#buffymeta

S3. Ep19. Choices In a season all about taking responsibility for one’s actions, it is fitting that there would be an episode entitled ‘Choices.’ With Graduation drawing closer, it’s only natural that the characters would be deciding the next step in their lives, and the episode uses this opportunity to address where each of the core group is at. The themes of good vs. bad leadership are brought to the forefront again, with Faith and the Mayor’s dynamic contrasting with Buffy and Giles. Passion of the Nerd highlights this saying, “[The Mayor talks to Faith] always as a child. The cooing and vocal coddling is an adorable affectation, but it also speaks to the distinction between Faith, the shadow self, and Buffy. Buffy’s life is rich with meaning because Buffy always chooses and her parental relationship reflects that freedom. By throwing in with the Mayor, Faith has abandoned her freedom of choice, and thus, any access to a meaningful life.” What makes the Mayor such a brilliant villain is that he is able to hurt the Scoobies without lifting a finger. His invincibility forces the writers to be creative in creating conflict, and the scene in the cafeteria shows that his words are more impactful than any physical blows could be. In the end, the Mayor’s twisted affection and encouragement of Faith’s freedoms will be far more damaging for her then anything she’s dealt with before. While freewill and choice have always been the heartbeat of the show, ‘Choices’ reminds us once again that freedom without accountability is not good, and good leadership understands the need for both.

S3. Ep18. Earshot – TW: School shooting In a season full of top tier episodes, ‘Earshot’ is an underrated episode that is often overlooked due to its placement in the lineup. Part of this is because the episode’s air date was delayed several months in the US, due to the Columbine High School massacre, which occurred one week before the episode was originally scheduled to air. The network felt that certain scenes of the episode were not appropriate to share at that time—a sentiment that nearly all writers and actors agreed with. Writer Jane Espenson recalls the decision to pull ‘Earshot’ saying, “the episode was a week away from airing, and we were in the writers’ room working on whatever was going on, some much-later episode, when Marti Noxon came into the room and said, ‘it happened again.’ We got word pretty quickly, I think, that the episode wouldn’t air, which was a relief. For one thing, it just wasn’t the episode that you’d write if you knew it was going to land on a country in shock and mourning. It was too breezy. For another thing, that Buffy-Jonathan scene was important, full of empathy, and it deserved to be heard with some perspective.” Apart from being shown out of order, ‘Earshot’ puts a pause on the outer conflict between the Big Bads, choosing instead to narrow in on Buffy and her inner conflict. I have often criticized network TV’s formula of 22-episode seasons, as it can stretch the plot between unnecessary filler episodes, yet the writers of ‘Buffy’ use the extra time to flesh out and explore individual characters in a way that adds a depth and richness to the show. Understanding the fears and desires of characters through episodes like this is not only enjoyable, but it primes us for rewarding pay offs in episodes like ‘The Prom’ and ‘Graduation Day.’ In a way, this episode is a mirroring of our own experience with the character of Buffy. We care because we too, have been in her head. Her pain is our own. #buffy #buffythevampireslayer #buffymeta #earshot #analysis #podcastersofinstagram #podcast #buffypodcast #sarahmichellegellar #buffysummers #buffyslays https://www.instagram.com/p/Cc0kSuCLcCS/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

