This film is a prequel in the same way Stargate is a prequel of SG-1

The show is better

Since no one else mentioned this, Seth Green played Alyson Hannigan's date in My Stepmother Is an Alien (1988), when they were 13. Writing and acting choices aside, it may help explain some of their mutual comfort.

@34:00 - re: Invasion of the Body Snatchers -- The original novel, "The Body Snatchers", was a serial story in 1954. The have been film versions in 1956, 1978, 1993, and 2007, plus adaptations in 1998 (The Faculty) and 2019 (Assimilate). The 1978 version with Donald Sutherland is probably the best known. Additionally, SF grandmaster Robert A Heinlein had a very similar concept in "The Puppet Masters" (1951), but it didn't get a mainstream film of the same name until 1994 (also starring Sutherland), after the author's death, so it isn't as well known. There have also been a number of other SF properties that have borrowed heavily from Puppet Masters, including a Roger Corman film that paid Heinlein $5,000 to settle a larger suit.

@9:00 Freud is important historically for normalizing the idea of talking about your problems, but his actual theories have been tested and debunked decades ago. Most of his best known ideas, especially all the S* related stuff, are based on misinformation at the time of his writing. For example, it was generally believed that cases of adult men abusing young women were pure fiction, so when Freud had multiple women complaining that they couldn't experience joy due to that event he developed the theories of suppressed desires and false memories. Many of his most well-known theories come from that same incorrect assumption. Logical, but based on false information.

I agree that the outfits in BVS tend to be a little more adult than you see in most high schools, but that's not necessarily out of place here. Children of wealthy parents do tend to dress nicer than their counterparts. It's partly budget, but mostly what they're exposed to outside of school. Sunnydale is clearly a wealthy area, we'd expect even the public school to have a high percentage of students with wealthy parents.

@9:00 The Sandi Gallin who was an executive producer on BVS & Angel also managed Cher, Dolly Parton, Michael Jackson, Barbara Streisand, and more, and was a partner with Parton in Sandollar Productions. Gallin passed in 2017 of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

There's a fan theory that Cordelia might be on the Autism spectrum. The scenes in the library in this episode are perfect examples. This isn't simply entitlement combined with teenaged chaos, she's clearly not understanding the situation or reading facial language. Keep in mind that the psychological model that sees Autism as part of a spectrum of neurodevelopment disorders was only codified in 2013 with the publication of the DSM-5; at the time of BVS Asperger's, Autism, and Borderline Autism (some but not all symptoms) were considered separate under the umbrella of Pervasive Development Disorders.

Here in west coast Canada vampire groups were pretty popular in the 90s. Some were goths who got a bit more specialized, some were off-shoots of RPGs and LARPing, but some were actually like this: teens who had read Anne Rice and needed something to believe in. In retrospect I've realised that a disproportionate percentage of people in this activity were survivors of childhood abuse and identifying with vampires was probably a coping mechanism. At the time I was in university, single, and liked the formal outfits. I'd say life doesn't GET easier, but it may feel easier since you learn more tools to deal with it and are no longer dealing with the overwhelming emotions of being a teenager.

I love that a fair bit of Dru's tarot spread is believable. Not saying I'm into that (tho am open-minded), just that I can see how the cards could work for her as a representation of the situation. I don't know anything about the cards that are not labelled, such as the one with the mausoleum image. Those are either created by the show or from a different deck. Because of Dru's abilities, it's pretty believable that she could be capable of multi-deck readings. Probably helps that she's a bit unhinged. The labelled cards are from the Rider Waite deck. The Emperor is power, control, often masculine energy and/or a father figure. The Hierophant can represent religion or marriage. Two of swords can be a separation between two things or two paths and a decision being made that we can't go back from, and the character depicted on that card is blindfolded and unable to see. The 9 of swords character is unable to sleep for anxiety, and may be overthinking or overanalysing. Seen the episode before, but not looked at the cards in front of her!

