Silver Linings

[crazydiamondsue]

The worst of Buffy is still the best of television. I read that in Entertainment Weekly a long time ago, and I still wholeheartedly agree with it. Do I have my fave and least fave eps? Sure. But even my least faves have a moment of brilliance that make me think, yeah, that's my show.

Since I find myself flailing under writer's block, I thought I'd find solace in that favorite activity of writers and teenage girls alike: the list post!

The Puppet Show (Season One)

Not a fave: I know it’s cliché, but yes, I have puppet fear. (Angel-puppet aside, he’s more of a muppet.) But Sid’s one creepy puppet. And there was so much misdirection in this episode that by the time the actual organ stealer is revealed, I’m yelling, “Who the hell is he? Ben is Glory? What???”

Still love these, tho:

Cordy wasn’t just singing Greatest Love of All - she was going to use *sparklers*.
***
Buffy: Uuuhhh. They [dummies] give me the wig. Ever since I was little.
Willow: What happened?
Buffy: I saw a dummy. It gave me the wig. There really wasn't a story there.
***
Snyder: I know Principal Flutie would have said, 'Kids need understanding. Kids are human beings.' That's the kind of woolly-headed, liberal thinking that leads to being eaten.
***
Oedipus Rex over the closing credits. The beyond bored now way Buffy says, “Oh, Oedipus, Oedipus, unhappy Oedipus,” as she pats at Xander; the grimaces Xander makes as he stammers, “Madness, and... Madness a-and stabbing pain,” and just the wide eyes of Willow.

Bad Eggs (Season Two)

Not a fave: Un-hot vampire cowboys and a giant squishy creature in the basement? What is this - Buffy versus the Legion of Dumb? Probably the Buffy plot that feels most lifted from a Super Friends episode to me.

Still love these, tho:

Closet smoochies. Oh, and Xander saying "vapid." It's the little things for me.
***
Xander: You gotta take care of the egg. It's a baby. You gotta keep it safe and teach it Christian values.
Willow: My egg is Jewish.
Xander: Then teach it that Dreidel song. (Quite possibly my favorite Will/Xan exchange ever.)
***
Buffy and Angel's "cold dead seed" convo. Okay, they don't call it that, but they get the gist. No little Angels unless it's mpreg, m'kay?
***
Examining the bezoar hatchling in the lab:
Xander: Can I just say Gyughhh!
Buffy: I see your 'Gyughhh!' and raise you a Nyaghhh!
***
Interesting fact: A "bezoar" is a hard indigestible mass of material, such as hair, vegetable fibers, or fruits, found in the stomachs or intestines of animals, especially ruminants, and humans. It was formerly considered to be an antidote to poisons and to possess magic properties. (And that definition was used in what other fandom? Anyone? Anyone?)

Anne (Season Three)

Not a fave: It was actually really hard to find a non-fave in Season 3. It's a fantastic season. Faith! The Mayor! The Wish! Band Candy! But this is probably the episode I re-watch the least. I like the Scooby action, but the Buffy After School Special runaway thing leaves me cold (despite the resurrection of Chantarelle/Lily/Anne.) I mean, when Angel found out Buffy was dead, he went to a monastery and kicked demon monk ass. Buffy runs off to LA gets my college summer job? Eh.

Still love these, tho:

Larry: This is our year, I'm telling you. Best football season ever...if we can focus, keep discipline, and not have quite as many mysterious deaths, Sunnydale is gonna *rule*!
***
Oz forgetting to go to summer class and hoping Willow would find it cute.
***
Buffy pig-tails! Pig-tails of Buffy! And the cutest waitressing outfit ever. (Wait - where's her 15 pieces of flair?) One of my favorite Buffies. And her fantasies of Angel...sob.
***
Xander and Cordy snarkage, followed by vampire slayage and kissage give me much funage.
***
Buffy and Joyce's silent hug as the prodigal comes home.

Where the Wild Things Are (Season Four)

Not a fave: You thought it would be "Beer Bad," didn't you? That's a Xander episode. Hello! "Nothing can defeat the penis?" C'mon, people. So, what don't I like about this one? The, uh, "plot"? So did Buffy and Riley having lots of sex draw out the poltergeists, or did the poltergeists make Buffy and Riley have lots of sex? I was never clear on that.

