Plus she then hits him with a desk - I just wanted to see that bit!

Willow: I'll be all right. Go. Oooh, those 'famous last words' scenes. We know Willow won't be all right.

Yeah, but I did really like the moment between Xander and Willow when he tries to con her into letting him out and she gets close enough to tempt him just to prove to herself that's what he's doing. I totally believe she takes that last step towards the case on purpose to test him, because no matter how much she might like what he's just been saying, Willow is a smart cookie.

Very scary when the woman with the baby walked past the Pack. Eee. And then - they don't attack. I loved that.

*shivers* Really good moment. Deeply disturbing.

The fight with the Zookeeper seemed kind of anticlimactic.

Once again, I blame the stunt team and lack of experience. I thought his face paint was very cool though.

Xander cares about Willow again, yay! (I may not like the pairing but I like it when he's nice to her.)

I really like that bit. Xander and Willow being friends is always good, and crush aside, they are friends first I think. It's an interesting episode Xander-wise though because it shows a really nasty side to him with all his basest instincts to the fore, but then also shows that there is much more to him than that.

Oh, and I second tzikeh on "The Puppet Show" advice. You really need to see start of the credits.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

they are still in the "Willow fancies Xander, Xander fancies Buffy, Buffy fancies Angel" set-up which is pretty classic.

That, I like - the whole picture. It's just the Xander/Willow bit that I don't much like. Not a big problem.

I always liked Flutie for that line. I liked him anyway though - I think he's amusing.

Yeah. He's silly and cartoonish and reminds me of a used car salesman, but at the same time, he was sort of endearing, and on the side of the good guys (trying to save students from bullies, for example) and quite entertaining.

I also just saw the actor in Without a Trace the other night and couldn't help going "Principal Flutie!" at the screen. This happens fairly often with Jossverse alumni.

LOL! What fun.

Though I don't know the Buffy characters so well yet, I actually find that a bit of a problem with Firefly characters. They had such strong personalities in Firefly that their characters in other shows seems relatively lame and I keep thinking of them as whoever they were in Firefly.

Though on thinking it over, I think it is as much a combination of Buffy not wanting to hurt Xander to start with and genuine freaking out because, for all she is used to fighting, it's never been a personal and sexual attack on her before.

Yes, and he was a friend, and the kind of friend she could (and did) depend on to help her and back her up. Someone who wouldn't hurt her. Wouldn't hurt anyone. And it all happened because Xander wanted to help Kyle, who was being bullied.

she then hits him with a desk - I just wanted to see that bit!

Yeah - go, Buffy!

I totally believe she takes that last step towards the case on purpose to test him, because no matter how much she might like what he's just been saying, Willow is a smart cookie.

I agree. She's inexperienced and shy, but not really naive. She's pretty sharp.

I thought his face paint was very cool though.

It was.

[gillo]

You see why certain people were urging you to get to this one? And you understand how much restraint it took not to comment when you said you thought Flutie might be a vampire or some such.

Buffy: They didn't hurt him, did they?
Giles: They, uh... ate him.
Buffy: They ate Principal Flutie?
Willow: Ate him up?

Yes, it's funny, but we haven't invested a lot in the Principal by this stage. And it really does establish the point that even Good Guys aren't necessarily safe. Joss kills people.

Xander does start to develop in all sorts of ways from about this point onwards, though like most things, there's more to admire in S2 and beyond.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

you understand how much restraint it took not to comment when you said you thought Flutie might be a vampire or some such.

Not one who eats, but one who is eaten. Right.

we haven't invested a lot in the Principal by this stage.

He's mostly a comic character, but his heart is in the right place. We may not admire him but there's a certain level of trust.

I look forward to more and better from Xander. As of "The Pack", I am impressed by Nicholas Brendon's acting.

[ceruleancat.livejournal.com]

Aww. you loved it. It was the first S1 ep I wasn't disappointed with (remembering that I started with S3).

I will try later for a more detailed comment, but I had to say
a. Shoot me, stuff me, mount me - was a great line, and the name of a big Giles/Xander archive way back when.
b. The quote Why couldn't Xander be possessed by a puppy or, or some ducks made me think you have to see this non-Buffy song (http://youtube.com/watch?v=iNe1bFxZZ4o).

