Well, Wood obviously knew Spike was in the back seat as he would have had to unlock the door for him. So I’m willing to give ME the benefit of the doubt on the reflection thing. Oddly, I’m not willing to give ME the benefit of the doubt on the text message thing, so figure that one out.
You betcha. Considering how sloppy and haphazard the writing has been lately, I have to wonder if that is supposed to have actually had an impact on us, or, well, the writers are being haphazard and sloppy.
:eek: :eek: :eek: You are so incredibly correct, sir! I can’t believe they did that! See what I mean about sloppy and haphazard?
Not to mention the fact that it contains the single swooniest shot of Spike ** ever.**
I am also annoyed with Giles’ excessive seriosity.
Can anyone explain why Spikey looks so much softer now? Is it really just Marsters’ prodigious acting ability, or did they used to do something to his face with makeup that they stopped doing when he got a soul? Cuz he looks all sweet and bunny-like now in a way he * never * did before.
Remember how mortified he was when he was briefly human and saw his own hairdo?
I have a question on Ashanti’s character’s plan. It was my impression that the Ubervamp was THE Ubervamp, not one in a collectible series. I thought putting blood on the seal opened a cage that contained one very evil creature, not that it served as a ubervamp vending machine, as another poster called it.
Are there multiple Ubervamps, or is it one that gets recycled when killed?
Either way, the gang ought to be doing a better job guarding the seal. Xander’s a construction contractor, after all. A couple of meters of concrete over the seal might not be a bad idea, plus maybe a Willow ward or warning spell.
I liked the episode overall, but I do agree with those who think the “Spike in peril” plotlines are getting a little old. He used to be the baddest guy around, now he just seems pathetic. I would like to see an episode where he just completely kicks somebody or something’ ass. Tackling Giles does not count.
REmember between S2 and S3, Angel got his hundred years of hell to make up for his deeds as Angelus? Spike doesn’t get a 100 years of hell, Spike gets tormented and tortured. That’s how ME is making sure the audience understands that he’s paying for his sins.
Also, Buffy’s love interests are always the damsel. Fuck, Spike made Angel the Damsel on more than one occasion. It’s annoying for Spike to be the damsel because that’s not his traditional role, but what can you do?
As for the ubervamps, well…your question will be answered. And didn’t you see the promo for next week? Spike is in his duster again…
The way Giles explained it, the Tulacons(sp?) were a race of vamps that even regular vamps feared. No mention of what happened to them, and why they can only get back to earth through a bloody revolving door in a school basement, but that first one is definitely not the only one of its kind.
It would’ve been cooler that way though. Or even better if what originally came out of that hole was the first demon to mix blood with humans.
I gotta ask - Why the comparison between Blade and Principal Wood? Is it just because Wood’s black? Otherwise the similarities end there. Wood’s human, and as of yet hasn’t used anything more high tech than the aforementioned meat cleaver(all the better to decapitate you, m’dear).
One question. Why did Principal Wood have a bloody knife in his coat in the middle of the day? He knows how to use a stake, so I can’t imagine him having much use for a knife. I guess it was just an excuse to show us his arsenal, but it seems pointless.
Contrary to Giles preaching about dates, it’s quite fortunate that Xander was the one captured by the demon girl. If she had picked nearly any other resident of Sunnydale, then there’d be another ubervamp running around. So, really, both dates helped the Scoobies quite a bit.
And really, it’s time to pour some concrete over the seal. There should be plenty left over after not filling in the Initiative complex, after all.
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Justin
I can’t speak for those who made the comparison, but I see at least one similarity other than ethnicity (and gender, for that matter). They are both half-human and half superbeing, although one is half vamp and the other is half vamp slayer. That’s assuming that Wood was born/conceived after his mother became the Slayer. Even if it was before that, it seems that potential Slayers still have some skills beyond regular humans. There’s also the fact that both their mothers were killed when they were very young, and they were both brought up by Watchers or the equivalent.
He said he’d killed demons, too.
Another really good episode, AFAIC. I liked that one of the vampires that jumped Buffy and Wood in the ally was also a bald black guy. Between the bumpy face and the way the fight was coreographed, I couldn’t tell if that was supposed to be the principal or not. Clever way of extending the uncertainity of the character for a few more seconds.
I’m willing to accept that Xander sent the “I’m going to get lucky” message before being tied up, but the rearview mirror thing bugs me. Maybe Wood kept looking back there because he was trying to figure out why this wierd blonde dude was hiding in the footwell.
