AOQ Review 2-15: "Phases"
Arbitrar Of Quality
threads.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
Season Two, Episode 15: "Phases"
(or "Be vewwy vewwy qwiet. We'we hunting wewewolves.")
Writers: Rob Des Hostel and Dean Batali
Director: Bruce Seth Green
Ah, the long awaited meeting of the Greens Seth and Bruce Seth.
"Phases" is a werewolf story, as it reveals early on. Yet another
monster movie homage, but really, doesn't this kind of show more or
less have to do werewolves at some point? At times "Phases" also
seems like an homage to BTVS's younger days, as references to early
Season One episodes litter the show (including the opening gag).
The werewolf tries to get on my good side by interrupting a
Xander/Cordelia scene. Well, I'm a proponent of aborting X/C scenes,
but I'm not so easily manipulated, wolf. Why this one, which was
almost tolerable? Where were you during The Scene That Should Not Be,
and "Bad Eggs?" And don't give me that tired "phases of the
moon" story, or that "inside a building" story. I'm on to you.
Also, it gets on my bad side for a more important reason: owning one of
the most ridiculous-looking costumes I've seen thus far on the show.
Seriously, couldn't the effects wizards have come up with anything
better than that stupid bear thing? It looks like the love child of
Yoda and Fozzy. Especially given that, given the way the episode turns
out, this doesn't look like a one-off monster that we'll never see
again...
And then there's a bunch of school stuff, mostly focusing on
conversations between Buffy and Willow. Seeing Willow in the mood to
vent is a rare treat (maybe she should give Xander a call about it...),
but otherwise most of it's pretty nondescript. I don't really get
why Willow is so adamant about Buffy acting "girly" at school. Not
all chicks are weaklings. All that'll happen is that she'll lose
her temper sooner or later and end up doing more damage than if she
hadn't disguised her strength; Larry was pretty lucky. (The later
"count to ten" moment, on the other hand, is priceless.)
Another scene that falls flat is the exchange in The Bronze between
Willow and Cordelia. The idea that the two might put aside their
differences for a second to commiserate about guy problems is fine, but
the execution is weak. Too much of the boring "hmmph, boys"
dialogue we've seen since dialogue existed.
I could say that I thought the werewolf-hunting was pretty exciting,
but then I'd be Lying To You, and I only got to do that for one
special episode. It plods, particularly given what seems like the
totally superfluous presence of Cain the werewolf hunter. I'm not
sure why he's there - is it to provide the token pro-killing voice?
He's too unlikable to work that way. Or is he supposed to make us
fear for Oz? Whatever. Giles almost taking a swing at him after the
"fresh fruit" comment is one nice moment. I don't get why Buffy
casually mentions the werewolves to Cain. Maybe he's giving off
invisible I'm-in-the-know vibes that Slayers can smell.
Then the episode is saved when the were-bear-thing reverts to its human
form, and it's Oz. He gives us the classic Mal Reynolds "huh"
upon waking up. In retrospect I don't know if I "should have"
known that Larry was too obviously a red herring; what's nice is that
the series goes the obvious route just often enough to keep things
fresh when it doesn't. And then Xander focuses on Larry, which
besides giving the cute "right in front of us" joke, is a nice
moment because at the same time we're yelling at him that he's
wrong, we realize that we (or at least I) had the same suspicions as he
did two minutes earlier.
Not so wild about Oz's behavior here. Once he suspected he was a
wolf, it was his responsibility to seek help to make sure no one else
died because of it. Yeah, I know he tried to take care of it himself,
but look how well it didn't work out. I think they let that slide
too easily at the end of the episode. If Willow doesn't want to be
upset, that's her choice, but _someone_ should have been.
>From there, the final-act sequences also hit a few wrong notes. Willow
should be quicker on the uptake than she is when he's transforming.
And then there's the part where he has a chance to kill her and
doesn't. Either you're a crazed animal that cares nothing for
human concerns or you're not - pick one and stick with it, show.
Getting back to Xander confidently strolling off to confront his
suspected lupine, I wondered whether he was just asking to get beat up.
But sometimes Xander can be fearless with cause, as he shows here when
he's certain he has something to blackmail Larry with. Anyone know
whether the writers already knew that Larry was gay and
overcompensating back when they first created him? Just goes to show
that sometimes the background characters on this show just random
assholes, but sometimes they'll surprise you. The aftermath scenes
with Xander getting "comically" defensive for no reason when Buffy
mentions the talk don't do it for me - I generally like my humor
less broad, particularly in the context of this series.
