Can't believe the next run of 3. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one. Traveling for the next two weeks to help a family member but I will be working on the script for 'Reprise,' while I do. Be back next month for...the pain. Take care of yourselves. Patreon link if you'd care to throw a burger our way or join in on the episode discussion streams: www.patreon.com/passionofthenerd
I think everyone deserves the _chance_ to have someone, whether a romantic someone or friend. Reciprocated affection, physical or otherwise, and love are not deserved, but earned and worked at to keep. Sometimes, one needs to realize the reasons why someone isn’t right for oneself, no matter how great the relationship seems. The fear of being alone, is often why one stays in a relationship until it becomes toxic, or until oneself becomes toxic within that relationship. This is why I’d always prefer a woman who is most like Anya. Straightforward with what they want, asking what I want, and calling out BS, no matter the embarrassment, whether mine or hers.
@@CorbCorbin I think u contradicted yourself. Everyone deserves a chance to have someone- immediately followed by - reciprocated affection, physical or otherwise, and love are not deserved but earned and worked at to keep. So which is it? Deserved or earned? Or perhaps deserved to be earned? I don't think anyone deserves anything as far as romantic love goes. It's just something that happens mutually and not for everyone. When we think we deserve something we tend to get depressed or think something's wrong when it doesn't happen. That often leads to measures being taken that aren't always in our best interests. I feel what u mean though.
Tara is always the character that accepts other people for who they are, flaws and all and tries to see past the surface. That's why Tara is the the one Buffy turned to when she was torn up about what she'd been doing with Spike - Tara gave Buffy honesty, compassion and acceptance but no judgement.
@@NicoleTunis well, after saying that Buffy's nuts in "Intervention" a season earlier. and no, she turned to her bcs of her magic skills, to help her check if she came back wrong.
@@celinelia8127 I don't think Tara was necessarily out of line in saying Season 5 Buffy was nuts for possibly sleeping with Spike. Season 6 Buffy was severely depressed. While hooking up with a vampire definitely wasn't the sanest way of coping with the trauma of being ripped out of Heaven, those circumstances make it hard to judge her.
@@BTTFMovie oh no, Tara was not out of line, my point was only that she was not at all empathetic in that situation. this was right after buffy lost her mother, too.
There's some great ones from Same Time, Same Place (not a surprise, as it's also a Jane episode). I particularly love: "Come in. Enjoy my personal space." & "Oh god, please stop hitting me with my own rib bones."
Giving Joyce some truly great and lighthearted scenes in this episode was a truly brilliant counterpoint to where they were going next. It makes something that is already an absolute gut punch feel all the more acute.
"Everyone deserves to have someone" A textbook incel assertion that can be misread as sweet or at least harmless on the surface. I never noticed but really like just how much of Warrens's vileness is foreshadowed or even shown in small increments in this episode.
I genuinely believe that Warren (and to a lesser extent the trio) were the most prescient thing in this entire show when you look at the ways baldfaced misogyny has seeped into online/nerd culture over the intervening 20+ years. He's the show's scariest villain IMHO because he's all too real.
@@Tim85-y2q Bald faced misogyny, gets people canceled now. Even a little misogyny joke can. The tiny vocal Twitter minority, is now facing a backlash within the arts, after nearly a decade of trying to get people fired, who were actually allies. Look at most of Marvel comics. The self named milkshake crew can barely sell a comic, because they’ve forced diversity of every type into books over actual story, character and reality. Hiring writers who have little to no experience, has resulted in weak books, and weaker sales, while Marvel has been too scared to take certain people off a book, because of being labeled phobic in some way. This has been changing since Covid, slowly but surely, and many of the loudest voices will end up with nowhere to apply their trade. I don’t mind diversity; in fact, it’s very important. Yet, forcing it will only result in losing more and more consumers of said art.
@@Tim85-y2q It's especially unsettling because of how *grounded* it is in this episode. If you don't know about April and just take his interactions with Katrina into account, he seems like an insensitive dick, but nothing more than that. Just a standard not-good boyfriend. He's just a normal, dweeby guy. ...Then you learn what he gets up to in his spare time with April. You could pass him on the street and never know. It's...unsettlingly believable.
@@ms_scribbles When you boil it down "cancel culture" is only a new term for something that's been going on since there have been public figures. If people alienate a significant portion of their fans/customers/employers/sponsors/business partners etc. of course that may have negative consequences for them, but contrary to popular belief, that's in no way some new thing cooked up by a lefty Twitter mob to ensnare innocent people.
Not technically one line but I like the exchange she has with Robot Buffy. It's something like "How is your money" "It's well, Thank you" just the earnestness in her voice
@@Eightsixseven23224 That line (and reading) is so great because it conveys the sense that she's been waiting for someone to ask that for a long time and is pleased someone finally has.
Leaving the cliffhanger out makes a lot of sense, as it wasn’t even part of the script for this episode, nor was it filmed as part of the production for this episode. Except for the time in the editing room to tack it on at the end, it was entirely produced as the first scene of the next episode.
Anthony Head is a national treasure. He’s ridiculously good and convincing at playing both heart-warming, guiding father figures, and chillingly cold villains/antiheroes. The scene with April dying still gets me every time. I don’t know why a scene with a robot dying is so touching. Maybe because she’s so innocent and naive, and was just trying her best, and she has to end *this* way.
Man, with Buffy lying to April as her battery runs down, the ending scene of Lie to Me, and "do you want me to lie to you know" when Wesley dies in Angel, comforting lies in the face of death are a Thing in the Buffyverse.
Buffy: Can you cry? Sometimes I feel better when I cry. But there might be rust issues. April: Crying is blackmail. Good girlfriends don't cry. Buffy: Oh. April: I've rechecked everything. I did everything I was supposed to do. I was a good girlfriend. Buffy: I'm sure you were. April: I'm only supposed to love him. If I can't do that, what am I for? What do I exist for? Buffy: I don't know. It isn't fair. He wasn't fair to you. April: It's getting dark. It's so early to be so dark. *Buffy look around. The sun is still out* Buffy: Yeah. April: What if he comes back and he can't find me in the dark? Buffy: I'm here. I'll make sure that he finds you. April: Maybe this is a girlfriend test. If I wait here patiently this time, he'll come back. Buffy: I'm sure he will. And he'll tell you how sorry he is. You know, he told me how proud he was of you and how impressed he was with how much you loved him and how you tried to help him. He didn't mean to hurt you. April: He's going to take me home and things'll be right again. Buffy: It'll be fine. April: When things are sad you just have to be patient because...because every cloud has a silver lining. And when life gives you lemons make lemonade. Buffy: Clouds and lemonade, huh? April: *Shutting down* Yes. And things...are...always darkest...before.... *April stops working*
"Crying is blackmail. Good girlfriends don't cry." I don't remember the details of this episode too well, but that line has always stuck out to me as saying A LOT about Warren's character. The dude was always extremely horrible.
This episode always stuck in my head. It's the episode that heralds the arrival of not just The Body, but a massively darker tone shift In the series in general. Warren's introduction is eerily fitting at this point, the major plot point of the sex bot is established, and April's final line is so chilling given EVERYTHING that comes after. I recognise it as a great episode in its own right, but I can never exactly *enjoy* it ever again as everything in it, even the lighthearted and wholesome moments, are a reminder of what's to come. In a way, that elevates the episode even more.
anya's my neurodiverse hero, she has so much great dialogue, one liners and witticisms but nothing even comes close to the brilliance of her mask-off meltdown in 'the body'.
@@vicky__p I always thought I'd be a Xander. I'm like him in more ways than I'm comfortable with. But I ended up being a Willow. Completely changed how I dressed after that.
@@FaolanHart I know people crap on Xander (and I totally get why because if a line from this series is clunky or hasn't aged well, there's an overwhelming likelihood it's one of his), but adolescent me was more like him in many respects than I want to admit. They really didn't a great job of capturing "fragile adolescent masculinity trying to figure things out" with his character IMHO. Plus his "I'm 17, looking at linoleum makes me want to have sex" is my favorite line of the series. Struck me as all too true when I first saw that episode as an actual teenager and still cracks me up today.
