"I Only Have Eyes For You" & "Go Fish" (2x19-2x20) | BTVS REACTION
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- Опубликовано: 30 сен 2024
- Hope you enjoy my reaction to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Two Episodes 17 & 18! This one was…um…yeah.
UNCUT Reaction Here ~~~ / cassreacts
My Letterboxd Profile: letterboxd.com...
I'm afraid you missed the central metaphor that makes I Only Have Eyes For You such a brilliant episode. Go back to Buffy's description of James 17:16 . SHE'S DESCRIBING HERSELF! Acting out of blind passion ... having to just live with the consequences ... offering no forgiveness ... This is how Buffy sees her own actions. No one judges her as harshly as she does herself (something you'll see time and again in future episodes). And the scene where the ghosts possess them (you didn't seem to register that the ghost of the teacher, Miss Newman, is possessing Angel), the line where James/Buffy says "a person just doesn't wake up someday and stop loving somebody," is an exact description of what Angel did to Buffy. The parallels are exact.
And you skipped past my favorite bit of Giles wisdom: "Forgiveness is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's not done because people deserve it. It's because they need it." At the end, Buffy still doesn't fully grasp this ("I still don't understand why she forgave him"), but she accepts Giles's "Does it matter?"
Yessss. Came here to comment most of this. Glad I didnt have to type it all lol 💜
@@lyssalovesit
Me too!
Exactly 👍
Thanks for typing it all out so I don’t have to!
Yes. This. Precisely. 👍
To me, the key lines in this episode are Giles saying: "To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's not done because people deserve it, it's done because they need it," and the closing Buffy/Giles exchange: "Part of me just doesn't understand why she would forgive him." "Does it matter?" "(slight thoughtful pause) No." Back when I was on a Buffy message board during the show's run, one of our regulars was a seminary student (she's now a minister). She was especially fascinated by this episode, especially as it relates to the idea of forgiveness as Giles defines it, what in Christian terms is called "grace." She even wrote a sermon about it. James (and Buffy) needs forgiveness for what he did, even though he is sure he doesn't deserve it. Yet he is given it anyway and saved from eternal torment by the teacher, whose name is ... Grace!
The weird bit with Cordelia is just showing once again that she really cares about Xander. Even if he's a fish monster
Cordy is a comic treasure that just doesn't get enough credit for it.
"I Only Have Eyes For You" is such a beautifully poignant & creative storytelling to weave a "monster of the week" with the main season arc.
Unfortunately I think you may have missed the main point of it - Buffy sleeping with Angel & then having him lose his soul is making her feel like she "killed him in a moment of blind passion" which is what she was judging James the ghost for. That's why he was identifying with her the most. He needs forgiveness & Buffy can't forgive herself for what happened to Angel (& consequently what happened to Ms Calendar.)
If you listen closely & really think about the dialogue between the ghost reenactments, it applies to Buffy & Angel perfectly word for word! "A person doesn't just wake up one day & stop loving someone!" That's exactly what happened to Angel after they slept together! Buffy's rant about James not deserving forgiveness is how she feels about herself 😢
This!
I missed it first time around too and I could never understand what Cordelia meant, but it's her line that ties it all together when she says 'overidentify much'.
Marti Noxon firing on all cylinders.
“I Only Have Eyes For You“ is very much a commentary on forgiveness. All the snakes and bees and such, was more just James’s anger and despair manifesting-he wants to be forgiven, but can’t, doomed to manifest every year leading up to the sadie’s hawkins death and reliving those last few minutes. He relates to Buffy because Buffy (though she as even stated in the show did nothing wrong) blames herself for Angel losing his soul and “killing” him. She wants forgiveness as well, but without Angel can’t be given any in her eyes. And I do really like Giles line about forgiveness-about how it’s isn’t necessarily done because someone deserves it. And so Buffy is a perfect surrogate for James, and Angel for Ms. Newman, as he also parallels her well. Except since Angel can’t die from a bullet, Ms. Newman is finally given the chance to live past the shot and forgive James-whether he deserves it or not he needed it and she gave it to him, which is perfect for Buffy to maybe start forgiving herself too. It’s one of my favorite BTVS episodes but I think it’s also one that might grow with appreciation on multiple viewings.
also love how you were able to predict “Go Fish” perfectly, an episode right before the finale that’s a monster the week with a type of fish monster XD. “Go Fish” is another favorite of man, albiet for very different reasons…”The Fall of the Soviet” part kills me every time
Just to add to this, I've recently been watching videos of Holocaust survivors being interviewed and it's stunning to listen to them warn against hatred because so many describe neighbors who once were friendly get riled into mobs. They witnessed some of the most evil human behaviors and many chose to forgive. It's hard for me to wrap my around around but I think they don't want those toxic feelings eating away inside. I'm not saying that not forgiving someone is the same as hatred, but it's interesting to think that this idea Giles discusses about forgiveness not necessarily being for them, maybe it's for the greater good. And obviously we need to punish murders but maybe you can do that while forgiving them to help keep anger and hatred and othering sentiments from rising.
@@eeejjj6378 Yes exactly! Forgiveness is much more complicated then it's often given credit for, and you explained it perfectly-not just for the offender, but for how it helps the one forgiving-even if it isn't maybe what someone deserves, it can be so relieving to let go of a grudge and bottled up anger-because really not much good can come from keeping all that in, for anyone. Forgiveness for especially heinous crimes is also something that I struggle with understanding, but it's one of the reasons that makes this episode so important I think.
Was James awakened every year? I always thought his spirit awoke because Buffy feeling the same triggered him.