TBC

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It was the first S1 ep I wasn't disappointed with (remembering that I started with S3).

Yes - that must have given you a strange perspective.

this non-Buffy song

I love it! I have a bit of a history with this song - had no idea it was on YouTube with visuals. I should have known. Alan Moore is a hero of mine.... I first got the song on a flimsy plastic recording included in a comic book. I think it must have ended up leaving with my ex-husband, because it disappeared for years and I despaired of ever finding it again. Then I discovered that silverwhistle had a copy of it, and she made a copy for me, so now I have it again.... And here it is, quackier than life, on YouTube!

That's Xander: a Sinister Duck.

[laitosto.livejournal.com]

Do school really have living animals as mascots?
I don't know about High Schools. Since my HS's mascot was a cobra, we didn't have a live (or even a "dead") mascot ;) As I watch a lot of college sports on TV, I do know that a lot of schools have live mascots. Our military service academies have live mascots (Navy = "Bill the Goat", Army = "Ranger the Mule") that were stolen before the big game. Arkansas has a real razorback hog - I wouldn't want to mess with 470lbs of pig attitude! My favorite is Uga the bulldog at the Univ of Georgia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uga_%28mascot%29

Here is a list of all college mascots - live and costumed:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._college_mascots

I'm so glad you're watching Buffy. I watched Buffy even before Ms. L. I think other people have commented that it is fun reliving it through your eyes. There is so much cultural reference and inside plot stuff that the series can survive several viewings.

Have fun!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Oh - but a cobra would be cool! I like snakes, and cobras look good.

My goodness. I didn't know any of that stuff about mascots. My university's symbol was the Raven, but I don't think anyone ever thought of acquiring a real raven. Unless they did and I missed it, not being a sports-lover. Uga is pretty cute.

Yes, I'm having fun - and thanks for the encouragement!

[walkingowl.livejournal.com]

One of the joyful things about this show is how bad Buffy's fashion sense is. And remains. It's basically one of the constants of nature.

I, too, loathe fish... these days, I barely can even eat fish, and often put my hand over any pictures of fish that happen to be nearby. You and I are of one mind on this one!

Buffy's "it makes the animals look all shiny and new" line is a classic, yes. And, good catch, it indeed may be the first time Joss used "shiny" ... again, remember what I was saying (where or when, I don't remember) about how people wrote glossaries and books on "Buffy-speak"? That was all Joss, eh?

Funny, the "possession" thing happened in Buffy a lot; and is basicallly commonplace in Stargate SG-1 (which I know you yawn about, but that's fine). Thing is, it fits, in both shows. Done well.

Loved the way Xander sniffed Buffy's hair. Creepy. The creepiest thing about it is that he doesn't even know it's creepy. Remember when they were advertising shampoo that was supposed to smell good, and everyone in the ads was going around sniffing other people's hair and commenting on how it smelled? that was creepy, too, though it lacked the hyena element.
...And this oddly echoes later on, several seasons to the future. Hmmm! (I also love how you phrased this. I agree about the creepiness of those commercials... and are you sure they did indeed lack the hyena element, dear?)

Number 13 -- are you sure it wasn't "dude patrol"?

Number 25... oh, yes, now you're starting to think like a Buffy fan! Good, good!

As for the "it seemed that it should be tragic, but was only funny" -- um, oddest thing about this series is how often that will happen. I got to where i just went with it, considered it surreal, let it take me to its own weird place of mind, then came back and was normal again after I was done watching the show that day. Or, uh, something like that.

Your last two points are especially on target. Xander and Willow as a couple could not of course work, because Joss has made them family members -- they are loyal and they love each other, but that somehow precludes a "couple"-like furtehr relationship. Uh, saying taht badly; do you get what I mean?

And the final bit -- yes, utterly brilliant. This was one of the places where, early on, I realized that Joss Whedon was a wonderful writer. I love subtle touches like that. And, of course, it did show us that Xander was not only a shallow high school boy. More to come later!

And I'm so glad you're enjoying this.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

One of the joyful things about this show is how bad Buffy's fashion sense is.

Yes - she dresses just like I did at 16!

I do like to eat fish, especially salmon. But I'm not fond of them as living creatures. Look at them if there's a reason to, but probably wouldn't do so for pleasure.

