SPS' Buffy thread!

[SPS]

Here I'm going to put some mini reviews of each episode, probably after I'm done watching each season. First two explanations:

Reviews- I hope to expand all of these later but for right now they are going to be mini ones.

Awards:
Two special episodes each season (or if they are a two parter it will generally get it) will get an award they are:

Mr. Pointy award- For best episode, named after Kendra's stake
Harmony award- For worst episode, named after my least favorite character in the entire series.

So here we go here are the reviews:

Season 1:

Mr. Pointy Award episode(s):
Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest
Why does the pilot get the award you may ask? Surely "Prophecy Girl", or "Angel" are better episodes right? Well while they are good episodes I feel that WttHM and Harvest are better episodes. You get decent introductions to the cast and while it seems too much like "Saved By the Bell...With Vampires!" at first it lays the groundwork for much of the series, and has two very memorable moments. Like Buffy's line at the end where she distracts the head vampire, and the fact that a person who may be a main character dies! Yes he is never mentioned again, and ultimately isn't that important to the series but this was unheard of at the time.

Episode 2:
Witch
Well a ho-hum episode like much of season 1. Introduces Amy, who goes on to make appearances in every season except for 5 IIRC. This episode is about parents pushing their children and one parent taking it too far. Okay dialogue between the characters but we've heard it all before.

Episode 3:
Teacher's Pet
eh. Episode. the Beggining of Xander's bad luck with ladies, as the new sub is a praying mantis, whom you may recognize from "O Brother Where Art Thou". Episode deals with virginity. Couple of funny moments but overall rather generic.

Episode 4:
Never Kill a Boy on the First Date
Personally one of my favorite episodes from season one as Buffy tries dating this cute, deep, intellectual guy named Owen, whom you may recognize from "Jericho". Unfortunately things don't work out as the Master gets his annoying...er I mean Annointed One. Frankly he isn't very important, and is best forgotten about. Even though the plot ended up going nowhere the rest of the episode is pretty nice and holds up well.

Episode 5
The Pack
Episode about cliques. Xander and 3 others get possessed by Hyenas. The three others eat and kill Pincipal Flutie. Overall though I think this is a pretty average episode. Not great but at this point the monster of the week episodes are wearing thin.

Episode 6:
Angel
We learn more about Angel in this episode and it is quite good. We learn just how bad Angel is during season 2 but right now it is good enough. Darla dies in this one, and is one of the few times we ever see a gun being fired in the series barring season 4, and the only time I can recall a vampire using a gun.

Episode 7:
the Harmony Award:
I Robot...You Jane
This ranks as one of my least favorite episodes, and probably ties for the Number two spot with a season 2 episode, which I will discuss later. Why does this episode suck? It begins with the opening sequence of Moloch getting trapped in a book, which is a stupid thing in itself. Does get a little creative when he is "read" by being scanned into the computer. But Moloch is just too much like Hal, and Whedon and crew where obviously doing anti-internet/computer stuff. Plus Moloch is too generic to do any good IMO.

Episode 8:
The Puppet Show
Monster of the week episode with a talking Dummy! Sid is pretty cool I will admit, and he does make a reappearance in the non-canonical game Chaos Bleeds. But the rest of the episode is just mediocre, but it shows potential for greatness.

Episode 9:
Nightmares
IMO Whedon and crew have never done dreams well. This we learn nothing new about the characters really. Well okay in hindsight we learn nothing new. But the thing is the nightmares are all rather generic on Xander and Willow's part. It's almost like they wanted to balance out the interestingness of Buffy's nightmare with some blandness. Add on a tacked on abusive child plot and you have a schizophrenic episode. Second worst episode of the season.

Episode 10:
Out of Mind, Out of Sight
Another one of my favorite episodes of this season because of the great concept. Fleshes out Cordelia which is cool.

Episode 11:
Prophecy Girl
Second worst Buffy Finale. The Master was never a good villain to begin with, and to see Buffy take him out was sorta unfulfilling, even after Master killed Buffy. Seems like a series finale with the end, and oh god they played the theme song during a scene. That is cheese right there.

Overall: Not Buffy's worst season, but definetly one of them. Too much monster of the week, but the spark is here. Just have to wait until season 2 to see it nurtured.

[Gray Lensman]

Cool stuff so far, SPS.

On balance, I think I'd generally agree. The opening two-parter is a great intro to the series, and I'm also fond of "Angel". That said, I like "The Puppet Show" for some great humor and the twist on the classic ventriloquist's dummy, and "The Witch" is where the show started to make good use of genre as metaphor.

There are a lot of forgettable episodes in S1, though none I would call outright bad. Even the worst of these are at least watchable, and they usually have some good lines in them. That said, I find "Hyenas" disappointing for one reason-- a story with a major death like Flutie's should not have been that forgettable.

All in all, it sets the stage for the brighter period of the show's history, and even on its own it sets up the Buffyverse quite well.

[Elliot Kane]

Nice start, SPS I think I'm in broad agreement with you so far, though I don't really recall S1 well enough to be certain for my own best & worst eps. It's kind of an average season, to me, being very watchable without blowing me away.

