"The Replacement" (5x3) | *Buffy the Vampire Slayer* Reaction
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- Опубликовано: 19 июн 2024
- I hope you enjoy my reaction to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Five, Episode Three: "The Replacement"!
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Favorite line of the episode - He's clearly a bad influence on himself.
Yeah, and also "If Xander kills himself, he's dead"😄
@@alexie5201 I'm just living for Anya's reaction to finding out that she has two copies of her boyfriend...
The delivery makes it even funnier than it otherwise would have been.
One of the things that is important in this episode, that while the job promotion and the new apartment happened while confident-Xander was on screen, those both were the results of the actions of full-Xander. Both his confident and anxious self combined earned those things. His anxious self caused him to think he wasn't going to get those things, but that is the deception. He did deserve those things, and he did earn them. And that is a lesson for all of ourselves, that we need to remember that while our anxieties are a part of ourselves, we can't let that part convince us we haven't earned anything, don't deserve good things.
A lot of reactors assume Riley's comment about doing experiments on Xanders is the Initiative talking. But I always interpreted it as him being a psychology major instead.
that’s what i thought too especially bc in the initiative the whole experimenting wasnt his role, he was more the muscle. it made more sense that as a ta in psych for walsh that that’s what provoked that comment
Yeah, he didn't want to do anything invasive or unethical, just test them psychologically.
In case you were wondering Cass, the Xander double was played by Nicholas Brendon ( Schultz )'s real life twin brother Kelly Donovan ( Schultz ).
I love how they used Nicholas Brendons twin brother for this episode. Made it feel so much more real since they didn't need stand ins and could be more free with the shooting since they didn't need to leave an empty spot to fill with a split screen version!
I can see why Riley dropped that on Xander. The guy doesn't really have anyone else anymore.. That's been eating him up and even though he and Xander aren't exactly super close, they're both Men and yeah.. Xander would be the obvious one to drop that on if you had to drop it.
I love how Anya sees and truly believes the "better" Xander is the real one. Out of everyone, she is the only one who sees the best attributes as who he really is, where as the others begin to believe the "worst" Xander is real when they find out there are two
...ooooor Anya is just a very shallow woman who, as the saying goes, doesn't want him at his worst and doesn't deserve him at his best.
@@happyslapsgiving5421 I think that’s a pretty blinkered interpretation of Anya . however to take your point, I don’t believe she would be selfish to that level as if she was that selfish she would’ve never got with Xander in the fi”rst place. I could see her accepting “better Xander as the true Xander, because at face value he is. A dirty, sweaty lookalike breaking in is very much not the Xander she knows so she has very little reason to believe that it is him.
The bit where Xander is talking to Willow about letting Suave Xander take over his life and what's he done with his life hits so hard for me as a 23 year old who for the past 5 to 6 years has been asking himself that very same question.
Also Nick's delivery of "It's a robot. It's an evil robot constructed from evil parts that look like me designed to do evil." will always be one of the most underrated line deliveries of the series (IMO)
Hey man, quick advice from an old (45) who’s been there. At 23, you’ve still got 60 or 70 years to make an impact, and tons of the people you think of as having accomplished big things didn’t even start working on them until their 40s or 50s. Don’t sweat it - just do the best you can and you’ll get there.
I also love how on rewatches, Suave Xander's "Right... Toth..." is not Toth being suspicious, but Suave Xander being glad he didn't mention the robot theory out loud.
I also really like the follow-up "OR IT'S TOTH!"
@@corystanish Same here! That entire bit between Xander and Willow is one of the most underrated comedic bits in the series.
Riley said “I love you” several times. Buffy never did.
Let's remember that when Buffy was in love with Angel she was a 16 year old teenager. Everything "first love" is dramatically epic, life shattering and the end of the world if you can't be together.
She's a mature woman now, but still young. Riley is a comfortable safety blanket for her. She's indulging in his adoration and feels content.
However, I believe Riley was testing his theory about Buffy on the car ride over to Xander's place.
He flat out told her that he loved her and everything about her, from hair follicles to toe nails, mood swings, meekness to super strength. He noticed that Buffy smiled at the reassurance, but did not say it back. That's a sign.
I loved Riley, and to hear him admit that outloud to Xander, broke my heart. It felt like he was coming to that realization all at once, in that moment.
This character and the actor Marc Blucas, had so much toxic hate hurled at him from the fanbase that it was ridiculous and immature.
Poor Marc got hate mail and was bullied online, because people could not separate him from his character...and because his character wasn't Angel or supernatural in some way.
