How is Spike picking a fight with Buffy physical abuse? Violence is pretty much the vocabulary of their relationship; they spent years trying to kill each other. He shouldn't provoke her, but when he blocks her way, she just shrugs and punches him. They've done this a million times. She's physically stronger than him. At most, she considers his provocations annoying.

Rira gubhtu Ohssl vf qrcerffrq, fur nofbyhgryl unf ntrapl va gur eryngvbafuvc. Ure arrqf qevir jura vg fgnegf naq jura vg raqf. Lbhe pbzzrag znxrf vg fbhaq yvxr Fcvxr qrfgeblrq Ohssl’f frafr bs frys naq yherq ure vagb gur funqbjf ntnvafg ure jvyy be fbzrguvat, ohg vg’f n ybg zber pbzcyvpngrq guna gung. Ohssl’f nyernql va na rzbgvbany gnvyfcva gbgnyyl vaqrcraqrag sebz Fcvxr; fur qbrfa’g xabj jul fur’f onpx naq erfragf srryvat fb qrgnpurq naq rzcgl. Fur gryyf Ubyqra va Pbairefngvbaf va Qrnq Crbcyr gung fur jnagrq gb or chavfurq. Npgvat ba gung vzchyfr ol whzcvat Fcvxr’f obarf vf n onq qrpvfvba—naq Fcvxr rapbhentvat vg naq chfuvat ure sbe zber vf na rdhnyyl onq qrpvfvba. Ur fubhyqa’g cynl ba ure srnef ol gryyvat ure fur pnzr onpx jebat. Fur fubhyqa’g gryy uvz ur’f qvfthfgvat naq gura vavgvngr frk jvgu uvz. Gurl’er znxvat vg jbefr sbe rnpu bgure naq raq hc srrqvat bss bs rnpu bgure’f qrfcrengvba. Qhevat gur eryngvbafuvc gurl eryl ba vzcyvrq pbafrag, ivbyngr rnpu bgure’f pbafrag zber guna bapr, naq cbjre-cynl gurve jnl gbjneqf fbzrguvat gung’f ernyyl pbasyvpgrq naq haurnygul. Ohg V guvax obgu bs gurz ner hygvzngryl erfcbafvoyr sbe gurve pubvprf naq gurer’f n ybg bs nzovinyrapr va Ohssl’f gerngzrag bs Fcvxr (naq ivpr irefn).

Vg’f nyfb xvaq bs zvfyrnqvat gb vzcyl gung crbcyr ner pnyyvat gur eryngvbafuvc zhghnyyl nohfvir orpnhfr Ohssl qbrfa’g erpvcebpngr Fcvxr’f srryvatf. Frevbhfyl, rira gur jbeyq’f ovttrfg Fcvxr ncbybtvfgf ner abg gung evqvphybhf. Bs pbhefr fur unf gur evtug gb gryy uvz gb onpx bss, naq ur fubhyq unir. Ohg crbcyr ner gnxvat vagb nppbhag gur erfg bs F6: Ohssl gerngf Fcvxr yvxr n ivoengbe, naq npxabjyrqtrf nf zhpu jura fur oernxf hc jvgu uvz. Fur hfrf uvz sbe frk orpnhfr fur xabjf ur jba'g ershfr ure, ohg ercrngrqyl qravrf uvf crefbaubbq naq vafvfgf gung ur zrnaf abguvat gb ure naq gung uvf srryvatf nera'g erny. Fur orngf uvf snpr gb n chyc va Qrnq Guvatf. (Gung’f yrff pyrne-phg orpnhfr Fcvxr vaivgrf ure gb qb vg naq fur’f cebwrpgvat bagb uvz nf n sbez bs frys-unez, ohg naljnl. Vg nofbyhgryl vfa'g urnygul sbe rvgure bs gurz.) Rira vs lbh qba’g pbafvqre gung nohfr, fur’f orvat vaperqvoyl frysvfu jvgu uvz. Fcvxr, va ghea, gnxrf nqinagntr bs Ohssl'f zragny vyyarff naq nggrzcgf gb vfbyngr ure. Ur ershfrf gb npprcg gung gurve eryngvbafuvc vf bire naq nggnpxf ure.

