Random BtVS screencap #16
Sunday, August 24th, 2008
Archive for the ‘Buffy Season 1’ Category
I like your dress
Tuesday, May 16th, 2006Prophecy Girl (Joss Whedon)
“Even I was bored. And I’m a science nerd” “Don’t say that” “I’m not ashamed. It’s the computer age. Nerds are in. They’re still in, right?”
“Well, Willow’s not looking to date you. Or if she is, she’s playing it pretty close to the chest” (rather pathetically I love suggestive dialogue like this)
“I’m not him. I mean, I guess a guy’s gotta be undead to make time with you” (harsh indeed, Xander does not take rejection well and then goes on to insult Willow who has the sense to tell him she wasn’t going to on a date with him as second choice)
“Willow! I really like your outfit!” “No, you don’t” “No, I really don’t, but I need a favour” (Cordelia is so much fun this time around)
“I wish to God I were! But it’s very plain! Tomorrow night Buffy will face the Master, and she will die”
Buffy quits:
“I don’t care! I don’t care, Giles, I’m sixteen years old. I don’t want to die” (Sarah Michelle Gellar is amazing as Buffy and it is far too easy to forget how good she is. Her “I quit” scene shows off her exceptional talent)
“And you had your whole life ahead of you” “Yeah” “Must be nice” (poor Buffy)
We’ve just had the “I don’t want to die” scene and we don’t really think Buffy can get much darker because, you know, Buffy isn’t going to die and this is just a show for teenagers. Then we are confronted with a room of murdered students and it’s horrible and it’s black and it’s very serious.
“The part that gets me, though, is where Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. She’s so little” (Jenny says it for us)
“When he wakes up tell him, I don’t know. Think of something cool, tell him I said it” (Buffy stuck for a funny remark: things are bad)
What’s this? The Master kills Buffy! Xander and Angel are too late. That’s not right. What is going on? What is this show?
Cordelia drives in the school, now that’s cool.
“No, I feel strong. I feel different” (what’s with that? She was different in season six but not in season two which is a pity because it would have been nice to explore that idea of being different after death particularly with Kendra in the picture)
“I may be dead, but I’m still pretty which is more than I can say for you” (oh no, what terrible dialogue (at this point in this episode anyway))
The rest of the episode is reasonably exciting but the good stuff has all happened. The best stuff is still to come in season two when it becomes more daring, shocking and even funnier.
It’s all part of the glamorous world of vampire slayage
Sunday, May 14th, 2006Out of Mind, Out of Sight (story by Joss Whedon, written by Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden)
I love the premise of this episode: that someone is so invisible to her classmates that she literally becomes invisible. As an occasional invisible girl myself, I would have preferred her not to become quite so insane and murderous but as it is written it’s chilling. Unfortunately, the ending is atrocious and casts a pall over the episode: government involvement has no place in BtVS (oops).
Clea DuVall was excellent as Marcie but rather miscast because she is one striking woman. By the way, Marcie was not “unpopular”, unpopular children are actively disliked whereas no one even saw Marcie to care.
Cordelia developed (at last) from being a funny bitch (“I don’t recall ever seeing you here before.” “Oh, no, I have a life.”) to become a bitch with a hidden heart: “You think I’m never lonely because I’m so cute and popular? I can be surrounded by people and be completely alone. It’s not like any of them really know me. I don’t even know if they like me half the time. People just want to be in a popular zone. Sometimes when I talk, everyone’s so busy agreeing with me, they don’t hear a word I say.”
Willow was wearing a Scooby Doo t-shirt! 
It’s a pity her hair’s in the way.
“Well, I don’t even like chocolates. Okay, that was the lamest comeback of our times.”
“A vampire in love with a Slayer! It’s rather poetic in a maudlin sort of way.”
“Oh, my God! ‘Have a nice summer. Have a nice summer.’ This girl had no friends at all.”
“Oh. ‘Have a great summer.’ See, I cared!” (Willow’s response here is so in character)
“Nothing is keeping me from the Bronze tonight!” “Can we just revel in your fabulous lack of priorities?” “If I’m not crowned tonight then, then Marcie’s won! And that would be bad. She’s evil, okay? Way eviler than me.”
“Let me see. I think we should start with your smile. I think it should be wider.”
Cool! What’s active listening?
Thursday, May 11th, 2006Nightmares (story by Joss Whedon, written by David Greenwalt)
This is an interesting episode because it is the first to explore the boundaries of the show. It was atmospheric and spooky and sort of like Restless but without the cheese and with a moral.