Still love these, tho:

Xander. Striped ice cream vendor hat. Adorkableness.
***
Spike leaping out at Anya with a, "Grr!" and Anya saying, "Spike! What are you doing? You made me yell really high." (Quite possibly the most quoted line at my house, since Caza and I enjoy leaping out at each other.)
***
The entire Spike/Anya drinking at the Bronze scene. Except Anya's outfit, which I swear I gave to Goodwill after Mom died.
***
Spike calling Xander a 'puffed-up manly man -All splotchy and possessive' and Anya assuring Xander she didn't have Spike because, "That's all I do now - not have sex."
***
Giles. Espresso Pump. Acoustic guitar. Remember? That was spring of 2000, before Limp Bizkit covered it and it was on the radio every other freakin' song? No one knows what it's like. *cries*

I Was Made to Love You (Season Five)

Not a fave: Season 5 is my favorite season, but it was between this episode and "Listening to Fear." I went with this one, because it really didn't move the arc forward (although without it, I wouldn't have gotten the Buffybot and that would have been bad.) Plus, it almost had Britney Spears in it. o.o

Still love these, tho:

Puffy Suit Xander!!!
***
Joyce getting ready for her hot date and looking amazing. *chin quiver*
***
Best. Tara/Anya. Moment. Ever.
Anya: Oh. Well, at first it was confusing. Just the idea of computers was like, "whoa, I'm eleven hundred years old. I had trouble adjusting to the idea of Lutherans." [Lutherans! Bwah!]
Tara: I go online sometimes, but...everyone's spelling is really bad, and it's...depressing. [Bwahahaha!]
***
Giles/Dawn - a date.
GILES: Um, well, we listened to aggressively cheerful music sung by people chosen for their ability to dance...then we ate cookie dough and talked about boys.
***
Giles/Xander - a flirtation
GILES: (when asked if they have books on robots) Oh, yes, dozens. There's an enormous amount of research we should do before - no, I'm lying. I haven't got squat, I just like to see Xander squirm.
XANDER: Funny. Charming and funny.
***
Okay, there was a lot I liked about that one. I wonder...oh, yeah. The ending. Did I mention the next ep is "The Body"? *sobs*

As You Were (Season Six)

Not a fave: Hmm. ladycat777 and I had a chat where it was mentioned that this ep was completely unredeemable. There's a lot I don't like in this, and I'm someone who loved Season Six. And I like Riley. It just felt...false. False and forced and...that's how you're going to end Spike/Buffy? Demon eggs? *That* will lead to Seeing Red? (Well, actually, sleeping with Anya will, but that's neither here nor there, this is the impetus.) Oh, and Riley's wife? My college roommate. Teeth on edge.

Still love these, tho:

Riley: I want to explain, I just don't have time. I've been up for 48 hours straight tracking something bad, and now it's come to Sunnydale.
Buffy: My hat has a cow. [I've never loved her more - I've had that stupid hat moment.]
***
Okay, I pretty much wince through the entire scene where Riley walks in on Buffy and Spike nekkid in the crypt (well, except for Spike sprawling his legs open and Riley deliberately not looking) but Spike calling Riley's search and seizure of his crypt, "unconstitutional" is pretty damn funny.
***
Anya and Xander hiding in their bathroom from their families, pre-wedding that wasn't.
Anya: You know, if you love Riley Finn so much, maybe you should just marry him.
Xander: He's taken. And that's not the point.
***
Willow gleefully waving off new friend Sam after exchanging emails.
Willow: (loyally to Buffy) What a bitch.
***
Okay, so I pretty much don't like that episode. It's a gut punch for several of my favorite characters; Buffy and Spike are both hurt and my loyalties get all torn up and emotion over takes reason, and yeah. Oh, and Anya and Xander's marriage angst is played for laughs, and then a episode later, it's not so funny. It's a hurty episode without the poignancy to make me want the hurt. So is it fangirl that I do like Buffy calling Spike, "William"? But, yeah, overall - ouch.