I’m pretty sure all the Animorphs books are available for free online. Edit: and that is brought up later in the stream. Lol. That’s what I get for commenting as I listen.

Man…guess I’m watching Teen Wolf again! Lol. That show is a bit of mess, but I love it.

And of course, abortions are now essentially illegal in parts of the US. A six-week limit means from the first day of your last period. For over a week of that, you're not even pregnant. The limit means you are not even likely to know you are pregnant, because your next period isn't late yet.

I love this one SO much. Xander getting some emotional growth for the win!

When my brother was perfecting his heavy metal drumming, he literally had blisters on his hands. He used drumming gloves when they started bleeding. Music-making can definitely cause significant damage, but boy could he drum like a champ! He even switched to one-armed drumming for a while, after he broke his wrist. It was striking to me that he just switched to a different kick pedal that beat twice per foot action rather than once (I'm a n00b, I have no idea wtf I'm talking about but I'm sure you will), shifted a lot of the burden to his feet, and already held his sticks so loose and relaxed that adding more hits to an already-complex style did not phase him at all. Took him about a week. It looked so easy that I'd guess it was insanely difficult.

I remember Nicholas Brendon having a lot of emotional trouble with his character. No spoilers. At this point, which may or may not change, Xander was just urrrgh. Creepy, gross, entitled, stalkery - he's a 16 year old boy but the worst aspects of one, just with a better vocabulary. He's had great moments - like in this episode - but generally there's been a lot of ick. Imagine being in the cast of a show that is so well-liked, where everyone is cool or has their own thing going on, and you're just a dick. No powers, no cool, you're the straight man who reminds us that you are straight every five seconds by relentlessly hitting on or otherwise making a female character and/or the audience feel really uncomfortable. It's such a difficult role to play.

Oooh! Loving those lights on your wall. Jazzes up the videos you were making without being at all intrusive or overpowering.

I like Sam right at the start being all, "No no no, I do not mean to impugn, cast aspersions on, or otherwise demean Mr Xander Actor's skateboarding honour, I just have technical notes!"

Schoolwise, I mostly didn't do the homework thing. I also question how hard I worked in school - I think I was trying really hard but they didn't know it. I was constantly told that I wasn't trying hard enough. They didn't make accommodations for the extreme difficulty with handwriting, or the organisational difficulties. There's only so much you can do when you're copying from the board and they erase it before you finish, or when you're usually late for class because you have no idea how to find your classroom! I feel bad for Buffy - even if accommodations were made at this school in the 90s, Slayer duties would definitely not have been on the list!

I'm replying the morning after watching due to a dead phone battery. I was at work when this was live. Thanks for answering all my questions. :) I'll try to respond to what I remember. I agree with the above reply that I get Willow being hurt by Xander sleeping with Faith. She would have been hurt if it was Cordelia as well, but differently. With Cordy, it just would have been another hurt on top of him dating someone they had historically hated, but at least they were dating. Faith came out of nowhere. She probably had a fantasy that their first time would be together. Even though she was fully rededicated to Oz, you can still have a fantasy. And she had been with Oz for a while and was still a virgin. And then she kept her tears to herself. There's a vagurly similar scene in a show you may or may not have seen, so I'm afraid to mention it, but it's also a Joss show. I find my long-term memories of a show are stronger if I had to wait a week or more between episodes instead of binging a show. But having discussed certain shows after watching them may be the bigger reason for remembering them. Brief bit on The OC. Some spoikers to follow. I started watching because Jane Espenson wrote an early episode and asked people to watch. I liked it immediately. I stopped watching in early season 3 because I hated Taylor Townsend (Autumn Reeser) and the Douche of Discipline (Eric Mabius). I also hated this weird seeming lesbian storyline with Jeri Ryan and Seth's mom. I didn't see S3 or 4 for years until I bought the DVDs. If I had watched one more episode, The Douche of Discipline was gone, and Jeri was revealed to be manipulating the mom, not for sex, but as a long con. The season improved, but was marred by a long running second school storyline. Due to ending of S3, the beginning of S4 was very difficult to watch. Most of the humor was MIA. but then the story turned a corner and Autumn Reeser saved the show for me. Her character was nuts, but she was able to somehow play innocent and not simultaneously and can speed babble any dialog convincingly, even various languages and scientific mumbo jumbo. Plus, she's gorgeous. But they had a problematic college transition. My point with HS to college shows is that most friend groups get splintered. They may remain lifelong friends, but usually, you have ones who don't go to college and the ones who do go, but to different schools. This makes a cohesive show difficult. The OC ended up with half not going abd the other half leaving, but quickly coming back home. Buffy having a local college has a decent explanation for Buffy and Willow to be in the same college in town. I can't remember the explanation for Oz going there. Cordy leaving town after graduation makes sense. To keep the cast together, everyone has to go to the same school and/or live in the same town, and that can feel forced or unrealistic. Technically, a guest actor is anyone not in the main credits, so that includes a person in one scene to Faith, Ethan, Joyce, Snyder, etc. Sorry for having that be so broad.