[SPS]

Season 2

I'm nearly caught up with what I've watched so these reviews will hopefully be a little better quality.

Episode 1:
When She Was Bad
Buffy deals with her death, and a possible resurrection of the Master. This is an alright episode to start off season 2, and a bit more serious than season 1. Plus a positively smoking hot dance sequence between Xander and Buffy. Hints at a possible romance between Xander and Willow. Good episode.

Episode 2:
Some Assembly Required
Generic Frankenstein episode, only signifigcant because Giles and Jenny go on a date. But rather forgettable overall.

Episode 3:
School Hard
I am going to be biased towards this one because it has the introduction of Spike. Lots of good character moments between Buffy and her mother. Nice bit with Angel also. Plus did I mention Spike kicks butt? He cements his badassery by killing the annointed one and begins the show's descent away from main villains being religious Vampires. Good episode.

Episode 4
Inca Mummy Girl
Fun little episode, with Xander's bad luck with women continuing. Introduces Oz which ups the cool quotient by five. It appears that they were going for a little bit of a Mary Jane style approach with Oz. You get a cameo until we meet him for good.

Episode 5
Reptile Boy
Episode about frat parties, and drinking and ritual sacrifices to reptile demons. Angel starts to show he cares about Buffy in a sorta cheesy way.

Episode 6
Halloween
One of the best episodes of this season. Introduces us to one of my favorite recurring villains...Ethan Rayne. We also see hints that Giles wasn't always straight laced. Again Spike is great here and we get another cameo by Oz. Nearly gets the Mr. Pointy award for the season.

Episode 7
Lie to Me
Mr. Pointy Award (tie with Passion)
With the other recipient of the Mr. Pointy award this one is really tough to choose between. So I'm cheating a little bit and giving it to both (despite it not being a two parter). These kids all think vampires are like they are in Twilight, cheery, religious, brooding people who are obsessed with tradition. Spike again proves a great asset to this episode. Also Buffy's friend may have been a little too over the top for me but it makes this episode well worth watching. Another one of my favorite episodes.

Episode 8
The Dark Age
Despite having Ethan Rayne in it this is not him at his best. Though this episode is very creative all around. I particularly like learning more about Giles' past, and seeing a demon fight. Also Jenny Calendar as the demon was sorta creepy. Enjoyable but not as good as the previous two episodes.

Episode 9
What's My Line parts one and two
Buffy starts thinking about her future, due to career week. Introduces Kendra. Xander and Cordelia begin their "romance", Oz and Willow meet for the first time. Spike gets paralyzed, Drusilla is revived. Man that is a lot of stuff. Perhaps I should have split this into two seperate reviews. Kendra is a far cry from Buffy, with her being all books and no play and Buffy just using her emotions and stuff. It is funny hearing the conversation about emotions between the two with Buffy and Faith having the same conversation nearly a year later. Great action, great villains, and quite a few funny moments. I love how the one lady threatens Jonathan with a knife then tosses him to the ground when nobody does anything. Great two parter.

Episode 10
Ted
John Ritter guest stars in a fun yet sorta scary episode. Ted is genuinely creepy. We also get a hint of what Watchers do when a Slayer murders someone...gee wonder when we see this again. Overall average. More of a monster of a week episode than anything.

Episode 11
Bad Eggs
Buffy learns about responsibility and egg babies (I remember doing this same thing in High School, though mine didn't turn out to be monsters). Introduces the Gorches who make one more appearance, then disappear. Sad because I kinda liked them. Anyhow another average episode but enjoyable.

Episode 12
Surprise/Innocence
This episode we learn more about Jenny Calendar, and Buffy celebrates her 17th birthday by getting into a melodramatic situation with pieces of the Judge, then boinking Angel. Which makes him evil. Yes he forgot about his curse for one second. But meeting Angelus is awesome. Seeing the Judge was cool also even though he served as a plot device to get Angel and Buffy apart possibly, then ultimately to test Angelus' humanity or lack of it. Despite it being a big episode, I feel that this two parter was sorta Average. What makes it a good episode though is 2 things: 1. The character interactions and 2. Buffy Wielding a Rocket Launcher. That's a slayer you don't want to mess with.

Episode 13
Phases
We learn that Oz is a werewolf, and that Larry's gay. Overall, sorta blech episode, but watchable.

Episode 14
Bewitched Bothered and Bewildered
Xander does an idiotic thing when Cordelia dumps him on Valentine's Day. They get back together at the end. Pretty funny episode.

Episode 15
Passion
Mr. Pointy Award (tie with Lie to Me)
Very important to the plot as we see just how disturbing Angelus can get. He taunts everybody, but nobody gets it worse than Giles. Angelus kills Jenny, then leaves her for Giles to find. Understandably he is a little pissed. Great episode.

Episode 16
Killed By Death
The Harmony Award
Not a very good episode, and jammed in between two plot important episodes. This is a tie for my second worst episode of the series. This episode should have been put in earlier in the season as it is an obvious leftover from season 1.