The nightmares are all very recognisable though to be honest for Xander’s to work he would have needed to be naked because he looked distinctly all right in his undies. By far and away, the worst nightmare was Buffy’s father’s brutal treatment of her, which was shocking and cruel (but not the most shocking and cruel of things that Buffy and co are eventually put through by cruelty meister Joss Whedon). Though Buffy being buried alive and Willow’s terror on stage were pretty horrible too.
Blimey, the Annoying One is called Colin – what kind of scary name is that?
Hmm, vampire Buffy: “I’ll tell you something, though. There are a lot scarier things than you.And I’m one of them.”
“When Buffy was a vampire, you weren’t still, like, attracted to
her, were you?” “Willow, how can you? I mean, that’s really bent! She was grotesque!” “Still dug her, huh?” “I’m sick, I need help”
Not much in the way of inspired dialogue (partly because it is a visual episode) but “at least I know my name”.
Like a cat
Saturday, May 6th, 2006The Puppet Show (Dean Batali and Rob Des Hotel)
This is a potentially great episode which fails due to a storyline that is just too twisty, too confusing and with too many suspects for its own good. Sid himself was a little too sleazy and, unfortunately, knowing the eventual fate of Principal Synder meant that any scenes with him acting suspiciously didn’t work (though there is a great shot of him in silhouette with just his ears aglow). The sequence with the gang interviewing witnesses was nicely put together and more teamwork was shown in the final fight scene. It is worth watching for character development and interaction and, of course, for their marvellous performance of Oedipus Rex with Willow walking off.
I apologise for all the ands in the preceding paragraph but I wrote this in a hurry because I’m getting a little behind (“when’s it coming?”) with my notes.
That’s not where I dangle it
Tuesday, May 2nd, 2006I Robot, You Jane (Ashley Gable and Thomas A. Swyden)
This has the most unlikely and irritating plot full of clunky computer clichés like Willow speaking out loud as she types and people switching monitors on and off as if they were hard drives. It is also a rip-off episode as many of the early standalone episodes are. However, it introduces the wonderfully sexy and assured technopagan Jenny Calendar who is a smart counterpoint to Giles.
I’m in agreement with both of them as regards old and new methods of imparting knowledge and information: they are equally valid. And, there is so much to love about it because despite its plot it has the most fantastic dialogue which is delivered with such panache.
“Oh, I know, our ways are strange to you, but soon you will join us in the 20th century. With three whole years to spare”
“I mean, sure he says he’s a high school student, but I can say I’m a high school student” “You are”
“Big deal if I blow off a couple classes” (hello? hello Willow are you there?)
“What, in dark glasses and a trench coat?”
“My spider sense is tingling” “Your spider sense?” “Pop culture reference. Sorry” (oh, don’t apologise, we love it)
“These musty old books have a great deal more to say than in any of your fabulous web pages” and “Books smell: musty and, and, and, and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer, is, uh, it, it has no, no texture, no, no context. It’s, it’s there and then it’s gone. If it’s to last, then, then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um… smelly” (poor Giles, by seasons six and seven books were practically considered evil in BtVS whereas the web was king)
“Well, it’s been so nice talking to you” “We were fighting” “Must do it again sometime, yes”
“Tell me the truth, how’s my hair?”
“What can he do?” “You mean besides convince a perfectly nice kid to try and kill me? I don’t know. How about mess up all the medical equipment in the world?” “Randomize traffic signals” ”Access launch codes for our nuclear missiles” “Destroy the world’s economy” “I think I pretty much capped it with that nuclear missile thing” “Right, yours was best” (a brilliant exchange, capped with a perfect Gilesean sheepish remark)
“Remember me, your girlfriend?” “Well, I think it’s time we break up” “Or maybe we can still be friends?”
“Let’s face it: none of us are ever gonna have a happy, normal relationship”. (man, I love the continuity of this show)
How is it you always know this stuff? You always know what’s going on. I never know what’s going on.
Wednesday, April 26th, 2006Angel (David Greenwalt)
I want to say this is the first great episode but I’m not sure that’s true. There are too many things that annoy me about it. Like Willow’s mooning over Buffy’s love life. It’s pathetic and tiresome and her excuse for not tackling Xander is amusing but poor (”No, no, no, no. No speaking up. That way leads to madness and sweaty palms”). Cordelia needs to be given something meaty to do and soon. Yes, she’s funny but there’s no substance. What bugs me most is Buffy’s hesitation over killing Angel when she finds him in her home with his game face on with her unconscious mother. He looks like he is the process of murdering Joyce and all Buffy does is throw him out of a window and say “you’re not welcome here”. Xander is right (he is occasionally): “Let’s take a breath and look at this calmly and objectively. Angel’s a vampire. You’re a Slayer. I think it’s obvious what you have to do.” Yes, very obvious…
Angel’s dark past was darker than I remembered (or did I just not really care about him initially?) and does explain the broodiness. I certainly had blanked Darla’s guns in the climax (I just couldn’t remember seeing it before though I have). She was a good villain; it’s a pity she’s been dusted…
I was really scared for Joyce despite knowing that, of course, she was going to be all right. Buffy on the phone to 911 - “1630 Revello Drive” - prompted a chilling flash forward.