Without a doubt, the best scene of the episode comes when Buffy and
Xander are attacked by vampire-Theresa. In just a few minutes, we get
Buffy's reasonable-but-totally-misplaced guilt, and Xander's
accurate rebuttal. Buffy showing us that she's still a little off
her game where Angel is concerned, and Xand (stupid nickname) getting
to be the hero. And finally the quiet moment afterward at which point
it hit me that somewhere along the line, despite all the uncomfortable
crushing and such, there's real closeness and trust that's
developed between these two. Good stuff, and the punchline ("oh, no,
my life's not too complicated") is perfect.
Note that Oz is back to being something of a man of mystery now. Until
"Phases," I don't think there was any real indication that he had
supernatural awareness prior to meeting the Slaypack (the line in
"Surprise" could've just been written to be funny). But his
phone scene in this episode suggests that there's more to it. Wish
we could've heard the other end of the conversation...
Giles acts really weird during much of the episode, as if he has
something to hide. But that's never really addressed. Odd.
Remember the fifteen minutes of BTVS that I'd seen prior to starting
this project? Ten of those minutes were from "When She Was Bad" as
discussed. The other five happened when I was flipping past a rerun,
and it was a scene featuring a werewolf... I'll mention it again when
we get there. I'd just assumed it was a later episode, but now I'm
thinking it's coming up pretty soon given that what looked like the
library cage was involved.
So...
One-sentence summary: Does its job, and no more.
AOQ rating: Decent
[Season Two so far:
1) "When She Was Bad" - Good
2) "Some Assembly Required" - Weak
3) "School Hard" - Decent
4) "Inca Mummy Girl" - Good
5) "Reptile Boy" - Decent
6) "Halloween" - Good
7) "Lie To Me" - Good
8) "The Dark Age" - Good
9) "What's My Line (Part One)" - Good
10) "What's My Line (Part Two)" - Good
11) "Ted" - Excellent
12) "Bad Eggs" - Bad
13) "Surprise" - Decent
14) "Innocence" - Excellent
15) "Phases" - Decent]
Espen Schjønberg
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Two, Episode 15: "Phases"
>
> One-sentence summary: Does its job, and no more.
>
> AOQ rating: Decent
You are, again, harsh on an episode I hold as Good Buffy.
This is another one of those who wil grow on you.
Of cours Buff must be careful about showing strength. She is supposed to
be a trap - for the monsters. Then it should be a secret identity - and
she should, as a rule, work hard on staying in role as a weak girl.
Also, this is her disguise if she ever atttacks a human by accident (and
as such we can assume it did work in Ted. It wouldn't be good to have
been beating up everybody then, would it?)
I am with you on the "stupid costume" though. But, well, it is
low-budget and all. And the more expensive movies tend to use all-CGI
werewolfs - that should show how _hard_ they are to make good.
Oz' lack of talking about what happened bothered me to. But he is
genuinly afraid of being killed by Buff as The Slayer. I think that is
the point of showing Cain.
--
Espen
kenm47
season overall more than AOQ does.
Things I think worthy of note not covered by AOQ:
1. I thought it a big deal for a MALE "macho" h.s. character, pretty
much any male character, in 1998 (yes we've moved on what with Buffy's
birthday in January) to come out of the closet, and, more importantly
reflect upon that and feel a certain contentment acknowledging and
accepting it. Yes, Xander does the I don't want anyone to think I'm gay
bit, but the throwaway with Larry was, to me, groundbreaking. The kind
of thing Buffyy did when others weren't, and which now in hindsight
looks like not a big deal but really was then.
2. Not only do we get a moment of evil Angelus posing as a good guy,
and was the "scariest" moment of the show, we get Buffy's guilt over
NOT having dusted Angelus.
"Cain: You know, sis, if that thing out there harms anyone, it's going
to be on your pretty little head. I hope you can live with that.
Buffy: (stares him down) I live with that every day."
3. Except for some recent errors, IMO, like American Werewolf in Paris,
werewplf stories do not have happy endings. Joss is a traditionalist at
times. A big cue that Oz's story is not done (but I think the scene you
may have caught flipping, well, I would forget about it for now if I
were you). We definitely did need a werewolf; the hyenas were NOT
enough.
4. Willow in danger still works, no matter if contrived. And at least
she was the one that got to shoot him.
5. Vampire confronted by werewolf? Wonderful homage right there to all
the "House of ...." movies.