"Every year". I've always wondered what happened LAST year. It would have taken place around the time of Nightmares. My school did Sadie Hawkins only once, so perhaps it is not an annual or an ad hoc thing.
Cassie!!! I started watching Buffy because of you and I was going at your pace but I couldn't help myself and now I'm in mid season 5 😭😭 and I need you to get there asap, there's so much going on and I need your reaction to it
"I only have eyes for you" is one of my all-time favorite episodes. Such a tragic love story. It's sad that you didn't understand how the plot connected to Buffy and Angel situation, however, I get the confusion. This episode is a lot, but the more I rewatch it, the more I like it.
James wasn't anything like strategic enough to arrange for Angel to be the one shot, he was just all anger and guilt. He posessed Buffy because she already saw HERSELF as James. James, in a moment of passion, destroyed the woman he loved. Buffy, in a moment of passion, destroyed Angel. She's not RIGHT to blame herself as if those two things are equivalent, but emotional turmoil isn't rational. When she angrily tells Giles James shouldn't be forgiven, she's venting her own guilt (Cordelia understood it: remember her remark of "over-identify much"). When she doesn't understand at the end why James' teacher would forgive him, she's expressing her own inability to forgive herself, no matter how often anyone tells her what happened to Angel wasn't her fault.
Grace whispered "I need you" to Giles and James whispered to Buffy. Both poltergeists were repeatedly trying to pull people to the location of the murder hoping they could make it go another way. Remember that Angel showed up after Drusilla sensed the poltergeist and probably sent Angel (likely without understanding she too was being compelled by their ability to lure)
Ahhh. Only Have Eyes for You is one of my favorite episodes, but I'm worried you missed what it was doing just because you were so focused on what was happening physically and who would shoot who and if angel would die and snakes and stuff.
The episode starts seeming like monster of the week, but actually reveals itself to be main story. Think about everything buffy says about James... She's talking about herself. Go back and watch those scenes through that lens. She feels horrible for killing Angel and turning him into Angelus. Just as James was feeling horrible for killing the teacher. And then because Angel didn't die, through a loophole he gets to tell buffy he isn't upset with her and he loved her until the moment Angelus took over. "I loved you with my last breath". Buffy to Giles at the end says she can't figure out why the teacher would forgive James... She's actually saying she has no idea why Angel would forgive her after she took his soul. Basically... To get this episode, ignore all of the supernatural hijinks. It's all a misdirect to make you think this is just a story about an angry spirit. Also ignore James and the teacher, their relationship isn't the point. Every part of the episode if you hear "James" replace it with Buffy, if you hear the teacher's name, replace it with Angel. The entire last scene, think of it as a conversation between Buffy and Angel. "A person doesn't just wake up and stop loving someone!"... But that's exactly what happened. Angel was asleep, woke up, ran outside, stopped loving her as Angelus. But as we see... Angel still does.
Others have said a bit about how James identified with Buffy because of her guilt, but the two relationships are actually much more similar than that if you think about it. James and Buffy were each in a forbidden relationship with a much older person (teacher, vampire) where that other person broke off the relationship, leaving the James/Buffy both heartbroken. Then Buffy felt guilty about making Angel lose his soul, and James felt guilty for accidentally killing the teacher. The parallels are all very strong.
James didn’t need the parallels to possess anyone as you observed with the janitor earlier, but his other connections with Buffy’s dreams, etc. may have come from the sense they have a lot in common (with perhaps a boost from the Slayer prophetic/vision dream ability, IMO).
Great reaction as always… back to watch the second half now…
“Cordelia, I think you need to reevaluate some things…”. 😂 They were trying to help solve your confusion about whether she actually cares about Xander… there she was saying she cared enough about him to try to keep dating despite his becoming a monster (which yes, is ridiculous… except Buffy dated Angel and Willow is dating a werewolf, so she may not realize there’s a difference in the type of monster here). So this was real character growth for Cordy (in addition to just being hilarious). (But also, you’re not wrong about her needing to reevaluate in that situation. 😂)
"To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's not done because people deserve it, it's done because they need it."
Keep this quote in mind when watching the rest of the series (and forever really, once you grasp what it actually means).
One of the HUGE themes in this show which you will see explored in a lot of ways, and which was explored here, is the cycle of vengeance. Season 2 really introduces this concept with the gypsy uncle and his comment that they don't serve justice, they serve vengeance. The hatred Buffy feels for James (herself) here is a facet of that.
It's not healthy that she keeps blaming herself, it doesn't improve her life or make anything better. But she feels like she DESERVES that punishment and so she keeps dishing it out on herself. And feels like James should still be punished forever.
It's not until she forgives herself that she will ever get to move on. It's not until we all forgive and move on with our lives that we can progress. Even people who don't deserve our forgiveness at all because they did terrible things. Things that are unforgiveable.
But in the end, you can read stories about how people forgave decades later the person who killed their parents or their child. Feuds and fifty year arguments settled with the decision to forgive. To recognize that there is no excuse, there's no way to justify what they did, and that the only thing you can do to make the situation and your own life better is to forgive. To show compassion to someone who doesn't deserve that compassion.
It's an incredibly complicated concept of the human psyche and our society, this ability to show compassion and forgive someone. And it's very underexplored in modern media. Forgiveness isn't a theme that resonates well when franchises like John Wick are dominating. Buffy, however, goes in HARD on forgiveness and compassion and on what happens when you do the opposite.
"Revenge is not a straight line, it is a circle."
