Buffy the Vampire Slayer (2x15) Phases

[fajrdrako]

Buffy (2x15) Phases

Feels like a change of pace, because it isn't about Spike and Angel. I'd be happier if it was, but that's okay, it was an interesting story anyway.

Confession: I thought Oz was more interesting before he was a werewolf, but that's okay. I didn't anticipate that he was going to be the werewolf, which was pretty cool.

Actually I'm not too fond of werewolf stories, despite attempts to read Kelley Armstrong's novels. One exception: the 12th century story "Bisclavret" by Marie de France about a knight who was a werewolf. And it's slashy, too. Oz doesn't much resemble the knight of "Bisclavret". But in some ways... not too dissimilar, either: both are sympathetic characters who get a happy ending. (At least in the short term - I'm not predicting anything about Oz beyond this.)

1. We see Amy's mother's trophy again. Cute. Oz likes it. I like it that he's... observant.
   
   
2. I have a friend who talks like Oz. I'm wondering why. Don't think she's a Buffy fan - I don't think it's deliberate. "My time was also of the good" sounds just like her. Willow sometimes sounds similar, but not consistently.
   
   
3. Good Oz line: "You've really mastered the single entendre."
   
   
4. Oz says of Willow, "Yeah, she's actually an evil mastermind. It's fun." This sounds more true than it ought to be.
   
   
5. Love the conversation between Willow and Buffy:

   Willow: He's great. We have a lot of fun. But I want smoochies!
   Buffy: Have you dropped any hints?
   Willow: I've dropped anvils.
   Buffy: Ah, he'll come around. What guy could resist your wily Willow charms?
   Willow: At last count, all of them. Maybe more.

   Aaah, I feel for you, girl. Been there, done that.
   
   
6. And poor Buffy: "I was going on two minutes there without thinking about Angel."
   
   
7. So Xander is making out with Cordelia while worrying about Willow - and says so. Oh, Xander, Xander, that's bad form. When they get menaced by a werewolf - it's no less than he deserves!
   
   
8. I enjoyed this bit:

   Giles: Meaning the accepted legend that werewolves only prowl during a full moon might be erroneous.
   Cordelia: Or it could be a crock.

   In some ways, I like the Giles/Cordelia exchanges even more than the Xander/Cordelia banter.
   
   
9. I like the way Buffy wants to defend Theresa against Larry. And her sour thoughts about men linger:

   Giles:It acts on pure instinct. No conscience, predatory and aggressive.
   Buffy: In other words, your typical male.
   Xander: On behalf of my gender, hey.
   Giles: Yes, let's not jump to any conclusions.
   Buffy: I didn't jump. I took a tiny step, and there conclusions were.

   Can't blame her. Angel has a lot to answer for.
   
   
10. So they go werewolf-hunting. This seems to be different from vampire-hunting in that werewolves target parked cars with people in them, rather than people strolling in parks or on the street.
    
    
11. The theme of male posturing and female defensiveness continues:

    Cain: Well, it's good to get the fruit while it's fresh.
    Giles: You'd be wise to take that back.

    Cain makes the notion of selling werewolf pelts totally repellent - like skinning pandas or something. He has an interesting deal with his conscience:

    Buffy: And it doesn't bother you that a werewolf is a person twenty-eight days out of the month?Cain: That's why I only hunt 'em the other three.

    And at last we get an explanation of the lover's lane situation:

    Buffy: You're looking for a party?
    Cain: No, but the werewolf is. They're suckers for that whole sexual heat thing. Sense it miles away. Since this little doggie ain't here, I guess he found another place.

    And then Buffy calls him "mein furrier". Good one. I love the way this show handles recognizable 'types' from popular fiction.
    
    
12. Then poor Theresa falls in with Angel, as if being hounded by Larry wasn't bad enough. Frying pan to fire. And Angel is smooth as Larry could never imagine being.
    
    
13. I love it that Willow and Cordelia discuss their man-troubles together. "Oz and I are in some sort of holding pattern, except without the holding." They fall back on the sexist answer:

    Cordelia: What's he waiting for? What's his problem? Oh, that's right, he's a guy.
    Willow: Yeah, him and Xander. Guys.
    Cordelia: Who do they think they are?
    Willow: A couple of guys.