V’z abg ng nyy pbzcnevat gurve genafterffvbaf be gelvat gb qrsraq rvgure bs gurz. V whfg srry yvxr lbh pna’g fdhvfu gur punenpgref vagb gur ebyr bs ntterffbe be ivpgvz (rkprcg va gur pnfr bs Frrvat Erq), orpnhfr gurl’er pbagvahnyyl artbgvngvat sbe cbjre. Pbapyhqvat gung gurve eryngvbafuvc jnf zhghnyyl qrfgehpgvir tbrf jnl orlbaq gur riragf va guvf rcvfbqr.

...I just yelled at the "Sorry! You've already voted on that comment!" popup because I want to upvote this ten thousand times. WHY IS IT OPPRESSING ME.

I’ve been on both sides of Buffy and Giles’ issues here, and I sympathize with Giles. It can be awfully draining, frustrating, and scary to support a loved one with depression. A lot of people don't know how to help without turning into a crutch or how to take care of the person while maintaining their own emotional boundaries. Every interaction Giles has with Buffy feeds his fear that he's enabling her, and I think he resolved to leave in OMWF and feels like if he changes his mind now, he’ll never go. He’s trying to draw that boundary because he wants her to trust herself, and his timing couldn’t be worse, but he isn't infallible. Since he had to leave, I'm glad the writers went with Giles screwing up unadmirably but understandably over getting called away. Naq V qba'g guvax gung gur fubj tvirf nal perqrapr gb gur "qrcerffvba obbgfgencf!" vqrn, pbafvqrevat gur pbairefngvba ur unf jvgu Ohssl va gur svanyr naq ubj snfg rirelguvat tbrf gb uryy nsgre ur yrnirf.

I love so much that Tara stands up for herself. Leaving Willow means leaving all her friends, too, but she still has the strength to move out. Good for her. Poor Dawn has a Lifetime movie’s worth of abandonment trauma, though. :(

Guvaxvat bhg ybhq nobhg Jvyybj naq Jneera: Jvyybj zvaqjvcrf Gnen gb svk gurve eryngvbafuvc, ohg fur’f oyvaq gb gur pbafrag vffhrf gung envfrf; nal frk gurl unq qhevat gur fcryy vf gnagnzbhag gb qngr encr. Ohg fur’q engure or va n cresrpg eryngvbafuvc guna va bar jurer fur unf gb qrny jvgu ure synjf. Jneera qbrf gur fnzr gb Xngevan va Qrnq Guvatf: znavchyngr uvf tveysevraq'f zvaq gb trg ure onpx. V guvax Jvyybj npgf orpnhfr fur pnerf—fur unf n irel fgebat zbeny frafr naq pna nyjnlf pbaivapr urefrys fur'f qbvat gur evtug guvat. Ure neebtnapr unf pbeehcgrq ure vagragvbaf, ohg fur’f orvat ubarfg jvgu Gnen (nf sne nf Jvyybj pna frr vg) jura fur fnlf: "Ohg V whfg jnag gb uryc crbcyr." Fur’f nyy....Gnen naq V jba’g svtug! Ohssl jvyy or unccl! Jung’f jebat jvgu gung?

Jneera vf gur bccbfvgr: ur npgf orpnhfr ur qbrfa'g pner. Ur'f n zvfbtlavfgvp fbpvbcngu. Ohg obgu ur naq Jvyybj ner neebtnag rabhtu gb znxr gur jbeyq vagb gurve cynltebhaq, naq vg’f vagrerfgvat ubj gurl whfgvsl gur hfr bs zntvp/rkgreany sbeprf gb orpbzr zber cbjreshy naq qrfvenoyr crbcyr. Jneera vf zber biregyl qrcvpgrq nf n zbafgre, ohg ur naq Jvyybj raq hc zveebevat rnpu bgure: zvaq pbageby, zheqre, naq tbvat gb rkgerzrf bhg bs fbzr zvkgher bs vafrphevgl naq ivaqvpgvirarff. Fur qbrf jnag gb fgbc (juvpu vf jung V guvax znxrf ure qvssrerag sebz Jneera va gur raq), ohg gurer’f n jubyr zrff bs vffhrf fur qbrfa’g frr naq qbrfa’g unir haqre pbageby.

