It is no secret that we have a lot of thoughts/feels on all things popular culture. There are only so many hours in a day and so we simply cannot recap everything, placing some constraints on what we can dissect here. Having said that, I came across something the other that gave me so many feelings that I needed to sit down and work them out somewhere. I probably should have done it THAT DAY, because such is the relevance and shelf life of these things but, as always...we do what we want.
Variety posted, “Diversity Done Wrong: How SNL Mishandled Casting a Black Woman.” For those of you who are unaware, SNL received a great deal of criticism in the fall when it introduced half a dozen new featured players, nearly all of whom were white men.
After the previouslies make me reach for the brain bleach again, we're in Angel's room where he's sketching The Beast. (Welcome back, Angel/art OTP!) Lorne walks in with a glass of blood and Angel basically tells him to get out. Lorne says that he's done with the game playing, and Angel's all "What game playing?" Lorne adopts a moody teenager voice to say "Don't interrupt me, I'm brooding," which is quite possibly the greatest thing to ever happen in this show.
Angel claims to be researching rather than brooding, but Lorne's not buying it because everyone else is researching downstairs as a team, not alone in their mopeyness. Angel says that he works better alone, and Lorne retorts that it's not all about him and that champions (SHOTS!!) don't get to take personal days.
Angel claims to be researching rather than brooding, but Lorne's not buying it because everyone else is researching downstairs as a team, not alone in their mopeyness. Angel says that he works better alone, and Lorne retorts that it's not all about him and that champions (SHOTS!!) don't get to take personal days.
We open pretty much immediately after the end of the last episode because everyone's wearing the exact same outfits. The Scoobies are putting the living room back together after that whole Dawn Fought A Demon thing blew everything up, with the girls cleaning up the broken stuff while Xander repairs the windows. Dawn is sassy about Spike's presence, and Willow unconvincingly says that Buffy knows what she's doing. Anya's on Team Stake The Evil Bloodsucker, and asks Xander for his support. He refuses to give an opinion. She says that they need to prepare themselves for the possibility that William the Bloody is back.
Lorraine: We're privileged as the audience, so we know more about Spike's whole soul quest, but Anya and Dawn have a point.
Lorraine: We're privileged as the audience, so we know more about Spike's whole soul quest, but Anya and Dawn have a point.
Our fine looking fibbers are at the Hastings House, watching news coverage of Garrett's murder arrest. Spencer tells the girls that her mom knows someone working the case, and that Jenna Marshall is the one who turned in the evidence against Garrett. Aria wants to know if this means they can finally lay Ali to rest, and I answer her, "No," because we know there are at least two more seasons. Sorry girl.
Sweeney: Poor Aria. Not even her magnet for Getting All The Things She Wants Always Without Consequences can stand in the way of the will of the TV Gods.
Lor: Hanna still thinks Melissa and Jenna are guilty parties. Speak of the forever-pregnant devil, Melissa comes in and says, "love gone wrong."
Sweeney: Poor Aria. Not even her magnet for Getting All The Things She Wants Always Without Consequences can stand in the way of the will of the TV Gods.
Lor: Hanna still thinks Melissa and Jenna are guilty parties. Speak of the forever-pregnant devil, Melissa comes in and says, "love gone wrong."
It's still raining hell fire. Angel turns away from where he's been watching Cordy and Connor... You know. He takes out his legit anger out on a nearby door. There is lots of off screen angry grunting and punching.
Sweeney: This is our way of letting you know that you missed nothing when you were leaning over dry heaving.
Kirsti: Seriously, all you missed was a dude in need of anger management therapy.
Sweeney: This is our way of letting you know that you missed nothing when you were leaning over dry heaving.
Kirsti: Seriously, all you missed was a dude in need of anger management therapy.
We took a break. It was nice. It's over now.
Buffy visits Xander at 4:30 in the morning, looking for Spike, who isn't there. Xander asks if Spike's in trouble, and Buffy says she hopes not.
Cut to In Trouble Alley where Spike for reasons I'm sure will be explained later, proving that Spike is a good boy (I swear I haven't watched ahead) is burying a dead woman's body while humming.
Kirsti: The use of humming in place of music dramatically ups the creep factor for me. That and the fact that what he's humming is a song that my brother's choir used to sing...