@@FaolanHart At the beginning of the series I thought I was a Willow, nerdy hacker, I realized along the way I'm not, I'm Tara, and that's both wonderful and sad.
Xander was still admirable and beloved to me, because you just knew he was of course going to figure it out. he had 'future fatherly figure' stamped all over him, he just had to grow out of the awkward teen stuff. trust me people get it @@Tim85-y2q
"What kind of lesbians are you? If you love men so much, go love men!" "We should drop a piano on her. Well, it always works for that creepy cartoon rabbit when he's running from that nice man with the speech impediment." "Yes, we've enjoyed spanking." "Sensible! You think it's sensible for me to go down into that pit of cotton-top hell, and let them hippity-hop all over my vulnerable flesh?" "The annoying virgin has a point." "I have finesse. I have finesse coming out of my bottom!" "I was being patient, but it took too long." "To commemorate a past event you kill and eat an animal. A ritual sacrifice... with pie." “But I have their money. Who cares what kind of day they have." So many great Anya lines to choose from, but her speech in 'The Body' is the absolute best. Not funny like the others, but just...perfection.
These guides just keep getting better and better, bringing up points I’d missed the first time around, adding depth and interesting perspectives to an already excellent watch 😊
RIP April, you deserved better than Warren, we all do. I know they didn't foreshadow the situation that happens later with Warren, but it's almost impossible not to notice on the rewatch.
> [we all deserve] better than Warren Since there's ~7bn of us, there's probably some female Warren out there who does _not_ deserve better than Warren. Well, except maybe solitude is better than Warren and everyone is entitled to solitude.
Yeah, that is her best line of the series (and on the shortlist for THE best line in the series), but it's also not really a standard "Anya line". (in the sense that Ian seems to be using it here)
I would say monologue some lines are so good but by far the best monologue … it’s strange all these powerful moments we remember from shows the actors barely remember being there
The "Where does she go from here?" gag made me snort, so well done, Ian. I also love it when Giles lets some Ripper out. I've seen Anthony Stewart Head in quite a few villain roles now and he suits them very well. You're right also, that there's a lot more to this episode than at first glance. I keep forgetting that this is the episode that comes before The Body. Keep a brave heart going forward.
> Where does she go from here? Am I failing to remember when Buffy expressed sexual interest in women? Or are we suggesting there might be some connection between Glory and Buffy's almost-date Ben?
I don't think that's what the joke is about. @@jonaskoelker It's a deliberately awkward reference to the upcoming musical episode, punctuated with shots of the Scoobies - Xander included as well as women) looking awkward to accent it, as if they're reacting to the narration. ( 9:39 for people to check what I'm referring to.)
@@jonaskoelkerI'll indulge you this time but if you don't get it, I can't help you. The phrase "Where do we go from here?" Is another way of saying "now what do we do?" However, in the context of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "where do we go from here?" Is also a direct reference to the upcoming musical episode "once more with feeling. " "where do we go from here" is the title of one of the songs at the end, once the climax of that episode is resolved. There you go. Joke explained. It's just Ian making a humorous, awkward reference and it made me snort with laughter the first time I watched this video. Nothing to do with Buffy being attracted to women. If you're looking for that, I'll direct you the episodes that explored Buffy and Faith's relationship.
A masterclass, Ian, in describing both compassion and loneliness. In an episode firmly grounded in "who has control of you", you were able to pull out what we fear about being alone and the importance of granting ourselves the compassion needed to walk alone. Lovely, just lovely. Thank you ❤️
I can't believe I've been watching for that long waiting for Ian to tackle the next episode. It's going to be like (bittersweet) Christmas to finally get there.
This one is one of my favourite episodes from season 5. I just love how April represents a charicature of what Buffy thinks a perfect keeper girl should be. This relentless need to be with someone was toxic, she saw that in April and relented from it
Thank you! So many people dismiss this episode, but it has some of my very favorite character interactions. Including Daddy-I-Mean-Giles getting scary. ;) Also, April’s death has always been so very sad to me, even on the first watch when I didn’t know what was coming next. It’s just really nice to see this ep get a little appreciation.
I think this might be one of your better ones, and that's saying something Ian. I think everyone does deserve love and no one is entitled to anyone else. The fact that both statements are true is part of the complicatedness of life
It's ridiculous how excited I get with every new video you publish. I have to admit though, I am looking forward to and dreading the next trio in equal measure. Having heard you speak about them previously I'm aware that they had a huge impact on you (as they did on me), and I know they're going to be emotional for you, which means they're going to be emotional for us too. Please know how much your efforts and insights are appreciated 🙏 Thank you x
Shonda Farr does a wonderful job there. Sarah's performance is so unique for Buffy, melancholy and somber. The music hits beautifully. Yeah, that scene is terrific.
For me, Warren in this season comes off as being like the book version of Victor Frankenstein. Like Victor he's a young genius who tried to make a "perfect" person, but then abandoned his creation when it didn't turn out how he hoped it would, then his refusal to take responsibility and fear of consequences if he did causes people to get hurt when his creation comes back to him, including the person he was with. Interestingly enough originally Tucker was meant to be the Trio leader, with Warren and Jonathan as his comic-relief lackeys, but Brad Kane was unavailable to return at the time.
"Spike as a dark Yang to Buffy". Okay, that sounds fascinating. Really hope we get a full unpacking from you on that.☺️ (Which speaks to the power of your insightful writing cos I've actually grown a little tired of seeing posts about Spike on my Tumblr and even Facebook feed. The uncritical veneration of him coupled with sometimes sneering at Angel's characterisation has really started to grate, to the point where I almost want to avoid talking about him. But that sounds really interesting!)
I truly believe if this show released today it would win many awards. It’s a crime that Sarah was never nominated for an Emmy. Her range is incredible and has always been so shocking to me. She can make you laugh one minute with the most quirky line delivery ever and then you’re sobbing three scenes later. This show will always hold a special place in my heart. Also, I had a major gut punch when I remembered this was the episode before the body. I can’t think about that episode without getting emotional. Definitely one of the best pieces of television ever written.
She does sound like Tara at the end! Deliberate, I wonder... If deliberate, that is some seriously clever writing. Oh, Ian, your analyses bring me such joy. Thank you.
Who needs therapy after yet another failure in love when you can watch PoTN videos instead? After every video I am left humbled, comforted and blubbering. Only time will tell what the future holds... ⏳️
Scarily enough, Cordelia is the closest thing to a competent wingman Buffy ever had. The 'Reptile Boy' scene may be the last relationship advice she got from a cishet, non-demon woman. No wonder she's lost in the woods
It's not even THE episode yet and I'm already tearing up. Thank you for this guide, makes me realize it's time to re-watch Buffy again. Struggling with the same as Buffy at this point in life.
Thank you Ian. My favourite guides are always the ones where you make connections that I've never seen before despite having seen the show dozens of times. I'd never taken the time to note the similarities between Warren and Buffy here, at least not beyond her feeling bad when the scoobies express pity for him. Really enlightening to realise that this ep dips into the duality theme once again! Also cackled at "sarting in bed". :D I can't quite decide my favourite Anya line but it's between "Come in! Enjoy my personal space" and "I have finesse! I have finesse coming out of my bottom!" And finally a ship I feel I can board. #cookiedoughshipper
One of my own favourite episodes, and as so often, you’ve made my appreciation of it even greater. One little point to add: I think it’s the first time we’ve seen Tara and Anya share a scene, and it’s delightful. Almost as much as the writing for Joyce, but we won’t talk about why we should guard that as something infinitely precious.
It's not the first (they snuck out together during the Scooby Civil War in 'The Yoko Factor') but their connections make it so they don't do it very often.
I can’t believe I’m lying in bed with my phone as close to my face as physically possible for 17 whole mins, drinking in the nectar of content, and still be shocked and saddened when it has ended. That one just flew by.