I'm somewhat uncertain as to what extent Joss wrote all the Buffy-speak himself. The individual episodes do have other writers credited. Surely Joss didn't do all the work, with them as figureheads. He may have tweaked it all into his own detailed vision. Or am I misjudging? I'm just saying this because... whenever I discuss the episodes, people are laying all the credit/blame for the good and the bad scripts at Joss's feet. But every episode has names of writers credited for scripts - they must have had some responsibility for what was going on.

Number 13 -- are you sure it wasn't "dude patrol"?

Yes. It was clear, and I double-checked it with the transcript. People are suggesting it was a conflation of "dude", "dodo" and "dome". Looks like a pun, possibly a triple-pun, that didn't quite work.

do you get what I mean?

Pretty much. You're saying that though at this point on the story Willow is infatuated with Xander and he likes her in warm and friendly fashion, nothing will develop of the relationship and we really shouldn't want or expect it to. Right?

I can buy that (and thankfully), though I think it's fairly cheap storytelling.

I'm glad you're glad I'm enjoying this.

[toraks.livejournal.com]

I just watched the previous ep and this one. The Pack is definitely a much more interesting episode to watch, though I can't say I disliked Never Kill a Boy on the First Date as much as you did. Especially not first time around. The whole "Buffy just wants to be a girl and go out on a date" thing really resonated and I felt positively frustrated all the way through that she didn't get what she wanted. Oh, and loved that she didn't actually catch the anointed one, that surprised me. I also loved how Cordelia didn't get Angel or Owen and Buffy wasn't even aware at that point that Cordelia existed. very nice! :-)

Anyway, as this episode goes, really creepy. I couldn't believe the first time through that the principal was actually eaten. Very creepy, I mean the pig was bad enough. I was so happy to see the woman with the baby get away though.

It's funny though, I really do just zone out through all the fighting, not my thing. Especially when it's all in the dark and shot with weird angles and in short clips and it's hard to tell who's who.

But yes, it's the quips like the end bit with Xander and Giles, and the genuine warmth between Xander and Willow at the end. And just the chumminess of the Scoobies that really drew me to the show. Definitely one of the better episodes.

The hyena possession was done well and Xander definitely acts well and differently when possessed. You see what he could be like when not dorky -- similar to what's his name from the first 2eps who got vamped and ended up getting Cordy to dance with him. Though the other four kids were fairly hyenaish to start with! :-)

By the way, that cage in the library gets quite a lot of use over the years! it's funny, but I think something like that is not so out of place in a library. I'm not sure why I think that, but it seems normal. :-)

Oh, and poor Tosh with Owen. Yeah, from the few eps I've watched, I liked it much better when it was her on the rejecting end! But that wasn't much fun either with Owen being a nice dork in that one. ;-p

Anyway, I'll keep dropping in and commenting when I have time to catch up on the viewing. I hope you don't mind, because I know you're up to season 2 and Spike! ;-)

(let me know, I can just not comment until I catch up! 2 eps today, maybe it might happen! ;-p )

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The whole "Buffy just wants to be a girl and go out on a date" thing really resonated and I felt positively frustrated all the way through that she didn't get what she wanted.

I was the opposite there - I never wanted to be "a normal girl" in any of my fantasies, I wanted to be a hero, and it's never something I can relate to when someone in a story wants to be ordinary.

I also loved how Cordelia didn't get Angel or Owen and Buffy wasn't even aware at that point that Cordelia existed. very nice! :-)

Yes, that was fun!

Anyway, as this episode goes, really creepy.

Yes. I liked the atmosphere, and the hyenas were interesting.

I couldn't believe the first time through that the principal was actually eaten.

I totally loved that, because it was unexpected. And, yes, creepy!

By the way, that cage in the library gets quite a lot of use over the years! it's funny, but I think something like that is not so out of place in a library. I'm not sure why I think that, but it seems normal. :-)

Maybe because you've watched a lot of Buffy? I can't recall ever seeing such a cage in a real library, in a school or otherwise, but I must say I like it. There's something Dungeonmasterlike about it.

Anyway, I'll keep dropping in and commenting when I have time to catch up on the viewing.

Good! yes, please do.

I hope you don't mind, because I know you're up to season 2 and Spike! ;-)

Barely. But I'm happy to talk about any of the stuff I've seen, any time.