Sleeper (Season Seven)

Not a fave: So if Season Three was a season I struggled to find a least favorite ep, Season Seven was were I was tempted to list few parts I liked from the entire thing. Okay, that's not necessarily true. I know most people would list "Him" in this category - but, sorry, there's too much Spike/Xander interaction in it for me not to squee. Just a little. And Spike tackling Buffy as she's aiming the bazooka always makes me smile. So it's this episode, instead, with Mystic Tan!Spike and almost no funniness. At all. The First is messing with Spike. Right. So now I'm blaming all OOC Spike on the First, okay?

Still love these, tho:

Xander asks Anya to vamp-sit Spike
Xander: You're gonna be fine.
Anya: Better be, because if I get vamped, I'm gonna bite your ass.
Xander: Wouldn't be the first time.
***
Anya attempts to make Spike think she's snuck into his room to seduce him, not look for serial killer trophies.
Spike: Wait, wait, Anya. Just a minute. This is not exactly — is that a stake?
Anya: Yes. Kinky.
***
Bouncer: Yeah, yeah, I know the guy. Billy Idol wannabe?
Buffy: Actually, Billy Idol stole his look from — never mind.
***
And, um, I like Spike/First singing "Early One Morning"? Um...Dawn's hair looks really good? Sorry, this one just doesn't work for me. Beneath You was so affecting, and this just seems contrived. Not even Spike-in-the-sheets makes it work better for me. And, by the time I watched this, fanfic had convinced me that Spike and Xander spent their Season 7 roommates time together arguing over the leaving of damp towels and grudge fucking on the couch. So the canon kind of paled. *wink*

And there you have it - my favorite moments from my least favorite episodes. Disagree with me? Wanna call me an asshat? Rebuttal? Or tell me yours? I think dovil should do Angel, because a) it would be funny; and b) I don't have those episodes memorized. :)

Comments

[likeadeuce.livejournal.com]

oddly, my least favorite episode, "Him," has what is possibly my favorite line in all of BtVS.

I don't remember exactly, but Buffy tells Willow she can't be in love with RJ because, "You're a gay woman. And he isn't."

I could do this with Angel much more easily than Buffy. I'm just astoundingly uncritical where BtVS is concerned. Besides "Him," the only other ep I really don't like is "Doublemeat Palace." And that has Spike saying. "You're a customer service professional. I'm a customer. Service me."

Angel has many more crappy episodes with cool moments. I'll just throw out "She" as a crappy ep, and Wesley's reaction to the girls that he's pulling out of the mudbath as the good part.

Damn but I think i'm going to go to Target and see if they have any Angel seasons I can buy with my giftcards. Fuck the waiting for Veronica Mars. I need instant gratification!

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

Doesn't Spike look translucent in the DMP though?
Must have been about his most underfed episode.
We're lucky the poor bloke didn't fade away.

[tx-cronopio.livejournal.com]

Good list! Hard to overlook Inca Mummy Girl, though... :)

[cityphonelines.livejournal.com]

Too much Xander to be looked down upon!;) Sue will agree I'm sure.

[cityphonelines.livejournal.com]

Um. I concur. Yes. For the most part. Nevermind that we've discussed each of these eps and moments with each other at length the past year. While your at the drive-thru or Home Depot, no less.

I'd have to disagree with S7. I really liked Sleeper. On mulitples levels that I will not go into because I just finished two pages on 'stop bitching about fb, you whores'. For me it would have to be 'Potential'. I watch that ep solely for the Xander moments. Period.

(Wait - where's her 15 pieces of flair?)
Oh, how I love you. It's all about the random movie references.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Oh, we have discussed. I forgot to tell you that when were blathering about Mr. Potato Head Xander and slash and smut, I was at the Homeland and right as I'm saying something like, "It was smutty, but not like leaking cock, rim-job smutty," some man standing next to me dropped his Cheetos, didn't I?

I didn't dislike "Sleeper" the first time, but I rewatched not too long ago and just really don't care for it. I think it could have been done better, even non-First!Spike seems...odd and it just leaves me cold. I like Dawn in "Potential" and I *love* Xander's speech at the end of it. Xanderista, remember?

Laura just mentioned the 15 pieces of flair the other day. I giggled. Posted yet?

