Buffy the Vampire Slayer || 7x09 || Discussion

I am just now watching this reaction and going off on a supernatural tangent. I full on cackled when she said that season 8 was the only reason to MAYBE watch past Supernatural season 5 😂 I barely remember season 8 honestly. Only season past 5 I enjoyed (mostly) was 9. That may have been influenced by the guest starring of Tahmoh Penikett though.... I will say, the bit in the season 8 finale with all the angels falling full on gave me chills.

Tessa Grissom

I think Liam Catterson had the best reaction to the Watcher's Council getting blown up - sheer fucking delight XD Underappreciated scene: Willow and Andrew trying to intimidate each other when neither of them really can, it makes me laugh every time!

Jamie Morgan

One nice thing about this Ep is that Willow never went dark. She’s like her old self again but still strong enough to bring Andrew back to Buffy’s house. Another funny thing is how often people call Andrew “what’s his name”. Even the first did it.😆

Rob

That and we don't get a lot of establishing shots that THAT building is the Watcher's HQ. It just suddenly cuts to a building blowing up. It'd have been better to have scenes in previous episodes more involving the Council identifying the threat, possibly giving us a red herring that they are plotting against Buffy. We learn to recognize what HQ looks like before it just goes boom.

Derek Garrard

Oh I forgot to mention that this episode does finally wrap up the Andrew = "Tucker's brother" running gag. Because Spike, who didn't go to Sunnydale HS and wasn't around for the Prom, being able to place Andrew as "Tucker's brother" is completely WTF. I can only assume at some point he heard the story from someone?

bewildered

The biggest problem with the explosion is that the model was so bad that it felt like we cut to somewhere else. They should have at least continued the dialog until the explosion cut it off to connect the scene.

Nebraska

I agree that the explosion of the Watcher's Council was... let's say "odd." They wanted a sudden shock rather than the Hitchcock bomb suspense, but it just fell flat. Part of the problem, I think, is that the exterior shot of the building felt completely disconnected from the scene inside. It likely would have worked better if we'd seen the explosion happen inside the room. I've seen shows like "24" manage that but it takes a lot of expensive stunt performers and safely-explodable set design. My guess is Buffy's budget wouldn't allow for it.

Keith Goodnight

as other people has mentioned, we've met the First and the Harbingers before, in season 3, episode 10 "Amends". It was haunting Angel, trying to make him crazy, trying to bring him back on the dark side and kill people. And now, he's doing the same thing to Spike, haunting him, trying top make him crazy, trying to bring him back on the dark side and kill peole. Angel only got haunted by the First for a few days, but Spike got haunted by it for months... And I love how the "real vampire" looks like the Urgh demon at the end of the credits. We've been seing this thing at the end of every episode for 7 years, and now we have it really on the show ! I love that.

Yes, Ally. Rewatch yourself in the Season 3 ep 10 Amends Reaction. Post that for Christmas. It could be your present to us.

Bd Blake

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Bd Blake

Season 3 Amends is the episode it snowed . That's the episode with the first in it. Buffy had faith over for Christmas. The first had angel try and take himself out.

Tjbosslyfe

Like everyone else has mentioned I think an "Amends" rewatch is probably in order for you haha! not only is it a great episode, a great christmas episode at that but yupp also the first appearance of "The First" but back to the episode I think for being a pretty big exposition episode they do a good job of making it entertaining also can't say I am sad to see the Watchers council go they did not add anything of value

Stacey

Nobody seems to have mentioned it yet, but in the credits you can see the "Ubervamp" is played by Camden Toy, who we also saw earlier this season as the skin-eating Gnarl and in s4 as the shorter of the two main Gentlemen. Such a brilliant physical actor. Lots of good acting in this whole episode, actually! I do think that in the basement Spike is trying to goad Buffy into killing him, but that doesn't mean he's not telling the truth. But Buffy's not a judge, and the lore of the show emphasizes that a souled vampire, while feeling the guilt of their unsouled actions, is not "responsible" for those actions in the Slayer's Court. It's interesting to see how the rules established for Angel apply to Spike now...

bewildered