BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER 3x18 REACTION l Earshot

[@victorsixtythree]

"APATHY ON THE RISE. NO ONE CARES." (School newspaper headline on the wall.)

[@enicole1203]

Technically the Giles/Joyce thing WAS a reveal, because the audience strongly suspected, but they never aaaaactually confirmed it until now. 😂

[@LittleMissDivine]

infect? Infect?! Giles... INFECT?!? Mood of 2020 xD

[@domie]

Hahaha! Too real!!!!

[@1nelsondj]

This one has both dramatic an humorous moments. Cordy was funny and Willow, "Was it a boy demon?" and Oz "I always go straight to the obits," and Giles walking into a tree. And Xander saves the day!

[@sirmoonslosthismind]

not gonna lie, i was a little disappointed when "was it a boy demon" didn't make it into the video. i was seriously looking forward to reliving that line without having to pull the episode up myself and potentially fall down the rabbit hole of just watching hours of _buffy_ for the umpteenth time.

[@allisonlussier248]

This episode was scheduled to air RIGHT AFTER columbine. They had to pull it and stick in in much later on the season.

[@emanymton713]

I remember my Tv station running an ad explaining that the episode was being rescheduled due to it’s sensitive nature… At the time I thought, we’ll that’s just stupid. Air it anyway. And as an Adult I still feel the same way… no one gets over trauma by hiding from it. “ safe spaces” do more harm than good.

[@artman2oo3]

@@emanymton713 How much safe spaces help depends on what the safe space is and its reason. A lot of times they do more good than harm.

[@chrisrj9871]

The 2nd part of the finale as well.

[@scottrabie]

Drusilla is a precog. She can see the future, so it's a little different, but I get your point. It's got to be terrifying. Especially since Angel convinced her that her ability came from a demon and she was religious.

[@JayceMaxwell]

She saved Jonathan's life. I wouldn't call that not saving the day. The tower scene hits really hard, it's done so well.

[@nicamarie946]

I see lots of mentions of Columbine and it's affect on the airing of this episode. But, did you all miss that Jonathan in the clock tower with a rifle is a direct reference to the 1966 shooting on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin wherein the gunman shot from the clock tower with a rifle? So, this episide connects to 2 actual school shooting tragedies.

[@barbarabaker1457]

Did know that, for some reason Hollywood bizarrely made that a running joke for decades. I never got it.

[@katiewhite190]

There is an excellent documentary on that shooting that uses animation to show the stories of witnesses and survivors. Can't recall the name.

[@Lucy-uv4hv]

I love what you say about Buffy in your afterthoughts here. She truly is an incredible person, who always comes at every situation with a ton of empathy. She's a badass, but she's also kind. My favourite kind of protagonist.

[@mesalgearsolid]

She also needs better friends. lol

[@domie]

She really is the freaking best!!! I love her way too much!!

[@blacktronlego]

Oz is really deep, and Cordelia really does have no filter, she says out loud exactly what she thinks! Now we find out exactly why Joyce and Giles were so awkward at the end of 'Band Candy' when Buffy said she'd found them before the 'did anything'. The return of scary interrogating Willow from 'Go Fish', why is it always Jonathan? I could give you a list of all the major characters that get killed and when, but I won't because that would be a lot of huge spoilers.

[@mike777ok]

One of the things I love about "Buffy" is how nothing is wasted. Things and persons who appear in episodes and then appear or come up again in later episodes. It makes almost anything they put in an episode possible to come up again later. They also have the habit of using the same actors who have what we believe to be small parts, in later episodes. This episode was funny and your reaction was great.

[@invadertifxiii]

cant believe u got the power would drive her insane before they realized it. no one really gets that, to hear others thoughts constantly, the pain and emotion behind them would drive anyone insane, they had a similar storyline in charmed

[@RubyDianArts]

11:33 Extremely super real. I haven't watched through the whole reaction yet so I don't know if you looked it up after the end or if someone else mentioned, but this episode was originally delayed for several months (basically skipped in the airing run, then aired in summer later) because the Columbine shooting happened one week before this was supposed to air. Scarily prescient!