Episode 17
I only have Eyes For You
Some people like this episode, some hate it. I fall in the hate group. Even at their best SMG and David Boreanaz aren't Buffy's most talented actors, and it shows. Important to the plot because of what they say at the end but merely an average episode. It is pretty unique though.

Episode 18
Go Fish
I like this pretty fun episode. Not much substance but it is a nice breather before the finale.

Episode 19
Becoming parts 1 and 2
Spike shows just how different he is from regular vampires. Great episode...what you want more? Okay. This is the best season finale of Buffy history. So much happens. Drusilla kills Kendra, Willow uses some serious mojo. Angel gets his soul back and dies. Buffy's mom finds out Buffy is the Slayer. Buffy leaves. This episode has defined "finale" for me until 11 years later when Terminator Sarah Connor Chronicles did a better finale. This episode just has so much to recommend. Great characterization, good action and good consequences. Doesn't get the Mr. Pointy award for this season but it comes pretty dang close. Too many good episodes in this season and unfortunately they cannot all get the award.

Overall: Season two starts out alright but when it hits it's stride it gets amazing. This is the beggining of Buffy's peak right here.

[Elliot Kane]

S2 for me is joint best season with 3. Best ep(s) for me is the end sequence, which has more humanity, character moments and pathos than any normal season of most programs. Xander shows his self-righteous unpleasant side, Spike works with Buffy to prevent the end of the world and Buffy is forced to stake the man she loves to save the world, despite knowing full well that he is no longer Angelus... Just superb on every level. Reading SPS' recaps, I don't even recall some of those eps, for good or ill, but I can still recall some of the dialogue from the last parts.

S2 as a whole really lifts the bar to a level you think must be unmatchable... until S3 comes along. The heights of those two seasons are never thereafter equaled, though, nor even close.

[fughawzi]

Squee! I LOVE YOU SPS!

This is so fun!

I love seasons two and three, as you both already said. Any scene that contains both Buffy and a rocket launcher is golden in my eyes. I shall write up a better response when I've actually slept.

[Gray Lensman]

I'm not sure there's anything to add to the awesomeness that is Season 2, honestly.

Well, maybe a few things. The one thing I liked about the opening eps is that at first it looks like they're going to set up the Annoying One as the Big Bad... and then he's killed brutally by Spike. Then the show tries to set up Spike as the Big Bad... but whoops, Angel goes bad. So many great twists, turns, and reversals all over the place here.

I dunno if I have a favorite episode of my own in S2, though, except maybe Innocence. Angelus is superbly menacing and creepy, and he knows just how to twist the knife in Buffy's heart at every turn. Just wonderful writing all over the place.

Only S3 of Buffy and Season 5 of Angel ever even approached this level of output. Whedon at his finest.

[SPS]

Just completed season 3 so here we go:

Episode 1:
Anne
Buffy without her crew living as a waitress in LA. I honestly thought Joss was going to run with this. But nope this is a one episode thing. Meanwhile the Scoobies are getting along well without her. Okay episode but gets a little heavy handed with the plight of homeless people at times. Plus there is a crazy religious group that sends Buffy to hell. Yeah so decent start for a good season.

Episode 2:
Dead Man's Party
Buffy is back in Sunnydale and the group adjusts to her return. Choosing not to take it well really. Great character stuff here, unfortunately Joyce's obnoxious friend is in it. Luckily she dies. Oh and Giles stands up to Snyder. Great episode.

Episode 3:
Faith, Hope and Trick
This episode introduces three characters. Scott Hope, Buffy's short term boyfriend. Mr. Trick an 80's type businessman type Vampire (or at least that's the impression I get off of him), and Faith the new Slayer. Alright now I am going to get a lot of hate for this but I do not like Faith. Period. There is a big plothole with her that I will discuss later. But she gets a decent introduction to the series. We also see that the Mayor is interested in the affairs of vampires IIRC. Bit hazy. Overall good episode if not marred by where the Faith story goes.

Episode 4:
Beauty and the Beasts
An episode that is allegorical to abuse. A guy goes all jekyll and hyde, and we see the return of Angel, though he is now feral. Okay episode but definetly one of the weaker episodes of the season.

Episode 5:
Homecoming
Buffy tries to recapture her glory days as her and Cordelia have a major competition for homecoming. We see Buffy at her worst and her interference and fight with Cordelia splits the vote and has her and Cordelia loose to two rip offs of them. Meanwhile Mr. Trick organizes "Slayerfest '98" which sees the returns of the remaining Gorch brother, and what I assume was supposed to be that Werewolf hunter from season 2. Mr. Trick starts working for the mayor. Some decent character moments, including Xander and Willow kissing for the first time. Though this was a little late IMO. Good episode overall.

Episode 6:
Band Candy
Ethan Rayne returns! He is still great here, as this time the kids become adults in an attempt to steal babies to feed to a giant worm lizard. Okay not one of the most sensical plots I'll give it that but still we get to see Ripper! Also that Principal Snyder was a geek himself. This is just a fun episode all around.

Episode 7:
Revelations
A serious contender for the "Harmony award" but there is one episode that I feel is more deserving of it, even though I will again get a lot of hate for it. We see a new watcher in town who just happens to be evil. Faith and Buffy fight again, and the group finds out about Angel's return. The intervention scene is what saves this episode from a below average rating. Above average episode but not by much.

