Perri's Review

Review and Synopsis coming soon!

Christina's Comments

All over da place. It's late. I'm tired. Not making total sense.

Most of the Buffy episode could not possibly compare to those last three minutes, of course. It had everything: shirtless Spike. Shirtless Spike *kissing*. Spike waking up and realizing he is in soooooo much trouble. I nearly laughed myself sick. I'd had just the barest, tiniest bit of a hint of what was up when Spike was insulting Buffy earlier, about her "shampoo-commercial hair" --- and I thought, "um, Spike, that's not an insult"... but I put it down to him trying to make it one. And Spike's expressions and vocal mannerisms when plotting to kill someone are kind of indistinguishable from Spike plotting to have sex. James Marsters is the scariest sexy creep I can think of. He gets very enthused on both topics. And yummy. It's sick, but there you go. He's a vampire.

Actually, from that POV, it almost makes sense that he falls for Buffy... his idea of foreplay is extended torture for Dru, or various other homicidal overtures. The last year of being forced to be around her, not being able to kill her, constantly being abused by her verbally and physically, never able to respond--- well, that just makes her the most demonic entity he's ever encountered. Call it Patty Hearst syndrome, call it just plain *ill*, call it Spike's latent, idiosyncratic, bizarre ability to love focusing on the only woman in the vicinity who's ever given him a good fight... whatever. I'm delighted. Joss is meeeeeean. Much meaner than fanfic writers! (Except for Elizabeth, whose "Achilles' Heel" goes here and gets chilling by the end... e-me for the URL, if you want it.). Spike must just be *hating* him now.... I can imagine him ranting and raving at Joss ad infinitum for the sheer bloody humiliation of it all. "Bad enough to make me watch soap operas, now you've rotted my brain with them!"

Having him get the chip out would just resurrect all the same issues Buffy and the audience have when she didn't kill Angelus fast enough. Boring, and depressing, and hey, she *should* have killed him by now. She's such a Knightie, I swear. Having him *not* get the chip out, but continue in the same way, would also be boring. Having him chipped but pushing it and in love with Buffy is just... fun. I shudder to think of what he's going to do about it, though.

Harmony. God. How can she have changed so very, very little since she became a vampire? Perri and I have been marveling at this off and on this season. She's just as vapid and silly as she was as a mortal. And not even all that much more threatening. Personally, I think whatever personality her demon came with, whatever impulses it had, fled to the darkest depths of her skull, and it's now whimpering and beating its tiny head on the walls of her brain. "Let me out, let me *out*, oh please oh please, let me out..." Like the kid in that one Angel ep. The other demons must pity that one soooo much. Staking Harmony would put it out of its misery. And ours; but I'm still mildly entertained by her, and she's useful in a totally stupid way, so.... Besides, I want her to go to L.A., and have Cordy stake her. THAT would be worth watching.

I'm wondering if Joyce's collapse was a defense-mechanism of Dawn's (or Who-Ever's) to prevent her from *really* realizing that Dawn wasn't her daughter, or if the Queen of Denial Raft Trips just had her brain melt from the stunning realization that she was making breakfast for someone she didn't give birth to. I really can't decide: Dawn's reactions were *almost* right for genuine confusion--- but they also carried that overtone of "uh-oh" that I didn't notice the last time, when the bum called her on it. Really looking forward to next week; I think they've set up this arc enough that the episode will flow quickly without too much silly explication.

I like Dawn coming up with the solution in the totally dumb 14-year-old non-Wesley-Crusher way of going over old obsession/covert-ops ideas and thinking they're actually workable. She's smart, but she also has that lack-of-grip on practicalities that many young teens do. Buffy just applied her silly idea in a good way, once she realized Dawn was onto something.

Riley... oh, man. I just want to smack him. Not fair, I know. I know he was getting sick. I know that Xander had these same issues *years* ago, and got over them eventually. I know that he needs more purpose in life (like,oh, say, getting another thesis advisor so he can get that psych degree, maybe?) and that that's feeding into his romantic insecurities. I know that Angel kicking his butt a few months ago probably didn't help, on some level. But still. Still. He should know better. He shouldn't be making it about Buffy, when it's about him. He knew the drill when he signed up to spend the summer on the Hellmouth.

He's not a teenager, he's in his mid-twenties, and yes, I know he's been a soldier all that time, but still, he should be smarter than this. If that's what he wants to be--- there *are* other ways to be that, that don't include being part of the Initiative, or keeping their modifications so he can keep up with Buffy. Xander manages, Giles manages, Wesley manages, Gunn manages, Oz managed... I hope he gets over this. If he doesn't, well, fine. Pffffttt. I'd like to say 'no loss', but I will miss the guy, kinda.

SunSpeak

"Oh my GOODNESS...they're really turning Spike into Angel! AAAIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! ::whimper:: Also....EWWWWWWW! And DAMN! I _so_ wanted Spike de-chipped. He's just not as much fun when there's no real threat from him. At least not that the novelty's worn off." -- Julie

"It may still be in there, but I'm starting to suspect he overloaded the thing weeks ago and doesn't realise it. He was *hitting* people. Human people. And having a great deal of fun, and not a single twinge. It was only when he tried to munch Buffy that he got a zap again...or did he? Pavlovian aversion response, conditioned into his own subconscious now? Or, for that matter, the even more frightening bits of his subconscious that got dredged up at the end? (And wow, did I ever NOT expect that!!!) If he puts these bits together their proper order...how long before he decides to test the theory that he can kill people who aren't Buffy?"
"Nope, nope, nope -- he wasn't _hitting_, he was just grabbing, and rolling, and like that. It wasn't until he went to munch that he was doing actual damage, and that's when he hurt. But I *do* think the chip is weakening, or being counter-programmed by Spike's efforts with the dummies and such. When Spike has a moment to think about it, I can definitely see him redoubling his efforts to push the limits of the chip. And also plotting against Buffy -- I can't wait to see him bribing other vamps to gang up on the Slayer, in the hopes that one of them will get lucky. Definitely cannon-fodder -- Spike won't care how many vamps die in the attempt, if there's any chance that *one* will get through. And can't you just see Spike marshalling a vamp army, while he sits all comfy and cozy in his bat-cave?" -- Valerie and Maureen

"Spike's frustration and emotional turmoil are much more interesting then his plotting. He's still a "bad ass" vampire -- it's in the attitude. I've suspected that Spike's intense hatred of Buffy stemmed from something else, so I wasn't surprised by this turn of events. I was surprised, however, by the passion in the kiss though. My reaction was a combination of < meep > < whoah > < giggle > < thud >." -- Leslie