[@domie]

Yup some people mentioned it! It's really horrible how real this episode still is!

[@victorsixtythree]

@@domie I remember hearing about them not showing the episode due to the shooting at Columbine. I figured it was because the episode was somehow insensitive on the subject of school shootings. So, when it was finally aired months later and I watched it, I was surprised how well and how sensitively the episode handled the topic. It's definitely one of my favorite episodes of the season. (Buffy's speech to Jonathan at the end!)

[@MarkusR144]

@@victorsixtythree Definitely makes you think. What if it was scheduled a few weeks earlier, could it have changed anything? If not, would the show have gotten blowback from airing it right before it happened? If they blame Marilyn, they can blame anything, really. Shows have been canceled by less.

[@ffaristocrat]

@@victorsixtythree ironically, the episode that aired the same day as Columbine, which also involved setting off homemade bombs at the school, was a rerun of the Zeppo which featured students attempting to set off a homemade bomb inside the school.

[@kendavis8046]

I made 9 minutes, then had to pause to go back and watch this episode again. Finished your reaction now. This is most certainly a top-20 episode for me. Thank you for a wonderful reaction. And once again, no spoilers except you are going to enjoy the rest of the series! (The last line, "if you're not too busy having sex with my mother" is a classic, with Giles colliding with the tree.)

[@domie]

Aw thank you! And that was really too funny!!

[@StoryOfUsFinalDraft]

Those two dudes are iconic with their stunned reaction after hearing Buffy say sex with my mother lol

[@victorsixtythree]

The Lunch Lady was also one of the women in the mob chasing after Xander in Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered. (Maybe she never really got over Xander and decided to kill everyone?)

[@barbarabaker1457]

🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@darkdg4106]

They turned her into a vampire in the nightmare episode in season 1.

[@David-ve5iq]

The best bit is at 9:50 when Cordelia's like wtf r u on about right now when Buffy's replying stuff that doesnt even make any sense.

[@raynemaxx]

My mom had a friend from outside the US, where this episode was aired on time, send us a VHS with the episode on it. So we were able to watch it pretty soon. Apparently a lot of people did this, because people would meet on a Buffy site that Joss would come on sometimes after episodes aired to talk to fans. It was an old message board, the name is lost in my head right now.

[@invadertifxiii]

i love buffys speech to jonathan in regards to everyone else's pain

[@Stephie_L]

I agree with you about Buffy and Angel. It has always been their chemistry for me as well...like in S1x07 they didn't really have any scenes before then yet I totally felt invested by that episode because the chemistry was so intense in my opinion. However I do also really love how gentle they can be towards each other and how they both want to protect each other having experienced heavy burdens and loneliness as individuals. It will be really interesting to see more of your opinions going forward.

[@alooncnej4696]

Iconic season, the scene in the library and in the tower, Buffy at its best. Enjoy the last episodes of this great season

[@busy_raccooon]

Oh look it's the stunt double

[@Richard_Ashton]

Just a different gender, height and weight - otherwise almost indistinguishable.

[@nostrum6410]

jonathan is probably my favorite recurring character.

[@lilywong9672]

The mayor was human. He was just a really powerful sorcerer.

[@youcantleavethisempty]

Ah, Jonathan... what a guy...

[@FireflyMALcontent]

for me, it seems, and maybe he has commented, but sometimes it seems that the "filler" episode, in general, but especially before a season finale, is just a cleansing of the pallet. That Joss uses this because he believes that when telling a story, that is is impactful to cleanse the pallet of the viewer, before a pivotal moment.

[@Buffy8Fan]

My favorite S3 episode (barring Dopplegangland), which is a little sad because it aired out of order and after S3 was over due to Columbine postponing it. So in some ways, it still seems like the out of place episode to me. Initially when this episode was delayed they continued with the season and I remember thinking I had missed something (not just because I had seen the trailer for this episode) because Angel and Buffy talked here and it was the through moment to the next episode. I love the classroom Shakespeare scene.