Episode 8:
Lover's Walk
Mr. Pointy Award

This was a four way tie between this episode, "The Zeppo", "Dopplegangland" and "the wish". So I decided this in the most scientific way possible. Flipping coins. This episode won against "Dopplegangland" 2 out of 3 times so it gets it. Anyhow Spike returns after Drusilla dumped him for going soft. He tries to get Willow to do a love spell, and ends up capturing Willow and Xander. While Spike takes Angel and Buffy on a walk. Well stuff happens and people in near death situations do odd things...like make out with your best friend when you are both seeing somebody else. Again great character moments and this episode shatters the Scoobies for a bit and sets Cordelia on her way out. Great episode.

Episode 9
The Wish
I have a weak spot for these alternate reality episodes. But there is so much to reccomend this episode. Great alternate reality stuff, where Buffy becomes a reckless hardened Slayer and Xander and Willow are vampires. Plus the Master is back! Minor complaints are that I would have liked to see Darla and Jesse return. But i guess Jesse didn't get sired like he did in the main reality. Evil Willow is awesome and Cordelia made hell. But I'm forgetting the most important part of this episode: ANYA!!! I love Anya, more what she becomes rather than what she is in this episode. Great episode overall.

Episode 10
Gingerbread
Fun little episode that starts out rather morose but everything comes together into a not quite coherent but fun whole. We meet Willow's mother and Amy turns into a rat, which she will stay as until season 6. I love how the demon just runs at Buffy and she jams the post into it's neck with an innocent : "Did I get it?". Okay episode but not the best.

Episode 11
Amends
Harmony Award

Now I know what you are thinking? Why didn't I give this to Gingerbread? along with the comment of "Are you high?". This episode gets hurt mainly because it introduces "The First" who brought Angel back from the hell dimension. Boy bet that makes him look like an idiot when the spinoff starts eh? I will get more into The First in season 7 but here he pretty much has the same MO as he does during season 7. Vague plan, overreaches with said plan, gets defeated but he is never Defeated. Also this episode is wayyyy too big on the melodrama. Angel gets saved by a freak blizzard? Then the speeches, my god the speeches. Nice to see Jenny Calendar return, and Giles reaction to Angel comming to him is good. Bah humbug! This episode is bad.

Episode 12
Helpless
This episode cements Buffy and Giles' relationship. Giles is fired from his position as watcher because he loves Buffy too much. I also like how Buffy defeats the vampire. Without her powers no less! Good episode.

Episode 13
The Zeppo
This episode is all about Xander, and is similar to episodes like "Data's Day" on Star Trek TNG. I love how the show parodies it'self throughout the episode. Xander looses his virginity in this episode to Faith of all people. The discussion at the end is good also. Great episode.

Episode 14
Bad Girls/Consequences
In this episode we meet Wesley who is promptly proven to be an ineffectual watcher right off the bat. This is also the one that Faith goes bad in. The first part of this two parter is rather generic and pointless but the second one has Buffy giving the same speech Kendra gave her last season, Buffy has matured here. Then there are bits where Faith is going to be captured by the Watcher's council and Angel lectures Faith. Also the gang finds out Xander had sex with Faith. Which in a very confusing montage Willow starts crying, which is something I never got. Is she upset that Faith used her best friend or that Xander didn't have sex with her? I can see why Xander is upset but Willow? She should be more angry than upset. Then at the end Faith joins the Mayor. Average episodes overall.

Episode 15
Dopplegangland
Anya returns! Evil Willow returns! A fun episode after the two parter. Allyson Hannigan has a blast playing both sides of Willow, and I love the gang's reaction to Willow's "resurrection". I hate to go into why the overall season arc is a failure here but my main complaint is that the gang acts like Faith is part of the gang still, even though she murdered a person and feels no remorse. I know they were planning on the double-cross, but it doesn't work for me. Neither does the idea that the Watchers Council would just let Faith roam free. I suppose Wesley could've let the Council in on their plan but that doesn't seem like him at this point in his arc. Anyhow, overall this episode is a great episode despite my nitpick with the overall arc.

Episode 16
Enemies
Faith tries to seduce Angel to become Angelus. The team's plan comes to fruition. A rather forgettable episode overall.

Episode 17
Earshot
This is the first episode of Buffy I ever saw, and it got me hooked. It is a fun episode before the last few episodes of the season and it's a good episode. Buffy gets telepathy from a demon and finds out lots of secrets including that someone is going to kill everybody. Sure the cook being the killer is a bit cliched and the fight between Buffy and her was unintentionally hilarious as the cook gained and lost 100 pounds throughout the fight. But here the characters pull through. Especially Jonathan. It makes him sympathetic. Did I mention it was a fun episode?

Episode 18
Choices
Buffy and the crew decide which colleges they want to. Conveniently all deciding to go to UC Sunnydale, well except for Xander but we'll get back to that later. Oh and more Faith, and the team after nearly getting their butts handed to them at every turn get a minor win. Good episode, especially to see Willow grow some fangs.