[trepkos.livejournal.com]

I really hate "Dead Man's Party".
The Scooby argument seemed totally unreal and contrived.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Yes, and I would have listed that one, but I love "Night Hawk," and the Scoobies patrolling w/o Buffy and Oz asking if they should welcome Buffy back with a shindig or more of a hootenanny. And really dorky looking Cordy/Xander making out. And Giles. But yes, that showdown with Buffy just makes me want to smack Xander and Willow (a phrase I rarely utter) because what part of "I had to kill Angel" did you not get? Joyce I understand being upset, but I'm not sure who was writing Xander at that moment, 'cause his anger seemed so out of place.

But still - hootenanny! And zombies are always fun...at least that one engages me. "Anne" leaves me kind of bored.

[ladycat777.livejournal.com]

The "my hat has a cow" line is funny, yis. But ... dude, I loathe that episode. Truly. Not in the "maybe I just will fast forward this one" the way I do through inca mummy girl, but loathe. There's no point. There's no resolution, too many hanging plot threads that get ignored, and I like Riley coming back! The concept worked for me, baby -- but the execution was just miserable. That episode just plainly sucked hairy balls and probably was the result of far too many compromises and people poking at it that the normal continuity (oh, joss, I missed you so, for that episode) was just lost.

And yet -- still better than Smallville. Which I will be watching this fall *facepalm*

*is stupid JM fen*

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I knew that was going to be my Season 6 ep, without question, and then the only thing I could remember liking was the "my hat has a cow." I had to go back to where I was pulling quotes and skim to find things I liked. And there were few.

I've only watched a few eps of "Smallville" (Season One, I think) but you know I will be watching. Not with the fevered excitement I'll have for "Kitchen Confidential," but I will be watching. And I say I'm in it for the writing. Heh. *loves you and your loyalty*

[strchsr.livejournal.com]

Xander: You gotta take care of the egg. It's a baby. You gotta keep it safe and teach it Christian values.
Willow:: My egg is Jewish.
Xander:: Then teach it that Dreidel song.

love it.

you see the sad thing is i've only seen through season 3, but now i must watch them all when i have lots of money & can afford to buy them.

*

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Buy! Buy! You can find them cheaper on ebay. *nods*

There are parts of Season 4, 5 and 6 that make my soul sing. The writing, the acting, the character love. There are even parts of 7 that make me remember why I'm watching. Five will always be my favorite, because I think it has a wonderfully executed story arc, but that could just be me. But yeah, that dreidel line was wonderful. :)

[fanbot.livejournal.com]

That's fun!
A not a fave for me: Triangle. I like about half of it. If they could have only sewn it together with anything but he contrived Willow/Anya hate...

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I thought about Triangle. The Anya/Willow think just seemed so overwrought - and what was up with all the naughty Willow stealing? Still - Spike and Xander play pool. And Xander can't choose between his best friend and his girl friend. And - there's other stuff I like. The part that doesn't work for me is Buffy "funny" crying over Anya/Xander because her Riley pain had been so real up to that point, and it just kind of makes it seem silly. But...Spike and Xander play pool!

[smashsc.livejournal.com]

You know, I never thought ranking all the Buffy eps (and seperately the Angel eps) who come in so handy but it is useful often. Mine (*prepares to duck for my least favorites*):
S1 - Teacher's Pet:
The Xander line I quote most often, "Just for the record, you were right. I'm an idiot, and God bless you."

S2 and my least favorite overall - Some Assembly Required (I have my reasons):
"Love makes you do the wacky."
The whole Angel being jealous of Xander thing
Giles & Jenny.

S3 - Beauty & the Beasts (not really fair beacause I love that whole season)
Willow: He's just being Oz.
Oz: Pretty much full-time.
And I love the pain of the whole Buffy/Angel plot

S4 - Superstar (it is the only altverse on either show that just doesn't work for me at all - also I have irrational Jonathan dislike.)
"Xander don't speak Latin in front of the books"

S5 - Buffy vs. Dracula
My favorite part of the ep was watching Kendall & Anton v2.0

S6 - Doublemeat Palace
"Today's episode of 'Go Money, Go'"

S7 - Him
There has to be a good point in there; I'm just not finding it.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Of all the Xandery eps, "Teacher's Pet" is my least favorite. I like Xander's rock god dream. And, um, I like Cordy having a medically prescribed lunch. And Giles having the tape on the wrong side so we get his catalouging tapes instead of bat sonar. But yeah.