Oh wow, I never had a problem with Willow being disappointed that Xander and Faith had sex. I see that as a very human reaction. SWhe felt her feelings and then she moved on. Let her have her moment to be sad that one of her closest friends has been used as a sex toy and that was his first experience. EDIT: Should have listened to the whole part first :D How would she NOT know that Faith just used him? She heard the stories and seen Faiths behaviour. She saw how Xander thought he had a special connection with Faith now, when it was pretty easy to spot that that wouldn't be the case when you look at everything Faith has said and done in the past. Sure some things we saw Faith only say to Buffy - but Willow is her best friend, don't you think she might have discussed some of Faiths comments with her? I never saw it as Willow being "possessiv" over Xander - if anyone behaved that way it was Xander when Oz came into the group. She took a moment in private. She deserves to have that.

Beating someone and then casually cleaning your glasses....badass move.

Coming back?

The name Buffy is actually a nickname for Elizabeth. However, in this show with this character, it's specified that her name is just Buffy. However, she does have a claim on the actual name. Elizabeth, given that it is a nickname for that.

I have a question, and you have to decide if it's true or false. lol

So Xander gets his wrist broken and ends up unconscious on the floor Kendra is killed Willow gets knocked out by a shelf of books dropping on her and Cordelia just magically makes it out unscathed

How the hell did Xander escape that sea monster

Sam and Maria love and cherish each other forever❤😭

@12:00 I've always thought that Willow's nightmare about opera was more a comment on her upbringing than her desires. When Xander had a music related daydream he was a rock star, a common teen fantasy. Willow is nerdy, exceptionally smart, and has access to wealth, such as having a computer in her bedroom in 1997. It makes sense that she saw herself as failing to perform not simply as a singer, but as an opera singer. She has been exposed to the finer aspects of culture so that's where her mind goes.

22:40 I would imagine that hormone levels being very unstable in the teen years doesn't lend itself to logic and reason. Luckily, most of us manage to adjust to, or grow into, the new chemicals after a few years of chaos.

Gags smack in the middle of fight scenes are the best. Especially when you have their comedic timing.

"____, ____, she needs backup!"👯

Also, Mark Metcalf has SUCH a blast this whole season, and I find that just delightful.

Remembering that I'm watching a group of 15 year old children is so wild.

If you really want to laugh about actors' ages, Robia Scott, who plays teacher Jenny Calendar, is 16 days older than Charisma Carpenter (July 07 vs July 23, 1970). I'll say one thing about Xander's "I don't care" (about the apocalypse). Take out the supernatural aspects and imagine you're ground zero for a volcanic eruption, tsunami, or similar disaster. You can grab your family and run, knowing you'll all die anyway, or you can gather them around you and tell them you love them and try to keep them happy in their last moments. We never see option #2 in movies, but in the real world there's nothing wrong with going out that way. While he went about it the wrong way, that's basically what Xander is doing here. He's prioritizing individual friends over the big picture. The fact that he's prioritizing Buffy over Willow is odd, but again he probably doesn't realize the real danger Willow is in.