I love how these guides help me appreciate the show even more all these years later. The layers are crazy - I can't believe I never clocked that it was TARA that defended Warren 🥺
This episode always stuck with me. April is perfect and was cruelly abandoned, much like a puppy, and left to die. I can’t imagine being Warren’s gf and discovering what an insecure, dominant, and cruel person my partner was. What a horror show. He probably showed these characteristics in small ways that were easy to ignore. I cried at the end for April when it originally aired and I cried during a rewatch earlier this month.
> What a horror show And strangely, I think the most heinous thing Warren does in this episode is-and I accept that this is debatable-try to murder Buffy by activating April's combat mode.
I tried to think of my favourite Anya line. The speech from The Body is powerful, but I realised that I like practically every Anya line. Even when she isn't talking, like the gesture in Hush. Her suggestion as to a practical use for two Xanders also shows her ability to see opportunities in problems.
I love how this video is just like “what Body? There is no Body? Everyone in this episode lives happily ever after! Nope. No death is coming. None whatsoever” lol
I’m glad you chose not to talk about the cliffhanger. That definitely feels like a “next video” kind of conversation. I was actually just thinking about these videos yesterday, because I wondered if you had a preference on the shows Buffy vs Angel. I personally think that, while Angel has a lot of great character work, there are a lot more clunker episodes.
I feel like my favorite part of this episode is the end, not because it was over but the way Buffy showed April so much compassion. It reminds me of the episode of batman where he sits with Ace and it gives both Buffy and Batman a softness to their usual edge.
That's so powerful, ending these episodes with the sound of the creaking structure.... Gives me the chills every time (and I watch your videos many times, so this is saying something).
Regarding loneliness: It's been my observation that the people who are happily single end up in far better relationships than those who are miserably lonely while single. As a happily single person, I wasn't going to stay in a relationship unless it was better than being single. Therefore, I had pretty good relationships, culminating in a happy marriage. For those who are desperately lonely and miserable, they will accept terrible partners, and cling to terrible relationships, just because they're slightly better than the misery of being alone.
I think it's more neauanced than that. I've been very happy single and still fallen into troublesome relationships. In part because of ACEs, accepting familiarity as part of survival, and unconscious recaptualization, but also because very rarely is anyone or any relationship all bad. The ratio could be 80% good/20% bad its just that 20% is realllllly bad....
@@samanthas8340 , If a relationship is 20% (or 10%) bad, then it's a *terrible* relationship. Think about it. How much of the remaining 80% or 90% were you walking on eggshells, hoping to avoid the bad 10% or 20%?
@@karlr750 I understand that but it's important to validate why people stay in those relationships (same as its important to understand why people use drugs to cope despite the obvious risks). The first comment read as a little victim shaming to me, though I doubt that was what was intended. So I just wanted to shed a little light especially since the comment also came across like you were saying you never been in a bad relationship and then perhaps not fully grasping the full perspective/experience.
I think I just realised how much I have been waiting for you to get to the next run of episodes. It may be one of the reasons I have stuck with you for these years. And why even just thinking about it is already making me teary …
Complete chills with the outro and the gift sounds in the background. Great video as always.. not sure if I’ll skip the next one… I always skip 5/16 with every reactor 😭 Anya has too many amazing lines to pick just one 🧡
Just scrolling through RUclips and totally almost started crying looking at the robot’s face knowing what happens in like 5 minutes. Also, RUclips Buffy recap‽ I guess I’m marathoning this channel.
I always thought it was odd that everyone jumped to the conclusion that April was a Robot so easily. I mean, sure, she's peculiar but tossing Spike through a window could mean any manner of things. She could be a demon in human form. Or heck, even a new Slayer!! They weren't exactly keeping tabs on Faith at this point. She easily could have died in prison for all the Scoobies knew and a very odd Potential was Called.
I always took it as the Scoobies getting really good at what they do (maybe even a lil cocky)? There are other little things showing their growth and experience in the episode too (like the quality of Xanders window install at the end), there are a fair few “we got this” vibes. It’s something that would have confounded them for a bit in earlier seasons and sent them into research mode, but now they’ve levelled up in experience. That said, things are about to get harder and more complicated real soon, and with what’s coming it’s an interesting comparison to the “they don’t got this” vibes in the next few episodes.
I think it's a jane espenson thing. what might otherwise be an important part of the lore is gotten out of the way like overdue laundry so that we can get on to more important discussions.
I could be misremembering, but I seem to recall a commentary track where they said they didn't really want to draw out the mystery of what April was, because they had already done that in the Ted episode. Having the Scoobies instantly peg her as a robot would keep the episode from feeling like a rehash and make the Scoobies look at least a little clever, while also being a fun joke.
@@defrostedrobot77 It might be because it would be easier to recognize in a stranger? Like, with a friend, you'd probably get doubts of "maybe they're just having a bad time and are acting strange". I know it's counter-intuitive, but it kinda makes sense.
@@ms_scribbles Part of it was hoping Buffy was feeling better and then they've seen Buffy be in love with Spike before. In the end I assume it was more about Buffy herself acting robotic at times.
Since the like button doesnt seem like enough, Im wrighting this essay to show my appreciation for the work that you do. Kkkkk I imagine is very difficult to do such a niche form of video and it must feel exhausting at times (most of the times) to continually come up with such great content for us, but you do enrich our lives with it... Your analysis are not just extremely entertaining and heartfelt they are also meaningful and truly a source of light in our uncaring universe. Thank you Liam! I hope you have the strength to carry on.
As always I LOVE your analyses. Im excited for the next episode specifically (I actually wrote my dissertation on the use of sound in BtVS, and did a case study on The Body, Hush and OMWF). A quick thought on the Buffy laughing at Ben’s joke and the comparison to April, it actually gave me a callback to Cordelia teaching her how to act in front of college boys in Reptile Boy and the ridiculous fake laughing. Makes sense with Cordelia as one of the shadow selves, but it always struck me as a fun and clever bit of writing!
OMG this video has completely convinced me that Anya would absolutely be a crypto bro. Also, love that you noticed the colour grading being off in the final few scenes, it's always stuck out to me. I kinda like it, though. It gives it an otherworldly, odd feeling, which leads Into The Body quite nicely.
This could've been under any of your videos really, but I just wanted to say thank you for the tremendous work you've done with these reviews. BtvS resonates with me on an emotional level hardly any other piece of art or entertainment manages to tap into, so seeing you meticulously pick apart these episodes with such passion (tee-hee) and eloquence means a lot to me. Plus I always come away feeling I gained some new perspective. I’ve always thought of this particular episode as merely the first of the 2 robot shenanigans filled episodes bookending The Body and Forever, with the second one serving as the showrunners’ signal to the audience that it’s back to business as usual. But in hindsight it sets up a lot: Warren, the Buffybot (yet another opportunity for SMG to present a different take on the same character) and I appreciate the role April plays in furthering Buffy’s growth as a character better now that I’ve seen your analysis. And her final words are so poignant. Thank God Britney turned down the part… Well, time to hop on the pain train I guess…
For a thousand years I wielded the power of the wish. I brought ruin upon the heads of unfaithful men, I offered destruction and chaos for the pleasure of the lower beings. I was feared and worshiped across the mortal globe and now I'm stuck at Sunnydale High! A mortal! A child! And I'm flunking math.-- Anya. The delivery of that line is one of the funniest things.
Last April scene is one of my most favourite Buffy moments ever. Like, the swingset and the playground feel like directly lifted from Restless too. So, the whole thing is a call back to restless and the final dawn we know of.
I think it's in Mark Field's book, but someone pointed out how quickly the Scoobies identified April as a robot. It's interesting when, later in this season, someone close to them acts detached and single-minded and they fail to make the same connection. Guess that someone closed off a while ago. Makes you wonder if there's a chance to truly come back, if certain thresholds were crossed?