It's a concept that we're in the middle of at this point in the show, but also one that you can examine after watching the last episode of the series and see with a bird's eye view that they explored throughout. In episodes like this.
Other people have covered the Buffy/James parallel but I find the Angel/Miss Newman interesting as well. It's one of the ways the show acknowledges the age difference and potential power imbalance between Buffy and Angel - Angel here is the equivalent of a teacher having an affair with a student
Except there's no power ballance between Buffy and Angel, except for one being immortal.
@TheRealGSmith I think there is one in terms of experience and maturity. Knowledge is power.
@@TheRealGSmiththere’s an absolute power imbalance. Angel’s an adult, Buffy’s a child.
@@eeejjj6378I've met too many mature teenagers and immature adults to subsribe to this way of thinking.
@@Thetommywestphalluniverse247Buffy is a teenager. And I'm pretty sure Angel doesn't have any ID, so being an adult is of no legal advantage to him.
"How are going from her not even giving a guy at The Bronze the time of day the last episode, to her putting up with Mr Ocean Man here, in this episode?"
Um... the entire last episode...The entire point of which was Buffy learning to forgive herself and not blame herself for what happened to Angel.
i didn’t pick up on the thematic undertones of that episode - apologies! the comments explaining them have given me a whole new perspective, thanks :)
The dynamic is different bc there is no Darla, who was Angelus' primary love interest. Without Darla, Angel is focusing on Dru more, so Spike is jealous.
The janitor and the teacher definitely had no connection. They made that a very distinct point when the teacher entirely positive what the janitor's name was and he had to confirm it as they said goodnight to each other. It was a way of underscoring that it was really just any two people.
But it wasn't just James' spirit; if nothing else, the ending should have made that clear when Angel, still possessed by the spirit of the teacher, came to find Buffy, possessed by the spirit of James. And Angel even talks about still feeling the humanity from being possessed, but obviously he was possessed by the teacher.
There were also subtle hints that the teacher's spirit was there too. The voice saying "I need you" was Ms Newman. When Drusilla has her vision, she says, "She's ready for you now. She's dancing. Dancing with death."
It's supposed to be a misdirect to make us think she's talking about Buffy, that _Buffy's_ ready for Angel and it's Buffy's who's dancing with death; to lead the audience to think she'll be possessed by Ms Newman and be shot. But Dru is talking about Ms Newman. _She's_ ready for Angel, and she's the one who'll be dancing with James.
James was probably responsible for the locker arm, the snakes, the bess; all as manifestations of his grief and turmoil and the anger he was feeling around the time he died. Even though he was responsible for it, it was a traumatic experience; and all of that was being manifested through violent abiritions.
In contrast to that, it's plausible Ms Newman's spirit was the calmer presence, trying to help, trying to ease James' pain; probably being the one who showed Buffy what happened between them, pulled out the yearbook. Both of spirits were trapped in the school; and it's probable that their manifesting _now_ has to do with the Sadie Hawkins dance, which might be something the high school was just bringing back (which they might have said or implied), maybe for the first time since they died; which stirred all this psychic energy tied around the dance and their death, amplified by both happening on the hellmouth. But it was alway both of them possessing people, reliving their final moments; and since Angel couldn't die, it allowed Ms Newman the closure she needed, to tell James she forgave him; which gave him the closure he needed and they could both move on together.
Only thing I would say is that the arm, the snakes the swarm of wasps, were all designed to first chase people away, and then keep them out, that way no one else would get hurt by their reenactment. it wasn't just random harm, but rather meant to save the lives of the innocent.
@@spamfilter32 the wasps maybe. It definitely formed a protective barrier around the school, and then proceeded to let Buffy in; and paid no mind to Angel (or at least, he assumed that it was because he was dead, when really, either James or Ms Newman wanted Angel there, the way they wanted Buffy there).
I don't know about the snakes or the arm in Xander's locker. That seems more ambiguous and feels like it may have been a manifestation of James' torment; him lashing out at the school and not being able to rest.
Or Ms Newman, for that matter. It was initially assumed to just be James doing everything, but ostensibly it was always both of them. And conceivably it was Ms Newman that showed Buffy some of the visions, because she wanted Buffy to help James; maybe seeing something of James in Buffy.
It’s too bad you missed out on the meaning behind I Only Have Eyes for You, I’m sure others have commented on it. Also, you feel for Spike because James Marters is FANTASTIC.
Reaction skipped over what, to me, is the defining line of the entire series;
“To forgive is an act of compassion, Buffy. It's-it's... it's not done because people deserve it. It's done because they need it.”
Forgiveness isn’t earned, it’s not owed, it can’t be deserved and it isn’t something that can be intentionally achieved by someone. It’s not a reward to be worked toward. Forgiveness is something only others can choose to give us, whether it’s seen by outside observers as deserved or not.
That choice to forgive even when in a situation where we could justifiably condemn instead.. that act is something that can have tremendous power. An act of compassion that is not compelled or required or even expected but has tremendous potential to heal.
The line is easily glossed over in this episode and maybe many dont think much of it; but it outlines a theme that this show circles back to again and again; Empathy and compassion are powerful engines of positive change and nobody is beyond hope.
"I understand if you want to see other fish," is the line that first hooked me on Buffy.
The ending of Go Fish is so silly. "And so the fish-men fucked off into the ocean, never to be seen again. The end."
If you're on the city council, then having your population learn the town's on the mystical equivalent of a toxic waste dump isn't good for property values, commercial development, or your tax base in general. You don't really have to dig any deeper for why they want to keep a lid on things.