Buffy visits Xander at 4:30 in the morning, looking for Spike, who isn't there. Xander asks if Spike's in trouble, and Buffy says she hopes not.
Cut to In Trouble Alley where Spike for reasons I'm sure will be explained later, proving that Spike is a good boy (I swear I haven't watched ahead) is burying a dead woman's body while humming.
Kirsti: The use of humming in place of music dramatically ups the creep factor for me. That and the fact that what he's humming is a song that my brother's choir used to sing...
We open in the kitchen / common area, where Inara & Kaylee are playing a game, Simon is trying to get River to eat something, and Jayne is sitting off by himself. Simon tries to convince River that the food is good, but Jayne says it smells like crotch, which is the funniest description I've ever heard. Zoe and Wash enter, playfully arguing about taking a vacation. Wash wants to take a vacation on Ariel, but Zoe knows that Ariel is a hot spot for the Feds.
Wash begs someone to help him convince Zoe, and Inara chimes in that Ariel is a beautiful planet with lots of romantic things to do. Even Simon helps try to sell it, and Wash eagerly bounces up and down and it's the cutest. Zoe is adamant, though: "I don't care if it's got sunsets 24 hours a day, I ain't settin' foot on that planet." Mal enternounces that ain't nobody settin' foot on that planet.
Wash begs someone to help him convince Zoe, and Inara chimes in that Ariel is a beautiful planet with lots of romantic things to do. Even Simon helps try to sell it, and Wash eagerly bounces up and down and it's the cutest. Zoe is adamant, though: "I don't care if it's got sunsets 24 hours a day, I ain't settin' foot on that planet." Mal enternounces that ain't nobody settin' foot on that planet.
Why yes, we are starting another insane new thing. It's a new year, which means it's time for us to reflect on all the exciting and traumatizing events of the previous year. That's sort of what we did in yesterday's TMYK, but as we mentioned then, Traumaland is a community and we want you all to be a part of this process. As Traumaland expands, we have an ever-growing cast of characters to recognize for all the ways they either got us to feel all the feelings or simply ruined us for life. For that I give you: The Traumaland Awards
How it works: We came up with a handful of categories and nominees. (All chosen from things that happened -- on the blog -- in 2013) You have about to weeks to make your decision, campaign for your favorites, rig the vote - whatever. We'll be posting the official ballot link on Tuesday, January 14th.
How it works: We came up with a handful of categories and nominees. (All chosen from things that happened -- on the blog -- in 2013) You have about to weeks to make your decision, campaign for your favorites, rig the vote - whatever. We'll be posting the official ballot link on Tuesday, January 14th.
Our final The More You Know post for 2012 was titled, "So, we had a year." That seems fitting. In 2012 we fell into a hiatus, lost a few Snark Ladies, but then decided to reinvent the website. We did a lot of great things, but it was a celebration in and of itself that we'd even had a year. Sweeney and I pulled it together and soldiered on, despite all the craziness and a multitude of changes.
Sweeney: It's weird to think about that time, then. That brief period when we wondered how/if this blog would continue to exist. By "weird" I mean "impossible" because this thing has come to be so damn important to us both.
Sweeney: It's weird to think about that time, then. That brief period when we wondered how/if this blog would continue to exist. By "weird" I mean "impossible" because this thing has come to be so damn important to us both.
This post is obviously incredibly late. It is mostly late because I've been enjoying some much-needed family time. (Also, feeling incredibly old because I feel like family time is a lot more exhausting than it used to be.) The other reason this post is late is that everyone would not stop going on about how painful this episode is. Half a dozen people discussed the necessity of brain bleach for this particular episode. I had the choice of stuffing my face with cookies until I passed out in a painful-but-glorious food coma or watching the ZOMG BRAIN BLEACH 5EVA episode; I stand by my choices. In spite of our many drinking games, I can't actually write a recap while shitfaced. It doesn't work out well for anyone.
That was my long-winded introduction to say that even though I haven't seen the episode yet, I already know it's rated BB.
That was my long-winded introduction to say that even though I haven't seen the episode yet, I already know it's rated BB.
The episode kicks off with tight shots of a band plugging stuff in and starting to play. An actual title card shows off the episode title, which already makes this episode all fancy like.