It's actually a common theme in the series. Doppelgangland, This Year's Girl/Who Are You?, The Replacement, even the Pack and A New Man have shades of it. I'm not sure it's what they're going for, but my headcanon says, it's easier to notice something's off/wrong/not normal with someone when you don't have a bias towards who you think they are (or, in some cases, who they are not), and an ability to handwave their weird behaviours because you trust them. It's the reason why Tara was the only one that realizes Faith and Buffy switched bodies (though the mystic stuff helped some) and why it took so long for Buffy to realize the Fyarl was Giles. I'm not sure if there's subtext/metaphor intended there, of if it's a cheese man situation, but it's always an interesting thing to me that not a lot of people pick up on it seems.
What a video. Your commentary is astonishing. After 50 sessions of therapy and 6 really dark years I am finally at a stage where I actually know my authentic self. In the last 6 years my father died, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (she is still fighting), I worked at university which was my first job (taught a buffy class one time), I had serious infections, was part of a gruesome scary trial and was sexually abused by a longtime friend. During this time I got myself into a toxic on and off relationship and fell into a deep depression. Now being 31 and single I am completely content with myself. I would love to have a companion but not at all costs. I want to be me. I adapt to men so they like me. I made the choice Buffy made in this episode. I want to spend time with myself and meet someone, who loves my authentic self. I will be patient. Thank you Ian for all of your insights into the show that shaped me as a person. I started watching Buffy when I was 8. The only tattoo I have is "be brave. Live" for a reason. And your videos offer new insights and perspectives. I cannot wait for the rest of the videos... You are extraordinary. You have helped me more than you'll ever know in the past 6 years. Thank you Ian and the best to you and your family member ❤️
Okay, but the parallels between Buffy and April of sadness/maybe desperation/thinking you have to change yourself to be "good" enough make me really sad for Buffy. And even angrier at the writing choice to have Buffy chase after Riley and miss him as if she made a huge mistake and he was the great guy she took for granted. Don't get me wrong, your analysis, Ian, and a recent Alley reaction has shifted me slightly to see that Buffy did have some tendencies in that relationship that would be hard for Riley, and part of that looping behaviour you mentioned, but Riley treated Buffy so badly and very much acted entitled to all sorts of things not to mention effectively cheating on her and blaming her for it, that that writing decision still really really bothers me. Especially cos they have Xander be the one to smack her down. Xander who treats Anya terribly, whatever great speech about loving her he is given to supposedly balance that out
It's interesting how "shiny" Ben is. He is SO hairless, even for a teen drama character. A visual cue that he's even less independent of Glory than he thinks
Thank you for this analysis it's really helped me understand my own relationship woes - I'm guilty of looping and need to just be and learn from my failures in order to make better choices!
I still remember watching this episode for the first time and as it was ending I thought, "No one died in this episode. That's unusual for a Buffy show," and then, well...
I am sooooooo fucking excited for you to cover the body and reprise/ epiphany. I've been waiting literal years for this, and now it's next! That aside, yeah, on my most recent rewatch this episode was also a lot better than i remembered.
I WAS MADE TO LOVE YOU is hurt because is precedes the perfection of THE BODY. But this episode is such an achievement. That feels both like a reflection on the history of Buffy (with Buffy's own tumultuous past) and a tee up for it's future (moving past childish whims of crushes and romance into death, financial instability, depression/mental illness). It feels like such a focal point that does the best of what Buffy does. Combined the heightened surreality of Buffy's world with it's grounded themes about people and how we can fail each other. The most optimistic person is a machine, who never stops believing they'll be loved. I really love this episode.
April had the saddest robot death I think I've ever seen. Props to the actress who plays her because we only saw her for one episode, yet I couldn't help feel badly for her.
Best of luck writing the script for the next one, really. You’re going to edit like you’ve never edited before. It may be a while before the video is done but I’m putting on my Daria “it’s ok to cry” shirt now. Two years ago I had never remotely experienced loss directly and intimately. It didn’t take me long to seek out Buffy to see how that episode landed with my new firsthand knowledge of the matter. Ostensibly masochistic but still a comfort.
Thank you for doing these, they're great as always. I really wish GIles had just staked Spike in that scene. There is no reason for the rest of the Scooby Gang to tolerate him by this point(aside from plot necessity). It's bizarrely out of character how they hate him for being dangerous, but also tolerate him constantly. Second, yet another evil computer person in the Buffy verse. The good ones are so rare and end up dead(Jenny Calendar, Fred, and even one episode characters like David Kirby). Everyone else is always some form of aspiring supervillain.
I always read the Buffyverse articles on the episode before watching your guide, to remind myself of the episode in advance. Got to the part where it mentions Joyce going to meet Brian and I was like '... but that means the next episode is- oh.'
Brilliant as always. I’m going to rewatch buffy again with all the guides as soon as you get to the last episode of season 7. No pressure 😜 Thank you!!!
The Body always hurt more because they end this episode on the cliffhanger. Every time I watched this episode I was always like "Welp, I'm already starting to cry, so lets do all the crying now" *load up next episode*
Can't believe the next run of 3. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this one.
Traveling for the next two weeks to help a family member but I will be working on the script for 'Reprise,' while I do.
Be back next month for...the pain. Take care of yourselves.
Patreon link if you'd care to throw a burger our way or join in on the episode discussion streams: www.patreon.com/passionofthenerd
Good luck with ur family.
All the best for you and your familiy! Looking forward for all you have to say later ;)
I think everyone deserves the _chance_ to have someone, whether a romantic someone or friend.
Reciprocated affection, physical or otherwise, and love are not deserved, but earned and worked at to keep. Sometimes, one needs to realize the reasons why someone isn’t right for oneself, no matter how great the relationship seems.
The fear of being alone, is often why one stays in a relationship until it becomes toxic, or until oneself becomes toxic within that relationship.
This is why I’d always prefer a woman who is most like Anya. Straightforward with what they want, asking what I want, and calling out BS, no matter the embarrassment, whether mine or hers.
@@CorbCorbin I think u contradicted yourself. Everyone deserves a chance to have someone- immediately followed by - reciprocated affection, physical or otherwise, and love are not deserved but earned and worked at to keep. So which is it? Deserved or earned? Or perhaps deserved to be earned? I don't think anyone deserves anything as far as romantic love goes. It's just something that happens mutually and not for everyone. When we think we deserve something we tend to get depressed or think something's wrong when it doesn't happen. That often leads to measures being taken that aren't always in our best interests. I feel what u mean though.
I have just discovered these and I am really enjoying them - thank you!
"It is Tara who expresses compassion for Warren." Okay, that one hurt.
Tara is always the character that accepts other people for who they are, flaws and all and tries to see past the surface. That's why Tara is the the one Buffy turned to when she was torn up about what she'd been doing with Spike - Tara gave Buffy honesty, compassion and acceptance but no judgement.
@@NicoleTunis well, after saying that Buffy's nuts in "Intervention" a season earlier. and no, she turned to her bcs of her magic skills, to help her check if she came back wrong.
@@celinelia8127 I don't think Tara was necessarily out of line in saying Season 5 Buffy was nuts for possibly sleeping with Spike. Season 6 Buffy was severely depressed. While hooking up with a vampire definitely wasn't the sanest way of coping with the trauma of being ripped out of Heaven, those circumstances make it hard to judge her.
@@BTTFMovie oh no, Tara was not out of line, my point was only that she was not at all empathetic in that situation. this was right after buffy lost her mother, too.
Remember Joss Whedon’s the one who wrote Warren, he’s the real bad guy, not the actor who played Warren.
My favorite Anya line is basically me when anyone asks me for a favor: Is it difficult or time consuming?
omg yes.
I think my favorite is when they're playing Life and she asks if she can trade in the children for more cash.
I use that line all the time now
All she had to do is does it involve money and it would check all the boxes of things I don't want to hear from being asked for a favor.
There's some great ones from Same Time, Same Place (not a surprise, as it's also a Jane episode). I particularly love: "Come in. Enjoy my personal space." & "Oh god, please stop hitting me with my own rib bones."
"It's Tara who expressed compassion for Warren"
How dare you
*sobs in the corner*
that"s so fucking tragic isn'it.
Tara is compassionate. Even to people who are not worth compassion. That's why we love her.
I didn't understand why that was impressive or interesting, as Tara is generally nice.