I found it telling on Buffy because once she told Angel that she wanted a perfectly normal boyfriend, back in season one of Angel, when she thought they could be together.
But here, she has one and has yet to utter those 3 words that could give him reassurance of how she felt for him.
I think it helps that he had a guy friend, in Xander, to talk candidly to. Coming to a realization is one thing...being ready to have that talk with Buffy is another. He's in love for the first time.
I just wished people gave him more agency to go through the motions, like the way Buffy did when she was insecure about everything Angel.
There's other important things to keep in mind.
One: The last man Buffy said "I love you" to was Angel, and her "I love you"s to him were often accompanied by extreme emotional trauma (he turned out to be Angelus and exploited her feelings for Angel to break her emotionally, it was a goodbye just before she was forced to kill him.) She tried opening up to two normal guys around that time, but Scott dumped her when he noticed she was drifting away rather than making an effort to reach out and ask what was going on, even though she'd told him that she was still reeling from a very rough recent breakup, and Parker pretended to offer her emotional intimacy to get her in bed with him and lost interest as soon as they had sex. Buffy has a lot of reasons to be somewhat emotionally guarded with Riley compared to Angel, because her love life before him has been a mess and all of her previous love interests have hurt her when she was vulnerable (Scott's was pretty downplayed compared to the others and Angel wasn't himself at the time, but still.) Her not returning his love verbally doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't love him.
Two: I think Riley is catastrophising here because he feels lost and Buffy is the one anchor in his life. When they met, he was a soldier and a TA, he had a circle of friends, he had a mission, he had a clear picture of the world and he had a purpose. Now all of that's gone, and he just has Buffy to serve as his connection to the outside world - he doesn't feel like he quite fits in with the Scoobies, so he falls back on his relationship with Buffy, and this dependence means that he's hyper-vigilant for anything that might be a sign of trouble.
A interesting note about this episode is there wasn't any split screen editing. The second Xander was played by Nicholas Brendon's twin brother.
I literally only found this out like last year 😂 I was so sure as a kid that it was like a phoebe buffay/ursula buffay situation 🙈
"Sometimes we all help...to save you." LOL
You can go back to any Bangel scene and just see the look on her face every time she laid eyes on him. There's no comparison. She likes Riley and is sexually attracted to him...and that's it. He's told her he loves her and she just smiles.
Riley is rebound guy and has realized it.
The thing is, she's not letting herself. She's been hurt every time she does, so she's not letting it happen so she doesn't get hurt again. Her dad bailed, Angel left, Parker used her. She feels safer keeping her distance, because that way it won't hurt when the other shoe drops like she feels it inevitably will.
@@xyex Yep. The timing is unfortunate.
14:45 ..."But she doesn't loves me"... That line carries so much weight... For all the times Riley told Buffy he loves her, she never replied back (fair enough, the first time Faith was possessing Buffy's body, but still)
I think you agree with Riley a little too quickly when he suggested putting the Xanders in separate rooms and performing experiments on them. ;-)
LOL, thought the same 🤣
That's a very good point, Buffy does treat Riley like one of her friends, plus physical attraction. But she does love her friends.
damn cant wait till she sees season 6
Well, she started by saying she has a theory
Toth's device is designed to split the slayer aspect and the regular human side of Buffy. On a non-slayer target it split their best and worst attributes but that doesn't mean the slayer and human sides of Buffy are her best and worst attributes. It's just what happened when it hit a regular human like Xander.
"I have a theory..."
😂😂😂😂😂
You're so quotable.
She should make merch with a notebook/pen that says I have a theory
XD
It could be bunnies?!?
@@ernesthakey3396 Or maybe midgets... Let's wait and find out!
I think Buffy has been holding back ever since Faith slept with Riley. I also think this episode of Buffy is based on the Star Trek TOS episode called THE ENEMY WITHIN.
13:06 "Yeah... I mean no."😅
This episode stands out alot. One of the things that people hardly discuss is the fact that Xander, without a second thought, would give his life for Buffy. Everyone scattered, including Buffy's boyfriend, but not Xander. He stood by her side and protected her. He's been doing it since the day they met.
Also, of course Xander would have a gun. Everyone else around him is either a supernatural being with powers or someone who's skilled and combat ready like Riley. Then you have people like Giles and Willow who can read and do spells to their advantage.