Kirsti: Can we give a gold star to a title card? Or is that just too easy?
Sweeney: Given that saying the title is literally it's job, no.
Moody music plays while we get back-to-back shots of Buffy in the cemetery, Spike listening alone in the Bronze, and the band playing.
Kirsti: Can we give a gold star to a title card? Or is that just too easy?
Sweeney: Given that saying the title is literally it's job, no.
Moody music plays while we get back-to-back shots of Buffy in the cemetery, Spike listening alone in the Bronze, and the band playing.
It's nearly finale time, folks, so maybe something will happen this episode! We're dreaming big.
Sweeney: We Snark Ladies dream impossible dreams. Remember all the times we hoped we'd seen the worst of Fifty Shades and then, you know, read more chapters? Good times.
Lor: Indeed. And proof that we're fucking optimists. Clearly.
Spencer is sleeping on the couch and she wakes to some pretty inconsiderate rustling. Turns out it's Alison, which I should've known because that bitch would be making tons of noise while others were trying to sleep.
Sweeney: We Snark Ladies dream impossible dreams. Remember all the times we hoped we'd seen the worst of Fifty Shades and then, you know, read more chapters? Good times.
Lor: Indeed. And proof that we're fucking optimists. Clearly.
Spencer is sleeping on the couch and she wakes to some pretty inconsiderate rustling. Turns out it's Alison, which I should've known because that bitch would be making tons of noise while others were trying to sleep.
We start with Lorne sitting in a club singing "The Way We Were." He starts monologuing to the audience about how everyone wants to get their youth back but they all forget how fucked up it is. He starts to tell a story, and says that it starts with a kid. That sends us into a seizure cut sequence of Connor angrily walking down the street while flashbacking to kissing Cordy. Hey Lor? Was there any brain bleach left from last time?
Lorraine: I've got an industrial order in. We'll make sure to always have a bottle or 5 at the Table of Ugh.
K: EXCELLENT. Anyway, Lorne changes his mind and says that the story really starts with Cordy's question to Angel at the end of the last episode - "Were we in love?" We cut over to them. Angel dithers a response, and Cordy gets about as pissed as I imagine Lor and Sweeney were during this moment.
Lorraine: I've got an industrial order in. We'll make sure to always have a bottle or 5 at the Table of Ugh.
K: EXCELLENT. Anyway, Lorne changes his mind and says that the story really starts with Cordy's question to Angel at the end of the last episode - "Were we in love?" We cut over to them. Angel dithers a response, and Cordy gets about as pissed as I imagine Lor and Sweeney were during this moment.
I'm gonna go ahead and start by saying that I refuse to give out gold stars, because we would literally be here all day, because I just checked the transcript and the word "him" appears like 50 times in this episode. (S: A sound policy.)
After the previouslies, we're at Xander's Gift Apartment. He walks in the front door, informing Spike that he's now going to be living in the Cupboard Under the Stairs. (Fine, it's the walk-in closet, which Xander is now claiming is a room. But HOW COULD I NOT?) He informs Buffy that he hates this plan (you're not alone, Xand), and she reminds him that Spike - who's hovering in the doorway - needs an invitation to enter. Xander reluctantly gives one while I'm busy being distracted by Buffy's sudden and horrific fringe.
After the previouslies, we're at Xander's Gift Apartment. He walks in the front door, informing Spike that he's now going to be living in the Cupboard Under the Stairs. (Fine, it's the walk-in closet, which Xander is now claiming is a room. But HOW COULD I NOT?) He informs Buffy that he hates this plan (you're not alone, Xand), and she reminds him that Spike - who's hovering in the doorway - needs an invitation to enter. Xander reluctantly gives one while I'm busy being distracted by Buffy's sudden and horrific fringe.
We open to a trio of nerds (not THAT Trio, thank goodness), rating their female classmates based on hotness. Apparently, Veronica's detective skills up her from an 8.5 to a 9, according to Dweeb #1. How empowering! Troy and Veronica do a walk-and-talk, which hilariously features V assuming T's weekend plans revolve around autoeroticism. He's actually just got a boner for boats, like apparently all wealthy southern California boys on television in the early aughts.
They exchange something like eight hundred thousand flirty glances as Troy departs.
They exchange something like eight hundred thousand flirty glances as Troy departs.
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