Almost five years ago, our baby website decided to expand from its usual fare (the terrible books we read as children) to cover a TV show. At the insistence of my friends, I'd watched the pilot episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer even before the founding of the blog. In fact, "Childhood Trauma" was the first name of this blog, thanks to the classic line in the pilot. When it came time to pick a show to cover here, it seemed natural to start with Buffy.
Okay, so I first saw this episode like two months after reading Devil in the White City. I barricaded myself in my bedroom after it aired. Is that a spoiler? Whatever. Also, I feel like I need to tell you guys that I'm not intentionally picking Dean gifs over Sam gifs. The internet apparently just loves Dean more... Anyway, let's get to the episode, shall we?
Philadelphia. A young blonde complains over the phone about the flickering lights in her apartment and orders the super to come deal with it. She notices black goo pouring from a light switch, and goes over to investigate. She peers at the light switch and a bloodshot eye appears inside the wall. She screams, which is legit.
FLAME ON!
Philadelphia. A young blonde complains over the phone about the flickering lights in her apartment and orders the super to come deal with it. She notices black goo pouring from a light switch, and goes over to investigate. She peers at the light switch and a bloodshot eye appears inside the wall. She screams, which is legit.
FLAME ON!
Holy shit balls, you guys. We made it. Episode 144. It's been a long time coming - I mean, we started this whole crazy trip at the start of July 2012 - and I think the three of us have been anticipating this moment for months now. And now that it's here, I don't quite know how to deal with it. Sure, we haven't always loved the show, and sometimes recapping it twice a week has been indescribably painful. But I'm not sure how to adjust to life without Buffy recaps. Seriously - I wrote S07 E22 up there in the title and immediately teared up.
Sweeney: There's going to be a lot of that. It's been a long road and it's surreal to be here. MANY FEELS.
Lorraine: Just chiming in to say, "YEP." Perhaps I wasn't as ready to say goodbye as I thought I would be. For that reason, I should also warn you that things get very capslock-y and SQUEE-y in the recap below. I'm not even sorry that I'm not sorry. No apologies; feels abound.
Sweeney: There's going to be a lot of that. It's been a long road and it's surreal to be here. MANY FEELS.
Lorraine: Just chiming in to say, "YEP." Perhaps I wasn't as ready to say goodbye as I thought I would be. For that reason, I should also warn you that things get very capslock-y and SQUEE-y in the recap below. I'm not even sorry that I'm not sorry. No apologies; feels abound.
This episode title is a liar because there's one more episode! It's JUST BEFORE the end. Silly title. This episode begins immediately where we left off. Faith tells everyone to get down and the bomb blows. Buffy eyes her prize as Priest-ion comes downstairs, gloating about how she can't pry it from solid rock and she easily lifts it up. It's a nice callback to the time it was assumed that the troll hammer couldn't be wielded and Buffy lifted it all NBD. Wolf howl.
Kirsti: Buffy's insta-pull and Priest-ion's face made me giggle.
Kirsti: Buffy's insta-pull and Priest-ion's face made me giggle.
We get an entire season worth of previouslies which, much like the Scoobies, almost entirely ignores Dawn. Poor Dawnie. Once that's over with, Buffy's running through the woods followed by Anya and Xander. Xander stops running to possibly throw up, because OH GOD WILLOW JUST FLAYED A GUY. Buffy says that they can't afford to stop because of Willow's "one down..." line. Anya completes the phrase and earns herself a gold star.
Sweeney: Congrats Anya! I don't think she's received many of these!
Lorraine: Xander mentions the smell and sound of the flaying, which is something I hadn't previously given thought to. THANKS XANDER.
Sweeney: Congrats Anya! I don't think she's received many of these!
Lorraine: Xander mentions the smell and sound of the flaying, which is something I hadn't previously given thought to. THANKS XANDER.
It's finale time, kids! Can we all just stop and marvel at how this season seemed to last about five minutes while season 4 dragged on for a freaking millennium? Also, we've now made it through a whopping ONE HUNDRED episodes of Buffy. I feel like that warrants celebration.
Lorraine: I'm really feeling all nostalgic over Buffy. I know we have two full seasons to go, but it's just that much more over. I'm sorry. I'm clouding our celebration with my attachment-to-TV feels. Here. Have a happy dance gif:
Sweeney: I'm glad it's also a well dressed happy dance gif. This is a big event and we must dress accordingly.
Lorraine: I'm really feeling all nostalgic over Buffy. I know we have two full seasons to go, but it's just that much more over. I'm sorry. I'm clouding our celebration with my attachment-to-TV feels. Here. Have a happy dance gif:
Sweeney: I'm glad it's also a well dressed happy dance gif. This is a big event and we must dress accordingly.
Kirsti: Well, we're officially into the second half of season 5, y'all! We open at Chez Summers where a Scooby Gang meeting is in progress. Buffy apologises for the house being messy - Joyce still isn't up to doing the cleaning, and Buffy's 19 and has a sacred duty to save the planet from evil, so pffff, cleaning.
Lorraine: I'm 26 and have a sacred duty to watch TV for a not-living. Pfff. Cleaning.
K: A+. I'm 30 and periodically "Pff" when my mother suggests I dust my room.
Lorraine: I'm 26 and have a sacred duty to watch TV for a not-living. Pfff. Cleaning.
K: A+. I'm 30 and periodically "Pff" when my mother suggests I dust my room.
Kirsti: We open in the Bigger on the Inside Dorm Room which is what I'm gonna go ahead and insist on calling Willow and Tara's room. (L: Another nickname for the Nickname Graveyard then. I'd pour out wine in its honor, but LOL. I'm not wasting wine.) (Fair) Tara's telling Willow a story while Miss Kitty Fantastico plays on the floor. Willow gets sleepy, and Tara asks if she can keep the light on to look up some spells. Willow makes an Eyebrows of Innuendo comment about how she doesn't need to be snuggled, and then asks why Tara's been studying spells so much. Tara says that she a) needs to keep up with Willow, and b) likes to be useful to the Scoobies. It's pretty much adorable.
Sweeney: The episode begins with Willow chanting, but we pan out and realize that she's just "praying" for a good card in a poker game with Xander and Anya, who is predictably bad at poker. Xander is bummed about their current lack of money, but he swears that's about to change because he's going to sell some crap that doesn't sound at all appealing.
K: I love Anya's "dirty dirty cheater witch" expression of exasperation. Also her complaining about playing poker with chips. In high school, we used to play poker with M&Ms. Which turned out to be horribly flawed because we'd eat them all in about five minutes and not be able to bet any more...
K: I love Anya's "dirty dirty cheater witch" expression of exasperation. Also her complaining about playing poker with chips. In high school, we used to play poker with M&Ms. Which turned out to be horribly flawed because we'd eat them all in about five minutes and not be able to bet any more...
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