Welcome to Rewatching Buffy, the part of the blog where I rewatch Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Each Tuesday evening, you’re invited to join me as I attempt to rediscover what made me love this show 20 years ago.
Angel
- Uh oh, that Anointed kid from Never Kill a Boy on the First Date is back. He’s still hanging out with the Master.
- And he talks like Regan from The Exorcist.
- He suggests to the Master that he annihilate the Slayer. Duh.
- ‘Cause they don’t ever try that tired old move.
- “I’ll send the Three.” Every vampire we’ve thrown at her thus far has failed, so let’s call these random guys who’ve never been seen before.
- Buffy’s at The Bronze and she’s having thoughts about Angel.
- Turns out, he’s still stalking her. Good thing, too.
- Because the Three show up and appear to be formidable. I mean, they’re wearing armor. Wooden stakes can’t get through that.
- It’s the Buffy/Angel team-up we’ve all been clamoring for.
- They don’t kill any of the Three, but they do escape, making it to Buffy’s house just in time.
- Angel points out that they’ll be safe. Because vampires can’t come in unless they’re invited.
- Good thing Buffy said, “Get in,” before slamming the door on the Three.
- I mean… that doesn’t matter, right? Angel’s just a regular guy who happens to fight vampires…
- Buffy’s trying to get some ambiguous back story from Angel after sneaking him up to her room.
- Xander’s jealous of Angel staying the night at Buffy’s. Shocker.
- Since the Three failed, they offered their lives to the Master. He took them.
- Angel’s still at Buffy’s when she gets home that night. Of course he is. Couldn’t go out during the day… right?
- Buffy and Angel kiss. Aww…
- And then his face changes to the vampire look. He’s out the window and she freaks out.
- Who wouldn’t?
- Buffy checks with Giles. Can a vampire ever be good? He’s never heard of such a thing.
- Meanwhile, Angel’s back at home. His home. And Darla’s there waiting for him.
- Apparently, they have a past.
- She’s trying to turn him to the dark side.
- Back in the library, they’re studying Angel’s history in the Watcher’s Diaries.
- Back in the day, he was known as Angelus who was pretty much the worst of the worst. But 80 years ago, he moves to America and keeps to himself.
- Darla decides to visit Buffy’s mom. This can’t end well. Of course, Joyce invited her in.
- Angel gets there just in time to find Darla feeding on Joyce.
- Buffy gets there just in time to find Angel looking like he just fed on Joyce.
- She throws him through the front window. Seems excessive. Why destroy the front of the house when you could just stake him with the handle of a wooden spoon?
- Buffy’s out for some vengeance.
- Darla’s trying to tell Angel he should kill Buffy before she kills him.
- This is just like what Lex Luthor did in Batman v. Superman. See guys, it was a good movie!
- Joyce reveals that Darla was who she was talking to before she “passed out.” Not Angel.
- Scooby Gang has to go stop Buffy from killing the wrong vampire.
- Showdown at the Bronze.
- Buffy decides to have a conversation before killing Angel. So he gets to tell his origin.
- He’s been cursed with a soul. That’s why he’s one of the good guys.
- Darla shows up to reveal that she sired Angelus.
- And now she takes matters into her own hands. She’s got guns. What vampire uses guns?
- Just as Darla’s about to go in for the kill, Angel dusts her.
- Killing the person that made you a vampire. Is that like killing a parent?
- The Master is extremely displeased. Darla was his favorite. Boo-freakin’-hoo.
- Body Count: Vampires – 1
I Robot, You Jane
- Cortona, Italy – 1418… This episode starts pretty early.
- A demon named Moloch has followers that he tells he loves. Then he snaps their necks. That’s weird.
- Some monks appear to be performing some sort of spell that’s hurting the demon.
- They seem to have trapped him in the pages of a book. That’s weird.
- Probably shouldn’t ever read that book.
- Who finds that book? Buffy. That’s who.
- Computer club is scanning old books into the computers.
- Meet Ms. Calendar. She and Giles do not get along. Yet.
- Willow’s scanning these pages into the computer. And then the words on the page magically disappear.
- The computer screen spells out, “Where am I?”
- I think the demon is out of the book and now in cyberspace.
- Buffy complains that she tried calling Willow a million times last night but she couldn’t get through.
- Because Willow was chatting with Malcolm online all night.
- Remember when dial-up internet was a thing?
- There’s a creepy computer nerd who is clearly a minion of cyber demon. He’s been told to watch Buffy.
- Malcolm is convincing Willow to do un-Willow-like things.