Oh yeah, "they really do love their coach." "Boys have other needs." It's pretty clear what happened.. One of the funnier episodes imo. Obviously bad but funny, on the same level as some of the worst episodes of Supernatural's first season. Sexual deviant fish monsters, racist killer trucks, same vibe.
You should go back and listen to Snyder's conversation with the city councilman and see Snyder's reaction to what the other guy said.
Why not tell Snyder? BECAUSE HE IS CLEARLY NOT A GOOD PERSON, WHY THE F WOULD YOU TRUST HIM WITH ANYTHING? 🙄
Wentworth Miller and Xander in a speedo. Hello my sexual awakening.
Cass, one thing you need to keep in mind is that sometimes this show is a just full-on comedy. Go Fish is an excellent example of this. They had 22 episodes to write, shoot & edit every season & they worked on a VERY tight turnaround, often writing only 6-8 weeks behind what they were shooting. That means you sometimes end up with an episode like Go Fish & to their credit they knew it wasn't the strongest script so they doubled down on the wacky. I think it just about creeps over the "so bad it's good" line :D
This ep is from an unused S1 script I believe.
You're making a lot of assumptions about Angelus and Spikes previous relationship...
just thinking out loud :) hoping to learn more as i go
I never really realized they killed three teachers in three weeks. Forget students at the school getting new teachers to move to Sunnydale is the real trick.
And keeping teachers from hooking up with their students.
@@justinpilla5741
i'm pretty sure they just let that slide. they need the bodies.
I think that vampires are capable of love, but it's more an obsessive, unhealthy sort of love, like Spike and Dru/Angel and Darla. Angel is still clearly obsessed with Buffy, even though he keeps saying that he doesn't care. Angel and Buffy's relationship had some similarities to the ghost couple. Angel is older and could never give Buffy a normal relationship. Buffy wants Angel back and she feels responsible for him losing his soul, essentially killing her version of Angel.
They were filming this episode during the week after Valentine's Day. I was in LA for the first time for the first Buffy fan party. As a thanks to the party planners, we git a Buffy set tour. There was nothing like standing in The Bronze and hearing Sarah across the warehouse yelling, "Don't walk away from me, bitch!" at David. We git to meet John Hawkes, who plays the janitor. He would later get an Iscar nomination for the film Winters Bone. The teacher in the flashbacks is Meredith Salenger, who is now married to actor Patton Oswalt. The flashback original shooter is Chridtopher Gorham. A few years later, he would star as Jake in Jake 2.0, by show runner David Greenwalt, who was second in command on Buffy at this point.
Go Fish is not a favorite, but it shows where Cordy is in her relationship with Xander. Featuring early roles for Wentworth Miller (Prison Break, the Arrowverse), and Shane West (A Walk to Remember, Nikita).
"I need you," was likely the ghost of the teacher reaching out to dead James snd not James mrlessingvwith anyone.
Christopher Gorham. He was also in the shows "Odyssey 5", "Ugly Betty" and "Covert Affairs".
I'm probably the few people who likes "Go Fish". It looks like it should have aired "I Only Have Eyes For You" because how Buffy and Angel interacted with each other.
@Madbandit77 I only saw a couple of Ugly Betty episides, but love Covert Affairs. I mainly mentioned the canceled way too soon Jake 2.0 as it was run by a Buffy writer.
Was that a typo? They did air I Only Have Eyes for You. I'm not sure what you mean.
@@johncampbell756I’m guessing they mean aired before
@@jeanetteking434 Possibly.
Can't believe we're almost to season 3, these buffy reacts are always a nice little treat each week to watch
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i love that cass assumes that angel getting his soul and angel getting killed are mutually exclusive outcomes.
Apparently James identified with Buffy because Buffy was carrying her own guilt for "killing" Angel. That's why she gets so grumpy at the subject of forgiving James. And it does seem that the female ghost was there too at the end for the chance to let James know she forgave him. It is a bit confusing.
"I Only Have Eyes For You," definitely in my top 20 episodes. (I can't maintain a top 10 BTVS episode ranking. There's just too many good ones to choose).
As has been said, this episode is about Buffy finding forgiveness for herself. Not because she deserves it, or a more fitting way to put it might be not because she requires it, since she objectively didn't do anything wrong. But, she still needs it. She does blame herself for Angel's turn, and the mayhem and death he's caused. She says so several times in the episode.
I think, when she says James picked her, it isn't because he's controlling the whole scenario. As Giles said, James is caught in a "purgatory," having to relive the murder over and over. It's more like he's the actor in the play, not the playwright. So, he picked Buffy, not out of everybody, but just between Angel and Buffy, who were the only two there. And between the two of them, Buffy was the one who felt guilt.
I don't think Buffy compares to James in terms of culpability over the things they feel guilty about. James really did commit murder. (Power dynamics between teacher and student in an inappropriate and illegal relationship, aside, it's never okay to shoot somebody because you're upset with them. Though, in the 50s legality might've come down to the particular State they were having their relationship in.) (The legality of having a relationship with someone underage, I mean. Not the legality of murder, which I'm fairly sure was still illegal in the 50s).
On the other hand, Buffy feels responsible for people who have died by Angel's hand. And though she connects that responsibility to choices she made in her relationship with Angel, it is ultimately Angel (now Angelus) who is choosing to kill, and do the various other awful things he does. Not Buffy.
But, Buffy feels the way she feels, regardless. And if she can come to an understanding and ultimately forgive herself, via the Hellmouth's version of involving an unsettled ghost, and some snakes and wasps and some kind of zombie arm in Xander's locker, then that's just how it goes at Sunnydale High.