6. Oz is a very lucky werewolf in love.
7. Yes, the scene with Buffy, Xander and Theresa was terrific, but also
for the ability of Angelus to use lesser vamps on suicide errands :
"Angel sends his love."
8. Xander has to learn that not every hug from a pretty girl is
sexually intended - granted a tough lesson to deal with for a 17 y.o.
hetero with an unrequited crush.
9. I never saw the Giles acts like he has something to hide. Not sure
where that's coming from.
Done for now.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Espen Schjønberg
>
> 7. Yes, the scene with Buffy, Xander and Theresa was terrific, but also
> for the ability of Angelus to use lesser vamps on suicide errands :
> "Angel sends his love."
Buffster mistake: not closing the lid after dusting Theresa. She should
of course have closed the coffin, and then banged a bit on the hinges,
[can I say this? Not anyone thinking dirty here?] so the coffin was
impossible to open...
--
Espen
Noe er Feil[tm]
kenm47
"Oz: (points) This cheerleading trophy. (moves and watches) It's like
its eyes follow you wherever you go. I like it."
A great comment on Witch and Amy's mom still trapped in the trophy.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Carlos Moreno
> One-sentence summary: Does its job, and no more.
>
> AOQ rating: Decent
I'm more or less in sync with you there -- didn't particularly
like it, didn't particularly dislike it.
I agree with your remark of the best scene of the episode; you'll
soon notice that it makes it to the intro/credits (not sure if
right after, still during S2, or if it is by the time of S3, but
still)
I'm still puzzled by the inconsistency between ratings that were
the same for different episodes (quoted below).
For instance, I think Phases is infinitely better (or infinitely
less bad, if you will) than Reptile Boy, and particularly less
good than School Hard -- yet, they all get the same "Decent"
rating -- I guess I'm simply saying that I would rate School
Hard with a "Good" (at least) and Reptile Boy with a "Very bad"
(was there something below that?).
At this point, after you've seen that Spike and Drusilla have
come to play an important role in the season (maybe during the
rest of the series??? I'm not saying a word!! ;-)), if that
could possibly make you change your impression about School
Hard, the episode where they're introduced -- I think the
episode is good by itself, and the fact that S&D are introduced
is just consistent with that, and give a little added value to
it.
> [Season Two so far:
> 1) "When She Was Bad" - Good
> 2) "Some Assembly Required" - Weak
> 3) "School Hard" - Decent
> 4) "Inca Mummy Girl" - Good
> 5) "Reptile Boy" - Decent
> 6) "Halloween" - Good
> 7) "Lie To Me" - Good
> 8) "The Dark Age" - Good
> 9) "What's My Line (Part One)" - Good
> 10) "What's My Line (Part Two)" - Good
> 11) "Ted" - Excellent
> 12) "Bad Eggs" - Bad
> 13) "Surprise" - Decent
> 14) "Innocence" - Excellent
> 15) "Phases" - Decent]
Carlos
--
EGK
Will need to start adding best lines for each episode. My choice is this:
Oz: Well, you know, like, stayed out of your way for awhile.
Willow: I don't know. I'm kind of okay with you being *in* my way.
Oz: (stops and faces her) You mean, you'd still...
Willow: Well, I like you. You're nice and you're funny. And you don't
smoke. Yeah, okay, werewolf, but that's not all the time. I mean, three
days out of the month I'm not much fun to be around either.
Oz: You are quite the human.
--
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"There would be a lot more civility in this world if people
didn't take that as an invitation to walk all over you"
(Calvin and Hobbes)
Scythe Matters
> Ah, the long awaited meeting of the Greens Seth and Bruce Seth.
By who? ;-)
> Also, it gets on my bad side for a more important reason: owning one of
> the most ridiculous-looking costumes I've seen thus far on the show.
It's not the best, no. It helps to remember that this show was on a
pretty limited budget considering their effects needs.
> I don't really get
> why Willow is so adamant about Buffy acting "girly" at school. Not
> all chicks are weaklings.
Jenny: "She's so little."
Unless Buffy has mastered some martial arts discipline -- which there is
no outside-the-gang indication that she's done -- she's not going to be
able to toss the head cheerleader across the gym and body slam Larry
with quite such force. These are incidents that breed suspicion, which
is reason number one why she has to act "girly." Reason number two fits
in to a concern you've had before: another violent incident in school
(maybe ending with Larry getting hurt), and who's the happiest principal
in all of California? That's right: Snyder, who's still looking for a
reason to expel his troublemaking student. It's all subtext, but it's
definitely there and it's great continuity.