***Spoilers*** What makes season 3 shine, is its focus on character growth and dynamics in driving the plot. As entertaining as the Mayor is, he isn’t as interesting as Faith’s dynamic with Buffy, and what their relationship tells us about her. A good villain is one that reveals things about characters and forces them to move from stagnation. Angelus forced Buffy to choose to go all in on her calling, and Faith forces Buffy to come to terms with aspects of herself that she’s not entirely comfortable with, all while accepting responsibility for her actions. The show has continuously drawn parallels between the two slayers, peaking with ‘Bad Girls,’ and it is these similarities that weigh on Buffy. Like we discussed in ‘Enemies,’ her desire for distance with Angel is not just because of his charade as Angelus, but it is the fear of what it is that attracts him to her. The best ‘Buffy’ episodes are the ones that use the circumstances and lore of the fictional world to highlight the humanity of its characters. At its worst, humanity is envious, prideful, and self-serving; and empathetic, kind, and unselfish at its best—yet it is the responsibility of each person to choose who they will be. In discussing these themes, ‘Earshot’ finally answers the question of what separates Buffy from Faith: love, compassion, and self-sacrifice. Perhaps the most powerful moment of the episode is not the speech in the clock tower, but one we don’t even get to see. In the final scene we discover that Buffy goes to check up on Jonathan in his home, telling Giles that it is nice to help someone in a “non-slaying capacity.” Buffy’s true strength has never come from her physicality, but from her desire to love others. It is love that drives Buffy off the scaffolding in “The Gift,” that rejects the loss of her humanity for more power in “Get it Done,” and it’s that same love that inspires Jonathan to risk his life in season 7. Perhaps remembering his conversation with Buffy in the bell tower, Jonathan responds to Andrew’s claim that no one cares about him by responding as she once did to him, “Well I still care about them. That’s why I’m here.” #buffy #buffythevampireslayer #buffymeta https://www.instagram.com/p/CdGsS58OeAY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

“What really bugs Faith, I think, is that at some level she knows what she’s saying is false and that Buffy really is better than her. And it’s that sense of inferiority which is driving the rage she admits to.” -Mark Fields "It just seemed like Judas kiss to me. A kiss of the final betrayal. The truth was out. But a kiss good bye-to Buffy, to everything she represents to Faith--goodness, humanity. ...she's gone over the line. Her transformation is complete. ...As long as the gang didn't know about her, a small part of her could pretend it wasn't real. ...But she left that hope behind in the mansion" -All things Philosophical I think most people know this by now, but originally, Faith was supposed to have kissed Buffy on the lips before running out of the mansion, instead it was changed to a forehead kiss. Most likely this change was due to censorship, however all of us agree that we think the change was for the better. There is something pure and intimate about it that works well with the inner and outer conflict between Buffy and Faith. #buffymeta #buffythevampireslayer #faiththevampireslayer #faithlehane #enemies #elizadushku #sarahmichellegellar #davidboreanaz #becomingbuffypodcast #podcastersofinstagram #podcast #analysis #philosophy #meta https://www.instagram.com/p/CcqQcPPLxe4/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

S3. Ep17. Enemies Season 3 has mastered the ability to create running themes that tie into all episodes of the season, regardless of whether an episode directly deals with the main plot. While ‘Doppelgangland’ focused mainly on Willow, it also managed to completely set up ‘Enemies’ with its discussion of the overlap between humans and vampires. The show is steadily creating a more complex view of vampires and demons in general, even giving us Skylar, a demon who lives like a human and who Buffy deems to be harmless enough not to kill. ‘Enemies’ writer Douglas Petrie explores this concept a little further by comparing Angel’s role in this episode to the TV show, ‘Wiseguy,’ which starred an undercover agent who infiltrated the mob. One of the issues that show raised was the extent to which playing such a role leads one to become the part. Yet as always, there is more than one thing going on, and the writers continue to use the different dynamics of each character and their relationships to inform us of what’s going on inside of Buffy. Since ‘Bad Girls,’ Buffy has wrestled with the idea that she and Faith are the same and seeing Angel with Faith makes her wonder if that darkness is what attracts Angel to her in the first place. Mark Fields says it best: “As I see it, the role she asked Angel to play called into question just what it was about Buffy that Angel found attractive. This would concern Buffy because she doesn’t want it to be her dark side. She wants to be loved for her good qualities, not her dangerous ones.” As with the concept of a good vampire or demon, Buffy’s world is becoming increasingly more complex as she continues to wrestle with the question: what exactly does separate her from Faith? #enemies #buffymeta #analysis #buffy #buffythevampireslayer #bangel #sarahmichellegellar #davidboreanaz #season3 #podcastersofinstagram #podcast #becomingbuffypodcast #angeltheseries #vampire #btvs https://www.instagram.com/p/CcQdzEGL5oB/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=