I don't watch "Some Assembly Required" much, either. Monster-o-the-week. Eh. Same for "Beauty and the Beasts," I'm trying to remember what I like in that one. That Oz line would be one, as well as the Bangel. No love for the Mr. Hyde plot, tho.

I don't have Jane Espenson's level of Jonathan love, but I like him. I like that ep when it's funny, when it gets too themey, it kind of throws me out. And yeah, I love the slashiness of Giles and Xander about Jonathan. I'm wrong - I know.

"Him" is redeemed only by my S/X-ness. And "Theme to a Summer Place."

[savoytruffle.livejournal.com]

i really enjoyed reading this list. it gave me great fandom joy.

(where's my WWTW, bitch?)

*smooch*

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Writing! I swear! Not giggling over funny lines in unfunny eps. Really. See? Here's me - writing. Did I say I love that icon? 'Cause I do.

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm...got me on everything (except I hate "Gingerbread" more than any other episode not in s7) but the parts that redeem "Sleeper" for you are the parts that make me cringe. The parts I like are Spike calling Buffy when he realizes he's done a very bad thing, and Spike taking a sniff of her in the basement and going all sideways, because I am, in my most secret depths, an incurable Spuffy shipper.

Julia, "Gingerbread" gives me mom-fits.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I didn't realize how much I didn't like "Sleeper" until I re-watched it recently. S7 kills the Spike/Buffy love (and yes, I have it) from S5 and even S6 for me. I *do* like Spike calling Buffy, and I like that Buffy is looking for him because she's worried, not just because she's the Slayer. The Spike/Anya scene bothers me (although I do like the stake line) because it seems to trivialize something they both needing and something that had devastating effects on both of them. Plus, it really bugs me (and this is borderline trivial) when Anya asks if he thinks she's fat, when the first thing I notice is how waifish she is as she walks into the room. A very shadow of S5 Anya.

"Gingerbread" isn't a favorite, although I like Oz and Xander and Cordy and Giles having to work together. And yes on the Mom thing, although I love Willow's, "Prince of Night, I summon you. Come fill me with your black, naughty evil!" Oh, my Willow.

[denny-dc.livejournal.com]

can I just say, best post I've read in lj in a long time! (hehehe, and more hehehe). LOL! (but more so, thanks for the lovely journey down memory lane.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Hee! Girl, in all my herald looking, I have seen so much of the neg in the meta (dare I call this meta?) so I just wanted to say, yeah, okay, maybe I didn't love the ep, but I still loved the Spike, Buffy, Xander, Willow, Giles, et al moments therein. Glad you enjoyed - our fandom, still needs the love!

[kita0610.livejournal.com]

The thing about Angel is that all the eps are better once you know the outcome of the long-ass arcs. Which is not a defense of the shitty eps, like say, Dad, wherein Angel is completely unrecognizable to me. But when you know his child is going to be kidnapped into a Hell dimension and come back trying to kill him with Robin Hood hair, it does make the dorktasticness more bearable.

The ep that everyone always mocks on BtVS is Beer Bad, and my god I just *floved* that episode. Cave!Buffy is the cutest thing eva and who doesn't think that "boys smell nice" would make a perfect icon, huh huh??

All of BtVS S7 could fall off the face of the earth as far as I'm concerned. Lapdog!Spike and OOC!Giles and plot holes to drive a truck through. I haven't even bought that DVD and I'm OCD about my collections, man.

I ranted. Oops.

I give you Cave!Buffy in apologies.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my thing about doing Angel (other than this one ran waaay longer than I thought it would) is that I don't tend to think of it in terms of "episodes" but in arcs. I think I was one of the few who didn't agree with the WB's wanting S5 to make each episode self-contained. For all of S4's "issues", I liked the one-long-arc thing. I thought it worked with the way all of the characters were woven together.

S7 Buffy...well, it was more Buffy. The Giles aspect of S7 is probably the biggest heartbreaker for me. I suppose because I got my Spike back in S5 of Angel, but I never got a Giles resolution (or explanation.)