I also agree that Xander saying the world would be better off without him, hurts to hear those thoughts he has in his head. But someone needs to remind him that he has saved Buffy and the world a few times:
1. He revived her when she drowned and she was then able to kill the Master and save the world.
2. He stopped the dead guys from blowing up everyone at school during another apocalypse in the "Zeppo".
3. He stopped the cafeteria lady from poisoning many students.
4. And now in this episode, he saved Buffy yet again.
Think back to the very first two episodes cuz without him, Willow and Cordelia would've died or turned into vamps and maybe Buffy wouldn't of been able to stop Luke from completing the Harvest. And if Luke lives, the Master would've been free to roam the world once again.
Xander needs to know he is very much loved and needed. He's a real one for sure 💯 ❤
It was Anya's gun, which makes a lot of sense. Before she was mortal she was hard to kill, she had power and could defend herself. Loosing that must have been very frightening for her. Most likely D'hoffyrin wanter to punish her more than kill her. I think of when Buffy's powers were weakened on her 18th birthday, "I can't be helpless like that."
As for your points about Xander, while true, I actually find the more heroic thing about events from Prophecy Girl to be that Xander swallowed his pride and ego and went to Angel for help.
Everyone gives him such a hard time about his jealousy, etc. But I don't think his issues with Angel have much of anything to do with jealousy, and I feel like a lot of people's views on Xander are semi based on this interpretation.
Xander shows up with a cross in Prophecy Girl "how do I put this? I don't like you. At the end of the day, I pretty much think you're a vampire." His dislike is rooted in fear and need for safety, not just for him but the people he cares about. That's my take anyway.
It shouldn't be heroic to give someone CPR, hopefully anyone would do that for another person. But it is heroic to be willing to go after the girl that just rejected you in order to save her life and have the brains info to know who to go to for help to follow through on that quest.
Thanks, Cass! Always love seeing your reactions. I think you're going to enjoy Season 5. 🧛🧄
I’ve just watched a few of your videos and I love how observant and appreciative you are. Not many people pay close attention like you do!
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I'm glad you're so eager to learn more about Dawn in upcoming episodes - you haven't shown much interest in her character in previous seasons.
She only saw static when the kids were watching Candle Cove.
The ceiling fan killed me
I think Riley has few friends in Sunnydale, the guys in the initiative probably don't like Buffy and are more like coworkers so he can't confide in them like that. And this is for Xander to realize that he should value what he has and not envy others or compare himself to them, because you don't really know what's really going on with people. Buffy and Riley looked perfect and in love on the outside to him and Anya.
Never thought about splitting others. Willow split between shy nerd and cool witch, Giles split between tweed Giles and Ripper.
SPOILER
Glory is the equivalent of Slayer Buffy without her humanity.
@@NicamonUnlikely. Remember “The Wish”? We've seen that, and it's not even close.
@@Nicamon nope, I don't know where you get that from. Slayer Buffy would be more like the one portrayed in "The Wish" in Season 3. And we saw how Buffy was starting to act when her soul was systematically being sucked out of her by her demon room mate in Season 4.
I wonder if it would have split Spike into a demon and a human- Spike and William. That would be interesting.
According to nicholas brendan (so...who knows), he actually played the majority of both Xander's except when appearing side by side. Hus twin also has credit in one other episode this season.
This is fr one of the saddest endings to an episode.
12:59 OMG your reaction: "Yeah. I mean, no." 🤣
2:18 ..."Oh my god, that's a big cauldron"... That's what she said (literally, she just said it)
"Also we should continue to pretend we heard none of the disturbing sex talk..."
I love watching you watch these
Another great Xander episode. I’m glad Cass enjoyed how the show plays with the idea of integrating your best and worse selves and make peace with being a nuanced human.
I feel like Riley should be talking to Buffy about these issues or problems he is having instead of throwing them on her friend.
There would be no point. Look how she eventually responds
he literally told her he loves her this episode, and she blanks him.
@@adgato75 that's not a good answer. Her eventual response is because of the way she found out and what transpired beyond this episode. Had he discussed it with her before any of that happened, there would be a totally different reaction.
@@cajah88 Disagree.
@@cajah88 Even though he is self aware, that doesn't mean he is ready to let go. That's how painful it would be. He just lost everything when the rug was pulled from under him after the last parts season 4.
He wants to be grounded and find his footing. But him not telling her, maybe he thinks he could change the outcome and see if maybe there is still hope.
Let's also not forget that they are very young adults, and so strong feelings and insecurities in this subject matter are new, at least for Riley. He's never been head over heels before Buffy, but she has.