James didn't target anybody. He wasn't in control of it. As Giles' said, he was in purgatory. He needed his victim for forgive him for him to escape his hell. He finally got forgiveness.
17:16 You seem to have missed one subtlety here. Listen to Buffy's speech again, but this time frame it in your mind as though she's talking about herself and her relationship with Angel. EDIT: Ah! There we go. Clearly it's been a long time since I've seen this. The next scenes make it obvious. EDIT 2: In your post-episode discussion, it seems like you've missed the guilt and regret that Buffy's feeling over Angel. _That's_ what the ghost tapped into.
I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU
One of my favorite episodes. I believe the kid was 17 or 18, though it's still inappropriate for a student to date a teacher and vice versa.
Angelus and Spike were never "friends" like with any type of animal they ran in a pack together. I don't want to spoil anything but yeah they've never liked each other.
The snakes appearing and dead hand in the locker were just a supernatural manifesting itself into the reality as the souls weren't being able to have a resolution.
James picked Buffy because Buffy had a lot of anger still about her relationship with Angel/Angelus. Buffy /James wanted the relationship to keep going, while the teacher/Angelus felt it wasn't right to keep going. The similarities are there as Angel is older than Buffy who's still considered a child to his adulthood.
It's also possible that James realized Angelus couldn't die too
I wish they would've aired this before the finale because it sets that up well.
GO FISH
One of my least favorites
The whole Willow subbing is a huge plot issue. It's one thing to finish a class but to take over it makes no sense.
The coach is played by Charles Cyphers who was in John Carpenter's Halloween
Cyphers was also in other Carpenter films: "Assault On Precinct 13", "The Fog" and "Escape From New York". The late Conchata Ferrell ("L.A. Law", "Two And A Half Men") played the nurse.
Snyder and the officer said something important that I only caught on like...my 4th rewatch😂
I Only Have Eyes For You is one of the best episodes in season 2. It takes whatever expectations on who James would possess and swaps it, and the Buffy and Angel possession dialogue has so many layers when you apply it to their own relationship (and Buffy's relationship to Guilt and blaming herself). A lot of projection is going on here. I hope it made more sense to you after editing or upon rewatching, because it sort of feels like that layer was missed in the viewing when it's essential for Buffy working through trauma.
I enjoy your reactions and thoughts on each episode. You can try but you can't relate this show to others you have watched before. Buffy is unique and does not fit with any other. The advice I will give is that you are about to enter the real Buffyverse. BTVS will remain entertaining, downright excellent, but it will become unlike any show in television history. You can continue to react to the supernatural surface but be prepared. The show is going to dwell on classic philosophical debates, what is morally right, real choices, tragedy, happiness, and what is morality. The direction of the show and plot lines are not going to be classic television but thoughtful with difficult and challenges to mainstream accepted ideas. Sit back, relax, and open your mind to the most underrated show ever produced in Hollywood.
Cass...the High Empress of overthinking things.
A very high concept episode with Buffy so hagridden by guilt, despair and horror. The ghosts reaching out to Buffy and Angelus was a marvelous twist and when Buffy comes back during the kiss and whispers "Angel"...damn.
Giles showing sympathy, wisdom and maturity to Buffy about Angelus while he grieves for Jenny is a testament to his stature as a man and his regard for Buffy.
Drusilla's casual viciousness "We'll find you a nice toddler". Yeah, these vamps don't sparkle.
And no...dog spit is toxic. They lick their butts and eat poop all day.
😆
How are we almost done with season 2 already 😭😭😭
On a happier note... we're almost to season 3!
😀😀😀
Because this QUEEN is one of the rare reactors who post 2 episodes a week!!! Or atleast a video 😂
"The next one's called 'Go Fish'." Pause. Sigh. 😂
"Wouldn't that just pull his arm right out of his socket?"
How much do you think Sarah Michelle Gellar weighs...? 👀 😒 🤨 🤔
anything over 100 pounds pulling down on one arm looks like it would hurt! or i am just a weakling lol
@@officialcassreacts Also Xander had fish enhanced strength at that moment
Love how Reacters be like "come on, Spike. Stand up!"
And Spike be like "oh, I will"
It was both James and the teacher possessing people in that location. They both needed forgivness and to fogive. James identified with Buffy becayse she was experiencing the same loss and guilt (Buffy needed to forgive herself). The "I need you" was the voices of the ghosts, needing help to replay the incident. In the end, the teacher was able to express her forgiveness through Angel, as he could survive the gunshot and maintain the possession.
2x19 is a wonderful episopde and while all episodes of BtVS, including 2x20 have great themes and metaphores, 2x20's themes and metaphores didn't hold the entertainment value of said episode like 2x19 did.
I don't think I'll ever get used to you calling Jenny "Calendar". Like, over the last 25 years, I've only ever heard her referred to as either Ms. Calendar or more often Jenny. And I obviously there's the convention of calling people by their last name, like it was their only name; though I've always found that weird. And I think we mostly take for granted that "Giles" isn't his given name because it gets used that way so often, but that's definitely not the case for Jenny.
Darci calls her “Cal”.
Can't wait for the last 2 episode :P :P:P
Your confusion with Eyes was delicious! 😂
Others have already done all the explanations.
I'm just here to say brava, keep up with the thinking out loud, off the cuff theorizing, etc. ❤ Predicting Spike standing, priceless!
Whenever there's over the top manifestations, just figure Hellmouth energy amplifies weird stuff. 😉 This could be true for the ghost effects in Eyes, as well as the Soviet research actually causing the kids to transform in Fish.
