Buffy The Vampire Slayer (3x06) - Band Candy

[fajrdrako]

Buffy 3x06 - Band Candy
~ ~ ~

Oh what a delicious treat this one was. I loved it thoroughly. Very funny. Even the silly demon didn't ruin anything, because the Mayor and Trick are such good antagonists.

1. Any episode that starts with Giles has to be a good one. He starts out reading: "And on that tragic day, an era came to its inevitable end." Is that from a real book? What's it referring to?
   
   
2. Buffy's reply is less than scholarly, but isn't that the way we all always answer multiple choice?
   
   
3. Interesting combination of study and vampire-fighting. So much a hallmark of this show. I like her stabbing the vampire with her pencil.
   
   
4. I like Trick saying "I'm a very delicate person." Strikes me as very funny. And in its way, true. I also like his line, "I know a beast who knows a guy."
   
   
5. So now we know Mayor Wilkins walks on the hellish side. Consorts with demons. Gets ahead by magic. Creepy in a bizarre sort of way.
   
   
6. Nice exchange between Buffy and Cordelia:

   Cordelia: Oh, God. Are we killing something again?
   Buffy: Only my carefree spirit.

7. I also rather love Xander's summation: "I hate they make us take that thing. It's totally fascist, and personally, I think it, uh, discriminates against the uninformed." Which presumably would be him.
   
   
8. Another lovely Cordelia line: "What? I can't have layers?"
   
   
9. Then they are all drafted by Principal Snyder to sell candy. He doesn't miss a chance, does he? Good dialogue here, too:

   Buffy: I'm sure we love the idea of going all WillyLoman , but we're not in the band.Snyder: And if I'd handed you a trombone, that would've been a problem, Summers.

10. Cute exercise where Buffy, blindfold, throws the ball at Giles. Well, he asked for it.
    
    
11. Is that tai chi Angel is doing?
    
    
12. Good dialogue between Angel and Buffy:

    Angel: It's late. How'd you get away?
    Buffy: Aw, it was easy. Started a fire in the prison laundry room. Rode out in the garbage truck.
    Angel: Oh.
    Buffy: I'm joking. No garbage. Smell me.

    Oops. So Buffy falls back on her lie about Scott.
    
    
13. Then Buffy comes home, claiming Giles was keeping her late, but Giles is there to expose her lie. Uh-oh.
    
    
14. Something is weird about the candy. Well, no surprise, since (a) we need a story and (b) Principal Snyder forced it on them. So: we see Ethan. Now we really knowsomething's not as it should be.
    
    
15. Cordelia says, "I heard that there was a secret rule that if a teacher's more than ten minutes late, we can all leave." That isn't a secret rule. At least, everyone knew that rule when I was in school. (Otherwise known as, "Run while you can.")
    
    
16. And Xander and Willow continue to fool around. Not so subtly. Uh-oh. What was it Angel said to Buffy about "being careful"?
    
    
17. Mrs Barton: Fun, but I'm suspicious.
    
    
18. Giles has vinyl records. Haven't seen those for a long time. And Joyce is at his place... I feel another "uh-oh" coming on.
    
    
19. Joyce lets Buffy take the car. Something is very wrong. But - lucky Buffy.
    
    
20. Giles is listening to Cream. I used to really like Cream. I also didn't like Seals and Croft.
    
    
21. Great dialogue:

    Joyce: So how come they, uh, call you Ripper?
    Giles: Wouldn't you like to know.

    Tease! I want to know.
    
    
22. The grown-ups take over the Bronze. This is not good. And Snyder is there. I'd have run away by then.
    
    
23. Great dialogue:

    Buffy: Uh, well... ma-maybe there's a doctor here.
    Man: Yeeeeaaaaaah!
    Willow: I think that *is* my doctor... He's usually less... topless.

24. I like Trick's strategy for employee obedience.
    
    
25. It's Oz who spells out what they're seeing: "They're teenagers. It's a sobering mirror to look into, huh?" I love the way he talks. And thinks.
    
    
26. And Buffy: "No vampire has ever been *that* scary."
    
    
27. And Snyder follows them out. It just gets worse and worse.
    
    
28. Oz says, "Even if he's sixteen, he's still Giles, right? He's probably a pretty together guy." You really think so, Oz? Buffy knows: "Less Together Guy, more Bad-Magic-Hates-The-World-Ticking-Time-Bomb Guy."
    
    
29. I like Joyce's description of what her state feels like: "Yeah, like, uh, getting married and having a kid and everything was just a dream, and now things are back like they're supposed to be."
    
