Let's Fold Scarves

Day 16: Episode You Like That Everyone Else Hates
This website is awesome if you think lists and rankings are in any way fabulous which they are. I’m going to use this particular list to get a generally accepted bottom ten episodes and it certainly looks like a bottom ten:

(10)           135            Reptile Boy (David Greenwalt)
(9)             136            Some Assembly Required (Ty King)
(8)             137            Inca Mummy Girl  (Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkemeyer)
(7)             138            Go Fish (David Fury and Elin Hampton)
(6)             139            Beer Bad (Tracey Forbes)
(5)             140            Teacher’s Pet (David Greenwalt)
(4)             141            Bad Eggs (Marti Noxon)
(3)             142            Where the Wild Things Are (Tracey Forbes)
(2)             143            I, Robot…You, Jane (Ashley Gable & Thomas A. Swyden)
(1)             144            Doublemeat Palace (Jane Espenson)

The first thing to note is the sheer number of absolute stinkers there are in S2. The second thing to note is that David Greenwalt has two episodes there and he was the showrunner on Angel for three seasons. Just saying. The third thing to note is that two of the episodes have so much to like about them that I can’t hate them (plus there is my soft spot for “I, Robot… You, Jane” just for Willow hitting Moloch with a fire extinguisher and shouting “Remember me, your girlfriend?”)

So “Beer Bad” has a heavy handed anti-alcohol message but cave girl Buffy is hilarious plus the “Gutterface” scene and, of course, let’s not forget the most important message, “Fire bad!”

But I have a strong liking for “Where The Wild Things Are“: if you remove the seemingly endless sex (and ignore the issues of informed consent), it’s a good episode because there is funny stuff like Xander and Anya arguing in an ice cream van, Spike and Anya getting chatty, Spike remembering he was evil and going off to watch Danger Mouse, Giles singing, Xander being brave and, best of all, from my point of view, some lovely Tara and Willow development.

“Guaranteed safety and fun”. (Amber’s hands look huge in this scene on the stairs.)

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Day 15: Favourite Male Villain
There’s the Master, Collin, Ted, Angelus, The Mayor, Adam, Warren, Caleb and dozens more but there is only one villain who I loved from the moment he appeared on my screen. I loved him for most of four seasons when he was thoughtful, jealous, scheming, funny, chipped, sexy, and a bit useless at actually being an effective villain despite all the efforts. It all went sour as seasons 5, 6 and 7 progressed but then he wasn’t so much of a villain so no matter.

So it’s Spike: “And you’re what? Shocked and disappointed? I’m evil!”

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Day 14: Favourite Female Villain

Candidates include Drusilla, Darla, Glory, Sunday, Dark Willow, Faith, Veruca, Inca Mummy Girl, Harmony, Miss French, Gwendolyn Post, Marti Noxon, Catherine Madison, Amy Madison, Marcie Ross, Anyanka, Kathy Newman, and Professor Maggie Walsh.

That's an interesting bunch of female characters who all have something to offer except Harmony who would also certainly get my least favourite villian vote (as well as plain old worst villain) because she was a vapid, boring, sex object (gee thanks).

If I was including Angel then Lilah Morgan would be in contention but I'm not so she isn't.

Drusilla was hilarious and did kill a Slayer but she didn't interest me enough as herself.  Darla was more of an Angel character. Glory was funny but Clare Kramer was too nice to make her properly villainous. Sunday was good fun but one episode isn't enough of a run (ditto for Inca Mummy Girl, Miss French, Gwendolyn Post and Catherine Madison) to properly count. Dark Willow came at the wrong time and Alyson Hannigan didn't convince me enough. Veruca was too one-note. I was never happy that Amy Madison was turned into a villain. Marcie Ross was not a villain to me, just misunderstood and, well, ignored. Anyanka was a great villain though she was a bit unattractive to look at. Kathy Newman was funny but lightweight. Professor Maggie Walsh was portrayed in a way that only Lindsay Crouse can do: slightly wooden, slightly stilted, slightly insane but since she disappeared from the series before her time was really up, she fails to be make the grade.

That leaves Faith. Faith was the best villain because she and Buffy had fabulous fights; she called Buffy B; Buffy tried to kill her; she was funny; she had great hair; a great attitude;  she improved S7 (although she wasn't a baddie then but still); she tried to kill Angel; she was mean to Tara; she had chemistry with the mayor; she danced in that TV sexy way, she looked good in leather; she had depth and I cared about what happened to her. She was great.

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Day 13: Favourite Potential Slayer

Who are the candidates? Annabelle, Chao-Ahn, Eve, Caridad, Kennedy, Vi, Molly, Chloe, Rona, Amanda or Dawn (can I choose Dawn?).

OK, I can’t have Dawn so that leaves only one and that is Amanda. It’s not much of a competition but she was appealingly played by Sarah Hagan particularly in the scenes before anyone knew she was a potential.

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“Dead Man’s Party” or “Into the Woods” are the episodes that I always think are my least favourite. Certainly my reaction to them was not positive. Give me a poor monster of the week episode like “Bad Eggs” than either of these.

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