Perhaps the Tonight Show’s *Jaywalking * segment has made me cynical. I have to admit wondering how many people have a passing familiarity with Shakespeare.
- Rick
I forgot to mention the opening credits from “Superstar,” the episode where Jonathan is a super-hero. That episode is one of the best in the series, if not the best. The even used the premise to further the ongoing storylines, not just as a one-shot gimmick. Brilliant.
My other favorite moment in that episode is when Buffy is walking down one of the streets of Sunnydale, and it looks like it could be the exact same scene in any other episode, except that the entire wall behind her is covered with HUGE posters of Jonathan.
Another Giles moment that I liked, after Xander starts an unplanned fire: “Please don’t speak Latin in front of the books!”
A few more:
From The Zeppo, Oz’s conversation with Xander. In fact, any time the two of them shared the screen (“He’s got his Pierce Brosnan-y eyes all over my Cordy!”), but this in particular for Oz’s response to Xander’s question of “What do I have [that makes me cool]?” Oz says, “An exciting new obsession. Which I feel makes you very special” Ha! Oh, and from the same episode, Nicholas Brendon’s spot-on delivery of “Yay?” after Jack O’Toole decides that he likes Xander.
I don’t think anyone has mentioned yet the scene where Giles comes home, ready to get his British freak on in Passion, smellin’ the roses and admirin’ the champagne, only to find Jenny dead. The dramatic tension (since the audience already knows that Jenny’s dead) is great.
From memory, so I might be wrong: “She just means, y’know, the geyser. You’re like a geyser of fun that goes off at regular intervals.” “That’s Old Faithful.” “Wasn’t that the dog that the guy had to shoot–” “That’s Old Yeller!” “Xander, I beg you not to help me.” From Doppelgangland, if I mangled it beyond recognition.
Xander’s “I do a spell by myself” from Restless
The cheese guy. “I wear the cheese. The cheese does not wear me.” Now that was quality television.
I don’t remember which season four episode it’s in, but at some point they’re all at Giles’s house and Oz is looking through his LP collection. Giles snaps that there are more important things than records, and Oz holds up Loaded (!!!) by The Velvet Underground and says, “More important than this?” It’s the Velvets, man!
Oh, and speaking both of Restless and Giles singing, I love the bit where he gets up all-of-a-sudden-like and starts singing his lines. Especially the bit about trying not to bleed on the couch as he’s just had it steam-cleaned.
There are some bits of Angel that deserve mention, too, and one in particular is when Cordy and Wesley are trying to steal some people’s tickets to an event and Cordy introduces Wes as “Detective Yelsew.” Then Wesley leans in close and whispers to the people that “Something’s going down tonight. Something with the man.” Cracks me up.
I don’t really understand why no one mentioned the broken crayon speech. I liked it, dammit.
I just really like that Xander was the treasurer of the “We Hate Cordelia” club. It says a lot about Xander and Willow that their club of two had a treasurer.
I think this was from Out of Mind, Out of Sight, but I’m not sure. Anyway, it’s the bit where Willow can’t even talk because she’s too busy laughing at Cordelia and some story from ye olden dayes involving some moose guy saying “Be my deputy” in a really goofy voice. I don’t know why. Maybe I’m callous and strange.
“What rhymes with lungs?”
The best part of the Oz - Giles album scene is Giles admitting that the album may be more important than the situation.
I also liked Giles drunk in “The Yoko Factor”, which also has Spike’s wonderful manipulation of the Scoobies and the great line from Buffy, “I didn’t call you stupid, now stop being an idiot and let me fix this.” The confrontation that Spike works them up into is very amusing.
As mentioned before the dadist pep talk that Xander gave is wonderful. In fact most scenes in which Buffy proves to be smarter than she looks and usually acts are good.
My final additional moment is the scene from “Him” where Dawn confronts Buffy about stealing RJ. Buffy’s comments are great and Dawn’s reactions are also good.
And - having just introduced my brother-in-law and sister-in-law to Season 6 … their reactions to Giles’ appearance at the end was priceless… Willow was growling about how no one had the power to stop her, and is suddenly blown across the room. And there’s Giles, standing calmly in the doorway: “I’d like to test that theory.”
Very cool.
I liked Spike’s mumbling of “Like Falcon Crest” when somebody said something about an evil vineyard.
Can’t believe I haven’t seen anyone mention the end of “Graduation Day II” - where the Mayor ascends, Buffy shouts “now!” and with no warning the entire freaking senior class tears off their robes to reveal weapons. Just beautiful. And then Buffy’s taunting the Mayor, the chase through the library and the explosion. It’s one of my favorite TV moments ever.