    
30. And Giles - should I say "Ripper"? - steals a shawl for Joyce and fights a cop. Bad boy. The cigarette is a wonderful touch. "Bert Reynolds", Joyce calls him. The reference seems a little early to me. How old is Joyce likely to be, really?
    
    
31. I love Buffy's line, when they wonder where the vampires are: "Soup's on, but no one's grabbing a spoon."
    
    
32. They figure out it's the candy. I love Willow's horror: "God, using candy for evil!"
    
    
33. Snyder doesn't know where it came from. "It came through the school board. If you knew that crowd..." Knowing the Mayor, one shudders to think.
    
    
34. Buffy says, "Ratboy and I are going to the source." At that time, I was heavily into X-Files, where "Ratboy" was Krycek. Quite a different image.
    
    
35. So Buffy sees Giles and her mother snogging and doesn't like. And fights with them over the candy. And gets a little taste of premature parenthood.
    
    
36. Love it when Snyder calls Giles "Brit-face".
    
    
37. So Giles and Ethan see each other:

    Giles: Ethan.
    Ethan: Ripper.

    What a great moment!
    
    
38. Cordelia too has terrible parent problems: "Mom started borrowing my clothes. There should be an age limit on lycra pants. And Dad, he just locked himself in the bathroom with old copies of Esquire." The "Esquire" is sort of the best touch there.
    
    
39. Lovely Xander line: "I don't get this. The candy's supposed to make you feel all immature and stuff, but I've had a ton, and I don't feel anydif... Never mind."
    
    
40. Buffy wants information from Ethan: " We're pretty much in a talk-or-bleed situation. Your call." Buffy is wonderful when she's being tough.
    
    
41. And Giles is downright dangerous. "Hit him." And loves it so much when she does.
    
    
42. Giles wants to shoot Ethan. Buffy takes the gun away from him. Or does Giles just want to intimidate him - prove his power over him?
    
    
43. And it's Willow the researcher who learns that the demon Lucornis is into eating babies.
    
    
44. Joyce has handcuffs. Given to her by Giles, at a guess? Way to go, Joyce.
    
    
45. Giles remembers something of his learning. Sewers.
    
    
46. Big fight. Trick gets away. Good. I wouldn't want to lose Trick so soon: he's too good. I like his report to the Mayor: "Where's the downside? You just got yourself one less demon you have to pay tribute to. The way I see it, I did you a favor."
    
    
47. Kiss rocks. Heh.
    
    
48. Buffy isn't too upset about the car: "Hey, the way things were going, be glad that's the worst that happened. At least I got to the two of you before you actually *did* something." Oh, really? I think this calls for another "uh-oh".
    
    
49. Periodically in this episode I was wishing Giles would be a permanent teenager: he's such fun that way. And so sexy. And makes Buffy and her friends look very tame. Bring back Spike, or bring back Ripper!
    
    Okay, yes, Giles in his normal state is fun and sexy too, at least - most of the time. But I like the variations in his character.
    

Comments

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

It's pretty startling, how often he gets to speak the main truth of a situation.

Yes, but he's pretty gross, too.

The passage may have come from something published, or it may have been just something written for the test.

So: from a real test, or just made up for the script?

Angel doing tai chi. Still as startling and beautiful a moment as it was the first time I saw it.

Not just was it beautiful to see, it was a great concept - think of it: a vampire doing tai chi. Does a vampire even have chi? I think not, since chi is life energy and vampires are not, strictly speaking, alive. The idea is brilliant.

I hate it when the adults in her life try to treat her like a child.

Yes, but I understand their concern. I was more upset when Joyce tried to interfere in Buffy's relationship with Angel - and succeeded.

I wonder how you reacted when you saw Ethan!

With pleasure. I like Ethan. Don't entirely know what to make of him, but I like him.

Do you like Patti Smith and the Ramones?

I'm not very familiar with either, but yes, I think so.

I wonder if Joyce ever does find out, that night, in verbal form I mean, why they call him Ripper.

I think not.

He's one of Joss Whedon's (maybe pseudo) autistic spectrum characters. You may or may not agree.

I'm not sure. Probably not. It depends how 'autistic' is defined and I don't know how to define it.

[sparklebutch.livejournal.com]

Re autistic, I don't think so re Oz, at least not based on what we're given, and two minutes of google would help the "how to define" angle.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

The way I see it: all people are a varied combination of characteristics, each unique, and though there's a certain value to self-definition, it's misleading to make conclusions based on any particular type of characteristic, because it is always so very individual.

Since Oz shows no sign of social difficulties or awkwardness that I can see (aside from being a werewolf, which is unrelated) I don't see him as autistic - though he may well share some characteristics of autistic people, as do we all. (Being human.)