Then I remembered.
damn.
oof
oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof oof
K it's not the most Anya anya line, but I have a soft spot in my heart for "I'm 1120 years old, just gimme a friggin beer!"
"ID"
in defeat "Give me coke."
Makes me laugh even today!
Giving Joyce some truly great and lighthearted scenes in this episode was a truly brilliant counterpoint to where they were going next. It makes something that is already an absolute gut punch feel all the more acute.
Some of my favourite Joyce moments are literally in this one episode!
@@zenithquasar9623 Same.
"Everyone deserves to have someone"
A textbook incel assertion that can be misread as sweet or at least harmless on the surface. I never noticed but really like just how much of Warrens's vileness is foreshadowed or even shown in small increments in this episode.
I genuinely believe that Warren (and to a lesser extent the trio) were the most prescient thing in this entire show when you look at the ways baldfaced misogyny has seeped into online/nerd culture over the intervening 20+ years. He's the show's scariest villain IMHO because he's all too real.
@@Tim85-y2q
Bald faced misogyny, gets people canceled now. Even a little misogyny joke can. The tiny vocal Twitter minority, is now facing a backlash within the arts, after nearly a decade of trying to get people fired, who were actually allies.
Look at most of Marvel comics. The self named milkshake crew can barely sell a comic, because they’ve forced diversity of every type into books over actual story, character and reality.
Hiring writers who have little to no experience, has resulted in weak books, and weaker sales, while Marvel has been too scared to take certain people off a book, because of being labeled phobic in some way.
This has been changing since Covid, slowly but surely, and many of the loudest voices will end up with nowhere to apply their trade.
I don’t mind diversity; in fact, it’s very important. Yet, forcing it will only result in losing more and more consumers of said art.
@@Tim85-y2q It's especially unsettling because of how *grounded* it is in this episode. If you don't know about April and just take his interactions with Katrina into account, he seems like an insensitive dick, but nothing more than that. Just a standard not-good boyfriend. He's just a normal, dweeby guy.
...Then you learn what he gets up to in his spare time with April. You could pass him on the street and never know. It's...unsettlingly believable.
@@CorbCorbin Does it? Or does it turn them into a MAGA hero and martyr, launching them on their path to the House or Senate?
@@ms_scribbles When you boil it down "cancel culture" is only a new term for something that's been going on since there have been public figures. If people alienate
a significant portion of their fans/customers/employers/sponsors/business partners etc. of course that may have negative consequences for them, but contrary to popular belief, that's in no way some new thing cooked up by a lefty Twitter mob to ensnare innocent people.
my favourite anya line has to be when she, dawn and xander are playing the game of life: "can i trade in the children for more money?"
I believe the name for that is a certain type of traffic......
Not technically one line but I like the exchange she has with Robot Buffy. It's something like "How is your money" "It's well, Thank you" just the earnestness in her voice
@@Eightsixseven23224 That line (and reading) is so great because it conveys the sense that she's been waiting for someone to ask that for a long time and is pleased someone finally has.
Mine as well.
My favorite part about that scene is Dawn's expression. She's like hey, i'm right here, ya know.
Leaving the cliffhanger out makes a lot of sense, as it wasn’t even part of the script for this episode, nor was it filmed as part of the production for this episode. Except for the time in the editing room to tack it on at the end, it was entirely produced as the first scene of the next episode.
Yep!
I don't really remember trigger warnings back then so I think it's kind of nice that new viewers have this ending to prepare for what's coming next.
But in the next episode they show the gang at the dinner table as not to show credits over the gut wrenching part
6:12 The Dawn callback is even better when you consider the whole line: "Was it Ted? 'Cause I always said there could have been more than one of him."
Anthony Head is a national treasure. He’s ridiculously good and convincing at playing both heart-warming, guiding father figures, and chillingly cold villains/antiheroes.
The scene with April dying still gets me every time. I don’t know why a scene with a robot dying is so touching. Maybe because she’s so innocent and naive, and was just trying her best, and she has to end *this* way.
You mean international treasure :)
April's scene chokes me up too much. I relate to her.
Man, with Buffy lying to April as her battery runs down, the ending scene of Lie to Me, and "do you want me to lie to you know" when Wesley dies in Angel, comforting lies in the face of death are a Thing in the Buffyverse.
❤😢
Buffy: Can you cry? Sometimes I feel better when I cry. But there might be rust issues.
April: Crying is blackmail. Good girlfriends don't cry.
Buffy: Oh.
April: I've rechecked everything. I did everything I was supposed to do. I was a good girlfriend.
Buffy: I'm sure you were.
April: I'm only supposed to love him. If I can't do that, what am I for? What do I exist for?
Buffy: I don't know. It isn't fair. He wasn't fair to you.
April: It's getting dark. It's so early to be so dark.
*Buffy look around. The sun is still out*
Buffy: Yeah.
April: What if he comes back and he can't find me in the dark?
Buffy: I'm here. I'll make sure that he finds you.
April: Maybe this is a girlfriend test. If I wait here patiently this time, he'll come back.
Buffy: I'm sure he will. And he'll tell you how sorry he is. You know, he told me how proud he was of you and how impressed he was with how much you loved him and how you tried to help him. He didn't mean to hurt you.
April: He's going to take me home and things'll be right again.
Buffy: It'll be fine.
April: When things are sad you just have to be patient because...because every cloud has a silver lining. And when life gives you lemons make lemonade.
Buffy: Clouds and lemonade, huh?
April: *Shutting down* Yes. And things...are...always darkest...before.... *April stops working*
:(
It feels foolish everytime, but I always cry at this conversation
"Crying is blackmail. Good girlfriends don't cry."
I don't remember the details of this episode too well, but that line has always stuck out to me as saying A LOT about Warren's character. The dude was always extremely horrible.
It’s so sad
😭
This episode always stuck in my head. It's the episode that heralds the arrival of not just The Body, but a massively darker tone shift In the series in general.
Warren's introduction is eerily fitting at this point, the major plot point of the sex bot is established, and April's final line is so chilling given EVERYTHING that comes after.
I recognise it as a great episode in its own right, but I can never exactly *enjoy* it ever again as everything in it, even the lighthearted and wholesome moments, are a reminder of what's to come.
In a way, that elevates the episode even more.
anya's my neurodiverse hero, she has so much great dialogue, one liners and witticisms
but nothing even comes close to the brilliance of her mask-off meltdown in 'the body'.
It's her reaction that completely floors me every time. It's so incredible and raw and true.
@@vicky__p I always thought I'd be a Xander. I'm like him in more ways than I'm comfortable with.
But I ended up being a Willow. Completely changed how I dressed after that.
@@FaolanHart I know people crap on Xander (and I totally get why because if a line from this series is clunky or hasn't aged well, there's an overwhelming likelihood it's one of his), but adolescent me was more like him in many respects than I want to admit. They really didn't a great job of capturing "fragile adolescent masculinity trying to figure things out" with his character IMHO. Plus his "I'm 17, looking at linoleum makes me want to have sex" is my favorite line of the series. Struck me as all too true when I first saw that episode as an actual teenager and still cracks me up today.
@@FaolanHart At the beginning of the series I thought I was a Willow, nerdy hacker, I realized along the way I'm not, I'm Tara, and that's both wonderful and sad.
Xander was still admirable and beloved to me, because you just knew he was of course going to figure it out. he had 'future fatherly figure' stamped all over him, he just had to grow out of the awkward teen stuff. trust me people get it @@Tim85-y2q
"What kind of lesbians are you? If you love men so much, go love men!"
"We should drop a piano on her. Well, it always works for that creepy cartoon rabbit when he's running from that nice man with the speech impediment."
"Yes, we've enjoyed spanking."
"Sensible! You think it's sensible for me to go down into that pit of cotton-top hell, and let them hippity-hop all over my vulnerable flesh?"
"The annoying virgin has a point."
"I have finesse. I have finesse coming out of my bottom!"
"I was being patient, but it took too long."
"To commemorate a past event you kill and eat an animal. A ritual sacrifice... with pie."