[@dashabrunclikova6975]

I mean, the second Angel feels happy enough he turns into Angelus, so there are two options; Either they don't date, or they are miserable together. So really, I don't see a way for them to really be together. Also, despite the fact that he understands the Slayer life, Buffy is still a teenager and needs to develop in a somewhat healthy(ish) environment, not spend all her life in the darkness with a super old boyfriend... I mean, imagine her dating Giles. Angel is at least 5 times as old... I believe the point of the main season 2 arc was, aside from destroying us emotionally, to show Buffy making a choice not to get lost in an all-consuming, codependent relationship. It was symbolized by her literally killing Angel. As far as I know, the only reason Angel didn't stay dead is that the writers decided to give him a spin-off.

[@mshevchenk]

I think their relationship is significantly different in s3 than in s2. Buffy has since displayed more maturity about the relationship in Lovers Walk but she's semi relapsed at this point where she's iin denials about this relationship that she has to know does not have a future.

[@barbarabaker1457]

The first time is often unhealthy, such a rough age emotionally. Like your first injury. You later realize it can be so much worse but it Feels like the greatest pain in the world.

[@xxSydneyFox]

@@barbarabaker1457 hahhahaha sorry, I know this is true for alot if not most people but here I am with my first boyfriend and now fiancé after 7 years and I'm so hoping this doesn't apply to me 🤣 it just made me giggle lol

[@frakkintoasterluvva7920]

@@mshevchenk I don't think the relationship is any more mature in season 3. If anything, it is written as less mature in season 3. With the exception of a few episodes with really good Buffy/Angel scenes, these obligatory "Bangel scene of the episode" moments feel cheesy, overdranatic, and don't move the relationship forward at all, and are the only bad parts marring otherwise great episodes like Helpless and Earshot. It's like the writers clearly don't know what to do with Angel in S3 before he goes to his spin-off. Angel's dialogue in Helpless and Earshot sounds so fake and like something a 17 year old would think was romantic - "I loved you the moment I saw you because I saw your heart" (please!), I've never loved anyone else in my incredibly long life, that kind of thing. * And Buffy comes off as particularly immature in this episode with her jealousy. The writers just loved going the stereotypical route with her by making her jealous of other girls at any occasion. They did that more than once in season 2a (like all the times she and Willow talk about how many women Angel "dated" over the centuries - rather than the more disturbing things he did over the centuries; her worrying about Cordy and 18th century ladies and needing reassurance from Angel that he despised them as idiots - because that makes him look sooo nice, doesn't it - and that she's Not Like Other Girls ), but it seened like Buffy was growing out of it: in Lie to Me, she starts off jealous of Drusilla, and later when she learns the story, she realizes she should worry more about his dark past and all the murder and torture and mental abuse he committed in his evil days. And you'd think she would be thinking that way after season 2b... Enemies had a very interesting ending, where it looks like Buffy is disturbed by the fact that Angel is so good in pretending to be Angelus. Almost like.. it is a part of him, and not just something fully external? But nope! The episode, to my disappointment, makes it all about "Buffy jealous of Angel kissing Faith." *spoilers for Angel season-2 . . . . . It sounds even worse after you've seen Angel and all the additions, retcons/expansions of Angel's backstory and his relationship with Darla. It's funny how they tried to reconcile this with BtVS without making Angel a liar, so they have him say things like, no, I never loved Darla, because I couldn't love without a soul. I was just completely obsessed with her for centuries - and still am. Just a minor detail I didn't need to mention to Buffy!

[@barbarabaker1457]

@@xxSydneyFox lol I think if you made it that far you're probably fine. There's acceptance to every rule.

[@nathanielbacon2661]

One of the best Monster Of The Week episodes! Smart and wickedly funny with some deeply touching moments. It's social commentary has held up wonderfully, as you pointed out. And the way they use the mind-reading device to play with all the characters' psychology and inner thoughts is just brilliant.

[@spamfilter32]

They actually delayed the original airdate of this show to the summer reruns because there was a mass shooting at a school the week before this show was set to air. So the live air schedule went from episode 17 straight to episode 19.

[@thestoicsoliloquies4041]

Interrogator Willow went too far and unknowingly used her witch powers to convince Jonathan to try to kill himself. She says he wanted attention, and that is exactly what he told Buffy. The Jonathan part was her (unintentional) fault and Buffy cleaned up that mess. The real villain Xander figured out when he tried to steal jello from the cafeteria.