Episode 19
The Prom
This episode is all about Buffy and Angel's breakup, with it happening in the sewers of all places. The B plot is about hellhounds attacking the prom. Brought on by Tucker Wells, we'll meet his brother Andrew Wells in season six. Good character development, and this episode pretty much sets Angel on his way to his spinoff. I could swear Joss Whedon is the guy who yells "Snyder" at the prom. Also more Anya! It was nice to see Buffy recognized for her efforts to protect everybody by her peers. Good episode.

Episode 20
Graduation Day parts 1 and 2
First off the best part of this two parter is The Mayor entering the Scoobies' inner sanctum. Also the Mayor nearly kills Buffy with his bare hands after she puts Faith into a coma, no drownings or psychological torture here. That cements him as one of the best villains of the series right there. Anya returns and actually has a pretty decent sized role in this ep. I smell a regular comming on . Buffy quits the Watcher thing, as does Wesley. Willow looses her virginity to Oz. Snyder, Harmony and though not revealed until later, Larry die. The end battle is supposed to represent a unified school. But I would be the first one gone with Anya. Overall an okay end to a great season.

Overall the overall arc of this season with the Mayor and the Ascension is not as good as last season's but the individual parts are good. Also I still don't like Faith, there is probably no convincing me otherwise. Unfortunately we are going to season 4 next, and it gets worse. But on the bright side next season brings us Spike and Anya as regulars (though IIRC Anya isn't officially a regular until season 5, but she appears in enough episodes that I count her as one).

Also on a side note I will not be reviewing Angel as a whole. I will only be reviewing episodes that crossover with Buffy as I do not own Angel on DVD.

[Elliot Kane]

To me, most of S3 is really good and the standout reason for that is simple: I love Faith. As a character who decides to dip her toes into the darkness, only to find out it's not so easy to pull out again as she thinks, Faith has no equal. She's one of only two characters in the Buffyverse who go through really major character-driven changes, the other being Wesley, who does most of his changing on Angel. She's dark edged, she's wild and everyone thinks she's cool, without ever realising just how far the darkness, the desperation and the fear runs in her. More than anything she needs a Father figure and she gets... the incredibly effete and useless (At that time) Wesley. I totally believe her being sucked into the darkness and her later slow efforts at a redemption she can never quite reach.

That said, the single ep that stands out most to me is Doppellgangland, which is the first time I not only realised that Alyson can act but that she is, barring only Eliza, the best actress in the series by a long shot. She so totally inhabited BOTH roles that she was convincingly Willow, convincingly vamp Willow AND convincingly Willow pretending to be vamp Willow! She just blew me away, which deserves best ep. Plus - fun ep!

The low point to me is the series finale. Not only do we get the obviously fake snake, but the beyond ludicrous idea that all the students would turn up to fight a demon and an army of vampires willingly and knowing what they are going into. Quite the stupidest thing I've ever seen in terms of both concept and execution. Instead of a thrilling finale, we got a joke. I was not thrilled.

[SPS]

Season 4

All right to start off I'm going to say that season 4 was pretty awkward to review. So I'm going to break this into three parts:

regular episodes
crossover episodes
the Faith arc

The Faith arc has about 8 episodes of Buffy/Angel between it so it is enough to get it's own area.

Regular Episodes:
Episode 1:
The Freshman
Good episode showing how Buffy is the little fish in the big pond. The enemies are a bit generic but the Scoobies don't really have a good role yet. Riley and Maggie Walsh are introduced. Also Buffy meets the biggest [Censored] of a professor ever. I'm sure Joss based this off of a professor he knew for real though. First appearance of the Initiative.

Episode 2:
Living Conditions
This one is insane. Pretty hilarious episode about the roomate from hell...literally. I love the bit where Xander and Oz go to try to tighten the ropes on Buffy. I think Anya reappears also.

Episode 4:
Fear Itself
Not the best Halloween episode. Pretty forgettable overall except for the end.

Episode 5:
Beer Bad
Buffy turn into caveman. Buffy have fun but SPS not remember much afterwards.

Episode 6
Wild at Heart
I hate this episode because of how it makes Oz seem. Not too good of an episode at all really, and it's unfortunate that I get this confused with a later episode in the season.

Episode 7
The initiative
Riley centric episode. Tells us guess what? He likes Buffy, which seemed pretty random. Don't learn much about him though. Forgettable episode again.

Episode 9
Something Blue
This is the best willow episode ever! I love how she stands up to D'Hoffryn. Interesting bit of foreshadowing to Buffy and Spike's future relationship in the series. Good episode overall.

Episode 10
Hush
The famed silent episode. Overall okay, it just appears to be better when most of the stuff in season 4 was forgettable. Introduces Tara who becomes the damsel in distress for the series.

Episode 11
Doomed
Riley and Buffy deal with each other's special abilities. I can't remember much beyond this. Needless to say this is forgettable.

Episode 12
A New Man
Bonus points for featuring Ethan Rayne. Giles gets turned into a demon by Ethan Rayne. Spike helps Giles. Okay episode.

