Rewindage:Witch
Mar. 28th, 2013 07:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
author_by_nightOnce again, I'm currently rewatching Buffy and commenting on the episodes. They're not quite recaps - you can see The Watchercast for that, although I'll warn you they're slow. (They've been recapping since around 2006 and are still only in the middle of season three.) This may change, but for now, the commentary is going to be less scene-by-scene and more about what I got out of that episode "in hindsight." So you may also be a bit confused. I will spoil for pretty much everything, at least for Buffy - I'll try to be careful about Angel at least until I get to season four. (Speaking of which, I've decided to break a rewatch rule and comment on a season one episode and a season four episode together. Guess which one. You can follow my rewatches on the tag "rewindage," which I'll use on both LJ and DW.
Okay, episode time.
Let's first talk about witches. For some reason, people were obsessed with them in the late 90s. You had Charmed, Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch , it goes on. I think they were essentially the vampires of the 2000s. Also, witchcraft would of course later become a huge part of Willow's character.
The interesting thing is that we're also introduced to Amy, who is probably (until season three) the only non-Scooby that still seems to be a friend of the Scoobies in high school. (Willow does seem to have a few fellow witch friends, and I think Oz counts initially.) She also becomes a little evil too, although I can't remember what she does, exactly. I know she's part of Willow's Magical Drug Metaphor, but I feel like there's something else too.
But let's backtrack. We find out that Buffy wants to cheer again, much to Giles's horror. But it used to be her thing, and she wants some semblance of that life back. Giles tries to talk her out of it, but he can't, because it's Buffy and Buffy's no Kendra the Believable Accent Slayer.
I kind of like that while one of the cheerleaders ends up being Amy's evil Mom (can I just say I love the use of the 'Mom and daughter switch bodies" trope here?), apart from Cordelia there's nothing really... malicious about this choice. I say that because in most shows and YA books, you're either a good person or a cheerleader. While I was fine with this as a teen, now that I look back I have to wonder how many mean cheerleaders I knew personally, versus the number of cheerleaders written as automatically evil. But while Buffy is supposed to be a bit flaky, she's cool with her less popular friends showing up to watch her. There's no "OMG I like can't be seen with like Willow" here.
So Xander still has a crush on Buffy, and buys her a bracelet. One that looks a bit expensive for a fifteen year old boy to be able to buy, but it's sweet, if sad because Buffy doesn't really get the hint, and even later on calls him "one of the girls" while high on witchcraft. (In the episode also calls Willow "one of the guys", so of course she also throws that one back in his face.) But more importantly, he and Willow are really becoming Buffy's allies. When Buffy tells them that she doesn't want them to help her, they both blow the comment off, and I like that they just sort of assume the role as her "Slayerettes," as Willow calls herself and Xander. Of course, we also find out here - or at least start suspecting - that Willow has feelings for Xander. I'd love to know when this started - did she always, or is this a recent development?
Either way, the Scoobies are forced to do some spook searching themselves when Buffy falls under a spell that first makes her really happy, and then really sick. Oh Joss, you and your magic-is-a-drug metaphors. (I will say that magic high Buffy is adorable.) I'm trying to find a YouTube video, but I can't, so I'll list two highlights: singing "Macho Macho Man" in the kitchen and screaming that Willow and Xander are her "BUDS" when they enter the gym.
The other theme of this episode was mothers and daughters. Buffy and Joyce have a very awkward relationship - it seems like they want to be close, but can't quite find the right footing. I think that this pattern continues to them up to season five - by the time Buffy and her mother really start acting like a close mother and daughter, Joyce dies, which only makes it more tragic because Buffy never had a chance before that last while to include her Mom in her life. Or so that's how I remember it. In any case, here Joyce is trying to encourage Buffy, but keeps saying she doesn't want Buffy to get back into trouble and other things that are... less than encouraging. Poor Joyce.
Amy and her mother, meanwhile, are creepy as hell. The acting wasn't very good in this episode - I don't think it was too surprising that something was up, although I didn't see Amy's mother snatching her body coming. But it also makes me feel a bit bad for her - we learn Amy's mother was always a little aloof and abusive, and then she snatched Amy's body. THEN Amy becomes a rat, and according to season six before that she was doing magical heroin or something. If she did go evil (or was at least screwed up) as I recall, I can't really blame the girl. But the other creepy thing is her mother becoming trapped in her former witch trophy - that's psychologically horrifying, as evil as she was.