[@Henrik_Holst]

Not so sure that this was the action that Willow accidentally triggered with Jonathan and his want of attention. Won't say more due to spoilers.

[@plottwisted172]

Without spoiling future episodes will do exactly what you want with revealing everyone's secrets and it will be really fun.

[@xxSydneyFox]

This episode is one that I always remember and like. I just love the little moments of humour that don't just make you chuckle, you actually laugh out loud properly 😂

[@mj6866]

This episode was filmed before the Columbine massacre but was supposed to air a week after it, but they did not show it until a half year later.

[@nicamarie946]

But even more interesting is that the episode itself references the 1966 shooting on the campus of the University of Texas in Austin where the gunman shot from the clocktower with a rifle.

[@victorsixtythree]

Just noticed...when Buffy and Willow are talking about Angel at the beginning, Willow says "As always, I advise you to ask." And later Angel says to Buffy, "So ask me." and then "Next time, just ask." Seems like there's that running theme of lack of good communication that runs through many episodes...And would tie into the idea of not needing to ask someone what they are thinking if you could just read their mind instead. Hmm....

[@lenr112]

But remember they are still kids learning about life. It's not like adults have everything figured out .

[@sjbenson5618]

Domi E this episode had comedy, drama and Gun violence in it, Ps Angel is not interested in a bad girl, he already went through that and now Angel wants only Buffy. Him kissing Faith was nothing she wasn’t good enough

[@Jontor11]

LOVE your reactions Domi. We all love these characters don't we... And relax, the fear of killing off characters after Jenni was my concern too when I first watched this show. All I can say is...relax, it's more healthy :-)

[@ShadowDogProduction]

I've seen this episode a dozen times over 20 years and I just now realized when you talked at the end that Buffy should have went straight up to the Mayor and had a conversation with him so she could read his mind. Instead she went to Angel. She chose her selfish needs over saving the world by getting valuable intel. She's a kid so I'm not judging her harshly but it is interesting

[@phueal]

I was thinking this too, but then realised as well that it would have been a really dangerous move: if he caught on to what she was up to at all there's a genuine risk he'd kill her on the spot to protect his plans.

[@ShadowDogProduction]

@@phueal a fair point. But I trust her hands over his if its one on one. Lol

[@scottrabie]

There's no guarantee she would have been able to read his mind. When he says he's invulnerable why would we assume he only means physically? He's not worried about ANYTHING, even psychic attacks. She could have tried, yes, but that would have been dangerous. If he was wise to her ability he may have been able to use it to attack her.

[@barbarabaker1457]

And cheating, also used it to cheat. And yeah, most teens would totally do that. Nice to have reminders of her age.

[@Talisguy]

To be fair, she didn't know her telepathy would be so short-term. She didn't know she only had a couple of days to get info from him.

[@artscafe9371]

your insight into this show is amazing, wow, :)

[@domie]

Thank you so much 🥺❤️Means a lot!

[@TheBehenaught]

Wesly: I'm a bad bad man. Buffy: 😏

[@Michael75579]

That whole scene, especially Buffy's smirk as she looks at Wesley, is one of my favourite scenes of season 3 and it's a shame it wasn't included in the reaction.

[@brian19991]

One of my absolute favorite episodes untill this point :)

[@feudist]

"Oh, WAY better than that!"

[@MadawcSin]

Why do people live in Sunydale? Low cost of living and housing cost.

[@ernesthakey3396]

Lots of cheap property at auction and estate sales!

[@scottrabie]

And any jobs there have room for continual advancement.

[@spikejr3113jr]

This episode was not originally aired when it was supposed to because of a school shooting, yeah that happened.

[@blotcho84]

What a great episode!

[@franksnow5165]

The thing this episode gets really wrong is the reason school shooters do what they do. It's about revenge, not attention.

[@LittleMissDivine]

I´m sure somebody already commented about Columbine and this episode being originally aired at that time so they didnt air it when the season was airing.... the timing is creepy

[@christopherholley8164]

For those who don't know this episode never aired. It was slated to air the week of the Columbine shootings so it was cancelled.

