There is no metaphor here. The commentary on American high school is right out in the open. The prioritizing of sports/athletes. The rampant sexism of the athletes/coaches/administration. The gossip that abounds talking about girls and what it is assumed they've done. If anything, my complaint is that it's presented too tamely here. Reality is, it's much worse for girls in high school than this. Watch Audrie & Daisy, Roll Red Roll or Nowhere to Hide the Rehteah Parsons story and see what I mean. Yes, thet are more recent stories, but it was just as bad in the 90s. I know at least 3 girls who were SAed while we were in high school (some even in junior high) and that was late 80s/early 90s. So can we stop complaining about this ep and appreciate that thet were trying to start a conversation that we sadly are still avoiding?
I don't think anyone is trying to avoid those conversations but Buffy episodes always speak to her journey directly or via metaphor and this one just doesn't, so it sticks out as being a shallow episode that says nothing about Buffy in a show that is always about Buffy's journey. I think it was Jane Espenson who said that they always looked for "Buffyness" of the episode, and this episode just doesn't have it. My channel is about analysing that journey and my critique of this episode is that it has nothing to do with that journey.
I also like this little conversation: Cordelia: "You, you, you. What about me? It's one thing to be dating the lame unpopular guy, but it's another to be dating the creature from the Blue Lagoon." Xander: "Black Lagoon. The creature from the Blue Lagoon was Brooke Shields." (Although maybe I am aging myself)!
@@whatthepop925 yea, I was a kid/preteen also, but I remember my mom watching it and telling me I couldn’t, and I remember that Brooke Shields was in it and that my mom used to make fun of her eyebrows!
Some themes come back alot in Buffy. Rape is actually rather prevalent... But the idea of forgiving the monster within actually parallells dark Willow a bit. Hadnt thought of it that way. I do think the idea of boys becoming monsters is saying a bit about puberty as well - feels like its got a smidge of the pack. There is some elements here and there, but really... Not a good episode.
I'm sorry but this is actually one of my favorite MOTW episodes! The only problem is because it's the olden days of TV they had to stall the ending of the season for another week. How can anyone hate an episode that features Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) and Conchata Ferrell (Two and a Half Men) ? Also Cordelia's Pool scene, come on. This episode is cool!
This is one of those episodes that I think is silly but still fun. It is out of place in the series though and would have served better as a season 1 episode.
I think the watchers explanation of vampirism is overly simplistic and misinformed and the soul is conscience or the superego not the seat of identity and the vampire is the person they were minus that and with monsterous urges added to their id.
Possibly, but Angelus did say as well that her boyfriend is gone. Remember that a person has to die before a vampire can inhabit them, as far as our limited understanding of existence is, they are gone. As Joss said though, (paraphrased) "The soul is whatever we needed it to be for the story". It comes down to how you view "what are we ultimately?". If we're just our memories then a vampire is just as much us as we were prior to death as the vampire has all those memories too. Given our brain is left behind when we die, it has to be our soul that goes to "heaven", so what part of Buffy was in Heaven? Was it only her superego or did all aspects of her existence go with her? I don't believe it was only her conscience. I think people who become vampires get taken over by a small part of a demon, its not like they get inhabited by an individual complete entity, they get some shared demon essence from the original demon. The essence can do some things but it isn't a whole demon so must adopt and adapt what it finds itself inhabiting and I believe that means taking on the memories and traits of the human that is gone.
There is no metaphor here. The commentary on American high school is right out in the open. The prioritizing of sports/athletes. The rampant sexism of the athletes/coaches/administration. The gossip that abounds talking about girls and what it is assumed they've done. If anything, my complaint is that it's presented too tamely here. Reality is, it's much worse for girls in high school than this. Watch Audrie & Daisy, Roll Red Roll or Nowhere to Hide the Rehteah Parsons story and see what I mean. Yes, thet are more recent stories, but it was just as bad in the 90s. I know at least 3 girls who were SAed while we were in high school (some even in junior high) and that was late 80s/early 90s. So can we stop complaining about this ep and appreciate that thet were trying to start a conversation that we sadly are still avoiding?
I don't think anyone is trying to avoid those conversations but Buffy episodes always speak to her journey directly or via metaphor and this one just doesn't, so it sticks out as being a shallow episode that says nothing about Buffy in a show that is always about Buffy's journey. I think it was Jane Espenson who said that they always looked for "Buffyness" of the episode, and this episode just doesn't have it. My channel is about analysing that journey and my critique of this episode is that it has nothing to do with that journey.
I also like this little conversation:
Cordelia: "You, you, you. What about me? It's one thing to be dating the lame unpopular guy, but it's another to be dating the creature from the Blue Lagoon."
Xander: "Black Lagoon. The creature from the Blue Lagoon was Brooke Shields."
(Although maybe I am aging myself)!
LOL yeah, I'm old enough to have seen Blue Lagoon, but also not remember it (I was a kid when I saw it).
@@whatthepop925 yea, I was a kid/preteen also, but I remember my mom watching it and telling me I couldn’t, and I remember that Brooke Shields was in it and that my mom used to make fun of her eyebrows!
Some themes come back alot in Buffy. Rape is actually rather prevalent... But the idea of forgiving the monster within actually parallells dark Willow a bit. Hadnt thought of it that way. I do think the idea of boys becoming monsters is saying a bit about puberty as well - feels like its got a smidge of the pack. There is some elements here and there, but really... Not a good episode.
It really struggles with its metaphor while bashing you with its message. Its just poorly written and plotted.
@@whatthepop925 Agreed, "Struggles" Is a very forgiving perspective.
Wentworth Miller is the only redeeming feature of this episode. The casual SA jokes are pretty gross.
Miller is damn fine. What is SA?
Wait. NM. I figured it out.
I'm sorry but this is actually one of my favorite MOTW episodes! The only problem is because it's the olden days of TV they had to stall the ending of the season for another week. How can anyone hate an episode that features Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) and Conchata Ferrell (Two and a Half Men) ? Also Cordelia's Pool scene, come on. This episode is cool!
You're one of a very small number of people, but each to their own :-D
This is one of those episodes that I think is silly but still fun. It is out of place in the series though and would have served better as a season 1 episode.
It would have felt much better as a season 1 episode, and probably would get judged less harshly if it were.
I think the watchers explanation of vampirism is overly simplistic and misinformed and the soul is conscience or the superego not the seat of identity and the vampire is the person they were minus that and with monsterous urges added to their id.
Possibly, but Angelus did say as well that her boyfriend is gone. Remember that a person has to die before a vampire can inhabit them, as far as our limited understanding of existence is, they are gone. As Joss said though, (paraphrased) "The soul is whatever we needed it to be for the story".
It comes down to how you view "what are we ultimately?". If we're just our memories then a vampire is just as much us as we were prior to death as the vampire has all those memories too. Given our brain is left behind when we die, it has to be our soul that goes to "heaven", so what part of Buffy was in Heaven? Was it only her superego or did all aspects of her existence go with her? I don't believe it was only her conscience.
I think people who become vampires get taken over by a small part of a demon, its not like they get inhabited by an individual complete entity, they get some shared demon essence from the original demon. The essence can do some things but it isn't a whole demon so must adopt and adapt what it finds itself inhabiting and I believe that means taking on the memories and traits of the human that is gone.