> Another scene that falls flat is the exchange in The Bronze between
> Willow and Cordelia. The idea that the two might put aside their
> differences for a second to commiserate about guy problems is fine, but
> the execution is weak. Too much of the boring "hmmph, boys"
> dialogue we've seen since dialogue existed.
I liked the scene more than you did, but I thought the acting didn't
work...and in this case, I actually blame Hannigan, who didn't do her
best work here.
> I could say that I thought the werewolf-hunting was pretty exciting,
> but then I'd be Lying To You, and I only got to do that for one
> special episode. It plods, particularly given what seems like the
> totally superfluous presence of Cain the werewolf hunter. I'm not
> sure why he's there - is it to provide the token pro-killing voice?
Testosterone gone wild. Personification thereof. Buffy gets to "break"
his metaphorical phallus in Cain's final scene. Now, why would Buffy
have any reason to be bitter about men right now? Anything come to mind,
maybe?
I think it might also help to consider the werewolf metaphor on a deeper
level. What are we told here? Uncontrolled physicality...unusual
attraction to sexual congress...and it's physically cyclical (the
writers even make this explicit when Willow associates it with her
period), and there are a half-dozen other references as well. The
werewolf is, in the conception we're shown here, the worst aspects of
maleness without any civilizing influence. And to stop it, it literally
has to be caged (in the library) or tranquilized by chemicals (for which
one could possibly read a hormonal analogy). Two "the primitive male is
bad" metaphors for the price of one! It's likely not an accident that
they're both here, and both so soon after Buffy has been really, really
brutalized by her boyfriend. (This is also why the Cordelia/Willow
bitterness towards Xander fits into the theme.)
Here's another thing to consider: Oz is the mildest-mannered character
on the show. But it appears that all his overt maleness -- the bad
aspects thereof exhibited so clearly by pre-outing Larry -- is confined
within his werewolf persona. That's interesting.
> Or is he supposed to make us fear for Oz?
Yes, but that's secondary to the larger metaphor.
All of this is somewhat mitigated, however, because you're not wrong in
thinking that this episode is not the most deftly-constructed.
> what's nice is that
> the series goes the obvious route just often enough to keep things
> fresh when it doesn't.
Yes, yes...and yes again.
> Not so wild about Oz's behavior here. Once he suspected he was a
> wolf, it was his responsibility to seek help to make sure no one else
> died because of it.
As with Buffy not staking Angel in the previous episode, you seem to
expect a lot from our confused teenagers. They may occasionally act like
adults, and certainly they have better dialogue than most adults, but
they are _not_ adults...and here, Oz is freshly aware of a particularly
horrible aspect of himself. It shouldn't be a surprise that his gut
reaction isn't necessarily the most logical one. Fear, embarassment,
avoidance, a cover-up...all natural, no matter how potentially dangerous.
Oz: I didn't know what to say. I mean, it's not everyday you find out
you're a werewolf. That's fairly freaksome. It may take a couple days
getting used to.
> I think they let that slide
> too easily at the end of the episode. If Willow doesn't want to be
> upset, that's her choice, but _someone_ should have been.
It's probably true that someone should have wagged a finger. On the
other hand, we've got a bit of a history already of giving our core
characters a get out of jail free card; note that there were no real
repercussions to Xander's foray into hyenadom, for example. And we
forgave Giles fairly quickly. (Outside the core, matters are
different...as Jenny is finding out.) It's a consistent
characterization, at least thus far, even if it's not necessarily the
wisest course of action.
> And then there's the part where he has a chance to kill her and
> doesn't. Either you're a crazed animal that cares nothing for
> human concerns or you're not - pick one and stick with it, show.
He was more attracted to the Cain-bait. A more interesting target than
Willow.
> Without a doubt, the best scene of the episode comes when Buffy and
> Xander are attacked by vampire-Theresa. In just a few minutes, we get
> Buffy's reasonable-but-totally-misplaced guilt, and Xander's
> accurate rebuttal. Buffy showing us that she's still a little off
> her game where Angel is concerned, and Xand (stupid nickname) getting
> to be the hero. And finally the quiet moment afterward at which point
> it hit me that somewhere along the line, despite all the uncomfortable
> crushing and such, there's real closeness and trust that's
> developed between these two. Good stuff, and the punchline ("oh, no,
> my life's not too complicated") is perfect.