[@blacktronlego]

The Columbine high school shooting happened not long before 'Earshot' was due to be shown, so it was already an issue. They finally showed the episode just before series four. One reason we can have stricter gun laws in the UK is the fact that we have no wild animals larger than a badger or a fox and we have no dogs with rabies. We also have no NRA or right to bear arms enshrined in out constitution.

[@barbarabaker1457]

When we had the Rodney King riots in LA. There was a group of Asian immigrants whose stores got targeted. They banded together with guns on rooftops. No one touched them after that. For me it's who has the guns, how responsible and well trained are they that is important. When you live near Portland, Oregon, you think about this a lot.

[@menachemsalomon]

New York?! Welcome to New York, then. The city or upstate? Which borough, if I may ask? Okay, initial excitement over, now let's get into the episode. This one is a doozy.

[@aperson4640]

Wait. WHAT!!! The Mayor isn't human!?! When did this happen? I've watched through the entire series at least 3 times and I always thought he was a human who gained his longevity and indestructibility through sorcery and faustian bargains. Where exactly in the series does it indicate that the Mayor is not human because this claim seems dubious to me.

[@boghag]

Not having aged for 100 years or more makes him not human anymore

[@ernesthakey3396]

@@boghag but...according to the bible, humans used to live for centuries, right? :) The mayor was human, just with magic keeping him young, if you accept that Willow is human, Oz is human, Buffy is human - they all have other abilities, but most of the time they have the same issues as humans in general. The mayor, in my opinion, only became nonhuman when he achieved invincibility earlier in the season - he's embarked upon the path of the Ascension, and no human can have their head sliced down the middle and have it heal with no ill effects...

[@barbarabaker1457]

@@ernesthakey3396 900 years give or take a hundred. It's interesting to note who was still alive just before the flood and how many years that really was. Stronger DNA makes sense though, given the close relative marriage stuff. Also wasn't Yoda 900?

[@erikohman2294]

The demons look like Protoss to me.

[@Nicamon]

05:06 - 05:16

[@MrLorenzovanmatterho]

The single ep I'd show to newbies to demonstrate the show's greatness. Could only be better if Faith and a couple of characters who turn up in later seasons were in it.

[@DmGray]

Buffy's speech to Jonathan is both EXTREMELY important, relevant and accurate... and really fucking annoying. It helped me maintain my understanding of these very things as through decades of severe bullying. It kept me forgiving people and kept me from being bitter, even as depression was killing me (still does, sometimes) But the annoying thing is it ALMOST implies that all suffering is the same. That bully is suffering just like you and that makes your pain less relevant! Nope. The irony here is that Jonathan has dated, has friends and we see him getting a hard time only on occasion. All of his possible suffering is implied. But it's believable. And just because it's not supernatural in origin doesn't make it less traumatic. He doesn't have superpowers to fight back or the satisfaction of purpose, or beating HIS demons. Whatever pain people are in, if they're pretty, popular or wealthy, those are a HELLUVA compensation. I had to endure this lecture quite a lot growing up. That the people who made my life hell might have suffered too. That I should be empathetic to that. Even knowing it is true doesn't make me less angry about it :P

[@Madbandit77]

But empathy goes both ways. As much you may feel sorry for your bullies, don't give them the credit of having the same feelings for you. If they did, they wouldn't have bullied you in the first place. Yes, I was bullied too, but I stood up for myself and felt great about doing it and the bullies got scared and/or in trouble. Whatever problems they have, it's not fair to make someone who's just trying to make their own place in the world into a punching bag or an scapegoat.