Robin Hood hair. *loves* And yes, Cave!Buffy and bartender Xander and funky koolaid Giles and Willow seeing through Parker's line make that one work for me. Despite parts of it being lifted from a script co-written by Ben Affleck. *boggles*

[luvs-phoenix.livejournal.com]

(Wait - where's her 15 pieces of flair?) Office Space! Squee!

Liked your choices. Season 6 was a fav because I didn't FIND Buffy until Season 6. Really. I saw the guy with the blond hair and went "whoa!" Saw them fall through the floor and never looked back.

*g*

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

S6 was where I found Buffy, too, so I never had the "character assassination" feelings I've seen elsewhere in fandom. Their past just kind of added to what I knew of them up to that point, you know?

Office Space shout-outs are always a good thing. *g*

[elucidate-this.livejournal.com]

bezoar! harry potter! probably someone already got that, but i'm too lazy to read all your comments.

the snyder quote from puppet show continues to make me laugh outloud.

also, mmmm grudgefucking.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

HP! Yesss! I giggled so hard when I read bezoar in...is it Half Blood Prince? You got it first! Oh, Snyder! "Whoa, Summers! You drive like a spazz!" *diez*

Grudgefucking^TM: why Spander makes me happy.

[tabaqui]

Yay!!
Everything made me laugh.

I know there are eps that i hated with good moments but my memory is so awful that i can't actually remember them without prompts.

Like, say, most of season six and season seven.

But, yes - you've made me want to re-watch all of it.
:)

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Season 7 and I have agreed to disagree. I glare at it for the Giles and the Willow has a new girlfriend plots, it offers me Spike and Xander sharing a "look" as recompense. I'm not totally satisfied, but I persevere. :)

One of my biggest joys in the fandom lately has been watching sweptawaybayou experience S-2 through end for the first time. It always makes it shiny and new to me, and dulls the things that hurt to watch someone experience it for the first time.

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

I just agree with everything you say, with one notable exception.

Every single second of Anya trying to convince Spike that she was in the room trying to get into his pants instead of looking for serial killer clues was GOLD. *hearts Anya*

[winterlive.livejournal.com]

PS: I also totally knew bezoar (you and me out by the bike racks, neverneverfic) and Puppet Show had a classic Snyder line you missed: "There are things I will not tolerate: students loitering on campus after school, horrible murders with hearts being removed, and also smoking." <3

[nwhepcat.livejournal.com]

Aw, how could you not like "I Was Made to Love You"? I feel so sorry for poor April by the end.

Love this list!

And in "Wild Things" -- recently rewatched due to Riley bunny nudgings -- I loved the convo at the end, where Riley says, "I can't believe it really happened" and it turns out they're talking about the others seeing Giles singing in public. Hee!

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I feel sorry for April, too, "it's always darkest before the dawn." *pets April - is glad that she wasn't played by Britney Spears* It just doesn't hold my interest overrall, although it does set up Warren and the whole Buffybot (whom I loved - "That'll put marzipan in your pieplate, Bingo!") plot.

I was also thinking about the look Buffy and Riley share at the end of "Wild Things" where they find the hawt sex as weird as the rest of us, but still consider it pretty hot. And I love that Anya was the hero of that ep.

And weirdly, I was just talking about you over at adis723's journal...freaky...

[speakr2customrs.livejournal.com]

I'd disagree with you over S7. 'Sleeper' wasn't a bad episode and there were so many really dire episodes later in the season.

To me the worst is a toss-up between the abject stupidity of 'Show Time' and the betrayal of everything that BtVS stood for in 'Chosen'. But at least 'Chosen' has Vi kicking major butt, whereas 'Show Time' has no redeeming moments whatsoever.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I'm with you on "Show Time," (I'm sure the bad English accents bothered you even more than me - and when the best thing I can think of is Andrew asking if Dawn wants to play Kevin Bacon? Yeesh!) and while "Chosen" has its moments for me (mostly from a Spike/Buffy still got the love level), the "everyone can be a Slayer - ask me how!" plot hurts me. (Although I worked some fic out of that idea.) I really think my main issue with Sleeper is that the flavor of the writing feels off. The funny isn't where I need it, and when I need it, and while I like some of the S/B interaction, I don't feel that Spike. Which could be the machinations of the first, and if so - well, okay. But he's still a very tan manpire in that ep...