Someone on the writing staff must be a fan of the Belgariad fantasy series, because Toth is at least the second demon who shares a name with a character from those books. The other one I know of is the Polgara demon from Season 4.
I'm not sure, if you did get it right: Buffy asks Riley for having pure Buffy without the superpowers, not the Slayer without her. She was maybe fascinated by the idea to get rid of her Slayer stuff and being a normal girl while being afraid that he won't love that version of her. It's part of her inner insecurity and conflict she always has.
I wish the show hadn’t only played Xanders abusive household as a joke. There was a rich opportunity there to explore his character more over the prior seasons. But sadly every time it comes up thats how its used, from Cordy making mean girls spiteful comments, to the gag here.
Also think it kinda sucks that Anya knew he was beyond miserable living in that abusive household with fights so bad he willingly slept outside in the elements just to not hear it, and not only did she not ask him to come crash with her despite having her own place, but she instead badgers him into buying a place he cant afford because it inconveniences her to listen to it. And she never gets called on it since the show just plays Anya’s flaws for humor rather than really tackling them as real issues.
It's one of the reasons that the community and many reactors shits on Xander while barely criticizing the female characters, or excusing their bad behavior.
All of Xander's issues are treated as jokes.
My notification box said this episode was 5x02 _The Replacement_ but the video itself gave the correct title. RUclips being youtube. Either that or it was incorrect at one point.
Omg I’m so excited for out of my mind
was at work today thinking please let there be another buffy reaction when I get home 😭💗
I think if the weapon were to be used on Buffy it would split her into Slayer Buffy and Buffy Buffy. Because it would take her best physical attributes and best mental attributes and put them in one body.
So Slayer Buffy wouldn't be quipping
12:59 Yeah, I mean no.
when Anya sides with the "better" xander, thats really sweet, thats how she sees him, thats her xander all the time, regardless of the split, thats why she assumed he was the real one.
Fun fact: In the scenes where both Xanders are in the picture only weak Xander is actually portrayed by Nicholas Brendon. Confident Xander is portrayed in these scenes by his identical twin brother, Kelly Donovan.
21:40 That would have been a treat with Giles. Just think about his past and the Ripper side of him
Really enjoying your reactions; I miss having two a week.
This is a fun episode, glad you liked it
Fun fact: Nicks twin brother Kelly is in this episode. No split screens there really are two of them. Absolutely loving your reactions ❤❤❤❤
Finally making use of Nicholas Brendan's twin brother, Kelly Donavan. Kelly had been used previously to sometimes fill in for his brother where Xander was not required to speak.
For this episode, twins was really a benefit.
this season is the season
Again we have another Xander Centric episode like The Zeppo, this time is it's somewhat different. We've had body swaps, change of body etc throughout this show. This time it's almost a complete replica. Nicholas Brendons's actual twin brother stars here, which makes it even more compelling. An interesting view into potential other side of a someone's personality. The mundane flat hunting handled well that many can relate to. Another good S5 episode, not great but OK. There is so much better to come. Don't worry Cass just be patient with the Dawn mystery, it will all make sense soon.
you missed a line from giles. toth's intention was in fact to split buffy into a slayer half and a human half. the better half/worse half thing is just what happened when xander was hit and the spell was confused about what it was supposed to split. that's not what would have happened to buffy.
I think it's important to point out that in regards to Buffy and Angel, we were also seeing a very young, new to experiences, very dramatic and traumatized Buffy vs. an adult, dealt with a couple of heartbreaks, has more responsibilities and bigger issues to worry about, more emotionally regulated/guarded Buffy. She's not going to showcase the same level of extremes to Riley at 19/20 that she was showing for Angel at 15-18.
It's unfortunate that Riley doesn't get more focus to really explore why he came to the conclusions he's come to, especially since he doesn't discuss anything with Buffy as of this episode, but that's the issue of a show that's mostly centered on Buffy first, her main gang second, and everyone else third.
Puppy!!! 😍
Riley is obviously not what Buffy wants. He doesn't speak to her like Angel, ya know. She loves him, but she's not in love with him. It takes two to tango.
Me, not really paying attention during the introduction: " ... "
Cass: Oh my gosh, is she going to lay on the couch?
Me: OMGWTF?!?!? What episode is this? Wha...?!?
Fun fact(that someone probably already told you):Nicholas Harris has a twin brother and in this episode they act together whenever they need to have both Xanders in the same shot.