    This all seems very convincing to me!
    
    
14. Love Buffy's description of the Bronze as "Sunnydale's own house of hormones."
    
    
15. The theme of sexism gets replayed when Cain turns up:

    Cain: You let it get away.
    Buffy: I didn't let it do anything. I had the chain around its neck.
    Cain: Chain? What were you gonna do, take it for a walk?
    Buffy: I was going to lock it up.
    Cain: That's beautiful. This is what happens when a woman tries to do a man's job.

    
    
16. On the whole, I think Buffy out-toughs Cain:

    Cain: You know, sis, if that thing out there harms anyone, it's going to be on your pretty little head. I hope you can live with that.
    Buffy: I live with that every day.
    Cain: First they tell me I can't hunt an elephant for its ivory... Now I've gotta deal with People for the Ethical Treatment of Werewolves.
    Giles: Pillock!

    When Buffy says "I live with that every day," I assume she's thinking of the deaths caused by vampires she hasn't prevented from killing? How often does this happen? Does she pretty much keep up with the death rate, or is it always beyond her, or do we even know?
    
    
17. Cute Buffy line: "I'm guessing you didn't see anything either from that vantage point of having your eyes closed."
    
    
18. Giles says, "We have another whole night. There's nothing more we can do now. It's nearly sunrise. That werewolf won't be a werewolf much longer." Until next month, presumably.
    
    
19. So now we find out about Oz. Love his phone conversation with his aunt: "Aunt Maureen. Hey, it's me. Um, what? Oh! It's, uh... actually it's healing okay. That's pretty much the reason I called. Um, I wanted to ask you something. Is Jordy a werewolf? Uh-huh. And how long has that been going on? Uh-huh. What? No, no reason." Only in Sunnydale. And Aunt Maureen didn't think to warn Oz? I guess not. Presumably Jody is just a puppy werewolf.
    
    
20. I continue to love Oz's speech patterns:

    Oz: Is everybody okay? Did anyone get bitten or, or scratched?
    Willow: No, we're fine.
    Oz: Gladness.

    
    
21. So Xander confronts Larry, lone hero-style: "I know what you've been doing at night." And it just gets funnier (and sadder) as we see that what Xander's thinking about and what Larry's thinking about aren't the same thing.
    
    
22. I like Xander's distress at the friendship between Willow and Cordelia: "Wow, those two gals are hanging out a lot together. This would be a good time to panic."
    
    
23. And when Theresa attacks, she knows just what to say to Buffy: "Angel sends his love."
    
    
24. So Willlow learns that Oz is the werewolf and tells the others: "Can't you just trust me on this? He-he said he was going through all these changes. Then he went through all these... changes." Then they save Oz from Cain and save everyone else from Oz. Good.
    
    
25. It seems that Larry's confession to Xander has given him a change of heart where it comes to dealing with women. Not entirely convincing, but cute. They made me want to see things turn out all right for Larry.
    
    
26. Good for Buffy for telling Xander that Willow's relationship with Oz isn't for him to meddle in. And the conversation between Willow and Oz is great:

    Willow: Well, I like you. You're nice and you're funny. And you don't smoke. Yeah, okay, werewolf, but that's not all the time. I mean, three days out of the month I'm not much fun to be around either.
    Oz: You are quite the human.
    Willow: So, I'd still if you'd still.
    Oz: I'd still. I'd *very* still.

    And then Willow is brave enough to kiss him.

Comments

[liliaeth]

I'd say that 16 is all about Angel. She let him go, because she couldn't kill him, because she feels responsible for making him loose his soul. And now she feels guilty over every death he might cause because of her inability to take him out when she had the chance.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

I'd say that 16 is all about Angel.

Oh, yes. I love that interpretation. I have been arguing that for Buffy here (and for Angel too) it's still all about each other - first they were lovers and now they are enemies, but it's really just flip sides of the same thing, and their mutual obsession/concern is still there. And they're both at am impasse - neither can manage to kill the other.