Lots of misogyny and privilege getting called out in Fish. And your first theory of the creatures coming out of the bodies was correct!
So ... two people tragically falling in love is disgusting now?
The falling in love part isn't the issue. It's that the firmly in her adult years person didn't go 'whoa, hold up, can't go there' before a nonplatonic relationship started.
@@wildoneizzyHow do we know? All I saw them do was hold hands. And when you're really head over heals in love, making logical decisions is damn hard.
Watching your reactions give me so much serotonin fr
How would the ghost know about Angel?
IOHEFY is an episode I always enjoy. Partly because we get Christopher Gorham (from Popular) and Meredith Salenger (from the films: The Journey of Natty Gann, The Kiss and my personal fave Dream a Little Dream).
I'm never swimming in sea waters again 😂
Spoiler? ....
The fact that you are already "Team Spike" is HILARIOUS to me ❤️😂
(And I'm just realizing that my profile pic may actually be a spoiler, oops!)
I think I remember you mentioning you'll stop reading comments after a time, (and then maybe come back after you've finished the series?) but if not: moderators, feel free to delete all my comments! 😬 I'll stop commenting for now, but just know I am loving your reactions!
While I'm here, I just wanted to add, I honestly don't remember what it was like to see this show for the first time, since it's now SO familiar. So it has been a treat to watch your journey. In particular, though Angel's transformation was very shocking initially, I almost felt like you weren't shocked "enough" 😅... But then I thought ok, I would be thinking the same thing - that this can't last, they'll fix it soon, it'll all be ok. It's only extra devastating to me because I know what's coming next. 💔 (And the fact that I already know the mechanics of vampire souls and the "permanent-ness" of what happened to Angel in breaking his curse. Without that, it would just feel temporary.) And also, Calendar's death IS the first truly shocking thing that happens. It still makes me cry to this day! (The first of a handful of shocking and tragic deaths on the show, while we're on the spoiler train 😉)
I watch many Buffy reactors, and you are one of the best (sharp insights and prognostications). Keep it up and thanks!
James is a ghost, so as a ghost your stuck in a loop unable to move on right. So what's preventing him from moving on is from what happened when he was alive and is affecting him as a ghost. And as a ghost he is forced to project those past thoughts and feelings of what happened to him when he was alive repeatedly and in forms created out of manifestation of his thoughts and feelings. He doesn't have control as a ghost, because being a ghost means your trapped in you're own personal limbo unable to move on...but of course every loop has a loophole
It wasn't just James that was haunting the school, it was the teacher also. They were both caught in a purgatorial loop that always ended up with both possessed hosts dead. The teacher wanted to forgive James, knowing that it was an accident that the gun went off, but had no way of acting it out. Since the teacher possessed Angel and his undead body, she was able to act beyond the usual "scripted" event, go to James before he shot himself (Buffy) in the head, and tell him that she forgave him. Thus, both of their spirits were able to move on. James possessed Buffy because he related more to her, since they both have heightened emotions from losing their lovers: James due to getting dumped, Buffy due to Angel's lost soul. The other strange events happening in the episode can be chalked up to supernatural phenomena occurring due to the presence of the ghosts and the lingering anger/sadness of the event that led to their shared demise.
"Go Fish" is considered one of the weaker episodes 😜
It’s not James getting dumped it’s him killing his lover.
@@jeanetteking434 Either or, he was losing her regardless. The break up was enough to fill him with significant anger/sadness to pull a gun on her and contemplate murder so that's what I was focused on.
Oh I can't wait for Season 3
Me too! It's my favorite season!😊💚
It's funny because when you "Go Fish", you never go back. 😄
The phrase "I Only Have Eyes For You" also refers to Buffy's state of mind since she's constantly thinking about Angel too.
"Why would a school sports coach do such extreme things?" Looks at the news... Hmm, I don't know. Good question. Some people are just villains, I guess.
They need to have a story on background tv in this show a year later with a new species of aquatic life being discovered...
Hell yeah! All aboard Team Spike! William the Bloody, my favorite character in Buffy by a landslide.
Also, Spike and Angelus's relationship hasn't changed at all. Their relationship now is exactly how it was in the past. They are just two Alpha dogs butting heads. They grate on each other. Their disdain and hate for one another slowly builds until they have to fight it out.
If you like books, check out the Dresden Files. They are narrated by James Marsters, the actor who plays Spike. The book series is about a wizard detective named Harry Blackstone Copperfield Dresden. It's an awesome series
The "loop" was James, and at least a piece of his love forced to repeat events. So, she could forgive him... if she lived long enough. He related to Buffy, because like James and Buffy "accidentally" "killed" the person they love. It starts "close" to the original, a BF/GF was similar enough to him. Then he got better at possessing and expanded to unrelated people. James accidentally shot, Buffy slept with Angel not knowing the soul thing.
Since Principal Snyder has no paranormal ability we know of... that makes him, the swim team, and coach real life monsters. The coach is willing to dope his team to win (even "normal" steroids are harmful). Snyder is willing to grant them special privileges (automatic pass, believe them over girls they assault) and favouritism. And the team... believe they deserve to be special and get away with sh... stuff.
Edit: the end monolog... my comment.
Coach: "Boys have other needs"
Buffy: Those boys really do love their coach.
I think you understood exactly what was going on with the swim team and the coach when Buffy said, “I guess they really love their coach.” 👀 Especially after he had previously said to Buffy, “They’ve already eaten, but boys have other needs…” Yeah…
Buffy heated the boys up and and then substituted the coach for the main event so to speak, so Buffy was somewhat literal when she said, "Wow they really love their couch."