I also thought Giles was being awfully tetchy. Of course there all in terrible, terrible danger. They live in Sunnydale. What else is new? Besides which, they seem to be one up on the First, who’s lost his Ubervamp and apparently most of his Bringers. At least, we haven’t seen any around, and they haven’t been hauling a regular procession of citizens into the basement to pop out a bunch of Ubervamps. Apparently, it gets cheaper each time, as it only took a little Xander blood to open it up a second time, whereas completely exsanguinating Jonathan wasn’t enough to free the first one.
Actually, now that I think about it, maybe only a certain kind of blood will open the seal. Maybe the blood of a traitor? Jonthan turned against Buffy, even though she had saved his life many times before. He also turned against Warren. Spike turned against all evil creatures everywhere when he decided to get his soul back. And Xander left Anya at the altar, which is the worst betrayal of the bunch. Which explains why so little of his blood was needed to pop the seal.
Anyway, like I said, a very good episode over all. I liked the Chinese slayer, like Giles going all Ripperish on the Bringer, liked the general “Jungle Fever” theme of the episode. The guest star wasn’t too egregiously awful, and the plot they wrote for her was cool. I give it an 8 out of 10.
Both killed by vampires, even, leading to a lifelong quest against them.
Thanks to all who reminded me about the episode in Pylea where Angel gets to see himself. I could remember something about him seeing himself in the mirror and hating his hair, but that was the only tidbit I could call up. But it’s all back with me now! 
I thought it was funny that Wood said he was looking for Spike all through his 20s. he’s what? 30? Spike was in Sunnydale, with the Slayer, for most of Wood’s 20s. He should have stopped by for a visit…it’s only an hour or so from LA.
I’m probably way off base here, but did anyone else think that knife looked an awful lot like the one Andrew used to kill Johnathan?
Of course, J’s blood would have dried by then, and why would Wood have an empty slot for it in his armory? So it’s probably a coincidence or my imagination. But I thought it looked like the same knife.
Am I crazy?
No, I think it specified in the shooting script that it should look like a Bringer’s knife.
Did the show say that he was in LA? His mother died in NYC, so I was assuming he was from there.
He’s from Beverly Hills. Maybe the watcher moved to CA after his Slayer died—after all, Giles moved all the way to England to get away from Buffy’s memory.
From Help
So that’s the kind of knife the Bringers use? I’m not saying you’re wrong, but I don’t recall seeing them with one like that. When they killed the Potentials in the earlier episodes, didn’t they use a bigger, curved blade, rather that a straight one like Andrew/Wood had?
And if it is a Bringer knife, isn’t it a bit odd that Wood has one? (I can see why Andrew would have one, since he was working for the First at the time.)
Sorry if these are dumb questions, but I’m still a bit confused…
No. Well, you might be, but not about this.
I had the same though. It probably was the same knife. When he found the body, he could have kept the blade, and added it to his already substantial collection of sharp pointy things. Perhaps the blood did come from a freshly-slain demon. Maybe he’s just a cutter.
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Justin
Well, that may have been cut or changed during shooting, because Bringer’s knives do look bigger. I’ll look around a bit though and see if anybody knows for sure.
Johnathen’s blood started opening the seal it just wasn’t enough so it closed up. Additionally he apparently has weak blood for the purpose. Regardless yes it does seem to be cheaper. Then again it is possible that the blood doesn’t have to be all at once and any in excess from previous openings count towards new openings.
I like the idea of a blood of a traitor operating the vending machine. It clearly doesn’t matter who does the cutting, as the First can have the Bringers do it. It would be more interesting in my opinion if it was set up so the blood can be from anyone but it has to be blood shed in an act of betrayl.
I’m bothered by Xander’s text-messaging too. The only thing I can figure is that something like the following got left on the cutting room floor:
(coffee shop)
Lissa: Let’s go to my place!
Xander: Let’s do that.
En route to her place, Xander text messages Willow the “don’t bother me I’m going to get lucky message” code and then Lissa ties him up. Willow gets the message, the gang figures Xander’s got to be in trouble, and wackiness ensues.
I kind of assumed that Xander hacked his cell phone so he activated it, and if he didn’t deactivate it in 10 minutes, it would send the panic signal. That’s what I’d do, in any case. Of course, given Ashanti’s stated intentions, it is probably most reasonable to assume Willow mixed up the signals.
Also, shouldn’t Xander be on antibiotics to keep the bacteria in his intestines from leaking into his bloodstream and killing him painfully?