“But I have their money. Who cares what kind of day they have."
So many great Anya lines to choose from, but her speech in 'The Body' is the absolute best. Not funny like the others, but just...perfection.
Love when Giles lets out a bit of Ripper…still bums me out we never got the supposed Ripper tv show…
I can't wait for the next episodes..... but I don't know how I'm going to handle them 😭
These guides just keep getting better and better, bringing up points I’d missed the first time around, adding depth and interesting perspectives to an already excellent watch 😊
RIP April, you deserved better than Warren, we all do. I know they didn't foreshadow the situation that happens later with Warren, but it's almost impossible not to notice on the rewatch.
A plate of escargot deserves better than Warren
> [we all deserve] better than Warren
Since there's ~7bn of us, there's probably some female Warren out there who does _not_ deserve better than Warren.
Well, except maybe solitude is better than Warren and everyone is entitled to solitude.
My favourite line of Anya's is in the next episode. You know the one.
Yeah, that is her best line of the series (and on the shortlist for THE best line in the series), but it's also not really a standard "Anya line". (in the sense that Ian seems to be using it here)
Absolutely 🖤
Sometimes I cry at the other stuff, sometimes I don't. But I always cry at Anya's speech.
@@spangelicious837 yeah it’s the worst / the best
I would say monologue some lines are so good but by far the best monologue … it’s strange all these powerful moments we remember from shows the actors barely remember being there
The "Where does she go from here?" gag made me snort, so well done, Ian. I also love it when Giles lets some Ripper out. I've seen Anthony Stewart Head in quite a few villain roles now and he suits them very well. You're right also, that there's a lot more to this episode than at first glance. I keep forgetting that this is the episode that comes before The Body. Keep a brave heart going forward.
> Where does she go from here?
Am I failing to remember when Buffy expressed sexual interest in women? Or are we suggesting there might be some connection between Glory and Buffy's almost-date Ben?
I don't think that's what the joke is about. @@jonaskoelker It's a deliberately awkward reference to the upcoming musical episode, punctuated with shots of the Scoobies - Xander included as well as women) looking awkward to accent it, as if they're reacting to the narration. ( 9:39 for people to check what I'm referring to.)
There must be lots of context I'm failing to remember. Can you explain it once more with detail? [I'm being both funny and earnest.]
@@jonaskoelkerI'll indulge you this time but if you don't get it, I can't help you. The phrase "Where do we go from here?" Is another way of saying "now what do we do?" However, in the context of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "where do we go from here?" Is also a direct reference to the upcoming musical episode "once more with feeling. " "where do we go from here" is the title of one of the songs at the end, once the climax of that episode is resolved. There you go. Joke explained. It's just Ian making a humorous, awkward reference and it made me snort with laughter the first time I watched this video. Nothing to do with Buffy being attracted to women. If you're looking for that, I'll direct you the episodes that explored Buffy and Faith's relationship.
when you pointed out that tara expressed compassion for warren ......... bruh ..... i can't believe i am hating him EVEN MORE than before
RIGHT? Jane pointed that out in the commentary track and I had the same reaction you did.
Gotta love Xander saying Buffy has an amazing heart when according to the symbolism, he IS Buffy's heart
"oh this'll be a light, fun episode to watch before bed."
A masterclass, Ian, in describing both compassion and loneliness. In an episode firmly grounded in "who has control of you", you were able to pull out what we fear about being alone and the importance of granting ourselves the compassion needed to walk alone. Lovely, just lovely. Thank you ❤️
Can't beleive I've been watching this series for 7 years now! So excited to be reaching this run of stories!
I can't believe I've been watching for that long waiting for Ian to tackle the next episode. It's going to be like (bittersweet) Christmas to finally get there.
This one is one of my favourite episodes from season 5. I just love how April represents a charicature of what Buffy thinks a perfect keeper girl should be.
This relentless need to be with someone was toxic, she saw that in April and relented from it
To quote our favorite fashionable slayer: Here we go
Thank you! So many people dismiss this episode, but it has some of my very favorite character interactions. Including Daddy-I-Mean-Giles getting scary. ;)
Also, April’s death has always been so very sad to me, even on the first watch when I didn’t know what was coming next.
It’s just really nice to see this ep get a little appreciation.
I think this might be one of your better ones, and that's saying something Ian. I think everyone does deserve love and no one is entitled to anyone else. The fact that both statements are true is part of the complicatedness of life
It's ridiculous how excited I get with every new video you publish. I have to admit though, I am looking forward to and dreading the next trio in equal measure. Having heard you speak about them previously I'm aware that they had a huge impact on you (as they did on me), and I know they're going to be emotional for you, which means they're going to be emotional for us too.
Please know how much your efforts and insights are appreciated 🙏 Thank you x
April is my favorite single-episode character. Her last scene is so well- acted
Shonda Farr does a wonderful job there. Sarah's performance is so unique for Buffy, melancholy and somber. The music hits beautifully. Yeah, that scene is terrific.
@@PassionoftheNerd And I'm glad the role wasn't played by someone we now know was being controlled and abused in her actual life.
I get emotional just seeing Buffy in her red top in this episode. Looking forward to what you have to say about The Body!
For me, Warren in this season comes off as being like the book version of Victor Frankenstein. Like Victor he's a young genius who tried to make a "perfect" person, but then abandoned his creation when it didn't turn out how he hoped it would, then his refusal to take responsibility and fear of consequences if he did causes people to get hurt when his creation comes back to him, including the person he was with.
Interestingly enough originally Tucker was meant to be the Trio leader, with Warren and Jonathan as his comic-relief lackeys, but Brad Kane was unavailable to return at the time.
"Spike as a dark Yang to Buffy". Okay, that sounds fascinating. Really hope we get a full unpacking from you on that.☺️ (Which speaks to the power of your insightful writing cos I've actually grown a little tired of seeing posts about Spike on my Tumblr and even Facebook feed. The uncritical veneration of him coupled with sometimes sneering at Angel's characterisation has really started to grate, to the point where I almost want to avoid talking about him. But that sounds really interesting!)
I truly believe if this show released today it would win many awards. It’s a crime that Sarah was never nominated for an Emmy. Her range is incredible and has always been so shocking to me. She can make you laugh one minute with the most quirky line delivery ever and then you’re sobbing three scenes later. This show will always hold a special place in my heart. Also, I had a major gut punch when I remembered this was the episode before the body. I can’t think about that episode without getting emotional. Definitely one of the best pieces of television ever written.
She does sound like Tara at the end! Deliberate, I wonder... If deliberate, that is some seriously clever writing. Oh, Ian, your analyses bring me such joy. Thank you.
Who needs therapy after yet another failure in love when you can watch PoTN videos instead? After every video I am left humbled, comforted and blubbering.
Only time will tell what the future holds... ⏳️
Interesting how Buffy's fake laugh at Ben's joke is reminiscent of Cordelia coaching her to impress guys at the frat party in Reptile Boy
Scarily enough, Cordelia is the closest thing to a competent wingman Buffy ever had. The 'Reptile Boy' scene may be the last relationship advice she got from a cishet, non-demon woman. No wonder she's lost in the woods
It's not even THE episode yet and I'm already tearing up. Thank you for this guide, makes me realize it's time to re-watch Buffy again. Struggling with the same as Buffy at this point in life.
Thank you Ian. My favourite guides are always the ones where you make connections that I've never seen before despite having seen the show dozens of times. I'd never taken the time to note the similarities between Warren and Buffy here, at least not beyond her feeling bad when the scoobies express pity for him. Really enlightening to realise that this ep dips into the duality theme once again! Also cackled at "sarting in bed". :D
I can't quite decide my favourite Anya line but it's between "Come in! Enjoy my personal space" and "I have finesse! I have finesse coming out of my bottom!"
And finally a ship I feel I can board. #cookiedoughshipper
One of my own favourite episodes, and as so often, you’ve made my appreciation of it even greater. One little point to add: I think it’s the first time we’ve seen Tara and Anya share a scene, and it’s delightful. Almost as much as the writing for Joyce, but we won’t talk about why we should guard that as something infinitely precious.