Episode 13
The I in Team
In a quick turnaround Buffy is introduced to the Initiative, then promptly asks too many questions and Maggie Walsh wants to kill her. Also Giles tries to get Spike to join the good side which Spike refuses. Eh. Episode.

Episode 14
Goodbye Iowa
I don't even remember anything about this episode. Needless to say it was forgettable.

Episode 17
Superstar
Jonathan becomes a paragon, and alters reality. Very entertaining episode.

Episode 18
Harmony Award
Where the Wild Things Are
How can I give this the Harmony award when I haven't watched this episode since it aired you may ask? It was so bad on the first viewing I never want to watch it again. I remember the gist though. Riley and Buffy have sex. A haunted house. Bad very bad episode in which there is no return.

Episode 19
New Moon Rising
Oz returns and Riley learns about Angel. The episode where Buffy finds out Willow's gay. Alright episode.

Episode 22
Restless
A dream episode and quite alright. I like the imagery, and the cheese man! Sort of anticlimatic though and I can see why some people on this board don't like it.

Crossover episodes:

Buffy
The Harsh Light of Day
Angel
In the Dark

Strong crossover episodes. Spike is amazing in this two parter and the cast is also pretty strong. This one probably convinced a lot of people to watch Angel. Also I loved the torture guy, the right amount of creepy

Buffy
Pangs
Angel
Mr. Pointy Award
I will Remember You

Pangs is the weaker episode, with an uneccessary ethics discussion in it. The less said about it the Better. I will Remember You would have fit almost perfectly into Buffy Season 3. This is the episode that defines the Buffy/Angel relationship for me, and it takes Angel gaining his humanity then loosing it. Plus the fact that he would sacrifice his humanity for Buffy says a lot about the character. I will Remember You is a great episode.

The Faith Arc
As said before I do not like Faith but this arc is a major crossover between both series so We're going to take a look at it as a whole.

Buffy
This Years Girl/ Who Are you
Great two parter but only because I'm a fan of body switching stories. Nah it's because Faith becomes a better character in this. Also SMG and Eliza Dukshu's acting pulls it off. I like it quite a bit despite being a Faith Episode

Angel
Five by Five/Sanctuary
Nearly gets the Mr. Pointy Award despite being a cheat. These are great episodes overall, good characterization, good action and just all around good. In fact Buffy didn't even need to appear in the second part, she only sets up the next crossover episode anyhow.

Buffy
Episode 20
The Yoko Factor
Good episode as Spike breaks the team apart. Shows just how evil he still is at this point.

Episode 21
Primeval
Only included here because of the to be continued at the end of the Yoko Factor. This episode does not hold up to repeat viewings and instead focuses on all the weaknesses of the season. Buffy's crew isn't together and the government is a group of idiots. Nearly bad episode.

Overall
Regular episodes
Sad to say this season when it wasn't in crossover mode was forgettable as a whole. It does have its moments though.

Crossover episodes
It shows where Joss put all his energy towards this season and it wasn't Buffy.

Faith Arc
Great overall. Though I shouldn't have included Primeval into it. Oh well.

[Elliot Kane]

My opinion of S4 has been firmly stated many times, I think: worst season of Buffy, with the season finale being not just the worst ep in the season, but also the worst ep of Buffy ever, being a complete waste of time and utterly boring besides. It tells us absolutely nothing we do not already know and is unrelentingly tedious. It took all my mental strength to watch it once and that was at least four times too many. Probably more.

Best ep: Hush. But there's not really much in the way of competition.

S4 was the season where they did just about everything wrong, sadly. Fortunately they seemed to learn from it, as no season of Buffy was anywhere near being that bad ever again.

[SPS]

Season 4 was the first season of Buffy I watched any part of. I vaguely even remember turning it off during an episode or two. Particularly during the season finale.

It is particularly sad that the season has very little substance. I barely remember it at all.

[Gray Lensman]

Hush is the one redeeming feature of S4 to me overall. That, and bringing Spike into the main cast. The rest, I tend to forget ever happened, honestly. ;D

Oh, all right... the episode where Jonathan becomes a Mary Sue for a day was funny for a while. Until the joke wore out, that is. ;D

[SPS]

Sorry I haven't gotten done with Season 5 yet. I am very busy with school already and haven't had much time. Expect it to be brief this time and expect S5 to be done by Friday.

[Elliot Kane]

Your education has to come first, SPS. We'll still be here when you're ready, I assure you

[SPS]

nearly caught up on my reading so here are the reviews:

episode 1
Buffy Vs. Dracula:
Fun episode, I love Xander's bits and Giles. Great start to the new season. Also Dawn is introduced.

episode 2
Real Me
An episode that expands on Dawn and marks the return of Harmony. Kinda makes me like Dawn after this. Good episode.

episode 3
The Replacement
Another fun episode where Xander matures a bit. I loved how Nicholas Brendon's brother got a little spotlight (he's the other Xander in scenes where they are together).

episode 4
Out of My Mind
Starts tying up Riley's threads, and Spike tries to get rid of his chip again. Like the other Riley centric episodes this season this one is rather bland.

episode 5
No Place Like Home
Introduces Glory who is a god (the god/goddess difference is such a nitpick this is all I'm going to say of it. ) though the group don't know it yet. Rather forgettable episode.