+1 for the loan shark because a show can never have enough terrible/amazing puns. Next on Buffy: a paper tiger! Megan Fox! Snoop Dogg!

Randy and Joan: dorky instinctive partners in demon-fighting and the light of my life. In that last scene they aren't so much kissing as they are drowning, but they have so much chemistry I want to levitate. I used to always laugh at the overdone descriptions in romance novels where the hero is, like, the eighth wonder of the world and time stops when the heroine gazes into his ~*depthless eyes*~ for the first time and forgets how to breathe. Then the camera panned around the stairs and it was like oh god what is air I UNDERSTAND COMPLETELY.

V qba'g guvax gur vffhr vf jurgure Znex pna unaqyr vg (boivbhfyl ur'f tbvat gb jngpu vg), ohg jurgure vg pebffrf n yvar gb ohl n ivqrb sbe gung rcvfbqr. Gur NE vf svyzrq va n jnl gung gevttref ivfpreny, crefbany ernpgvbaf sebz crbcyr naq gur vqrn bs cnlvat uvz gb jngpu vg naq znxvat gung choyvp srryf vainfvir naq senaxyl, xvaq bs tebff naq qvferfcrpgshy—abg rira arprffnevyl gb gur ernqref urer, ohg gb uvz. Gung vf abg ragregnvazrag. V xabj guvf ragver fvgr vf ohvyg ba gur vqrn bs ubj hacercnerq Znex vf, ohg gurer'f n qvssrerapr orgjrra ernqvat uvf erivrjf (jurer ur trgf gb cebprff naq qrpvqr jung gb jevgr) naq erdhrfgvat uvf yvir ernpgvba gb fbzrguvat nf ernyvfgvp naq uneebjvat nf frkhny nffnhyg. Naq gung qbrfa'g rira vapyhqr Gnen'f qrngu.

Ur zvtug or pbzsbegnoyr jvgu chggvat n ivqrb hc, V qba'g xabj. Vg'f hc gb uvz. Ohg V nyfb srry yvxr vg'f abg va gur orfg gnfgr gb erdhrfg vg.

4. Hahahaha I can't tell if you are being sarcastic or not, but I meant their angelic voices!
5. Clearly the only way to resolve this is with a shirtless walkoff.
10. It was School Hard in S2, which is always worth a rewatch. I just pulled it up on Netflix and laughed for ten minutes because Ohssl whfg fnvq, "Ab, Fcvxr. Vg'f tbvat gb uheg n ybg." LBH QBA'G FNL. Jub jebgr guvf rcvfbqr, Abfgenqnzhf??

Hmm, the short answer is that I think Joss is a brilliant writer and generally enjoy what he says, too, but some things in his work also bother me quite a lot. I'm frustrated by how he discusses those issues publicly or just doesn't seem aware of them. There can be a disconnect between what he wants the message of a story to be and what it actually ends up saying.

(spoilers for the Buffy S9 comics)

Gur zbfg erprag rknzcyr jrer uvf vagreivrjf ertneqvat Ohssl 9k06: ur zragvbarq n srj fubjf/zbivrf gung ur sryg fvqrfgrccrq gur vffhr bs nobegvba naq gung ur qvqa'g jnag gb qb gung; vg jnf vzcbegnag gb nyybj Ohssl gur punapr gb ersyrpg ba ure pubvprf naq tvir ure pbapreaf gur erfcrpg naq gur fcnpr gurl qrfreirq. V gbgnyyl nterr jvgu gung fragvzrag, fb vg jnf ernyyl wneevat naq hacyrnfnag jura (1) fur pbhyqa'g sbyybj guebhtu ba ure pubvpr, whfg yvxr gur zvyyvba bgure fgbevrf gung qrny jvgu nobegvba jvgubhg qrnyvat jvgu vg naq (2) gur erfbyhgvba raqrq hc orvat WX FUR'F N EBOBG.