130 over 80!
Sunday, April 23rd, 2006The Pack (Matt Kiene and Joe Reinkemeyer)
Willow being athletic was a pleasant surprise, I’m sure she never appears in a gym again. Nicholas Brendon was so good at being a bad boy that they really should have got him to do it more often: when he’s mean to “pasty face” Willow, the effect is quite disturbing. We learn a lot about Willow in this episode, she, for one thing, is not afraid to tackle Xander about his behaviour but at the same time she is insecure enough to think his behaviour is something to do with her weakness. She is too clever to fall for his charm when he is locked up though stupid enough to fall for the zookeeper’s line. On a much more trivial front, she didn’t suit her hair pulled back and she should definitely get it cut, I quite like the colour though. Eion Bailey was notable as one of the pack, the generic “high school” boys often past me by in BtVS but he was eye-catching then as he is now: he is ought to be a star by now. A couple of other things, Giles was far too easily beaten by the Braveheart reject; I think he should train harder with Buffy to get into Ripper shape. Poor Principal Flutie! And the poor wee piglet.
“It was like the Heimlich, with stripes!”
“You remember, you fail math, you flunk out of school, you end up being the guy at the pizza place that sweeps the floor and says, ‘Hey, kids, where’s the cool parties this weekend?’ We’ve been through this” (definite foreshadowing!)
“It’s devastating. He’s turned into a sixteen-year-old boy. Course, you’ll have to kill him” “Giles, I’m serious” “So am I. Except for the part about killing him. Testosterone is a great equalizer. It turns all men into morons. He will, however, get over it” “I cannot believe that you, of all people, are trying to Scully me. There is something supernatural at work here. Get your books! Look stuff up!”
“Why couldn’t Xander be possessed by a puppy or, or some ducks?” (years later in season four, Willow is still very upset by Xander’s hyena possession)
“No, but it’s safe to say that in his animal state his idea of wooing doesn’t involve a Yanni CD and a bottle of Chianti”
He can brood for forty minutes straight (and he’s not called Angel)
Sunday, April 23rd, 2006Never Kill a Boy on a First Date (Rob Des Hotel and Dean Batali)
This is an interesting episode in that Buffy actively rejects a boy who is turned on by danger despite his sensitive side but, once again, the plot and its execution is rather dull. But we do get the exciting possibilities offered by the Annoying One, er. There was a nice moment when Xander compares his childish watch 
with Owen’s gold one 
and lots of witty character interactions between Buffy, Xander & Willow, Buffy, Owen & Cordelia and Buffy & Giles.
Dialogue gold in abundance though:
“We haven’t been properly introduced. I’m Buffy, and you’re history!”
“Oh, that’s great! I kill them, you fence their stuff”
“I have something like that. Well, it’s an actual blanket. Uh, and I don’t really carry it around anymore. So! Emily Dickens, huh? She’s great!” “Dickinson” “She’s good also”
“I’ll just jump in my time machine, go back to the twelfth century and ask the vampires to postpone their ancient prophecy for a few days while you take in dinner and a show” “Okay, at this point you’re abusing sarcasm”
“Everyone forgets, Willow, that knowledge is the ultimate weapon”
“Hello, salty goodness!”
“Did you see that? He tried to bite me! What a sissy!”
“No, I had very definite plans about my future. I was going to be a fighter pilot. Or possibly a grocer”
What kind of a girlie name is Angel anyway?
Saturday, April 22nd, 2006Teacher’s Pet (David Greenwalt)
Episode 4 has a very poor, cliched plot and it’s a bit worrying that, so early on, a plot can be this dull and implausible (I mean implausible in the non-demon way obviously, things like Gregory’s glasses remaining in his classroom and Blayne still being alive when Xander turns up) with a (it turns out) non sequitur ending. How is it going to last?
But as usual, some cracking dialogue:
“God, every day here is the same” “Bright, sunny, beautiful, how ever can we escape this torment?”
“She never said anything about him being buff!”
“it’s the most beautiful chest…dress I’ve ever seen”
“Virgins? Well, Xander’s not a, uh…I mean, he’s probably…” “…gonna die!”
OK, not that great but next!