Swimming makes them tired, and it's a fold-out.
I know this is the least important question you asked, but it's also spoiler free: Dog saliva is dirtier than human, but it's also more acidic so more of the bacteria gets killed off. Also, bacteria in dog saliva will mostly be adapted to dogs, not humans, so dog bites aren't as dangerous as you'd think.
Regarding the Angelus-Spike dynamic it will be explored in later seasons, especially in the spin-off, but for now just remember that Darla (killed in s01e07) was Angelus' sire and part of their family. This new dynamic is forming in her absence.
One thing that often gets overlooked in I Only Have Eyes For You is that James was not the only ghost. Ms Newman was also a ghost too. Just as James needed to be forgiven, Ms. Newman also needed to forgive James. The reason Buffy takes on the role of James and Angel Ms. Newman in the reenactment is not just because Angel can survive being shot, but also because that is what each of them needed as well. Buffy, as irrationally as it may seem, needed to be forgiven for killing Angel (turning him into Angelus is effectively killing him). And Angel needed to forgive Buffy for that. We can all know that Buffy really isn't responsible, and intellectually, Buffy can know that too; but that doesn't mean she doesn't feel guilty over what happened. Buffy needed Angel to forgive her. And Angel needed to forgive her. And through James and Ms. Newman they could each experience the thing they needed from the person they loved and hurt.
I really love how James line "You don't just wake up one day and stop loving someone," parallels Buffy's experience with Angel who literally woke up one day and stopped loving her.
The final point I want to make, that I think is good that is made in the episode, is that forgiveness isn't rational. "Why did she forgive him?" "Does it matter?" Ultimately it doesn't matter why, only that it happens. People need to forgive, just as people need to be forgiven and it is not something you can earn. A person can spend a lifetime trying to make up for some bad thing they did, and still never feel like it is enough, and a person can be forgiven who has not repented. Both sides of forgiveness are just things people need, why a person is forgiven is not rational, it is just something we need, viscerally. Trust is similar. We can trust a pathological liar, while refusing to trust a person who has never lied to us. Who we trust isn't rational and it's not based on one's past actions. No matter how much we tell our selves different, you can never earn someone's trust. Nor can anyone ever earn your trust, you give trust irrationally.
p.s. I am not using irrational to signal that this is bad, to the contrary, the irrationality of these things are good at best, and neutral at worst, but never bad. Trust and Forgiveness are emotional responses, which is why they are irrational. You can't think your way into them, just like you can't think your way into loving someone.
I Only Have Eyes For You is such a good episode as explained in many prior comments. As for Go Fish, it is definitely in my bottom ten, although it still is pretty funny and has it's moments. It is also notable for Wentworth Miller's first onscreen acting job as he later went on to star in Prison Break and was Captain Cold in the CW/DC shows.
Looking forward to your reaction the fantastic 2-part finale.
Please check out Sarah Michelle Gellar in Simply Irresistible. It’s such a fun 1999 movie.😊
Go Fish a real filler of an episode to be honest, one of the worst of the Season. Some brilliant preceding episodes, Surprise, Innocence, Passion, I Only Have Eyes for You etc then this! Only thing is after this we are in for E21 and E22 two parter finale which is exceptional, and brings a thrilling conclusion to the Season Arc. Enjoy the last two, you will!
I wouldn't say that Spike and Angel were friends. Angel was like a mentor to young Vamp!Spike then Angel was cursed and Spike lived his own (un)life for decades. When Angelus returned Spike had grown into his own person. Also Angelus is and always was a dick.
Go Fish was kind of a fun episode. In a way a fun episode is needed after the emotionally Heavy episodes we just got through with Passion and with what is coming in the season finally. So, this is part of the good use of pacing by the writing crew for the show. Wentworth Millar is in this episode; he would go on to star in Prison Break and Legends of Tomorrow. I love how Jonathan got his revenge by peeing in the pool. It's both petty, anonymous and solitary revenge. No one else would ever know, only him. Like an inside joke. Which does also go to his personality. As to Xander pulling Buffy out of the sewer one handed, he had just gone through 2 treatments of steroids, so we can chalk up his extra strength to that. Also, give Cordy credit that when she thought Xander had been turned into a monster, she didn't react in revulsion. She showed that she really does care about him and wouldn't abandon him.
31:58 Good call, you figured it out really quickly!
40:39 I guess the weirdness influence of the HellMouth meant the coach's version of the experiments with fish DNA worked out a little differently to the Russians'.
40:55 That's unusually nice and understanding for Cordelia, she's really grown. Of course it doesn't matter as it isn't Xander.
42:19 The first time I completely missed what the line 'They love their coach' implied what they were doing to the coach. I don't think it was because they were eating him, as the coach made it clear what he was intending them to do to Buffy.
At least there wasn't a girl's swim team, so they can't reproduce after they escape to the ocean.
If you haven't already watched it by the time you see this post, make sure you watch all the way past the end of the credits in 'Becoming Part 2'.
Episode 19 is my favourite episode of the whole series but the random supernatural stuff (Xander's locker, cafeteria snakes, even the failed exorcism stuff like Cordy looking in the mirror) all feel like filler
I Only Have Eyes For You shows that forgiveness is about letting go of the pain and hurt. Not because people deserve it
Go fish, IMO, is probably one of my top five least favorite episodes. But at least we have certain positives to take away from it. Especially the Cordelia at the pool aspect of how much she cares for Xander
Not sure if you noticed that when Buffy talks about how you can't forgive someone who destroyed the person they loved in blind passion- she's blaming herself for destroying Angel - in her mind, she "killed" Angel when she had sex with him and she relates to James because she wishes her Angel could forgive her.