- Buffy’s worried, so she consults another computer nerd (but not the creepy one from earlier) about tracking down Malcolm. This one turns out to be creepy, too. “Leave Willow alone!”
- Creepy computer nerd now has orders to kill Buffy. She’s getting to close.
- Ms. Calendar returns. She observes Buffy and Xander are in the library a lot. Huh.
- Giles discovers the blank pages in the demon book. Uh-oh.
- Computer nerd lures Buffy to the girls’ locker room. It’s a trap!
- But computer nerd feels guilty and warns Buffy, saving her life.
- Cyber demon writes computer nerd’s suicide note for him. I don’t think we’ll be seeing him anymore.
- The good guys all just figured out that Moloch is Malcolm, the cyber demon.
- While trying to find Willow in the computer lab, she finds computer nerd instead. Hanged.
- Creepy computer nerd abducts Willow from her home.
- Giles needs Ms. Calendar’s help with the computer stuff. He tries not to sound crazy telling her there’s a demon in the internet. She already knows.
- Apparently, Ms. Calendar dabbles in the occult.
- Moloch has a robot body now. This was his master plan. I guess.
- He looks like something out of Mortal Kombat.
- Robodemon kills creepy computer nerd.
- Willow tries to stand up to Robodemon.
- Giles and Ms. Calendar get Moloch out of the internet. But he’s not in the book.
- He’s trapped in his robotic body. Which Buffy electrocutes.
- Body count: Humans – 3 (including the unnamed monk in 1418); Robodemons – 1
The Puppet Show
- We open on a talent show. Someone is claiming they’ll be whole again. Sounds ominous.
- Cordelia is practicing. She cannot sing. Good thing she was on Angel by the time they did the musical episode.
- There’s a new principal at the school. This Snyder character assigned Giles to take charge of the talent show.
- And now Snyder has sentenced the Scooby Gang to perform in the talent show. What happened to detention?
- Here comes the really bad ventriloquist trying out.
- Then the dummy takes over the act.
- Dancer from the talent show is getting dressed. She hears a strange noise.
- Tip: at Sunnydale High, if you hear a strange noise, do not investigate.
- Unless you’re a Slayer.
- Of course, dancer is attacked. Her body will probably pop up later.
- Not that much later. Dancer’s dead. Missing her heart. Gross.
- Evidence points to a possible human murderer. So the gang starts interviewing other talent show participants.
- Apparently there’s a dancer/band rivalry. Is that a thing?
- Everyone thinks the ventriloquist is suspicious.
- And he is. Because he argues with his dummy when he doesn’t think anyone is around.
- This guy would make a great Batman villain.
- I feel like, in a normal school, the death of a talent show participant would mean we cancel the talent show.
- In Sunnydale, death is a rite of passage. They probably brag about their body count at pep rallies.
- Buffy breaks into the ventriloquists locker. She check’s the dummy’s case. Sid’s gone.
- Sid’s the dummy, BTW.
- The ventriloquist is arguing with Sid again. Sounds like he wants to take down Buffy. She’s the last one they need to kill.
- Sid’s definitely alive. He’s hanging outside Buffy’s window as she goes to bed.
- Then he sneaks in and tries to attack her. But he’s mysteriously gone.
- Giles finds the potential demon responsible. It requires a human heart and brain every seven years to maintain a human appearance. Could still be the ventriloquist.
- Who, by the way, keeps the dummy on his lap during class. What school allows that?
- The teacher takes Sid away when the ventriloquist is distracted. But at the end of the day, he’s not in the cabinet.
- Xander stole Sid. He attempts to prove Sid isn’t alive. By hitting him on the table. Repeatedly.
- But then Xander leaves him alone…
- Buffy takes this chance to talk to Morgan alone. But she can’t find him.
- Until she does. He’s dead. And missing a brain.
- Sid attacks. Dropping a chandelier on Buffy.
- They end up talking. Sid’s not the demon. But he thought Buffy was the demon.
- Turns out, Sid’s a demon hunter whose soul was put into the dummy by some bad guy back in the day.
- Sid is bummed because this was the last one and now that he has a heart and brain he’ll move on.
- But the theory is, whoever’s missing from the talent show is the demon. Good plan.
- Except… everyone’s still there.
- Snyder’s snooping around. That’s not suspicious.
- Buffy finds the ventriloquist’s brain. His donation was rejected.
- It’s the magician!
- He’s trying to take Giles’ brain now. Using a guillotine.
- Sid and Buffy are able to kill the demon. Sid’s curse is broken.
- Body count: Humans – 2; Organ Donor Demons – 1; Dummies – 1
This is like speed-watching the series again. Thanks for taking me back.
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