It's a little beyond "closeness and trust." I think Buffy's look at
Xander is clearly supposed to indicate the possibility of romantic
interest; at the very least, that's how Xander interprets it. Plus, it's
the first -- possibly only -- time Xander has ever expressed comfort and
understanding about Angel.
> Note that Oz is back to being something of a man of mystery now. Until
> "Phases," I don't think there was any real indication that he had
> supernatural awareness prior to meeting the Slaypack (the line in
> "Surprise" could've just been written to be funny). But his
> phone scene in this episode suggests that there's more to it. Wish
> we could've heard the other end of the conversation...
I think you missed the order of events...or more likely, missed a line
in the gymnasium.
1) Oz gets his finger bitten by his cousin:
Larry: Oh, last week some huge dog jumped out of the bushes and bit me.
Thirty-nine stitches. They oughta shoot those strays.
Oz: (next to Larry) I've been there, man. (holds up his finger) My
cousin Jordy just got his grownup teeth in? Does not like to be tickled.
2) Oz finds out that there's a werewolf (scene around Cordelia's damaged
car).
3) Oz realizes *he's* a werewolf:
Oz wakes up, opens his eyes and looks around confused. He sits up and
stares around at the forest. He looks down at himself and realizes he's
naked.
Oz: (confused) Huh.
4) Oz draws the connection between the two:
Oz: Aunt Maureen. Hey, it's me. Um, what? Oh! It's, uh... actually it's
healing okay. That's pretty much the reason I called. Um, I wanted to
ask you something. Is Jordy a werewolf? Uh-huh. And how long has that
been going on? Uh-huh. What? No, no reason. Um... Thanks. Yeah, love to
Uncle Ken.
Some other notes:
- Xander's "gross emotional problems" are even more in evidence here.
He's with Cordelia (both in the car and in the bleachers), and what's he
obsessing about? Oz and Willow. Clearly, he has a problem with them
being together. What right does he have to question? It fits in with his
inability to accept anyone dating Buffy, even if he can't have her.
Perhaps more importantly, what does it mean that Xander is exhibiting
this particular emotion towards both Buffy *and* Willow?
- Giles finally laughs at one of Xander's jokes. And not a funny one,
either.
- How can you not love the great pun:
Buffy (referencing Cain): I think I know where to look. We just have to
make it there before mein furrier.
- Great moment of continuity re: Oz and the cheerleader statue.
> AOQ rating: Decent
No disagreement.
Don Sample
"Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
> A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> threads.
>
>
> BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> Season Two, Episode 15: "Phases"
> (or "Be vewwy vewwy qwiet. We'we hunting wewewolves.")
> Writers: Rob Des Hostel and Dean Batali
> Director: Bruce Seth Green
>
> Also, it gets on my bad side for a more important reason: owning one of
> the most ridiculous-looking costumes I've seen thus far on the show.
> Seriously, couldn't the effects wizards have come up with anything
> better than that stupid bear thing? It looks like the love child of
> Yoda and Fozzy. Especially given that, given the way the episode turns
> out, this doesn't look like a one-off monster that we'll never see
> again...
Ah yes, the infamous Giant Gay Opossum costume. Everyone hated it, and
I don't think that it's too spoilery to say that they do a major rework
on it for future appearances of the Ozwolf.
> I could say that I thought the werewolf-hunting was pretty exciting,
> but then I'd be Lying To You, and I only got to do that for one
> special episode. It plods, particularly given what seems like the
> totally superfluous presence of Cain the werewolf hunter. I'm not
> sure why he's there - is it to provide the token pro-killing voice?
> He's too unlikable to work that way. Or is he supposed to make us
> fear for Oz? Whatever. Giles almost taking a swing at him after the
> "fresh fruit" comment is one nice moment. I don't get why Buffy
> casually mentions the werewolves to Cain. Maybe he's giving off
> invisible I'm-in-the-know vibes that Slayers can smell.
I think that Buffy was going for one of those "Lie by telling the truth
that sounds like a lie" things, like when she told her mother that she
was saving the world from vampires in 'Bad Eggs.' It didn't work
because Cain knew about the werewolf.
> Not so wild about Oz's behavior here. Once he suspected he was a
> wolf, it was his responsibility to seek help to make sure no one else
> died because of it. Yeah, I know he tried to take care of it himself,
> but look how well it didn't work out. I think they let that slide
> too easily at the end of the episode. If Willow doesn't want to be
> upset, that's her choice, but _someone_ should have been.
