Buffy The Vampire Slayer - S02E16|♡Uncut Reaction &Review ♡

I've always really liked this episode. Watching you react to it was a blast. Your sheer joy in it was delightful. I've heard a lot of people in the fandom say how it's weird that Buffy rewards Xander for not taking advantage of her, thanking him. I understand their point, but I think we have to consider the times, here. That's not how people saw things back then. And personally, on rewatches, I've come to see it another way. Buffy is a slayer, with super strength. The spell made her obsessed, and borderline psycho. Especially when she has that enraged look on her face and she says, "So, you're saying this is all a game?" You can see in Xander's face that he's scared. Giles just told him that people under a love spell are deadly. An obsessed superpowered Buffy determined to have him? It would have been extremely hard for the most emotionally strong guy to refuse, but he did. Add to that his feelings for her, and it's not like it would have been a great chore, and yet he still did the right thing. I don't see her thanking him as her rewarding him for not raping her. I see it as her just feeling really thankful for being so strong and for their friendship. I also view it that Xander never really wanted revenge on Cordy. He wanted her to love him because he felt for her. He just said that about revenge because it's easier than admitting he feels for her, especially after she broke up with him, and on Valentine's Day, no less. Fun fact for this one. Sarah Michelle Geller was supposed to guess star on Saturdasy Night Live at the time this episode was being filmed and needed the week off to do it, so they turned her into a rat that the actress could take the time off. Smart way to write the episode so that they don't need the actress for shooting during those scenes. Quite aside from the antics between Xander and Cordy and the mayhem the spell caused, which I love, there is so much else to enjoy about this one. I love Giles's reactions to Jenny here, how he handled her, and his anger toward Xander. He was pissed, but not unreasonably so, and I loved seeing a little bit of possessive jealousy from him, in the case of either without being too over the top. I also love the way Xander reacted to Willow. And Willow, Drusilla, and Joyce's reactions, being in love with Xander were hilarious. I also love how they wove Angelus and his obsession with Buffy into this. Between the three scenes with him, they added him in just enough to keep the threat of him in our minds, keeping it present, while still allowing the core of the episode, with Xander and Cordy, to progress naturally and still be funny. Oz was also his usual fantastic self. While I love Xander in this episode, and I think they did a good job of showing his flaws, it was still satisfying to see Oz punch him. Although, someone should really talk to Oz about his timing. LMAO. This reaction was fantastic, Sofie. Can't wait for more.