Buffy The Vampire Slayer - S03E04|♡Uncut Reaction &Review ♡

Good analysis of Angel/Angelus. I hate this episode but, unfortunately, because of the good stuff (Angel, Buffy and even Scott Hope), I force myself to get through the rest. (Plus Willow pulls Oz’s tail and Giles gets shot by the tranq gun!) There are a number of things in the sloppy script that bug me, such as feral Angel somehow gets pants and Buffy falls asleep on Oz duty but it doesn’t seem to matter, when it’s not Xander. Mr. Platt gets pureed but still holds onto his cigarette. Just silly things. Werewolf Oz supposedly getting back in his cage, at the first of the episode, so that the Scoobies are stupid enough to think he did it, kinda screws with the whole plot of the first half. But I could handle all that. With those flaws it still might be better than “Go Fish” and “Beer Bad”. But the real reason I despise the episode is how it leads the viewer into victim-blaming, of Debbie. Buffy and Willow’s scene with her infuriates me every time. I guess I should just skip the scene. And even if it’s not victim-blaming, they certainly don’t care enough about her to make any of the characters give a damn about her death. It took me a few viewings to even know that she died. Once she serves her purpose of making us hate Pete even more, she’s out of sight, out of mind. And, though you had good insight into the parallels between the three stories, Buffy doesn’t seem to learn a thing about her similarities to Debbie – because I don’t think the writers (Noxon/Whedon) cared to follow through with the metaphor. The metaphor was obvious and belabored and any good it may do (in whatever ways metaphors affect us) was wasted. If I didn’t love the show so much, I’d just ignore this episode, if I happened to see it. As it is, it is number one on my list of hated works of failed art.

I love that you immediately brought up the lack of logic of Oz as a werewolf crawling back in through the window, lol. The whole set up was a really failed attempt at adding drama in my opinion.

I think it's a little unfair that Xander gets chewed out for falling asleep, and yet when Buffy does the exact same thing the next night, no one says a word.

I truly love your reactions. You're all in emotionally. The Buffy/Angel scene was so beautiful-even after everything, even still not being quite back to normal his instinct was to protect Buffy.

You are in for a real treat this season, I promise ❤...my personal favorite season is 5, but season 3 is so close behind in that our characters traits really start to shine which makes for some brilliant television...I've been a fan of this show since they showed it on its OG network, the WB...(I was 8/9) then 🤯🤯 lol...Buffy is so ahead of its time in that these storylines are relatable and I absolutely adore watching these first time reaction videos....I started watching you on the season 2 finale and you mentioned that you love flashbacks. I won't ruin anything for ya, but I know you won't be disappointed with this show and its flashbacks...can't wait for you to continue your Buffy journey ❤🧛‍♂️😎

I love this reaction. Just love it. One thing I want to point out. A lot of people don't like Buffy's line, "Don't get hit." I understand why, and when taken at face value, neither do I. But I don't think it's meant to be interpreted at face value. So, here's the thing. When taken literally, the line doesn't work, and comes off as a terrible thing for Buffy, as a superhero who has been abused by Angelus, in a show that is all about girl power, to say, and here's why. "Don't get hit," over-simplifies and trivializes Debbie's situation. It makes it sound as if women who are in abusive relationships are somehow at fault because they allow themselves to be beaten or abused. It makes it sound as if it's just that easy, as if a woman can just hop to it and get out, and if they don't, then they are allowing it to happen. It ignores the fundamental thing about how abuse works, the way the cycle of abuse can ensnare women, the way abusive relationships create fear and break a woman down so that they feel like they can't escape. And it ignores the fact that sometimes abusers can trap a woman in other ways, such as threatening them or endangering them so that they literally have no choice and are trapped. Relationships like this are never that simple. No woman chooses to be abused, and it is rarely as simple as, just don't let it happen. It's never as simple as "Don't get hit." However. I think that isn't the way the line is supposed to be taken. I think what Buffy was saying with that line is, don't take this lying down. Do something about it. Fight back. Take action. I think perhaps the writers were trying too hard to keep it simple and make the dialogue punchy or brief. Considering what Buffy went through with Angelus, it wouldn't make sense for her to send a message that says Debbie is at fault or that she can just not get hit. Unless, the line is meant to imply that she was telling her, do something about it now, get out, don't let it happen again, otherwise he will kill you. This, however, is my headcannon, and I can see why a lot of people think it doesn't work. Second thing I wanted to say about this, and it's a little complicated, so bear with me. I don't think Debbie loved Pete. I don't think she stayed with him out of love. She stayed with him out of terror. I think maybe she loved him once, and was clinging to what they had, hoping she could get that back. That's the parallel. She wanted back what they once were in the same way that Buffy wanted her and Angel to be what they once were. When Debbie ran back to Pete at the end, she was doing what a lot of battered women do. Feeling trapped and as if there is no way to escape, she went back to him and tried to be as nice and loving and on his side as she could in hopes that she wouldn't be abused again. Battered women are often so broken down that they feel like they need the abuser to carry on. They often feel that if they are nice enough, and loving enough, the abuser will change or will stop abusing them and the abuser will become the person they want them to be or who they once were. She went back to him thinking she could save him, and with tragic results. Her going back to him and getting killed was sad and tragic, but it was also, sadly, how abusive relationships sometimes end. Abused women often feel as if the only way to survive is to be as accomidating as possible so that the abuse will stop, because they are too broken or scared or feel too trapped to do the only thing that will stop it and get out. I actually love this episode. Is it without it's problems? No. Some of it is too heavy-handed, and not handled well. But I still love it, because the parts that are handled right are handled brilliantly. I think this episode's biggest problem is that they were trying to tackle an issue that is so layered and complex and tricky that it requires several episodes to pull off correctly. They gave themselves far too little time to handle it right. Can't wait to see more, as always.

I really enjoy your insightful commentary. And I don’t recall any other reactors noticing that Angel reacted the same way in Becoming when his soul was restored as he did in this episode when he “became more human”. Excellent reaction.

very smart review at the end

No vampire diaries today?