V qba'g qbhog gung Wbff jnf fvaprer naq ernyyl pnerq nobhg gryyvat gung fgbel; V qvq fvqr-rlr uvz n ybg sbe vg orpnhfr jung gung fgbel npuvrirq jnfa'g jung ur pynvzrq gb or qbvat. Vg sryg xvaq bs qvfvatrahbhf: ur jnagrq gb nqq gb gur pbairefngvba jvgubhg nqzvggvat gung gur pbairefngvba gur fgbel jnf nyybjvat lbh gb unir jnf, yvxr, gur fvmr bs n guvzoyr.

If everyone here wrote a list of 10 favorite things about this episode, I’m guessing that half of the lists would look nothing alike. And then if we had to make the same list a dozen times over, every item could be swapped out with something else. Right now mine are these (in five minutes, they’ll be different):

1. The newspaper Xander holds up: "Mayhem Caused: Monsters Certainly Not Involved, Officials Say"
2. The audible cricket noises after Anya says it could be bunnies
3. Giles mentioning that the police are collecting witness arias
4. Giles and Tara opening their mouths and ANGELS SOARING OUT
5. The Fabio lookalike who came to Sunnydale just to get tied to a tree
6. “Dawn’s in trouble. Must be Tuesday.”
7. Panicking Spike on the verge of songbirding and trying to kick Buffy out
8. Buffy’s full-body eyeroll when he starts singing
9. Buffy reeling off all those platitudes in “Something to Sing About” as she kills the henchmen
10. That Buffy and Spike kiss where they first met: in the alley behind the Bronze. Not the most auspicious of beginnings! She’s also not so much kissing him as performing exploratory surgery on his face. Girl I know you just want to feel something, but I am genuinely concerned that your lips will fall off. …..I am just pretending to have some measure of objective distance from this. When this aired, I made noises only dogs can hear and then dumped all my feelings into a meat grinder while sobbing, because what Joss giveth he taketh away. But what he giveth in this episode is razor-sharp and morbid and absolutely magical.

The chord changes. The color coordination. The double meaning of “Under Your Spell” and how it turns the song into an indictment. That Alyson Hannigan didn’t want to sing, but Willow also didn’t have anything to confess. Ohssl/Fcvxr/sver vzntrel BG3. E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G.

Sometimes I feel like Joss shouldn’t say words, but I really appreciate this bit from the commentary: ”I love TV. I love what you can do with it. And to be able to go this far emotionally, and be this silly on a regular old episode of television – albeit eight minutes over – is a way of saying, "This is just an episode. This is just what we do. It's not better, it's just TV in all its glory.” Mostly because he’s right about the joys of serialized television, but also because he’s wrong. This episode does not qualify as “just TV.” This is your life getting divided into two eras: Before OMWF and After OMWF. BOMWF was Plato’s cave and I’m never going back.

And they're like, "OK, should we only put S4-S7 or do you want us to put the complete series box set?"

Hahaha! I would compromise by going with the complete series, but stacking the individual seasons so that the post-HS years are closer to my heart. That way I can commune with them for eternity (or at least until my friends rip me out of heaven, thanks guys).

Thank you, that makes my day! :) I'm mostly sad that I missed After Life this week...it's in my top 10 episodes and I was going to write a giant wall of text for it. Most of it's been covered by now, but I still kind of want to if only to keysmash about SMG and JM's faces. Like always.

Thank you! The power company says it's supposed to come back tonight, so it shouldn't be too long, but at this point I look like that Salvador Dali painting with the melting clocks. WHY IS IT SO HOT.

LOL yes. I am partial to Buffy's drunken blergh faces, but I'm sure that during sweeps week they could make room for some special occasions, like Buffy and Drunk Spike form a rock band or Buffy and Drunk Spike visit Downton Abbey. (Now I am extra-sad this doesn't exist.)