episode 6
Family
Decent Tara centric episode which has Amy Adams in an early appearance before she makes it big in the movies. I enjoy this episode really.

episode 7
Fool For Love
Buffy nearly gets killed by a generic vamp so she goes to Spike for help. In this episode we find Spike may have a thing for Buffy.

episode 8
Shadow
Another rather generic episode. But decent moments. Buffy finding out Dawn was the key was pretty good.

episode 9
Listening to Fear
The slayer fights...an alien? It's a demon from space, which still qualifies it as an alien. I didn't like this episode, but it wasn't the worst of the season.

episode 10
Into the Woods
Riley leaves, and Buffy is too late to catch him because she loves him. Again I didn't like this episode only because Riley is such an ass in it. Rather eh episode overall.

episode 11
Triangle
After the sad episode we get a nice breather. I love Anya and it was about time they dealt with Anya and Willow. Plus Olaf is hilarious. A good light but serious episode.

episode 12
Checkpoint
Anya is great in this episode again but overall it is a rather average episode. The gang finds out what they're up against.

episode 13
Blood Ties
The entire Scooby gang fights Glory and gets their butts handed to them. Spike and Dawn are good together. Overall pretty good.

episode 14
Crush
Best Spike centric episode of the season. The fact that Spike loves Buffy hits the fan. Good episode.

episode 15
I was made to love you
the return of a robot, this time the perfect woman. Introduces one of the geek trio, Warren. He's as misogynistic as usual. The end of the episode is great.

episode 16
the Body
Mr. Pointy award
This is one of my favorite episodes of the series mainly because it is so personal. I remember nearly crying during it because it brought back memories of when my mom had her stroke. I am being biased here I know but overall this is an excellent episode. Shoulda won an Emmy.

episode 17
Forever
Dawn tries to resurrect Joyce. More Spike/Dawn greatness. Decent Angel and Buffy scene. Good episode.

episode 18
Intervention
Bittersweet episode with the introduction of Buffybot, which is nearly a jump the shark moment, but Joss and crew make it work, as Spike is let back into the gang Alright episode.

episode 19
Tough Love
Tara becomes the damsel in distress again, and then Willow goes all supernova and hurts Glory. Glory finds out who Dawn really is.

episode 20
Spiral
Return of the knights, that I really really hate. The gang decides to leave Sunnydale, only to bring Glory right to them. Buffy goes into a catatonic state.

episode 21
The weight of the World
Harmony award
I just do not get this episode. It doesn't tell us anything new and why would Buffy go catatonic? She has faced much worse before. Seems like they were trying to pad out the season with this one.

episode 22
The Gift
This episode should have been the series finale. Everybody gets their moment to shine, and it is all around a great episode.

Overall:
This season was a tad uneven at points but is much better than season 4. There are about a half dozen great episodes and most of the the others are average to good. Next season is the darkest of the series and as you see this season was going towards it.

[Elliot Kane]

Five was a very patchy season, but definitely better than four, IMO. Giles' imbecilic "She's a god" drove me mad at the time and still does now, if I'm honest. If the dim characters come out with such obvious rubbish, I can just laugh it off as being in character, but for Giles of all people, such a ludicrous statement was not only stupid beyond belief but also vastly out of character. Anyone looking at Glory and thinking "What a guy!" must have REALLY bad eyesight!

That said, this season did have some really good eps and some fantastic moments. Giles' line "Buffy's a hero... She's not like us..." may have been yet another example of grammatical ineptitude, but the payoff was sheer dynamite. Buffy may not be prepared to kill an innocent to get the villainess, but Giles most definitely is. He's one scary guy when he wants to be! That moment gave me chills.

The Body was an excellent ep. I love Dawn and thought she not only added hugely to the series but was a great character. Riley leaves, which is good. Most of the detritus of S4 is discarded, with only Tara remaining to be a waste of space. Anya is incredibly funny. The end ep is up to a high standard and Spike is used effectively again, though his best days are still ahead of him in Angel S5.

Buffy Vrs Dracula gets my vote for best of season because it's immense fun and also very funny. The Body is better in terms of drama, but it's far too harrowing for me to want to watch it very often. For pure enjoyment, Vrs Dracula wins out.

Glory... I follow the logic. I've used it myself in RPGs: if the villain/ess is incredibly powerful but also incredibly stupid, it doesn't matter that the characters are so much weaker because they can win by brain power. The snag, as this season shows, is that a very stupid villain/ess is also not very interesting. Fantastic eye candy Glory undoubtedly is, but she's not going to go down in history as one of the all time great antagonists. Well, unless someone does a list of the all time best looking antagonists, at least...

Nonetheless, a watchable season with some very good moments, overall. Not my favourite, but far from the worst.

[Gray Lensman]

Overall, I enjoyed this season... definitely a step up from the abysmal Season 4, and had quite a few notable episodes.