I really think that Oz entered the library intending to tell them, but
then as he opens the door he hears Buffy saying "I should've killed it
when I had the chance," and changes his mind.
>
> >From there, the final-act sequences also hit a few wrong notes. Willow
> should be quicker on the uptake than she is when he's transforming.
> And then there's the part where he has a chance to kill her and
> doesn't. Either you're a crazed animal that cares nothing for
> human concerns or you're not - pick one and stick with it, show.
Crazed animal with a choice between going after someone alive and
kicking and liable to hurt you, vs. nice fresh meat that can't fight
back. A lot of them will go for the meat. Crazed doesn't always equal
stupid.
--
Quando omni flunkus moritati
Visit the Buffy Body Count at <http://homepage.mac.com/dsample/>
Don Sample
Espen Schjønberg <ess...@excite.com> wrote:
> On 20.02.2006 16:04, Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
> > A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> > threads.
> >
> >
> > BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> > Season Two, Episode 15: "Phases"
>
> I am with you on the "stupid costume" though. But, well, it is
> low-budget and all. And the more expensive movies tend to use all-CGI
> werewolfs - that should show how _hard_ they are to make good.
I often wish that they'd gone the route of having the werewolf turn
completely in to a wolf during the full moon, and hired a big dog.
(There really wasn't much that they ever did with Oz in wolf form that a
well trained dog, and a couple of animatronic heads and paws couldn't
have done.)
Don Sample
Espen Schjønberg <ess...@excite.com> wrote:
This was a Sunnydale funeral home. "Oh damn, another one got up and
walked away. Well, go get some sandbags Joe."
Jeff Jacoby
> Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
[snip]
>> Note that Oz is back to being something of a man of mystery now. Until
>> "Phases," I don't think there was any real indication that he had
>> supernatural awareness prior to meeting the Slaypack (the line in
>> "Surprise" could've just been written to be funny). But his
>> phone scene in this episode suggests that there's more to it. Wish
>> we could've heard the other end of the conversation...
>
> I think you missed the order of events...or more likely, missed a line
> in the gymnasium.
>
> 1) Oz gets his finger bitten by his cousin:
>
> Larry: Oh, last week some huge dog jumped out of the bushes and bit me.
> Thirty-nine stitches. They oughta shoot those strays.
>
> Oz: (next to Larry) I've been there, man. (holds up his finger) My
> cousin Jordy just got his grownup teeth in? Does not like to be tickled.
>
> 2) Oz finds out that there's a werewolf (scene around Cordelia's damaged
> car).
>
> 3) Oz realizes *he's* a werewolf:
>
> Oz wakes up, opens his eyes and looks around confused. He sits up and
> stares around at the forest. He looks down at himself and realizes he's
> naked.
>
> Oz: (confused) Huh.
Does anyone else think there's a plot hole here? The confused
"huh" comment comes after his *second* night as a werewolf. What
was he thinking after the first night (when he also likely woke
up somewhere in the woods, naked)?
Jeff
Scythe Matters
> Does anyone else think there's a plot hole here? The confused
> "huh" comment comes after his *second* night as a werewolf. What
> was he thinking after the first night (when he also likely woke
> up somewhere in the woods, naked)?
Maybe the "werewolf juice" takes a day to gestate? ;-)
Don Sample
Jeff Jacoby <jjaco...@yahoo.com> wrote:
"Wow! That must have been some party!"
Don Sample
Scythe Matters <sp...@spam.spam> wrote:
No, he was a wolf the night before, when he attacked Xander and Cordy in
the car (unless there's *another* wolf running around the neighbourhood.)
kenm47
Nice catch. I've seen the episode at least 4 times, and that "first"
night naked never occurred to me.
Ken (Brooklyn)
Scythe Matters
> No, he was a wolf the night before, when he attacked Xander and Cordy in
> the car (unless there's *another* wolf running around the neighbourhood.)
Oh, don't be silly. Two werewolves? That would never happen.
vague disclaimer
Don Sample <dsa...@synapse.net> wrote:
> > Not so wild about Oz's behavior here. Once he suspected he was a
> > wolf, it was his responsibility to seek help to make sure no one else
> > died because of it. Yeah, I know he tried to take care of it himself,
> > but look how well it didn't work out. I think they let that slide
> > too easily at the end of the episode. If Willow doesn't want to be
> > upset, that's her choice, but _someone_ should have been.