[lynnenne]

That whole post was hilarious. "My hat has a cow" makes me laugh like an idiot. Every damn time. And Anya can redeem almost any episode for me, even one as snoozing as "Where the Wild Things Are."

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Icon!!! Oh, I love the Anya/Spike, despite my Xander love. Also, you write great Angel. I just randomly felt like telling you that. I cannot write great Angel, so I fangirl those who do.

"My hat has a cow." I missed most of the rest of the following dialogue laughing at that. I need a Buffy DMP uniform icon...off to look! *smooches*

[ex-dovil323.livejournal.com]

GIVE ME BACK MY BRAIN! Yes, yes! To allll of this! And I would SO do the Angel one but I'd be going 'You know, you know, the one where he did the thing with the whatsit', when it comes to episode titles and pinpointing this I am as useless as a very useless thing exactly when you didn't want one.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

*cough*www.buffyworld.com*cough* I may have episodes memorized, but I don't really know all of that dialogue verbatim. Okay, some of it. *g* I have been trying to steal your brain for years! Er, months! adis723 has a Xander!Sue rant posted to which I also channelled you. It's a gift.

[paynbow.livejournal.com]

I pretty much sit here snickering, laughing, snorting water out my nose, and nodding like a syncophant. I LOVE the list!

There's an essay that theohara wrote about As You Were that almost redeemed the ep for me. I still wish it a horrible, flamey death, but at least I can kinda watch it without wincing. I'll send it to you if you're interested.

As for Him being on people's hate list? BOOOOO!!! I LOVE that ep! It's one of the few shining moments in S7! It's a harken back to classic Buffy! The 4-way split screen? That bazooka sceen? Anya The Bank Robber?Spike and Xander's Brilliant Plan of just snatching the jacket? C'mon, people! AWESOMENESS! Admittedly, Dawn's cheerleading scene is probably the hardest scene to watch next to the AR, but I LOBE Him. If S7 had more eps like Him they'd have been better for it.

Anywho, time to end this rant. I love the list! *smooches*

[paynbow.livejournal.com]

Heh . . . LOBE. I meant LOVE. See Anya in my icon? Where she failed, I succeeded.

[nashmaveric.livejournal.com]

Right now I love you soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much. We agree on pretty much everything. Except season 6. Season 6 made me cringe A LOT. Least favourite season of the whole entire series. It's the Spuffy and the depressed!Buffy. It sets my teeth on edge. Season six is when I stopped actively liking Buffy. ::sigh:: But yeah...best thing about the whole Buffy thing is that there isn't an episode where you don't find something to like. Even if the episode overall suckes like a brand new hoover. ::nodnodnod::

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

There are parts of Season 6 I love beyond the telling of it. I think the characters grew and changed and while I lose some things (magic!crack - you're out of here!) and Seeing Red rips my soul, I still love it. Those last episodes really work for me (overrall) and OMWF will be my all-time favorite ep 'til the day I die.

But yeah, there's a glimmer of joy in every episode. Except "As You Were," - the cow hat is the best glimmer. *sigh*

*loves all over you*

[yourlibrarian]

Just have to chime in with vigorous nods to various quotes and agree that there wasn't any episode that didn't have some part in it I loved.

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

Me, too. Sometimes I re-watch "Where the Wild Things Are" just to hear Giles sing. Oh, and I forgot about Spike's offer to help them get Buffy and Riley out of the frat house before remembering that he doesn't like any of them. :)

[auroramama]

Buffy: Actually, Billy Idol stole his look from — never mind.

Hey, that line made me gasp in startled vindication: I knew she and Spike must have had more than one conversation in all the time they were having sex!

[crazydiamondsue.livejournal.com]

I know! One of my favorite S/B scenes is the under the carpet conversation, and I always wondered what they talked about. You know they had to talk. At some point. *g*

[anelith.livejournal.com]

After a longish day of a very booooring tutorial on MS Access, this is just exactly what I needed... thank you! Great Buffy moments to make me smile, even if they are from less than stellar episodes.