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