In all honesty, there's not much more to say about this episode, except that I do think it was instrumental in getting the Scoobies to work together. Buffy and Giles interview while Willow and Xander investigate, and they hold their own when Buffy is out of commission. It wasn't the worst episode ever - but it wasn't really the best either.
.
Since I'm not going to be rewatching (or at least commenting on) every single episode, my next post will probably either be "The Pack" or "Angel."
Okay, episode time.
Let's first talk about witches. For some reason, people were obsessed with them in the late 90s. You had Charmed, Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch , it goes on. I think they were essentially the vampires of the 2000s. Also, witchcraft would of course later become a huge part of Willow's character.
The interesting thing is that we're also introduced to Amy, who is probably (until season three) the only non-Scooby that still seems to be a friend of the Scoobies in high school. (Willow does seem to have a few fellow witch friends, and I think Oz counts initially.) She also becomes a little evil too, although I can't remember what she does, exactly. I know she's part of Willow's Magical Drug Metaphor, but I feel like there's something else too.
But let's backtrack. We find out that Buffy wants to cheer again, much to Giles's horror. But it used to be her thing, and she wants some semblance of that life back. Giles tries to talk her out of it, but he can't, because it's Buffy and Buffy's no Kendra the Believable Accent Slayer.
I kind of like that while one of the cheerleaders ends up being Amy's evil Mom (can I just say I love the use of the 'Mom and daughter switch bodies" trope here?), apart from Cordelia there's nothing really... malicious about this choice. I say that because in most shows and YA books, you're either a good person or a cheerleader. While I was fine with this as a teen, now that I look back I have to wonder how many mean cheerleaders I knew personally, versus the number of cheerleaders written as automatically evil. But while Buffy is supposed to be a bit flaky, she's cool with her less popular friends showing up to watch her. There's no "OMG I like can't be seen with like Willow" here.
So Xander still has a crush on Buffy, and buys her a bracelet. One that looks a bit expensive for a fifteen year old boy to be able to buy, but it's sweet, if sad because Buffy doesn't really get the hint, and even later on calls him "one of the girls" while high on witchcraft. (In the episode also calls Willow "one of the guys", so of course she also throws that one back in his face.) But more importantly, he and Willow are really becoming Buffy's allies. When Buffy tells them that she doesn't want them to help her, they both blow the comment off, and I like that they just sort of assume the role as her "Slayerettes," as Willow calls herself and Xander. Of course, we also find out here - or at least start suspecting - that Willow has feelings for Xander. I'd love to know when this started - did she always, or is this a recent development?
Either way, the Scoobies are forced to do some spook searching themselves when Buffy falls under a spell that first makes her really happy, and then really sick. Oh Joss, you and your magic-is-a-drug metaphors. (I will say that magic high Buffy is adorable.) I'm trying to find a YouTube video, but I can't, so I'll list two highlights: singing "Macho Macho Man" in the kitchen and screaming that Willow and Xander are her "BUDS" when they enter the gym.
The other theme of this episode was mothers and daughters. Buffy and Joyce have a very awkward relationship - it seems like they want to be close, but can't quite find the right footing. I think that this pattern continues to them up to season five - by the time Buffy and her mother really start acting like a close mother and daughter, Joyce dies, which only makes it more tragic because Buffy never had a chance before that last while to include her Mom in her life. Or so that's how I remember it. In any case, here Joyce is trying to encourage Buffy, but keeps saying she doesn't want Buffy to get back into trouble and other things that are... less than encouraging. Poor Joyce.
Amy and her mother, meanwhile, are creepy as hell. The acting wasn't very good in this episode - I don't think it was too surprising that something was up, although I didn't see Amy's mother snatching her body coming. But it also makes me feel a bit bad for her - we learn Amy's mother was always a little aloof and abusive, and then she snatched Amy's body. THEN Amy becomes a rat, and according to season six before that she was doing magical heroin or something. If she did go evil (or was at least screwed up) as I recall, I can't really blame the girl. But the other creepy thing is her mother becoming trapped in her former witch trophy - that's psychologically horrifying, as evil as she was.
In all honesty, there's not much more to say about this episode, except that I do think it was instrumental in getting the Scoobies to work together. Buffy and Giles interview while Willow and Xander investigate, and they hold their own when Buffy is out of commission. It wasn't the worst episode ever - but it wasn't really the best either.
.
Since I'm not going to be rewatching (or at least commenting on) every single episode, my next post will probably either be "The Pack" or "Angel."