>
> I really think that Oz entered the library intending to tell them, but
> then as he opens the door he hears Buffy saying "I should've killed it
> when I had the chance," and changes his mind.
I actually thought that was kinda obvious.
--
A vague disclaimer is nobody's friend
hopelessly devoted
Arbitrar Of Quality wrote:
Again, I will try to comment, even though the bulk of my S2 tapings
are in storage.
> "Phases" is a werewolf story, as it reveals early on. Yet another
> monster movie homage, but really, doesn't this kind of show more or
> less have to do werewolves at some point?
My exact thoughts, although AWIP it would never come close to.
> The werewolf tries to get on my good side by interrupting a
> Xander/Cordelia scene.
You're not getting past the X/C thing any time soon, are you? OK.
> Also, it gets on my bad side for a more important reason: owning one of
> the most ridiculous-looking costumes I've seen thus far on the show.
I don't know. Teacher's Pet will always have my vote for worst *.* of
the series.
> In retrospect I don't know if I "should have"
> known that Larry was too obviously a red herring; what's nice is that
> the series goes the obvious route just often enough to keep things
> fresh when it doesn't.
Or, as I've come to understand, the show was great at hiding things in
plain sight. More later.......
> Anyone know
> whether the writers already knew that Larry was gay and
> overcompensating back when they first created him? Just goes to show
> that sometimes the background characters on this show just random
> assholes, but sometimes they'll surprise you.
Great Observation, but further comment would only spoil future
surprises.
> It plods, particularly given what seems like the
> totally superfluous presence of Cain the werewolf hunter. I'm not
> sure why he's there - is it to provide the token pro-killing voice?
> >From there, the final-act sequences also hit a few wrong notes. Willow
> should be quicker on the uptake than she is when he's transforming.
> Without a doubt, the best scene of the episode comes when Buffy and
> Xander are attacked by vampire-Theresa. In just a few minutes, we get
> Buffy's reasonable-but-totally-misplaced guilt, and Xander's
> accurate rebuttal.
> Note that Oz is back to being something of a man of mystery now.
The last three eps, Surprise, Innocense and Phases all have one thing
in common that I think have been overlooked. Or maybe just me. It is
the one thing that became a turning point for the show, and locked a
lot of viewers in where other shows seemed to plod along in the common
soil or regular television.
That One Thing: The Grey Area.
Up until Surprise, everything was pretty much black and white. As
someone else put it, "vampire, slayer, dead vampire." Easy, right?
Except..........
What happens when the solution becomes complicated with emotions,
friendships, the heart. The grey area here is pretty well breached.
While you mentioned that killing Angel at the end of innocense was a
mistake, I always felt right away that decision took BTVS out of the
world of black and white, right and wrong, ordinary tv, and put it into
an area that, IMO, has only been held by two other shows, Soap and
TNG. That area being the grey area and far more interesting.
Just a thought.
3
> 1) "When She Was Bad" - Good - Dean Batali and Rob Des Hotel
hopelessly devoted
Damn, I will never get that word right the first time.
John Briggs
> or gray.
>
> Damn, I will never get that word right the first time.
I can't see anything wrong with "grey".
--
John Briggs
Bill Reid
John Briggs <john.b...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:FksKf.3437$58....@newsfe3-win.ntli.net...
> hopelessly devoted wrote:
> > or gray.
> >
> > Damn, I will never get that word right the first time.
>
> I can't see anything wrong with "grey".
Well, you wouldn't. You don't know how to spell colors correctly.
---
William Ernest Reid
Bill Reid
Scythe Matters <sp...@spam.spam> wrote in message
news:5KydnXRpE5D...@rcn.net...
Now you just shuddup...
---
William Ernest Reid
Bill Reid
Don Sample <dsa...@synapse.net> wrote in message
news:dsample-3EA0FB...@news.giganews.com...
> In article <1140447894.1...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>,
> "Arbitrar Of Quality" <tsm...@wildmail.com> wrote:
>
> > A reminder: Please avoid spoilers for later episodes in these review
> > threads.
> >
> > BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER
> > Season Two, Episode 15: "Phases"
> >
> > the most ridiculous-looking costumes I've seen thus far on the show.
> > Seriously, couldn't the effects wizards have come up with anything
> > better than that stupid bear thing? It looks like the love child of
> > Yoda and Fozzy. Especially given that, given the way the episode turns
> > out, this doesn't look like a one-off monster that we'll never see
> > again...