Dawn added quite a lot to the series for me at this point. Not only was she an interesting character in her own right, she also forced Buffy into a nice role reversal. Where Buffy was the rebellious teenager, now she had to be responsible. Dawn also added a lot with her friendship with Spike, who also had some great moments. That said, she still had a lot of untapped potential that would never be really explored later... Dawn´s potential as the Key coming most immediately to mind.

Glory... not my favorite villain, but by no means the worst (that dubious "honor" belongs to Warren in S6). Powerful enough to be a threat, but not really all that effective as a character. Thinking on it, Illyria was a far more effective use of a goddess as an antagonist in her early Angel apperances, but that´s neither here nor there.

Highlights for me...

Buffy vs. Dracula: A great, fun, episode, and I like the Buffyverse´s take on Dracula.

Real Me: Not the best episode ever, but I like it because it´s a textbook example of how to introduce a new character. This episode very clearly and slowly established who Dawn was and what her relationship was to the rest of the Scoobs.

Fool For Love: A pretty decent Spike episode, including an interesting look into his past. I also liked how this was a subtle crossover with Season 2 of Angel, where we see different perspectives of the same events.

The Body: One of the classic episodes, and for good reason. The characters all react believably, and all without any over-the-top melodrama. Joss Whedon at his finest.

The Gift: A strong finale episode, and far more effective than the series finale we ultimately got.

All in all, an effective season, though still not as good as it was in previous seasons. Still, there are a few eps worth watching again.

[SPS]

Season 6

Episode 1
Bargaining parts 1 and 2
Buffy is resurrected and Giles leaves. I like the look of the biker demons, and Buffybot is hilarious. Great stuff with Spike also. Alright episode.

Episode 2
Afterlife
Or bargaining part 3. Buffy adjusts to being alive again and the viewers and Spike find out she was in Heaven. Alright episode.

Episode 3
Flooded
Funny episode that introduces the Trio as villains. I like the reference to Mommie Dearest. Good episode

Episode 4
Life Serial
Shows the lack of direction in Buffy's life as the trio tests her. Enjoyable episode.

episode 5
All the Way
Harmony award
Worst Halloween episode of the bunch, Dawn sneaks out and runs into the wrong crowd. Just a rather blah episode.

Episode 6
Once More With Feeling
Mr. Pointy award
The musical episode, do I have to say more? Fantastic episode.

Episode 7
Tabula Rasa
another good episode. The gang forgets who they are, and Giles and Tara leave. IMO this episode is one of the best of the series. It was so sad seeing Tara leave.

Episode 8
Smashed
Amy is turned back into a human and Willow goes full blown into magic abuse to get over loosing Tara. Also Buffy and Spike boink. I like this episode but it's a bit forgettable.

Episode 9
Wrecked
Willow's magic abuse comes to a head and Spike and Buffy boink again. Rather forgettable episode.

Episode 10
Gone
Buffy turns invisible, and the gang meets the Trio for the first time. Funny episode but not extremely memorable, oh and Buffy cuts her hair as we are reminded every other sentence.

Episode 11
Doublemeat Palace
Buffy gets her fourth or fifth job in the series and it's rather generic and stupid. Forgettable episode.

Episode 12
Dead Things
The Trio kill Warren's ex and blame Buffy for it. I don't like this episode very much but it's watchable.

Episode 13
Older and Far Away
Tara gets claws of the smartass kind, and the gang gets trapped in Buffy's house. Fun episode

Episode 14
As You Were
Riley returns, and rubs his nearly perfect life in Buffy's face however unintentional. Buffy and Spike break up. Alright episode.

Episode 15
Hell's Bells
Great episode. Literally the wedding from hell. One of my faves this season.

Episode 16
Normal Again
Another great episode, Buffy thinks her life is an illusion after she gets stabbed by a demon. I like this episode a lot.

Episode 17
Entropy
The Trio are found and it leads to great concequences. As Spike and Anya find solace in each other. Good episode.

Episodes 18-21
Seeing Red
Villains
Two to Go
Grave

I'm reviewing the last four episodes as one big arc because they don't really stand alone. I have an issue with this arc first of all. It drags on way too long. They could probably have cut an episode out of it. Probably Two to Go as nothing really happens. Second issue is I don't really buy into Dark Willow. Good arc overall with good drama, but not the best finale. But it does have one thing that sets it above the rest: Xander saves the day again.

Overall: Decent season though it does get a bit weak towards the end. Next season is the second worst though. Please help me

So since I have the entire series of Angel in my collection now, should I do similar reviews for Angel? what do you guys think?

[Elliot Kane]

Six to me was an OK season. Not the best but not the worst. I don't have many bad memories of it, but not many really good ones, either. OMWF is absolutely, totally, the best ep of Buffy EVAH! (I even have the soundtrack that I bought separately). I rather like Tabula Rasa, too - very funny. But I felt that the season rather lacked focus. The Trio were a bit lame and while I was glad to see the back of Tara (The last residue of the dire S4 washed away) this season just didn't really click for me as a whole. I did like Xander saving the world through the power of friendship, though. That was unique and well done.

So I guess my feelings towards the whole thing were rather mixed. Not good, not bad. I can't even say I have a least favourite ep.

***

Angel - yeah, go for it! I'm sure a fair few of us saw all those, too