'BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER' season 2 dvd challenge (1 Viewer)

[Nick Martin]

I was at Wal Mart today, and they had all 5 ANGEL sets reduced to match the price of the Buffy slim sets. Now considering that's Canada, I'm sure that U.S. prices are even better for them now.

 

[Wendy_L]

Oh my god, are you kidding me?? I'll have to go there tonight and check it out. Thanks for that news Nicholas.

 

[Nick Martin]

Well, it stands to reason that if Canadian Wal Mart stores reduced them, then U.S. stores probably did as well - especially since DVDs are a lot cheaper in the U.S.

I obviously cannot know for certain, but I think it's a fair guess.

 

[Jay_B!]

I think enough time has passed that I should be able to enjoy Angel season 5 better (read on only if you've seen the series)

the main reason I hated season 5 was because at the time, my mother was dying, as a matter of fact, she died less than 2 weeks after the Fred/Illyria crossover, and Cordy had barely been gone for about a month. I loathed season 5 of Angel at the time because I was dealing with this stuff in real life with my mother and I was also dealing with death of characters I loved on a TV series at a time when I needed escapism. I think revisiting the series 2 1/2 years later, I should be able to handle season 5 better since I can be watching them without a "mom is going to go any day now" feeling inside that made me not in the frame of mind to watch death. I am sure if my mom had died around Buffy season 5, I would've hated that too. So I have a feeling revisiting the series now, enough time has passed that I'll be able to enjoy the series much more again.

 

[Nick Martin]

I had similar experiences last November, leading into January of this year.
My mother had three near-death medical emergencies
Thankfully each time it turned out somewhat all right, but even though I turn to escapist fare more often than I should, I personally would have never made that kind of connection. Besides, season 5 isn't all like that.

Did you avoid/hate every episode of the whole season?

 

[Jay_B!]

 

[Wendy_L]

I watched Becoming Part 1 and 2 over the weekend.

On first airing this wasn't one of my favorite Season Finales but for some reason this time around it really hit me hard what Buffy had to do. And the ending scene with Buffy walking away really broke my heart too.

One thing about these episodes I always liked is that Joyce finally found out about Buffy being the slayer. It was about time! And I have to say, her reaction to finding that out I thought was very realistic. It was a great scene.

Ok, time for Season 3 and time for a new thread!

 

[Scott-S]

I thought Season 2 was ok, but it isn't my favorite. It had some good episodes, but since I am not a Bangle (or Spuffy) I wasn't all that interested in some aspects of the finale.

I am looking forward to season 3..... See you all there.

 

[Wendy_L]

Btw, I went to Wal-Mart that night and they didn't have any "Angel" season sets in stock. Grrrr. I just checked online at Wal-Mart and they are offering Season 2 for $29.96, which is the next set I need so I think I might order it.

Duh moment of the week... I always loved the Sarah McLachlan song at the end of Becoming Part 2 so I looked it up today and it turns out I had that song all along of my 'Surfacing' CD. I'm definitely going home and listening to that tonight.

 

[Citizen87645]

I cannot listen to that song without seeing the final scenes from S2. In fact sometimes I listen to that song just for those mental images. :b

Even though I'm just lurking on this thread, I'll chime in and say Becoming 1 and 2 are probably my favorite epsiodes of all. The confluence of events that lead up to the ending is just so tragic I can't help but love it, from Xander's last minute failure to inform to Angel's 200-year preparation as an apocalypse key. Buffy's just giving up on everything, set to McLachlan's song, is just the perfect capper.

 

[Simon Massey]

Ok, now Im back from holiday, have to play catch-up

When She Was Bad:star::star::star:
This was a good idea which was let down by the constraints of the timing of the episode. Buffy's change in character and back again is just too quick for the episode to have the impact it wants. Still it does have its moments. Shimerman was also great as Snyder. The Anointed One is pretty crap though - I thought he had served his purpose in Season 1 by leading Buffy to the Master and he seems pretty pointless to Season 2.

 

[Simon Massey]

Some Assembly Required :star:

This spin on Frankenstein doesn’t really work. The theme of not being able to let go of the people you love is pretty poorly done. There is an effort to evoke some sympathy for the two brothers but they are pretty poor actors. The final fight sequence seems also badly staged and the main villain’s final act is just laughable when it is meant to evoke pity (acting again!!!). The episode gains a star for the advancing the relationship between Jenny and Giles which comes across as both funny and touching (especially since I know where its going).