I’m just up to here on your reactions and girl you watch these like it’s real life or something. Lmao. Being weirded out when Cordelia thought Xander was a fish was so random. Shes just saying she’ll love him even if he is one. It was just a cute little thing. And the fact that you didnt get the first episode when it was so obvious what was going on. Youre lookin way too hard and way to real life for this show. Lmao.
As for James, he was only in the school so he only knew what Buffy talked about... I think he knew angel would not die so that's all he saw... James tried n tried to play it out it just happened that it was buffy n Angel (less) .... Highly likely James had not idea he would finally get to fully play it out and finally got forgiveness... ❤
Buffy was feeling guilty like she killed angel by giving him a moment of happiness and a moment of passion literally killed the person she loved (took his soul away) She couldn't forgive herself. When she goes off saying he shouldn't be forgiven she was talking about herself 🥺
I dont plan to repeat everyone else, but I will say I absolutely love I only have eyes for you, even before I finally grasped the full meaning. Some of the themes in this episode are so pertinent to the field of psychology. The idea that we are constantly searching for corrective experiences, which James is doing here by trying to relieve this tragic moment and do things differently. Then also the value of compassion and forgiveness towards ourselves and others. Notice that neither James nor Buffy are actually guilty of the weight they carry inside. James was likely 17 - same age as Buffy (a minor and not fully matured), and having an inappropriate relationship with someone much older than him. It's bad, its very bad that he had a gun and brought it to school, but he didn't mean to pull the trigger. In my eyes, he does deserve some compassion. Compassion instills hope, hope within people that they change, and as a result, the people of a generation change too.
(Is it better to punish people and release them after they served their time, or is it better to rehabilitate them so they can participate in society? Rehabilitation doesn't happen without a purpose or meaning to live, and most people can't have that without compassion and a chance at forgiveness. - It's really behavioral psychology at its finest.)
Buffy going out with the swimmer at the beginning of the episode Go Fish, while it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense, remember that just 1 episode before, Willow tells Buffy that maybe the way for her to get into the mood of dating, she needs to go on a date, and That swimmer talking about the Ocean, at least initially reminds of the way Owen talked about Emily Dickens that Buffy found attractive. Only later when he kept on talking and talking about the ocean so obsessively did Buffy get bored. The difference between Owen and the Swimmer in how they talked about their passions is that Owen had time to listen to Buffy, while the Swimmer was so self-absorbed that he had no time to listen to Buffy about what she liked, and thus boredom.
One of my least favorite episodes (Go Fish) for many reasons, but I still appreciate your reactions. Thank you.
Everything that Snyder does to cover up The supernatural is done when The main cast can't see or hear. the audience Knows that Snyder knows, but the cast doesn't know.
If I recall correctly, before the possession started, the janitor asked the teacher her name. Therefore, he couldn't have been in a passionate relationship with her.
Which begs the question, why did James pick them.
Did his ghost only haunt that area of the school, and since the janitor and the teacher were the only ones in that location at that moment, did James have no choice but to pick them to possess?
It seems to be an "any port in a storm" situation.
Amusingly, there's also a direct correlation between the relationship between the host bodies and how passionately the possessed people say the lines. The actors playing the teacher and the janitor who barely know each other give much more muted performances than the teenage couple, who really go for it. But the teenage couple can't reach the same level of drama as star-crossed lovers Buffy and Angel, who are in borderline melodrama mode.
James did pick Buffy because the two of them had the most in common. Both were rejected by their soulmates and left with unrequited love.
Xander also loves Buffy and Willow as friends and maybe Giles as an authority figure
I feel real bad for that poor janitor in I Only Have Eyes For You. He is going to go to prison, for something he really didn't do.
7:00 That random technobabble... Is this CSI now?
Wildfire (2005 TV series) Great Show! 😍
Angel would not have reacted the way that he did if he did not still have feelings for Buffy. Feelings that he wanted to "wash away."
When Buffy talks about James, she is actually talking about herself. SHe blames herself for what happened with Angel and what happened to Jenny. James picked Buffy because she also feels tremendous guilt and anger over what hasppened.
Cordelia: Overidentify, much?
I think that it is quite simple actually, the first two reenactments was just those 4 people being at the wrong place (aka they wore at the place where the first real killing happened), Buffy where drawn there after the wasps due to James relating to Buffy due to her sharing hes feelings, aka like he she is convinced that she have killed the one that she loved in a moment of passion and that she cannot be forgiven.
So James does not want to do the reenactment really, he is forced to do it as a form of purgatory as Giles explained, so I think that the snakes the locker and other things where his attempt of scaring away people so he wouldn't have to reenact.
James picked Buffy because he was full of guilt and so was Buffy.
Are your old Game of Thrones reactions still up somewhere?
"i dont know if i enjoyed the last two episodes"
oh yikers, these two are painful in comparison
I don't have any fun facts today, I'm too focused on your fish god theory, that would have been so funny
The one thing I will say about whether or not a murderer can be forgiven... it's kind of a moot point because the only person who could possibly forgive them is dead. So it's not for anyone else (including Buffy and us, the audience) to decide whether or not James can be forgiven. That's only for Grace, and we will never actually hear her point of view. And as you pointed out, she's... kind of disgusting herself.
a) We did hear her position when she was possessing Angel
b) I can find nothing disgusting about her.