>
> Ah yes, the infamous Giant Gay Opossum costume. Everyone hated it, and
> I don't think that it's too spoilery to say that they do a major rework
> on it for future appearances of the Ozwolf.
>
much better?
Look, all this talk abou YA crappy monster costume and when, where
and how Oz would have realized he was a werewolf is really missing the
point. The important thing for nitpickers is: THE HORRIBLE
CONTINUITY OF WILLOW'S YELLOW OVERALLS.
When she's being pursued by the werewolf, she does the standard
running girl fall down in the mud thing, and clearly fudges her huggies.
Then, IN THE VERY NEXT SHOT SECONDS LATER RUNNING
INTO THE LIBRARY, THERE'S NOT ONE SPECK OF MUD
ON HER CLOTHES. Then, later, THEY'RE DIRTY AGAIN, BUT
IN NEW AREAS!!!
My AOC ("Arbitraitor Of Continuity") rating is DECENT...the
continuity could have been much, much worse, as it was in many,
many other episodes...
---
William Ernest Reid
Carlos Moreno
> hopelessly devoted wrote:
>
>>or gray.
>>
>>Damn, I will never get that word right the first time.
The above is a non-statement -- I mean, you already did not
get it right the first time; there will be no more first
times in the future, so it makes no sense to phrase it the
way it is phrased above... right? ;-)
> I can't see anything wrong with "grey".
I'm sure Giles wouldn't have any trouble with that spelling
either ... Most kids today will probably have trouble with
either spelling :-(
Carlos
--
John Briggs
"colours"
:-)
--
John Briggs
Don Sample
"John Briggs" <john.b...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> hopelessly devoted wrote:
> > or gray.
> >
> > Damn, I will never get that word right the first time.
>
> I can't see anything wrong with "grey".
"Grey" is one of those words that Americans always misspell.
Don Sample
"Bill Reid" <horme...@happyhealthy.net> wrote:
> Look, all this talk abou YA crappy monster costume and when, where
> and how Oz would have realized he was a werewolf is really missing the
> point. The important thing for nitpickers is: THE HORRIBLE
> CONTINUITY OF WILLOW'S YELLOW OVERALLS.
>
> When she's being pursued by the werewolf, she does the standard
> running girl fall down in the mud thing, and clearly fudges her huggies.
> Then, IN THE VERY NEXT SHOT SECONDS LATER RUNNING
> INTO THE LIBRARY, THERE'S NOT ONE SPECK OF MUD
> ON HER CLOTHES. Then, later, THEY'RE DIRTY AGAIN, BUT
> IN NEW AREAS!!!
>
> My AOC ("Arbitraitor Of Continuity") rating is DECENT...the
> continuity could have been much, much worse, as it was in many,
> many other episodes...
What about Giles' glasses when she comes running into the library?
They're on, they're off, they're on, they're off...
hopelessly devoted
Carlos Moreno wrote:
> The above is a non-statement -- I mean, you already did not
> get it right the first time; there will be no more first
> times in the future, so it makes no sense to phrase it the
> way it is phrased above... right? ;-)
Unfortunately, I believe I'll get an opportunity to mispell it in the
future. "First time" being a relative phase. As my college Dean would
say whenever I asked "How are you?", he'd reply "Compared to what?"
without fail.
> > I can't see anything wrong with "grey".
>
> I'm sure Giles wouldn't have any trouble with that spelling
> either ... Most kids today will probably have trouble with
> either spelling :-(
Agreed, but I've always had a interesting relationship with words and
that one has always seemed to piss me off. LOL. Even though both are
"accepted" spellings of the same term, I believe gray to be the
original and "older" of the two. Sorry, my personal obsession.
hopelessly devoted
hopelessly devoted wrote:
> Carlos Moreno wrote:
>
> > The above is a non-statement -- I mean, you already did not
> > get it right the first time; there will be no more first
> > times in the future, so it makes no sense to phrase it the
> > way it is phrased above... right? ;-)
>
> Unfortunately, I believe I'll get an opportunity to mispell it in the
> future. "First time" being a relative phase. As my college Dean would
> say whenever I asked "How are you?", he'd reply "Compared to what?"
> without fail.
>
> > > I can't see anything wrong with "grey".
> >
> > I'm sure Giles wouldn't have any trouble with that spelling
> > either ... Most kids today will probably have trouble with
> > either spelling :-(
>
Yes, my favorite is Willow. How'd you guess.