09:28 - 09:42 Evil Twins.🤭🤭 12:02 - 12:04 Aaaww.💚 12:59 - 13:07 🤭🤭 13:32 - 13:34 😄💙 14:28 - 15:12💣
I don't wanna spoil details but another show that has an episode with the same concept of split personality traits is"Legend of the Seeker"(also"Once Upon a Time"but that show _itself_ seems to have a double personality...a lot of great stuff alternated with a lot of plot holes and bullshits of all sorts!X-P #OnceUponaWastedPotential).
no, the twin thing hasn't come up once
There is a comparison between Riley and Xander's 2 sides. At the end, we saw Riley's anxious side, and so while he seems like he has everything together he is not that dissimilar to Xander.
You didn't really expect them to drop Dawn on us, and then just resolve it right away? :-) Remember, back when it aired for the first time, nobody had any idea about what's going on, and people had to wait a full week for the next episode... so why not have them wait several full weeks?
Poor Riley im starting to see bumps in the relationship. Only sollution become a vampire like angel hehehe just kidding miss u Angel
Where did Dawn come from? Well a Mommy Summers got together with a dadd... ;-) kerk
❤❤❤❤❤
This is one I don't normally watch (skip past) so I will enjoy the reminder of what happens. I remember either not liking it very much or finding it very meh.
Dawn? Dawn who? 😁
First one here to say I love hearing your thoughts.
This comment has Earshot vibes.
@@SylviusTheMad well I hope not because if so someone should probably check on me in a few hours
@@SylviusTheMad actually it may be better if everyone stayed away
You should listen to laufey
Hey, love your reactions! I don't know if you take suggestions here but you really really should react to Puberty 2 by Mitski. Hope you haven't heard it and can react to it in real time. Thanks a lot!
Listen to the second album of Melanieeee
👯♂️
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Bonjour cass reacts
I love how she said about Spike “what does he need a mannequin for” oh you will find out hahaha
"No I can't be mad at her (Anya) because they're both him". And she immediately believes the cool slick Xander is the real one, because that's the way she sees him all the time.
Three indications that a show has "jumped the shark". Introduce a new child for no observable reason, bring in a non-canonical character from fiction, splt a main character into two halves. Joss Whedon - hold my beer.
I feel like you miss some subtle moments when you write stuff down.
visually - probably, but i still hear everything and then i watch everything back on the edit anyways:)
You are one of the most thoughtful and sensible reactors to BTVS . Another outstanding analysis for a first time viewing. Duality has been a theme since Season 2. We have seen Slayer/ Buffy in Dopplegangland. Then the entire Faith/ Buffy interactions are about ethical choices and the path we take. We have seen Giles and Willow when they are void of their controlling morality. Now we get a glimpse into Xander and how his dream sequence in Restless is his reality. A very sly episode disguised as a Monster of the week.
Finally, take your advice. Buffy will never let you down. Answers are always given just never when you want and not the way you want. Patience. Season 5 is different and it is an epic story that was years in the making. Buckle up for a ride that lasts for about 60 episodes. The countdown has started so get ready for blast off.
Please react to Jack Stauber 🤞
Just so you know its not best and worst attributes its halves
For example confident Xander has indiscriminate force when trying to get the other one killed
Will you react on House of the Dragon S2?
Anya is over 1,100 years old. She's not thousands of years old.
Not Anya getting angry with Xander because he can't buy an apartment... She has absolutely no right to demand anything. And the "ex-demon not used to being human" excuse is not working for me anymore. She's just too self-centered.
Sorry for the rant, I'm not the biggest Anya fan in later seasons.
But she's dying! She has like 50 years left!
@@ChevaliersEmeraude spoiler
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I laughed, but then I remembered she doesn't even have two or three years, since we know what happens to her in season 7. Now I'm sad.
In my opinion, it doesn’t really matter about how long she’s been human. Anya doesn’t have a filter, demon or no. It’s part of her, uh, charm.(..?)
@@stephaniebarker472 Yes, and I think it's also the reason why the demon excuse doesn't work for me. She's been like this even when she was mortal, well, that is one of the reasons why D'Hoffryn offered her to become a demon in the first place.
I do enjoy her straightforwardness, but I fiercely dislike her self-absorption.
I wouldn’t mind it if she at least got called on it and grew. But its only ever used for humor. It’s also made more grating by how Anya and Spike, despite having serious character flaws, get a free pass from a lot of the fandom who think they can do no wrong.
Its one of my least favorite episodes
Why? This episode is fun
@@Shoofyou10 i usually dont like xander centric episodes and this one isnt any exception