@5:00 The need to be validated, touched, etc. is discussed in "Self-Determination Theory" which is the modern interpretation of physical and psychological needs. SDT was suggested in the 1980s and the standard theory by the late-90s, but most TV writing is a bit behind on science. What they're discussing here is Maslov's Hierarchy, which was suggested in 1943 but hasn't been considered accurate since the 70s. Among other problems, we know the whole hierarchy idea is wrong; individuals will prioritize different things in survival situations. @31:00 Scott Harlan, who played the Opera singer, is a vocal coach at The American Musical and Dramatic Academy (AMDA).

2 riots

@40:00 I like that you said Malcolm fell apart. I've always seen him not as a robot, but a metal golem. He is animated by magic and demonic will. The electricity fried his personality to some extent, but mostly it overloaded the spell. He did literally fall apart because he wasn't built using advanced knowledge of robotics. He was a metal suit built by teens to house a spirit.

regarding the Angel/ Buffy relationship: In the US, Age of Consent varies by state. In California, where BVS takes place, it is 18 with no exceptions for younger couples. Technically, two 17-year-olds in a consensual relationship are both breaking the law. This fact is never brought up in the show. [Not that it applies here, but it's worth remembering for future episodes.]

Watching this episode as it is Charisma Carpenter's birthday today

Since when the hell did Giles invite Angel into his home, they never showed that

I have a cute little jumping spider. She is a tiny little kitten with eight legs. She likes chasing the laser pointer. And she is so curious; she likes watching KZbin with me. As in, she watches through the glass door on her enclosure. I have been suspecting she knows I'm somehow involved with the light. She goes to bed, and if I don't turn the light off within a potentially preset amount of time, she'll come back out of her nest, and stare at me until I take the hint. I can FEEL her staring, she reaches my mother's levels of disapproving my (in)actions. 😂 Spiders are amazing. ❤

@25:45 The music is so familiar because it's "Twilight Zone" by 2 Unlimited. They are probably better known for "Get Ready for This" and "Tribal Dance," but this became popular for sports, especially Ice Hockey. It was also remixed for the Mortal Kombat franchise. I've always felt this is one of the creepiest episodes, but it's not the mom trapped in the statue at the end. Can you imagine being a 14 or 15 year old girl, still getting used to your growing body, and you wake up in a post-childbirth body? The fact that it's your mother is just an added dimension to it. It would be like waking up in a wheelchair, or worse.

Regarding the "standing around to get punched" fight scenes and other effects oddities, it helps to mention the budget. Whedon was given an empty warehouse (not a sound stage) and $3 million for the entire season. For perspective, Hercules the Legendary Journeys had $1 million per episode and Star Trek: Voyager about $3 million per episode in the same year. After season 1 did well, their budget started going up, but never as high as you'd expect.

Xander earned my respect this episode despite his mistake any other guy in the school would have taken advantage of the situation

The part where Angel or should I say Angelus said she was a pro I thought to myself ooooooooooo he need some milk

1:09:52 Point of clarification: Pike said he couldn't *move* his legs, because Buffy was sitting on them. He can still *feel* them, but he's effectively immobile, because Buffy is currently sitting on his lower body.

Amilyn's death scene, the whole point was to ham it up, almost like making fun of Buffy.... but it was *so* iconic, that the after-credits sequence has him *still* in his death-throes!

Supposedly this was Paul Reubens' first major role after he was arrested in a porn theatre and he accepted it on the condition that he look "as much like my mugshot as possible".

When it comes to the Dolby line--*everyone* in LA acts like they're a cinema connoisseur. It's honestly totally on brand. People are mega-snobby about movies down there.