It's not the first (they snuck out together during the Scooby Civil War in 'The Yoko Factor') but their connections make it so they don't do it very often.
I can’t believe I’m lying in bed with my phone as close to my face as physically possible for 17 whole mins, drinking in the nectar of content, and still be shocked and saddened when it has ended.
That one just flew by.
Wonderful analysis, once again. Your series makes me want to watch Buffy again for the umpteenth time. Oh, the humanity!
I love how these guides help me appreciate the show even more all these years later. The layers are crazy - I can't believe I never clocked that it was TARA that defended Warren 🥺
This episode always stuck with me. April is perfect and was cruelly abandoned, much like a puppy, and left to die. I can’t imagine being Warren’s gf and discovering what an insecure, dominant, and cruel person my partner was. What a horror show. He probably showed these characteristics in small ways that were easy to ignore. I cried at the end for April when it originally aired and I cried during a rewatch earlier this month.
Poor Katrina 🥺 she deserved better as well. What Warren does to her in season 6 is horrific.
> What a horror show
And strangely, I think the most heinous thing Warren does in this episode is-and I accept that this is debatable-try to murder Buffy by activating April's combat mode.
I tried to think of my favourite Anya line. The speech from The Body is powerful, but I realised that I like practically every Anya line. Even when she isn't talking, like the gesture in Hush.
Her suggestion as to a practical use for two Xanders also shows her ability to see opportunities in problems.
Damn, this is probably one of my favorite episodes of your guides so far. Amazing work, keep doing what you're doing!
I love how this video is just like “what Body? There is no Body? Everyone in this episode lives happily ever after! Nope. No death is coming. None whatsoever” lol
I’m glad you chose not to talk about the cliffhanger. That definitely feels like a “next video” kind of conversation. I was actually just thinking about these videos yesterday, because I wondered if you had a preference on the shows Buffy vs Angel. I personally think that, while Angel has a lot of great character work, there are a lot more clunker episodes.
I feel like my favorite part of this episode is the end, not because it was over but the way Buffy showed April so much compassion. It reminds me of the episode of batman where he sits with Ace and it gives both Buffy and Batman a softness to their usual edge.
That's so powerful, ending these episodes with the sound of the creaking structure.... Gives me the chills every time (and I watch your videos many times, so this is saying something).
Ok I'm going to picture April as Britney Spears forever now 🤣
@@djb1317 The tragic nature of Britney Spears's personal life makes me glad it wasn't.
Regarding loneliness:
It's been my observation that the people who are happily single end up in far better relationships than those who are miserably lonely while single. As a happily single person, I wasn't going to stay in a relationship unless it was better than being single. Therefore, I had pretty good relationships, culminating in a happy marriage.
For those who are desperately lonely and miserable, they will accept terrible partners, and cling to terrible relationships, just because they're slightly better than the misery of being alone.
Spot on.
I think it's more neauanced than that. I've been very happy single and still fallen into troublesome relationships. In part because of ACEs, accepting familiarity as part of survival, and unconscious recaptualization, but also because very rarely is anyone or any relationship all bad. The ratio could be 80% good/20% bad its just that 20% is realllllly bad....
@@samanthas8340 , If a relationship is 20% (or 10%) bad, then it's a *terrible* relationship.
Think about it. How much of the remaining 80% or 90% were you walking on eggshells, hoping to avoid the bad 10% or 20%?
@@karlr750 I understand that but it's important to validate why people stay in those relationships (same as its important to understand why people use drugs to cope despite the obvious risks). The first comment read as a little victim shaming to me, though I doubt that was what was intended. So I just wanted to shed a little light especially since the comment also came across like you were saying you never been in a bad relationship and then perhaps not fully grasping the full perspective/experience.
I think I just realised how much I have been waiting for you to get to the next run of episodes. It may be one of the reasons I have stuck with you for these years.
And why even just thinking about it is already making me teary …
Complete chills with the outro and the gift sounds in the background. Great video as always.. not sure if I’ll skip the next one… I always skip 5/16 with every reactor 😭
Anya has too many amazing lines to pick just one 🧡
Here we go finally, TPN's take on The Body is coming, I've been waiting for that for years.
Ahhh yes, always a delight when I see the notification for these. Much love and respect my man
Just scrolling through RUclips and totally almost started crying looking at the robot’s face knowing what happens in like 5 minutes. Also, RUclips Buffy recap‽ I guess I’m marathoning this channel.
I always thought it was odd that everyone jumped to the conclusion that April was a Robot so easily. I mean, sure, she's peculiar but tossing Spike through a window could mean any manner of things. She could be a demon in human form. Or heck, even a new Slayer!! They weren't exactly keeping tabs on Faith at this point. She easily could have died in prison for all the Scoobies knew and a very odd Potential was Called.
I always took it as the Scoobies getting really good at what they do (maybe even a lil cocky)? There are other little things showing their growth and experience in the episode too (like the quality of Xanders window install at the end), there are a fair few “we got this” vibes.
It’s something that would have confounded them for a bit in earlier seasons and sent them into research mode, but now they’ve levelled up in experience. That said, things are about to get harder and more complicated real soon, and with what’s coming it’s an interesting comparison to the “they don’t got this” vibes in the next few episodes.
I think it's a jane espenson thing. what might otherwise be an important part of the lore is gotten out of the way like overdue laundry so that we can get on to more important discussions.
I could be misremembering, but I seem to recall a commentary track where they said they didn't really want to draw out the mystery of what April was, because they had already done that in the Ted episode. Having the Scoobies instantly peg her as a robot would keep the episode from feeling like a rehash and make the Scoobies look at least a little clever, while also being a fun joke.
@@defrostedrobot77 It might be because it would be easier to recognize in a stranger? Like, with a friend, you'd probably get doubts of "maybe they're just having a bad time and are acting strange". I know it's counter-intuitive, but it kinda makes sense.
@@ms_scribbles Part of it was hoping Buffy was feeling better and then they've seen Buffy be in love with Spike before. In the end I assume it was more about Buffy herself acting robotic at times.
Since the like button doesnt seem like enough, Im wrighting this essay to show my appreciation for the work that you do. Kkkkk
I imagine is very difficult to do such a niche form of video and it must feel exhausting at times (most of the times) to continually come up with such great content for us, but you do enrich our lives with it... Your analysis are not just extremely entertaining and heartfelt they are also meaningful and truly a source of light in our uncaring universe. Thank you Liam! I hope you have the strength to carry on.
I have a lot of favourite channels here on the 'tube. But nothing makes me happier than a POTN upload.
As always I LOVE your analyses. Im excited for the next episode specifically (I actually wrote my dissertation on the use of sound in BtVS, and did a case study on The Body, Hush and OMWF).
A quick thought on the Buffy laughing at Ben’s joke and the comparison to April, it actually gave me a callback to Cordelia teaching her how to act in front of college boys in Reptile Boy and the ridiculous fake laughing. Makes sense with Cordelia as one of the shadow selves, but it always struck me as a fun and clever bit of writing!
I definitely remembered that Cordy laugh. Cordy was also the Season 2 shadow self so it all lines up really nicely.
@@PassionoftheNerd How could you ever forget that Cordy laugh to be fair? It really is an iconic moment.
Spot on! I love not being alone in seeing the yin/yang of Spuffy, and loved this intriguing take on the connection between Tara/Warren/April/Buffy
OMG this video has completely convinced me that Anya would absolutely be a crypto bro.
Also, love that you noticed the colour grading being off in the final few scenes, it's always stuck out to me. I kinda like it, though. It gives it an otherworldly, odd feeling, which leads Into The Body quite nicely.
This could've been under any of your videos really, but I just wanted to say thank you for the tremendous work you've done with these reviews. BtvS resonates with me on an emotional level hardly any other piece of art or entertainment manages to tap into, so seeing you meticulously pick apart these episodes with such passion (tee-hee) and eloquence means a lot to me. Plus I always come away feeling I gained some new perspective.