School Hard :star::star::star::star:

As the episode which introduces Spike and Drusilla, even to first-time viewers its clear that these characters are not going to be the same as the run-of-the-mill vampires Buffy encounters. It is Drusilla that stands out for me – although Spike is great, I thought Juliet Landau was very brave here – playing a characters who is clearly barking mad without providing the audience with the context of her madness yet, this could have been laughable, but she makes it sinister as well. Marsters is also great and you can see why the creators decided to keep them around. This is the episode for me in which the show develops into something more – dropping plot points for the forthcoming season and beyond which the show will return like Snyder’s knowledge of vampires, and Angel’s relationship to Spike.
And thank goodness for killing the Anointed One!!!!

 

[Simon Massey]

Inca Mummy Girl :star:
Did they learn nothing from “Teacher’s Pet ?” Hell they even reference the episode so I can’t imagine what they were thinking with this episode. Notable only for introducing Oz to the series, I can’t think of much else to recommend.

Reptile Boy :star::star:1/2
The main plot about the demon is pretty dull, although the allusion to “date-rape” is handled well. What lifts this episode is the interaction between the main characters which I often found quite funny (especially Willow telling of Giles and Angel).

Halloween :star::star::star:1/2
After 2 pretty poor episodes, this is much more inventive. Another sub-plot is added to the overall story about Giles – I love how they casually introduce the nick-name “Ripper”. I thought the episode was let-down by Buffy though – as the so-called damsel-in-distress, I don’t think it is played very well by Gellar, though may be that is just because we are not used to seeing her character like that.

Lie to Me :star::star::star::star:
I thought this episode was great – creepy opening, especially with Drusilla talking to the little boy. The theme of people lying to their loved ones to protect them is well played out and the only problem with the episode is the guy who plays Billy Fordham is pretty weak.
Favourite Willow line : “Oh that’s what the song was about!!”

The Dark Age :star::star::star::star:
Another strong episode – nice to see them develop Giles a bit more after Halloween. One thing I have noticed throughout the season is how well the Jenny/Giles relationship is developed in the background of all the episodes prior to this. By this time Robia LaMorte really feels like one of the main cast, and I guess that was intentional given what is to come

What’s My Line part 1 :star::star::star::star:
This is the kind of episode of Buffy I like, when the show brings a bit of reality into the fantasy – in the sense that the show is asking how Buffy fits a normal life with the job of a slayer. I like the way the show plays out Buffy’s anger that her choices are limited by a career over which she had no say in. The build-up to the eventual reveal of who Kendra is is really well done and the accent never really bothered me as much as it does some.

 

[Matt Czyz]

Just finished Season 2 last night. Becoming Pts 1 & 2 are an incredible finale, and I had forgotten how much Xander really and simply wanted Angel dead (i.e., the very emotionally charged library room discussion and "kick his ass".). I love how this would be brought up again years later by Buffy when he asks that Buffy spare Anya when she [Anya] goes back to her old job.

Season 3 begins tonight, my favorite year.

 

[Scott-S]

I have to admit that I felt like Xander. If this stuff was really happening, killing Angel would be a very high priority.

The biggest question is whether Angle should be held accountable for what Angelus does. I guess Xander falls in the "yes" camp.

 

[Robert Ringwald]

Funny about Kendra's accent. I believe on the DVD commentary they mention a lot of complaints about her accent were voiced, but that the actress actually was studying a very specific dialect that she got perfect... but since it's not a common accent people brushed it off as poorly done.

 

[Simon Massey]

What’s My Line part 2:star::star::star:
I’m glad they managed to sustain this 2 parter although it feels like a bit of a cop-out that Kendra disappears again. I suppose they were saving the 2 slayer idea for the next season. Drusilla is great – the first-time I watched the series Spike was the one who stood out in this series but I have found Landau far more interesting as the villain this time around

Ted:star::star:
Never really been a fan of this episode largely because I think turning Ted into a robot is a complete cop-out of what could have been a brilliant episode. I suppose if they had followed through with the episode, they would have had to deal with the consequences in future episodes and they had other plans for this season. It would have been better then if they had saved it for a future season, especially after Joyce finds out about Buffy’s powers.

