7.20: Touched

[obcooke]

Faith's turn...

Buffy is out and Faith gets her turn to call the shots. But is that an improvement?

Oh, and almost everyone ends up in bed with someone.

Meanwhile, The First and Caleb are trying to keep the good guys from finding something... Something Buffy wants.

What happens when the Immovable meets the Unstoppable?

 

[Highlander II]

okay - I have to start with -


AAAAAARRGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

FREAKIN' UPN AND THEIR DAMEND GIVEAWAY! I'M SENDING THAT LETTER THAT I WROTE LAST WEEK! THEY ARE GETTING AN EARFUL (metaphorically)!! GAH! ACK!

Oh - I swear - if they do that during the finale ep - I WILL NEVER WATCH UPN AGAIN! Oh - and don't think that I have no will-power - with the exception of the NHL Stanley Cup Finals (b/c ABC is the only station that airs them until 2005) - I have not watched one minute of ABC programming voluntarily.


Anyway --

Buffy left Spike a note? A NOTE? What was that? -

and more importantly - what did it say?



Okay - the Spike / Faith fight was cool! (have I mentioned lately how much more I like un-chipped Spike? WOOHOO!)

That kooky smile on Spike's face when he was talking to Buffy creeped me out - what was that? eek!

The Mayor - gee -- why'd he come back? *insert sarcasm smiley here* -- eh - it's not that I don't like the Mayor - this was just trite - predictable - and DUH - Faith's not fallin' for that again - that funky watcher chick tried back w/ the Glove of Mynighon (SP??) and Angel helped her and such - so, don't think she's gonna cruise down that road again -- but - could be wrong - we have two more eps for Faith to plummet -- anyway ----

Wood: "Wanted her to hold me like a little baby... in a manly way of course." -- oh please -- ugh gross make me gag -- schmoop factor way up here --

The 'Golden Axe' that Buffy found -- okay - here we go again -- Raise your hand if you're pretty darn sure that the Buff-ster ain't the one to 'weild' that puppy --- *raises hand* -- even Joss isn't *that* obvious ----- or - maybe he is ---- we'll see

I'm still mad about that stupid giveaway - and OH is UPN gonna hear it -- grrrrrr argh -

Oh - that weird Spike - Buffy 'I love you' - scene -- ok - I get his point - but *gack* - squicky -- I don't like 'spuffy' scenes -- I mean - I understand where it was going - and apparently only Spike could shove Buffy out of this self-deprecating funk she was in... but - oh -forget it - this was the end of 'spuffy' - so nevermind - I'll just go write about chip-less Spike who isn't in love with Buffy ----------

 

[obcooke]

Well, let's see if I can write about this episode with a minimum of sound effects.

First, I really don't like the way the whole thing has gone. The Scoobs should be together right now. We only have a very few hours left and our friends are all at odds. I want to see them spending time together!!!

I really don't like Faith & Wood, but the good news is that Faith often just passes time with men and isn't really interested in attchments.

I love the Kennedy-Willow loving and the brief Xander-Anya tryst.

Buffy-Spike was okay.

Giles really acted strange in this one. Why does he kill the Bringer so suddenly??? When Faith and Spike start fighting you can hear Giles hollar, "Stop it!" or something like that. Then as the fight moves into the dining room, Giles hangs at the back of the crowd instead of moving in to try to break them up. Very strange.

I liked seeing the Mayor again, even though its a lame ploy, it was fun to see the whimsical demon-wanna-be. One bad part was that even though he tries to explain why The First seems so all-knowing it doesn't work. He implies that The First knows everything that the evil ones he imitates know. But there have been times when The First knew things that were said when no bad guys were around, so that idea doesn't really work.

Lastly, the axe that Buffy finds at the end. For those of you who don't read the comics, that weapon seems to be the same one that appears in Dark Horse comics "Fray" series, written by Joss Whedon about a Slayer of the far future.

Here is a link to the picture.

 

[Brent]

Buffy sure was awesome though at the end there, fighting, or not fighting hehe, caleb

Slayers truely are powerfull, she like totally avoided him hitting her through the whole scene, very sweet stuff there

 

[Tabitha]

I found this episode to be strangely unsatisfying and yet at the same time, seeing Buffy get back on her feet evoked a feeling of "Well, it's about time". Her listlessness for most of this episode began to make me think that she had been drugged or something, and I was beginning to think we were going to lose her altogether when she threw that guy out of his own house.

Spike leaping into a fist fight with Faith before really getting what had happened during the mutiny felt wrong. Did he really think Faith could have engineered a takeover plot that would have sucked in Giles Willow and Xander? Maybe he never knew Faith that well, but I still don't buy it.