[@DmGray]

@@Madbandit77 Standing up for myself got me in trouble countless times. Often it pissed bullies off that some scrawny ginger nobody would "make them look bad" or some such. Hell, at 18 I had some 30+yo random hold a knife to my eye for "disrespecting" him in front of his date because I got fed up of his continual harassment (he thought mocking teens for drinking slowly was the height of amusement) The fact I was smart, had my own opinions and would even argue with teachers over them AND I was completely unafraid of public speaking meant a LOT of people gave me a hard time, likely to feel better about themselves. (even now with huge social anxiety to the point I struggle to leave the house... I don't get stage fright. I can give a speech in front of a thousand strangers, I can dance like nobody is watching... but ask me to interact with an individual I don't know and I find it difficult) I spent most of junior school (5-11yo) outside the headmasters office. Everyone was aware I was being bullied badly, so it was partially for my own good... but it was ALSO because I would be in fights almost every day (and I was one of the smallest kids, so I was getting beat up a LOT) I chose pacifism in secondary (11-16/18) and that was probably my worst mistake. Was threatened with expulsion, but I eventually cracked when a thug attacked me while I walked to my GCSE exams. Dragged him into traffic (I was fully willing to kill us both in that moment) and he strangely never bothered me again (not that he had much opportunity, but still) As you say, trauma does not excuse becoming an abuser. While most abusers have a tragic background, not everyone with a tragic background becomes scum. There us ALWAYS a choice. Empathy should allow for redemption, but I don't have to feel good about it :P

[@LittleMissDivine]

Cordy is the best

[@ernesthakey3396]

"I think it, I say it." Yep!

[@christianmosqueira1985]

This episode was originally supposed to be aired the week Columbine shooting happened Joss whedon pulled the episode until a while later

[@Madbandit77]

It was the network that pulled the episode.

[@spamfilter32]

To bad you cut out Oz's Existentialism thoughts.

[@12chapin]

Hello. Xander had it right from the start, with the lunch lady. It takes only one time for............. ohh Giles and Joyce💘. 👶

[@Nexusofgeek]

School shootings were not a big thing 20 years ago, not the way they are now, it's so sad nothing has been done to change the culture of guns and mass shootings. This episode, as has been mentioned several times in the comments, aired out of order due to the Columbine shootings and Columbine and mass shootings were so fresh that the network thought it would be in poor taste to air the episode so we had to wait a while to watch it when it originally aired

[@RitsychServare]

Yeah Faith will be back. Why? You asked, the show will answer. Somehow, that's how it works in this world. 😁

[@w33d533d]

I don't think mass shootings were such a big deal back then, there was Columbine that i heard of, and then i don't remember mass shootings ramping back up until around when that guy shot up The Dark Night theater, and it picked up from there. I realize it's possible there were mass shootings between those points and perhaps i wasn't paying enough attention, but as far as i know i'm right about it. I think the last mass shooting was in Russia in Kazan, some guy shot up a middle school. That's the last one i heard about anyway, i stay way from the news, it's all useless propaganda advertisement and depressing stuff like that. Basically nothing good and nothing you can do anything about.

[@jaredhankins5267]

*sigh* More gun laws won't make things better. Haven't you ever asked yourself why junior high kids in the 50s could be trusted with rifles, while today's high school & college age kids can't? Guns aren't the problem. Shootings aren't the disease, they are only a symptom. People talk about mental health, but has psychopharmacology made things better or worse?

[@HopelessHermit]

Could you please raise the volume of the show in your vids I can't afford headphones or anything I hear you and a hum. Also pro tip suicide by gun bigger than you isn't efficient. Poor Jonathan

[@zwiddeldum]

I‘m watching this on my iPad (without headphones) - the volume of the show compared to Domi‘s volume seems fine to me.

[@HopelessHermit]

@@zwiddeldum all I have is my phone my computer has no internet

[@thatoneguyagain2252]

Don't get me started on the gun problem in America . . . or why no progress has been made in over twenty years. Mass shootings are actually on the rise, and there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. I am both horrified and embarrassed by how my country is perceived throughout the world - because I am not and never will be a heavily-armed bully spoiling for a fight. America used to be seen as the land of possibility, but now its stereotyped as the land of bullets flying everywhere. This is NOT an improvement.

[@xxSydneyFox]

I really don't understand the idea of having na gun to protect yourself. Yes, if everyone is allowed to have one then of course you'll think you want one too. But if you knew that they are strictly regulated and no idiot can just get a hold of them then you know you don't need to have one. Simples. You are likelier to survive a stab wound than a gun wound 🤷