Bad Eggs:star:1/2
A poor version of Body Snatchers, this doesn’t really add anything to it. In fact I found the majority of the episode pretty dull. Not as bad as some prior episode though so had to give it half more.

Surprise:star::star::star:1/2
To be honest, until the last 5 minutes, there is nothing particular that stands out about this episode. It is great to see Spike and Drusilla again and I like the way that Jenny is revealed as something more than just the computer teacher. The problem is that the show was in danger of repeating itself by constantly bringing in the next threat to Buffy which we are told is just bigger and harder to kill and then she somehow finds a way. It seems to me that Whedon was aware of this, given what happens at the end. Also is this the first appearance of the Buffy/Angel love theme ? I couldn’t recall hearing it before.

Innocence:star::star::star::star::star:
To me this was the episode where Buffy broke out from being the teen horror show to something much better. There is just a harder edge to this episode which had, up to this point, been absent, and the show went from strength to strength from here. Whilst The Judge is still a stock villain, they get rid of him pretty quickly and the majority of the episode is focused on what matters. Both Boreanaz and Gellar are outstanding and it is great how the episode which sets them apart in the show is what made their relationship much more powerful than those in your typical teen show. You can see that Boreanaz must have loved getting a chance to do a complete change in his character, but it is Gellar who for me rises to the occasion and makes this episode powerful. I have never felt she had a handle on the comedy side of her character for a long time in the series, but when she comes to dealing with the emotions of her character, like here, she is outstanding and really makes you feel for her character.

Phases:star::star::star:
As this episode that followed on from Innocence this was a let-down in that you really wanted a continuation of that episode. However, I like the way they fitted in Angel into the episode. What is also great is how Seth Green has gradually been introduced into the show – was it intentional to have him develop from a walk-on part to a main characters I don’t know but it made his introduction into the group much more natural rather than simply turning up in this episode where the focus is on his character. Shame about the awful werewolf suit though (and for some reason they never did seem to fix this throughout the series). Liked the nod to the previous episode The Witch from season 1 at the start.

 

[Simon Massey]

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered:star::star::star::star:
Very funny. Episode about Xander had been pretty poor up to this point but this was great. I also like the moment when you realise Cordelia is still wearing the necklace he gave her.

Passion:star::star::star::star::star:
For me, this ranks pretty highly amongst the best episodes of Buffy. The only downside of the episode is that Robia La Morte isn’t in the series any longer after this apart from two episodes I think. It’s pretty much one of the darkest episodes in the whole series. The moment when Giles rings Buffy and Willow to tell them the news is equally sad and horrifying with Angel looking on.

Killed By Death:star::star::star::star:
Another strong episode. The obvious references to Nightmare On Elm St don’t spoil what is yet another dark episode, although Buffy’s defeat of the villain seemed a little too easy.

I Only Have Eyes For You:star::star::star:
It was an interesting episode but the scenes between Angel and Buffy when possessed just seemed like the writer was trying to show how clever he could be. Still watchable though.

Go Fish:star:1/2
After a really strong run of episodes, this is pretty much back to the run-of the-mill monster episode with a message – Steroids BAD!!! The only good point was how the central twist of how the swimmers weren’t being eaten but were turning into the monsters. Had forgotten about that and didn’t see it coming again, but it doesn’t really make the episode any better

Becoming part 1:star::star::star::star::star:
This is a great episode – the flashbacks really add to Angel and Drusilla’s characters and I’m glad they did more of them in later ones. To me, they widen the scope of the series and given that Angel and Drusilla are probably the most interesting villains at this point, its nice to seem some of the back story to them. Nice to see Julie Benz again as well.

Becoming part 2:star::star::star::star::star:
A great end to the season – it’s easy to forget how great this was when I first saw it. Even though later season finale’s would be more epic, this is still better because of who Angel to Buffy. The final scene between Buffy and Angel is still something I think they only matched at the end of Season 5 when Buffy has another sacrifice to make. Glad they made sure Joyce finally knows what Buffy is now as well and it was nice to see Robia La Morte again, if only briefly.

Season 2 overall I would give :star::star::star::star: The first part of the season was a bit hit-and-miss like Season 1, but by the time they got to Innocence, the show seemed to take off from there with a really strong set of episodes. Innocence and Passion are the episodes that stand out for me, with both parts of Becoming not far behind.

Finally on to Season 3