I’ve always thought of this particular episode as merely the first of the 2 robot shenanigans filled episodes bookending The Body and Forever, with the second one serving as the showrunners’ signal to the audience that it’s back to business as usual. But in hindsight it sets up a lot: Warren, the Buffybot (yet another opportunity for SMG to present a different take on the same character) and I appreciate the role April plays in furthering Buffy’s growth as a character better now that I’ve seen your analysis. And her final words are so poignant. Thank God Britney turned down the part…
Well, time to hop on the pain train I guess…
For a thousand years I wielded the power of the wish. I brought ruin upon the heads of unfaithful men, I offered destruction and chaos for the pleasure of the lower beings. I was feared and worshiped across the mortal globe and now I'm stuck at Sunnydale High! A mortal! A child! And I'm flunking math.-- Anya.
The delivery of that line is one of the funniest things.
How do you not have more subscribers? This has to be the best content on all of RUclips!
Last April scene is one of my most favourite Buffy moments ever. Like, the swingset and the playground feel like directly lifted from Restless too. So, the whole thing is a call back to restless and the final dawn we know of.
I think it's in Mark Field's book, but someone pointed out how quickly the Scoobies identified April as a robot. It's interesting when, later in this season, someone close to them acts detached and single-minded and they fail to make the same connection. Guess that someone closed off a while ago. Makes you wonder if there's a chance to truly come back, if certain thresholds were crossed?
It's actually a common theme in the series. Doppelgangland, This Year's Girl/Who Are You?, The Replacement, even the Pack and A New Man have shades of it. I'm not sure it's what they're going for, but my headcanon says, it's easier to notice something's off/wrong/not normal with someone when you don't have a bias towards who you think they are (or, in some cases, who they are not), and an ability to handwave their weird behaviours because you trust them. It's the reason why Tara was the only one that realizes Faith and Buffy switched bodies (though the mystic stuff helped some) and why it took so long for Buffy to realize the Fyarl was Giles.
I'm not sure if there's subtext/metaphor intended there, of if it's a cheese man situation, but it's always an interesting thing to me that not a lot of people pick up on it seems.
What a video. Your commentary is astonishing. After 50 sessions of therapy and 6 really dark years I am finally at a stage where I actually know my authentic self. In the last 6 years my father died, my mother was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer (she is still fighting), I worked at university which was my first job (taught a buffy class one time), I had serious infections, was part of a gruesome scary trial and was sexually abused by a longtime friend. During this time I got myself into a toxic on and off relationship and fell into a deep depression. Now being 31 and single I am completely content with myself. I would love to have a companion but not at all costs. I want to be me. I adapt to men so they like me. I made the choice Buffy made in this episode. I want to spend time with myself and meet someone, who loves my authentic self. I will be patient. Thank you Ian for all of your insights into the show that shaped me as a person. I started watching Buffy when I was 8. The only tattoo I have is "be brave. Live" for a reason. And your videos offer new insights and perspectives. I cannot wait for the rest of the videos... You are extraordinary. You have helped me more than you'll ever know in the past 6 years. Thank you Ian and the best to you and your family member ❤️
Okay, but the parallels between Buffy and April of sadness/maybe desperation/thinking you have to change yourself to be "good" enough make me really sad for Buffy. And even angrier at the writing choice to have Buffy chase after Riley and miss him as if she made a huge mistake and he was the great guy she took for granted. Don't get me wrong, your analysis, Ian, and a recent Alley reaction has shifted me slightly to see that Buffy did have some tendencies in that relationship that would be hard for Riley, and part of that looping behaviour you mentioned, but Riley treated Buffy so badly and very much acted entitled to all sorts of things not to mention effectively cheating on her and blaming her for it, that that writing decision still really really bothers me. Especially cos they have Xander be the one to smack her down. Xander who treats Anya terribly, whatever great speech about loving her he is given to supposedly balance that out
Thank you for reminding me of the goodness of I Was Made to Love You, except for you know, the end.
Look here you monster--how the fuck could you be too soon with your foreboding twice at the exact same fucking time!
*starts crying*
I could watch Warren’s flaying on repeat indefinitely.
Same here. I didn't see any kind of downside to it.
I really appreciate you not including the cliff hanger as I lost someone recently and not sure if I'm ready for the next episode yet.
It's interesting how "shiny" Ben is. He is SO hairless, even for a teen drama character. A visual cue that he's even less independent of Glory than he thinks
I wonder if the puffy Xander is so that he can feel more involved/helpful
As good a reason as any I guess.
I kinda love Xander as a pity punching bag…
@@defrostedrobot77 This is the issue -I'm not sure how much more Xander being there provides in terms of training 😅
"anthony stewart head can be chilling when he needs to be" sir you need to watch merlin.
Wait, Ben AND Glory? Are you trying to suggest there's some kind of connection between them?
I’m not sure on the timeline of the episode exactly, but could the colour grading align with what’s happened in the Summers living room?
I really enjoy this episode, I wish we got more scenes with just Tara and Anya hanging out.
That scene on the swings… I can’t believe I cried over a sex robot…
Thank you for this analysis it's really helped me understand my own relationship woes - I'm guilty of looping and need to just be and learn from my failures in order to make better choices!
The pure joy of seeing Passion of the Nerd post another buffy video
I still remember watching this episode for the first time and as it was ending I thought, "No one died in this episode. That's unusual for a Buffy show," and then, well...
Thank you, this was a wonderful episode, gave me all the feels and chills at the end. And your hints at 'the pain' already made me cry...
I always enjoy your Buffy guides, so insightful and really goes into the deep meanings of the show, thank you for this!
I am sooooooo fucking excited for you to cover the body and reprise/ epiphany. I've been waiting literal years for this, and now it's next!
That aside, yeah, on my most recent rewatch this episode was also a lot better than i remembered.
Are you doing The Body at some point or skipping it? I understand if you would skip it because of your personal reasons, I just want to know.
I WAS MADE TO LOVE YOU is hurt because is precedes the perfection of THE BODY. But this episode is such an achievement. That feels both like a reflection on the history of Buffy (with Buffy's own tumultuous past) and a tee up for it's future (moving past childish whims of crushes and romance into death, financial instability, depression/mental illness).
It feels like such a focal point that does the best of what Buffy does. Combined the heightened surreality of Buffy's world with it's grounded themes about people and how we can fail each other. The most optimistic person is a machine, who never stops believing they'll be loved.
I really love this episode.
April had the saddest robot death I think I've ever seen. Props to the actress who plays her because we only saw her for one episode, yet I couldn't help feel badly for her.
Giles and Nathan Wallace are my two favorite roles Tony Head has ever done. Nathan is down right FRIGHTENING in his unhinged moments
Willow with the wandering eyes!!! LOL
Best of luck writing the script for the next one, really. You’re going to edit like you’ve never edited before. It may be a while before the video is done but I’m putting on my Daria “it’s ok to cry” shirt now. Two years ago I had never remotely experienced loss directly and intimately. It didn’t take me long to seek out Buffy to see how that episode landed with my new firsthand knowledge of the matter. Ostensibly masochistic but still a comfort.
Thank you for doing these, they're great as always.
I really wish GIles had just staked Spike in that scene. There is no reason for the rest of the Scooby Gang to tolerate him by this point(aside from plot necessity). It's bizarrely out of character how they hate him for being dangerous, but also tolerate him constantly. Second, yet another evil computer person in the Buffy verse. The good ones are so rare and end up dead(Jenny Calendar, Fred, and even one episode characters like David Kirby). Everyone else is always some form of aspiring supervillain.
I always read the Buffyverse articles on the episode before watching your guide, to remind myself of the episode in advance. Got to the part where it mentions Joyce going to meet Brian and I was like '... but that means the next episode is- oh.'
Brilliant as always. I’m going to rewatch buffy again with all the guides as soon as you get to the last episode of season 7. No pressure 😜
Thank you!!!
The Body always hurt more because they end this episode on the cliffhanger. Every time I watched this episode I was always like "Welp, I'm already starting to cry, so lets do all the crying now" *load up next episode*