Willow and Kennedy just left me cold, and I was thinking ("WHAT ABOUT TARA?") during their pre-coital chat. Yes I know Willow has to get over her at some point, but doesn't this episode mark the one year aniversary of Tara's death? And wouldn't WIllow be more logically afraid of losing control if Kennedy dies - which, lets face it, is pretty likely, with her being a powerless potential and all. On the other hand, I don't suppose it would make send to be pining for an old lover whilst in bed with a new one. Just seems kinda disrespectful.

Faith and Wood - now, I know a lot of people won't like this coupling, but I dug it. She's the loose cannon, he's the steady type, who probably wouldn't have taken her brush off so quietly if it wasn't the end of the world I'd like to see more of these two together, in fact if Faith was ever to get a spin off, unlikely as that is, I'd like to see Wood in on the act.

The chaos in the Summers house at the beginning was painful to watch, and although it took a while coming, I was gratified to see Faith take charge. When she snapped at Kennedy and made the "I'm in charge now" speech, I worried that they would quickly mutiny against her, having overthrown Buffy so quickly. But she seemed to have all the elements that Buffy missed - the main one being persuasal. She actually explained her arguments and everyone got the reasons behind her plans. If she and Buffy actually worked together this apocalypse would be defused before bedtime.

I liked to see the Mayor make an appearance, although I think it would have been more effective an at earlier point in the arc, perhaps giving the others (Buffy and the original Scoobs) a worry that maybe Faith wasn't as rehabilitated as she made out.


As for Buffy's note - very weird, but I hope it just said something simple, like "Thank you", or "I love you too".
It was a nice counterpoint to last seasons Buffy-Spike lustfest that those two seemed to be the only people in the ep that weren't getting it on.

 

[Highlander II]

Ok - now that I've thoroughly vented about UPN's stupidity -

I'll move on to the episode -

Now - while I loved the Spike / Faith fight - b/c I love seeing Spike get to be a bad ass - it did seem 'forced' and 'out of place' -- Spike's argument to the Scoobies seemed both in- and out - of character. I can see Spike making that argument, but it's almost more something that Xander would have said - but, it sort of makes sense for Spike to say it, b/c Buffy never saved his butt - well, until recently - or she never did it consciously before this season - if Spike got saved it was by default - b/c he was around when she saved everyone else. So, I can see him saying it, and I can see him not -- and how the freakin' heck did he know Buffy was right about going to the winery again? He wasn't even there when Buffy made that speech - he was off talkin' about onion blossoms and beating up monks while that was going on... I'm confused on that point --

and I still think his goofy / happy smile was creepy -- I don't wanna see Spike smile like that --

The Note --- grrrrrg --- I'm REALLY hoping it doesn't say 'I love you' - b/c I will completely lose all faith in Joss at that point - partly b/c I don't like the Spike/Buffy ship - but also b/c it would seem like a trite after-thought - and Spike doesn't deserve that - ******* though he is, even *he* doesn't deserve to be told in a note -- same if she's 'gone' -- she should just tell him - she can't be afraid - she told him it was over before. I just don't understand her -- it's why I wanna know what the note said - esp since we didn't get any Spike-reaction to it...

That axe -- I don't even know where to begin with that one -

I'll be back w/ more comments later ---

 

[Highlander II]

Well, was reading over the shooting script - and they left out some fun lines - some others were altered slightly and I don't have those -- but here's what I could catch that they left out:

Spike and Andrew at the mission ---

ANDREW
…Wow, I'm imagining something really horrible. How 'bout you?

SPIKE
All right! I'll play if you want.

ANDREW
(thrilled) You will?

SPIKE
It's that or bash my head repeatedly against this wall.

ANDREW
Okay.. Let's see, let's see...

*His eyes scan the barren room.*

ANDREW (cont'd)
I spy with my little eye something that begins with a..."Y".

*Spike looks around. There's nothing that begins with a "Y".*

SPIKE
A "Y"? There's nothing here that--

ANDREW
'Yet another tapestry'!

SPIKE
(to himself) Shoulda picked the bashing.


**Wish they hadn't left that out - it woulda been funny -- *pout* **


These is from the kitchen scene - before Andrew and Spike get back:

GILES
Dumb as in mute. Dumb is a politically incorrect and outdated
term that belies my youth in the Mesozoic Era.

XANDER
Hey, whoa there sweet-cakes, missing body parts can look pretty awesome. (beat) But this was totally gross.

ANDREW
(re: Xander) Oh, cool... very Col. Nick Fury. You're lookin' good!

XANDER
Seeing slightly less good. But, thanks.



This is from after Willow's speech about where Buffy went:

SPIKE (cont'd)
What? She finally ran off and joined the circus? Always thought she'd be genius at the old knife throw -- (off their looks) Where is she?


The only one I wish they'd kept is the 'I Spy...' one - the others - eh, might have been okay - but not as 'gripping' or 'compelling' or 'funny' as the 1st one...